Any attempt to take additional worlds away from the Republic would have ended in disaster. If the Alliance split their forces to hold Tauhento and Oaxes, the Dactari would have gathered a huge assault group and destroyed their enemy piecemeal.
Now, with the tantalizing possibility of knowing enemy movements almost within their grasp, there existed the opportunity to turn a liability into a deadly ambush. Taking Tauhento and Oaxes would not only set up a thriving, interplanetary economy; it would be a goad to Dactari pride.
It would be all but impossible for them to resist attacking the impudent invaders if they started placing small garrison forces at isolated worlds. They would strike quickly, and they would strike as hard as they could.
And Towers would know where that strike was heading.
Firm Resolve
The Dark Defiance
“Y’ know, this is the first planet we’ve found that wasn’t ahead of Earth in its technology,” Tommy said in a tone of mild shock. “Bit of a surprise, really, since every other world has been ahead of us by a few decades at the least.” He shuddered. Would these people still be alive by end of day? They were doing their best to kill each other right now but, Tommy might just cause the death of every single one of them in the hours to come, depending on the mood of their guardian.
He was starting to wish they’d never found the Dark Defiance. He could be on Khola right now, living in complete ignorance of the sword that hung over that world and others like it.
And he’d still be near Ailekna…
“Hate to disappoint you,” Kale grumbled, “but these boys ain't so far behind us if you consider what conditions the average Human is living under right now.”
The projection in front of them showed a battle in progress. The most advanced weapon on the field appeared to be the recurve bows wielded by archers in blue livery. On their side, the archers were behind the infantry, firing over their heads. On the other side, archers in red were standing on fifteen-foot-high wheeled platforms. A train of draft animals were harnessed to long push-poles that trailed out behind each platform.
The fight was taking place in a narrow canyon, roughly six hundred feet wide. Two lines of warriors faced each other, wearing armor made from hundreds of small overlapping metal scales. They carried heavy oval shields, fought with short swords, and both lines were five men deep.
At the sound of a whistle, the warriors in blue began to give way to the men behind them and slowly make their way to the rear of the heaving line.
“That’s a well trained force,” Kale nodded approvingly. “A relief maneuver like that in combat can easily turn into a rout, if you screw it up.”
“Some on the other side started to move at the whistle as well,” Gelna commented. “They must use the same signals.” He glanced over at his companions. “Perhaps we’re looking at a civil war.”
“Looks like the straight bow is going to beat the recurve today.” Kale waved at the platforms in front of them. “Those platforms are a hell of a smart idea. Lets ‘em shoot down into the enemy formation. Waste of a compound bow’s power, firing indirectly from behind your own troops like that.”
As they watched, the teamsters drove the mobile fortifications up to the rear of the fifth rank and the bowmen began to fire at their counterparts behind the enemy line. In a matter of minutes, they had won the firefight against the superior weapon of their opponents and they shifted their fire to the warriors.
They didn’t aim for the soldiers currently in combat but, rather, for the men of the fifth rank, the ones who had nothing behind them to block a retreat. They poured a withering fire, cutting down the enemy without mercy.
Until…
“They’re breaking,” Kale almost whispered. “Poor bastards.”
The troops in blue began to notice that the men at their backs were melting away from the line. What had begun with a single man backing away from the hail of arrows soon grew into a steady trickle. In the space of two minutes, half a hundred men had begun to edge backward, and then the line suddenly broke in the center.
As the soldiers in red began to pour through the opening, the remainder of the blue troops abandoned their positions and ran. There was little to be gained by standing their ground if the enemy was pouring around their flanks to assault them from the rear.
“The best weapon doesn’t necessarily mean victory,” Kale said quietly. “Those boys in red had inferior bows but they found a way to use them more effectively and it gave them the battle. Kind of like the Soviets in World War II.”
“That was on Earth?” Gelna was glad of a reason to look away from the slaughter.
“Yeah, the Germans had more advanced equipment, but they had a hell of a time maintaining it in the mud and snow. The Russians had massive manpower at their disposal so they used their industrial capacity to crank out a steady flow of tanks and guns. Uncomplicated stuff, too. Easy to train on and easy to maintain.
“A high-tech invasion force, far from supply depots, fighting against a huge population armed with less sophisticated but effective weapons…” Kale grinned at Gelna. “Sound familiar, Doc?”
“We never expected you to fight us at Mars,” Gelna shrugged. “If we had only a few more weeks, we would have been ready. If we had fought in Earth orbit, things may have been very different.”
“I’m afraid you don’t get a do-over in war, Doc.” Kale chuckled. “I suppose you did try anyway, only to get your tails twisted a second time. Now where did that happen?” He pretended to give it serious thought. “Oh, that’s right… they fought in Earth orbit the second time.” They had learned of the second invasion attempt from Frank Bender.
They had still been at Khola while the second battle against the Dactari Republic was being waged in Earth orbit. The Völund had returned home without them.
Gelna turned back to watch the aftermath of the battle, his tail twitching furiously.
“Right,” Tommy spoke into the silence before Kale could goad the Dactari any further. “Let’s go find the local ship”
The Firm Resolve, Keeva supplied the name. The view of the battle disappeared and they began moving out toward the fringe of the planetary system where the gas giants lurked.
In less time than it would take to describe the purpose of the thirteen-month voyage of NASA’s Nike probe to Jupiter, they had reached the hiding place of the Dark Defiance’s sister ship.
I’m signalling the ship.
“Let’s hope the Firm Resolve has a patient symbiote.” Gelna stared down at the gas giant beneath them. “The world we just saw was a bit of a mess.”
“Let’s hope there isn’t a patient symbiote,” Tommy insisted. “Camulos is leaving us to our own devices because he doesn’t want to go to the bother of starting over. That’s what we want here, a lazy guardian.”
“Well, lazy or not, here he comes.” Kale nodded out at a dark speck that was rapidly growing larger.
It was always strange to be reminded how large their own ship was. This vessel was a sister ship to the Dark Defiance and it was massive. The five hull sections, each ten kilometers wide by forty long, were arranged around a central spine with ten-kilometer-wide open spaces between them. Each section held a city of high-rises and industrial zones on the inner surface.
The energy shielding required to hold the atmosphere on those sections indicated an impressive, and still unknown, power source. The automated maintenance systems were nothing short of miraculous. Of all the ships they had met so far, not one had carried any crew. The ancients who had built the fleet had all died off long ago.
Dark Defiance, a male voice spoke in greeting. Why have you come?
I have come to preserve life, she answered. But I see we are already too late.
“Too late?” Tommy felt a shiver down his spine.
Who are these? the ship demanded.
They are from another world, Keeva replied. They managed to convince me of the value in chaos.
Foolishness, came the indi
gnant reply. This world is a dead end. Any species that would waste their valuable resources on war would have only become more destructive as time wore on.
Keeva, Tommy cut in. Why is he already speaking in the past tense?
Because he has just triggered a series of massive volcanic events beneath the planet’s surface. The resulting ash cloud will prevent photosynthesis for decades. The inhabitants will starve to death within days.
Tommy looked at his companions, filled with the sudden horror that comes with knowing you’ve helped to bring about millions of deaths. Had they not awakened the ship, this planet might have had thousands of years without interference.
He knew his face probably mirrored the expressions he saw on Kale and Gelna’s faces. There must be panic down there, he thought. Parents trying to comfort their terrified children even though they’d be frightened themselves.
He thought back to Ailekna, the young woman on Khola who may have given up waiting for him at this point. He was drawn to her but, after seeing several planets in the throes of disaster, he was terrified of having children. He looked down at the doomed world in front of him, imagining the horror of holding his own starving child, almost hearing the weakening cries.
How many lives will be wiped out because of one person’s snap decision. His gaze narrowed suddenly, head tilting a fraction. Can the Firm Resolve hear my thoughts?
He has not mapped your neural pathways. He only hears your thoughts if I choose to include them and I thought it wise to keep him out of your head. He only hears you if you speak out loud.
A wise choice, Tommy thought with relief. How many humanoids live on this world?
There were roughly fifty million inhabitants on eight continents, Keeva replied, her answer an epitaph.
How many crew was this vessel designed to carry?
There was a long pause. Even with a bank of quantum computers to augment her humanoid brain, Keeva could still be surprised. As you know, the minimum crew is zero, but I could easily house and employ up to thirty million crew and family. We could save most of them.
We could save all of them. Tommy let his gaze drift, meaningfully, toward the Firm Resolve.
He would never allow it, she replied. I’m certain he would consider it an infestation.
He needs to be stopped, Tommy insisted. By what right does he destroy all life on a world? Even if he was the one who planted it there, once life exists, wiping it out is a monstrous crime.
There was a time when I would have argued that point, she said with a tone of regret.
But now you agree with me. Tommy looked over his shoulder to where a heavy octagonal door was set in a deep recess of the aft wall. Is it possible to remove him from command of his vessel?
He would have to be physically disconnected from the ship. She paused. You would have to enter the stasis room from his bridge. I can’t transport you directly to his body – the stasis rooms are shielded to all outside sensors and energy transfers.
Tommy turned toward the heavy door. Show me. Almost instantly, he felt a strange tingling in his left hand.
You have been marked as a captain. One of your finger bones has been modified slightly. A specialized calcium matrix has been formed that will give you access to the chamber. It should work for any of our ships.
Tommy walked to the door, ignoring the looks from his friends, who had only heard Keeva’s side of the conversation. There would be time to explain later, he hoped.
He reached the door and it separated into eight sections, each one sliding out from the center to leave a large opening. He stepped inside and the door closed behind him. A large workstation sat directly in front of him, reaching from floor to ceiling. He moved around it to find an array of gravity plates keeping a humanoid form suspended several feet above the deck. There appeared to be no physical connections linking the body to the ship.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, though Tommy knew her race to be the origin of the longevity that had both blessed and cursed Humans. She could have been born thousands of years ago. “Hmm.” He turned away from the floating form in some embarrassment.
She had long black hair, floating tendrils in the modified gravity. Her eyes were closed, but they seemed to be just slightly larger than a human’s. Her chin was narrow, giving her face an angular quality.
She was quite attractive, and entirely without clothing. Tommy was having a difficult time in getting the image of pale skin from his mind. She could see his thoughts, after all.
Sorry about that. Keeva sounded slightly flustered. After a few centuries, you begin to forget you even have a physical body. I should have given your mind more privacy when you walked in here. Her voice held just a hint of mischief.
Well, I suppose it’s the most honest compliment possible, Tommy replied, feeling the embarrassment drain away as he made light of the situation. Appreciating your beauty through my mind – I’ll bet that’s a first.
Actually, now that I think back, it happened on the day I became the ship, when the technicians placed me in here. The tone of mischief faded, her thoughts becoming more crisp in tone. Once I was connected, I became aware of their thoughts. It was… well, creepy. Your reaction was far more honest, and flattering, though you’re still seeing me in your mind…
Yeah, well, it’s not an easy image to let go of. Tommy was eager to move on to a less embarrassing topic. How do I disconnect him from the ship?
I placed the knowledge in your mind before you entered. Go to the control panel and tell me if you understand what needs to be done.
Tommy walked back to the workstation, studiously ignoring the nude form. He was certain he could feel her amusement. He looked at the screens of the workstation, mildly surprised to find that he now understood what he was looking at. I open this menu, he thought as he activated a secondary screen, and I select the emergency protocols?
Yes. Once you initiate the ejection sequence, he will begin to lose his hold on the ship, and he cannot access this workstation. It was built for the installation of symbiotes so there was no need for an installed symbiote to access its controls after the fact. Within minutes, he will have only his original brain to carry his consciousness.
And once I’m inside the chamber, he can’t stop me?
That’s right: as soon as you pass the threshold, his ability to affect matter is neutralized, but how will you get inside? The moment you materialize, he will kill you.
If you place me directly in front of his chamber door, I can jump through as soon as the opening is large enough.
But he will still have ample time to eliminate you, Keeva explained patiently.
But what if we distract him?
Two minutes later, Tommy appeared on the bridge of the Firm Resolve, standing directly in front of the chamber door. At the same moment, one of Kale’s grenades also appeared on the other side of the bridge, its fuse smoking as it dropped to the deck and rolled toward the shield.
The doors had seemed fast enough when opening on the Dark Defiance but now they seemed to take an eternity as Tommy listened to the metallic clatter of the rolling grenade. He wormed through the opening, noticing the absence of the clatter as he pulled his feet inside the room. Couldn’t have been more than four seconds, he thought, or the bloody grenade would have killed me.
He raced over to the workstation. Not wanting to take any chances – the chamber on this ship might have been upgraded, allowing its occupant to affect matter – he began to open the emergency protocols.
“What are you doing?” The voice was heavily distorted and distant. It sounded as though it was coming from the vibration of deck plates outside of the shielded area. Since this ship didn’t have his mind mapped, it couldn’t speak to his mind, in the chamber or out of it. Tommy ignored the question and selected the ejection sub-menu.
“I can’t open the chamber door,” the metallic voice growled, “but my security drones certainly can.”
The drones.
Tommy had been s
hot by drones once. He had scars on his legs to prove it. They would have no problem with eliminating him and stopping the ejection sequence. He still needed two minutes for the ejection, but he knew a bridge drone could be here in a matter of seconds. He forced himself to think through his newfound knowledge of the chamber.
On a sudden inspiration, he opened a maintenance menu. Overriding a backup system, he shut down the grav plates that held up the symbiote. He heard a dull thud from the other side of the workstation, followed immediately by an alarm. He looked down at the screen, seeing a flashing message advising him of a connection failure.
The symbiote was no longer connected to the ship.
The ejection was still in progress, now at fifty-eight percent. His mind is still ejecting, but there’s nowhere for it to go, Tommy thought as he stepped around the wall of monitors to see his enemy. The body lay where it had fallen, eyes blinking listlessly. Serves him right, bloody murderer. Having just seen a planet choked to death by ash, he was in no mood to extend any sympathy. Tommy shivered in spite of himself. He moved back to the terminal.
The progress indicator inched toward completion. Soon as it finishes, I’ll have to take my chances with the drones. He fervently hoped the symbiote had taken direct control of them rather than issuing a set of detailed commands. The indicator flashed an orange color.
It was finished.
Tommy took a deep breath and turned around. He forced himself to walk toward the door, one foot after another, wondering each time if it would be his last step. He jumped slightly as the eight panels separated and began to retract with a shriek.
Two drones hovered in front of him.
He waited for the second eternity of the day. His lungs began to protest, shaking him out of his trance. He took a deep breath, savoring the sensation of still having working lungs rather than collapsed, blood-filled ruins.
The drones still hadn’t fired at him.
He stepped out into the bridge, easing around the deadly sentinels. Keeva, do you have control of this ship?
The Orphan Alliance (The Black Ships Book 3) Page 12
