The Vassal World (The First Exoplanet Book 2)

by T. J. Sedgwick

  “And we have some initial casualty figures from the Malaysian government,” said the sombre Donovan. “They estimate around sixty-five percent of the 750,000 population have been killed in the attack last night. That’s almost half a million people, with a further 150,000 injured, many severely. Those casualty figures are rough, but look likely to climb.”

  “As UN Secretary General said several hours ago, this is an atrocity, the likes of which the world has never seen,” said Dana in voiceover. The drone images showed the capsized, charred, and partially melted body of the cruise liner that had brought hundreds of tourists to their untimely deaths.

  Chapter Nine

  May 23, 2063: Mission Briefing Room, Outcast Underground Base, Exelon

  The second crew capsule to arrive around Exelon carried four humans, not six as the first did. Captain Jennifer Martin and Sergeant Jonah Fitzroy of the UK’s Special Space Service were two of only four people to have experience on the enemy’s homeworld of Gaia. As part of Operation Far Light they’d spent a full six months on the alien planet reconnoitring the Korgax and giving an early warning of their fleet build-up. This had led to Operation Stellar Shield, which the WGA launched against the powerful enemy armada while in orbit around Gaia. It had been a partial success, but had left far too many Korgax destroyers intact. It did not prevent their devastating attacks on Earth. The other two interstellar travellers were Secret Service agents, Jorge Ramirez and Ewan Platt, sent to replace the deceased Bill Wilke and the soon-to-depart, Jake Sorensen. The latter was alive and well, but would not be staying on Exelon to protect the President. He would be joining the SSS duo and an Outcast soldier named Lakai to form the first joint human-Outcast patrol. Lakai was a Guardians of Peace commando – a member of the Outcast’s elite Special Forces group. The rest of the capsule was taken up with mission-critical gear including weapons, battlesuits, comms gear and scuba equipment.

  The news about the murderous attack on Kota Kinabalu was still on everyone’s minds. The calls for revenge had come from all quarters, but their problem, at least in the short-term, was how to exact any form of response on the Korgax. With the Outcasts needing every fighter they had in the defence of Exelon, they could not go up against the looming enemy fleet around Earth, let alone around Gaia. And it was virtually impossible anyway since humanity’s space forces simply no longer existed. Both the human and the Outcast leadership felt their powerlessness eating away at morale.

  General Rafai was about to give a mission briefing, but he would leave any words about the attack on the human city to President Powell. It was time to get down to business and plan one of the many things which would win them the long game.

  “The objectives of the mission are threefold,” said Rafai, standing behind a metal podium in front of the twenty seated humans and Outcasts. The podium hid his prosthetic legs, but all had seen the result of the deadly Guardian-impostors’ attack as he’d walked up to speak. The humans wore respirators and not much else, save for an assortment of swimsuits, shorts and other minimal clothing suited for the very hot and humid conditions throughout the Outcast base. Just enough to spare human sensibilities, while keeping them cool enough to function and not get heatstroke.

  “One,” he continued via his translator machine’s synthetic English, “is to help populate the target list in preparation for the Liberation of Gaia. It’s now only seven months away. Second is to help confirm orbital and surface-based build-up, which we have been getting reports of from the recon teams and spies already on and around Gaia. Third, and unique to this patrol, is to work with our teams already on Gaia to ensure that human and Outcast forces can coordinate action together, as a joint force. That effort is multi-pronged, we will be receiving further human teams here in the coming weeks, and months – most of which will travel to Gaia in your footsteps. Next week we have the arrival of a platoon of SEAL Team 7 men, and the week after that a full squadron of SAS soldiers will join. We are expanding our human-atmosphere quarters to deal with the influx, as some will stay here working with us planning the Liberation.”

  All eight of the humans were present, including President Powell, Defence Secretary Romero and the two Secret Servicemen. Scientist, Christina Frewer, sat near the back. Jonah, Jen, Sorensen and the Outcast, Lakai, in the front row. The other ten present were Outcast military.

  “So on objective number one – target reconnaissance – this will require you to remain on Gaia up to, and including, the Liberation. You will travel to our only remaining base – a secret outpost along a remote stretch of coast, here, on the west coast of the Large Continent,” he said, as the giant wall display behind him brought up a map of Gaia. A red marker showed where the secret base was located. Other than some far smaller islands, Gaia had just two continents – the Large Continent and the Small Continent. Rafai explained how they would link up with a Colonel Yarfai at the base then be assigned a sector to infiltrate and reconnoitre. The target list they’d help to compile would be assigned to available assets as the covert build-up on Gaia continued over the coming months. Many would be targeted by human backpack nukes or troop formations – both battledroids and soldiers. The man-portable nuclear devices and human-supplied battledroids were the only heavy weapons small enough to smuggle onto Gaia with the method the Outcasts had established. With the help of sympathetic freighter captains from several of the asteroid mining colonies, they would infiltrate Gaia. Simply flying them in with transporter ships was out of the question given the space dominance enjoyed by the Korgax. This constraint meant they had a hell of a fight on their hands – especially in land warfare. It may have been true that the Outcasts had once ruled the seas and coastlines of Gaia, but without winning key land battles and taking down the regime, there could be no victory. All the signs so far showed that the Korgax had all-but disbanded their navy since there was no longer any effective opposition in or on the seas of Gaia.

  “Objective two: assessing the enemy’s military build-up, which we suspect has already started. We are talking about a Korgax planetary invasion force. We need numbers, capability, including their weaknesses, and some idea of when they plan to use the presumed Earth-invasion force.”

  Rafai continued his briefing, allowing for questions and answers as they came. He later got onto the key thing Sorensen had been wondering ever since he’d sat down, but had been patient enough not to pre-empt on.

  “Now we move onto exactly how you will infiltrate the enemy homeworld, Gaia. There is a time window when the moon we are now on – Exelon – is obscured from the enemy base on one of Demeter’s other moons – Arlon.”

  A graphic of the Demeter system popped up on the wall display.

  “Just before the time window begins we will sweep the area of space around Exelon for enemy. When the sector is clear we’ll launch the shuttle with you four on it,” Rafai continued, pointing to Jonah, Jen, Sorensen and Lakai, in the front row.

  “It will be a drone-shuttle – no pilot – and it will be programmed to take you to the mining colony on this asteroid…”

  A track of the shuttle’s path through space terminated at a 3D representation of a large spinning asteroid. The scale ruler popped up next to it and was helpfully annotated in both Outcast script and English. It was a full 115km across its major axis, 97km its minor.

  “This is the Taserai-5 Rare-Metals Station in the asteroid belt between Demeter and Gaia. Your shuttle will head for the Taserai-North spaceport...here. Your shuttle will carry the transponder code of an Alpha-owned mining company, so you should make it through unhindered.”

  They could see the shuttle graphic approaching the spinning, potato shaped asteroid. It matched its spin and proceeded to land at the spaceport on the grey, pock-marked surface.

  “Only Lakai can meet with our contact there – you three humans must stay hidden. If humans are spotted on this mixed Alphas-Outcast colony, then enemy spies or sympathisers there will notify the Korgax of your presence. Lakai will be out of his uniform – ju
st a simple trader trying to make some coin. You will board a freighter bound for Gaia. The captain is a trusted Alpha – the same species as the enemy, but a vehement opponent of the Korgax faction.”

  The wall display showed the freighter leaving Taserai-5 and following a course through the asteroid belt towards Gaia.

  “The freighter will pass over the water near our secret subsea base and slow down to allow your jump. You’ll parachute into the water with scuba gear on and Lakai will take you to the base. From there you’ll be assigned your missions by Colonel Yarfai. That is an overview of the mission. We will now go into details and have time for discussion.”

  They continued for some time before wrap-up and some words by President Powell.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, friends and allies, I still feel a deep sense of sorrow and outrage at the enemy attack less than two weeks ago. I know many of you feel the same way. Let’s not forget that more than half a million people were slaughtered, almost all of them civilians. This shows the ruthlessness of the enemy we are facing; an enemy that cares nothing for human lives, or Outcast lives, for that matter. The desire for revenge is strong, I know, but we must not be blinded by it. It is deeply frustrating being so powerless in the face of this scourge. But know this: we will have our day once all of the pieces are in place, and we will prevail and regain our full independence, so help me God.”

  ***

  June 1, 2063: Taserai-5 Rare Metals Station, Taserai-5 Asteroid, Avendano System

  The Outcast-to-English translator that Commando Lakai wore as a headset was a great improvement to the first-generation handheld cylinders that they’d first used. They’d worked on the processing speed and made the English sound a lot more natural. The tech had reached the point where an almost normal conversation could be held between Lakai and the three humans on the shuttle with him. Captain Jen Martin, Sergeant Jonah Fitzroy – both of the British SSS – and newly reinstated Navy SEAL, Jake Sorensen, had just finished donning their battlesuits in preparation for landing. The amphibian alien, Lakai, wore only his boots and an equipment belt with a sidearm and a small pouch attached at the hip. A full exo-suit would have been nice, but a little too obvious, thought Lakai whimsically. Any Outcast military were likely to be reported and detained until the next Korgax patrol docked there. The asteroid mining colony they were about to land on – Taserai-5 – was populated by both intelligent species of Gaia: the Alphas and the Outcasts. The Alphas were now ruled by the Korgax clan, although this colony, like many throughout the system, had an element of autonomy. Being a corporation-owned asteroid, as long as they paid the Korgax their taxes they were, more-or-less, left to their own devices. Lakai had explained that it was a tough and sometimes lawless place with miners, traders, crooks and spies all trying to carve out a living. Many businesses thrived off the economy underpinned by the mining and sale of rare metals vital to the star system’s manufacturing sector – to say nothing of its military-industrial complex. The same war machine that they feared had Earth lined up for invasion. A previous plan had considered destroying these vital settlements, but was dropped since too many alternative sources of the metals existed. The humans would soon switch to full invisibility mode and stay on board until Lakai had secured their place on the freighter – their ride out of there. He would pose as a civilian trader and meet with the Alpha sympathiser captain of that vessel bound for Gaia. The Alpha’s name was Valkor. The humans would then make their way through the colony to board the freighter, unseen by the many watching eyes of the Korgax’s spies and supporters. According to Lakai, this freighter captain, Valkor, was a colourful character. Although outwardly he was a loyal Korgax supporter, Valkor, hated the regime with a passion. And with good reason after many of his friends and family were wiped out in a revenge massacre of his village after one of their number was accused of treachery. The Outcast intelligence file on him also talked of his gambling and his love of smoking the, technically illegal, taki-weed. Lakai had worried that his reliability was shaky and if the Outcasts could pay off his gambling habits then so could the Korgax. Still, the planners had decided Valkor was the one and besides Lakai was one of the best and he knew how to take care of himself. Sorensen did not sound convinced, as the shuttle’s flight computer matched the speed and heading of the asteroid, awaiting a docking gate allocation and permission to land.

  “Are you sure you don’t want us to tag along, Lakai?” asked Sorensen for the third time. Lakai was clearly a patient and resolute Outcast.

  “No, thank you, Sergeant Sorensen – it is not part of the mission plan,” he replied, as measured and formal sounding as ever. “It is time for you to go invisible now,” he continued, looking in turn at the three humans in battlesuits with his watery black eyes. His teal skin spots flushed slightly, but they’d already noticed how this particular Outcast showed less of these colour changes than many of the other individuals they’d met. They hadn’t even scratched the surface of the Outcasts’ culture, but they seemed universally civilized and even-tempered to Sorensen.

  “Come on, Sorensen – let’s just follow the plan,” implored Jen, as she regarded the Navy SEAL briefly. She was no stickler for following orders by rote – if she’d wanted to do that she’d have stayed an infantry grunt. She saw the necessity of challenging orders in their line of soldiering, but was beginning to see Sorensen as a bit of a maverick. Still, he was highly regarded by both President Powell and the Outcasts after his heroic intervention with the assassin that was seconds away from killing General Rafai.

  “Sure,” replied Sorensen, unconvincingly, as he pulled on his helmet and switched to invisibility mode on his battlesuit.

  Their shuttle – posing as a corporate transporter – had proceeded to match the rotation of the 115km-wide asteroid, as well as its trajectory through space.

  Jonah – also suited up and invisible – continued the dialogue on his headset. “Is it your protective streak after all those years looking after the President? Is that why you want to bodyguard young Lakai?” he asked, somewhat teasingly.

  “Not that, I just think that there’s no harm in it, and perhaps Lakai could use the back-up,” he replied.

  “Lakai is leading this patrol and he’s already denied permission three times, so let’s just drop it and focus, shall we?” said Jen.

  “Sure. I already said it’s fine by me,” said Sorensen.

  The ship’s computer was somehow in magnetic communication with Lakai’s telepathic mind, as he announced, “We’ve just been given permission to land at Taserai-5-North.”

  The quickly rotating asteroid had very little spin before it was a mining colony, but it had been induced two decades ago when operations started there. The enormous planetoid of a space rock had only microgravity – too weak to prevent muscle and bone wastage of long-term colony residents. The eighteen revs per hours spin created a so-called artificial gravity – really a centrifugal force. It resulted in 9-10m/s2, depending on where on the surface of the irregularly shaped asteroid one was. Similar to Earth’s 9.8m/s2 gravity, but less than Gaia’s 12m/s2. It meant that after the shuttle had landed they would have to climb down the lower access hatch towards the asteroid centre. Gravity inside the shuttle would pull them towards the ceiling. Fortunately, the shuttle’s pivoting chairs they were strapped into could be set to orient themselves to a comfortable position. Once inside the colony buildings, what would be a ceiling on a planet would actually be the floor on a spinning asteroid.

  The shuttle landed itself and Lakai climbed swiftly towards the colony docking building and the immigration checkpoint. Two of the invisible human soldiers waited patiently in the shuttle maintaining radio silence. The third had already unstrapped himself and stood behind Lakai, as the Outcast placed his hand into the identity scanner. Sorensen watched as the red light flashed several times. The machine beeped and displayed some sort of reply in an alien script. He thought it was probably the Outcast soldier’s cover name. Two enormous exoskeleton-clad Alpha security
guards looked on. There was some sort of mean-looking gun barrel attached to their lower right arms, which pointed straight at Lakai. Sorensen didn’t want to find out what those guns were capable of. Seconds later the waist-high metal control gates slid rapidly open and Lakai passed through. The gates whooshed shut and Sorensen was left to carefully climb the adjacent cordon as quietly as possible. He hoped dearly that the guards did not have sonic detection capabilities – one of the few ways the invisible battlesuit could be detected. He slipped stealthily past the guards, trying not to lose sight of Lakai now that he’d entered a large crowded hall. To Sorensen, it looked like some kind of market or trading area.

  There was a real hotchpotch of diverse-looking Alphas and Outcasts, many jabbering away in some language that didn’t sound like Outcast to the hidden human. He’d never seen an Alpha in the flesh before, and the sight of them was not appealing. Their skin looked like that of a snake – scaly and shiny. The colour varied, but seemed to be without patterns and in varying tones of orangey-brown. Their black eyes were the size of saucers and their hands had just three fingers and an opposing thumb. Worst of all were their vicious looking carnivore teeth. He knew he wouldn’t want to come up against one of these giants unarmed, even with his formidable training. Lakai was on the move and Sorensen struggled to keep up while avoiding collisions. The high-ceilinged market was dominated by the greys of its alloy floor and walls and the greys of the ‘ceiling’. The ceiling was the asteroid surface and the floor protruded above it. Neon lights cast their colourful glow throughout the hot and humid space. Sorensen's knees ached slightly as he readjusted to gravity after three days in the shuttle. His battlesuit could hide him, protect him and sustain him but it was not powered in the way the Outcast soldiers’ exo-suits were. Lakai continued out of the market and into a grey-rock tunnel. Habitable space was expensive to build on a colony like this, so it was crowded at the best of times. The pursuing Sorensen passed several exits leading off the tunnel before he saw Lakai enter a crowded, smoke-filled bar.