Equilibrium of Terror: Part 2

by Eddie R. Hicks

  “The three of us will go,” Jazz said.

  “Well, someone better go,” Eupiar shouted to them from the cockpit. “The longer we stay here the more likely UNE will detect us. We are in an enemy ship after all.”

  It was clear both of the two were going to tag along for the space walk, a troubling thought for Jazz. Destiny still held a grudge against Chloe, Chloe who still unknowingly had Vaishea’s memories. Concern grew in him as the thought of Destiny attempting to pull something to get revenge that would get Chloe and ultimately Vaishea killed.

  Then there’s Chloe, still loyal to the UNE, still viewed everyone aboard as people that can’t be trusted. What if she pulled a fast one and tried to take over? Jazz was going to rely on Destiny to watch his back, Chloe was going to need Jazz to watch hers to protect Vaishea.

  The three entered the cargo hold on the lower deck and sealed the entrance shut in preparation for depressurization. Destiny and Jazz suited up in the Radiance environment suits they brought aboard while Chloe donned the Radiance combat armor she had. The holographic HUD powered on and confirmed that their suits were good to go for a stroll in space. Jazz pressed buttons on a wall mounted interface, and the cargo bay began to slowly depressurize, exposing it to the cold vacuum of space. Upon completion, the doors swung open offering a pathway into space and the debris field outside.

  The jets on their suits hissed softly as they propelled them outside of the Silver Raven. The experience was a strange one for Jazz. He’d gotten used to weightlessness, combat armor, environment suits. But a spacewalk? This was new. The one he did aboard the command ship didn’t count as there was still a surface inside when he looked down. Out here, outside of the ship, all what he could see below him, above him next to him, was the stars. His body didn’t come in contact with anything other than his suit, which was in contact with nothing, the closest solid object he could touch was Destiny, Chloe, and the Silver Raven, and that was moving further and further way as they neared the hulks of metal and space ship parts. Vulnerable didn’t being to describe how he felt, Chloe wearing combat armor didn’t help, she had an advantage if she was going to betray them.

  They entered the field and zigzagged around junk that had little to no use for them. Jazz could see Chloe periodically turn her helmet to look toward Destiny and kept tabs on her. So far so good, no violence. It gave Jazz a bit of relief as he held his hands out and forced the hologram Eupiar tossed him earlier to retake its form. He looked at the computer part, then back at the larger piece of twisted wreckage, which used to be the cockpit of the scout ship, having realized this was going to be more of a challenge than he thought.

  Destiny ignored the verbal directions Eupiar was transmitting to Jazz over the comm channel as she hauled a large piece of equipment from the wreckage back inside the Silver Raven’s cargo hold. The wreckage had a few pipes and parts that looked reasonably intact and salvageable for them to use. Which brought to mind another issue, how bad was the damage to the exterior of the Silver Raven?

  Destiny exited the cargo hold and used her jets to launch upward toward the top of the Silver Raven. The top side came into view; she saw burn marks, scratches and mist spraying out from a mangled section just above the cockpit. There were several grooves all along the topside of the Silver Raven in which Destiny used to pull herself toward the visibly damaged section of the ship. She looked at it for a few seconds and transmitted what her helmet saw back inside the Silver Raven.

  “Eupiar, you seeing that?” Destiny asked.

  “Yeah,” Eupiar transmitted back.

  Chloe unexpectedly crept up behind Destiny, nearly triggering her to spin around and start a violent confrontation. “Any idea what to do?” Chloe asked.

  “I’m a hacker not an engineer,” Eupiar transmitted. “But mist leaking out like that, can’t be a good thing. Right?”

  “Best we can do is try to patch it up,” Destiny said. “Jazz.”

  “Yo.”

  “Hook us up with a torch or something from that tool box inside.”

  “Alright,” he transmitted back.

  Looking back out toward the field, Destiny saw Jazz’s body propel back toward the Silver Raven with the computer part in hand along with some junk that might be useful. Destiny knew it would be a few minutes before Jazz made it back inside the Silver Raven, and probably even longer before he found the tool box and came up top side with the two. If someone was going to dish out a sucker punch, this was the perfect time to do it. And it would be a one on one fight to the death.

  “So are we going to have problems?” Chloe asked Destiny as she looked at the leaking pipe.

  “I patched up a few broken pipes at the HLF base; I should be able to do something with this.”

  “I mean us.”

  Destiny grinned then spun around to face Chloe. The two fearless women started a long stare down, gazing into each other’s face through their visors on their helmets. “That depends on you,” Destiny said.

  Jazz saw the cargo hold of the Silver Raven slowly come into view as the jets on his suit pushed him forward. He remained silent as he listened to Destiny and Chloe speak over the comm channel, worried about what might happen next, worried that he might not come up in time to break up the fight should they start one. Even if he did get there in time, he might be forced to choose between saving Destiny, or saving Vaishea.

  Jazz frantically began searching for the tool box as he entered, allowing the salvage gear and computer part to float free. He had to find it quickly; he had to get up there in case something did go down.

  “That depends on you,” were the last words he heard Destiny say before the comm channel went silent.

  Only Jazz and Eupiar could speak to each other.

  “Oh fuck,” Jazz said.

  “You said it,” Eupiar said. “I’ll try to get them back—” Eupiar stopped mid-sentence. “Oh fuck!”

  “What?” Jazz asked as he continued his frantic search amongst the weightless junk and cargo boxes held down to the floor.

  “You need to get to those two right away!”

  Both Destiny and Chloe received confirmation via their HUDs that they had switched to a secure comm channel that was until Eupiar clues in and hacked into it. But it would take some time for that to happen, the unfinished business between the two would be over by then. Or so Destiny hoped as she reached behind her back and double-checked to ensure her hidden ePistol was still in her pouch.

  It was.

  “So you wanna talk things over now? Didn’t know the fucking UNE was capable of that,” Destiny said to Chloe.

  “You’re a terrorist.”

  “Oh here we go again. And you’re all self-righteous, fighting the good fight, cheering on the alliance between Radiance and the UNE.”

  “Look your man is dead, I’m sorry for that. Yes, I led the mission, but the brainjacking wasn’t my call, the marines made that choice,” Chloe said firmly and aggressively. “Believe me; I don’t like that weapon I saw a young Hashmedai woman get her brains scrambled because of that thing. Sad thing was she wasn’t supposed to be the target, her partner was.”

  “And you didn’t take pleasure in watching it?”

  “It was necessary to save Earth, we had no choice. The Hashmedai were going to wipe us out and you know that, the very same ones you allied yourself with when the war was over.”

  “That’s the thing, the war was over, they lost and were left behind by their own people. Yet humanity continued to hunt them as if the war was still on, and Radiance just sat back and forced the UNE to keep it up. This is why we hated them, we wanted the UNE to be free to make its own choices and stop sucking Radiance’s cock whenever they asked for it.”

  “Due to recent events I agree with you,” Chloe paused to choose her next words as Destiny held back her shock at what was just revealed, “the Celestial Order has taken over so much of the Union, they can’t be trusted. Hell, I was attacked by Radiance people under the influence of the order on Ra
si and Oyuri. So you can rest assured because of that, I do agree with the HLFs objective of making the UNE break away from Radiance, at least until the order has been taken care of once and for all. The bombings, kidnappings and all that crazy shit though, that’s just fucked up. I dealt with enough people like that in Afghanistan and Iraqi.”

  Destiny looked off to the side and saw Jazz slowly coming up toward the top side of the Silver Raven to join then. “Hard to believe but—”

  “Because of the order neither the empire nor union can be trusted right now. I don’t agree with the horrible acts your group has done, but the mission to make Earth free, yeah, I’m down with that now. So I say again, are we good? Because for what it looks like we’re on the same side here.”

  Destiny laughed then said. “Fine,” as she removed the pistol hidden from her pouch.

  And pointed it a Chloe.

  Then released it from her grip, allowing it to float freely.

  “I guess I won’t need this after all,” Destiny said.

  “Seriously?” Chloe said, eying the free-floating pistol. “You were going to take me out?”

  “I was waiting for you to throw the first punch so I had an excuse.”

  Jazz arrived a few seconds later, unfazed at the fact Destiny pulled a gun at Chloe then released it. As he got toward the two, they both saw through his helmets visor that he was speaking frantically, and was clearly frustrated.

  Chloe smiled. “Guess we should get back to the main channel.”

  The two returned into the main comm channel and Destiny said to him. “Alright Jazz sorry for keeping you out of our girl talk.”

  “Hurry the fuck up now!” he yelled.

  “Relax we got this—”

  “No we don’t,” Jazz said. “A UNE ship is headed our way fast!”

  “Shit,” Destiny said, wincing.

  “We’re trying to tell ya’ll!” Jazz said. “So patch up what you can because—”

  A UNE battleship abruptly appeared having dropped out of sub light above the Silver Raven. Its massive and deadly presence eclipsed what little light from the sun that was shining upon them. All three of them looked at the ship as its rail guns aimed toward them and its plasma missile ports opened up. It was ready for a fight.

  “Never mind,” Jazz said as he raised his hands in the air to surrender. “Take all the time you want, we’re fucked either way.”

  Chloe stared at the UNE battle ship as it continued to aim its weapons at the Silver Raven as they remained on top of it. The ship’s main hanger bay doors opened as three transports exited it and accelerated rapidly toward the Silver Raven to surround it. Destiny rose her hands up to surrender as the doors to the transports opened up, dozens of marines in their exosuits modified for space walks piled out of the three transports, all them aiming their rifles toward the three from all possible angles. Amongst the marines, Chloe noticed two people wearing EDF protect suits.

  This was the Winston Churchill.

  Sarah and Chris, she hoped as she looked at the two EDF members quickly coming into range.

  “Eupiar, seal up the Silver Raven now,” Jazz shouted.

  “What about you guys?” she transmitted back.

  “Don’t worry,” Jazz said as the magnetic boots of the EDF members and the first wave of marines latched into the top side hull of the Silver Raven. “We ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

  The lead EDF solider walked toward the three with caution, especially toward Chloe as she refused to raise her hands like Jazz and Destiny and because she wore combat armor she suspected. Chloe looked into the helmet of the lead EDF solider, she recognized Chris’ face through it. She quickly interacted with her suit to search and join the channel EDF and the marines were using and hoped her sudden actions didn’t set off any nervous trigger fingers.

  “Chris! Sarah!” Chloe yelled and waved toward them. “It’s me!”

  Chris stopped having heard her voice and looked at her face through her visor. “Chloe?”

  “Major Vaughan?” Sergeant Miles’ voice was heard amongst the comm chatter.

  “Well damn,” Chloe said and began to laugh. “Good to hear your voices again. You can stand down, they’re with me.”

  “The captain says otherwise,” Sarah said.

  Chloe looked at her younger sister, whom still held her rifle forward along with everyone else. “Sarah . . .”

  “Look just come without a struggle, so we can get this all sorted out,” Sarah said. Please sis, we do have our orders.”

  Deja vu, Chloe thought as she joined Jazz and Destiny and raised her arms to surrender. A group of marines moved in to handcuff the three of them.

  ESV Winston Churchill, Pluto orbit, Sol system

  Chloe, Jazz, and Destiny were brought into custody aboard the Winston Churchill as the Silver Raven was tugged inside the hanger bay and impounded. A team of marines stood watch along the Silver Raven while Eupiar kept its doors sealed shut. Unlike their last capture, the UNE agreed to the leave the ship alone pending the interrogation of the three.

  The three were placed in the brig minus their environment suits and the combat armor Chloe had been wearing. To Jazz’s surprise and delight, Onatiasha and Zhinbryo were sitting in adjacent cells. Their unexpected reunion led to a lengthy conversation explaining how each of their parties ended up in the situation they faced. The existence of the Leviathan, wormhole powers in the hands of the empire, and three command ships in the system ready and waiting to take Earth was troubling news. Oh, and shape shifters in the order?

  Fuck me!

  Armed marines entered an hour later and escorted Chloe, Jazz, and Destiny in handcuffs to Captain Xavier’s briefing room, away from the comfortable gravity-filled habitat ring and onto the weightless section of the ship near the bridge. Jazz was impressed with the layout of the ship during their trek to the briefing room.

  “So this is an Earth battleship eh?” Jazz said as they entered. “Pretty nice if I do say so myself.”

  Two marines stood watch behind the three as they floated toward the briefing room’s main table where Xavier awaited to speak with them.

  “Aye,” Xavier said to Jazz as he reached out and interacted with a computer mounted to the table. A hologram appeared in front of the three, depicting a picture of a young man wearing a US marine uniform. It was clearly a photo taken back before the invasion of Earth. “Too bad young men like this lad never got the chance to see it become a reality. Do you know why?”

  “No fucking clue, bro,” Jazz said.

  “Because you killed him,” Xavier said firmly to Jazz and pushed the hologram closer to Jazz’s face. “Take a closer look. Do you recognize him?”

  “I killed a lot people and aliens lately, hard to keep track of who is who.”

  “This is Private Sanders,” Xavier said. “You threw a dagger into his head during your assault on Cedar-Sinai during the invasion.”

  The same dagger Chloe tried to fucking kill me with? “I vaguely remember that, how did y'all find out about that?”

  Chloe coughed as a means of drawing attention to herself. Jazz looked at her, she looked back at him smiling and said. “It was in my report.”

  “A report that’s been widely read among us all,” Xavier said. “How Major Vaughan encountered a man, named Jake Johnson, who was helping the Hashmedai on Earth.” The hologram changed to pictures of partially vaporized UNE soldiers on the streets of LA. “Then came back and killed these brave men with the aid of a Hashmedai assassin. Human lives, lost by your hands.”

  “My bad,” he said. “Sorry about the President too.”

  “The one you asked to fake her death?”

  “Oh fuck.” If he knows that then Y’lin might know as well. That’s why the empress is attacking; the order must have known and took advantage. “Guess she didn’t take my offer then.”

  “Johnson . . .” Xavier said, shutting off the hologram. “You are one fine piece of work.”

  Destiny chuckled and said. “Oh
, please, is that what this is about?”

  “And you!” Xavier directed his grilling toward Destiny. “Rina West: HLF terrorist commander. Do you have any idea how many lives you and your group have taken?”

  “Seventy-nine by me alone,” she said. “Not counting the bombs.”

  “Does that number include the prison guards you killed in Iran? Men and women who were just doing their job.”

  “I stand by the reputation of the HLF,” she said. “Not a single one of those people killed were civilian. Well human civilians at least.”

  “Hashmedai lives carry more weight than Radiance lives for you I guess.”

  “Fuck Radiance.”

  “Rina West,” Jazz said to Destiny. “Damn girl! I finally know your real name!”

  “Likewise,” Destiny said, with a smile to Jazz. “Jake Johnson, you know I would have never guessed!”

  “Were expecting something more gangsta? Like Vin Diesel or something?”

  “Naw, it’s a cute name. Not Captain Kirk cute, more like Jake Sisko.”

  “Oh no you didn’t!”

  “Oh yes I did!”

  Jazz looked at Xavier and asked. “Can we get separate jail cells?”

  “Enough!” Xavier shouted, clearly upset that neither of the two were taking the session seriously. Xavier moved toward Chloe afterward, shaking his head at her. “Major . . . I don’t even know where to start with you.”

  “I didn’t kill anyone that didn’t deserve it, sir,” Chloe said.

  “No but you assaulted fellow UNE servicemen, then went AWOL.”

  “My hands were tied, sir.”

  “You were confined to quarters for lying to me and my crew.”

  “Had I obeyed, sir, I wouldn’t have been able to lead a team that liberated the JFK from enemy hands,” Chloe said calmly, like the brave solider woman she was. “In the end my actions were for the greater good, the same can be said for Johnson and West. They took the time to rescue me, which resulted in us taking the fight to the Celestial Order, the people behind the takeover of the JFK and in turn acquired valuable intel about them.”