“You got it, Doc Strange,” one of the soldiers muttered under her breath as she turned away, hauling Jason toward the holding cell she’d indicated. With a shove, she pushed him inside, sealing the door shut behind him.
Jason sat in the secured holding cell for the next two hours, outwardly maintaining his freighter-pilot façade, tipped back in the single chair the room provided, booted feet propped up on the table. While he appeared relaxed, his concentration was focused on directing the breaching nano he’d slapped onto the lift’s control panel as they’d dragged him from Henrick’s office.
He’d managed to send the nanofilaments tracing their way from the control panel back to a main node; now he was examining the node, trying to determine the best way to hack into it. While studying it, he was also monitoring the feed from the reconnaissance nano he’d embedded in Henrick’s desk.
He’d heard her inform Landon that he was being held in custody pending a determination on whether or not he was an enemy of the state. He mentally scoffed.
‘Enemy of the state’? Who says that anymore, outside of poorly produced, third-tier holodramas?
He nearly toppled his chair when he received a ping from Tobias.
<Stars, Tobe! Where are you?>
The AI’s chuckle entered his mind. <We’re here to rescue you, boyo.>
<Who’s ‘we,’ Tobe?> he replied, settling his chair with a thump as he stood and stretched, pacing a leisurely circuit around his small cell.
<He’s referring to me, flyboy,> came Calista’s tart reply. <Seemed like a good idea at the time, at least.>
Jason snorted a laugh. <Yeah, thanks for that. I think. Where are you?>
<Oh, just hanging around,> she laughed, then sent him a feed from her optics as she looked down the dizzying height of several dozen meters down a lift shaft.
<Funny, Captain. Real cute,> he said, his tone dry.
<We’ve hacked partway into the ring’s secured network and are lying doggo in it for the moment. Can you give us an estimate on what we’ll be up against in there?> the Weapon Born asked.
Jason sent him what he’d observed plus the data he’d managed to extract so far from his breach.
<There are possibly a dozen of them on this level. More above us. It’d be ideal if we could override all lift controls and lock them out. I’m somewhere here—> he sent them a location pin, <one level above where you are. One standard office level, that is, not a ring level.>
Tobias chuckled as Jason resumed his seat in the chair. <Understood. You could fit an entire ten-story building inside one of these unfinished levels, boyo. I see where you are; yes, you’re one story above us. Locking down the lifts won’t be a problem. We do need to make a stop on our way out, though. Seems your friend, Henrick, has a few other guests…. She’s holding the Joint Chiefs in cryo, three levels below you.>
<Holy— That’s ballsy, I’ll give her that,> Jason murmured, shaking his head. <So what’s your plan, then?>
<Liberating them will take more time than we have, I’m afraid. The information Shannon and Jonesy gleaned suggests she infected them with the phage and convinced them to go into cryo until she could cure them—which, of course, she never intends to do,> Tobias added. <Best if we focus on springing you and cornering Henrick in her lair. Logan is coordinating a takeover of the GSC forces down below, and Landon has a few surprises up his virtual sleeve for the blockade. He’s also working to enlist the aid of the FSTC picket if we need them. Once we have them subdued and Henrick in our grasp, I think we can work to thaw them out and hand the mess over to their own government to clean up.>
Jason nodded. <Sounds good.>
<We’re on our way, then. What’s on this level again?>
<Medical—or their research labs, at least. They’re holding me for ‘testing’. Glad you showed up when you did, because no way in hell was I going to let that happen. I—>
His door slid open, and Jason looked up to see two Planetary Security goons standing there, motioning for him to exit.
“Come on, spacer. Time for your check-up,” the woman leered, and her companion snickered at what seemed a private joke between the two.
<It’s on, guys. They’ve just arrived to deliver me into the loving embrace of deSangro’s torture device. You ready to make your move? Because I’m really not looking forward to whatever she’s got planned for me.> Jason stood, eyeing the soldiers and the flechette guns they held leveled at him.
<Just breached the lift doors. We’re down the corridor to your left.>
Jason sent Tobias a mental nod as he walked warily toward the door.
“Think she’s going to inject him with the phage right away?” the first soldier asked, “or see how long it takes for him to fight off her latest inoculation?”
The woman shrugged. “Last guy managed to make it an entire week, but that kind of pissed the doc off a bit.” She eyed Jason speculatively. “Since this guy’s immune system’s from another star, I’ll bet she gives him the full treatment—after she does all the testing, at least.”
She waved impatiently for Jason to move into medical’s mainspace, and he spared the area a quick glance; deSangro was nowhere to be seen, but an autodoc sat prominently in the center of the room. The soldier made a rough grab for him, jabbing Jason in the back with her rifle’s muzzle.
<Seriously? This soldier just jabbed me in the back with her flechette. If the rest of these jokers are as undisciplined in the way they handle their weapons, this is going to be a cakewalk,> he complained as he turned and began to walk down the hall.
<Careful, boyo. This is where the captain here would tell you not to get cocky,> Tobias cautioned.
Jason suppressed a grin at the AI’s words. But he noticed something about the muzzle as it jabbed again into his back and he felt the weapon’s barrel shift slightly; something that he intended to use very soon.
<I believe Calista’s exact words would be not to get cocky, flyboy,> Jason muttered, sending Calista’s avatar a wink. <Stand by; about to engage. Are the feeds blocked on this level?>
Tobias sent him an affirmative, and Jason slowed a bit, earning himself another jab in the back. He used it as an excuse to turn and protest and darted a glance over the soldier’s shoulder to ensure the area behind her was clear. Then he complained, “Easy there, what’s your hurry, anyway?”
A look at the weapon the soldier had been jabbing into his back confirmed his suspicions. He then slid his gaze to the second soldier, ensuring that he, too, held the same weapon trained on him. He frowned as he allowed himself to be prodded forward. Soldier number two actually had his finger on the trigger—a very sloppy practice, and he factored that in as he gathered himself to act, one eye gauging the distance between his location and the bend in the corridor ahead.
<Engaging…now.>
More rapidly than any unaugmented human could possibly move—and before either of the two soldiers had a chance to react—Jason exploded into action. Whipping around, he shoved the palm of his hand into the muzzle of the flechette rifle that had been used to prod him forward, forcing the slider back and preventing it from chambering. He ripped it out of the soldier’s hands as he pivoted and ducked below the line of fire from the second soldier. He sent the rifle in his hands skidding safely out of range as he rammed his forearm against the barrel of the second weapon, deflecting the shooter’s aim.
Jason’s ears rang as the weapon discharged, sending a series of flechette darts up into the ceiling behind him. The short-range darts sprayed the back wall of medical, landing harmlessly as the weapon from which they came flew into the air, dislodged by his forearm block. His brain automatically calculated its trajectory and the time to intercept as his internal mednano went to work on the resulting tinnitus that the close-range discharge had caused in his ears. He slapped breach nano onto the light armor of the trigger-happy soldier with the sloppy firearm practice, and the man stilled as his armor locked up on him.
The other soldier had stumbled forward
when he’d ripped the flechette from her grasp, and was beginning to recover her balance; Jason swept her feet out from under her and leapt over her to snatch the flechette out of the air before it could land.
The woman on the floor had just begun to react, reaching for her holstered pulser, when Jason dropped out of his enhanced state and placed a hand over hers.
“Don’t,” he warned with a small smile, removing the weapon and training it on her as he transferred a final passel of breach nano onto her frame.
She froze, joining her fellow soldier, and Jason relaxed, shaking his head in relief as the tinnitus subsided.
<Stars, but I hate how loud a firefight can be,> he complained, and was rewarded by a tart reply from Calista as she and Tobias raced through the entrance.
<Then stop getting into them.>
He huffed a laugh, shaking his head as he shot her a grin. <Well usually I don’t go into a potential fight without my nanofilaments in,> he sent, mentioning the ear inserts he’d had to leave behind in order to pass Henrick’s scans.
He nodded to the medical bay he’d just exited. “That’s where they left me cooling my heels. Seems like as good a place as any to stash these two,” he commented, as Tobias moved past him and moved the two soldiers inside.
<Which way to the despot?> Tobias asked, and Jason gestured as they exited into the corridor.
“There’s another lift down here; it’ll take us directly up to Henrick’s domain.”
“Good,” Calista muttered. “Let’s go kick some megalomaniac ass.”
SEEDING CHAOS
STELLAR DATE: 09.12.3246 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Voyager Spaceport and Elevator
REGION: Hokkaido, Galene
“I have the FSTC picket’s flagship on comm, sir.”
Hailey’s announcement from the communications console cut through the quiet of the ship’s bridge center, and Landon stepped closer to the holo display as he murmured his thanks.
“Don’t put her through just yet. What’s the current status of the Eidolon?”
Landon’s query had the woman reconfirming the data coming in from the planet. She nodded in satisfaction and smiled at the AI. “Eidolon is on the move. Looks like they’ll be dropping their teams at the spaceport any minute now.”
“Very good,” he murmured, and then he reached out to Terrance via the tightbeam network. <The Ring team is en route to Henrick to engage. Countermeasures are seeded around the elevator and in nearspace above the spaceport,> he reported. <I have the FSTC on comm and a packet of intel to send them from Tobias.>
<Good work,> Terrance’s voice came through in response. <We just dropped our teams. Charley will scramble the GSC ships as soon as we control the spaceport. Galene Marines will be staffing point defense; they’ll take out anything that breaks past you.>
Landon sent an acknowledgement just as the comm officer called his name.
“FSTC’s getting impatient, sir. Admiral’s name is Berrong. What should I tell her?” the Enfield woman swiveled from her console to look over at Landon, who turned to her and nodded.
“I’ll take it now, thanks.” He accepted the token the woman transferred to him and opened the channel to the FSTC ship.
<Admiral Berrong,> he began, <thank you for accepting our message.>
<What can I do for you, Landon?> the woman said, her voice congenial but reserved, as if she feared the questions he might ask.
<I believe it’s more what we can do for you, ma’am,> he replied. <We have some information you may find useful.>
The Eione woman’s eyes narrowed in speculation as she stared back at him for a moment before she asked, <I assume it’s the data packet I see attached to this comm?>
He nodded. <It contains all the information our team has managed to obtain on Ring Galene and Acting President Henrick’s police state,> Landon explained. He highlighted the information about the people Henrick had placed in cryo stasis units. <We’ve discovered that she has the previous government contained within her compound on the Ring, and from what we’ve gleaned, they’ve been interred against their will.>
<Interred!> He saw the FSCT admiral’s brows draw together as she shot him a sharp look. The expression on her face grew distant, and he took that to mean that she had accessed the data and was scanning it. After a moment, she nodded. <We suspected as much—well, perhaps not the cryo part, but certainly the overthrow of the previous administration. This is concerning.>
<Indeed,> Landon heard his own mental tone edge into dryness at the woman’s understatement. <Please recall that we approached the ring by invitation, as a mission of mercy, and now we find our representative held hostage.>
<Hostage?> the woman’s query was sharp as she shot him a look.
He pulled up a record of secured transmissions and highlighted for her the instructions sent by Henrick that outlined the intent to hold Jason for ransom in exchange for the stasis technology. He saw her expression begin to darken and knew that she had scanned the most incriminating parts of the packet.
<We don’t take kindly to this kind of threat and have taken measures to protect our own,> he informed her calmly. <Given the FSTC’s charter is the safety and stability of Tau Ceti, we felt we should inform you of the situation. We would also ask for your help, both in recovering our people and in releasing the rectification colloidenes that will scrub the nanophage from the ring.>
He highlighted another icon in the packet they had sent Berrong.
<This file includes a detailed description of the phage, its transmission vectors—the real and actual transmission vectors, not the misinformation fed to you by Henrick—and the cure the people on the planet have devised.>
Landon’s mental voice was firm. <We assure you, the cure does work. We have a team on the planet who has confirmed its viability.> He hid a mental smile at the startled look Berrong shot him.
Landon held up one hand to forestall her protest as he raised a single brow. <The Avon Vale does not represent any government entity,> he reminded her, <and we are free to engage in commerce just as any other private citizen within Tau Ceti. If you’d like, I can forward the requisite paperwork, filed by Enfield Holdings over twenty years ago on both Eione and Galene. Nothing in either government precludes us from hiring out our assistance to local residents.>
<Are you saying you’re mercenaries?> the admiral spat the word as if it were an expletive.
<I’m merely saying that we have agreed to assist those on the planet to manufacture and deploy the cure for the nanophage, using any and all means necessary to do so.> Landon’s voice grew hard. <Up to and including taking defensive measures against anyone who might try to stop the cure’s development and delivery.>
Berrong’s eyes narrowed. Before she could respond, Landon held up a hand.
<Do you really want to risk having the nanophage escape the Galene area of the system and infect Tau Ceti’s other habitats? Eione?>
The woman’s lips thinned, but Landon could tell she knew he was correct.
He made his tone as persuasive as he could. <We could use some help to ensure the least number of casualties. Don’t you think enough people have died already? We’re not asking you to actively engage, just to act as a deterrent. If the GSC knows we have your backing, your approval, that will be enough. We can handle the rest.>
<What, specifically, do you want from us?> Berrong asked.
<If the GSC acts aggressively, warn them away. Let them see some of your picket moving toward them. Make them think about the consequences of their actions, and how they might impact Galene in a broader way than what is immediately before them.>
There was a brief silence from the other end.
<We’ll consider it,> Berrong said grudgingly, and Landon realized it was the only concession he would get from her.
He saw her look away from the holo’s pickups as something drew her attention. Landon could clearly hear an exclamation from her command deck carry through her comm. The admiral whipped her head around and speared Landon with a glare.
<Our scans picked up combat on the surface. You really weren’t waiting for our approval, were you?>
<Blessing, yes. Approval, no. Frankly, this is something the FSTC should have done weeks ago.> Landon tried for patience, and failed. <If you’re not going to stop the spread of the phage before it infects the rest of your system, we will.>
STORMING THE ELEVATOR
STELLAR DATE: 09.12.3246 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Voyager Spaceport and Elevator
REGION: Hokkaido, Galene
Terrance glanced back from his pilot’s cradle to the Marines he could see packed into the cabin, braced shoulder-to-shoulder in their combat armor. More were crammed into the shuttle’s cargo area in order to accommodate all four spec-ops teams. It was tight, but Logan had managed to fit them all in.
The Eidolon flew nap-of-the-earth, a tactic used to help evade detection from sensors by hugging the terrain so closely they were almost brushing against the landscape as they swept past. The shuttle flew over the Q-camps one last time, delivering intel to the various camp leaders before heading toward its final destination: Voyager Spaceport, at the heart of the city that once was Hokkaido.
<Twelve klicks out,> Logan announced from his starboard-facing position in the point defense cradle.
He’d opted to pilot from there, fully interfacing with the ship, his battle frame powered down for the duration and maglocked to the ship’s deck. Charley occupied the flight engineer’s jump seat, across from the profiler.