Spinward Fringe Broadcast 7: Framework

by Randolph Lalonde

  Ayan couldn’t believe he chose that time to tease, or that he’d tease about her getting together with Liam Grady. It was too fresh, too new, and as she exited the shelter above the bunker entries, she realized it was too important. The silent treatment was the only answer.

  The two levels in the shelter above the bunker was set up as a medical centre, but for the time being it was a relaxing post for medical techs and soldiers who didn’t feel they had a better place to be. She made sure she knocked a slumbering soldiers’ boot hard on her way through.

  “Commander,” said one of the few doctors they had in their group.

  “Hello, Doctor Luff,” Ayan said. He was one of five medical team members that she rescued from Ossimi Ring Station. “Everything all right on supplies?”

  “This shelter is great, supplies are great. I’m surprised, to be honest,” he replied in a thick British accent. “I’m just wondering where you’re getting your information. No one else in the port seems worried. My friends in the city actually had a laugh.”

  “We’ll find out in a few minutes, don’t worry,” Ayan said, doing her best to grin and be kind. He was one of those people who always had questions about whether what he was doing was necessary. She’d find him much more annoying if he dragged his feet in his duties once his questions were answered, but he did the opposite: he was an excellent doctor with a good bedside manner.

  “You’re going up there?” he asked, incredulously. “Invasion’s coming and you’re going to see the beginning of the first act from up there?”

  The ladder leading up the side of the two-story shelter was easy to climb using heavy combat armour. She was halfway up when she offered a response. “Front row, care to join me?”

  “I’m fine here, if it’s just the same,” he replied.

  Liam Grady offered her a smile when she finished climbing. Having Oz coming up behind her made her feel awkward. She didn’t feel like it was time to share her relationship with him with the universe yet. The incoming invasion almost felt like a welcome distraction from the social complications she was facing. Almost.

  Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one on top of the shelter. She didn’t know most of the people there well, but there were some of the stand out soldiers who served on the Triton even before she arrived, and other people she’d seen around but spent too much time in Greydock to get to know.

  Ayan offered her own smile. Her blush from earlier was fading until she saw him, and it returned. There was no time for that sort of thing, so she announced: “Two minutes until the Leviathan arrives in orbit. I’ve never watched the sky for something I hoped not to see.”

  “What will we be seeing, then?” asked a woman with greying hair. She looked no more than thirty, but there was something in her dark brown eyes that told Ayan that she was much older than she appeared.

  “We’ll get a report that the Carthan Fleet is under attack. An alert, I’m assuming,” Ayan replied. “Three minutes later, the pods will start dropping.”

  “Pods, what do you mean, pods? What kind of pods?” she asked.

  “Drop pods,” Oz replied. “The kind that carry soldiers.”

  “What are we going to do about them, then?” she persisted.

  “We’re going to knock them out of the sky,” Slick said as he came up the ladder. “With those grounded fighters.”

  “Why are they on the ground? Why not in the air?” asked Iloona’s daughter. She wasn’t peevish like the dark haired woman who started interrogating Ayan. The teenaged nafalli looked worried.

  Slick gestured towards the ships and personal vehicles flying overhead in patterns determined by navnet. “It’s busy up there, no one’s preparing for a firefight, so we have to see if it clears. We’re also keeping them under our main shield until we know how they’ll be needed. They’re good protection, even on the ground when they’re set up like big turrets.”

  “We’ve got more guns on the ground than anyone, and better shields this side of Greydock,” Oz said.

  “True,” said the Carthan Major as he topped the ladder. “But it’s time,” he told Ayan. “Nothing has happened and you agreed to come peacefully.”

  Ayan, Liam, Slick, and Oz’s comms all buzzed. The display screen warned of a priority message from the Carthan government. Relief mixed with guilt as Oz checked his comm and nodded.

  Major Yardley turned white as he watched something no one else could see in what Ayan supposed was an ocular implant of some kind. “It’s unbelievable,” he whispered.

  “What’s going on?” asked the dark haired woman.

  “The Victory, Elmina, Tuol Seng, Tadmor, and Justice are all destroyed,” Major Yardley said. “All Battleships with seasoned commanders.”

  “They were destroyed by the Leviathan,” Ayan guessed.

  “Yes, and she’s launching ships. More are coming out of wormholes.”

  “Is anything putting up a fight?” Slick asked.

  “Our station,” Major Frederick said, visibly shaking. He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. “All our ships are rallying on the other side of Tamber or the station. It’s doing damage to the Leviathan, but not enough.”

  “What’s next?” Slick asked Ayan.

  “Get your gunners ready to shoot at a drop pod headed for that spot,” Ayan said, pointing at a few parts of the abandoned shelter where the Weary Traveller had been.

  They looked up at the blue sky. The shuttles and other transports were still rushing above as normal. It was difficult to see anything past them, then someone shouted: “there!”

  Balls of fire appeared in the sky, more than Ayan anticipated. It was an awesome sight; time seemed to slow until each one of them grew a white tail trailing behind.

  The sky above was still choked with traffic, and the upper layers were disrupted by the falling pods first. A collision far above and to the east between a bulk transport pulling a high altitude train of cargo containers sent a rain of heavy debris down into the traffic below. The pod splashed into the distant sea. Another pod collided with a thick building in Port Rush City, wrecking the top half of the structure.

  Ayan looked straight up and saw a pod with no tail. It was coming straight at them. “Fire! Fire!” was all she had time to say.

  Several fighters opened fire, but it was too late. The pod impacted their shield and passed through, its momentum and mass too great to be stopped. The spot where the Weary Traveller was only hours before had been reduced to a smoldering crater. The ground rocked, sending several people to their knees and shifting buildings on their foundations. Oz rushed to the edge of the rooftop, scanning. “That pod’s intact,” he declared.

  “Everyone get under cover,” Ayan said. “You should all have emergency plans in your comm units, they should be right on screen, right now.”

  “What do we do?” asked the dark haired woman.

  “What did I just say?” Ayan asked.

  Liam put a hand on the woman’s shoulder and said; “Go where you sleep, they’ve all been made into shelters,” to which the woman nodded, instantly reassured.

  Ayan unslung her rifle only to find Sergeant Machad’s hand on her shoulder. She looked her right in the eyes and said: “Your plan is on your comm too, Ma’am. It says you’re supposed to be in the bunker, and I agree.”

  “It looks like you’re getting ready to lead the charge, Commander,” Oz said. “But your guard’s right.”

  “I need to see what’s in there,” Ayan said.

  “You will, from the command bunker,” Oz replied. “Down you go.”

  Ayan re-slung her rifle and started down the ladder. She couldn’t help but look up at the chaotic mess of traffic above. The more adept and lucky pilots tried to get clear of the mess despite the collisions and resulting falling debris.

  “What about my troop carrier?” asked Major Frederick.

  “Too late,” Ayan replied. “You don’t have a retreat strategy?”

  “I can’t get a reply from Command,” he
replied.

  “Okay, tell your people to abandon it and drag whatever gear they can through the gates.”

  “I can’t abandon that asset!” the major called after her. “Especially now!”

  Ayan ignored him. The thunderous calamity of fighters firing from the ground and ships colliding above followed her down the ladder and through the hatch leading into the bunker. Only when the hatch was closed did the sounds of war reduce to a manageable rumble.

  None of it was real until she stood at the makeshift strategy table and saw the expectant faces waiting for orders. “It’s war. Let’s survive it,” she told them.

  Chapter 46

  New Rulers

  The Beast, Clark Patterson, brought issyrians into the inner sanctum. Eve wouldn’t say that they contaminated the area; it would be more accurate to describe what they did as customization. Technicians and robots worked to lower the main floor. The sides of a large tank that would stand as high as the third level within the tall space was being built. The work was going quickly – attempts to counter the Beast’s takeover were met with severe punishments.

  Soldiers who tried to incite mutiny found their armour sealed tight and their oxygen supply cut off. The Beast offered no mercy in response to their pleading, but let them suffocate to death in front of their men. It only happened twice.

  Hampon hid his relatively small section of the ship from the rest of the Order of Eden and Regent Galactic, so the Beast didn’t have to convince more than a thousand people. The fact that Eve didn’t stop him or comment at all was helpful.

  The rest of the ship and organization was completely unaware that a power shift had taken place. Wherever Eve appeared, she was revered. Knowing her power over everyone she met was finally real felt both reassuring and unnerving at the same time. She wanted to connect with people, to understand them, but most of the people aboard the Overlord Two were either in her employ or they worshipped her as a living goddess.

  She approached the Beast with caution as he watched the heavy metal frame for the tall tank go up. “You called for me?”

  “I need your help,” he said. His voice was gentle. “Gabriel Meunez is requesting communication, and I’d feel more confident if you answered him instead of using one of Hampon’s digital stand-ins as a puppet.”

  “That might be better,” Eve replied. “The last time I saw Meunez, I infected him with a virus designed to spread from a cybernetic mind.”

  “Every family has issues,” Clark said. “I need to be introduced. He’s waiting.”

  “He has an instantaneous feed?” Eve asked.

  “He’s still aboard the Leviathan, I don’t know the details.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Eve said, instantly nervous. She had less sympathy for him than before. Regardless of how separate the Beast told her Alice’s memories were from her own, she’d managed to inherit her hatred of Meunez. Eve was sure that’s where it came from.

  The bridge of the Leviathan appeared in front of them, life sized, on the white floor of the main command chamber. The Leviathan’s bridge was built like an orchestra, with rings of people at stations radiating outward from Meunez, who sat on a chair set atop a dais in the middle. “Eve, where is Hampon?”

  “He is on his way to you with Wheeler,” she replied. “What’s the status of the raid on the Rega Gain system?”

  “The Eden Fleet’s intelligence was still correct when we arrived, we were able to avoid most of the system’s defences entirely. Their fleet never saw us coming, and their outer system defences are too slow to respond. We have still taken significant damage. When are Hampon’s forces expected to arrive in system?”

  “What are your chances of success with your current fleet?” Eve pressed.

  “The Leviathan’s survivability is less than fifty nine percent, but we will be able to reduce the Rega Gain’s population by eighty three percent, well over the requirement to complete this mission. When are reinforcements arriving?”

  “Hampon should be there tomorrow,” Eve replied. She looked to the Beast, who stepped in beside her. “This is Clark Patterson. He is taking Hampon’s place with me.”

  “Eve is assuming command of her fleet and the Order of Eden. I am assisting her,” Clark Patterson said.

  “What has Hampon said about this? Why would he relinquish control?”

  “You can discuss that with Hampon when he arrives, but he is on a mission of his own,” Eve replied.

  “I will,” Meunez said. “You can be sure I will.”

  “Will you be able to hold out until tomorrow morning?” Clark asked.

  “If the Carthans don’t bring reinforcements, yes. We could use more help from the Eden Fleet, most of them never arrived. The United Core World Confederation are sending ships, but they don’t follow orders as quickly as Eden ships.”

  “Will you be able to maintain system superiority?” the Beast asked.

  “Yes, but with losses. Hampon’s arrival will be helpful.”

  The Beast nodded. “That will be satisfactory. Good hunting.”

  “Where are the Eden ships?” asked Eve.

  “I thought you’d know,” Meunez replied. “I thought you called them to other business. You don’t know where fleet nineteen is?”

  “I’ll get back to you,” Eve said. “I have to connect to the hub.”

  The Beast terminated the conversation and sat down on the edge of Hampon’s seat. It had been moved aside to make room for construction.

  “You plan on letting him be defeated,” Eve said.

  “He’s the only one who can challenge us for leadership,” replied Clark, who was watching the workers.

  “The Leviathan?”

  “If it survives this battle we’ll initiate the remote destruct. You don’t approve?”

  “I think Meunez is a waste of skin,” Eve replied, “but losing the Leviathan seems wasteful.”

  “Two other Leviathan class ships are near completion. The projects were funded with Regent Galactic money, the Order’s war chest is largely untouched. This Leviathan’s destruction will mark a success if we accomplish our primary goal, the reduction of the population of the Rega Gain system. It cannot remain unscathed, or it will attract the attention of the edxi. Judging from Meunez’s progress, we won’t have to deal with that system again.”

  “This is all from information you gained when you connected with Hampon?” Eve asked.

  “Yes. He was well informed thanks to the Victory Machine and predictive software designed here, in this command centre. He wanted to refine it to the point where he no longer needed the Victory Machine, and since I connected with the systems here, I can see that he came close.”

  “Will you let me connect to these systems?” Eve asked.

  “If you like,” he replied. “But you don’t want to know what it has to tell you. The burden is more than I could have imagined. It’s everything I can do to keep it from my people.”

  She knew he meant the issyrians he’d arrived with. Eve didn’t know if Clark would ever refer to anyone else as ‘his people.’ The more time she spent near him, the more she could see the subtle connection they shared. Looking to the issyrians working in the room, she could see them carrying some of his sadness.

  “Hampon was a sadist,” Clark stated. “That is how he could know this and not collapse.”

  “You’re not collapsing,” Eve said.

  “I will.” He took a deep breath, the layers of his armour scraping against each other with a sound like wet, sandy stones grating. “You said you wanted to connect with your fleet. Now is the time, especially if there’s a problem.”

  Eve shook her head. “I can’t, I don’t have the implant.”

  “You do. I forced your neural implant to regenerate. You only have to start using it.”

  With a thought she was connected to the main computer of the Overlord II and discovered the main communication systems. High powered, microscopic wormholes formed, reaching out to hypertransmitter nodes across
the sector. In seconds she was seeing the outer boundaries of the Eden system, reaching out to the main hub.

  There was no response. Like a panicked child in the dark, she searched for anything to cling to. Where there should be thousands of communication nodes, monitoring stations, and millions of ships, there was nothing. She continued searching, pressing the Overlord II’s long range communication systems to their limits and tasking tactical systems on Regent Galactic ships light years away to cooperate.

  At long last, she discovered a communications drone on the edge of the Eden system. It was desperate to depart. Sensors detailed a massive gravity well near the fourth planet. Eve forced it to look back, towards the area where Eden II should be, and discovered the planet was being pulled apart by the black hole that formed only a few million kilometres away from it.

  She played back the drone’s recent memory and fell to her knees. The Eden Fleet ships outside the Eden system didn’t understand how a black hole could appear in their home solar system. Thousands of ships travelled there as quickly as they could to investigate, and to exact revenge on the assailant. They scanned for cloaked ships, tried to determine the cause of the sudden astral anomaly, and most became trapped by the gravity well.

  Joy. The drone realized she was interfacing with him and recognized her. It greeted her with pure adulation. It began rebroadcasting her presence to the nearest communication hubs, using as much of its power as it could spare while fighting the pull of the black hole. Then she felt the question on its mechanical mind. “Can you save me?”

  Before she could guard her emotions or thoughts she replied: “No, I can’t save you.” She never felt more helpless, not even when she knew Pandem was lost. These were her children, and half of them were lost along with their birthplace.

  That was broadcast as well. The drone’s panic returned, and the last thing it transmitted was angry disappointment before being crushed by the intense gravity of the black hole.

  She tried to reach out to the communication hubs and other drones that captured the message before they could pass it on, but she wasn’t fast enough. They would all know, the entire Fleet would be aware of how she’d failed to protect them. Eve discovered fleets that wouldn’t allow her to communicate with them.