by Tom Germann
What Ten said sort of makes sense to me. I am highly trained, but I haven’t felt like it since I arrived. It seems like I’m making every mistake I possibly can and I’m not fitting in.
I move over to the launcher and pick it up, bringing it to my shoulder. As heavy as it is, I could stand like this for hours. Low gravity and the powered armour means that the launcher feels as light as a feather to me. If I start to feel like I am straining, I can just lock my arm joints.
I keep an eye out, slowly panning around. I pull up one of the communication links and put together a request for the sensors to send data. If anything happens where the sensors pick up movement of anything new, I will get an alert. Then I can focus on that. My eyes can see hundreds of metres. The sensors can pick up movement kilometres out when connected to all the sensor balls around the site.
I use another menu and pull up the manual on the launcher, opening it on my HUD and setting it up for review. Before I start, I pull yet another menu up and set up a tracking option on the transponders that we each carry. I push that off to the side of the helmet so I can keep an eye on it with my peripheral vision.
I start reviewing the manual for the Mark Four Launcher, Missile. It fires different types of munitions with a range up to sixty kilometres. Range is dependent on what missile is used, and the average is three kilometres.
The launcher itself is a very simple system. It mounts the missile—usually. It links the missile to the sensor nets, if any are in use. It acts as a sight for the firer.
I pull the section overlay up for a detailed check when I finish. There are three teams around the outpost site watching for anything. The other four are moving around inside with different sensor systems, checking to see what they can find out. Nothing new or interesting there.
I push the overlay back to the side and pull up the data feeds from all the different sensors. A quick run of the data accelerated back and then forward gives me nothing. The bit of debris that is naturally around the planet is moving normally. No spaceships roaring in to attack or anything like that. I leave the data request going and push that data out of the way.
It’s obvious we are going to be here for a while, Ten is still checking the data being collected. I go back to studying. I pull up the manual on the different missiles. There are fire and forget, tracking, and more. There are multiple types of warheads available for whatever mission.
The most interesting missile is the ‘Brute’ variant. Longer than I am tall, it has a range of sixty kilometres and a penetrator warhead. It doesn’t actually—
My thoughts are cut off as a harsh buzzing starts. We have movement.
I pull the data up and start reviewing it. A piece of debris is moving across the sky and has been picked up by one of the sensors. It isn’t even coming toward us. I check around.
No one else has reacted. I am feeling pretty good that no one has noticed my reaction to what was clearly nothing. I mean, I had only looked around.
My comm line opened. “Eight, don’t worry about it; everyone gets spooked a bit now and then. You need to recalibrate your info requests to the sensors. They report exactly what you ask for.”
“Ten? What are you talking about?”
Ten sighed. “Eight, when the data stream came through, there were two indications that someone had set a search up poorly. The first was that there was a break when the data streamed in. The sensor sent way too much data, and that was noticeable as it affected my sensor reads. So in the future, take another second and limit the info that gets passed on to a warning. Next point, you had your suit give a warning. You didn’t set the warning for just your suit. We all got it too.”
All I could say was, “Oh.” I had messed up again.
I went back through the various menus and changed the data, making sure that not everyone received the warning.
I went back to looking up data on the Brute. The missile came with its own platform that could be deployed up to half a kilometre from the launcher unit. When it launched, the area would become a target if the enemy had a way to shoot back. There were different types of warheads that could be inserted within a few minutes: armour-piercing, which would be for spaceships; a bunker-buster that would penetrate hardened material and then detonate a smaller warhead; and area affect, smaller bombs would be dropped that would detonate on contact or when a detonation command was sent. Then there is nuclear. I stop at that one. Different yield rates are available, but there is a dirty version. Why would there be a dirty version? According to the specs, it could render an area uninhabitable by any race that we know of so far.
That just doesn’t seem right. We had never covered nuclear weapons back on Earth. Everything we studied was conventional.
Then my thoughts no longer matter because I have another alarm. I don’t pivot; I simply access the data stream and query the sensors. I have an unidentified contact fourteen kilometers up and it is giving off all sorts of electronic emissions.
Whatever it is, it isn’t one of ours, or if it is, it’s badly damaged as there is no transponder reaction when I send a query at it.
I open a comm link to Ten with a thought. “Ten, I’ve got a signal off of something in higher orbit. It’s giving off lots of electronic emissions and it isn’t ours unless it’s been damaged.”
Ten doesn’t move. “Ping me the signal.”
I send the highlighted data to her.
I notice on the HUD that all the icons of the section have stopped moving, including the four in the centre of the site that had been methodically sweeping back and forth.
I reconsider the data. Whatever it is, it’s small and in a tight orbit around the planet. I know it has to be hostile. There weren’t any sort of emissions like these during our flight in. That means that this thing had waited for us to get closer and is now gathering data on us, our tactics, and our technology.
Ten turns and looks over at me. “Good job identifying that, Eight.” Then she turns back to her sensors and goes back to ignoring me.
I am confused. I don’t have a missile that will reach that high. Shouldn’t we wrap up what we were doing? We should be figuring out how to take that thing out. The missiles we have won’t reach that far up, but we should do something, shouldn’t we?
The click of the comm link opening is distinct, as is every notification in the armour. The developers did this so that the user would never mix up what was happening.
Two’s voice is the surprise, though. The teams in the centre are still moving the same way. Why would she call me?
“Eight, Ten passed on the message. Good job on that. Most of us wouldn’t worry about anything that far out. Now the one thing going through your mind is that the satellite up there is gaining valuable data about us and we should be doing something about taking it out instead of letting it continue to pull data on us, correct?”
“Well, yes. We should get under cover and take it out. Right?”
Two’s voice sounded like she was trying not to laugh. “What do you think the sensors in something like that are seeing that far out while moving that fast?”
The satellite disappeared from our sensor net. To have been picked up in the first place it had to be putting a lot of power out, but it didn’t look that big, really.
“Two, I would think that it’s getting a lot of data on us and how we operate.”
“Okay, Eight, this is what that thing is getting. There are ten of us on the ground with three groups of two most likely in overwatch while the other four walk around what everyone knows was the impact site. We aren’t doing anything really that demonstrates our capabilities, and that thing is too far out to be an effective surveillance tool. We also have to finish a full survey of the site. So we keep working to get our job done. The satellite floats around and sees us, which gains it nothing. We can’t reach it. But someone else does. Hopefully the satellite is sending the data elsewh
ere in the system and we can find that source as well. Keep working so we can wrap this up.”
Two shuts down comms and we all just kept working away.
I stand there on sentry against something that never shows up. We had limited our communications from the beginning just in case enemy forces are around, so I have nothing to do. In the hours of waiting I review the manuals for the missile launcher, missiles, heavy and medium laser, along with the multi-barrelled projectile weapon that we could be called on to use. I haven’t reviewed the other weapons because no manual has been loaded into my system for them. All training has to be done in secure areas on the rail gun, but I even review the standard individual weapons.
The satellite had passed two more times and is coming around now for a fourth circuit. I have the sensors tracking it and then I pick up something else. There is just a flicker from something small. It is coming in from the side and heading toward the satellite above us.
I can’t get any data on the new target. It is just moving toward the satellite. Given the distances involved, it takes a while.
I check the section over. The four are almost done walking the region where the outpost used to be. I don’t know what they’ve found, if anything, but. . . .
I am real glad that I hadn’t been staring at the feed from the sensors. As fast as the suit systems react, the brilliant flash would have been blinding. As it was, with the feed off to the side and minimized, it was more like a flash from a bright flashlight in the eyes.
I look up toward the area where the satellite had been and I swear there is still a flash from the explosion. It likely is just the after-image from the sensor screen.
Two’s voice came over the section comm net. “Ten, did you catch any of that on your sensors?”
“I did, Two, but I don’t think it matters. We don’t have anything powerful enough to have picked up any real details. But I bet the ship has something.”
I blurt out across the net, “What the hell was that?”
I hear a snort and then someone clicks off their comms. I pretty much know that was One. Two’s voice comes over the comm net. “I told you we didn’t have the reach to get to that satellite, Eight. But our ship did. That was a probe drone that they launched and directed in to collect the satellite. The enemy must have booby-trapped it, and given how big the explosion was, it was most assuredly a dirty booby trap. Corporate may not be too happy with us. Those drones cost a couple million each.”
That wasn’t possible given distances and travel time. “I thought the ship was farther away? How did they get the drone so close so fast?”
I can hear the shrug in Two’s voice. “Watch the data feed while we head back toward the lander. We are out of here.” The comm line clicks off.
I open the data feed that Two had sent me. I can see the ship moving to the far side of the planet and taking orbit while playing dead under emission control. Then, there’s a close-up of a framework with rockets launching away. The hours it was in transit are accelerated here. Then the drone comes in on the satellite from an angle and I can see control arms extending out. Just as the two come together there is a flash and the feed ends.
I clear the data feed away. Ten is already packing up her sensor packs and has picked up the further sensor for the launcher. I fully shut down the launcher and then put it back in the case after removing the ready round. By that time, Ten is back with the rest of the sensor net and she helps me put it away.
I am still tracking the rest of the section. The four that ran the survey are almost to the lander while the other two teams are just picking up their gear and heading over.
The trip back to the lander is easy. We wait until our ship starts shifting position in orbit so that we will meet up without much adjustment after we hit orbit. The navigating AI has done a great job, and this time it doesn’t feel like we are on a roller coaster.
No one talks much during the time it takes us to get back to the ship and dock. In fact, from what I can see, most of the section is taking personal time. I hadn’t loaded any books or movies into my system so I just review the data from the satellite over and over until I’ve finally had enough. I drift off to sleep after we hit space when all the ship’s motion has eased off.
Return To The Ship
I woke up when we bumped into the docking cradle on the ship and then took my place unloading the lander and clearing everything away.
We had been out on op for a little over sixteen hours. I was exhausted but made sure that my gear was cleared, cleaned, and stowed. We all met in the small mess we used for so much. There was hot soup and sandwiches along with sweets. Food had never tasted so good.
As we were finishing, Two looked around the table at us. “Basic cleanup is done. The AIs are going over the data and will extrapolate some sort of results in the next few hours. Everyone, go rack out. Report for briefing when you’re called, plus twenty minutes. That’ll give you pigs a chance to get cleaned up after waking. Questions?”
No one had any and that was it.
I made it to my room and peeled out of my stinking clothes. I hadn’t noticed it but the longer you are in armour, the more you sweat, and it doesn’t smell nice. I didn’t even towel off; I just flopped onto my bed space and pulled a blanket over myself.
Then there was nothing.
The buzzer sounding incessantly finally woke me up. I was lying in sweat-soaked bedding. I dragged myself out and had a fast dry shower and then rolled on a neutral deodorant while running a razor over my face.
I staggered out the door and stopped to get some food before heading for debriefing. I hadn’t even checked the time. I had been asleep for about four and a half hours.
In the debriefing room was hot coffee and fruit drinks along with some pastries. Everyone else looked like they had been able to sleep all night.
I grabbed some of that amazing fruit juice and a pastry and then crumpled into my seat. I could see One. Of course the bastard was sneering at me. Whatever his problem was, I didn’t think it was going away soon.
I had just crammed the last bit of pastry into my mouth when Two stood up and walked over to the coffee. She poured herself a cup and then the lights dimmed and the projectors came online. We were looking at the system again from far out.
Two sat down with a coffee. “AIs are done their evaluation. Watch and see what happened as best we are aware. Blue is fact. Yellow is estimated response. If you see red, that’s just a WAG.” She took a sip of her coffee and a timer appeared above and to the side of the system.
It was at minus sixty days. Time started moving forward slowly. The enemy ship appeared at the outskirts of the system, a yellow hue to it. Time picked up and raced along. It looked like rocks were coming toward the starship and then glowing. Across the inner system near the outpost, several blue streaks appeared over the sixty days. Then the timer hit zero and the ship started moving in-system slowly; it was yellow.
More time slowly passed and the ship turned blue, missiles were deployed, and Corporate satellites started dying. As the ship neared the outpost it fired a number of missiles, which detonated above the outpost. A label appeared over the spot in blue EMP. The rocks on the outskirts of the system started moving inward toward the outpost.
The ship launched two shuttles, which landed near the now-dormant outpost. The view zoomed in. Little red blobs ran around grabbing things and taking them to the shuttles. A few of those red blobs, which must be enemy troops, were off to the side. On sentry was my guess.
The enemy moved around for a while. They went from red to yellow and even turned blue a few times. They re-boarded the shuttles, which took off as blue icons and docked with the ship. The rocks were already in-system and coming in, but they didn’t look that fast.
The ship pulled out of orbit and slowly started moving away. The enemy was going to drop some large asteroids to destroy the outpost. It
seemed like a lot of work when they could have just used explosives, it would have been easier and cheaper as well.
Then, when the rocks were just above the outpost, they seemed to split apart and a rain of splintered stones began hitting the outpost.
The image clicked off.
Four spoke up. “What the hell was that? Did they use the wrong rocks and they split apart under stress?”
Two gestured at the image, which disappeared, and a large rock appeared in its place. There was no scale, but I was guessing it was big. There were engines mounted on one side and some sort of small structure on the other side.
Two spoke. “The enemy drilled explosives into the rocks that they were going to use.” Several spots started flashing on the rock. “Then, when the rock hit the optimal placement, the charges were detonated.”
The flashing spots flashed bright and then the rock broke up into lots of smaller pieces. The image shifted and then there were many rocks, much smaller ones, and they were moving. Then they were hitting a surface that had a small dome and some vehicles on it. Everything was smashed.
The image faded away and the lights came back up. We were all just watching what had happened and no one spoke until Nine quietly said, “Why? All those resources wasted, for what? It would have been faster to detonate a nuclear device on the planet if they wanted to cover their tracks.”
Two shook her head no. “All the AIs have looked at this and agree. This was a training mission for the enemy. A real-world mission, and they were testing out some experimental weapon systems.”
Four spoke up next. “So this was all just a big research-and-development test for these scumbags? That doesn’t make a lot of sense. This is a really big test, and there are a lot of things that could have gone wrong. That would have cost. . . .” He looked over at Six. “Any thoughts on costing something like that? Or what alien race do we know of that could do that?”
Six shook his head slowly. “I’ve been reviewing the info we have on the different races. There isn’t a lot of hard data from the attack. I mean, that could be a completely new type or class of starship. It would be effective to get in and flatten a system using missiles. But that is a really specific-use ship. Kind of limited. None of the races out here are big enough—or violent enough, as far as I am aware—to do this. Well, maybe. . . .” He paused.
