Earth Colony Sentinel (Galactic Arena Book 2)

by Dan Davis

  “What’s left in the batteries.”

  “Six percent.”

  “Shit. What about the emergency batteries?”

  “Six percent includes the emergency batteries.”

  “Are you shitting me? Is that enough to get to the outpost? Got to be plenty, right?”

  “Depending on altitude, wind speed and direction, airspeed of shuttle, total mass—”

  “Sheila,” Kat snapped. “You don’t need to list the variables every time, okay? I’m a professional bloody pilot, I get it.”

  “The shuttle can reach the outpost.”

  “Good,” Kat said. “That’s good.” From her ration bag, she grabbed three sweet nutrient bars, a bottle of water and jabbed another stim into her neck. The drowsiness retreated further, buried under the bright, hard edges of the stims. She leaned on her flight console. “Alright, now let’s go through the detail. Give me the visual representation on the right, here and the equations on the left.”

  “Yes, Kat.”

  A map of the area popped onto the right of the console, while the batteries’ individual statuses scrolled down the left in one column. In another, their energy outputs for each engine and other core flight systems. She would get the civilians to stay inside their suits when they lifted off, that way she wouldn’t need life support in the passenger compartment.

  “And while we’re working, don’t let any of those bastards into the cockpit. And keep your cameras peeled for any enemy activity. And watch out for our Marines.” She fished around in her ration bag for sachets of refined white sugar and sprinkled a few on her bar.

  “Yes, Kat.”

  “Actually, I know I said we shouldn’t give away our position but…” she took a big bite of a nutrient bar. “Send up a drone to watch out for the Marines. I hope we’ll be gone before they get back here but I don’t want them turning up unannounced and expecting a ride.”

  “Additional passengers and equipment would further limit the operational range of the shuttle in atmos—”

  Kat groaned and shouted at the AI, spraying food everywhere. “For Christ’s sake, Sheila. You must think I’m some kind of idiot. Were you this condescending when we first met? Surely you weren’t this bad.”

  “I’m sorry,” Sheila said. “I assessed that in your current, exhausted condition, you may require additional reminders.”

  I’m sorry.

  Sounded almost like the old Sheila. Kat wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.

  “Don’t apologize, love. You’re right. No, you’re right. You look out for me and I’ll look out for you, that’s how it works, right? Come on, show me the variables and I’ll check your working out.”

  ***

  She had just crash landed the shuttle and went back to check on the passengers. Sheila had told her even before they had put down on the surface that two of them had died and she knew things like that. The living were dazed and battered by the landing. Some still terrified, others flooded with relief that they were alive. A number had injuries.

  One of the dead was the engineer, Clarke. His abdomen had caught a twisted piece of the hull, it had skewered him through, front to back, almost cutting him in half while pinning him to his seat. The woman next to him was distressed.

  Kat pulled herself to the next dead body. Sheila had known who it was. She had told Kat the names of the dead and those who appeared to be wounded, like Dr. Fo.

  But Kat had to see for herself. His helmet had a jagged hole the size of a fist in the side. It lined up with a hull breach next to him. The visor was covered on the inside with a thick coating of blood. People around her protested but she ignored them and took his helmet off. Blood flooded out, slopping over the neck ring down onto his lap.

  Feng. The closest thing she had to a boyfriend, or even a friend, come to that. And she had only ever really used him for sex. Even that was because he could get her the drugs she needed.

  The lower half of his face, his jaw and his throat were gone. Tattered remains hung down and his teeth and pieces of jaw bone lay in the pool of gore in his suit’s neck piece.

  She fished around under his seat in the personal cargo space and pulled out his medical bag. Inside, she found plenty of the supplies she needed. Some bottles were broken and smashed but most of it, thankfully, intact. The VIPs asked her what the hell she was doing.

  “Medical supplies,” she said. “He was a chemist. It’s medical supplies.”

  Kat looked up at Feng’s face. The top half untouched but for the coating of blood.

  She wiped away some of it. “I’m sorry, Feng.”

  His eyes snapped open, wide and white.

  The mass of destroyed throat throbbed and glowed red and he made a startling, honking noise. Feng reached for her with clawed hands, shaking her by the shoulders, shouting his bizarre, wrong, mechanical cry. Over and over, it repeated, a siren sound, an alarm.

  She woke in her seat in the cockpit, Dr. Fo shaking her arm. An alarm sounded.

  “The aliens are coming,” Dr. Fo said.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Kat said, wiping her mouth.

  “You fell asleep,” Sheila said. “But then I could not wake you. You ordered not to let anyone in but you seemed to like Dr. Fo so I requested that he—”

  “Never mind that,” Kat said. “Where are the wheelers?”

  “Eight to ten kilometers from here and approaching down a parallel valley,” Sheila said.

  “Shuttle status? Can we fly?”

  “Yes. We can fly.”

  “Get everyone on board,” Kat said to Dr. Fo. “Get them to strap in.”

  “I have already urged them to do so,” the old man said.

  “Sheila, are they all on board and strapped in?” Kat asked.

  “Some appear to be struggling with their safety harnesses,” Sheila said. “But every passenger is seated.”

  “That’ll have to do,” Kat said. “Start the takeoff sequence. Doctor, you should take your seat, please?”

  “Certainly,” he said, then climbed into the co-pilot’s chair with surprising nimbleness.

  “Just don’t touch anything,” she warned him. “Okay, let’s spin up the engines, shall we?”

  “Confirmed, sequences started. And, Kat,” Sheila said. “The wheelers are pursuing the Marines who were here this morning. Here is the live feed from the drone.”

  On her console, she watched the two Marine vehicles proceeding along the valley floor. She zoomed out and saw three groups of wheelers converging on them.

  “Is that a dead wheeler in the back?” Kat asked.

  “It appears to be moving and is therefore likely a prisoner of war. Also, there is an additional human individual with them in a civilian EVA suit.”

  “Holy shit, they bloody got one. Can you believe that?” She looked at Fo.

  The old man gave a quick nod. “It did seem like a most unlikely outcome.”

  “Are they going to make it?” Kat asked.

  “Their speed is sufficient to evade capture in a straight line, however, their current course takes them to a boxed in canyon wall.”

  “They can’t get out?”

  “The only passable route out of that gorge is behind them and they would run into the pursuing aliens.”

  Kat powered up the engines.

  “Can we land and pick them up?”

  A voice behind her startled her. “No, you may not!”

  It was Dr. Ahmar. The big, awful bastard had barged his way in, again. Following Dr. Fo through the open door. “Get out of my cockpit and take your seat,” Kat shouted. “We’re about to start our takeoff.”

  “I’m only going to say this once,” Ahmar said. “You will fly us to the outpost and not on some damned rescue mission. We didn’t spend all day breaking our backs for you to kill us trying to save those soldiers.”

  Kat released the breaks and the shuttle lurched, throwing Dr. Ahmar to the way.

  “Sit down or you’ll end up hurt,” K
at said, paying him no mind until Dr. Fo, turning in his seat, drew a shocked breath and exclaimed.

  “Peter!” Dr. Fo said.

  Kat turned and saw the gun that Dr. Ahmar held. A standard issue sidearm. He must have found it in the hold or somewhere while working on the ship.

  “Fly us to the outpost or I’ll be forced to use this on you.” His voice was level. Steady. He meant it.

  Still.

  Kat scoffed. “You haven’t thought this through,” she said and increased power to the engines, the breaks on the bashed wheels screeching as the shuttle crept forward, sliding on the dark rock. “I’m the pilot. You understand. The pilot. You need me to fly you there.”

  “You think I’m an idiot?” Dr. Ahmar sneered. “The damned bloody AI can fly this shuttle. And land it. And they have to protect human life. Isn’t that the case, AI?”

  Sheila, to her credit, paused before responding. “Yes, Dr. Ahmar.”

  The man puffed his chest and stood taller.

  “We’re taking off now,” Kat said. “You should hold on to something. This won’t be a textbook take off. And that,” she pointed out the front window, “that ain’t no runway, chief.”

  Kat pushed the throttle control all the way forward and released the breaks. The shuttle leapt forward like a rocket, slamming down the hill on the ruined landing gear, juddering and bouncing.

  It was too much to hope that he’d fall and bang his head.

  Ahmar moved quickly for a big fella and he pressed the gun into her suit, just behind her neck. “If I kill you,” he said. “I’ll be saving everyone else on board from your manic, drug addled death wish.”

  “Sheila?” Kat said, heart racing. “If he kills me, would you do what he says?”

  “I recommend that we lift off,” Sheila said, avoiding the question. “Before we crash into the hill.”

  “Do it,” Kat said, looking at the shaking, juddering pile of black rock up ahead.

  The shuttle lurched as it heaved itself off the ground. Unladen, hardly any people and very little cargo, the old girl jumped up like a fighter jet.

  “And fly us back to the outpost,” Ahmar said. “Or I shoot her.”

  “I do not obey your commands,” Sheila said.

  Kat let out a huge sigh as the Lepus climbed.

  “You’re lying,” Ahmar said. “You’re an AI.”

  “Peter,” Dr. Fo said. “Go and sit down, you foolish man.”

  He hesitated then turned to Kat and pushed the gun into her neck again. His face was contorted in a mixture of rage and terror.

  He’s going to kill me.

  She’d never been so sure of anything in her life.

  The ERANS, already humming along quietly, shot into overdrive. She saw everything, moving slowly. Noises fell down into drawn out droning.

  Kat slapped the quick release on her harness, slipped out of it and smacked the man’s gun hand aside with a hard strike at his wrist. He moved in slow motion, reacting after everything happened. The shuttle rose and the scenery dropped away from the window behind her. She jumped from her seat, kicked the big doctor in his balls and aimed another strike at his inside wrist. The gun fell, as did the man. Before he reached the floor, Kat propelled him using her ERANS enhanced muscles strength, through the door where he fell sprawling. His helmet hit the wall, hard.

  Kat closed the door and took her seat, strapping in as her ERANS powered down.

  Dr. Fo stared at her with his mouth open.

  “Bank right,” Kat shouted while she got settled. “Keep low. Under one K.”

  Sheila obeyed and the shuttle turned. Not fast enough.

  “Release full control to me, ready…” Kat said. “Now.”

  Sheila obeyed and the shuttle feedback felt bloody fantastic, pushing back against her so much that it dipped sideways, nose falling until she brought it back. She laughed.

  “What we’re going to do,” Kat said as she brought the Lepus around in as tight a circle as she could, “is fly over the wheelers, then fly over the Marines. We’ll drop low and slow so that they can drive up the cargo ramp in flight. Then we close the ramp and pull up before we crash into the canyon wall. Alright, love?”

  “I am required to state that your proposal is unlikely to succeed,” Sheila said. “I recommend that you do not follow this course of action.”

  “Course you do,” Kat said. “Please turn off all collision avoidance and altitude control features. Whatever you do, don’t take control from me or limit me in any way. Understand?”

  “Warning. It is not recommended that—”

  “Confirm, Sheila,” Kat shouted. “Can’t have you tweaking my shit at the wrong moment, you know?”

  “Confirmed. Collision avoidance and altitude control deactivated.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart. And leave the gear down, will you? We’re going to need it,” Kat said, feeling the grin across her face as she checked the course predictions on screen. “Oops, we’re going to have to speed up a bit then put the brakes on or we’re fucked. Pardon my French, Dr. Fo.”

  She took a moment to glance at him. He was grasping the sides of his chair and his face was screwed up into a ball.

  Kat flicked the internal comms. “Ladies and gents, we’re just going to pick up some friends. Don’t worry about anything, just sit back and relax.”

  Because there’s nothing you can do and if you die, you’ll die quick as fuck.

  The cameras showed the mass of wheelers under the shuttle as she dropped into the valley, finishing the turn with a hundred meters to spare over the lip of the cliff above. Both sides of the valley were low, scree hills at this end and it was wide and flat for most of the way but it narrowed and deepened into a gorge at the far end. Clapping her eyes on that dark mass caused her to take a deep, involuntary breath.

  Her ERANS kicked up into a higher gear as she passed the first of the wheelers. They had vehicles but most were on foot, wheeling along or scrabbling like someone had dropped a sack of money spiders. Or like stamping on an ants’ nest.

  “Incoming fire,” Sheila said, just as the first bangs hit the hull.

  “Just small arms,” Kat said. She had no idea if it was true. “We have to get lower and slower.”

  She put the shuttle into a dive that took them ahead of the wheelers but only a hundred meters up. She flared the wings, nose up, to bleed off speed. Forward velocity dropped and her rate of descent increased. Too fast. She levelled out a little, resisting the urge to give it more thrust.

  “Broadcast to the Marines on all bands, audio too when we’re close enough,” Kat said. “Tell them to drive right in the back then slam on the brakes. The hold is empty.”

  “Relaying message, on repeat, all bands.”

  Her altitude was okay but she was coming up on them too fast so she popped the air brakes. The shuttle was coming down right on top of the Marine’s vehicles, she was going to land on them. She held course, slowing to match their speed. They were going full pelt downhill, bouncing over the rough ground, sliding on the slick rock. All the Marines other than the drivers were turned around and looking up at her. She could imagine their terror, seeing the undercarriage and the giant landing gear coming down right on top of them.

  “Open the ramp,” she said, hearing her words come out slow and stretched.

  Using the cameras, she made sure not to drag the lip of the thing over the Marines. It was a close-run thing. They all ducked, as if that would help.

  She forced the Lepus down, touching the rear wheels to the ground. Screeching and banging filled the shuttle as the edge of the ramp dragged on the stony ground. Ahead, the walls of the canyon closed in and they grew higher every second.

  The Marines tried to catch up to the ramp but she was going too fast. Twitching the gear brakes, her warning lights came on, telling her she was under liftoff speed.

  “Get in,” she said, teeth grinding. “Get fucking in, now.”

  One of the vehicles shot up the ramp and, a second later,
crashed into the forward wall of the hold beneath her. She hoped they hadn’t been killed.

  The other vehicle raced for the ramp but it bounced up and down on the rocky canyon floor, knocking it higher than the wheels.

  “Come on, come on,” Kat said, watching the giant wall approaching.

  “Warning,” Sheila said. “Critical limit reached. Pull up. Pull up.” The warning lights flashed.

  Kat tapped her brakes and the ETAT smashed into the rim of the ramp, throwing the vehicle and the Marines inside, the car flipping end over end.

  “Close the ramp,” Kat screamed as she punched the thrust to maximum and pulled up, hard. The cargo door slammed closed just as the nose came up, throwing the Marines back. She might have saved them only to kill them.

  Kill all of them.

  The black wall of the canyon, silhouetted by the setting sun, was certain death and she was heading right for it. No time to turn. Only to climb.

  “Warning. Warning.”

  Alright, you stupid prick. Obviously.

  “Landing gear up,” Kat said, pulling back and giving it everything.

  “Brace. Brace. Brace.” Sheila broadcast to everyone in the shuttle.

  Like that will do anything.

  It wasn’t enough. They didn’t have enough time, enough thrust, enough space to make it. Not quite. They were heading for the top of the wall, three meters too low. They were dead. What else did she have? Main engines were screwed. Orbital rockets would slam them into the rock faster. Parachutes would not work.

  “Use RCS! Use all the RCS, push us up!”

  The shuttle dumped the reaction control system gases, down to lift the Lepus and forward to add to their lift. Thrusters were designed for space and were almost useless in atmosphere, they did almost nothing to change an atmospheric vehicle.

  Kat remembered the landing retro rockets. Rotated them ninety degrees and slammed her hand on the ignition.

  They clipped the rim of the cliff, the forward gear bay doors ripping off in an almighty bang. The impact twisted the shuttle, lowering her right wing down so low she left a strip of paint on a jagged rock.

  She corrected and climbed higher.

  “We did it,” she said to Sheila. “We did it, Doc.” Dr. Fo was shaking and had his eyes squeezed shut. “Doc, it’s alright. We made it. Are you crying?”