"I feel selfish, but yeah, we need to do that," she answered. "Otherwise, someone is going to get beaten."
"Why don't you grab a couple of blaster rifles and I'll get started on the replicator." Avoiding a Tabby beating, physical or verbal, was always high on my priorities.
"You're the best," she said, pecking me on my grimy cheek.
At the replicator, I punched in the plans for her brush. Technically, it was more than a brush as it kept a person's hair at exactly the right length in addition to styling it to specification. I personally didn't use the brush more than once a ten-day and was due. In the last few months, my normally reticent beard started to fill in on my chin and I was toying with the notion of growing it out. Tabby wouldn't love the idea, but it seemed a manly thing to do. Since I was generally the physical lesser of my peers, especially since Nick was no longer traveling with us as much, I figured I should give it a try.
"M-1911," Tabby said, joining me at the replicator, handing me the replica slug thrower I favored. I'd already extracted the power coupler Jonathan had programmed and was just pulling out her brush.
"Thanks," I said, affixing the holster to my favored chest position. "Grab an end."
Tabby had been working on the replicator, preparing to give it to the Jarwainians. She'd already installed handles so it could be carried easily by two people. Massing thirty kilograms, the device was bulky as well as heavy.
"I have it. Grab the material bags." She grasped both handles and lifted from the deck with her grav-suit.
We exited the ship into a rainstorm that had spent most of the morning intensifying. I had twenty kilograms of raw materials and Tabby had the replicator. As it turned out, our second crash site wasn't quite as conveniently located as our first had been. By the time we arrived at the building beneath which the bunker lay, my arms were tiring from the bag's weight. A younger Liam would have tasked a stevedore bot to carry the loads, not caring whether that was the lazy way to do things. Tabby, however, was my kryptonite in this. If she could handle the replicator, I would man-up and do my part.
Dropping through the rubble of a recently demolished series of floors, my eyes finally lit on the blue telltale of an Iskstar staff. One of the Piscivoru guards stepped out from the shadows. As soon as she saw who it was, she nodded and continued along her close-in patrol route.
"Liam Hoffen, welcome." The comm in my ear chirped to life with the unmistakable sound of Engirisk's voice. "You have brought machines. Is there purpose to this?"
At the far end of the hallway, which was still mostly obstructed by fallen building debris, a meter-and-a-half-tall hatch opened and Engirisk appeared. The height of the hallway – what remained at least – was far too short for either Tabby or me to walk upright in. Fortunately, our grav-suits allowed for horizontal travel and we glided through.
"Replicator machine," I answered. "I think we talked of this when back at the Iskstar grotto."
"So, this is a replicator. I would never have believed such a thing existed, although Tskir assures us that Piscivoru invented a similar technology before the fall of Picis."
"Do you have a place where it could be set out of reach of the rain?" I asked.
"There is a partially full cavern … no, that is not the correct word according to the device that speaks to my ear and presents ghosts to my eyes. There is a warehouse beneath us," he said. "Not only does it have room enough for your machine, but it also has ceilings beneath which you would not be required to bend when walking upright."
"Sounds perfect," I said.
"What is it that you wish to create with your machine?" he asked as we settled on the ground in front of him, the debris now cleared from the doorway.
"It's probably a conversation for Noelisk and the other elders as well," I said. "It is our analysis that the Kroerak are likely to return with a considerably larger force. They will hope to capture us before we're able to escape Picis. We also think they'd make an even stronger push to eradicate your people."
"Noelisk and Ferisk rest now as do the other elders," he said. "I find I am unable to sleep. Technology I have studied my entire life has suddenly become available to me and I find I must use it. We also believe the Kroerak will return, if for no other reason than they have always been here. There is a faction that seeks to return to the mountain and hide within its depths."
"Why?"
"They would return to the nature of the first people, before language and society," he answered. "They believe it is only by living this way that they can truly be free."
"Sounds like hiding to me," Tabby said.
"It is not within our nature to seek battle," Engirisk said. "I have spent much time learning of how the Kroerak so easily murdered our people. In the beginning, we met the Kroerak with open arms only to be slaughtered by the billions, a number so large I cannot rectify its meaning. There were a few who resisted, but even with our advanced technology, we lasted for only a half a pass around our star."
"You lasted an entire half a stan?" I asked. While he spoke, my AI displayed that Picis had roughly the same orbital distance as Earth did around the Sun.
"The Kroerak were not well organized," he answered. "Our people, while trusting, were difficult targets for their warriors. Three cities constructed great weapons that fired upon the ships in the darkness above the sky. Dskirnss, the city where we now stand, was one of those three cities. Enough of history, what is it again that you wish to create with your machine?"
We’d need to work hard to keep Engirisk on task and I had to be careful about getting him overly distracted. "Defenses," I said. "We'd like to talk to the elders about placing the weapon that was atop our ship onto the bunker. It's not enough to defend against orbital bombardment, but we believe it would provide a significant deterrent to anything short of that. We'll need the replicator to make parts so the weapon can be moved."
"There is another entrance," Engirisk said. "One for which I can provide access, or at least so I am told by this Ay Eye." I smiled, the translator program had finally rectified Engirisk’s 'kroo ack' as Kroerak, but was stuck on the acronym for artificial intelligence.
Chapter 2
Command Presence
Marny looked around the table at the group of advisors she'd assembled: Ada Chen, perhaps the best heavy-pilot she'd ever met; Silver Hoffen, an ex-Marine pilot and Liam's mother; fiancé Nick James, Liam's business partner, and almost always the smartest man in the room; and finally Greg Munay, a Commander in Mars Protectorate who had sworn an oath to support Liam in their common objective of combating the Kroerak.
"What do you mean, you want to take Hornblower out to the Picis system and rescue Hoffen?" Munay pushed back from the table and stood. "You know as well as I do, the Kroerak are going to send everything they have in that sector of space after him. Hornblower doesn't stand a chance."
"You're in the third trimester," Nick said. "How exactly do you see this working? If there's ever a time to let someone else take the lead, it's now. We'll send someone else."
Ada leaned back, resting knee-high black leather boots on the table, much to everyone's surprise. "Let the record show that this conversation got really interesting at 13:27."
Marny, ignoring Ada's comment, gave Nick a withering look and turned to Munay. "Greg, I'll give you credit for not pulling the pregnant card, unlike Nick, my fiancé, who is about to arrange the quickest wedding in history. That said, don't be confused. I did not say I want to take Hornblower to the Picis system. I said I will be commanding Hornblower on a mission to Picis. I am neither ill, nor am I incapacitated. I am pregnant – something women have been dealing with ever since there have been men."
"Hold on, Marny," Nick said. "I get what you're saying. No one is questioning your loyalty. You're not thinking it through. Do you really want to have a baby in the middle of a dangerous mission? Wait. Did you say marriage?"
"Trust me, my little man, I do not lack for clarity. Just like I know Little Pete isn't being born without
our getting married, I know that I'm not leaving Liam and the others to the Kroerak. So get off the stick, bribe whoever you need to, and find us a justice or whatever it takes to get married in this forsaken corner of the galaxy," she answered. "And for once, you're the one not thinking it through, damn it! Little Pete isn't going to be any safer on Petersburg Station than he'll be on Hornblower if the Kroerak show up. Wake up, already."
"Frak girl, dial it back a notch," Ada interjected. "Don't get me wrong, I'm digging the attitude, but you're definitely riding a wave of the angries."
"Maybe I'm angry because I'm the only one who recognizes that Liam needs our help and all I'm getting is pushback. If any one of us were in need, you know for a fact he'd come running, Kroerak or otherwise," Marny replied, glaring at Munay, a small spurt of tears rolling down her cheek. "And don't think that just because my hormones are screwing with my ability to talk straight, this changes anything."
"Whoa there, my well-rounded princess," Ada said, earning a surprised look from Marny. "Who said anything about pushing back? My bags are packed and Intrepid is locked up right and tight. I'll sail that monster Hornblower anywhere you point her. I've got Roby, Semper, and Jester Ripples standing by. Well, technically they're working aboard Hornblower, but they're ready to roll out all the same."
Marny released some of the angst she'd been feeling by allowing a hot breath to escape quietly from between her lips. Ada might be pushing back on her admittedly uneven presentation, but the young woman was also firmly behind her.
"I'd say there's more than one of you pushing the edge," Silver Hoffen interjected. "What's up with you, Ada Chen. You're dressed like a pirate and talking like a sailor. You've never once given one minute of lip to anyone."
"I'm tired of being a patsy," Ada answered. "Somehow, I let Liam and Tabby go out on a mission by themselves and look what crap they've gotten into. Before our confab started, I was here to tell you I was taking Intrepid to go fetch him. The new look was to make sure I didn't get off message. I made it this morning. Too much?" Her voice lost some of its edge as she questioned how people might be looking at her.
Marny chuckled. "No. Definitely not. That," she gestured to Ada who above her black boots wore breeches, a frilly dress shirt and a waistcoat complete with shiny brass buttons, "is exactly what we need."
"Are you nuts?" Munay asked. "The Kroerak aren't just headed to Picis. They're coming here, to Zuri. This station is going to need every hand, every weapon, every person and every ship if we're to survive. Taking Hornblower puts us at a disadvantage. It's the only ship we have that is even remotely in the same weight class of what the Kroerak will throw at us. We're not going to win on attitude and dress up!"
"You're right, Greg, at least as far as what you've been told," Marny said. "But as it is, you're missing key details. Now, this information can't leave this room. We're not going to Picis just to pick Liam up. We're going there because his mission was successful."
"He found something," Munay said, slapping the table. "Hot damn! What?"
"Didn't say exactly," Marny said. "What he did say was that it is a game changer and we have to infer the rest. We know that Gaylon Brighton was chased by a Kasumi bounty hunter and had a run-in with a Kroerak frigate. Now, we know that Liam enjoys picking on folks bigger than himself, so we can safely assume 'game changer' didn't apply to the Kasumi sloop."
"You're saying he took down a Kroerak frigate with Gaylon Brighton?" Munay asked. "That I'd have to see. There's not a single weapon on Gaylon Brighton that can penetrate Kroerak armor. Plus, the ship would never survive even a single lance-wave attack."
"The Commodore communicated the defeat of all local Kroerak," Marny said. "He also mentioned that Gaylon Brighton was beyond their ability to repair."
"You're making some pretty big leaps," Munay said, a frown creasing his forehead.
"Liam knows what's on the line," Nick interrupted. "He knows a Kroerak fleet entered Pogona space and that they'll end up at Zuri. He wouldn't build up hope if there was no reason for it."
Marny sharply snapped her head. "Greg, as of this moment, I'm transferring your command from Hornblower so you can oversee the first battle group which includes both Intrepid and Fleet Afoot. I have already assigned Lieutenant Adrian Hawthorn and Sergeant Raul Martinez to lead positions in engineering and gunnery, respectively, on Hornblower. I'll ask that you negotiate with both men on assignments for the remaining crew."
"Aye, aye." Munay recognized the meeting had shifted from conversation to orders.
"Since we're horse trading, I'd like Dolynne Brown as a second pilot," Ada said.
"That a problem, Greg?" Marny asked.
"That will work. Brown is good and we have several qualified pilots," he answered.
"Since we'll stop on Abasi Prime for supplies, we'll offload Hornblower's supply of smaller ordnance and most of our fuel," Marny said, standing up and placing a hand on her stomach as Little Pete kicked her bladder again. "I've worked through the budget and need six million credits to cover supplies – mostly fuel and munitions."
"Holy cow, what are you loading? That's going to push our loan with Abasi," Nick said.
Marny flicked her load plan to the group. "We're heavy on missiles. Even with the discount House Mshindi is providing, we can't rely on the fact that when we get back home to Santaloo system we'll be able to resupply."
"It is a sound strategy," Munay agreed. "Once the Kroerak show up, Abasi aren't likely to feel like sharing quite as much as they are today. That presumes they'll let you load this much. They're as aware of the Kroerak in Pogona space as we are."
"I have a commitment from House Mshindi's supply chief," Marny said. "She says they'll honor the commitment for the next ten-day, which means we need to get ready to sail in forty-eight hours or less."
"Safe travels and Godspeed, Sergeant Major," Munay said, bringing his hand up in salute.
"Good hunting, Commander," Marny answered, returning his salute. "Meeting adjourned." She grinned, accepting the irony of a Sergeant Major releasing a Commander.
"Hold up a minute." Nick grabbed Marny's arm and pulled her back into the room.
"I'm sorry I was so abrasive," Marny said, turning her attention to her partner. She knew she'd overstepped their relationship during the conversation and it was time to make amends. "I needed you in my court, but I didn't prepare you for the meeting."
"No. Forget that," Nick said. "I'm coming with you. I can't let you and Little Pete go without me."
"You dear confused man." Marny placed hands on either side of his head and tipped his chin back so she could look into his eyes. "This is war and we almost never get to do what we want. Would I love to have you at my side on Hornblower? Of course I would — you're a brilliant strategist. You're also the only one on Zuri with a manufacturing plant capable of building out defenses for Petersburg Station. You need to stay behind so Little Pete and I have a place to come home to. Silver needs you, and even though he's unlikely to admit it, Munay needs you too."
Nick touched her arm, then closed his eyes and shook his head. "Don’t leave me behind again."
Marny paused. Nick's reaction was different than she'd expected. Her little man, as she called him, was always sure of himself. From nothing, he'd built a fledgling manufacturing empire that, if the Kroerak were finally dealt with, would virtually start churning out money.
"Again? What do you mean? I thought you liked building your empire," she said.
"I do, but I don't," he said. "Not if it means losing you for months at a time."
"Look. Having a baby is stressful for everyone," she said. "We'll work it out."
"You're not understanding me. I'm miserable when you and Liam are off on mission. I'm done with it. I found a manager for the manufacturing plant."
Frowning, she stepped back from him. "Seriously? You just built this company. You can't turn away now."
"I'm not," he answered. "Hog Hagarson is going to run the plant and Bish is going to
help. I'll oversee as much as I can from the road. Look, I'll make it work."
"How long have you been working on this?"
"When you, Liam, and Tabby ran down that Kroerak cruiser," he said. "It was like part of me died when you left, and I didn't feel alive until you came back."
"Just so you understand, while we're on Hornblower, I'm in charge," she said.
"Like it matters if we're on Hornblower," Nick quipped, pushing up on his toes so he could kiss her. The bump in her abdomen had grown to a sufficient degree, however, that even on tiptoes he could not get near her mouth.
Marny leaned forward and pulled him in close, grabbing his small bottom playfully with her hand.
"Did you know your boobs are huge?" Nick whispered in response to her playful gesture.
"No part of me isn't huge, right now. If it's any consolation, though, just about everything else will go back to normal once Little Pete shows up," Marny said, her mood lightening with the prospect of Nick joining them aboard Hornblower. "I've never understood exactly what you see in me. I'm big and gawky, even for an Earther."
"Jupiter, how blind can one woman be," Nick said. "So much woman in one amazing package. That your sexy bits grow when you’re pregnant is truly a fact that never crossed my mind. And before you go thinking it's all physical, you need to know I can't imagine anyone I'd rather be with."
"But you knew from the minute we met," she answered.
"Well, okay, that was physical," he answered. "But you gotta admit, you were bringing the heat with those pants."
Marny released him and mussed his hair all in a single move. "Now, go find someone to get us hitched."
A look of sadness briefly crossed Nick's face and Marny tilted her head, not understanding. "What's wrong?"
"I always assumed Liam would be my best man and Tabby would be my other best man," he said.
"Talk to him on quantum crystal tonight," Marny said. "I bet he'd like to hear from you. See what he thinks."
"Forty hours until we disembark?" Nick asked.
Fury of the Bold Page 2
