by C H Gideon
There were too many people in the Pod already, and Reynolds didn’t want to risk bringing the emperor to the Reynolds with him since he was certain there was trouble coming.
On the bridge, Reynolds spun on Xyxl. “I thought you said the shuttle had a short-range device only.”
“It does,” the alien assured him. “I’m not certain how Phraim-‘Eh’s people were able to… Oh.”
Reynolds realized the answer at the same time the alien did.
“The devium,” they said in unison.
“They’re using the ore to increase the power of the hacked signal,” Reynolds went on.
Jiya grunted. “That explains why they want the planet so badly. Now that they have one of your ships, they can reverse-engineer the system and use the tether to wreak all sorts of havoc using your tech.”
“We need to take out that shuttle,” Reynolds snapped. “Can we still track it?”
“It has circled around Muultar,” Comm reported.
“Then go get it,” Reynolds ordered.
“That’s going to have to wait,” Comm stated coldly.
Proximity alarms sounded then, the bridge turning red. Reynolds muted the sirens and grunted.
“Let me guess, a Gulg superdreadnought just Gated in.” Reynolds grimaced.
“You must be psychic,” Tactical answered. “The communication beam is linked to it.”
“Enemy weapons are online, and we’re being targeted,” XO called.
“Of course, we are,” Reynolds scoffed. “Shields to full, evasive maneuvers.”
The first burst of energy weapons rattled the Reynolds as the enemy ship opened fire.
“Where do we stand?” the AI asked.
“Takal managed to get our shields back up to eighty-five percent by using the small store of devium Jiya managed to bring back to the ship,” XO reported. “It’s inefficient, however, since the ship’s systems have not been adapted to use the ore properly. Takal worked up some jerry-rigged processor to power the shields, but the ore is limited on top of the inefficiency.”
“Any good news?” the AI asked.
“I saved fifteen percent by switching to Geico?” Tactical offered.
“The enemy superdreadnought is closing on us,” Ria reported.
“That’s the Vvvor,” Xyxl clarified.
“Is there any way to shut that damn tether off?” Reynolds asked Xyxl.
The alien shook his head. “Outside of destroying the source, no. My people have yet to ascertain how these cultists are corrupting our systems. They seemed to have learned how to hide their efforts better since your last encounter with them.”
“Why can’t we fight dumbasses?” Tactical asked. “Smart enemies suck hamster tails.”
“Takal to the bridge!” Reynolds ordered over the comm. “Now!”
“Already on my way,” the old inventor replied, out of breath.
Reynolds needed him and the Gulg to get back to work on the hacking defense. Between the inventor, the aliens, and his other personalities, Reynolds figured they could eventually understand how to shut down the remote access and return control of the ship to the Gulg.
He just needed to do it before it was too late.
“I’m firing back, but that SD has got one hell of an energy rating,” Tactical announced. “Weapons aren’t doing shit to it.”
Reynolds examined the console before him, reading the scanner reports. “They’ve powered up the ship.”
“That was actually us,” Xyxl admitted sheepishly. “We believed ourselves safe at such a distance and wanted to be prepared should we need to show up and defend against other ships the cult might have in play. Both the Vvvor and the Xzzt are using their stockpile of devium to increase the power of their systems.”
Reynolds grimaced. “This is one hell of a comedy of errors, except I’m not fucking laughing.” He shook his head and stared at the viewscreen, seeing the Gulg superdreadnought closing.
“What about your other ship?” the AI asked. “Do you still control it?”
Xyxl nodded. “It seems the cult is incapable of taking over more than one of our craft at a time.”
“Or that’s what they want us to believe,” Jiya added.
Reynolds grunted his agreement of her assessment.
He had no idea what the cult was capable of. They had known what they were doing by stealing the hidden—shittily so—Gulg shuttle, and they had known about the increase in power that could be gained by using the devium.
What else do they know?
That thought haunted Reynolds.
The cult had been one step ahead of them from the start, and it was pissing Reynolds off.
“I’m getting sick and tired of these assholes,” the AI snarled.
“You and me both,” Jiya added.
“I was sick of them first,” Tactical called.
“Not a competition,” XO told the other personality.
“Of course, it’s not,” Tactical answered, “because I’ve already won.”
“Shields are down to seventy percent,” Ria reported.
“Any luck getting past their defenses?” Reynolds asked Tactical.
“I might have scratched the paint on that last salvo,” Tactical replied.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Reynolds replied.
“Should I summon my other craft?” Xyxl asked. “My people are waiting for orders.”
Reynolds looked at the attacking enemy ship as the SD Reynolds shuddered under yet another barrage of fire. Bursts of energy flared against the gravitic shields, and Reynolds could see that some of the railgun shots were punching through already.
Fortunately, there’d been no reports of injuries or deaths from the crew.
The AI had never been indecisive, but there were so many factors that he was forced to take a moment to consider them all. So few of their options appeared viable, let alone like good moves.
“Yes, bring your ship to us,” Reynolds told the alien as yet another attack thundered over the Reynolds’ shields.
“What if they take over the other ship when it arrives?” Maddox asked.
“If they were capable of doing it, it makes sense they would have already,” Reynolds replied. “We’ve already proven we can hold our own against the Gulg ships one on one, so if Jora’nal or whoever is running all this wanted to take us out, they would have activated both ships if they were capable.”
“Lots of assumptions in that,” Tactical argued. “You know what they say about assuming.”
“Well, you always make an ass of yourself, Tactical,” Reynolds fired back. “I certainly can’t make it any worse.”
“Shields are down to fifty percent,” Ria called out. “We’re getting battered.”
“Bring up the ESD?” Tactical asked.
Reynolds shook his head. “We don’t need to blow out the last of our systems unless we no longer have a choice.”
“I’ll warm it up, just in case,” Tactical said.
“Second Gulg SD incoming,” Ria announced. “It’s turning its weapons on the other ship.”
“Finally, some good news.” Jiya laughed.
“Asya, I’m sending you that shithead shuttle’s coordinates,” Reynolds called over the comm. “I want you to go put a boot up their ass. A couple of boots.”
“You want us to leave the emperor alone?” she asked.
“Any signs of people in the area?”
“Scans show the area is clear…for now,” Asya replied.
“Then yes,” the AI told her. “The shuttle is the priority. We need to get that damn signal shut off. Blow those fuckers apart.”
“On it,” Asya answered in a low and dangerous voice, the comm going silent immediately after.
The bridge doors hissed open, and Takal shuffled in as quickly as he could. He went straight to a console and plopped down, getting to work.
“Working on the breach, sir,” the old inventor muttered, not taking his eyes off his station. “It’s a stubborn o
ne.”
Reynolds motioned to Xyxl. “Help coordinate with your people. XO, Comm, Helm, you three do what you can to assist.”
Sour affirmatives followed.
The second Gulg superdreadnought, the Xzzt, opened fire on the first as it came in on its starboard flank and tore at its shields, forcing the enemy to pull power from its forward defenses to resist the assault.
“Give them what you’ve got,” Reynolds ordered.
Tactical unloaded on the enemy ship and whooped when a number of his shots pierced the shields and struck home.
They did little more than scar the hull, but it was the most effective they’d been since the engagement began.
And then shit went sideways.
The Xzzt turned on the Reynolds and blasted it, ripping up a section of the hull and forcing the bots to go to work as atmosphere vented from the wound.
“What the absolute fuck?” Reynolds shouted. “Bring us about to face that other ship.”
“The signal was turned on the Xzzt when it came around behind us,” Jiya reported.
“Damn it!” Reynolds snarled. “It’s good to know they can only control one ship at a time, but we can’t keep both of them off our ass if they’re hopping back and forth between them.”
The Vvvor turned its guns on the Xzzt a moment later, driving the other superdreadnought back.
“I have crew on both ships, so we’re capable of regaining control as soon as the communication tether is redirected,” Xyxl announced.
“Which means there’s no winning this fight without killing some of your people,” Reynolds growled.
“If there is time, my people will teleport to the winning craft,” the alien assured him.
That didn’t make Reynolds feel better about it, but he couldn’t risk his crew getting killed by treating the controlled ships with kid gloves.
“How’s it going out there, Asya?” he asked.
“It’s like playing tag with a lightning bolt,” she came back. “That ship is fast as hell and way more maneuverable than we are.”
“It was designed as an escape craft,” Xyxl told her. “It has very little in the way of weaponry, but it is quite fast. The constant use of the tether, however, should slow it down somewhat.”
“Not much difference between a fast lightning bolt and a slow one,” Asya remarked. “This Pod isn’t designed to run a craft like that down.”
“Going to have to play it smarter,” Reynolds stated. “Launching two more of the Pods to see if we can cut off its movements. Go get those assholes, Ria.”
“I’ll try. Coordinating with Asya,” the ensign answered as soon as the Pods were away. “We’ll see what we can do.”
“There is no try,” Reynolds told Ria.
“The Vvvor’s hitting us again, damn it!” Maddox called. “This back-and-forth shit is giving me whiplash.”
“It’s giving the ship more than that,” XO warned. “There have been no casualties yet because I’ve ordered the crew away from all non-essential areas of the ship, but it will only be a matter of time.”
Reynolds hoped Xyxl could do what he did the last time the crew had been killed, but that wasn’t something he wanted to rely on.
They’d yet to examine the people who’d been returned to life to see if there were any long-term or dangerous side effects from what the Gulg had done.
More blows struck the ship then, and Reynolds cringed as damage reports filtered through, listing a number of injuries.
We might not have a choice soon, he thought.
“We’re getting torn up,” Tactical complained. “Every fucking time I reinforce the shields one direction, we get smacked from the other. There’s no way to provide even coverage without us getting fucked from both sides.”
“I can’t get us away from them, sir,” Ria reported. “The two ships are being maneuvered too well for us to avoid them.”
“Glad you wanted that second ship nearby, Reynolds,” Tactical sniped.
Reynolds contemplated plugging Tactical into the Jonny-Taxi body so he could kick his ass, but that idea, however satisfying, was fleeting.
Tactical was right. It had been a mistake bringing the second Gulg ship there.
Reynolds hadn’t anticipated the speed at which the beam could switch between ships.
“Xyxl, tell your crew to—”
“I think we’ve got something!” Takal called, excitement making his voice raw.
Either that or he’d been drinking.
“Spit it out, man!” Reynolds shouted.
“We’ve been able to isolate the foreign coding that we think is responsible for providing remote access to the Gulg ships.”
“Then fucking excise that shit!” Reynolds shouted.
“Working on it,” the inventor replied, sweat beading his brow.
“Work faster,” Tactical urged.
Another salvo of enemy fire slammed into the Reynolds.
“We’ve lost an engine,” XO called.
“Shields at twenty-two percent and dropping,” Ria reported. “Twenty…nineteen...”
“If you’ve got something for us, Takal, now would be the time to whip it out,” Reynolds barked.
“There!” Takal announced, jabbing a button on the console and leaning back to watch what happened.
The Reynolds trembled as another round of weapons fire battered the hull. Another round followed.
“Eight percent,” Ria called, her voice quavering.
The Vvvor filled the viewscreen, its weapons readying to fire again.
“Doesn’t look like it worked,” Reynolds said softly.
Silence overtook the bridge as the enemy ship drew closer.
Chapter Eighteen
The Xzzt went after the Vvvor, unleashing its entire arsenal.
The Vvvor’s shields dropped just before impact and the superdreadnought was eviscerated, explosions rippling through its guts and tearing outward, throwing off showers of debris in every direction.
Reynolds sighed in relief, then remembered that there were Gulg aboard the exploding ship.
“Did your people—?” he started to ask.
Xyxl nodded. “They were able to reach the Xzzt before the Vvvor went up since I was able to warn them as to what was coming.”
“You guys shut down the shields?” Jiya asked.
“We did,” Xyxl said, patting Takal on the shoulder.
“Why didn’t you just shut it down?” she continued.
“The Vvvor was already in the process of firing, and there was nothing short of its destruction that would stop it from doing so,” the alien said, a hint of sadness to his voice. “Had we chosen to act differently, the Reynolds would have been destroyed along with the Vvvor.”
“Tough choice,” Maddox muttered.
“It was the right one to make,” Xyxl stated.
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings,” Takal interrupted, “but we’re not out of this yet.”
“Report!” Reynolds ordered.
“We have been able to disrupt the signal for a few moments, but it’s a temporary fix,” the inventor said. “The enemy is already working to counter it, and may be back into the Gulg system any second now.”
“And here I was getting ready to throw you a party, Takal,” Tactical said.
“So, you’re saying we could be facing down the other superdreadnought in a minute or two?” Reynolds asked.
“If that,” Takal answered. “The disruption is already beginning to lose its effectiveness.”
“Get back on shutting them out,” the AI ordered. “Ria, put some distance between us and that damn ship.”
Ria jumped to follow the order, but the Reynolds was a brick floating in space without one of its engines.
“Do the best you can,” he added. “That’s all I expect.”
She nodded and bent her head to her console. “I’m bringing us around to where Asya is chasing the shuttle.”
Reynolds nodded and waved to Xyxl. “Do what you
can to walk my engineers through increasing our shields using devium while Takal and the others work on the hacking defense.”
Xyxl agreed, and Reynolds opened a channel.
“I have sent word to my crew to disable the weapon systems of the Xzzt so when—if—the ship is taken control of again, it will not be able to fire upon us immediately,” the alien said.
Reynolds nodded, although he wanted to ask the alien to have his crew scuttle the superdreadnought completely. He knew that was the last ship the Gulg had in the system, outside of the stolen shuttle, and he couldn’t ask them to destroy it without the means to replace it.
Which he didn’t have.
“Engines are disabled on the Xzzt as well,” Xyxl reported as he oversaw the communications with the Reynolds’ engineering crew.
“How long will these stopgap measures work?” Maddox asked the question they all wanted to hear the answer to.
“Not long, I’m afraid,” Xyxl admitted. “The enemy infiltration operates at a core level, bypassing much of the language barrier inherent in the different coding. They don’t need to know the specifics of our symbology or language to instinctively do what needs to be done to operate the craft.”
“That’s one hell of a hack,” XO whistled. “I’m just glad they haven’t been able to get us with it.”
“This program they’re using is an AI of its own, on a much smaller scale than you,” the inventor explained. “It’s constantly adapting and changing, incorporating everything it encounters to better defend against attack and to infiltrate better.
“We got ahead of it when we dealt with the hack of Gorad’s ships, but the evolution of the program is astounding.” Takal shrugged. “I can’t help but be impressed. This is a technological marvel.”
“More of a technological nightmare since it’s being used against us,” Reynolds shot back. “Keep working at it, Takal. We need that thing neutralized as soon as you can manage it.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Takal promised, “but so you know, the disruption has ended. The Xzzt is once more under enemy control.”
Reynolds glanced at his console and snarled. They had barely managed to inch away from the enemy ship in the time between shutting it down and now.
