Outsystem (Aeon 14) (25 page)

<
You know what to do: set your rifle to medium power and set up a field of fire, Marines!>
Williams’ voice boomed over the combat net.

Williams grunted as something struck him and blood sprayed out of his left wrist. He didn’t say a word, but his right arm whipped out
, swinging the butt of his rifle into something that made a sickening crunch, that sound followed by a pained grunt. A second blow was followed by the sound of a body hitting the deck.

“A flesh wound,”
Williams said regarding his own injury, and proceeded to randomly send out pulse blasts, hoping to catch the enemy or at least keep them pinned down.

Trist knelt down and felt for the body that Williams had dropped. She located it and extruded a probe from her left index finger. It disappeared into the cloaked form and her brow furrowed.

“Their suits are like yours.” She glanced up at Tanis, who was doing her best to put holes in the shapes she could see flitting in and out of her vision. “They’re one of the latest revisions, but it looks like we’re in luck, they’re based off the fashion silsuits that are all the rage back in Callisto. That’s a poor choice in base technology.” She grinned and extruded another probe, this one into another location on the fallen form.

“One of the neat features of the latest silsuits is that they can download new designs and when they’re in demo mode can even have the designs loaded without user interaction.”

“I think I know where you’re going with this.” Joe grunted as his armor absorbed a blow from an invisible blade. “What’s the ETA?”

“Minute or two.”

Tanis put a slug in the attacker that had hit Joe. “Go faster. Jansen and Lang are taking a beating over there.”

“Working on it.” Trist’s brow furrowed.

Across the square, Lang went down and Jansen let out a primal scream, rapidly sending pulses out where she hoped there was someone to hit. At that same moment two/one and two/two showed up and took in what looked like a scene of absolute madness. Marines were firing at nothing and yet seemed to be taking casualties.

<
Stealthed units. Standard positions,>
Williams called out. The two fireteams backed against walls and also began placing random shots into the square.

“Got it!” Trist cried out. She removed her probes from the dead body on the
deck and grinned triumphantly. “Wait for it…”

And then it happened. Several human outlines flickered in and out of visibility across the square before the suits reset and every attacker became fully visible. Trist had chosen a bright red covered in bulls eyes for the attacker’s new look.

“See them OK?” she asked.

“Plenty OK.” Tanis grinned and in less time than it took to say the words, every attacker was down.

Joe looked at Tanis and coughed back a laugh.

“Uh, Trist? Major Tanis is looking a little red around the collar.”

Trist looked up at Tanis to see red showing at the edges of her armor where the stealth suit showed.

“Oops, passing Angela the info to fix it.”

Angela’s tone hid a snicker as she reset the stealth suit.

Tanis had an unreadable look on her face for a moment and then smiled at Trist. “Good work, that could have been messy.”

Williams was already halfway across the square to check on Lang. Tanis raced after as the two new fireteams secured the area and the attackers.

She arrived as the sergeant knelt beside the fallen
Marine; Jansen looked on, her eyes misting.

“Cut halfway through his neck…
armor went into stasis, but I don’t know…he lost a lot of blood, it may have been too late.”

“He’ll make it,” Williams grunted. “But he’ll get a nice bit of R&R time while they put all his tendons and arteries back in place.”

He rose, calling for the leader of two/one. “Corporal Salas! Lang is your number one priority. Two/two can stay here; you take Lang to TSF med facility AR13, it’s only a thousand miles from here. Get him there safe.”

“Aye, Sarge.” Salas nodded and gestured for two of his
Marines to unfold a field stretcher for Lang. Within moments they were trotting down the cross corridor to the nearest maglev.

Tanis looked at Jansen. “You good,
Marine?”

The corporal’s eyes had cleared up, a steely determination having set in. “Sir, yes, sir.”

“Glad to hear it.” Tanis smiled. “OK team, we need to recharge, reammo, and head out. Cassar, breach that ammo dump and pass out power packs and slugs.”

“Aye, sir.” Cassar nodded and went to work. Two minutes later they had left the plaza, Lance Corporal Olsen having been left to fend off the MSF unit that had arrived and was trying to take control of the situation. Having heard what happened at the last
run-in between the two forces, the MSF weren’t eager to get in a fight with the Marines. Two/three was on its way to back them up before everyone dispersed to cover the beta return route.

The escort only had a quarter mile more of corridor to pass through and then they took a tubelift up to the highest level of the ring. Like many of the planetary rings, the upper level on Mars 1 was effectively an open eco-space. The landscape was filled with rivers and lakes and grass and trees. Hovering above them, almost as though it was suspended between the arching arms of the ring, was the planet of Mars.

Spread out across the terrain were various buildings, mostly museums and cultural centers. While the crush of humanity was mostly in the lower levels, this upper area was designed with aesthetics as the primary consideration. No other artificial habitat in the Sol system had even half as much parkland as Mars 1. Off in the distance was the low hill that housed most of the higher SolGov courts on Mars. It was a towering edifice of white marble that gleamed brilliantly in the reflected sunlight.

“That just looks effing cool,” Perez said. “Gotta record this on full sensory.”

“Stay frosty, people,” Williams said. “You can gawk on your own time.”

“Besides, even you can’t jerk off to a sens recording of a planet.” Cassar grinned at Perez.

“Like Staff said. We don’t have any more marked positions that we’re expecting to be ambushed at. But that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear.” Tanis gestured for Jansen to take the lead.

They trotted along in silence, the way before them virtually clear of locals for a time, but as they neared the federa
l buildings they moved into more populated areas until they were just a small island in a sea of foot traffic. The judiciary loomed ahead of them and minutes later they were moving up the steps toward the main lobby.

They passed through security and the guards didn’t look too happy to be allowing armed
Marines into the courthouse. At the entrance to the courtroom Tanis signaled the Marines to wait outside and handed Williams her pulse rifle.

Tanis checked the time and smiled. “We’re actually going to be right on time.”

“Well, we did plan for some interruptions,” Joe said. “You pretty much nailed how long they’d be.”

“To be honest, I expected them to be longer,” Tanis replied. “That was really too easy. I can’t believe Trent didn’t put in an appearance. I don’t think he’ll attack after the testimonies have been entered; what would be the point in that?”

She nodded to Trist and they turned and entered the court.

“What would be the point indeed,” said a voice from the judge’s seat, which was facing away from them. Tanis and Trist approached as the chair turned. Sitting in it was Trent, a rather unflattering smile on his face.

“It’s good to see you again Tanis, Trist. I really am sorry that it will be the last time.”

With those words, the doors slammed shut behind them and heavily armored troops spilled out of the judge’s antechamber while more lined the balconies above them.

“It would seem that I finally have you where I want you, you meddling bitch,” Trent spat, “now pass over your sidearm and we’ll get started.”

STELLAR DATE: 3227284 / 11.27.4123 (Adjusted Gregorian)

LOCATION:
Mars 1 Ring (MIR)

REGION:
Mars Protectorate, Sol Space Federation

Tanis took a long moment to consider the odds. At least twenty-five men surrounded her and Trist—ten on the balconies and fifteen down on the floor below. Angela and Sue were desperately trying to get control of the door’s mechanism and release it, but it seemed to be in some sort of lockdown. Small sparks in the air hinted at a full battle of nanoprobes occurring all around them.

Tanis queried.

Trist said.

Angela said. <
Buy Sue and me some time.>
Tanis grunted and tossed her weapon onto the ground a few paces away. Trent signaled one of his men and
to pick it up, removing any chance of a dash and grab.

“I have to admit,”—Trent clasped his hands with what appeared to be genuine glee—“I really didn’t expect you to be quite this easy to catch.”

“Not sure how seventh time’s the charm is easy,” Tanis replied. “From where I stand you have a pretty poor batting average.”

“Yet in the end, I still win.” Trent’s voice turned dark and menacing. “You have no idea what it has cost me, personally and professionally, to bring you to heel. With you out of the way we’ll finally be able to stop the
Intrepid.
”

“Why?” Trist asked. “Is she the only decent
Micky in the TSF? No one else can tell guards to guard and politicians to fuck off? I thought skill like that was something the military had in spades.”

“They may.” Trent’s smile looked sour. “But they don’t seem to be assigning them to take care of the
Intrepid
. It really will be nice to be done with this job; it’s taken years off my life.”

“I have to ask,” Tanis said. “
You’re pretty implicated here. What’s your endgame?”

“We’ve got an exit plan. We may not all make it, but the pay is high enough to make up for the risk.”

Several of the armed and armored figures chuckled. “Way more than enough,” one said.

Tanis asked.

Angela replied.


Trist groaned.


Tanis asked.

Sue replied after a moment’s pause.

The exchange only took seconds, but it gave Tanis an idea
which made a hope of this not being her last day begin to glimmer.

Angela realized what was theoretically possible and got on it.


Trist asked.

Trist replied.

“Nothing to say, Major Richards?” Trent asked. “No
recital of how I’ll never get away, how I should surrender?”

“Well of course you’re not going to get away,” Tanis replied. “I’ve never failed to take down a target yet. Don’t see why I should start with you.” She nonchalantly took her gloves off as she spoke, hoping that the casual behavior would be ignored.

“Don’t you think that’s a bit optimistic?” Trent asked. “Even if we don’t get out of here, you’re going to die. That’s a given.”

Tanis looked around her at the armored soldiers.
Laying eyes on each one so that the beam would be calibrated, while half-focused on the countdown Angela placed on her HUD.

“You gonna have your goons do it, or are you going to do it yourself?”

Trent stood and walked around the bench, facing Tanis and Trist directly. “Don’t worry, I’m not afraid to kill you myself.” He pulled a pistol from his belt and aimed it at Tanis.

“Well that’s good,” she
said with a grin, “because you’re going to have to.”

She timed her statement with the proton beams and smiled as each
mercenary seemed to jerk slightly and freeze. Muffled grunts and curses could be heard as they tried to move their powered armor, but each limb was locked solid.