Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights

by Lawrence White

  Multiple robotic arms hid most of the actual assembly line from view. Brightly colored hoses and cables stretched from those robotic arms across the isle to the right side of the tunnel, connecting to vats of chemicals, automated parts supply systems, and medical paraphernalia. Botts skittered around everywhere keeping things clean.

  Josh stepped up to the monitors. “If we did nothing, how long will supplies for this line last?”

  The mayor rubbed a hand across her jaw. “Hard to say. I’m a security expert, not a scientist. Two other facilities on the planet feed this line. One grows the mulogs and certain medical compounds, and one builds the mechanical enhancements. A fourth facility was for testing, but we closed it down just before the uprising. For the rest of the chemicals and medical compounds, we created them here or had them shipped in every few years.”

  “Why so decentralized?” Josh asked.

  She turned her head away from the display to address him. “We failed here, I know that, but that doesn’t mean we were stupid. We knew that losing control of the androids was a possibility, and we decentralized just in case. We believed that keeping the supply of mulogs distant would break the supply line, and that manufacturing the mechanical implants far away would do the same. We failed to factor in the creativity of the peicks. We’ve been out of touch with everything on the surface since they turned on us, but I believe they’re transporting supplies on our vehicles and scooters, and they’re creating mulogs through the natural process.”

  She stopped talking, clearly considering whether or not to add to what she had said. When she spoke, it was softly. “Like I said, I’m no scientist, and I can’t speak to the intelligence we gave them, but they’ve definitely taken things beyond what we designed into them.”

  Josh’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you mean?”

  “They’ve built or created or mutated a smaller version of themselves. It moves so fast we only catch glimpses of it—we have to stop the recordings to actually see it. We only recently discovered it, and so far there’s only one of them. It’s about half the size of a regular peick, it changes color faster so it blends in better, and we suspect it’s a lot smarter. It’s possible it’s controlling all the other peicks.”

  She paused, then added, “It doesn’t have the head plate. We don’t know if the creature is manufactured or grown, but we recently discovered a long history of intrusions into our research databases. Those intrusions might have supplied the knowledge the peicks needed to upgrade themselves.”

  “Hold on a second!” Josh exclaimed, leaning into her face. “You’re telling me there’s some kind of highly intelligent super soldier smarter than a peick running around free?”

  “I’m fairly certain it’s somewhere inside the facility guarding the assembly line. Wouldn’t you if you were in its place?”

  “Did you give peicks the ability to pilot ships?”

  “Of course we did. They were designed to fight Chessori in space and on the ground.”

  A noticeable hum sounded suddenly from speakers throughout the facility. Everyone in the control room looked up, questioning. A couple of pops sounded, startling everyone into raising weapons, then the hum went away, replaced by an ominous voice that reached every corner of the facility.

  “HA, HA, HA,” it said. “SO PREDICTABLE. I KNOW YOUR EVERY MOVE. YOU’RE DONE HERE. YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLANET ALIVE, ANY OF YOU.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Josh looked at Nbara with eyes opened wide in alarm. He grabbed her upper arm and motioned for all of them to move out of the control room into the open area adjacent to the massive doors.“Was that what I think it was?”

  She was no less alarmed than him. “I don’t know!”

  “Will it hear us here?”

  Nbara looked around, then to Claire and asked, “Do you recall if there are any sensors here?”

  Claire nodded, clearly frightened by the ominous tone of the voice. “There are, but if you speak softly, you won’t be heard.”

  Josh turned to his men with pursed lips and motioned for them to draw close to him. He spoke in a near whisper, “Our mission just changed. Rescuing these people is now a secondary priority. Peicks are bad, but this super peick could become a new disaster for the Empire. We have to destroy this place.”

  He turned back to Nbara. “I want to make sure nothing ever comes out of this facility again. What’s the best way to do that?”

  She lifted her head in the direction of the factory. “You’d have to destroy the assembly line, or at least critical parts of it. I’ve been living in constant fear of these creatures for years. I haven’t allowed that door to open since the uprising, and I’m not going to open it now. They’ll be on us in an instant.”

  Lex cleared his throat and padded closer. “Mayor, did I fail to introduce you two? The Empire has taken a deep interest in your work here, or perhaps I should say the unfortunate outcome of that work. You’re speaking to Sir Joshua, Knight of the Realm.”

  Her focus went internal as she considered the full implications of that statement, then she went to the floor on one knee. Claire followed uncertainly with wide eyes, looking back and forth between the two.

  “Enough,” Josh said, lifting Nbara to her feet. “You say there’s only one of these super peicks?”

  “So far as we know.”

  “So if we destroy the assembly line, there won’t be any more of them since it takes two to mate. Right?”

  “You’re talking about a big operation. It will take hours at best. I’m telling you, opening that door is a bad idea.”

  “Mother,” Claire said, slightly exasperated, “we’re leaving. Let’s just turn off the power.”

  Nbara frowned for a moment, then brightened. “Well said, Daughter.” She turned to Lex and Josh. “Claire’s right. If we permanently remove power from this facility, the peicks will not be able to restore it—ever.”

  “They’re not smart enough to make their own power plant?”

  “They don’t have the tools. At the very least, it would take them centuries. They’ll all be dead by then, and I’m certain the mulogs do not have the necessary intelligence.” She motioned toward the door again. “Take out the power plant and the whole place will shut down. Medical supplies and drugs will spoil in short order.”

  Lex and Josh returned to the control room and studied the monitors without speaking, knowing the super peick could be listening. Almost as bad, it was probably watching their every move.

  The fusion plant was about 100 meters into the facility, right up against the wall that divided the assembly line between non-sterile and sterile.

  Immediately outside the doors here, the loading dock extended some 30 meters. Beyond that, machinery on the left side formed the assembly line, and automated delivery equipment backed right up to the storage shelves and vats on the right side of the tunnel. A wide isle covered in cables, hoses, and robotic arms divided the two, leaving lots and lots of places for peicks to hide in ambush, though in fairness, there were lots and lots of places for his men to use for cover as well. The area was brightly lit.

  They counted only seven peicks in view at the moment, though there might be more of them out of sight in the storage area. The massive door on the right side of the loading area leading to the outside stood wide open, and peicks could reinforce quickly through there. Additionally, peicks could reinforce from the far end of the facility through small doors in the barrier wall, though transiting between sterile and non-sterile environments took time. The frigate had taken out everything living in the immediate area of the main entrance, but peicks and mulogs were probably infiltrating back now. During the clearing operation, the frigate had avoided firing in the immediate vicinity of the facility in fear it would collapse the roof, so peicks that had been dug in above the facility definitely roamed free.

  They stepped back outside the control room and spoke in whispers. “We can deal with the few peicks we see,” Josh said, “but they’ll bring in
more troops as soon as we show ourselves. Actually, I’m surprised they haven’t already.”

  “Agreed,” Lex said. “We’ll have to be quick, but that’s our specialty.” He turned to Nbara. “Can you close those big doors to the outside from here?”

  “I can. You should know that the entrance to the fusion plant is coded to certain hand prints,” she answered. ‘You won’t get in without my help.”

  Claire shook her head. “I’m on the list, Mother. You know that. You need to manage the evacuation. No one is ever coming back here, so anyone who gets left behind this time will never be rescued. You can do that and work the doors for us.”

  Nbara started to object, but Josh stopped her. “Claire goes with us. I need you to keep your people moving. Every minute counts.” He looked to Claire, then to the blaster on her hip. “Do you know how to use that thing?” he asked.

  “I do, Sire.”

  Nbara spoke up. “I vouch for her. She’s been in charge of the guards since the peicks revolted. Part of that responsibility has included teaching her guards and the rest of us to use weapons.”

  Josh nodded. “Bring your weapon,” he said, “but leave the shooting to us. We move fast. Your only job is to keep up with us. Got it?”

  “Yes, Sire. I’m just your guide.”

  Josh turned back to Nbara. “Can we get out of here once the fusion plant is blown?”

  “We have our own plant for this section. The plant you’re going after is only connected to the factory. We’ll take our own plant out when the last person leaves.”

  Suddenly, distant explosions sounded. Lex called the ship. “What’s going on out there?”

  Admiral Jas answered. “They must have figured out you’re in there. Peicks and mulogs are coming toward you from all directions. The frigate is keeping your exit clear, and we’ve reinforced the marines there. It’s not a problem for them yet, but I’m pulling the frigate back in just a minute and they’ll start getting challenged. I’m going to load everyone directly into the cruiser, but my guns are far too powerful to be used on peicks. Lebac tells me his shuttles and scooters can handle things for a while.”

  Josh turned to Lex and nodded. Lex returned to the control room for a brief look at the monitors, then returned and briefed his men. Eight peicks were in view now, one more than had been there earlier. He could not tell if they were armed, but each of them wore an equipment belt.

  “Go!” he commanded.

  Nbara irised the door open just enough, and the Great Cats leaped through. All eight peicks took hits, but they were up again quickly. They leaped for cover and pulled weapons from belts around their waists. Their return fire was scathing, but the cats were fast. Two cats leaped up to the tops of vats, one went down the middle, always keeping close to cover, and one went to each side of the tunnel, shooting as they ran.

  The Terrans deployed, adding their firepower to that of the cats, and the eight peicks went down and stayed down. More peicks entered through the open doorway on the right, and Lex detailed Galborae and all the Terran Protectors to hold the rear while he, Josh, and Claire raced up the middle of the tunnel.

  Nbara called to say she could not get the side door leading to the outside closed, a major setback. An organized unit of a dozen peicks leaped through the doorway amid heavy fire and immediately went right, most of them climbing up onto shelves and tanks. An intense firefight broke out. Protectors tossed grenades, and Lex detailed two more cats to help with the rear holding action.

  Lex and Josh did not stop running until reaching the door to the fusion plant. Claire unlocked it with her handprint, and they were in. They set their charges, and Claire locked the door behind them as they left.

  They started back, but Lex suddenly went down with several simultaneous blaster shots to his torso. Claire spotted the peick and took it out while Josh was busy dealing with another peick.

  When that peick fell, Josh quickly laid down beside Lex and hooked his own equipment belt to the belt worn by the Great Cat. He then struggled to his feet and lurched off in the direction of the main door, dragging Lex while Claire provided cover fire.

  Without warning, two peicks dropped down on them from a shelving area, one of them only inches away from Claire. She dropped, rolling onto her back as she went down and firing up into the peick. The first shot hit it in the abdomen, the second took its head off and it collapsed on top of her. Josh wounded the other, and Claire finished it off with another head shot while still laying on her back on the floor. Moments later two Terrans joined them and provided cover fire while Claire crawled out from beneath her peick and Josh struggled to his feet under the weight of the Great Cat.

  Josh called Colonel Lebac. “We’re hurting in here. Peicks are coming in pretty fast through the side door. Can you give us a hand?”

  “I’ll be right there,” Lebac answered.

  Minutes during a firefight can seem like a long time. Two Terran Protectors went down, but many, many peicks fell, though peick reinforcements continued to stream in. Lebac arrived, his heavier guns sounding outside the entrance used by the peicks, then half a dozen scooters entered the cavernous area. Marines fired very effectively with the big guns on the scooters, not the least concerned about damage to the facility. A shuttle settled to the ramp just outside the door and blocked the entrance, then fifteen marines, all of them experienced gleason hunters, deployed and the peicks succumbed.

  When the shooting died down, Lebac hustled up to Josh who had just dropped Lex unceremoniously on the ramp of the shuttle. Lex was beginning to stir when a medic reached him, but the medic did not wait. He enlisted four marines to lend a hand. They dragged the cat and dropped him farther inside the shuttle.

  “Get on the shuttle. We’ll take you out,” Lebac yelled to Josh over the sporadic shooting.

  Josh started to issue the recall when he noticed Galborae standing out on the floor of the receiving area with his gaze focused on the open maw of the shuttle. Limam, as always, stood at his side. Galborae mouthed a few words, “Wonder no more,” though Josh could not make out the words. A moment later, Galborae motioned Josh and Lebac to join him. Claire, her clothing soaked in blood, hovered nearby, staying near Josh as she had been instructed.

  “Whatever else you do or have done today, Sire, takes second place to what is going to happen next,” Galborae said. “Do I have your full attention?”

  “Talk fast,” Josh demanded, his eyes never stopping their search for peicks.

  Just then an explosion shook the facility and the lights went out. A shock wave pounded against everyone, followed by dust and debris from the remains of the power plant. Galborae picked himself up, and with his ears still ringing, he pulled Claire to her feet.

  He picked up where he had left off as if nothing had happened. “I was right earlier when I told you events here today might have been foretold,” he said to Josh. “We might have failed here, Sire. The creature who spoke to us was built to fight, to kill, and I believe it’s smart. It knew from the moment you arrived that it could not stop you from destroying the machine that built it.”

  Josh frowned but nodded for Galborae to continue. Despite occasional shots around them, he gave Galborae his full attention. So, too, did Lebac and Claire, though some of what Galborae was about to say would make little sense to them.

  “The Leaf People so fear this creature that they have spent years creating a series of events leading us to this very moment. Five years ago they sent a message to Governor Havlock which kept him alive. Two years ago the Leaf People led Lady Krys to Tranxte where she rescued me. Half a year ago she received another message which ultimately led us to this world. Around the same time, Governor Havlock received another message from them. In the message, I was looking into that open shuttle there,” he said pointing to the open ramp.

  Josh was beginning to get the picture. “You think we’re all here because of this new creature?”

  “I believe the Leaf People needed us here, Sire. It’s a completely unn
atural creature, and if I’m right, the Leaf People believe its survival threatens the whole Empire.”

  Josh paled. “It knows how to fly our ships. We can’t let it board one at any cost.”

  “Sire, it’s far worse than that. It knew your plan. It could have defeated you, but it chose not to. It let you blow up that power plant.”

  “You’re telling me it used me?” Josh asked, his respect for the creature increasing.

  “It used all of us. Its purpose was never to save this place, it was to escape this place, to establish itself somewhere else where it could build a great army. It’s hiding inside the shuttle right now. We cannot let it reach the cruiser.”

  Josh’s gaze moved to the shuttle, then back to Galborae. He nodded grimly in agreement.

  Galborae stared at him. “Whatever we do, we have to make certain this creature never leaves this world. Our lives and the lives of the survivors here are insignificant compared to what will happen if we fail.”

  Galborae was almost done talking. He turned to Lebac. “Tell the pilots to seal off the upper deck and to suit-up. We will open the shuttle to space when I’m certain the creature is dead.”

  Lebac stared at him, then shook his head. “I’ll get some men and come with you.”

  Galborae turned to Josh. “I don’t know how much he knows about the Leaf People, but I am the only one going into that ship.”

  Josh agreed. “Colonel, get the wounded out of that shuttle. If Galborae fails, we’ll destroy the shuttle. Your job, and mine, is done here. We’re going out the other exit.”

  Lebac started to object, but at the stare Josh sent his way, he understood that this was an order from a Knight.

  Josh turned to Claire. “Tell your mother to open the doors. We’ll load the wounded on the hauler, and we’ll ride with them. You’re driving.”