“Or me, or Circe,” Claire chimed in dryly.
“Oh, point. Sorry,” Decarin said, flushing in embarrassment.
“And the masks?” Gina asked hopefully.
“Yeah, I finished them, though you’re not going to enjoy the experience if you get spaced. They’ll keep you breathing, but space isn’t pleasant,” Decarin said, looking more confident now. “The only question is how much time we’ve got.”
“Yeah, about that… you’ve got about twenty minutes before Amber’s fleet drops into orbit, if my sensors are accurate,” Cassiphone interjected. “I’d get moving, if I were you. There’s only eight ships left, but they have a lot of firepower. I wouldn’t want to get shot by them, not as small and squishy as you all are.”
“Crap, why didn’t you start with that?” Decarin demanded, jerking to his feet so abruptly his chair almost toppled. “Shade, Spark, Archon, grab the masks from my lab and whatever else you need, I need to get those teleportation units out! Cassie, mind giving me directions so I don’t ruin them?”
“Sure!” the AI said, and Circe stood.
“I can as well. I believe that the rest of you should make what preparations you can,” Circe said, looking at Claire, Gina, Rachel, and Lilith. “I believe this will be an unpleasant battle.”
“You’re telling me,” Lilith said, letting out a soft sigh as she stood up.
Emily was already out of the room by that point, and everyone scattered. Well, almost everyone.
Chapter 43
Saturday, December 6th, 2031
Innocent Bystander, FTL, Sol
“Dropping out of FTL in twenty seconds,” the clone at navigation reported, tapping keys as she added, “Other ships should emerge in close proximity to us. Assuming the sensors aren’t screwing up again.”
The ship screens showed nothing but darkness in every direction except for a single point directly ahead of them, something which mildly disturbed Amber, though her anger at what had happened outside the Guardian Compound overpowered any sense of unease.
“They’re working just fine, so butt out!” Tactical retorted, glowering at the other clone as she worked. “Just because I needed some of the same components is no reason to keep bringing it up. Weapons systems are at seventy-nine percent, shields are at ninety-seven percent, and most other systems are at about eight-five percent or so.”
“Can’t you give me a more precise number?” Amber asked irritably, having to force herself not to grip the armrest of her command chair too hard. The power armor would easily rip the arm off, and that was the last thing she needed right now.
“It’s constantly changing, so any numbers would be incorrect the moment I gave them,” the clone replied disdainfully. “The only reason the weapons are stable is because we lost too many power links to get the rest of them online in a reasonable timeframe.”
The screens flickered, then the single light directly ahead of them seemed to explode into a full starfield, and the glowing blue, brown, green, and white orb of Earth snapped into existence ahead and ‘below’ them, while the sun shone down on them like a steady, baleful eye. It felt almost exactly like Amber’s mood, though she also felt a ripple of unease as she glanced at the sun. Lilith’s powers… concerned her. They reminded her that Lilith had supposedly met Ra, and she wondered if the way the sun felt angry was a reflection of the deity’s mood.
No, that couldn’t be it, Amber decided after a moment, shoving her unease aside angrily. Whatever had happened to Lilith, the only reason she’d been able to do so much damage was because Amber had underestimated her and hadn’t taken her new powers into account. All she had to do was reduce the Guardian Compound and Paragon City to glass and the problem would be dealt with.
“Threat analysis!” Amber snapped, focusing on the present. Icons were rapidly filling the sensor screen, which caused her eyes to narrow. She hadn’t been able to get a proper read on orbital threats from out-system, not with her satellite network annihilated, so this was the first solid information she’d managed to get.
“UN Allied fleet approaching from planetary east, ETA to contact, twelve minutes. Lidar detected from three satellites, neutralizing. Multiple shields detected across the western United States, primarily from military installations, three have power sources that indicate possible ground-to-orbit weaponry,” Tactical replied briskly, and Amber felt the ship shiver slightly as beams lanced out into the distance. She couldn’t see them hit, but several small icons in orbit vanished, while others turned red.
“Take them out,” Amber said bluntly. “Prepare for a full-scale bombardment on Paragon City, centered on the Guardian Compound.”
“The Guardian Compound is on the north edge of Paragon City, not the center,” the clone at Tactical muttered, but her fingers were tapping across the console as she prepared the commands. Amber reached out mentally and felt the clones aboard the other ships following her example. She nodded as the first beams lashed out from the ground at them, and her ships returned fire. They were terribly outmatched but pounding through the shields might take a minute.
It shouldn’t take long, though.
Destruction Corps Headquarters, Unknown Location
“Target detected, low-Earth orbit, altitude five hundred miles,” the Reaper’s copilot snapped out nervously. General Mayhem imagined that she wasn’t used to being near someone of his rank and power, so he forgave her case of nerves.
“Roger that. Orders, General?” the pilot said, sounding only slightly calmer than his copilot.
“Engage as directed,” General Mayhem said calmly.
“Roger that. Black Squadron, engage flight plan Echo-One on… mark!” The pilot said, and hit the thrusters at his signal.
On the screens General Mayhem saw all but one Reaper move at the same time, and even the one was only a few beats behind, and didn’t quite manage to fall outside the area of the cloaking field. The engines pushed everyone else back into their seats hard, as they were pushing the very limits of the ship’s inertial compensator, but General Mayhem only allowed enough through to push him gently into his seat, instead absorbing the kinetic energy gratefully. He might need it for the upcoming fight.
“Melzi, please flag the pilot of Black Four for review on return to base. They may need remedial training,” General Mayhem murmured under his breath.
“Acknowledged, General,” Melzi said.
“Did you say something, sir?” the pilot asked, his nervousness seeming to grow as they rocketed into the sky.
“Nothing which concerns you, soldier,” General Mayhem said, smiling slightly as he reached forward and patted the man on the shoulder. “Keep up the good work, though. I’m counting on you to get us to that ship safely.”
“I’m certainly going to do my best, sir!” the pilot said, his anxiety seeming to shift to enthusiasm in an instant, and General Mayhem hid a smile as he sat back again.
While it hadn’t been his intention to make the man feel appreciated, General Mayhem didn’t mind making one of the Legionnaires perform better by accident.
So, he just sat back and watched as they moved toward their target, his sense of anticipation rising.
Poenari Castle, Wallachia
Another piece moved, and Vlad stared at it in consternation and concern.
The piece was seemingly made of brass, and he was startled to see a cluster of pieces that he normally aligned with Destruction Corps on the same side of the board as Lilith, but there they were. Moreover, there was now a steel gray rook that had appeared in an extremely poor location for Amber, and he couldn’t help wondering what that was about.
Yet neither of those were the real reason he was staring at the board. No, it was the jet-black knight sitting on the sidelines that caused him to pause and think. He wasn’t sure what to think of it, but his gaze was drawn away as one of the purple pawns took out a generic white pawn.
“I wonder…” Vlad murmured.
Then not one piece, but all of Lilith’s allie
s moved at the same time, lunging forward into range of Amber’s pieces, and his eyebrows shot up. That was unexpected. Maybe he should go get some of his personal gear.
Guardian Compound, Paragon City
“…wasn’t pleasant, but the advantage of being an AI is that I have plenty of time to process grief, unlike you squishy people. Not that I can blame you, considering the way biology works,” Cassiphone chattered in Lilith’s ear through the comm unit, the AI sounding startlingly enthusiastic even when discussing her sorrow regarding Circe’s loss. “I got through all the stages of grief, and it’s probably for the best that none of Amber’s ships were in range of my weapons when I got to the anger stage, or I might’ve attacked before I was ready to. I’ve got some armed satellites that Circe managed to build off the network, but not enough to take on that many ships. If I’m going to attack, I want to do it right. Oh, hey, she just came out of FTL!”
“Then it’s a good thing we just finished getting ready, isn’t it?” Lilith said, glancing at Decarin, who nodded to her, a faint sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead, and she adjusted the mask again, ensuring that it was properly sealed.
“Damn it, I need to work out more. I’ve been slacking,” Decarin gasped, shaking his head. “We’re lucky that we were able to repair that unit, or we couldn’t have gotten you all up there. As is, I’m going to have to give support from the ground. Assuming the base isn’t reduced to rubble in the meantime. You got a lock on where Amber is?”
“Yup, I’ve got her. She’s aboard the Innocent Bystander. She may not realize she’s got a standard formation, but that’s the thing about patterns, sometimes you don’t even realize you have them,” Cassiphone replied, her voice turning brisk. “Are you sure you all want to go to the same ship? She could always swap to another clone.”
“She could, but she’s going to want to kill me herself,” Lilith said, glancing at the others. “Besides, I think that taking a ship so we can hit her fleet ourselves is a wonderful idea.”
“Yep! Let’s fry that stupid b—jerk,” Spark said, hastily correcting herself from what she’d been about to say as she twirled her pistols, grinning.
The others all nodded, and Lilith spoke softly. “In that case, teleport us up, please. I don’t want her to have too much time.”
“Aye, Captain! Beaming ye up now!” Cassiphone said, suddenly taking on a poor Scottish accent, and Lilith wondered why several of the others giggled in response.
“Good luck!” Decarin said, just before the world flashed and Lilith found herself in a familiar-looking, white-walled room atop a teleportation platform.
An instant later red lights began to flash around them, alarms started blaring, and at least thirty weapons popped out of the walls and took aim at them.
Chapter 44
Saturday, December 6th, 2031
Innocent Bystander, Low-Earth Orbit, Sol
Warden’s shield snapped up as they appeared in the teleportation chamber, her mind focusing to create the barrier, and just in time. Dozens of weapons fired a moment later, and Warden braced herself, then blinked incredulously as the fire washed off her shield without causing even half the strain she’d expected. Then she realized, she was aboard a starship. Shadowmind wouldn’t want to put a hole in the side of her ship, and most shield systems would fail under the sheer volume of fire that was coming at them.
Then everyone else returned the favor. A bolt of purple light left Morgan’s wand and shattered a pair of weapon mounts at the same time Spark hit two with her electrical bolts and fried them. Shade ripped several off the wall with shadows, Circe shot a couple with quick, precise movements, Archon unleashed a wave of fire that scorched an entire wall black along with ruining the weapons there, and Lilith launched a pair of white-hot blasts of light that melted several more in rapid succession. Warden barely managed to throw a single golden sword at the last mount, reducing it to wreckage… and Blooming Orchid applauded.
“Excellent job. I don’t like dealing with things like that,” Blooming Orchid said, grinning.
“I’ll give it an eighty-eight out of one hundred for accuracy,” Cassiphone chimed in helpfully. “A few of those shots were just a bit off-target. While collateral damage worked this time, it doesn’t always.”
“Oh, shush. I was in a hurry,” Morgan said, her cheeks coloring slightly.
“We do not have time for this,” Archon said, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the doors. “I’ll remove the door.”
The comment prompted a faint memory, and as Archon braced herself to charge, Warden reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Wait a second, please,” Warden said, and walked up to the door, examining the frame carefully. The doors didn’t open at her approach, as she’d expected, but the panel she was looking for was there, a small section with red and yellow striping around it while a plastic shield covered a red button. It was labeled Emergency Access. She flipped up the shield and pressed the button, and the doors hissed open, prompting her to smile as she murmured, “Take that, Shadowmind. You should’ve kept your mouth shut.”
“What was that?” Blooming Orchid asked.
“Oh, I was just remembering how Shadowmind told us about the emergency access panels when we caught her in the Arctic. The doors might be useful if the ship loses pressure, you know?” Warden said and gestured at the hallway on the other side of the doors. “Shall we?”
“Intruder alert! We’ve got intruders in the teleportation bay, and—crap, they just took out the cameras!” one of the clones reported, swearing under her breath as she tapped at the console frantically, at the same time as alarms began blaring and red lights flashed.
“What?” Amber demanded, her hand clenching hard enough to crush the arm of her chair, and she surged to her feet as she continued. “Who is it? You got enough footage to tell me that much, I hope!”
“Sure, it just is taking a second to pull it up, Queen Impatience,” the clone replied in annoyance. “It’s Lilith and her friends, as best I can tell. And Shade, since I guess he’s not part of her usual posse. Ah, hell, they’ve split up.”
“Then seal the damned blast doors and lock down the ship!” Amber snarled. “Get the others back into their armor and deal with them.”
“How the hell are we supposed to stop them when they’re using the emergency overrides?” the clone retorted. “The doors are sealed, though. Looks like the lightning bug, robot, food processor, and Darth Drama are heading for engineering, while Lilith, Ms. Goth, the pigeon, and McBoobs are coming our direction. How the hell did they figure out the ship’s layout?”
It took Amber a second to associate each of the nicknames with who had boarded, but she managed quickly enough. Mostly she was annoyed that the clone had used nicknames when in a combat situation. Worse, just enough time had passed that it made it harder for Amber to follow the thought processes of the clones instantly. But she figured it out after a second and swore under her breath.
“It must’ve been Circe, she probably told the android,” Amber growled, then snapped out. “Nevermind Paragon City for now, finish off the turrets, then deal with the UN fleet when they come in range. I’m going to be busy, so deal with the problems!”
With that, she mentally reached out to the clones who had armor and snapped.
None of them replied. Amber sensed sullen anger from at least one clone, while another seemed satisfied, which irked her to no end. If she had time, she’d have replaced that one with another, more agreeable clone, but she didn’t have time. Instead, Amber turned toward the doors onto the bridge and began accessing the ship systems. With any luck she could at least separate the intruders. Or maybe she could… hmm… that was a thought.
Amber’s thoughts churned as she waited, and a smile slowly grew on her face.
“Incoming!” Spark yelped, zipping back down the corridor.
A couple of seconds later a dozen tiny, head-sized drones whipped around the corner, the energy weapons they carried glowing softly, and the thin red targeting lasers dancing back and forth as they tried to get a bead on her.
Aiming over her shoulder, Spark took a shot, but swore as the drone jumped upward a foot, causing the beam of electricity to splash uselessly off the bulkhead. Of course the walls had been made of a nonconductive material. Why wouldn’t they have been made of something nonconductive?
The drones returned fire, bolts of blue light flashing all around Spark. Only a couple of them connected but splashed uselessly off the shield Lilith and Decarin had built into her armor. Spark couldn’t say how happy she was that it was in place and resolved to kiss Lilith later. And to buy Decarin something nice as a gift.
A leopard made of pure shadows chose that moment to lunge out of Spark’s shadow, batting one of the drones downward, then dropped on the machine with a satisfying crunch. Several energy bolts followed the leopard from behind Spark, hitting two of the drones and dropping them from the air, to Spark’s relief.
“Need some help?” Shade asked, then went back to chanting, erecting a wall of shadows as the drones targeted him.
Spark spun, shooting a drone now that they weren’t all focused on her, and replied, “Need might be a strong term, but yeah, it’d be nice.”
As she spoke, Spark retargeted and took down another drone, which seemed to make them adjust their threat analysis again, blowing the leopard apart… but that left them open as Blooming Orchid charged forward, her sword flashing with pink light as she cut down one, two, then three drones.
Queen's Gambit (Lilith's Shadow Book 6) Page 28
