by Dennis Young
Talice shook her head. “They won’t see the implications of Jance’s message. He will.”
“Which is why I’m sending it directly to him with a request he review it first.” Mac cleared the screen and set the system to sorting and filing the data. She turned and looked at Talice with a serious eye. “You okay with this? We had our talk. Still on board? All about the mission?”
Talice watched the blank screen for a long moment. “She’s not gonna let Babs go. Evans was right. She’s going to lure me in and make me watch her kill Babs.”
“Then you have to make sure that doesn’t happen. Look, talk with him some more. Get as much a feel for when and how she’ll try to do this as you can. My guess… and it’s only a guess… she’ll draw it out as long as possible. Make it sweeter for her.”
Talice nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like Jance. Prolong her pleasure. Geez, she’s a bitch.”
Mac glanced at the chrono in the board. “Get yourself ready for the troops, Captain. We’ve got our ammo now. Hell’s a’comin’. We’d better be ready for it.”
* * *
The briefing was nothing if not intense. Talice let Mac give the dissertation on the Nemesis compound, layout, building IDs given by Jance, and notes on possible escape routes for the hostages. It went on for quite a while. The tension afterward was palpable.
“We’ve got about two days to familiarize ourselves with this and get back to Jance. Then two more to receive her reply and work out a plan.” Talice watched the team pass around the holos and notes she’d hastily put together. “We’ll have two briefings a day, one later today after Mac and I do a bit more evaluation. Briggs, I need you, Rory, and Junior to find the best routes to get out of the city fastest, the best areas beyond the city for cover. Ollie, you and Bělinka work up where we could set up traps and crossfires to delay anyone following. Dosu and Martin will be the cover team this time, so they’re with you in the planning stage as well. Niky, you and Mac find the best way to tap into their comm and what we can do to disrupt it once we have the hostages and are moving out.” She paused, looking around the table. “Pulse rifles all around, except for Bělinka with her FunGun and carbine.”
Aya, sitting with Evans at the far end of the table, raised her hand. “Captain, I’d like to go in with the rescue team.”
The room was silent for a long moment. “Let’s discuss that right after this briefing. Thank you.” Talice glance to Mac, who raised an eyebrow.
“What else?” Talice waited for questions.
“I think until we’ve had a bit of time to look this over, none of us really know what to ask,” said Briggs.
“Good point. Break up into your working groups and let me or Mac know what you have questions about.” Talice looked to Aya and Evans, watching closely. “I’ll talk with you two in about ten minutes. In the equipment bay, my private office.” She nodded downship.
Briggs, Rory, and Junior crowded together at one side of the table, everyone else on the other. With Dosu there, it was a tight fit.
Talice entered the Head, sat and slid down her camis to check her patch. Need a new one. She pulled out a package, tore it open, and slapped the C-12Plus onto her bare right inner thigh.
Camis up and drawing a deep breath, she exited and headed for her hammock. In the middle of the corridor, she stopped in thought. Jance has to find a way to gather fifty people in one place under enemy fire. How the hell can she do that? Maybe she isn’t. Maybe we have to dig them out from a dozen different places. We could lose half the team. Or…
She leaned against the bulkhead, not wanting to believe what she was considering. What if she has no intention of rescuing anyone? What if this is just a scam to get me and the team killed? And Babs? Can she be that fucking deranged?
* * *
Talice sat, her back against a supply crate. Evans and Aya were opposite her on another crate, Mac’s hoverchair a few paces back from the jumble of equipment and storage lockers.
“Alright… why?” Talice waited as Aya gathered her thoughts.
“First… I assumed Bělinka would go in with the rescue team, but you’ve decided otherwise. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not disagreeing, and with the scope of this mission, it’s probably for the best.”
Talice nodded. “So you think a female presence is necessary. I agree. I considered it, too. In fact…” She glanced at Mac, listening. “I was thinking of accompanying the rescue team myself.
Mac made a choking sound, and Talice nearly laughed.
“Regardless, have you ever donned a Heavy Combat Suit? Carried a weapon? Used a weapon? If you go in, you’ll likely have to fight.” Talice nodded to Evans. “Ask Gorg about his little adventure with me on Eos.”
Aya shrugged. “I’ve had training as any Marine, in weapons, mostly small arms. But… it’s been a long time.”
“We’ve talked,” replied Evans. “I told her Jance nearly cut me in half. And she won’t hesitate to do the same to Aya, we know.”
“Captain, I’m trained as Geisha —”
Talice waved her hand. “I’ve read your file. You don’t have to explain it to me. Yes, I understand how you calmed the hostages on the previous mission, but as you said yourself, you had time with them. This will be… different. There won’t be any time. None at all. In and out. Whether they want to go or not. Or think they don’t.”
“Some of their indoctrination techniques are very sophisticated.” Aya shuddered. “That’s why I think I should go. I know the techniques… and how to counteract them. At least, somewhat, in a short period of time.”
“Which brings us to a related subject. Neither Mac nor I trust Jance at all. This could be nothing but a trap for all of us. Until we have the details from Jance about who, when, and where, we can’t really plan anything, as we discussed in the briefing. But back to the original question. Why? What changed your mind? And I don’t think it was me not including Bělinka.”
Evans offered his hand to Aya. “I owe it to you and your team,” she said.
Talice held her words for a moment. “I appreciate that. Thank you. But you’re here only as an advisor. How can I send you in? How much danger will it put my team in if I do?”
Aya was silent, then shrugged. “I have no answer, Captain. I’m simply offering my services to help in any way I can. I’ve told you all I know. Now I want to help bring these people out.”
Talice was silent for a long moment. “Let’s wait and see what Jance has for a plan. Then maybe we can work out something that will be best for everyone.”
Aya nodded. “Fair enough.” She and Evans rose. “Thank you, Captain. I promise I’ll do my best, whatever you decide.”
Talice nodded. Evans and Aya turned and headed upship.
Mac looked at Talice. “Now you have a bit of an idea what I face when you want to go running off and shoot stuff up.”
“Come on, Mac, I’m a Grunt. Shooting stuff up is all I know how to do.”
“Yeah… and we both know better than that.” Mac looked away for a moment. “Got any of that single malt Scotch left?”
Talice grinned. “A little.”
“Then let’s have a drink and talk about the good old days.”
* * *
Talice was in deep REM sleep when Abie’s next call came through the intercom. It took three repeats of her words to get Talice’s full attention.
“Official Marine comm, fully encrypted, eyes-only, triple password sealed. Shall I send it to TacOps?”
Talice breathed, then nodded, then answered. “Please. I’ve gotta wake up before I go through the protocol or the message will blow up in my face. Post it, but quietly. I’ll be there in a bit. I’ve got to come back to the living first.”
“Hua, Captain.”
Talice clicked off, noting the ship’s lights were still dimmed. And it was still cold. She grabbed her camis and headed for the bath niche.
Twenty minutes later, with tea and breakfast in hand, she sat at TacOps. Everyone’s cabin monitors
showed green lights. Glad we had a couple of extra cabins installed for this trip. And my guess is, we’ll probably want whoever is in charge of the hostages on board during the return to Theia. Unless the colonel pulls rank.
She thought about Fawkes for a moment. Sipped tea, thought a bit more, then pushed it away. Yes, it’s serious. Neither of us is the type to play sex games. No worries. We both made a pledge that night. She chuckled over her cup. One less thing to worry about. One more thing to worry about. Funny how that works…
She set her cup aside and brought up the file. Centered the retina scan target and offered her left eye. Then her right eye. The screen chimed softly and faded, and the second page appeared with nothing but a cursor. She typed in a string of numbers, symbols, and letters. Geez, how do I remember this stuff when I can’t remember to change my patch sometimes?
The screen chimed again and changed. A pictograph appeared. She rearranged the symbols, clicked them in order, and, for good measure, blew it a kiss. The last part wasn’t official, but she thought it might help, just in case. The screen emitted a tone, then another. A fourth screen appeared, this one of the Marine insignia and a bright red classified warning, speaking of impending doom for unauthorized personnel viewing the contents. She clicked accept and opened the folder.
The file wasn’t particularly large, but it was detailed. Talice shook her head as she read. Holy shit! The assault battalion is already on Crius! They’re two days ahead of us!
She looked at the chrono. 0500 Hours. I’ll give Mac another hour, then she and I need to review this together.
She rose, ducked around the corner to the ready room to draw more tea. Evans was there, reading a small book. A real book. “Good morning, Mr. Evans. You’re up early.”
He smiled gently and laid aside his reading. “Actually, I haven’t slept. I’ve been reading all night.”
Talice offered tea, he declined. She sat and drank. “I’ve done that. Sometimes you just have to find out what happens on the next page.”
Evans was silent for a moment. “Can I ask a question, Captain?”
“As long as it doesn’t have to do with the mission, sure.” Talice shook her head. “No, I don’t mean that. What’s on your mind?”
“Have you thought about Aya’s request?”
“Waiting for intel. I can’t make a decision like that without knowing what the situation really is.”
“But you’re considering it?”
Talice eyed Evans. “I’m considering everything, and not considering everything. For a master spy, you seem to be in an awful hurry. Of all the people on this ship, I find that odd. You’ve told me patience is necessary in your line of work.”
“Yes, but—”
“There’s no ‘yes, but’ involved. You’re too close. And believe me, I know that little issue, too. I’ve been lectured by any number of people about this mission and my relationship with Jance Sukano.”
“Are you removing yourself from that equation? Giving over decisions to Mac?”
Talice shook her head. “What the hell are you talking about? Mac and I talk this stuff out, of course. Are you saying I’m not capable of objective decisions? Working up your psyche report again?”
Evans kept his gaze with hers but said nothing. He sighed. “When Aya was first captured, she was made a sex slave.”
“Her and all the others. No need to rehash it.”
“When she escaped and reported to her superiors, she insisted on going back in to get the others out. She’d been defiled, in her mind. Disgraced. She had to either rescue them or die trying.”
Talice nodded. “I understand. I’ve studied her dossier. Her ancestry is Olde Earth Japanese, very strict, very ordered. Saving face, dying with honor… it’s pretty clear.”
“Then you’ll understand she has to go in. She feels she still hasn’t done enough. Honestly, she may never feel she’s done enough, and may keep trying until… until she is killed. Many times, those of her culture feel whatever their dishonor is, it can’t be repaid or repaired. They’d rather die. This is on her mind.”
Evans shifted in his chair, clasped his hands on the table, and continued. “I’m asking you to give her that opportunity for honor, even if it’s in death.”
Talice eyed him carefully. “I thought you didn’t want her to go. Now you’ve changed your mind? But she’s already made the request, Mr. Evans. You don’t have to make it for her.”
He nodded. “I’m just offering a bit more understanding, Captain. And hope you’ll do the right thing.”
“The right thing is getting everyone out alive, including Aya. If she insists in committing hara-kiri, it’s not going to be on my watch.”
“Technically, the term is seppuku, but…” Evans paused. “Don’t you want to die with honor, Captain? Blaze of glory, and all that?”
“Then I won’t put that burden on someone else to decide for me. If it happens, it will be because I did it in service, nothing else.”
“And that’s all Aya is asking for. There’s no difference at all.” He picked up his book, rose with a curt nod, and walked out.
Talice sat in silence for a long time. Her thoughts were not of Evans. Or for that matter, Aya.
* * *
Two hours, and Talice sat with Mac at TacOps, pouring over the Marine file details and making a list of questions. Fawkes was obviously holding nothing back regarding the assault. A full battalion was involved, but the majority of action would be on the ground.
“At least we won’t get killed by our own missiles or friendly fire from the air.” Mac drank coffee and changed the digital page on the screen. “We basically have a ten-hour window once the Marines begin the operation.”
Talice clicked three separate screens to show views of the compound’s north side. “This place is a fortress. Walls all around except the west side, and that’s sidled up against a mountain. That’s got to be their storage, and probably an escape route, too.”
“If we could find the back door, we could go in through that.” Mac called up views of the south and east on more screens. “South has only one gated entry. East has two. All are heavily protected with auto-feeders and probably traps.”
Talice nodded. “We’ll have Bělinka look at these and see what she can locate. But you’re right. If we could find the escape tunnel…” She zoomed in to a hillside west. “We have drones, right?”
“Four. Two with cameras and grenades, one with a minigun, and one lightweight, NightSight, IR and UV, 20X mag, fully stealthed.”
“Then we use that one.” Talice put a target circle on three places. “My guesses for the entrance. The top one looks most promising because of its height.”
Mac nodded, watching. “Once we’re down, I’ll get the drone in the air. We’re landing at night, right?”
Talice nodded. “I wonder if Jance knows about what’s under that mountain.”
“Ask.”
“I will. I’ve got to put together these questions for her. I have no way to contact her now, so we’ll have to wait until we’re on the ground.”
Mac shrugged. “How will you then? Got her number?”
“She’ll call again, trust me. She knows how long it will take us to get there and about how long to find a suitable hiding place for Bird One and our deployment. Besides, she has to tell us where to find the hostages. She’s got someone inside helping her with the roundup, I’m sure. And where to meet her to get Babs.”
“You mean so she can kill you?” Mac grimaced.
Talice nodded, showing a smirk. “Oh, yeah, she’ll call all right.” She growled, pointing to a line of script in Fawkes’s notes to her. “He’s giving us authorization to use ‘whatever means are necessary’ regarding Jance. Like we need his approval!”
“Easy, Princess. Maybe he’s just making it official. With Babs being a Marine, he could kick us out and do this all himself.”
Talice didn’t answer. Damn him. Then, he’s telling me to be careful. Okay, point taken.
“We’re running out of time, Talice. We’ve got less than two days before orbit.”
“Then let’s get the team together and go over this. I’m sure Briggs and Rory will have some ideas.” Talice stood. “Showtime, Sergeant. Let’s not disappoint the paying customers.”
* * *
Two days more of briefings, discussions, arguments, proposals, and intel trickling in from the Marines on Crius came to a head the morning before Bird One made orbit around Junora, Crius’s major moon. That decision had been made after Abie mentioned detecting satellites orbiting Crius, a point of interest Talice went on an immediate rant about, threatening to call the whole operation off. An hour of private discussion with Mac, and a hasty tight-beam conversation with Fawkes, who explained the satellites were launched by the Marines when they arrived, finally convinced her this was a long way to travel to simply turn around and go home.
“That little bit of information would have saved me a headache.” Talice sat with Mac, Briggs, and Rory in the ready room, sorting through hardcopies of the data. Mac moved smoothly in her hoverchair to the TacOps board, called up the final files, and began downloading them to the teams HCS Headup displays.
“So for the moment, it’s into the mountains and search for the back door, right?” Briggs tossed an empty beer bulb into the recycler. Rory handed him another from the cooler at his side.
“Bělinka thinks it’s a good chance the overhang about five hundred meters above ground is the entrance. Easy to defend, well hidden from just about any angle, and Abie’s deep radar showed a system of tunnels in the mountain.”
“Probably more than one exit,” said Rory.
Talice nodded. “So we need to plug up one and go in the other. Mac’s heavy drones will take care of that.”
“We need Jance’s intel,” said Briggs quietly. “This playing games is shit.”
Talice nodded again. “We’re going in at night, but first we’re shadowing one of the Marine satellites from here. Then when we’re on the opposite side of Crius, we’ll start our stealthed descent. With luck, Jance won’t know we’re down until after we’re down.”
