by K. B. Wagers
“Totally. And that’s not all we have going on today, is it, Pace? The fight that everyone seems excited about is going to happen this afternoon between Commander Nika Vagin and Senior Chief Dao Mai Tien of Flux. Vagin is performing like his old self, despite his absence from the sword ring for two years.”
“It’s been a beautiful thing to watch, Barnes. With Ensign Zika easily winning her fifth straight hacking competition and new Neo Spacer Chae Ho-ki taking the pilot slot by storm, I’m starting to think that this NeoG team may actually put up a real fight at the Boarding Games rather than being the underdog we were all expecting. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and say they might be even better than last year’s team.”
“They’re definitely coming into their own. And it’s clear they’re going to be competing for something more than just that trophy. The honor of the NeoG is on the line here, and these games are proving there are people more than willing to fight for it.”
Thirty-Four
“Sector four clear!”
“Sectors five and six clear!”
Chae stayed where they were as the members of Flux Capacitor swept through the ship, coming ever closer to their position. As Ensign Rahal and PO Nash passed, they slipped into the open space behind the pair.
Thirty seconds until Commander Till and ZZ come around the corner; move now.
They moved, and stabbed Nash in the back, lighting up their suit, then had Saad down before either man could react.
“Damn you, Chae, did you just materialize out of thin air or what?”
They grinned into the dark at Nash’s whisper, moving into the safety of the darkened corridor across from the pair. “Two down, LT. Till and ZZ are up next.”
“Be careful, Chae,” Max replied. “We’re headed for the others. Sapphi’s almost got the ship locked down.”
The final Boarding Action was a simple enough scenario. Flux Capacitor were playing pirates who’d taken over an Interceptor ship. It was the job of Zuma’s Ghost to escape and take down their captors.
Tamago and Nika were down the stairs and at the back of the ship in the brig, still being held captive by the pirates.
Chae wasn’t even sure how Max and Jenks had gotten loose; they knew only that by the time Sapphi had broken Chae out of their locked room, the pair of Neos were coming up the hallway of the replica Interceptor.
Once they’d met up, the plan had come together in a matter of minutes. Make enough noise for the pirates to realize they’d escaped, and then draw them into a hunt. Sapphi had gotten control of the lights from a console and Jenks and Max had played the part of bait perfectly.
Leaving Chae to work their magic and pick off the members of Flux one by one.
They melted farther back into the shadows when they heard Till and ZZ approach. The footsteps slowed as Chae had hoped they would when they spotted Nash’s and Rahal’s bodies.
Two more steps forward, come on.
“Shit,” Till said. “Nash and Rahal are down. Why isn’t that showing on our DD?”
Whatever answer she got from either Xin or Tien didn’t make Till happy and she muttered a second curse. But instead of going forward to check the bodies of her crew like Chae expected, she backed up a step.
“You’re lurking in the shadows, aren’t you, Chae?” she called, her voice a singsong. “Come out before I have Tien start cutting pieces off your commander.”
She’s baiting you; just stay quiet.
Chae eased onto the balls of their feet, calculating the distance from where they were to where Till was. She was the more dangerous of the pair. They were fairly sure ZZ would freeze, or at least hesitate, if Chae struck Till first.
“Come on, Chae. Don’t make this hard on yourself. Your crew isn’t going to survive this encounter, but we could make a deal with you.”
Knowing it was a game didn’t make the anger in Chae’s chest any less real. They’d betrayed this team once already. Never again.
If she won’t come to you, you go to her.
Three steps. Chae took a deep breath and launched themself out of the shadows at Till. They hit the Flux commander hard enough to knock her into ZZ and all three of them went down in a heap.
Till’s suit lit up as Chae’s knife found its target and they rolled to the side, taking the blow from ZZ’s wild swing in the shoulder.
Knife versus sword wasn’t a good look and Chae stumbled backward, ZZ’s second strike knocking the knife from their hand. As ZZ lunged in for the kill, the spacer’s suit suddenly lit up and she froze.
“You all right, Chae?” Jenks called, and Chae was surprised by the laugh that erupted from their throat.
“Yes, Chief.”
“God damn, I should have let her stab you. Stop calling me Chief.”
More laughter rang out over the deck as the lights came back on.
“All combatants down for Flux Capacitor. That’s a win for Zuma’s Ghost.”
Chae took ZZ’s offered hand and let her pull them to their feet as Jenks helped Till up.
“Holy crap, Jenks, you taught that kid to hit like you,” she said with a groan.
“You tried to get them to flip sides, you deserved it.” Jenks winked at Chae and then at Till. “Tien was lying to you, by the way. We’d already taken the brig ourselves when you called. I figured I’d come back here and lend a hand.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chae asked.
“Didn’t want to distract you.” Jenks threw her arm around Chae’s shoulder. “Plus I was sprinting; you probably wouldn’t have been able to understand me anyway. Good job, kid.”
Nika watched Tien pace the ring during the break. Flux’s senior chief was a powerhouse of a fighter whose technique had improved dramatically in the last two years. His upper arm was aching from the number and force of her swings that he’d had to parry in the first two rounds of the fight.
The crowd’s energy was electric and Nika exchanged a smile with Tamago as another wave of chants filled the air.
“You’ve got her,” Tamago said. “She’s pushing because she’s frustrated with your defense and your lead. If you get a few more strikes on her she’ll get reckless, so watch for her to come straight at you and not stop.”
Nika nodded.
“Fighters, you’ve got thirty seconds left!” the referee announced, and Nika lifted his hand in acknowledgment.
“Anything else before we finish this, Tama?”
They smiled. “You are the best sword fighter I’ve ever known, hands down. Get out there and be that person.” They tapped their fist to their heart. “Got your back.”
“I’ve got yours,” he replied, echoing the gesture, then gripping their forearm and touching his forehead to theirs.
Tamago ducked out of the ring, joining the rest of Zuma’s Ghost clustered just outside of the combat area. Nika saluted them with his sword and moved to the middle of the ring, where the referee waited. Tien joined them a moment later.
“One more go?” he asked, and she bared her teeth at him.
“See if you can keep up, Vagin.”
He saluted her, a plan already forming in his head with an ease that surprised him. Tien rushed forward the moment the referee blew the whistle and Nika spun to the side, blocking her strike and kicking her in the hip hard enough to stall her movement.
Tien’s eyes narrowed and Nika grinned, spinning his sword briefly in his right hand, to the delight of the crowd. She rushed in again and they fought in silence for several minutes until Nika saw his opening.
Tien pressed him, raining down blow after blow that Nika parried as he backed toward the ropes. He dropped his sword into his left hand, knowing that Tien would think it was a fumble. She did and so did the crowd, if the collective indrawn breath was any indication. Nika dropped his head slightly, his eyes never leaving her sword as Tien moved in for the kill.
Nika caught her sword with his right hand, his glove lighting up with the expected injury, but he’d done it before she started the dow
nswing, so that even if his hand had been flesh and blood the damage would’ve been minimal because he’d grabbed at the unsharpened part closer to the hilt.
He straightened and pushed, bringing his own sword up to her suit just under her rib cage. Had this been a real fight his sword would have gone straight up through her lung and heart. Her suit recognized the hit and lit up.
“You son of a bitch,” Tien swore at him. “You cheating son of a bitch.”
“I didn’t—that’s legal.” But he saw she was grinning.
“I thought I had you.”
“Guess I kept up,” he deadpanned. “It was a good fight, though, Tien. You’re a force to be reckoned with.”
“Kill shot recognized! Winner, Commander Vagin!”
Nika let go of Tien’s sword and she wrapped her right arm around his neck with a laugh. The crowd was on its feet and he saw Max and Jenks and the rest of the team celebrating. Squeezing Tien once more, he let her go and went to join them.
In that moment, he found it almost unthinkable that he had ever doubted his ability to do this job.
“Admiral.” Max saluted Admiral Chen as they came into the head of the NeoG’s office. She saw Nika echo the gesture out of the corner of her eye and Chen smiled, returning the salute.
“Congratulations on your win, Zuma. Sit down, you two.”
Max glanced Captain Kilini’s way and the woman offered up an apologetic smile that spoke volumes.
“This room is shielded,” Chen said as she wheeled around the side of her desk, stopping near Max. “But we don’t have a lot of time before you all need to leave, so I’ll make this quick. I know Senior Chief Armstrong made contact with Chief Khan—against orders, by the way—but given the circumstances it’s hard to be too angry at him. Or rather, I’ll be angry at him when we finish this mission. Still, I am sorry for the grief this has caused all of you. We had little choice and this seemed the safest option in the moment.”
“We understand, Admiral,” Nika said.
“Good. The time is running out on this operation. We need to move before they get truly spooked and shut everything down. I do not want to spend another five years building a case against Senator Tieg. To be blunt, I am fucking tired of seeing his face on the news.” Admiral Chen sighed and tapped on the desk. “I know Stephan read you all into this after your crew was injured, but we can’t officially put you with Intel on the off chance it’ll trigger something with Tieg’s people.
“So what I’m doing is following Max’s suggestion and officially moving the task force to Trappist-1d as we planned. Ostensibly we’re doing this ahead of schedule because of the damage to the station. You and the other three crews will head directly for Trappist aboard the Laika and the Normandy. I know Commander Montaglione doesn’t have a full crew—we’ll get that taken care of after this is over.”
Admiral Chen looked down at her hands. “We should have moved on Warrant Officer Huang sooner. Stephan wanted to and I overruled him. That was my mistake. I’m sorry. Everyone else has been checked and checked again since the explosion, but if you are concerned about anyone on these crews, I’m willing to listen.”
“No,” Max replied without hesitation, and Nika knew she’d put the work in to make sure that answer was right. “I trust them all.”
“Good. This has been a dangerous and deadly operation, Max. I know you’re upset, but I need you to go into this with a clear head. I don’t want to lose any more people I care about, understood?”
Max nodded. “I do, ma’am.”
“Good. I also hope you understand I expect things like you threatening to make a prisoner disappear don’t happen again.” The admiral raised an eyebrow and Max swallowed. “Given Julia’s unique position and the fact that it’s best her bosses don’t find out we’ve apprehended her, I understand your actions. I just don’t want to see you make a habit of it. That’s not what the NeoG is.”
“I understand, Admiral. It won’t happen again.”
Chen looked at Nika. “Commander, you’ll attach to the Laika for the ride to Trappist in the morning along with Dread. Stephan and Luis will meet you at the West Ridge habitat. I understand you have an idea for drawing our targets out into the open.”
“We do, Admiral.”
“Good luck to both of you.” Admiral Chen held her hand out to Max. “I can’t tell you how proud I am to see you grow into your role, Max. Be careful at Trappist.”
“I will.” Max pushed her chair back as she rose. Nika was already on his feet and taking Chen’s offered hand.
“You’re a credit to the NeoG, Commander. Hoboins always spoke very highly of you. He was happy to have you back where he felt you belonged.”
“Thank you, Admiral. That means a great deal to me.”
They headed away from the admiral’s office, and Captain Kilini walked with them out of HQ into the bright sunshine.
“Watch your backs, Zuma,” she said with a short nod.
“We will,” Nika replied.
“Here, kiddo.”
Chae looked up at the beer Jenks was waggling in their direction. They took it and she handed out two more to Sapphi and Tamago.
“Jenks, did you smuggle beer onto the ship?” Nika asked from the doorway to the galley.
“No,” Jenks replied, handing him a beer with a grin. “I just walked it on. Figured we deserved a round since we aren’t partying like normal. Besides, we’re hitching a ride, no one needs to be sober enough to fly. LT, I got you one, but I’ll drink it if you don’t—”
“Don’t you dare drink my beer,” Max said, grabbing it, and Chae looked at her in surprise.
Jenks hooted a laugh, then lifted her own. “To Admiral Hoboins, Lou, and all the others we lost.”
Chae lifted their beer, murmuring their assent and taking a drink. “Chief?”
Jenks shot them a look with her mismatched eyes that could have melted paint off the hull, but then she chuckled. “I’d throw this beer at your head, but I don’t want to waste it. What?”
“I just wanted to say thanks,” Chae said, lifting their beer again. “To all of you. Thanks for taking me in and making me part of this crew.”
“To Zuma’s Ghost,” Max said.
“To family.” Tamago lifted their beer.
“To payback,” Sapphi said quietly, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“To the NeoG.” Nika saluted the room.
Jenks didn’t say anything in reply, but the wink she sent Chae warmed their heart.
Interstitial
Dear Ms. Karenina,
It is my hope your associate passed on my request about a potential job with Trappist Express before her unfortunate passing in the attack on Jupiter. My initial offer has changed. I have something I think you’d rather the NeoG not get and I’m willing to discuss terms to keep my sister and myself safe. Meet me on Trappist-1d to discuss further. You can contact me when you are on the planet.
Sincerely,
NV
Melanie read the email again, tapping a finger against her lower lip as she idly spun the sword in her hand.
“It’s a trap,” Grant said.
“Maybe,” she admitted, dismissing the email and returning her focus to their fight. Grant was barely adequate with a sword, but his brute force made her have to adapt her own style and Melanie had found it to be good practice. “But Julia did say that he might work as our eyes on the command level, and with her dead and Paul under arrest for the attack on Jupiter, I may have to take the chance.” She smiled at him as she easily deflected his clumsy thrust. “Besides, you’ll keep me safe.”
“You know I will.”
“The NeoG is scrambling and it sounds like Vagin is scared. I like people who are scared; they’re easy to manipulate.” She nodded and came in with an attack of her own, pressing him back until she stripped the sword from his hand and tapped the point of her own against his chest. “We’ll go to Trappist and see what Commander Nika Vagin can offer us.”
“And
if it’s a trap?”
“We kill him and leave his body out for the coyotes to eat.”
Thirty-Five
Chae eased the Interceptor out of the Laika’s bay. “We are clear. Thanks, Control.”
“Anytime, Zuma. See you on the flip side.”
“Zuma, we are on your low five o’clock. Dread is at seven. We have clearance from Trappist-1d traffic control to breach atmo and head for the West Ridge habitat. You have the lead.” Lieutenant Commander Ian Sebastian’s accent was straight Oribo City, the largest habitat on the other side of Trappist-1d.
“Roger that, ST-One.”
“Oh, and Chae? Welcome home for real this time,” they said, and Chae felt a little blossom of heat in their chest.
All that fell away as the ship broke through the atmosphere and flew down over the beautiful canyons that circled the West Ridge habitat. The rock was multiple shades of red and orange fading down to the palest cream and then back the other direction to a brown so dark it was almost black.
Chae could see the fields beyond and the structures of the habitat clustered in little circular patterns reminiscent of the crop circle phenomenon that happened on Earth in the late twentieth century. On Trappist, they were both artistic homage and the best answer to the sometimes strange weather events that resulted from terraforming.
West Ridge wasn’t as massive and sprawling as Oribo City, nor as cosmopolitan as nearby Amanave, but it also wasn’t a three-structure ’tat, and Chae felt a rush of emotion as they brought the Interceptor down to the landing pad on the eastern side of the habitat.
“We’re down,” Chae announced. They started the postflight checklist as the others got up.
“I’ll grab your bag for you,” Sapphi said, patting them on the shoulder.
“Thanks.” There hadn’t been much point in unpacking anything; they’d been on the ship for only about ten hours total between the transit time away from Earth and then into the Trappist system.
