Outsystem (Aeon 14) (8 page)

“Major Richards, it is good to finally meet you.” His handshake was a tad too firm; one of those grasps intended to signify superiority.

“Yourself as well.” Tanis put on her most pleasant smile. “I hope you haven’t found our new security measures at all inconvenient.” There, it was out, let him either make a complaint or brush the issue aside.

“I can’t say I enjoy having TSF troops assume control of several decks on my station.” The stationmaster was going the more aggressive route. “I believe that our security is up to the task of keeping MOS in one piece. We’ve managed to do so for nearly a thousand years.”

“Indeed you have.” Tanis nodded, keeping eye contact. “But over those eight hundred and ninety-four years there have been several explosions on MOS that severely debilitated the station. In fact, nearly five hundred years ago an attack by a militant arm of the Mars Naturalists actually had the Mars government considering shutting down MOS altogether. In the end TSF stepped in to provide security and the Marsian government refitted the station. So while MOS has handled itself well, it is also no stranger to TSF supplementation of its security.”

Evans was standing within hearing range and couldn’t keep himself from commenting.


Tanis replied.

The stationmaster coughed into his hand. “That was some time ago, Major. I assure you that MOS can handle itself now.”

“There have been other, more recent instances when MOS needed TSF and even GSS assistance.” Tanis smiled a bit too sweetly. “I could outline them for you.”

“No, that will be quite alright.” The stationmaster glanced around anxiously at some of the nearby dignitaries.

“I assure you, we will leave no lasting impact. In less than a year we will be gone and you will be free of the added burden the
Intrepid
has been imposing on you.”

Several groups in their vicinity appeared to have lowered their voices to bett
er hear what Tanis was saying.

Everyone in the room was all too aware that MOS was laughing all the way to the bank with the money it was making from the construction of the
Intrepid
. It was by far the most profitable shipbuilding job that had taken place on MOS in decades.

The stationmaster fidgeted with his collar. “You misunderstand me, Major; the
Intrepid
is no burden at all. We are happy for your assistance with keeping the MOS secure.”

“I’m glad to hear it, Stationmaster Stevens. If you’ll excuse me, I have some routine checks to make.”

The stationmaster looked like he had something else he wanted to say and Tanis resisted the desire to push him over the edge. The admiral most likely would disapprove of a scene.

After a moment he nodded curtly. “Of course.” The stationmaster turned, his route describing a direct line to the bar.

Evans’ warm laugh filled her mind.

Steel Dawn III
.>

Evans responded.

The evening progressed uneventfully and in time the dignitaries with adequate clearance gathered and made their way to the maglev station for their tour of the ship. Tanis went with the tour
, both for security’s sake and to get a firsthand view of more of the ship. The guests weren’t being taken anywhere too dangerous, or too sensitive, but it was better than standing around in the ballroom. On top of that, she had a suspicion that Evans was considering asking her to dance. Tanis didn’t dance.

The tour was uneventful until the maglev ride back to the VIP corridor. No alert had come over the security net, but Tanis sensed something wasn’t right.

Angela didn’t respond for a moment.

Angela directed Tanis’s attention to one of the shuttles arriving at the VIP dock to retrieve its passengers. A strange waver in its EMF signature caught her attention, almost as though something was obscuring its electromagnetic output.

Even as Tanis was issuing the order to belay docking for that vessel it made its seal and the airlock cycled open. Security responded that the lock controls were compromised and they were unable to close it.

Tanis ordered over the security net. She stepped off the maglev train as the guards at the station ushered all the passengers that had begun debarking back into the cars and the train whisked out of the station toward the bridge. There the captain and admiral would debark while the rest of the passengers remained secure.

Once the train was outstation a new train rolled in with a platoon of TSF
Marines on board. They deployed with smooth precision, secured the station and set up a barrier at the entrance to the VIP corridor.

Tanis called her second in command in the ballroom.

Tanis asked.

Tanis’s vision zoomed and she peered down the straight hallway to the dock. No movement at the airlock. So far. Four TSF Regulars stood like statues with their pulse rifles leveled at the hatch.

Intrepid
have any readings?>
countermeasures have neutralized them all.>
Her HUD alerted her to laserfire down the corridor. She switched her vision to IR and saw the bodies of the four soldiers on the deck.

“Fuck,” she swore softly.

Laserfire lanced down the corridor toward the maglev station. The
Intrepid
deployed refraction clouds and the beams played harmlessly against the TSF Marine’s shields.

“Lieutenant Forsythe,” Tanis called to the CO of the platoon. “We need to secure the ballroom to the right. Deploy your personnel in a scaled phalanx.”

“Yes, sir!” The lieutenant nodded and signaled her staff sergeant with the particulars of the maneuver. One squad stayed behind to keep the station secure and the other two interlocked their shields and advanced down the corridor.

Angela sighed.

Tanis looked back at the squad guarding the maglev station. “Someone want to give me a hoist up?”

“Up where, sir?” A Marine bearing a corporal's insignia asked.

“Into the crawlspace above the corridor,” Tanis replied.

One of the privates coughed. “In
that
, sir?” He looked her up and down.

"That's an officer you're gawking at, Mendez," the squad’s sergeant growled.

“Aw shit.” Tanis looked down at her new dress. “Someone give me a knife.”

The sergeant handed her his blade and Tanis cut her dress off at the tops of her thighs. “Now hoist me up and no comments please.”

At least the two privates who lifted her didn’t ogle. Rank had some privileges after all. Clambering up into the access hatch Tanis set a VIV on her HUD to Forsythe’s vision as she advanced with her men below. The vision-in-vision showed the two squads advancing under steady fire from the airlock toward the entrance to the ballroom. They were over halfway there, and judging from the angles of fire the attackers were closing in as well.

The accessway had a small ledge for maintenance crews and Tanis scrambled along it, wishing she hadn’t bowed to fashion and had simply worn pants. She could hear the shouts of the men below as they worked their way down the corridor, combined with the whine of the enemy’s lasers and the
Marine’s pulse rifles. The corridor had never seemed so long and Tanis was certain she had drawn blood on her knees as she progressed. Luckily, the forces below her seemed to have battled one another to a standstill. Both were still over twenty meters from the entrance to the ballroom.

Tanis asked.

Angela replied.

With her knees now freely bleeding, Tanis passed over the platoon, and a minute later she was positioned over the attacking force. Angela deployed probes through a grate and the team got their first clear look at the attackers. There were fifteen of them in heavy body armor—probably why the TSF’s pulse rifles were doing little or no damage. She relayed the feed to Lieutenant Forsythe.

the lieutenant replied.

Intrepid
.>
Tanis added that to her to-do list.

os are going to be cubing us with those beams by then,>
the staff sergeant growled on the combat net.

Tanis turned her attention to Angela.
Intrepid
. What do we have up here?>
She looked around at the various conduit and piping.

<
Intrepid
reports a plasma conduit intersecting your location two meters to starboard. I believe we could use nano to slice it and deliver a stream of plasma onto their backs.>

Tanis relayed the plan to Lieutenant Forsythe and ordered her to keep back from the enemy to avoid any damage. The
Intrepid
was monitoring the flow to ensure it was shut off before it burned through the deck.

Angela focused on the delicate procedure of slicing through the plasma conduit, while Tanis controlled other nano manually and used them to loosen the fastening for the grate.

Sanderson's voice came over the combat net.

Angela reported. Tanis initiated a count on the combat net and fifteen seconds later a stream of plasma burned through the corridor’s ceiling and sprayed across the enemy below.

Screams erupted as the attacking force dove out of the
spray. The visual from the probes showed six men tearing their armor off and one down with a hole burned clear through his torso. The plasma flow to the conduit was cut.

Tanis ordered over the combat net to the Marines in the hall. She swung through the loosened grate and dropped six meters to the deck below. Landing in a crouch, she snatched a beam rifle from a fallen enemy. The steel deck still bubbled in places and Tanis stayed close to the bulkhead.

Three quick shots from her rifle took out three of the enemy trying to get out of their half-melted armor. Moments later the ten seconds were up and Lieutenant Forsythe’s
Marines let loose a concentrated volley of pulse blasts.

Two other attackers who were half out of their armor fell backwards onto white-hot metal and screamed as their skin caught fire. Another three fully armored attackers also fell.

Tanis took quick stock of the armor the attackers were wearing. It was Trylodyne Mark VII; good enough for most situations, but weak under the arms. She checked the specs on the laser rifle and saw that it was a Westings A41; more than enough to slice through that weak spot.

One of the enemy, still combat-ready, spotted Tanis and pivoted to fire on her.
As he took his shot Tanis dove to the side and returned. The shot burned clean through the man’s shoulder and out his head. He fell to the deck, spasming.