Spinward Fringe Broadcast 11

by Randolph Lalonde

  “What’s up, Captain?” Remmy asked.

  “Can you hack into the main computer system from that panel?” Jake asked.

  “We have an access screen, but this door panel is air-gapped. No connection to the main computer. Finn says he can hotwire it in under five seconds though, so we’ll get inside the station, no problem. Just say the word.”

  “Give me a minute to crawl back to you,” Jake said. “I know what we’re up against. This is going to be some seriously violent action. Get your guys ready to slag some frameworks. I see spawning alcoves.”

  Twenty-Five

  The Engine Of War

  * * *

  Callum was left behind in one of the larger port waiting areas of the War Forge. He didn’t mind, it was in a section where he could see one of the new Corvettes emerge from a main manufacturing line. The nose of the vessel had a savage look, with retro-thrusters and armoured launcher systems arranged to make the head of the ship look like a hateful grimace. Its dark hull gleamed, light passing over it like glass, but Alice knew it was the new intelligent plating, a coalescence of science from Freeground, the Lorander database, and earth technologies at work. The emergence was slow, that ship wouldn’t be free of the station for two hours at least.

  Alice walked through the station’s halls with Gabe at her side. As the War Forge came closer to completion, more people were joining the crew. There would be a hundred thousand or more people working to crew and defend the mobile construction complex soon, most of them would still be in training. “I hear they’ve started work on building another manufacturing base, like the one in orbit around Tamber,” Gabe said.

  “It’s half finished, it’ll be public and working at the end of the week,” Alice said.

  “Know what it’ll be making?”

  “Housing units, planetary shield generators and there are five small item lines for shuttles, furniture, and all kinds of stuff.”

  “Yeah, my apartment was pretty sparsely furnished, not that I should complain. I’ve never had a place to myself before,” Gabe said.

  “Have you ever seen the small fabrication lines here?” Alice asked.

  “No, actually. I’ve barely been on the War Forge. I took one combat test here in the Wild Room and had a briefing when I was told I was getting a Special Operations team.”

  All she’d really seen on the Wild Room was a little high-level news and that trainers already had it booked for weeks in advance. “How was the Wild Room?”

  “I thought I was on a different planet, running through real bombed out buildings, dodging and fighting real combat bots in about a minute. My test scenario ended after I managed to get away from an Order Knight and his platoon of frameworks without firing a shot. If they found me I would have failed the scenario, and I’ve gotta say; for a while there I was just as scared as I would be if they were really there. I wasn’t afraid to mess up my qualification, I was afraid for my life.”

  “I’ll have to try it,” Alice said. “When it isn’t booked.”

  “I might join you just so I can see your reaction. It takes you way past anything simulated, there’s something about experiencing something like that in your own skin, like you’re tricking your brain from the outside instead of the inside like in a sim. Then again, I might pass. I was on stress meds for two days after my qualification. Still, can you find out if they’re building a few more Wild Rooms?”

  “Just in case you want in?” Alice asked with a smirk.

  “Well, yeah,” Gabe admitted. “Maybe we could program it for something other than a combat scenario. There are a lot of beautiful places to see in the Galaxy. I hear we could take a walk on one of the older Lorander worlds.”

  “Are you asking me out, Lieutenant?” Alice teased.

  “Well, maybe on a double date,” Gabe said without missing a beat. “I met someone at Mama Buu’s the other night, he’s a fashion designer. Kind of flamboyant for my taste, to be honest, but he’s really funny, has a real knack for being entertaining. If you don’t have anyone in mind, I’m sure he can set you up with someone. Let me guess; you’re into tall, muscular types with a good soul. Strong and silent.”

  “I think I like people closer to my height, but I’m not sure.” Her thoughts skipped right through her experience with Titus and on to Noah Lucas, the pilot known as Carnie. He was tall, thin, and he was expressive, quick to smirk, smile or scowl.

  “You’re thinking of someone,” Gabe said, bumping her arm. “I sent you straight to a happy place, didn’t I?”

  “I’ve known you for, what? Five minutes?” Alice asked, chuckling, aware that she was blushing furiously. They stepped into a lift and were sent straight to an Overwatch Centre, one of the situation management areas in the massive station. “You won’t get anything out of me, at least not without a few drinks first.”

  “I’ll take you up on that. Drinks tonight, as soon as we’re finished taking care of business.”

  “Sure,” Alice said. “I might bring a couple people.”

  “Good, I’ll definitely have a few people there.” The lift opened out onto a large deck, where high ranking officers stood, interacting with holograms that were fuzzy to Alice and Gabe for the most part. Whatever they weren’t specifically cleared to see was obscured to them, while the operators and officers could see what they were working on perfectly clearly.

  “Over here,” a young woman called from a doorway to their left. She was a short woman, with close-cropped hair. She was marked as a Major. “The Honour Guard needs another two days for shakedown and a turn through the refinement line for adjustments. That’s another day. That’s moving as quickly as we can. If this weren’t the War Forge, you’d be looking at months instead of days,” she said to Oz as Alice and Gabe entered the meeting room. There was a plain, wood grain oblong table with a dozen well-padded seats around it.

  “All right, that’s all the time you get. What about the Triton?” Oz asked.

  “We’ve run into some issues with configuration on the restoration line. Some of the systems we’re going to use to rebuild her have to be manually modified, then we’ll have to calibrate them. Once that’s finished, we’ll be good to go. That is, unless you want to reinforce the hull, then we’ll have to modify another fabrication line.”

  “No, just restore the Triton, please,” Oz said. “We’ll need it for inner solar system defence.”

  “All right, then eight days, Sir. At least,” she replied.

  “Eight days,” Oz said. Alice remembered what he looked like when he was being serious, and this was different. He wasn’t just serious; he looked as though his expression was darkened. There was no levity or mirth in the room. “Take ten. It’s not just a ship anymore, it’s a tribute. Dismissed.”

  “Yes, Admiral,” replied the Major before retreating from the room, making sure to close the door behind her.

  “Congratulations to you both,” he said to Alice and Gabe. “I’ve looked your reports over, spoken to your commanding officer, and you’re just what I need for a mission the fleet has no time or resources for. It’s exactly what Special Operations was created for. I’d like you to have more experience and a better team behind you, but there’s no time.”

  “We’ll get it together, Admiral,” Gabe said without mirth.

  “If I didn’t think you would, I wouldn’t send you on this mission. In three days the Clever Dream will be completely rebuilt and tested. Lieutenant Valent will take possession then. You’ll effectively be the youngest Captain in our fleet. You will have permission to recruit a small crew for your ship. Request anyone up to your rank, I’ll make sure they’re aboard in time. You will also have a squad like you did on your recent missions, since you will most likely have to go off ship. You’re going to be off for three days starting now. I hope you look over your responsibilities and try to get your hands on as many good people as you can, if you can.”

  “Yes, Admiral,” Alice said.

  “Remember, your Special Operations
Squad has to be made of the best you can find. The upcoming mission will lead you right behind enemy lines,” Oz said. He turned to Gabe. “Lieutenant Vernor; you will join Alice on the Clever Dream. While you have equal rank with her as a Lieutenant, remember that it’s her ship, she is the Captain. Off ship, you make your own decisions, but while you’re aboard, her word is law.”

  “No problem,” Gabe said. “I’ve read her file. She’s more qualified to run the ship than I am.”

  “Your squad will be outfitted with heavy encounter armour. We’ve managed to put together enough qualified people for you to choose from. These suits aren’t like the large, earth style mech types. Using Lorander technology and a few other new tricks, we’ve managed to cram all that power into a suit that is only a little larger than our regular armour. With the systems pack, your squad has the firepower of several hover tanks. Alice’s squad will have similar upgraded armour, but with a lower size and mass so she can go where you can’t with a better chance of being undetected. With all the tools we’re providing you with, we expect you will be able to accomplish this capture and eliminate mission.” Oz looked at Gabe for a long moment, then turned his unflinching, penetrating gaze on Alice. It was difficult to stare back without looking away, she felt as though she was being decoded and read from cover to cover. “You are going to the planet Laceni in the Cefa System. We’re still gathering intelligence from the refugees who escaped, but every indication points to the three earth like planets there being turned into Order Of Eden bases and brood worlds. This is an unusual cooperative effort between the Order and a new kind of Edxian brood transportation fleet. We’re not certain, but testimony from the refugees is telling us that most of the continents on each of the worlds are being used for Edxian broods, while a few are reserved for Order of Eden bases. The reason why we are seeing so many refugees is because a rebel element on Laceni were successful in severely sabotaging the Order of Eden fleet and setting a small antimatter bomb off inside of an Edxian mothership. Their leader and several of her followers are currently being held by Order of Eden Intelligence. They are waiting to be presented to Admiral Dron, who will be there in four days. We want to free Wanda Teller and as many of her cohorts as possible. She is the leader of the Waking Star, the rebel group responsible for freeing thousands of people from the Cefa system. We also want you to further frustrate the Order’s efforts on Laceni by doing as much damage on your way off world as possible. Intelligence has requested that you capture one or more Edxian hatchlings or eggs, and any framework systems that you can including an Order Knight.”

  “We could stop by the Rainbow Star, pick up a unicorn and a luck dragon on our way back if they like, too,” Gabe said. “Or would that be too much?”

  Alice lowered her head in an effort to be serious. It wasn’t difficult in a room that felt as airless as that meeting space.

  Admiral McPatrick was unaffected by the remark. “I know, they’re asking for the stars after begging for the moon but getting our hands on current generation framework technology and a sample of Edxian biology could be helpful. If I were you, I’d focus on the primary mission; saving the rebels, while finding a way to accomplish the rest as an afterthought. I would like to discuss something with you as a friend before you go, Alice, and you should hear this too, Lieutenant Vernor.”

  “Gabe, I’d love it if you called me Gabe, Sir,” he said in a rush.

  “All right, Gabe,” Oz said with a nod. “There’s something in your report, Alice. When you spoke to the Order Officer, you seemed to be under the impression that self-sacrifice wasn’t folded into the Order philosophy.”

  “That’s right.” After a moment she remembered something that nearly stunned her to silence. “There are exceptions though,” she added. “The Warlord.”

  “Right,” Oz said. “Order Knights boarded and took the Warlord, then set off the antimatter stores there. They had to know that there wouldn’t be much collateral damage, any ship at risk was moving out of the effective range of the explosion. They did it to demoralize our people.”

  “So they will take themselves out if they see it’ll do real damage,” Gabe said.

  “Yes, but we’ve only seen that behaviour in Knights. They seem to be the most dedicated members of the Order, we think that’s at the core of how they earn their way into the position. I just wanted to remind you that the Order really will do anything they can to kill you and keep the Clever Dream’s hull as a trophy to rally around.”

  Alice recalled how thrilled Pope was when he discovered she was a Valent. If she were captured, they wouldn’t execute her for a long time if at all. They’d keep her alive, make sure everyone saw that she was their property and use her however they could to bolster the morale of their people. “I understand,” she said. Gabe was being sent because she couldn’t afford to put herself in a position where capture was likely, and he was probably a much better commander on the ground, too.

  “We’ll work on the details of your mission and build an intelligence packet for you as we gather more information, but that’s all for now,” Admiral McPatrick said. “I wish I could give you more time, but I’m needed aboard the Exile. There’s a captured Geist there in telepathic isolation.”

  “Sorry, Admiral, but how does that work?” Gabe asked.

  “The Geist is exposed to powerful signals within a certain range, at a short distance - a couple metres - that interfere with its telepathic abilities. I spent so much time connected to my - the Geist aboard the Triton - that I can hear the signal from here, about a hundred kilometres away. If I seem stiff, that’s why. It’s like a loud, off-key tone between your ears.”

  “Good luck,” Alice said.

  “Don’t worry, it’s a young Geist,” Oz said. “With my training, I’ll know what it does by the end of the day.”

  Twenty-Six

  Management

  * * *

  Seven soldiers, Jake included, had the responsibility of rushing the control room and killing everyone inside. The one in the cafeteria would be subdued just in case they needed one alive for biometric security. If it was the wrong one, and they were locked out of the system, they would find another way. There was always another way to get access as long as they had direct contact with the hardware.

  The inner airlock popped open, Remmy led the way through, silently opening it and laying the access door down flat. When the door touched the floor Remmy leapt out and hit the deck running, Jake was right behind him.

  The six soldiers assigned to Jake’s kill team leapt out of the airlock door in the deck and struggled to keep up. Their cloaking systems weren’t a sure thing in that space. The crew would feel a rush of cold air with both airlock doors open, so they’d know something was off. There would be no alarms from the airlock doors. Finn slagged the wireless transmitters that would trigger them.

  Jake made it down the hall and into the middle of the control room in seconds. He stopped, watching for any sign that the technicians noticed him. There were no alerts on the security panel, and they spoke casually. “Why is your sister so intent on getting you back to Thun? Isn’t she moving in a month?” asked one of them around a mouth full of onion puffs. “You’d just go in time to move again.”

  The officer, wearing a dark green Order uniform and pacing the floor slowly shook his head. “She wants me to watch the kids while her and the hubby load all their crap into a shuttle and get it to the station. I keep telling her that I’m on my way up. If I stop to take time off from pushing you guys to excellence, I’ll be stuck on this frozen rock forever. I need to get to the front lines, get some K’s and C’s when the fleet hits Rega Gain. I want to be sitting on the beach on Tamber when it’s all over, watching their stupid little bubble buildings burn.”

  “Next, you’ll tell me you’re pushing for Knighthood,” his onion-puff popping subordinate said.

  “Why not? I’ll be guaranteed action then.”

  All six of Jake’s kill team were inside. He pointed to the officer
then himself. That one was his. The rest of his team chose their targets. Two men for every crewman inside. He saw that Remmy was in position in the cafeteria, all six of his people surrounding one guy eating his lunch with Remmy in the middle.

  “Go,” Jake said. He punched the officer in the throat hard enough to silence him and bound his arms to his sides with a flexible, stretchy metal strip from his bounty hunter days. He snapped another one around his ankles and grabbed him by the throat. Everyone else in the control room was killed, murdered was more like it. Each one was obliterated by a burst of rifle rounds from two of his soldiers. No one had a chance to touch a button, and Jake leaned to the control panel with the Officer’s head held by the hair.

  The alarm was about to go off, detecting rounds fired in the control room. Jake pushed his face onto the panel, satisfying the biometric requirement for deactivating the alarm. He put the muzzle of his sidearm to the Officer’s head and deactivated his cloaking system. “Say the password. Say it now.”

  The Officer’s eyes went wide at the sight of Jake’s now familiar armour and death’s head. A tear rolled from his eye. “Glory for the Order,” the Officer rasped.

  Jake’s tactical display blinked red. “I was going to grant you a merciful death,” Jake said. “You just changed my plan.” He threw the Officer over his shoulder and affixed him to the shoulder of his suit so he would stay there. The strength augmentation in his armour made sure his weight made no difference to him. He pointed to a framework spawn alcove to his left. “You three slag that one,” he ordered. Three soldiers turned their weapons on it, bursting through the door so the forming flesh and skin of a framework soldier inside was visible, it was almost animated, ready to pick up its rifle and start fighting.

  “You three, take that one apart!” Jake ordered, pointing to the alcove on the opposite side of the room. A framework was already stepping out, about to take aim at the nearest soldier, a woman named Niya who was Alice’s height. She rolled out of the way and behind a console. The other two soldiers peppered it with rounds, and Jake could see another framework soldier forming in the alcove behind it. “Make sure those things are down to slag, there are twelve more on this level.