"Explosives and tunnels seem like a bad combination."
"No different than mining on an asteroid," I said, grinning. "Other than gravity and the fact that we could pull the mountain down on top of us."
"You're not making me feel any better about this."
I nodded as I transferred the patterns for the equipment I needed to the replicator's queues. By sharing the load between both replicators, we'd have a minimal set of mining gear about the same time Jaelisk was ready to be released from the medical tank.
"Sendrei, how's work coming on the city's defensive weapon?" I asked. We hadn't heard much from either Jonathan or Sendrei since they'd headed out to the site.
"Have I mentioned that I dearly despise crawling through wreckage? My ribs have barely healed from the last time," he grunted.
"What are you crawling through?" I asked. The actual weapon was located thirty kilometers from what we'd nicknamed downtown. As we flew out to meet Sendrei, the ancient ruins of the city seemed to disappear more and more as if each kilometer traveled erased progressively more of their civilization.
"What the Kroerak didn't bomb has fallen to nature. I'm trying to clear a gas port that is clogged all the way to the surface," he said. "We could use a lot more help. This is going to take forever."
Several minutes later we arrived at what remained of a Piscivoru military installation. Long gone were fences, guard towers and other fortifications that should have marked the area. If not for an overlay on our HUDs we wouldn't have had a clue that the heavily overgrown, bombed-out buildings had any discernible purpose.
"Kroerak hit this place hard," I observed.
"That's an understatement, Liam," Sendrei agreed.
Tabby and I hovered over the installation, looking for evidence of the weapon we believed would be our only hope against the Kroerak. Finally, with the AI highlighting details on my HUD, I located the lip of the eight-meter wide circular silo that was inset twenty meters into the ground. Unlike the computer overlay, the silo below was full to the top with dirt and rubble, the sides having been caved in by repeated bombing.
"We'll need to remove four thousand cubic meters of material to clear the silo," I said. "Have you found the control room yet?"
"It's in better shape than you'd expect," Sendrei answered. "Previous inhabitants not so much."
"Say again?" Tabby asked.
"Jonathan and I reached the control room about an hour ago. There was a pretty big group of Piscivoru crowded inside. I'd speculate that it was one of the only safe places left once the Kroerak controlled the planet's surface," Sendrei said. "Only way in is through these darn gas vents. Better than half of 'em are blocked in one way or another. Come on in, you'll want to see this."
A blinking arrow on my HUD indicated a point of interest. Following the arrow, we came across a steep hill and on the side was an opening not much larger across than a man's shoulders.
"Frak, but I hate tunnels," Tabby said with a groan.
The first telltale of Sendrei's passage through the tunnel was the roots he'd cut to gain entrance. The next thing we found was evidence of small animals who'd, at one time or another, used the tunnel as their home. Fortunately, no bodies remained.
"Use your grav-suit, Tabbs." If I did it just right I was able to sail through without touching the earthen sides. "It's a lot better than those tunnels beneath the Iskstar mountain."
"Yeah. Lovely," she replied.
Exiting the tunnel, we found ourselves on a metal lattice that hugged the outer wall near the bottom of the silo. At this level, the silo's walls were intact. Debris, including rocks and building material, had fallen in from above and lay haphazardly across the space, creating a jagged ceiling a few meters above our heads.
Sendrei slid out from a tunnel identical to the one we’d just come from. "There you are. Ready for a tour? She's a fixer upper, but she has good bones."
"What are we even doing here?" Tabby asked. "There's five thousand meters of rock on top of your weapon. Don't you think the Kroerak did a pretty good job of shutting this one down? And someone want to tell me why the Piscivoru didn't build their weapons aboveground? How do they get any angle?"
"You raise reasonable questions, Tabitha," Jonathan answered over comms. "We were hoping Liam would bring expertise in clearing the material overhead. The weapon requires significant repair, but it is far from lost."
"What about angle? Twenty meters into the ground. If anything approaches from the side, you're done. Won't the Kroerak just planetfall over a few hundred kilometers and come get them?"
"The weapon has significantly more flexibility than you might realize," Jonathan replied. "The earth is primarily utilized as armor. While in operation, the weapon is raised into a position compatible with its firing solution. It is designed to combat heavy, slow-moving fleet ships and would be of limited use against fast moving fighters."
"How would it have done against the Kroerak?" I asked.
"Not well," Jonathan answered. "The Piscivoru were a peaceful people. Their civilian government was slow to authorize counter attacks. Authorization was only given when the Kroerak ground forces threatened to overtake the cities."
It took little for my mind to make the leap and understand the rest. "And then it was too late. Without the Iskstar weapons, the Piscivoru would have been wiped out." I immediately regretted my words as I discovered Engirisk was in the control room and listening to the conversation. "Oh. I'm so sorry, Engirisk. I didn't realize you were here."
"You have not misspoken, Liam Hoffen. It was a lesson hard learned by my people," Engirisk said. "I take some solace in finding that even these most powerful weapons would have been mostly ineffective."
"Is that true, Jonathan?" Tabby asked.
"The Piscivoru defensive guns can only be fired every thirty seconds and while their range is quite significant, they would have difficulty breaching the armor of a modern battleship, much less that of the larger Kroerak vessels," Jonathan answered.
I frowned. "Define significant range."
"The Piscivoru scientists valued distance over most other design considerations. While it would require verification, we believe this weapon breaches the planet's natural atmosphere and is capable of effectively striking targets as far away as fifty thousand kilometers."
I whistled. "Wait. Why wouldn't you just move out of its way? Surely that shot takes a long time to get there."
"The technology used causes the beam to reach its target at one third the speed of light. At maximum range the beam arrives in one half of a second," Jonathan said.
"Moons of Venus," Tabby said. "How much power does this thing take?"
"It is significant," Jonathan said. "The Piscivoru were quite advanced with energy technology – we believe well beyond humanity."
Movement caught my attention as Engirisk's tongue darted in and out of his mouth in an unusual way. It struck me that he'd been listening intently to Jonathan's explanation. "Kind of makes you proud to learn about your people's accomplishments, doesn’t it?" I asked.
"We risk much by returning to the surface," Engirisk said. "I, for one, believe recovering our once-proud society is worth this risk."
"I couldn't agree more," I said. "Do you think you could get a crew of twenty or thirty strong Piscivoru to help us clear this debris?"
"I do not see how a thousand Piscivoru could move it," he answered.
"Jonathan, would you bring up a feed that shows what Tskir and Sklisk are doing right now? I believe they're both within range of the video sensors," I said.
"Certainly," he answered. On the opposite side of the control room two video screens illuminated, showing Tskir and Sklisk tearing at the city's rubble with their machines.
"Where did they find these devices and how have they learned to operate them?" Engirisk asked.
"Ask them at the evening meal," I said. "I bet they'd both be thrilled to tell you."
"Certainly, I will," he answered.
"Tabby and
I have a couple of hours to kill; what can we do to help?" I asked, looking back to Sendrei.
"We will not be able to send construction machines into the gas ports," Sendrei said. "Each tunnel has obstructions, even if only at the ends where trees and plant life are overgrown. It is not an exciting, nor even a difficult task, but it remains critical all the same."
"Doesn't sound like something Tabby would be very good at," I said, pulling my nano blade from my belt and flicking it open to the shorter, dagger length. The nano-blade was an energy weapon; at its core was a filament of extraordinarily thin wire surrounded by an electrical charge. It was particularly good at slicing through things that ordinarily put up a great deal of resistance. Anyone or anything connected to the wielder was safe, but things like an enemy’s arms or legs, or dense material like tree roots, or even objects like pistols or bo staves were fair game. Dirt and rocks tended to be problematic, but I wasn't looking to dig with it.
"I'll show you ‘not very good,’" Tabby said, more than willing to take the bait. She pushed me away from the door and sprinted out, leaning over as she did and drawing her own nano-blade.
Two and a half hours later we stopped our frenetic dives into the long tunnels. The count was three tunnels cleared for me and four for Tabby. I'd had a bit of bad luck with an old cave-in, otherwise I'd have buried her by at least two.
"I knew you were just trying to get me going," Tabby said as we headed back, having said our goodbyes to Sendrei and Jonathan.
"Heh. More fun if we're competing," I said. "Hey, look down there. Is that Tskir and Sklisk?"
A pair of dirt movers were picking their way along what looked to be an old highway. The going was pretty rough, but then again, they had the equipment to clear it.
"What are they going to do when the hole is deeper than their buckets can reach?" Tabby asked.
"We may have to bring in a crane and some mining equipment," I said. "Seems like Sendrei and Engirisk have it under control though."
It took a few more minutes to arrive at the now abandoned bunker. The doors had been closed, but opened with a palm scan. I was worried the scanners would have trouble, as human hands were considerably larger than Piscivoru, but Jonathan said they'd updated the software to work for us.
"You want to do the honors?" I asked as we approached the medical tank where Jaelisk lay calmly looking out through the glass.
"Sure. Although she seems to be taking the confinement pretty well."
I diverted to the bin where my new mining equipment lay. I'd chosen patterns for a lightweight mining hammer drill and smaller explosive bags. All of Tabby's talk about bringing the cavern down on our heads with heavier explosive packs had done its job and I'd backed down from what was tried and true for me.
The sound of the vacuum pump drawing the medical tank gel into its reservoir got my attention. I walked over to where Jaelisk was just sitting up and allowing the liquid to run from her naked body. I diverted my eyes to look over her head, suddenly aware of the potential feeling of impropriety.
"Your mate is embarrassed," Jaelisk said. "It is our custom as well. Does every sentient species hide their nakedness?"
"The ones who would sleep in my bed do," Tabby said.
The answer caught Jaelisk off guard and caused her to cough up a pretty good wad of the thin gel that had entered her lungs. "Upon initial inspection, you would not think our species compatible. I find that our similarities are more than our differences. I will cover up so that your mate has a warm nest this evening."
"Thanks," I answered dryly. "How does that arm feel?"
"How should it feel?" Jaelisk asked. "It is just as it was. Would you expect different?"
I wasn't sure how to respond. Most people who had lost a limb had trouble getting used to a replacement. I recalled having issues initially, but the weirdness had worn off within a few weeks. For Jaelisk, regrowing a body part seemed like a much more common idea. Piscivoru did, after all, have the ability to regrow their tongue and tail.
"You're adjusting to having your arm back more easily than most humans," I said.
"I am quite pleased at its return," Jaelisk said. "I wish to express my deepest gratitude. You have restored much value to my family and even to my people. There are others who have injury. Would you allow this use?"
"Absolutely," I said. "Put the word out. We'll need every Piscivoru operating at their highest level if we're going to survive the Kroerak's return."
"I will travel to the grotto and spread this news," she said.
"We're headed that way at first light tomorrow. Your people are waiting for us to open the tunnel so we can retrieve our Popeyes," I said. "You're welcome to travel with us if you'd like."
"We're not going anywhere until you manufacture a suit cleaner." Tabby pulled at the collar of her suit. "I've about had it with living in this thing."
"I'll get one started right now. You know … we flew over a lake earlier today. I bet we could clean them in the water while the replicator is working – you know, as long as we took them off and everything," I said, waggling my eyebrows.
"Does Sklisk do whatever he can to get you out of your clothing, Jaelisk?" Tabby asked with mock offense.
"He is often his quietest when I have disrobed and he believes I do not sense him," she answered. "I allow him this as I enjoy his pleasure at my form."
"Sounds like Jaelisk thinks we should go for a swim," Tabby said.
It was an idea I wasn't about to turn down.
Chapter 6
Two Birds
Displaying a calm she did not feel, Marny walked to the captain's chair Ada had just vacated. The survival of one hundred and twenty-one souls depended on her making the right decisions. The crew needed to function at their best, something they couldn’t do if they thought she was rattled.
"Twelve seconds to missile impact. Firing countermeasures in four … three …" Gunnery Sergeant Martinez reported. The AI picked up on and displayed silent countdowns for both events on the edge of the holographic display.
Marny slid into the chair and engaged the gravity system that Roby Bishop had discovered in the archive of humanity's patterns. He’d convinced Nick to wheedle the rights to replicate the restraints throughout the ship. She wasn't sure why the system was better than old-fashioned belts, but Nick had convinced her it was indeed superior, as long as the ship had power.
Marny was less interested in the missiles than she was in the larger issue of why the ship was being attacked and how exactly she wanted to respond. Martinez's crew would either knock down the missiles or they would not.
Analyzing the attacking fleet, she discovered it was composed of a frigate-class vessel, two sloops, and a couple of small cutters. Her best thought was that the ships were part of a pirate fleet and they'd mistaken Hornblower for a fat merchant ship. They might have launched missiles before their sensors had fully resolved their mistaken assumption. The analysis caused a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, however, as the ships were Strix flagged. That fact conflicted with her pirate theory. Regardless, a strong show of force would be required since first blood had been drawn.
"One missile is through," Martinez reported grimly. "Brace, brace, brace."
The warning was almost nostalgic for Marny. She hadn't worked with a professional firing crew for years and Martinez's calm-under-fire statement reminded her of previous battles while serving in the North American Navy.
"Fire at will with the seventy-fives," Marny answered, momentarily distracted by the flash of a missile exploding on Hornblower's bow. A moment later the entire ship shuddered from the explosive vibration. "Ada, give gunnery a solution on that frigate."
Hornblower had three sizes of cannons: a single 400mm, for which they had no rounds; two 250mm, which would be perfect for facing off cruisers, frigates and the like; and four 75mm cannons that were fast to aim and would punch fist-sized holes through the sloops and cutters if they were dumb enough to get within range.
Throu
gh the forward armored glass of the centrally-located bridge, Marny was momentarily mesmerized by the streams of light erupting from the 75mm cannons. While not operational when Loose Nuts seized the ship, Hornblower's cannons were from a dual-functioning Pogona design. Loading kinetic rounds took time, as physical projectiles had to be moved into place. The Pogona cannons filled this downtime with a secondary blaster that fired several shots in-between the bullets.
Almost immediately upon giving the order to fire, one of the Strix-flagged sloops exploded brilliantly just aft of the bridge, casting a halo of light onto Hornblower's deck.
"Frak, Hawthorn, give me everything," Ada cussed, dragging the ship's large flight yoke around.
Marny watched with satisfaction as Hornblower turned, catching the pursuing frigate off-guard.
"Incoming missiles in flight," Martinez warned again, a new fifteen-second countdown popping up on the holo display.
"Raul, I need you to knock these down," Marny urged. It was unfair of her to expect a virgin fire-control team to operate at peak efficiency, but she didn't want there to be any confusion as to her priorities. They had a long mission in front of them and with no additional time to be laid up for repairs.
"Copy," Martinez answered, tightly.
"Walser, see if there are any Abasi in the area," Marny ordered. "And see if you can raise our friends here on comms."
"I've already reached out to Abasi." Marny was surprised to hear Nick's voice from a station just behind her peripheral. "They're thirty minutes out."
"Copy," Marny replied, gritting her teeth as two more missiles impacted Hornblower's armor.
A yellow arc of prediction showed that Ada's maneuvering would bring Hornblower around sufficiently for the 250mm cannons to align on the frigate.
"Captain Janghu on comms, ma'am," Walser announced as the floating bust of a uniformed Pogona appeared slightly to the right of the centerline on her display. The Pogona, or lizard-chins as they were referred to by the Loose Nuts crew, were the most human-appearing of all aliens they'd met in the Dwingeloo galaxy. Aside from paler skin and hair, they were nearly identical to humans when seen from the back. From the front, however, slit nose holes and wattles that resembled the folds on many of Earth's lizards drove home the point that they were a very different species.
Fury of the Bold Page 6
