Starcruiser Polaris: He Never Died

by Richard Tongue

   “I’ve never felt more certain of anything than I do about this attack. We’re going to win. And we’re going to win big. I can feel it.”

   “I know,” she replied, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I have faith in you, and so does the fleet.” Gesturing at the viewscreen, she added, “Go get ‘em.”

  Chapter 19

   “This is crazy,” Saxon said, looking at the grinning Curtis.

   “Come on,” he replied. “You must have wanted to do this at some point.”

   “Sure, but then I decided that there were better options than suicide.” She looked across at the building on the far side of the street, only two levels lower than the tower they were in, and said, “There has to be a better way.”

   “There isn’t,” he replied. “Gravity’s low enough for us to make it, and I’ll guarantee you that they won’t be expecting it. I’ll even go first if you want.”

   “Sure, we can watch you fall and come up with a better plan,” Saxon replied. “I’ll take up the rear, and...”

   “No,” Cordova said, shaking her head. “That’s my job, not yours. You three have to get away from here. I can be spared if the worst happens. Just get out of here, and whatever you do, don’t look back. Schmidt should have a shuttle warmed up and ready to go by now.”

   “If we’re going to do this,” Saxon said, “let’s do it, before our friends outside decide that they want tickets to this little aerial ballet.”

   Nodding, Curtis moved to the back of the room, then sprinted towards the open window with long strides, planting his feet on the ledge and pushing with all his might, gliding across the space between the buildings, trying to make himself as aerodynamic as possible. On Earth, he’d have fallen to his death, but here, gravity was less than one-sixth, and he had options they could never have dreamed of back home. He’d lived here long enough to grow accustomed to the opportunities low gravity could provide.

   The Commonwealth forces, though, had spent their whole lives on space stations, in artificial gravity. This was something outside of their understanding, and he glanced down at the street to see a dozen gawking figures looking up, rifles safely by their sides, unable to quite comprehend what he was doing. Behind him, he heard Kani making his jump, following him across before he had managed to make it to the other side.

   Up ahead, the building was approaching with what seemed to be breakneck speed, and he was belatedly concerned that he might overshoot, and frantically attempted to recall what was on the far side of it, hoping that it was something soft enough for a safe landing. An aerial rose from the roof, and he reached out for it, snatching it at the last second and swinging around to crash to the floor, rolling in a bid to lessen the force of the impact.

    Against all the odds and expectations, he’d made it. He looked up to see Kani diving towards them, Saxon a few meters behind, both of their faces a mask of concentration. They’d learned from his mistake, had given themselves less of a running start and seemed on course to make it without trouble. There was no sign of Cordova, but as Kani’s feet touched the roof, he heard the first gunshots from the far side, cracks filling the night that jerked those on the street to life, sending bullets flying through the air all around.

   “Come on, you two!” Curtis yelled, Kani tumbling to the roof as Saxon followed. There was still no sign of Cordova, and he could guess why. As soon as the guards had realized what they were planning, they must have launched an attack to try and stop them. Cordova had decided right from the start that she wasn’t going to take the leap with the others.

   Saxon dropped into his waiting arms, almost stumbling onto the street as he pulled her to safety, glancing down at the people racing around below. Kani pulled open a maintenance hatch, and looked up with a smile.

   “All the way to the surface, nice smooth walls. Easy.”

   “We’re going to jump down?”

   “One-sixth gravity, remember,” Curtis replied, leaping feet-first down the shaft, kicking his legs to the side to slow his descent just enough to bring him down to a safe landing at the bottom. A shadow was cast over him as first Kani, then Saxon followed, the latter cursing under her breath at the ludicrous nature of their escape. To an extent, he agreed. This was crazy. But they had to move quickly if they were going to get away from the Commonwealth.

   He dropped to the floor, his knees bending as they absorbed the impact, and quickly ducked out of the shaft into the passage beyond, racing to the nearest exit. As he ran, he snatched his communicator out of his pocket, flicking through the channels in a bid to find the right frequency, the jamming field less intense beyond the hall.

   “Schmidt, this is Curtis. Come in.”

   “Commodore?” she replied. “Thank God. What’s your status, sir?”

   “We’re out, free, and running. Where are we going?”

   “Dock Five-Alpha, sir. Shuttle’s prepped and ready for takeoff.” She paused, then added, “Commodore, you should know that the Commonwealth and Federation forces are at battle stations, and that Mike is closing on them with the rebel fleet. There’s going to be a battle taking place in Titan orbital space in less than twenty minutes.”

   “This is looking more and more like a bad idea, Teddy,” a panting Saxon said, chasing after them. “We don’t have a hope in hell of making it home through that.”

   “Put me at the controls of that shuttle,” Kani said, “and I’ll get you back to Polaris. That’s a personal guarantee.” Flashing a smile, he added, “Or I’ll refund your tickets.”

   “Everyone’s a comedian,” Saxon replied, as the trio raced into the alley behind the building. Curtis’ long exile on this world paid off at last, and he picked his way through the back streets as only a resident could, ducking in between streets, the others struggling to keep pace. Behind him, he heard shouts and sirens, but there was no way they could catch up to him, not in the time remaining. They had enough of a head start to keep them well ahead of their pursuers, with one obvious caveat that he dealt with by a sharp turn to the left, running away from their target lock.

   “Hey, where are we going?” Kani asked.

   “We know where Schmidt is. I’m going to guess that the bad guys do as well. There are a hundred and ninety-four external airlocks in this dome, and they won’t have the manpower to guard them all, even if they’ve bribed every man with a gun on the planet. It’ll mean a longer walk, but we’ll live with that if it’s what it takes.”

   Saxon gasped as she drew level with him, saying, “Less talk. More running.”

   Just as he had hoped, the airlock he’d selected was clear, spacesuits hanging in the locker, ready for access. Saxon slid her card through the machine, stabbing controls to release three of the public-use suits, and they slid smoothly off the rail into their waiting hands. The trio hastily pulled the battered spacesuits into position, locking gloves and helmets in place, trying not to think about who might have used them last. Curtis looked back at the street behind them, and saw a trio of guards racing towards them, belatedly realizing the trick they’d played on them.

   “Get in,” he said. “Give me your rifle, Win.”

   “It won’t fire outside,” he protested.

   “Doesn’t matter,” Curtis replied, snatching the weapon away. Saxon and Kani stepped inside, and as he followed, he emptied the clip into the suits still hanging in position, wrecking any chance the guards might have had of following them. Tossing the useless weapon away, he ducked through the inner hatch as it was closing, Saxon stabbing the emergency release to admit them directly into the outside air, the force of the pressure change sending them tumbling.

   The gloomy atmosphere hung low as they worked their way towards the waiting shuttle, Curtis at the lead, moving from rock to rock in a bid to keep out of sight. The external surveillance devices hadn’t worked properly in years, but that didn’t mean that the Commonwealth forces wouldn’t be keeping track of
them.

   “Get down!” Saxon said, pushing Curtis and Kani to the ground an instant before a modified bullet flew through the air over the heads. “They’re outside the shuttle. We’ve taken too long. Damn it.” Frowning, she looked back at the dome, and added, “It’s only a matter of time before they work their way to our rear. I think we’ve going to have to come up with another plan.”

   “Not yet, we don’t,” Curtis replied. “We’re just going to have to modify this one a little. Schmidt, can you read me?”

   “Loud and clear at this distance, Commodore,” she replied. “I’ve got bad guys all around me. They just tried to get through my outer hatch, but I think I can hold them off for a while. I’m waiting and ready for orders.”

   “Fuel status?”

   “Full tanks. I made sure to steal the best shuttle on the lot.”

   “Excellent.” He peered over the rock, counting the guards swarming around the shuttle. “On my mark, I want you to fire the thrusters on all sides at one-quarter power for three seconds, and the launching thrusters for one. Then open the outer hatch on my second mark. We’ll be inside a few seconds after. You got that?”

   “Aye, sir, but...”

   “We’ll get one shot at this, Commander. We’ve got to get it right the first time. Go on my mark. Stand by.” He looked at his two comrades, and asked, “How long do you think it’ll take you to cross that distance? Thirty seconds?”

   “I think so,” Saxon replied.

   “Yeah,” Kani added. “I can make it in that time.”

   “Good. Go on my first mark. Don’t wait for Schmidt to fire the thrusters. Every second is going to count. Especially as right now there are probably fighters vectoring into position overhead, ready to strike. Ready?” At their nods, he poised himself for the jump, and said, “Mark One!”

   He bounded out of cover at the same instant as the thrusters fired, bursts of super-hot gas at high-pressure erupting from the side of the shuttle in all directions. Two of the guards were caught directly by the blast, torn asunder from the force of the impact, and the others scurried for cover, forgetting their mission in their desperate race for safety. Heedless of the risk, Curtis, Kani and Saxon raced on, charging towards their ride home.

   The thrusters died, and the shuttle rested back on the surface, the trio dashing towards it with huge bounds, eating up the terrain in great leaps. Curtis was easily able to keep pace, the others falling behind, their unfamiliarity with the local gravity causing problems again. He could almost reach the hatch, and turned to see the others, knowing they had to make the attempt now, or never.

   “Mark Two!” he yelled, and the airlock opened. He jumped inside with a single bound, then held out his hands to help the others aboard, Kani the first inside. The surviving guards had recovered from the unexpected attack, and bullets began to rattle on the side of the hull as they tried to stop their escape, one ripping through Saxon’s sleeve, tearing a thin hole in her suit just as she dropped inside, the hatch slamming shut behind her.

   Curtis slammed the control for emergency pressurization, the local air forced out and replaced with the familiar oxygen/nitrogen mix, the inner door sliding open the instant the green light winked on. Kani was already tearing off his suit, racing for the cockpit, the first one inside.

   “Punch for Polaris,” Curtis said, as he helped Saxon off with her suit. “Did they get you, Major?”

   “Not even a scratch, but if I’d even been ten meters further from the airlock,” she replied, shaking her head. “Damn it, Teddy, you really do know how to hold a peace conference, don’t you. Less then twelve hours before catastrophic failure.” Bullets continued to hammer on the side of the hull, and she added, “Shouldn’t we be getting out of here?”

   “On it!” Kani yelled. “Initiating launch sequence. Hang onto your hats, people! This one is going to be rough.”

   “Story of my life,” Saxon said. Curtis looked out of the viewport as the colony dome began to recede behind them. He’d spent more than a third of his life in that city, but somehow, as they climbed, he had the oddest feeling that he’d never see the place again. Shaking his head, he scrambled back into the cabin, Saxon at his side, and strapped himself in. It was going to be a wild ride to orbit, and a wilder one when they got there.

  Chapter 20

   Kani settled into the pilot’s couch, Schmidt moving across to the second seat, and rested his hand on the throttle, instantly disabling the safety overrides to gain greater acceleration. He didn’t have to worry about using this vehicle again, could ignore the flashing alerts that he was reducing the life expectancy of the craft by years with this hard burn through the atmosphere. All that mattered was his goal, Polaris, a tiny dot on the trajectory plot. If it hadn’t been swinging close to Titan on its way towards the enemy fleet, he wouldn’t even have had this chance, but Norton had obviously decided to give them every possible chance to make contact.

   Not that he’d been able to contact the ship yet. The jamming was still too great, and until they reached space, there was no chance they’d be able to line up a comm laser, not with the limited power available on the shuttle. He reached across to the guidance computer, punching in a series of instructions in a bid to smooth out their trajectory, aware of the cluster of small contacts in orbital space overhead. They might have been able to defeat their attacks on the surface with a few thruster burns, but the bandits moving into attack formation above them were going to be far harder to deal with.

   The shuttle soared through the atmosphere, climbing at a rate rapid enough to throw the external hull sensors into paroxysms of electronic rage, sending sirens echoing from every speaker. With a smile, he turned off the master alarm controls, bringing calm silence back to the cockpit, and glanced across at Schmidt.

   “We’re going to need help as soon as we can get it. Polaris must have some fighters up. Get ready on the comm laser.”

   “Way ahead of you, Win,” Schmidt replied, as the shuttle passed through the troposphere. Kani looked out at the stars, the ship clearing the atmosphere, the curvature of the world below now clearly visible. Targets danced across the sensor display, the civilian computer unable to identify them. It didn’t have to; Kani knew what they were. Fighters. The only question was which flag they were flying.

   “Shuttle, ah, Niner-Niner to Polaris,” Schmidt said. “Reply at once. Reply at once. Over.”

   “Come on,” Kani muttered. “Come on.” He looked at the conventional communicator, shaking his head. The Commonwealth was blanketing everything, probably with Federation help, and none of the usual systems would work. He eased up on the throttle, kicking the ship around with a pulse of his port thruster to put himself on course for their homeship. A trio of fighter formations had spotted him, and had either determined that the shuttle was a fine target of opportunity or were determined to protect it. Without communications, he was just guessing.

   “Niner-Niner to Polaris,” Schmidt continued. “Reply at once, reply at once. Over.” She turned to him, and added, “I’ll have their commtech’s hide when we get down. I’ve got the laser right on the receptor.”

   “We’ve still in the upper limits of the atmosphere. That won’t be helping.” Gesturing at the sensor display, he added, “As soon as we break into full vacuum, I’m going to have to start doing some fancy flying. Those bandits are getting a lot closer than I like, and coming in hard.”

   “Any chance they’re on our side?”

   “The way our luck is running today?” he threw a control, bringing the extremely limited countermeasures online, only a low-power shield of electronic interference between them and up to a hundred missiles on intercept course. He brought up the ship specifications, running his eyes over the design limits, mentally adjusting for the likely conservatism of the designers. There was a margin, albeit a fractional one, but something he could make use of with a little luck. At least they had plenty of fuel, enough f
or all the course changes they’d need to make.

   “We’re out of atmosphere,” he said. “You’ve got about thirty seconds, Commander.”

   “Niner-Niner to Polaris. Come in, come in! Over!”

   “Polaris to Niner-Niner,” a thin voice replied. “Identify yourself.”

   “Commodore Curtis, Commander Schmidt, Major Saxon and Wing Commander Kani on transit to Polaris, requesting immediate assistance. Repeat, immediate assistance.”

   “Roger,” the technician replied. “We have a fighter squadron close by. They’ll cover your approach. Keep your head down. Out.”

   “Now the fun begins,” Kani said, reaching for the controls. He looked up at the approaching ships, the brief contact with Polaris providing a flurry of tactical information, and set up a series of course adjustments, trying to minimize their time in the firing line. To his right, Schmidt labored over the electronics suite, trying to coax a jamming signal from the communicator. Polaris was ahead, only a short run at full power, and he glanced across at his co-pilot for a second.

   “Mind the shop.”

   “What?”

   He ducked under the console, pulling out the inspection cover and tossing it to the deck, peering up at the tangle of cables beyond. After as rapid a deliberation as possible, he reached up, yanked out two wires, and watched in satisfaction as the systems rebooted, the lights flickering for a brief second as the backup systems kicked.

   “What the hell are you doing?”

   “These shuttles are a pretty good design. So good that they had to fit acceleration limiters. Which I just disabled.” He slid back into his couch, pulled his restraints into position, and said, “Everyone sit tight, and don’t turn your neck. We’re going for a maximum-power burn, and it’s going to hurt. A lot. Take deep breaths now while you can. You’ll know when the acceleration comes.” He tapped a final sequence into the navigation computer, then entered a sixty-second alarm to wake him up when the drive finally stopped, then threw the throttle full open.