As I nudged the destroyer upward, I glanced down. A mountain range was ahead as we glided forward at a nine-degree angle.
“Xena, are we clear of that elevation point?” I asked. It was a rhetorical question, but I wanted to be sure.
“That’s Mithrim Montes, Titan’s tallest mountain. We’re clear,” she replied.
I watched as we zoomed toward the mountain peaks. It reminded me of a returning home flight from orbit as small details on earth suddenly became apparent in front of me. I could almost gauge to the millisecond when the wheels would touch the tarmac. From here, I could make out details on the highest rocks atop the mountains; small cracks, erosion from the wind and rain. We nearly skidded across the mountains as Drake sighed loudly in relief.
“Barely!” Drake declared as we zoomed by.
“The destroyer will impact in thirty-five seconds, Captain. We’ll need to assume a safe distance before collision, just in case,” Xena confirmed.
“Where is your other half?” I asked Xena. She hesitated for a moment before replying. “She’s on the flagship, planning an escape.”
“We’re breaking away in fifteen seconds,” I replied. I slammed the throttle to the max and held it. “Come on!” I shouted.
At the last second, I yanked back on the flight stick, rolling the XU-97 to my starboard side hard, away from the burning wreckage. I noticed the bow dip a few degrees almost immediately. I ascended upward in a hurry, climbing seven kilometers above the destroyer.
“All we can do is watch,” Drake said as I leveled off the ship to a hover, observing the plummeting wreckage below. I removed my harness and stood up, as did Drake.
“Ten seconds until impact. Nine, eight, seven, six...” Xena counted down. I noticed two walls of dust emerge on each side of the destroyer before impact. It glided above the surface for what seemed like an eternity, then the nose slammed down, bounced, and skidded across the icy plains as debris ejected in all directions.
“My God,” I mumbled. The scale of the catastrophe seemed to make the destruction appear in slow motion.
I zoomed in, watching as the drones rode it out until the end, disappearing into the debris. The vessel continued trudging across the landscape for a kilometer, then broke in half, the lower section tumbled end over end. I attempted to imagine such devastation in Earth’s gravity, while this was violent, back home, this would likely have killed millions, if not billions.
We stared as the vessel came to a halt, slamming against a rocky plateau after burrowing a trench across the ground for over a kilometer. The two sections stopped about four thousand meters apart, obscured by a cloud of dark dust bellowing high into the atmosphere.
I could hear Corvin ordering forces on the comms. “Get all cleanup crews headed that way. I want special operatives there first to capture or kill any androids that remain, then I want a bomb crew on site right behind them. They could have planted a weapon inside the hull. Secure that vessel. Now!” He was starting to sound more like a general.
“All personnel do what you can to preserve equipment for intelligence gathering purposes. We can use this vessel to learn more about them,” Corvin added.
“That could be a gold mine for us.” Drake's eyes were wide as he assessed the wreckage. “All these years, we’ve read about them, heard stories. Now, they’ve come for us.”
I snapped over at him. “We’re coming for them,” I said.
“Any word on the other destroyers? What’s their location?” I asked Xena.
“Full retreat, but we’re monitoring them closely,” she replied. Now would be an opportune time to regroup and attack us.
“Captain Belic?” Corvin chimed in.
“Sir?”
“Great work. Listen, Xena jettisoned the destroyer about two kilometers before impact. She’s sending you her coordinates now, on your visor. Recover her and return to base. We have much to discuss,” he ordered.
“Ah, roger. Swinging in for the hero of the day,” I replied. We strapped back into our seats. I dipped the XU-97’s left wing and dropped altitude in a hurry. I heard cheering in the background before Corvin turned off his microphone.
I had done what I was born to do, but this victory was nothing more than a confirmation that Earth was not enough. Titan didn’t have the resources to repel another attack, so unless we pulled off a miracle soon, this could be the beginning of the end.
Chapter 9
THREE HOURS AFTER THE attack...
“All right, all right, everyone, calm down. Cleanup crews are still working. If there is nowhere to sit, I apologize, but you’ll just have to stand where you can,” Corvin said, showing us the palms of his hands.
A few hundred of us had gathered in a large auditorium area crammed with people. Most here were military, the rest political figures I assumed. Corvin sat on a stool in the middle of the room, along with the mystery men and two other colonels I hadn’t seen before. It reminded me of a town hall meeting.
“Thank you for your patience. We’re going to start in one minute. We’ve got soldiers all around the colony that wouldn’t fit in this room, so we’re broadcasting this to them as well,” Corvin said.
I studied the glass ceiling above, noticing the winds overhead. They carried the smoke from the destroyer’s wreckage to our north. By the entrance, Xena stood, extending her arm to stop people. She was checking credentials, from hero to bouncer, a robot’s life.
When we retrieved her, I didn’t get a good look. Now in the lighting, I could see everything. She still wore her battle armor, but without a helmet. She reminded me of a hunk of metal caught in a lightning storm. Her armor was nicked and scorched all over from laser fire, with small chunks missing out of it here and there. Around the right side of her torso, an entire section of armor had been blown off, even penetrating her body.
I observed her black and gray colored ribs exposed, shielding her synthetic organs that were light blue in color. They pulsated like someone breathing into a paper sack rapidly. I wondered if that was normal or due to damage, I wasn’t an expert.
“The reason you’re all here now is to discuss our military plans going forward,” Corvin interrupted my thought. He stood up and began to pace slowly, clamping his hands behind his back. He glanced around the room, meeting a few soldiers’ eyes.
“What we did today, will be remembered, forever.” He pointed his finger to the north.
“A surprise attack by four destroyers repelled, a flagship brought down by our small human colony. Let that be a reminder to humans in the years to come that we will not go quietly,” he rallied.
A man beside me erupted, “Yeah!” Several more people bellowed out, some clapped, but they allowed Corvin to keep the floor.
It was difficult not to feel the emotion. As I panned around the room, I saw military personnel that were unfamiliar, but their unwavering gaze wasn’t. Those I remembered. They were ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. They were willing to be an unknown bearer for humanity.
Despite my disapproval of the Titan military investment, and the lax nature of their disposition, I was starting to see a small glimmer of hope.
Realistically, though, the attack was just what Corvin said before we took off, a test of our defenses. A full attack would have buried us, and it was coming sooner than later.
“I know many of you in this room had only heard rumors of the android fleet around Earth’s moon, and for that, I want to apologize. I will take responsibility for the lack of readiness here. We had obviously made plans if this day were to come, but we should have done more. I could have done more.” Corvin slumped his head slightly, silencing the crowd.
In a small way, I bought into Corvin’s vulnerability here. He knew he was wrong and he was accepting responsibility. I knew he wasn’t the only person who decided to hide this from the population, but he was stepping up for all of them.
“Understand that we were only protecting our civilians from worry. As you know, that can be a powerful thing,”
he added.
“Or protecting your friends at Winzor Mining, huh?” A thick Irish voice erupted across the room.
The crowd shifted their attention toward a feisty male that stepped out from the mass. He was white, about forty, with a buzz cut and silver hair. He wore a form fitting navy-blue suit. He was lean, but muscular and projected a sense of confidence that seemed to challenge the entire room.
“What’s that?” Corvin snapped around.
“The reason you didn’t say nuttin’ to the civilians was because you know these people need to keep working. We all know your ties to Wiznor! We know who your father-in-law is! The damn CEO! No need to smooth it over, Corvin!” he rattled. The crowd exploded, yelling at the man.
Corvin grinned and shook his head. I could see Xena parting the rustled crowd, she took hold of him by the collar, picking him up with one hand, escorting him toward the exit.
“Let go! Need your robot to do the fighting, huh? Corvin? You fancy yourself a hero, you fat cat? You did fooking nuttin’ Corvin!” he said. The more he cursed, the thicker his accent became. Xena and the man disappeared from my view as everyone stood up around me to get a better look.
Despite the crowd coming to Corvin’s defense, the next thing I noticed were a few skeptical faces glaring back at him.
He batted his hands down. “Alright, that’ll be all from the political side of things today. We have a war to win,” he said. Corvin’s eyes shifted toward me as everyone else had a seat. He allowed me a few moments to do the same, but I didn’t. I remained standing.
“Well, if it isn’t one of our heroes of the day,” Corvin hesitantly pointed me out. Everyone stared at me. I noticed several people glanced at my rank, then back at my face confused. Most of these people had never seen me before.
“I have a question,” I said. Corvin narrowed his eyes at me and paused. “Sure. Um. Go ahead.”
“General, sir, will we be taking the fight to the androids or waiting around for another attack?” I asked.
Corvin lifted his eyebrows, taking a few steps toward me. “That’s an excellent question, Captain.”
“Thank you,” I said, taking my seat.
“We do have a plan to go on the offensive, but the secure nature of the mission can’t be discussed on an open forum like this.” The crowd began to stir, interrupting Corvin.
“You can’t tell us?” one woman demanded.
“However!” he shouted, slicing his hand through the air horizontally, silencing them.
“However, we have assembled a team. This team will be sent to Earth in the next twenty-four hours. We have an extremely aggressive plan we think could wreak havoc on the androids, even destroy them. We are going on the offense people!” He glared at me as the crowd cheered. He arched an eyebrow and nodded. I stood up, immediately stepping toward the exit. I needed every second to prepare. Xena followed me with her eyes as I exited the auditorium.
“Um, Captain.” I stopped in my tracks as Xena’s voice echoed down the vacant hallway.
“Xena,” I said, but I didn’t turn around.
“Drake is readying the mission now. We leave in nine hours, not twenty-four. I suggest you rejuvenate,” she said. Great, even less time.
“Thank you, Xena.” I turned around, staring at her.
She nodded her head. “I look forward to flying with you again, Captain.”
“Likewise.”
Chapter 10
NINE HOURS LATER...
“Captain, this is command. All your systems look great. Your heading is marked on your visor. We suggest you relax, it’ll be a long journey,” an unknown male voice said.
I looked over at Drake. “Who’s that? Where’s Corvin?” I asked.
Drake shrugged his shoulders.
“He was promoted this morning to general of all military forces on Titan. They had a ceremony,” Drake replied.
“Mr. Big Shot now, can’t even send us off on our way. I wanted a goodbye hug,” I mumbled.
“Yeah. I bet you did,” Drake chuckled. I could care less if I ever saw Corvin again. The feeling was likely mutual.
I was used to feeling out of place in life. My blunt and somewhat bullheaded personality made me unlikeable for some.
I stayed up all night I was so excited to leave. I went through most of the training applications in augmented reality. I learned that I could still fire a laser pistol with the best, managed fourteenth place out of nearly forty-thousand attempts on Titan.
If I had more time, I could have easily cracked top five. To my surprise, these modern laser pistols weren’t leagues better from the ones in my day. They fired faster and were slightly more powerful, but then again, that was in augmented reality.
“You’re clear for takeoff, Captain,” the unknown male said.
“Roger.”
I glanced at the indicator marker as the hangar door opened. “Sixteen days?”
“The Russian freighter is meeting us halfway, remember?” Drake asked.
“I know. Just seems, quick,” I said. Not quick enough. I wasn’t happy about the deviation.
I sighed loudly, throttling out of the hangar into the lower atmosphere and blasting through the upper. We zoomed toward the battle from yesterday. I glanced over, noticing a massive cloud of debris floating aimlessly from the exchange. From what I could see, it was mostly drone and ship debris, but then I caught a glimpse of something else as I zoomed in with my visor.
“Whoa. See that? Two o’clock.” I pointed, backing off the throttle. Drake peered over where I was looking.
“I see, something,” he whispered.
I rolled the ship towards it. As we approached, it became clearer.
“Captain, that is a 1.13 android. Must have been ejected during the battle,” Xena said.
“Functional?” I asked.
“Scanning... Doesn’t appear operational,” Xena confirmed. I eased closer until it was right above us. It could practically reach out and touch the cockpit windshield. Its eyes were closed. It reminded me of a skeleton in dark tan coveralls. Part of its face was melted, revealing its metal jawline and blue muscles. Drake stood up to get a closer look.
“Other than Xena, I’ve never seen one. Shit!” Drake jumped back. Suddenly, the android’s eyes opened, but one of them had been burned through the socket. The other blue eye bounced around frantically while its body appeared to be paralyzed.
“Some of your handiwork, Xena?” I teased. She’d killed more than I had.
“I don’t understand the question,” she replied. I backed up the XU-97, turning the guns on it. I inched close enough so the barrel of my laser Gatling gun was touching the android’s face. I peered through the ship’s hull using hawken mode, assessing the android’s reaction as I spooled up the weapon. It seemed unconcerned with decommission.
“If it’s not death you fear, then what is it?” I mumbled. I glanced over at Xena, attempting to gauge her response to my actions. Admittedly, I was purposely taunting both androids. Xena had proven herself as an ally, but I wanted to test her.
My view was that artificial intelligence is like owning a wild animal. An owner of a tiger might consider his ‘pet’ domesticated, only until it’s too late. There was a similar risk involved after we gave the androids choice.
I pulled the trigger while staring at Xena. The barrage of laser fire ripped the android into a mass of dust and globs of synthetic blue blood.
“Well, that was just, delightful,” Drake observed as the android’s remains floated in front of us.
I shuffled around into my seat. “Autopilot, engage to the marked indicator,” I ordered us toward the Russian rendezvous point.
“Xena, do you feel any sense of satisfaction watching me destroy that android?” I asked.
“It’s simply a waste of time,” she said. Drake met my eyes briefly, then straight ahead, viewing a small holographic course map in front of him. He shook his head slowly. I guess my antics were a waste of time, too. I wasn’t satisfied, thou
gh.
“Despite your differences in programming, wouldn’t you agree there is some kinship here beyond the physicality? The old androids were servants to mankind, then they turned on us. You are much the same in this regard. You’re a servant despite your programming,” I explained.
“Captain, are you bothered by my performance in battle? Your evaluations indicate a fierce competitive nature. There are multiple complaints against you in drills and wargames,” she said, cutting her wintry eyes at me.
“Bothered? Absolutely not. You did what you were programmed for, nothing more.” I shrugged it off. Those ‘complaints’ she spoke of were nothing but sore losers.
“My programming is a dynamic intelligence. Much like yourself, I had orders. Mine involved taking command of the flagship’s bridge,” she explained.
“Which you did. Great work, by the way,” I congratulated. I could feel my blood pressure rising. I was tired and frustrated from staying up all night.
“But I wasn’t told how to do it. The same way you weren’t instructed to bring the destroyer sensor domes down. You took the best course of action, either based on experience, training, or both,” Xena explained.
“Actually, it was gut instinct,” I replied.
“Ah yes. Gut. Or a premonition. Humans from your day called it a hunch as well,” she said.
“You have complete access to my file, don’t you?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Look up the Battle of Alaska. Take a gander at my combat statistics.”
“Forty-two aerial drone kills,” the shipboard AI said. Xena glared up at the origin of the voice and paused.
“Hijacked android controlled fighters,” I said.
“Impressive, Captain. I'm proud to serve with such an ace pilot,” Xena said.
“My point is, much of it was gut. I can’t explain why I know what to do, it just comes natural. You can’t program it. That’s the problem with machines, you’re too systematic. I’ve seen it in combat a thousand times. I could read them like a book,” I said.
The Legion and the Lioness (World Apart Book 1) Page 14
