by L. Fergus
Sarin shot the remaining guard on her side and turned her attention to those firing from the workstation area. She fired as fast as she could acquire targets. When the last shot fired, the silence was deafening.
Sarin proceeded to the workstation area and found the Political Bureau colonel cowering against the bulkhead wall.
“Get up,” she snarled as she grabbed him by the collar and throwing him back up to the command deck. Floating up and over the rail, she landed next to him and shoved him to the deck with her boot. “Don’t move.”
Sailors and Marines who’d taken cover were coming out, trying to figure out who was in charge. The officers that had come with Sarin were helping their fellow wounded officers.
“You,” Sarin pointed to the woman wearing the most stripes she could see, “contact medical and tell them we need teams up here now.”
“The glitches in the system—”
“Are gone except those holding Political Bureau personnel.”
“Yes, Commandant.”
“Admiral, what’s the status?” said Sarin.
“Four dead, seven wounded, including me.”
“Are you critical?”
“I won’t be pushing the bullet back out, like you, but I can wait. Others need more urgent care.”
“It’s on the way.” Sarin turned and looked at the crew. “The rest of you grab aid supplies and help those down. The rest of you move the bodies for collection.”
“Mom,” said Athena.
“Yes?”
“Scarlett reports they have taken command of Luna and are awaiting instructions.”
“Excellent. Tell her to round up the Political Bureau personnel and get them ready to be moved to Emperor’s Punisher. Security!”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Get teams moving to round up all Political Bureau personnel. They’re to be stripped and taken to the detention area. Ryder?”
“Yeah?”
“Take command here. I’m going to the engine room to relieve Talli.”
Sarin banged on the engine room’s door. “Talli, it’s me. Open up.” She clicked her nail against her teeth as she waited. “Athena, can you see what’s going on?”
“No, Mom. She’s blocked out the camera.”
“Great.” Sarin shifted into her cloud form and drifted through the door. She gasped when she changed back. Talli knelt over a body with his abdomen cut open. Talli had his liver in her hand. Blood covered her white sneak suit.
“Talli put it down,” Sarin said gently.
The man moaned.
Sarin sighed.
“Come on, Talli. It’s time to go.” Talli looked up with a nasty glare. “The mission’s over. It’s time to stop.” Sarin stepped around Talli, pulled her pistol, and shot the man in the head.
“What did you do that for?” Talli screamed.
“Because I gave you a chance to play. Playtime is over. It’s time to get cleaned up. I can’t have you roaming the ship covered in blood. We’re Children of the Emperor, and we have to act and look like it.”
“Why can’t I do what I want?”
“You can, but with limits. Kita has limits, and so do you. She understands there is a time for playing and a time to be civil. You must learn control, and you must talk to me. Let me help you. I know you loved Dev and she loved you. I’m sorry she’s gone. If I could bring her back, I would.” Sarin snapped her fingers and Talli was clean, and the body was made whole.
Talli huffed and glared at Sarin as she exited the room.
Sarin stood at the head of the conference table aboard Emperor’s Punisher. Around the table were a dozen senior Shadow Fleet and Legion personnel.
“This has been a good first step, but we’re a long way from our goal of liberating the entire Shadow Fleet. The Shadow Fleet ships that went through the Alicorn Wormhole are still in quarantine. The rest of the fleet is spread throughout the systems trying to hold the populous at bay. But, to get to them, we have to go through the AC system. Taking AC Station will be our top priority, but we’ll have to act fast. Earth will be aware when they lose this vital supply and economic hub.”
“Planning an operation against AC Station will take months,” said a Marine colonel.
“We have the time it takes to move between here and there. Surprise is our element.”
“What about the Shadow Fleet ships guarding the system?” said Firdaus.
“The Angels will take care of them and bring them into our fleet. I need you to worry about capturing the station.”
“The good news is there isn’t a sizable military presence on AC Station, and we have two thousand Marines. We should outnumber the guards by a good margin.”
“Excellent. I expect to be underway as soon as we refit both ships.”
Sarin’s insides felt twisted after the wormhole jump. She’d never gotten used to the sensation. She sat aboard a shuttle, waiting for the jump to complete so they could fly over and capture the checkpoint.
“Wormhole checkpoint fifty-two miles at two-seven-three,” a sailor announced over the shuttle’s comm.
“Have you established contact?” Sarin replied.
“Connection coming online. Wait, out.”
Sarin drummed her black and red nails on the console. “What’s taking so long? Pilot, take off. I don’t want to ruin the surprise. They can brief us in route.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The engines vibrated through the shuttle as it lifted off and out of the Emperor’s Punisher’s hangar.
Firdaus’ image appeared on the console screen. “Commandant?”
“Yes, Admiral?”
“I have a Political Bureau lieutenant calling from the checkpoint demanding to know what we’re doing here. Apparently, we’re not on any of his schedules. He’s demanding to talk to my political officer.”
“Only if he can commune with the dead. Tell him we’ve had engine problems and it was closer to go to AC Station than back to the Bitterfreeze supply depot. Have engineering falsify some maintenance reports and send them to him. That should keep him busy until we arrive.”
“And the political officer?”
“Athena?”
“Yes, Mom, I can do it. I’m studying video of the previous political officer so I can get in character.”
“Pilot, how far out are we?” asked Sarin.
“Seven minutes, ma’am.”
“You won’t have to act long, Athena.”
“But I’m channeling my inner Galina.”
Sarin smirked. “Just keep him busy long enough for us to dock.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Sarin closed the connection. “Ok, girls, show time. Don’t kill anyone not in a Political Bureau uniform.”
“Commandant,” said the Pilot.
“Yes?”
“The checkpoint’s hangar doors are closed.”
Sarin leaned into the cockpit to look. She wiggled her nose, and the doors opened.
“How’d you do that?” gasped the pilot.
“I wished upon a star,” Sarin said with a grin. “Take us in to land.” Sarin ducked back into the cabin. The pitch of the engines came down as the shuttle landed. Only a gentle bump let them know they had arrived.
“Nice landing,” said Ryder.
Sarin opened the shuttle door and hopped out. The hangar was empty. She searched the equation and pinpointed all the humans on board the checkpoint, two to her left, the rest to her right. She ignored the pair and moved toward the larger group. The other Angels followed her.
Sarin burst through a door into a control room. Six sailors sat at workstations, some trying to hide their amusement over the red-faced man at the main console shouting. Some of the sailors turned and looked at Sarin. Seeing her uniform, they stood at attention.
“Excuse me, Lieutenant?” Sarin said sweetly. When he didn’t answer, Sarin walked into the room and stood behind him. She drew a pistol, pointed it at the back of his head, and fired. “I’ll take it from here, Athe
na.”
The Political Bureau soldier on the screen changed to Athena.
Sarin looked at the sailors in the room. “I’m Deputy Commandant Sarin. I’m in charge of the resistance to the Political Bureau. Currently, they are staging a coup against the Emperor. We’re moving into the AC system as the next step to retake the Empire. I need access to your systems, and I need to know where all the ships in the system are.”
“Chief Petty Officer Robinson, ma’am. We’ll pass over the codes to your ship. Emperor’s Fury has left for AC Gamma, and Emperor’s Might is in AC Delta. Both are putting down rebellions.”
“That’s all the combat ships in the system, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“That will simplify things. Any knowledge of AC Station?”
“No, ma’am. We haven’t been let off the checkpoint for months.”
“Can’t have everything. We’ll rotate you aboard Emperor’s Punisher for some rest.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“This was boring,” said Talli.
“Not everything we do can be entertaining,” said Talon. “It’s often a good thing when things are dull.”
Talli rolled her eyes.
The holotable displayed the first wave of the assault on AC Station: Fighter spacecraft traveled on elliptical flight paths while covering the incoming shuttles filled with platoons of Marines.
AC Station was a major economic trade center. It sat in the center of a major wormhole nexus, connecting the Sol system with all of the AC subsystems, the Bitterfreeze system, and everything beyond it. It reminded Sarin a bit of Base Station. Over fifty thousand people called the station home, and many had never seen a planet.
The first of the shuttles docked. The plan called for a coordinated assault around the station hitting the commercial, private, and military docks, and passenger terminals to paralyze the small garrison. Sarin didn’t expect this to be a hard fight. Five hundred legionnaires patrolled the station and only a hundred Political Bureau soldiers augmented them. Athena was hacking into AC Station’s central broadcasting system so Sarin could send a message to the legionnaires. Once the legionnaires struck their colors, mopping up the Political Bureau would be simple.
The Angels had been distributed among the first wave to optimize their strengths to the most crucial and susceptible weak points of the AC defense.
“Jane.”
“Yes, Ryder? How do things look?”
“My platoon has wandered into a helluva firefight. I estimate the enemy to be at company strength, they’ve dug in around the commercial docks and more are moving up to reinforce.”
“As soon as Athena’s ready I’ll broadcast the message and see if I can pull those Legionnaires off you.”
“If these are legionnaires, they’re not wearing blue.”
“It could be like Bitterfreeze, the legionnaires were press-ganged into the Political Bureau,” said Sarin. “Can you hold?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. These legionnaires can’t shoot worth a damn.”
“Jane, Scarlett.”
“Red, what do you have to report?”
“We’re struggling to grab a toe-hold. This isn’t light resistance. I lost a third of our assault group just getting off the shuttle.”
“Damn. How many?”
“Maybe two hundred and fifty dug in.”
“What’s the chance of them meeting both our groups enforce?” said Ryder.
“We knew there was a chance they’d be prepared. They didn’t challenge us when we arrived in space,” said Sarin.
“Or they're just paranoid and dug-in knowing somebody would come along at some point.”
“That’s not helping us—dammit. Kristi’s been hit,” said Talon.
“Athena, how long?” said Sarin.
“This is not a video game with a timer telling me how much time I have left,” said Athena. “Offering you a guess would not help you and only add to my own stress.”
“I’ve never known her to be snarky,” said Talon.
“Even machines can get stressed,” said Sarin. “I’ll come over and give you a hand. How’s Kristi doing?”
“Took one in the gut. Painful and a lot of blood, but not lethal,” said Talon.
Sarin appeared next to Talon. Bullets struck the crate providing them with cover.
“You weren’t kidding,” said Sarin.
“Am I the kind to exaggerate?”
“Just saying, someone on that side knows what they’re doing.”
“To a point,” said Ryder. “I’ve been watching them. Their fire discipline is basic. They have yet to try and maneuver against us. They’re not taking aimed shots, just praying-and-spraying. I’d say these troops are green.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Legionnaires are better trained than that. Who are these guys and where’d they come from?” said Sarin. “And where did the legionnaires go?”
“A bullet is still a bullet,” said Talon.
“True that.”Sarin spun from behind cover hitting targets as they presented themselves. She returned to cover as more bullets struck the crate. “There’s six less.”
Cinnamon dove behind the crate, leaving a long bloody streak on the floor.
“Cupcake! That’s more than a gut shot,” said Talon as she bent down and put her hands on two bullet wounds.
“I didn’t want to worry you,” said Cinnamon.
“Now I have to save you. Lay back.”
The rounds hitting the crate increased. A round found its way through. Sarin stepped from behind the crate, firing as she went to another crate.
“Sarin, Talli. How are you holding up?”
“My platoon took some hits, but we’re ok now.”
“How many enemies are you facing?”
“None.”
“None?”
“I killed them all.”
“How many?”
“Over a hundred.”
The girl becomes more like Kita every day. “Good. The platoons will move out and start securing checkpoints echo and foxtrot once the follow-on force arrives. Go with them, but be careful. Kristi’s wounded.”
“That sucks for her. But, I’m going to go now.”
“Talli, stay with your platoon!” said Sarin.
“I don’t need them, and I don’t have to do what you say. I’m going to go kill more bad guys.”
Just like Kita. “Just don’t do anything rash. If you get into trouble, call me.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Yeah, until you’re not. I need more time with Talli. She’s not Kita and not supposed to be a sociopath…unless she is…then what? Either way, she can’t be as bad as Kita.
“Commandant, Command.”
“Go ahead.”
“The second wave is loaded and on the way.”
“Have all the landing sites checked in?”
“Affirmative, all have taken casualties, including four platoon leaders, but no platoons were repelled. The company commanders believe they can break out with the arrival of the second wave.”
“Did everyone meet as heavy resistance as General Starr and Talon?”
“It varied, but the average was company strength. The platoon leader with the Angel Talli estimated they met a company.”
“Tell Talli’s platoon leader she’s going off on her own. He’s to do his best to keep up with her, without sacrificing his Marines. I want his comm frequency, and he’s to alert me if something happens to her.”
“Yes, Commandant.”
“Good, keep me updated.”
“Mom, I’m into the station’s private, commercial, and military broadcast network,” said Athena. “I can broadcast your message when you are ready.”
Sarin touched Talon’s shoulder. “I’m going back to Punisher to broadcast our appeal. I can take Kristi back with me.”
“I can heal the damage. It’ll just take time,” said Talon.
“I know you can, but if you’re busy healing
her, you can’t fight.”
“I want to stay,” said Cinnamon.
“It’s better if you go back, cupcake,” said Talon. “I haven’t even started working on the bullet in your liver.”
“I can fight.”
“We know you can,” said Sarin. “There’s no need to prove toughness. What matters is getting you healed.”
“But you didn’t give up aboard the Emperor’s Punisher when you were freeing the officers,” said Cinnamon.
“I didn’t have a choice, and I know you would have done the same. Right now, we have a choice. Go back, get patched up, and fight again another day.”
Cinnamon’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
“No one thinks less of you, Kristi,” said Talon. “We’ve all been injured and taken out of a fight. Please, go back and get treated. For my sake. Knowing you’re taken care of is a weight off my heart.”
“Ok.”
Sarin touched Cinnamon’s arm, and they appeared on the bridge of Emperor’s Punisher.
“Medical, I need a team up here for some gunshot wounds,” said Sarin.
“How is the battle?” said Firdaus.
“They’re set up like they were expecting this.”
“Could someone have leaked our plans?”
“Maybe, but right now I’m going on the assumption they were expecting this when we refused to answer why we were in the system.” Sarin turned to Athena. “I’m ready whenever you are.” She pulled out a compact and checked herself.
“I’m ready, Mom.”
Sarin put the compact away and straightened up formally. Athena gave her the ready signal.
“Legionnaires, Marines, sailors, and soldiers of the Political Bureau, I am Deputy Commandant Sarin and am in command of the Emperor’s forces in the Bitterfreeze nexus. We have uncovered a plot against the Emperor by senior Political Bureau members. They wish to overthrow the Emperor and seize control of the UEE. They want to destroy our way of life and enslave us.
“All orders originating from Political Bureau Headquarters and senior Political Bureau members are deemed illegal. All Political Bureau officers are to be taken into custody, and all soldiers are to turn in their arms and taken into quarantine by Shadow Fleet and Legion personnel. Anyone who does not comply will be deemed a traitor and dealt with accordingly.”
