by Jason Kent
Kate fired. The three shot burst drove her muzzle off target and nearly knocked her mag-locked boots free of the floor. She pulled her rifle back on target, leaned in, and tried again. Another three round bursts erupted from her assault rifle. She did not know how to set it to fire on full automatic, so she hit the trigger over and over until the gun clicked but did not fire.
The mechs staggered back under the combined fire from Kate and Merrick. Kate watched as the mechs struggled to recover their balance.
Like Merrick's first shot, her rounds mostly bounced off the polished plating. But every third or fourth shot found a soft spot. Both machines now vented steam and spewed hydraulic fluid.
One of the mechs managed to pull itself toward Kate. She pulled her trigger. Nothing happened. It took Kate a moment to realize her magazine was empty.
"How long can they work like that?" Kate shouted, her voice shaky and eyes wide in disbelief the things were still functioning despite the continued pounding of Merrick's gun.
Fire from the mechs stitched the corridor wall. Kate took cover behind a support stanchion. Merrick did the same on the opposite side of the hall.
"Apparently, long enough," Merrick called back. He expertly exchanged clips and returned fire.
Kate fumbled with the magazine pouches strapped to her waist. Trying to do anything with the oversized armored gloves was difficult. She took her eyes off the mechs and glanced down to figure out what she was doing wrong. When Kate looked up, she was surprised to find one of the mechs nearly on top of her, taking aim. Gears turned and a fresh ammo magazine appeared from behind a panel in the machine's frontal armor. The mech slammed its assault rifle against its chest to seat the magazine. Kate froze as the machine whirred and brought the newly loaded weapon to bear on her. She gazed into the lighted optical sensor and realized how ironic it would be for her, a person who made her living building and maintaining EMTEC's hi-tech computer systems, to be killed by this steam-powered pile of bolts.
A single shot rang out behind the mech. It slouched forward on its hydraulic suspension. The mech's clockwork mechanisms protested and clicked ominously for a moment before audibly winding down. The optical eye faded, flickered once, and then went dark, permanently.
Kate looked around the mech to see Merrick aiming his sniper rifle at the base of the mech's head.
"We should write that spot down," Kate commented with a nervous laugh. She stepped around the dead mech and found the second machine, similarly dispatched. Kate's hands were shaking badly but she managed to get the fresh clip into her rifle. She smiled at Merrick. "You're handy to have around."
"Ready for more?" Merrick asked.
"No," Kate breathed, her voice shaky. Despite wanting to turn around and head back to the shuttle, she fell in behind the marine anyway. The thought she was closer to death than ever before crossed her mind. Kate shook head to get rid of the image of mech bullets riddling her body and remarked in a stronger voice, "No, definitely not. But, I have to see what the engine room of a steam-powered starship looks like."
Merrick led the way down the winding corridor. There was precious little time for Kate to take in the sights or even begin to comprehend the arrays of gauges or maze of pipes. It boggled her mind to think of the inner workings of something as complex as a starship controlled by mechanical links, hydraulic pistons, and clockwork computers.
"They must have been able to optimize their mechanical energy transfers in ways we never considered," Kate remarked as she slowed to study a mass of gears as they ticked through some unknown purpose. Something in the back of her mind was trying to get her attention. Kate looked from her dead pad to the spinning gears. She laughed when she realized what was nagging her. Kate could wrap her mind around getting killed in a spaceship or by any number of deadly modern weapons. Getting killed by a clanking machine was another matter. It almost offended her.
Kate's thoughts were interrupted as a mech dropped out of the ceiling and raised its arms. Before it could bring its weapons to bear, Merrick took it out of service.
"Yeah, tell me about it," the sniper grunted and pressed on around the bulk of the mech.
Kate looked from the steaming mech to the device embedded in the wall. She shook her head and pressed on.
"This better be one heck of an engine room," Kate remarked.
'...use some help here!'
Kate stopped when she heard the scratchy call over her suit radio.
"You hear that? He has to be close," Kate whispered and tried to use her data pad again. "With all the interference, signals are probably only going about twenty meters." Kate looked up to find Merrick charging down the corridor in answer to the call. She looked around at the rotating gears and gauges all around. She wondered if part of the wall was about to separate to reveal the next attacker. Kate decided she did not want to find out alone and took off after Merrick. "Wait for me!"
Kate nearly ran into Merrick as she entered a compartment with high ceilings. It was filled with a long row of massive disk-shaped objects set into the deck. It looked for all the world like a giant turbo-generator room from a hydroelectric power plant. From the heavy vibrations transmitted from the floor and through her boots, Kate guessed these were flywheels used as part of the ships mechanical energy storage system. Kate's fascination with the mechology was quickly replaced by fear of the new mechs approaching from between the flywheel housings. Of the five she could see, the one with a death grip on Sergeant Ross was the most disturbing. The mech's pistons strained as it attempted to crush his armor and squeeze the life out of the marine.
"Little help here!" Sergeant Ross grunted. He gestured at the motionless form of another marine nearby. "...don't want to end up like Young."
"Hold still," Merrick ordered. He raised his gun and took careful aim.
"Funny," Ross replied, obviously unable to get free of the mech's powerful hydraulic grip.
"Cover fire, please, Ms. Thompson," Merrick said as the mechs at the far hatchway opened fire. Bullets whizzed over their heads. "Today, please."
It took a moment for Kate to realize Merrick was speaking to her.
"Oh! Right," Kate exclaimed. She raised her rifle and fired three-shot bursts at the two closest mechs.
Merrick's single shot joined Kate's many. The mech holding onto Ross rattled then slumped. Kate kept firing but the two mechs just kept coming.
Merrick sighted on Kate's mechs and fired two single shots in rapid succession. Both mechs ground to a halt. Two shots. Two kills.
Ross took one look at his mangled rifle, crushed between his chest armor and the mech's metal arms while trapped in the machine's death grip, and flung it aside. He pulled the spare rifle off his back. Ross turned and fired tight bursts at the remaining mechs.
"How do you like me now?" Ross shouted as the mech in his rifle's cross-hairs exploded in a swirling mass of steam and spraying oil.
Kate took cover behind a bank of valves and control wheels and added what little help she could.
Through the steam and spurting fluid, Kate could just make out the glow of more optical sensors entering the far side of the room beyond the bank of giant flywheels.
"More uninvited company!" Kate shouted.
"Got it," Merrick noted and fired down range in the hopes of discouraging the new mech's advance. "Ready to move, Ross?"
"Tral that hurts!" Ross shouted as he turned and grabbed his side. "Well I'm not staying here!" He started in the direction of the engine room, bumping into blocky machinery as he went.
Kate glanced sideways at the energy storage devices. Reports on Tallinn mech described many of the complex engineering problems solved by the massive components, albeit in a low-tech manner. But, did it matter if someone used mechanical systems or fusion generators if the outcome was still the same? The Stellar Union built their systems around electronic control systems and ran everything with embedded computers. Tallinns went the other way. They eschewed computers and instead relied on complex mechanical sy
stems and advanced, surprisingly efficient steam engines for storing and generating power. Kate heard there may be environmental reasons why electronics failed to catch on back on the Tallinn worlds. Something about an absurdly strong magnetic field and a shortage of the rare earth elements which were critical to advanced computer and power systems. Given these constraints, the Tallinns took a different path. Were their design choices any worse than those made by humans? There were arguments for and against both human technology and Tallinn mechology. Kate was deep inside a mechanical starship which was kicking Fleet's butt. Case closed, for now.
Kate could feel a vibration building under her hands and feet whenever she touched the metal decking or grabbed a piece of equipment. The thrum of the ironclad's mighty engines was unmistakable. As they approached the engine room, Kate's excitement grew. She pressed on, eager to explore the Tallinn power plant and get away from the mechs closing in on them from every other direction.
"Let's peek inside this locomotive."
Chapter 3
Javin
Kate, Merrick, and Ross rushed through a huge, ornate archway and found the engine room airlock, the burnished doors had been blasted from their hinges by the team members ahead of them. Kate steadied herself against the massive airlock wheel and gazed at the Tallinn power plant, awestruck.
Four rows of massive pistons stretched off into the shadows. The noise of the churning machinery was nearly overwhelming. Kate closed her visor to cut off some of the noise, but the vibrations still assaulted her entire body. It did not take much thought to imagine herself being transported back in time and dropped into the engine room of an ocean-going ship. All around her, gleaming machinery climbed the walls up into the darkness far above. Pipes as big as her waist were covered in moisture and valves of all sizes were everywhere. Only the glowing power source suspended in a crystal-walled enclosure at the center of the room broke the illusion she was back in 1939 and this was the HMS Queen Mary's powerful engine room. But, instead of plying Earth's vast oceans, this ship moved in the cold vacuum between the stars. Kate pulled herself through the door and studied the power core. The glowing crystal structure was connected to a heavily-reinforced heat exchanger. Sweating pipes and trunk-sized cables snaked away from the exchanger in every direction to feed super-heated steam to the huge turbines which spun in an impressive array along the far side of the chamber.
"Must be the Tallinn version of coal," Kate commented. The pounding and hissing of the engine room began to fade. Kate wondered if the suit's external microphones were adjusting the decibel levels to something deemed safer for her auditory system. A heavy hand landed on Kate's shoulder, jarring her from her thoughts.
"Ow!" Kate yelped. She started to move away but her legs got tangled up together. For the first time, she noticed the tell-tales of her suit display were winking red, trying desperately to gain her attention. "Oh no..."
Merrick knocked on her helmet.
Kate looked at the sniper and realized his helmet was off. He pointed at hers. She could see Merrick moving his lips, but could not hear clearly through the armored headpiece. She glanced at her status panel below her visor and found every light dark. At the same instant, she noticed her own body odor and wrinkled her nose. Usually, the suit did a little better at keeping her cool and somewhat ventilated.
"Your suit is dying," she whispered softly to herself as the reality of the situation struck home. Kate's eyes went wide and she frantically rechecked her status display for any sign of life. Still dark. She knew without power the heavy armor would trap her. She was not nearly strong enough to move the joints without the motor-assist systems.
The sounds of gunfire from the other marines and newly-arrived mechs were muted but distinctive inside Kate's dark and still-sealed suit. She reached up, struggling against the stiff armored joints, desperate to release the catches holding her helmet in place. But, as hard as the latches were to engage back on the shuttle, Kate discovered they were doubly hard to undo for obvious safety reasons. The stale smell of air going from bad to worse burned her nostrils. Kate did not want to die from her own carbon dioxide output. She dropped her rifle and fumbled with the collar of her helmet. She tried vainly to recall her rudimentary training on the suits. The instruction she received back on Decatur seemed so simple. She distinctly remembered being told to 'push back and release.'
"What the heck was I supposed to push back on?!" Kate exclaimed. Her fingers scrabbled at the smooth armor casing but found nothing in the way of a latch. "C'mon! These things are supposed to be idiot proof!"
Suddenly Merrick filled Kate's vision. He grabbed her helmet in both hands and held his face close to hers. He shouted loud enough to be heard over the background noise. "Breathe!"
Kate did not realize she was holding her breath. She stopped and exhaled, emptying her lungs. As Kate began to suck in the sweat-soaked suit air, Merrick managed to unlatch her helmet and gave it a firm twist, freeing it from the locking ring. Kate felt a wave of hot, moist air tinged with the smell of oil wash over her face. She twirled toward the deck and realized the power-assisted joints of her armored space suit were now as dead as the life support and display pad. Kate managed to grab a nearby pipe and trembled with the effort of steadying herself. Although weightless, the suit more than doubled Kate's mass. When she tipped forward, she became a classic object in motion which wanted to stay in motion. Without the help of the suits actuators, Kate found she could barely move in the heavy armor.
"Whatever that power core is," Kate breathed, "it killed what was left of our tech. Even the hardened circuits."
Merrick twisted two recessed components on either side of his waist, just above his hips. His armored joints popped with a hiss. Merrick reached inside his neck collar and jerked on a red tab. His suit cracked open. With a shake of his arms, the suits sleeves fell away. Merrick made quick work of the legs and torso pieces until he was floating in front of Kate in combat fatigue pants and a t-shirt. He grabbed two ammo pouches from the remains of his suit and slung them across his shoulder along with his sniper rifle.
"Now you," Merrick stated and reached for Kate's auto release.
"What about all the shooting?" Kate protested. "Isn't it just a little safer to stay in the armor?"
"Only if it's working," Merrick responded, "which it isn't. Your second skin armor will offer some protection."
Kate felt the joints of her suit pop as Merrick twisted the pressure components at her sides. Her suit fell apart after Merrick reached inside her neck ring and pulled the emergency tab. The sniper quickly helped Kate out of the rest of her immobile armor. She retrieved the dark data pad strapped to the suits arm, hoping she could salvage the data in its memory cards when things slowed down a bit. She and Akil were partners in a way and the thought of leaving her Avatar in the belly of a Tallinn ship they intended to destroy did not appeal to Kate. Plus, this data pad may very well hold Akil's only back-up since Decatur blew up with all her other gear. She released the now useless gauntlet and found Merrick staring at her.
"What?" Kate asked. She looked down at her outfit and blushed. "Oh. Was I supposed to wear something over the second skin armor?"
"Well, usually," Merrick explained.
Kate looked down at herself. The dark grey skintight leotard covering her from neck to toe promised to protect her from all but the largest caliber hits. She did not want to test it since the result of a direct hit, although survivable, was a painful bruise. Although offering protection from battlefield hazards, it did not leave much else to the imagination.
"This it?" Captain Black called from nearby and pointed at the crystal housing of the glowing energy source. He and the other surviving marines crouched near their abandoned armor, weapons aimed at various entrances around the compartment.
"Yes!" Kate shouted above the din of the ship's engine. "This should be powering the interdiction signal." Kate strapped her dark pad to her arm. She followed Merrick's example and snagged the extra ammunition fro
m her suit's torso.
"Charges!" Black ordered.
Kate watched as Anders and Cohen spread out with the nuke satchels. She looked around her at the pulsing machinery and humming high voltage components. Kate bit her lip. It seemed a shame to destroy such an engineering masterpiece.
"Keep an eye out for troopers and clankers!" Black added.
Kate noticed there was no one shooting at them. For the time being, the enemy and armored Tallinn troopers were nowhere in sight. Kate knew the status quo would not last long.
Kate arranged the sling bags of ammo around her waist and adjusted the straps. She belatedly realized all the extra ammunition would be useless without a rifle. She twisted around and spotted her errant weapon floating away from her. Aiming carefully, she kicked off from her perch. Kate managed to snag the weapon and arrest her motion on the next convenient valve wheel. She glanced around and verified the marines seemed to have all the entryways covered. Safe for the moment, Kate took a moment to let her eyes wander over the machinery powering the heart of the Tallinn ironclad.
The pistons appeared to be powered by heat transferred from the core to the exchangers. Kate surmised a portion of the superheated steam was being converted to electrical power or mechanically stored in the flywheels in the compartment where she and Merrick had rescued Ross. Kate pulled herself along rows of gauges and dials, trying to make sense of the energy flow in the room. The size of the electrical generators and the mechanical power transfer within the ship via drive shafts and gears was unlike anything she had ever seen. Kate shook her head.
It was insane. It was marvelous.
Kate admired the vessels complexities even if it was created to defeat Earth's forces. She glanced at her dead data pad and sighed, "Lot of good I'm doing here. Maybe I should learn how to run a river steamboat instead of computers." Kate's eyes were drawn back to the pulsing power core where Cohen was busy hooking up his nuclear warhead. The Tallinns used a power source previously unknown to humans. They discovered not only a new fuel, but the means to disable Fleet's most advanced tech. How? Where?
