They all looked around, trying to find something to do as Vash cooed over the coms, “So, how's Prime's sexiest tinker?”
I felt my cheeks burning. Most of the time I loved Vash's problem with impulse control, but sometimes it was a little embarrassing when she spoke like that in earshot of others.
I spoke with her about nonsensical things as I removed the net securing the old traffic control console to the cargo area of the tumbril. I was going to need it if we were going to do a manual intercept of the city. I had done some reading up on the system. I knew it wasn't quantum binary pulse tech, but it wasn't even phased lidar, it was some archaic system called photonic radar. It was based on wave signal return instead of signal degradation or light reflection. That was like one step up from stone knives and wooden clubs.
But it is what we had, and I knew it actually worked. Over the next couple hours we ran the leads to the iso-pad mounted on the control console we didn't dare have connected before launch, and ran a diagnostic test run on it as I chatted with my girl about everything and nothing. I didn't even care that everyone there in New Terra Control was listening. It was important for me to remind my girlfriend about her humanity.
That, and this could be the last minutes we had together, and I wanted her to know she was loved.
Chapter 6 – Contact
I again floated to the partially blocked window and pointed at what appeared to be a bright star just above the atmosphere of Prime. “Look Glitchy, New Terra!”
I smiled at him as he gracelessly tumbled through the air to my side then his iris went wide in wonder as the tiny bright pinprick of light slowly grew. The Capitol!
I pushed back and hooked my toe under the control panel and drifted down into the pilot's seat and checked our status on the iso-pad as I said, “We have you in sight, Vash.” I checked the chrono and added, “Time to intercept, sixty-three point one five eight.”
She almost giggled at that, and I smiled at the sound and told her, “I thought you might like the precision.”
I reached for the iso-pad to activate the, umm, radar, to get more accurate readings when I saw motion out there amongst the star-packed sky, between New Terra and us. I hesitated squinting. Then I saw what I had seen before, a few stars were blotted out by a dark shape as others flickered back into view as it moved... angling toward the Dodo.
I muttered, “What the ever loving fuck?” Then snapped out, “Glitch, ten o'clock, eighteen degrees.”
He squeed an affirmative, and I called out, “New Terra, we have some sort of cloaked vessel moving to intercept the Dodo.”
Then just as I jammed my finger on the iso-pad to activate the radar, the star-field warped, and a huge leviathan of a vessel seemed to shimmer into view. A huge blob showed up on the display screen in front of us as smaller contacts seemed to spit out of it like fleas from the back of a dog.
I whispered as I fed the data to New Terra, “Mother of all crystal! Contact! A dreadnought class attack tumbril carrier! We have multiple bogies incoming!” They had been watching us this whole time. This had to be part of the Galactic Federation's Pacification Fleet. Flanterskelling bootwaffles! And this is likely where the activation signal had originated which started the genocide.
Well, we knew this to be a possibility, and now we were all dead. The light armament on the Dodo was nonexistent now, the plasma energy weapons power had been redirected to other systems for launch, and the two light, solid fuel, missiles had been left on the surface to lighten our load for launch. Not that I'd know how to use any of them or had a chance against the fifty fleas that were closing to energy weapon range.
I just stared at the window at the traces of light swarming toward the Dodo, and I whispered into the coms, “I love you Vash.”
That's when the Betweener com system crackled to life, and a familiar baritone voice yelled out, “Yeeehaaaa!” Just as dozens of missiles shot past us from behind and dozens of tumbrils followed at full burn. The voice called out, “You do what you came here for little dirter, leave these crystal licking asswipes to us.”
I just blinked as the two groups came within energy weapons range as missiles started exploding, taking out attack tumbrils as the two groups engaged each other. Another volley of missiles went past us receding into pinpricks of light, there were so many, but these were targeting the carrier, not the tumbrils.
Weapons fire bloomed from the beast taking out large swaths of the incoming missiles, a small portion made it through, doing minimal damage to the carrier. Then I realized they were shooting for the gun ports, knowing they likely couldn't penetrate the dreadnaught's hull.
I checked the radar as Lady Peregrine's voice came over coms, “McGreery?”
The man chuckled and responded over my relay, “Yes, Abigail, I'm here to save your ass, yet again. Now hush and let me and my people get to work here so Fixit can do her thing.”
Over my terror of flying through a space battle unarmed, I saw hundreds of contacts on the radar overtaking the Dodo from behind. Had the entire Betweener Fleet followed me to orbit? I had no way of knowing. They must have been riding escort this whole time, and I never knew!
I buckled in and put a look of determination on my face and yelled out, “Hang on Glitchy! This is going to get rough.” With one eye on the radar plot and one on the window, keeping New Terra in view as it slowly grew in the windscreen, I slammed the joystick over, sending us into a corkscrewing barrel roll, just avoiding the wreckage of a Galactic Federation tumbril. Glitch was squealing and bouncing around the Dodo until he magnetized his treads and held himself to the deck.
Vash was in my ear, reading the data I was streaming through coms to New Terra and our new allies, faster than I could even see. “Port Fixie, yaw twenty degrees down, now starboard, yaw thirty-seven degrees up.” I was just following her lead without question after we weaved through some debris of a couple Betweener tumbrils without a scratch.
Then it almost felt like we were catapulted forward as we exploded from the aerial battle into clear space, New Terra now looming in front of us. I know it was my imagination, but I had felt so... claustrophobic going through the tight quarters of hundreds of vessels slinging energy and missiles at each other.
Another tumbril settled in on our wing and I strained to look out the window, seeing sparks flying from a huge gouge in the other ship's hull and a smug looking McGreery giving me a thumbs up in the pilot's seat.
I shook my head and smiled. “Why didn't you tell me you were back there?”
He actually chuckled at me and said, “You never asked. We thought that if there was someone out there like we thought, you might need the support. And besides, this was more dramatic wouldn't you say?”
I grred and said, “Bootwaffle.” Then added as he laughed at me, “Thank you McGreery.”
He responded, “Rex. Any time little dirter. Now go get your girl, I've got your six.” Then he peeled off, shooting at something I couldn't see.
I started chuckling to myself at the impossibility of it all. I had just been saved... by pirates.
We watched as the Capitol filled our view over the next twenty minutes. I tried not to listen to the chatter on the coms of the men fighting and dying to keep the enemy off of me.
The proximity alarm finally started beeping, it had felt like it should have gone off long before then, but the mammoth scale of the city made it feel closer than it actually was. All I could see now was a sheer wall of ceramic alloys and one of dozens of black dots along it that were airlocks that were supposed to be closed but were wide open to space.
I finessed the controls, and rotated the ship on her axis, trying to line up our cargo doors with an open airlock. These ships were never meant for docking at airlocks, they were meant to fly into landing bays or dock on the city rings above. I said, “Get the docking system ready Glitchy.” I don't know how, but it felt like he was grinning as he squeed out an “Aye Aye.” And a little panel on his mobility platform flipped open, and the tip
of one of his four anchoring harpoons gleamed in the harsh light in space.
Ok, so it wasn't the most glamorous option, it was our only option.
Vashon's voice, sounding artificially mechanical, started calling out the distance, “Fifteen meters, fourteen meters, thirteen...” As a more emotional sounding Vash coaxed over it, “You're doing great, Vega. Take it slow. Umm, you're going to want to slow do...”
I could hear her wince as we clanged into the city. I squinted one eye hearing the groaning and screeching of metal on metal, feeling a little embarrassed. I whined in defense, “Hey, I've never flown in space before. So what if I marred the paint on your pretty little butt a bit.”
Her instant retort was, “Does this city make my butt look big?”
We were snickering when Lady Peregrine leaned into my field of view, looking incredulous as she chastised us, “Girls, please. We have only thirty-three minutes until atmo. We're already strafing the mesosphere, and frictional heating is going to be starting.”
My cheeks felt like they were on fire. I had completely forgotten others could hear us. But then Vash and I started chuckling again when she said, “Yes, mother.” I don't know what was so funny, we were likely all going to die in the next half hour. But Sai was giggling so it must have been catchy.
I almost lost it completely when first Anna, then Lady Peregrine herself joined in. Were we all hysterical or something. Well, it was pretty funny. Then we all stopped when McGreery's voice interrupted, “Ladies? Please.”
Right.
I exhaled and put the ship into station keeping and moved back to the cargo area with Glitch. I had no clue if this next part was going to work. I exhaled and said as I tapped a code on the multi-tool at my hip, “New Terra, Dodo, opening bay doors.”
Robo-Vash answered, “Affirmative, go for bay door deployment.” She was such a smartass, and I loved her for it.
I felt the nano panels flow over me. I wasn't taking any chances just in case the tumbril's containment field didn't work. Once I was armored up against the harsh environment of space, feeling stronger, I magnetized my boots, and with a clank, I attached to the deck. I said from within my helmet, “Ok buddy, let's do this.”
He squeed and hit the controls at the doors and with a thrum and haze of light, the containment field went up, and the doors clanked then hissed open, leaving us looking across empty space to the gaping maw of the airlock. It was just slightly too small for us to have just flown into.
I said to everyone, “Yup. There's space out there.” So far so good. I glanced at Glitch, and he shuddered, sparks drizzling. Then he turned to the door and with a thrum, fired a harpoon through the energy field that was keeping us pressurized. It clanked off the armored hull, just left of his target. He adjusted and fired a second. This one hit its mark, the soft seal of the airlock opening. He squeed in triumph and started reeling us in so that we were in contact with the city again.
He quickly welded the cable to the deck then moved over and fired a third harpoon, which hit its mark on the other side of the airlock. Once he tensioned and welded the cable, he squeed, and I praised him. “Good job Glitch! You're the man!”
Then I told the others, “Dodo secured.”
Robo-Vash repeated, “Dodo secured.” Oh, I got what she was doing. It was like that space adventure wave we last watched before they took her topside to recover and be repaired. The one where the evil ship's computer started killing everyone one at a time. Classic!
I stared at a couple of meters of open space between the door and the floor of the airlock and swallowed as I crouched to unsecure my tool belts from the cargo bay floor and fasten them over my shoulder. Ideally, I'd have just my multi-tool for this, but as it was currently making me into the SS Vega, self-contained spaceship, I'd have to go old school.
Glitch helped me free the makeshift relay apparatus from the cargo hold and then float the quarter ton device in front of me. I stood in front of the door and looked at my target and swallowed hard. My mechanical friend squeed with concern. I shook my head. “No buddy, you can't come. You weren't built for the harsh conditions of space. It might damage you beyond my ability to repair. You watch the Dodo for me. I'll be back soon, I promise.”
He nodded sadly and backed up. I said into coms, something from the history files, “On small step for man, one giant leap for Fixit kind!” And I pushed the relay then jumped after it.
As I drifted through space, trying not to hyperventilate, I saw a bright flash. I blurted, “What was that?”
McGreery was the one who answered. “That incoming gravity signature just fired pulse cannons at the Dreadnaught! It is too far out of range to do any damage. But it was a knock at their door. The attack tumbrils are retreating, and the Dreadnought is powering its gravity projection bump drives. They're retreating!”
Oh, thank the mother of all crystal. That was one less thing to worry about.
I hit the deck running, my magnetic boots keeping me grounded, telling me the artificial gravity was off even in the lower levels here. I caught up with the relay before it hit the deck and grabbed it with one hand.
I blinked, even though Vash told me what to expect. It would have taken a lot more than me grabbing it to stop the momentum of the device as it out-massed me greatly, but in this makeshift EVA suit, it was like being in Sky Guard armor. I was multiple times stronger. I may as well have been catching a ball the boys threw at me.
I looked back at Glitch in the Dodo just once. He looked like a beaten puppy. Sorry boy. Then I started running down the open corridors that were illuminated in red by the emergency lighting. I was amazed at how fast I was with the suit augmenting my speed and strength.
I stopped at a panel on the wall and tapped it, and a map of the lower level sprang up. It was pretty much a straight shot to the core. I'd never be able to make it the half mile in time if it weren't for the suit. I swallowed as I looked at how fast I was burning through power. I could feel the bandolier of crystals across my chest heating up.
I was halfway to my goal, seeing the power levels, I wouldn't have much time when I arrived at my destination. I turned a corner and squeaked in distress and tried hard not to puke in my helmet when I saw the body of a woman dangling from some sort of netting floating outside a maintenance bay. She must have gotten snagged by the industrial netting during the explosive decompression when all the airlocks were vented to space.
Vash was on coms, concern in her voice. “What is it, Vega.”
I shook my head and started to run again. “Nothing... it's nothing. A dead worker.” The poor woman. Vashon didn't respond, what could she say?
I just stared at the end of the corridor and steeled my resolve. “I'm four hundred meters from the core. Stand by. I'll...” Then I was oofing when something hit me like a runaway harvester. Sending me into the opposite wall of the corridor so hard I left an impression.
Then I was screaming as white-hot pain seared into me from the side. I looked down to find a sewage maintenance pinger, about half my size, firing its industrial laser it used to clear out clogs in the sewage lines at my side as its two grapplers... well, grappled me.
It wasn't piercing the nanoplates that made up the armor, but it was heating them red hot and sizzling my flesh below it faster than the makeshift life support system could compensate. I lashed out with a fist, and it connected, deeply denting the pinger's armor that was designed for harsh environments. It still grappled and started trying to tear at my suit. It had gone insane. Was this what that malicious code could have done to my pingers?
I was losing time and bit back another scream as it fired again, this time into my midsection as it tried to scrabble out of my reach. Vash was almost yelling in my ear, asking what was happening. I was starting to hyperventilate when the pinger was torn from me so violently it lost one of its grapplers.
Then over the coms came Glitch's warbling scream as I turned to see him holding the offending pinger and firing his last harpoon into the sparking
hole where its grappler had been. It went still. I was about to yell at Glitch to get back to the Dodo before he got irreparably damaged when I saw three more of those sewage pingers roll out of the door on magnetic treads, where the dead woman was.
Glitch swiveled his orb from me to them. Then squeed out for me to go over the coms. My eyes watered as I sat there in indecision. He was my best and oldest friend. I couldn't just leave him.
It was Vash snapping, “Vega!” That decided things for me. One last time, Glitch was taking care of me, and I wasn't going to let him die it in vain. I saw him trundle toward the smaller pingers, his treads magnetized, then I turned back to the corridor and grabbed the relay and started running, tears blurring my vision.
I asked in a raw voice, “How much time do we have?”
She replied in a hesitant tone, wanting to ask me what had happened, “Twenty-two minutes.”
I nodded and poured on the speed.
I reached the end of the corridor and then sprinted along an arching corridor, looking for the single entry into what should have been the most secure room in the complex. I noted external hull temperatures were up to over one hundred and forty degrees. We were definitely feeling the effects of friction from the upper atmosphere now.
Warning alarms were beeping in my ears as my power levels dropped below five percent. That damn crystal licking sewage pinger had taken a lot out of me. I arrived at double security doors that, when closed, could survive a quantum fission meltdown. It was so eerie seeing the ten meter thick doors wide open like that.
I shook my head and moved inside. I knew what to expect, but in our minds, we build something that can run an entire city and the Prime Information Grid up to be this mammoth cavernous room with like a pillar of light in it or something. Instead, I stood in a fairly smallish room, with a single bank of servers with five huge, redundant fiber trunk lines as big around as my chest leading into it. A small shelf with a virtual keyboard protruded over a chair that was bolted to the floor. That was the only convenience for humans in the space.
Fixit Adventures Anthology Page 20
