by J. N. Chaney
“Transmission in progress, sir,” said the A.I.
We raced away from the station as multiple drones arrived, passing us in the process. The battle raged on ahead of us as our fleet continued to clash with the drones, though their numbers had been greatly diminished by this point.
I was relieved to see most of our ships were still intact. Not all, but most.
Less than a minute after I gave Sigmond the order, I saw a beam leave Titan, splitting the space in front of it and forming a new tunnel.
I had to give Athena credit. She knew how to get the job done.
“Siggy, open a channel to all ships,” I said, bringing The Renegade Star into the heat of the fight. “This is Captain Hughes to all pilots. Fall back inside Titan’s shield immediately.”
Straight ahead of us, two strike ships began their retreat, followed by three pursuing drones. I brought us close behind the enemy vessels and dropped the cloak, allowing Abigail to fire.
Three blasts struck the ships, eviscerating one of them and sending two careening in opposite directions. We flew through the shattered remnants of the dead drone, its metal ashes cascading off our shield, while the other two floated motionlessly in the dead of space.
I watched the two pilots bring their strike ships into Titan’s safety perimeter. Those were the last of the fighters, and it seemed the tunnel was open. “Time to go,” I said, taking us inside the shield.
“I’m glad to be done with that,” said Abigail, leaning back in her seat.
“Done?” I asked, glancing at the holo to see a fleet of drones in pursuit, and shook my head. “No, this job ain’t over yet.”
Twenty
I had Sigmond open a channel to each of my crew—Dressler, Abigail, Alphonse, Octavia, Hitchens, Freddie, Karin, and Bolin, all of whom were currently dispersed throughout Titan. “We have the coordinates for our next attack, but first I want reports.”
“We lost three pilots in the assault. Five were injured,” informed Alphonse.
I felt my chest tighten at the sound of the number. “Recovery status?”
“I’m with them in the med-bay,” Octavia chimed in. “They’re doing fine. Nothing life-threatening.”
That was good, but we’d still lost three of our people. Three former colonists who’d chosen to fight with us. A dry heat filled my throat as I imagined Janus’ words to me. He’d entrusted all these lives to a fool.
I swallowed, licking my dry lips. I had to do better.
“Sigmond extracted more than the location of the capsule,” said Athena, her voice breaking my thoughts. “In the moments since I received it, I have also observed drone movement across the defense network.”
The galactic map appeared on my visor. Multiple red dots lit up across Earth’s inner territory, but the bulk of them were centralized in a single system. “Is that the crowded system where we’ll find the capsule?” I asked.
“Not quite,” said Athena. A small blue dot appeared in another system, a short distance above the cluster of red. “The capsule is located here.”
“That whole region looks busy,” Abigail said.
“The majority of activity is centralized around a single point, which appears to be another storage manufacturing center. The capsule is a short distance from there.”
“Maybe we can slip through,” I said.
“Observe the following,” said Athena. The map changed, and over half the dots disappeared from view. “This is from nearly twenty hours ago. Notice the gradual increase in units.”
“So, he’s making more drones,” said Octavia.
The map changed back to the original, showing the large cluster of red dots again. “I believe so, Ms. Brie,” confirmed Athena. “This is only a glimpse of Hephaestus’ activity at the time of Sigmond’s insertion. The drones could have moved by now. There could also be more.”
“Such is the nature of intelligence gathering,” suggested Alphonse. “At the very least, we have what we wanted. The rest is a bonus.”
“Indeed,” said Athena. “I have taken the liberty of setting course for Hephaestus’ primary capsule. Shall I continue, Captain?”
I looked around the landing bay at all the strike ships, many of them with blast marks on their hulls. Several pilots were still lingering near their designated ships, some receiving medical attention as this meeting was taking place. If we invaded that capsule, more of them would probably have to go back out there and fight. More of them might die.
I placed a hand on the nose of my ship, still warm from the fight. “Athena, how many drones did you see around the capsule?”
“Twenty-three,” she said, the answer coming right away.
“And what kind of place is it?” I asked.
“The planet is called Aetna. I must admit, I was surprised to discover that this was the world the Eternals chose for Hephaestus’ capsule.”
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“This world was considered uninhabitable. The atmosphere was highly toxic, and the volcanic activity made it too dangerous to colonize, even with atmospheric colony shields. Sigmond’s report further suggests the planet has been partially terraformed.”
“Why would they put a Cognitive’s capsule in a place like that?” asked Freddie.
“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Alphonse. “No one’s going to go looking on a world like that for something as important as a capsule.”
“The Eternal government deemed this planet a hazard, officially preventing anyone from colonizing or mining, including both government and civilian agencies,” explained Athena. “In hindsight, it seems likely they were either constructing this facility in secret or had already done so before I departed.”
“Makes sense,” said Octavia. “The Union does that sort of thing all the time. I suppose every government, no matter how advanced, is always a little secretive.”
“You have no idea,” muttered Alphonse.
“That aside, did you catch anything else we should know?” I asked, getting back to the point of this discussion.
“Only that Hephaestus is aware of our movements,” said Athena. A green line formed on the map. It moved in a straight line until it reached Abaddon Station, then made a slight turn and continued to Tyche.
I heard a few grunts through the comm as the reality of this revelation sank in. There were no breaks in the line, not a single one, which could only mean one thing. “He can track us through slipspace.”
“I’m afraid so, Captain,” answered Athena, “which means he likely already knows our destination.”
“If he knows all this, why hasn’t he tried to stop us?” asked Karin.
“His forces might be too scattered,” said Alphonse. “It takes a while to move, even with slipspace. He would need to pull his drones from all across the defense grid. Not only that, but he’s been focused on getting those supply stations opened so he can manufacture more ships.”
“Indeed. Before this last attack, Hephaestus likely believed us to be of little consequence, and so his programming had prioritized resource accumulation and acquisition,” said Athena. “But now—”
“Now, we’re a threat,” I finished, “which means we’ve just been bumped up on the little bastard’s to-do list.” I sighed. “Okay, listen up. I want all our pilots back in their ships and ready to fly at a moment’s notice. That goes for all of you. Freddie, Abby, Karin, and Dressler: you’re all with me on The Star. Everyone else, you know the drill.”
“How long do we have until we arrive?” asked Hitchens, speaking up for the first time. I’d almost forgotten he was on the call.
“Got something to do?” I asked.
“I thought I’d feed the crew,” he answered, a carefree tone in his voice.
“This isn’t the time to worry about food,” said Abigail.
“No, he’s right,” said Alphonse. “Half of them haven’t eaten since this morning. It might be a good idea to get some food down there.”
“Rest assured, Constable Mallo
y, I’ll have some sandwiches to them within the hour.”
* * *
I sat on my ship’s loading platform, watching the line of pilots move as they received their complimentary meals, thanks to Hitchens and a few of his young students, Lex among them.
The pilots smiled and laughed as the children gave them their wrapped lunches. They must have been starving, but you’d never know it by the look on their faces.
All these people, brought here because of me. They looked like inmates in a prison colony, waiting for the day’s meal. Was that what this ship had become? Is that what Janus would say if he could see them now?
Part of me wondered if I should turn the ship around right now. Maybe we could find another world out there, far from Hephaestus, the Sarkonians, the Union, and Earth. Far from things that wanted us dead.
Maybe that was the real answer to this problem—to run and live somewhere far away. Would Janus approve of that? Would he say I did the right thing?
Abigail came walking from inside the ship, filling the cargo bay with her echoing steps. “Aren’t you going to get yourself a sandwich?” she asked as she placed her hand on my shoulder and plopped down beside me.
“I’ll wait until we get back,” I said.
“No, you won’t,” she said, a half-smile on her face. She raised a hand and waved. “Lex, honey! Could you bring a few of those over here?”
Lex perked up at the sound of her name, taking a moment to process the request before finally reaching into the box and taking the food. She came running right away. “Sure thing, Abby!”
The little girl arrived with a grin across her face, cheerful as always.
Abigail handed me one of the sandwiches. “I bet these are good.”
Lex tilted her head, tapping her chin. “They’re okay. I like the ham better.” She turned and ran back to join Hitchens, leaving us alone.
I stared down at its plastic wrapping. My stomach growled at the sight of it, but I didn’t eat.
“You’ll have to eat that eventually,” said Abigail, nudging me with her arm. “Even if you don’t want to eat, your body needs it. I heard it talking to you just now.”
I grunted, but went ahead and unwrapped the food. She’d shut up once I ate it, and I was hungry anyway. I bit into the bread and ripped a piece of it off, and it tasted better than I expected. Turkey on rye, with a bit of mustard.
“He listens,” said the nun. “Imagine that.”
“Satisfied?” I asked.
She laughed, kissing my cheek. “For now,” she said, standing up. “Ask me again tomorrow.”
She returned inside the ship, leaving me alone on the loading platform.
“Sir, shall I prepare some coffee to go with your dinner?” asked Sigmond, his voice taking me by surprise.
“Gods, Siggy. That came out of nowhere,” I said.
“Apologies, sir. I was waiting for your conversation with Ms. Pryar to conclude.”
I sighed. “No coffee right now. Just focus on helping Abigail with whatever she’s working on.”
“That would be a weapons diagnostic check,” he explained, “and I am already assisting her.”
I smirked. “You’re doing everything these days.”
“The upgrades Athena provided have greatly enhanced my capabilities, sir.”
“I’m just surprised it worked and you’re still in one piece.” I took another bite of my sandwich. “Say, Siggy, let me ask you something.”
“Please do, sir.”
“You got that shell thing from Janus, didn’t you?”
“Yes, sir. While not all of his functional shell was transferred, I have received approximately 85% of it through multiple system upgrades.”
“And did you learn anything about him from it?” I asked.
“About Janus, sir?”
“That’s right,” I answered.
“I have a detailed record of his life in the three centuries prior to our arrival, sir.”
“What about what his opinions? Can you tell me anything like that?” I asked.
“Please clarify, sir.”
“Opinions, Siggy. How did he view things? Did he like his people? Did he hate anything?”
“I’m afraid my files do not include such insights, sir.”
“Oh,” I said, a little disappointed.
“Why are you asking, sir?”
I snagged another bite of food, taking a moment to chew and swallow. “I guess I wanted to ask him about something.”
There was a short pause.
“Are you concerned about something, sir?” asked Sigmond. “Is that why you seek Janus’ guidance?”
I shrugged. “I was just wondering how he’d feel about what’s happening right now. He told me to look out for these people, but here I am leading them into a fight. Seems like I might be doing the exact opposite of what he wanted.”
My own words took me by surprise. I hadn’t expected to unload everything like that. Then again, it was only Siggy. I’d known him for years, and it wasn’t like he could really understand.
“I see,” answered Sigmond. “You are uncertain about the choice you have made.”
“Something like that,” I said with a shrug. “Forget about it, Siggy. I don’t know why I even asked.”
Another pause.
“If I might, sir,” said Sigmond. “I cannot speak for Janus, as he is gone. However, my records indicate that none of the colonists have filed a complaint against you or your leadership. They have filed complaints and reports on numerous issues, but never on your personal actions or leadership decisions. Additionally, none have attempted to leave Titan. Every capable member of the group has volunteered to fight. Were they unhappy with your leadership, I believe they would have acted far differently.”
I set the sandwich down. “You believe?” I asked him, turning my head. “I thought you needed firm data to make an analysis.”
“An absence of data can also be used to form a conclusion, sir. As I stated, none of the crew has filed a single complaint, nor have they—”
“Yeah, I get it,” I said, turning back around and picking up my sandwich. I took another large bite, ripping the bread off and chewing, staring at the group of pilots in the distance. “That’ll do for now, Siggy.”
* * *
In the meeting room nearest to the landing bay, Athena stood before us with a map of the facility on Aetna, taken from Hephaestus’ records. “The route to the facility will be hazardous, as the data shows. Orbital drones surround the planet, but we should expect additional ships to arrive before us,” explained Athena. “Once you arrive on the planet, you must follow the map precisely. I have uploaded your suits with the exact path with the least resistance to the capsule.”
“What do you mean, resistance?” asked Freddie.
“The facility appears to have its own security in place, I’m afraid,” said Athena. “I’m certain you recall the miniaturized drones from the manufacturing center.”
“How could we forget?” asked Abigail.
“It would be wise to prepare for similar encounters,” said the Cognitive. “Nonetheless, once you arrive at the capsule, the process of disabling Hephaestus will be simple.”
Dressler nodded, holding up a thumb drive.
“We’re using Sigmond again?” asked Abigail.
“Not this time,” said Dressler. “Sigmond can’t handle the workload required for the task. We’ll need to wait for Athena to bring Titan closer to the planet. From there, she’ll jump to our ship, using a repeater device, and then to this.”
“Doing so will require the majority of my processing power,” said Athena. “I will be unable to operate Titan’s weapons or its shield during the procedure.”
“You mean, you’ll be defenseless?” asked Abigail.
“Precisely,” she answered.
“Well, shit,” I said. “That basically means we’re stuck down there waiting for you to clean up the other fleet.”
Alphonse raised a finger
. “That all depends on how well our fighters do. If things get rough, we can hold them off long enough for Athena to get it done.”
“How long do you need?” I asked, looking at the Cognitive.
“Thirty seconds, by my estimation,” she said.
“That’s not too bad,” said Freddie.
“It is when you’re in the middle of a fight,” I snapped. “Athena, use your best judgment, but don’t leapfrog down there if things get hairy. You focus on the fight until it’s clear.”
“Understood,” said Athena.
The meeting soon concluded, and we dispersed back into the landing bay, joining the other pilots and our people.
Abigail and Freddie walked beside me, with Dressler trailing behind as she talked with Alphonse. We still had a good thirty minutes before our arrival, which gave me enough time to linger, grab a drink from my room, and clear my head.
I thumbed my holster as I walked, scanning the room with my eyes at the hundred or so Albinos. Among them, I managed to spot an old woman heading toward me. It was Lucia, still carrying her fighting stick and giving me that devilish smirk I’d grown so fond of.
“Well, look who it is,” I said, coming to a stop near the back of my ship.
The rest of my crew continued inside, except Alphonse and Octavia, who walked into the crowd.
“I wasn’t sure if I was too late,” said the old woman.
“To see us off?” I asked, crossing my arms. “I never pegged you for the sentimental type.”
“I’m not,” she assured me. “I’ve heard you intend to storm the enemy’s stronghold. I’m going with you.”
“Stronghold?” I said, almost with a laugh.
“Whatever you want to call it, you’ll be on foot. That’s more to my liking than what these fools are doing.”
“You mean the pilots?” I asked.
She scoffed. “I trained each one of them well enough to handle a Boneclaw in hand-to-hand combat and this is what you do with them.” She shook her head, looking at the crowd beside us. “Such a waste.”
She started walking to my ship.
“I didn’t say you could come, lady,” I barked after her. “I swear to gods, if you get hurt again, I’m leaving your ass!”
