“And if we are seen?” Ben said. “Will we know it before it’s too late?”
“I have sources,” Tolliver said. “If the Echo is spotted entering the atmosphere, they’ll know it. And I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get your crew out of the system safely. We won’t let you down. We’re too close to being home free for that.”
Chapter 41
“Everything is ready,” Nance said. “The jump is set.”
“How much time do we have?” Ben asked.
“The shift change is coming up,” Tolliver said from the communications console where he was strapped in.
“Alright, Kim, take us in,” Ben said.
“Roger that,” Kim replied.
She hit the button that launched them into hyperspace. The trip from the outer edge of the solar system to the edge of orbit on Mersa Prime took one long second. The transition into and out of hyperspace somehow seemed to stretch time. Ben didn’t understand it, but he could sense it, like bubble gum expanding into a bubble just before it bursts.
The Echo popped out of hyperspace close to the planet, but clear of the orbital zones of the many satellites encircling the planet. They should have had time to assess their position and the activity around the planet. Being seen by an Imperium patrol was always a possibility. But alarms sounded immediately, and the ship was rocked by an impact with something that shouldn’t have been there.
“Collision alert,” Nance said loudly.
“What the hell?” Kim shouted.
“What is it?” Ben said, already checking the hull for a breach on his console.
“Drones!” Kim said angrily. “Hundreds of them. We came out of hyperspace right the middle of a swarm.”
She was busy flying, trying to avoid the automated ships. Ben glanced up in time to see several of the drones up close via the ship’s exterior cameras. They were small and spherical. They were short-range craft, which meant an Imperium ship was probably nearby. The Echo’s artificial gravity was the only thing that kept the crew from being slung all around the bridge.
“This is insanity,” Kim said as she corkscrewed her way through the swarm.
“What are they doing here?” Tolliver demanded angrily. “They shouldn’t be in orbit.”
“They’re not orbiting,” Nance said. “Kim, may I bring up a plot on the main display?”
“Be my guest,” Kim said. “I’m almost through the little buggers.”
Ben’s quick review of the hull showed no breach. The small object that had hit them was, however, stuck between two of the Echo’s heat shield tiles. He would have to go out, remove the object, and replace the tile that had shattered when the drone impacted the hull.
“They have anticollision programming,” Nance said.
“Oh, now you tell me,” Kim snapped.
The display changed to a mock-up of Mersa Prime’s upper atmosphere. And as they watched, a group of drones streamed down through the ring of satellites and into the atmosphere.
“It seems we aren’t the only ones aware of the flaw in the government’s observation of atmospheric entry,” Nance said.
“They’re going down to the planet?” Tolliver asked.
“I don’t think so,” Nance said. “The drones only appear to have general thrusting abilities. Their range and flight capabilities are extremely limited.”
“What does she mean?” Tolliver asked.
“That the drones can fly in hard vacuum and in atmosphere,” Ben said.
“But why are they there at all?” the older man asked again.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Ben said.
“We’re through,” Kim announced. “I had to take us out a ways, but we’re clear of the swarm.”
“Good, keep us on this side of the planet,” Ben said. “I don’t want to take any chances that the Imperium forces might catch sight of us. In fact, Nance, go ahead and plot a jump out of the system. We can’t afford to take any chances.”
“Aren’t we going to the planet?” Kim said. “I can fly around the drone swarm.”
“No,” Ben said. “Not yet. That collision shattered one of the heat shield tiles. I’ll have to replace it.”
“The drone is still there,” Nance said.
“Still where?” Tolliver said.
“It’s stuck on the ship,” Ben said. “We’ll have to wait until the next shift change to get you home, but I can get the drone inside.”
“We can inspect it?” Tolliver asked. “Find out what the Imperium is doing?”
“I hope so,” Ben said, getting out of his seat. “I’ll be on the com-link. If you see any sign of trouble, let me know. Kim, if they come after us...”
“Don’t worry,” the cocky pilot replied. “I won’t wait for you.”
“What does that mean?” Nance said.
“If you have to jump,” Ben said. “Don’t wait for me.”
“That’s absurd,” Nance said.
“No, it isn’t,” Ben argued. “The ship is what is important. I shouldn’t be long, but we don’t take chances. Not while we’re this close to Imperium forces.”
Ben went down to the engineering bay and suited up for his space walk. He slung a magnetic belt of tools around his waist and checked the air supply. The small tank was full, which gave him an hour to get the repairs done. When he walked out of the engineering bay, he found Magnum waiting near the air lock. The big man had his own space suit on, although where he had gotten it was a mystery to Ben. They had a spare space suit, but it wasn’t large enough for Magnum.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping.”
Magnum held his round, transparent helmet under one arm, and it was the first time Ben had seen him in over a week without the sling to support his arm.
“No,” Ben said. “You’re injured.”
“I’m fine,” Magnum said, moving his arm around.
“This isn’t a two-man job,” Ben insisted.
“You make the repair,” Magnum explained. “I’ll bring in the drone.”
Ben had to admit it would take less time if he didn’t have to go out to the drone, remove it, bring it back inside the ship, then go back out to make the repair. But he still felt a little guilty letting Magnum help.
“You ever go EVA?” Ben asked.
Magnum shook his head.
“It’s trickier than it looks,” Ben said. “Hold onto the ship at all times. Three points of contact. You’ll be tethered, but don’t rely on it.”
Magnum nodded.
“Alright, how much air do you have?”
“One hour,” Magnum said.
“Good, that’s good. Where’d you get the suit?”
“Richmond Station,” the big man said. “Gregory helped me repair it.”
“Are you sure it’s ready for hard vacuum?”
“Nance ran a diagnostic,” Magnum said, as if that was all the proof he needed.
Ben could only hope the suit would hold up to the rigors of hard vacuum. One tiny flaw would be fatal, and Ben worried that the suit might leak oxygen or that Magnum might freeze if the heating system didn’t work. But there was no time to test it.
“Alright,” Ben said. “Let’s go.”
They put their helmets on and checked their seals, oxygen levels, and com-links. Everything was ready.
“We’ll have to go out the air lock one at a time,” Ben said. “I’ll go first. Be sure you tether up before the outer door opens.”
Magnum gave him a thumbs up. It was fortunate they hadn’t impacted more drones, Ben thought. If one had hit the air lock door, they would be trapped inside. He made a mental note to get more space suits. They needed enough for the crew and if they were going to continue to take passengers, enough for each one of them as well.
Once he was outside, Ben crawled along the exterior of the ship. He had seen people climb the nearly vertical cliffs in the canyons on Torrent Four with no safety equipment. It had seemed like sheer stupidity to him, although he
couldn’t help but admire the climbers’ courage and strength. Scrambling across the Echo’s hull in zero gravity wasn’t the same, although the danger seemed just as real. The idea of falling was really a misnomer, but he still thought of it as falling. If something happened and he lost his hold on the ship, he would go tumbling into space. His suit wasn’t equipped with thrusters of any kind, and he would have no way of stopping his fall. The tether was his lifeline, but the thought of trusting his life to a cargo strap connected to the old ship wasn’t reassuring to him. Instead, he climbed as if his life depended on his ability to hang onto the old vessel.
The impact had been far out, on the right wing. Ben had to climb up and over the wing, which took over ten minutes. He realized that without Magnum’s help, he probably couldn’t get everything done before running out of air. If it took ten minutes to climb out with nothing, it would probably take much longer to climb back with the drone. The automated device was the size of a large ball. Ben could just barely wrap his arms three-quarters of the device’s circumference. He had to pop two more heat shield tiles loose to remove the drone.
Magnum reached him just as Ben got the device free. It was dented and crumpled on one side. The power supply was destroyed, which Ben decided was a good thing. Whatever its purpose, the drone wouldn’t try to carry it out once they got it into the ship.
“This is strange,” Magnum said when he reached Ben.
“The drone?”
“No, being out here. There’s gravity.”
“We generate a bubble of artificial gravity that encompasses the ship,” Ben said. “It’s old school, but it gets the job done.”
“So if I fall?” Magnum asked.
“You would drop out of the bubble and go drifting off forever,” Ben said. “Don’t do that.”
Magnum nodded. They rigged a quick sling for the drone and hung it around Magnum’s good shoulder.
“No need to hurry,” Ben said. “Take your time. Safety first.”
Magnum nodded again, and Ben gave his forearm a squeeze. The big man was capable, so Ben turned his attention back to the shattered tile. He removed the broken pieces and quickly fastened another tile into place. The difficulty was getting his tools under the tile to secure it. Each one popped up several inches for repair work, but without the specialized tools used by the builders, the tiles took effort and ingenuity to replace.
Once it was fastened in place, Ben pressed it down into the locked position and gave the hull a visual inspection. A fracture in their heat shield would make entering a planet with atmosphere deadly. The friction on a ship’s hull raised the temperature hundreds of degrees, and only the specialized shielding kept the craft from burning up.
“All done,” Ben said over the com-link. “Nance, you want to run a diagnostic?”
“Already started,” Nance said.
“Any sign of trouble?”
“No,” Kim said. “If the Fleet is out here somewhere, we haven’t seen them.”
“Good,” Ben said. “I’m coming back inside.”
Satisfied that his work was complete, Ben secured his tools and made his way back to the air lock. By the time he got inside, he was down to a quarter of a tank of oxygen. Magnum was waiting inside, along with Tolliver and Gregory. They already had the drone halfway disassembled. Tolliver was looking at a transparent glass vial.
“What is it?” Ben asked once he pulled his helmet off.
“That’s the magic question,” Tolliver said. “Some kind of chemical agent, I would guess.”
“I have a chemical analyzer in the engineering bay,” Ben said. “It’s slow but it works.”
“Good,” Tolliver said. “I want to know what those bastards are up to.”
“It’s not good,” Gregory said as he continued to pull parts off the drone. “That thing had an explosive charge on it.”
“The vial?” Ben asked.
“The entire drone,” Gregory said. “My guess is they deliver their payload and then self-destruct in the upper atmosphere. The parts would burn up long before hitting the surface where they might be found and studied.”
“Isn’t the government watching the skies?” Ben asked.
“For aircraft like yours,” Tolliver said. “Not for small drones.”
“They wouldn’t be seen until they exploded,” Gregory said. “And then there’s nothing left but spare parts. I’ll bet none are the size of your fist.”
“But surely that many burning fragments would catch someone’s attention,” Ben argued.
“You’re assuming they stay together once they enter the atmosphere, and detonate at the same time,” Tolliver said. “If they spread out and do their jobs separately, no one would ever notice.”
Ben had a sinking feeling. There were rumors about the Royal Imperium. Some people said they supported genocide, others that they abducted people for profane, unethical experimentation. There was no doubt the government interfered with planets, sometimes placing them under strict police states, and others, like Mersa Prime, were cut off from the galaxy at large. Their propaganda efforts spun the news so that the Imperium always seemed wise and benevolent, but everyone feared the worst. And it seemed, Ben thought as he led Tolliver to the engineering bay, for good reason.
Chapter 42
“It’s Cadence,” Lesley said, after looking at the chemical compound formula, which was three lines long on Ben’s data tablet.
“What’s Cadence?” Ben asked.
“A drug used to dampen the natural tendencies of violent criminals,” she explained. “It was developed to make felons more compliant.”
“So what would the Imperium be doing with it on Mersa Prime?” Ben asked.
“It’s possible that they are lacing the clouds with it,” Ali said. “The practice has been used in terraforming for centuries. All kinds of chemicals can be delivered into the atmosphere for weather control. To make it rain more or make storms less intense.”
“So they spray it into our atmosphere and what happens to it?” Tolliver asked.
“It would bind with the rain,” Ali said, “to taint the water supply or even get absorbed into the skin of anyone caught out in it.”
“To make us more compliant,” Gregory said. “Less willing to resist their control.”
Ben felt a sense of revulsion flood through him. To think that anyone had the right to chemically alter how people felt and acted was abominable. Ben hated the Royal Imperium and hadn’t thought the vile government could get any worse, but suddenly he realized how wrong he was. They weren’t just greedy and cruel, they were sick. It made him question his own motivations. Was it fair to just focus on himself when the Imperium was so twisted and inhumane? Should he be doing more? He would have to give that more thought, but he wouldn’t have time until they were safely out of the system.
“That makes all this effort a waste of time,” Paula said. “No one will join the resistance if they’re being doused with illegal drugs.”
“Should we stay with the Confederates?” Gregory asked. “Perhaps going back home is futile.”
“No,” Tolliver said. “We may not be able to raise an army yet, but we can’t give up.”
“How do we fight chemical agents being sprayed into the air?” Lesley asked.
“By making sure people know about it,” Tolliver said. “We all have contacts in government. Even if there’s a conspiracy to cover it up, we can get the word out to people about what the Imperium is doing.”
“Will they even care?” Gregory asked. “I mean, won’t this drug just make everyone numb and apathetic?”
“Perhaps,” Tolliver said. “But we have to try. They’re poisoning our world. I, for one, won’t stand by and let them get away with it.”
The group of refugees quickly agreed with Tolliver, and Ben couldn’t help but admire their determination. They were willing to fight for something they believed in. Was he? What if he really could make a difference, even a small one? Could he live with himself if he sat
on the sidelines and did nothing?
“How much time until the next shift change?” Ben asked.
“Six hours,” Tolliver said.
“Good, I’ll let the others know.”
“We can never repay your crew enough,” Lesley said. “You’ve done much more than just ferry us home.”
“That goes both ways,” Ben said. “We should try to get some rest and then get ready for the flight down.”
He left the observation deck and made his way downstairs to where his crew waited on the bridge. Ben told them what they discovered in the drone.
“It gets easier to hate the Imperium every day,” Kim said.
“But we’re still going down there?” Nance said. “Will we be infected too?”
“Not unless we drink the water,” Ben said. “We have a closed life-support system here on the ship. And our own water. I think we’ll be safe enough.”
“How long until we go down again?” Kim said.
“Six hours,” Ben replied.
“Then I’m getting a nap. The ship is on autopilot. Wake me up if something changes.”
“Good idea,” Ben said. “You should all get some rest. I’ll man the bridge.”
“You sure?” Magnum asked.
“Yeah, I got this. No worries.”
They all left their stations and went to their quarters, while Ben brought up the radar on his console. The main display showed the feed from four different cameras so that Ben could see all around the ship with just a glance. Other than the planet, the area around the ship was empty. The radar was kept to a short range so that it wouldn’t ping the Imperium space station. All Ben needed was to keep an eye on the immediate area.
It wasn’t long before Tolliver made his way down from the upper deck. He looked tired.
“You should grab a few hours of sleep,” Ben said. “There’s nothing else to do down here.”
“When you reach my age, sleep doesn’t come easily,” Tolliver said. “It’s hard to shut down my mind.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben said.
Tolliver waved the apology away. “Forget it. Enjoy being young, my friend. Enjoy your freedom. Most people never even get a taste of it.”
Kestrel Class Page 21
