Spirit of Empire 4: Sky Knights (55 page)

Roskov stared at him while he digested what he had heard, then he turned to Imblee. “The cruiser isn’t answering. They must have taken the bridge.”

He turned back to Galborae. “There are a lot of marines on the cruiser and a bunch of Protectors, but taking back the bridge will be a problem—they’ll have locked the blast doors, and those doors were made to withstand forced entry. There are multiple net hook-ups throughout the ship, so the crew can still get into the net and make things hard for the super peicks, but the bridge is the heart of the ship.”

“You have just one task at the moment,” Galborae said. “Get me back aboard the cruiser.”

Imblee winced. “These super peicks will have access to Weapons Control from the bridge. They might do to us what they did to the shuttle yesterday.”

Roskov lifted a hand to his chin and started pacing while he thought aloud. “There will be a lot of confusion over there,” he said. “Not only among our people, but among the super peicks. Even if they’re focused, it takes a while to take over a cruiser. They have to get on the net and learn their way around, and our people will be doing their best to stop them. Even if they fail to stop the super peicks, they will slow them down. If we move quickly, we might make it.”

His eyes shifted, then went to Imblee. “The other shuttles are right behind us?”

“Yes.”

“I hate to do this, but as important as this is, I might have to use them as decoys.”

Both pilots went back into the net while Galborae and Limam kept watch. He desperately needed to get off his wounded leg, but he knew that if he gave in for even a moment, he might not get going again, and this day was far from over.

Josh had only been aboard the cruiser for a few minutes when Galborae called him and informed him that there were multiple super peicks. The conversation stopped mid-word, and Josh feared the worst.

He called Admiral Jas on his communicator, which fortunately still worked. As a Knight, his requests were usually handled quickly, but this time it took a long time. Josh started toward Akurea’s quarters, and when Jas came on the line, Josh just let him talk.

“I’ve lost touch with the bridge, and the blast doors are locked,” Jas said. “I think we’ve been boarded.”

“We have. Assume they hear everything we say over the comms,” Josh said.

“Understood. You know where we can meet.”

When he reached Akurea’s quarters, with Claire still following in his footsteps, his first thought was privacy. “Can you keep them from hearing us?” he asked Akurea.

She nodded. “Already done. The net is falling quickly, but I managed to get that much done. I tried to lock down weapons, but I was too late.
What are these things?”

Josh briefed both of them on the super peicks and on Galborae’s story about the Leaf People. When he was done, he said, “We can’t let a single super peick leave this system. We have to do a Korban.”

Akurea’s eyes narrowed while she considered what Josh meant. Admiral Korban had been forced to train Chessori aboard his ships at Orion III, and he knew that if the Chessori ever decided to take over a ship, their
scree
would disable everyone aboard except themselves. Section 68, paragraph 13 was his only recourse to prevent his ships from falling into Chessori hands. The program provided instructions to the AI to destroy the ship if certain parameters were met. The parameters ordered by Korban were that if one of three specific crew members was not in the net, the AI would begin a one hour countdown. At the end of that hour, if one of those people was still not in the net, the AI would self-destruct the ship.

Akurea looked at Jas who had just gone through the same thought process. “Sorry, sir.”

His lips pursed. “I will not let my ship become the scourge of the Empire. What names do you suggest?”

“You, me, Josh, and the captain who’s probably dead. An hour is not much time. We can give ourselves two hours.”

“We’re pretty obvious targets,” Jas said, nodding. “I’ll add a few more people just to be on the safe side.” He considered for a moment, then said, “I’ll add Atiana. No one will ever suspect her.” He glared at them, clearly determined to get his ship back. Looking at Josh, he said, “Know this: battles for control of the net are exceedingly rare and unpredictable. Lady Akurea and I just had a taste of it, and something different is happening here that is not at all what we trained for. She and I are in for a nasty time, possibly the hardest thing we will ever do. You and Atiana will not stand a chance against these creatures. Go into the net only if you know we’ve restored control.”

Claire, still in the background, spoke up. “The peicks were designed to fight Chessori. That included not just using the net, but taking the net away from the Chessori and defending their hold on that net. I cannot speak to the capabilities of super peicks, but I suspect their powers might even be stronger.”

“Something like that might explain what I ran into,” Akurea said.

“My Lady,” Claire continued, “Our scientists programmed an off-response into the peicks’ DNA as a safety. There’s probably only one super peick in command of the net. Your job is to reach it and activate the off response.”

“What are we looking for?” Akurea asked.

“I don’t know. All I know is that there will be a virtual control panel. The peick code is
9238#TJB45.
I hope it’s the same for the super peicks.”

Akurea just stared at her. “You’re not joking, are you,” she said.

“No, My Lady.”

Josh blinked. He had always considered the net to be harmless. He was out of his element here, but that had become a frequent occurrence since leaving Earth and coming to the Empire. “I have a lot of soldiers,” he said. ‘What do you suggest I do with them?”

“The best offense against a net intrusion is to physically take out the perpetrators,” Jas said.

“Okay. I’ll do what I can. I have five Great Cats, maybe six depending on Lex’s condition. Besides them I have four Terran Protectors, myself, Lebac’s marines, and the ship’s crew.”

“No,” Akurea said softly. “I’m taking all your Great Cats.” Josh stared at her blankly—the Great Cats were his strongest fighters. She did not keep him waiting. “They’re going into the net.”

“With you?”

“Not exactly. We can’t be in a normal net at the same time as the Great Cats—they overpower everyone—but this net is fragmented, so I think we can be in together without actually coming into contact with each other.” She looked to Jas. “We’ve already gotten a taste of what we’re up against, and you and I are not strong enough by ourselves. Great Cats are strong, and I’m counting on that strength to distract the super peicks while we do what we have to do. I want to follow the Protectors, not lead them. Their strength may be our only hope.”

Akurea, her quarters guarded by two Terran Protectors and ten marines, went back into the net to initiate the Korban option and to begin her own dark journey. Jas, guarded by his own squad of marines, returned to his operations center where he would do the same.

Josh briefed the Great Cats who then dispersed in pairs to three different parts of the ship. The cats grumbled when Lebac detailed marines to go with them and provide protection, but they understood that they would not be able to physically defend themselves while in the net.

He detailed two more Terran Protectors to guard Atiana who was most likely in sick bay keeping an eye on Havlock’s tank. Claire, who was still following him everywhere, looked at him with big, hopeful eyes. He frowned, but he had to admit that her shooting was first rate. He added her to Atiana’s protection detail.

Finally, Josh headed for his own personal challenge: the bridge.

* * * * *

The two Protectors assigned to guard Atiana reached sick bay with Claire following close behind. There, they found Atiana organizing the medical staff to repel boarders. Loose equipment had been moved to each end of the room, and they were working on detaching beds and heavier equipment from the deck. Though disorganized, the area shone with cleanliness, everything completely white except the people.

Claire stood out, covered as she was in blood from the peicks she had killed, and the Protectors were covered head to toe in their blue battle armor, both of them spattered in blood as well. The medical staff wore clean, light blue, disposable tops and bottoms. Six medical tanks lined the wall on the right, and recovery rooms lined the wall on the left. The area opened into cross corridors on each end, so they had to guard two entrances.

The Protectors each took an entrance while Claire briefed the staff on what had happened and what to look for. When she was done, Atiana came up to her and handed her a translator device.

“Who are you?” she asked when Claire finished attaching the unit to her ear.

Claire considered her answer, then said, “At this point, I guess I’m a refugee.”

Atiana’s forehead creased, then her eyes opened wide. “You’re from Harac.”

“Yes, ma’am. May I ask who you are?” Claire asked, fondling the translator device on her ear.

“I’m Queen Atiana.”

Claire’s eyes bulged.
“You’re the Queen?”

“No. Definitely not. I’m queen of a small province on an emerging world. I’m sorry, but I speak very little of your language.” She pulled out a pad and said, “I’m learning though.” Her eyes narrowed. “Who’s blood is that?”

“It used to belong to peicks,” Claire answered. She curtsied, though she kept her weapon ready and her eyes moving around the room. She knew that if peicks or super peicks showed up, it would be a brief, intense fight. Despite the number of weapons in the area, she could not predict the outcome.

“Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty,” she said. She looked at Atiana’s sidearm and frowned. “That’s a strange one. Something new? And since when did queens start carrying weapons? Do you know how to use it?”

Atiana smiled. “Yes, I know how to use it. I have a feeling we both have interesting stories. I need to speak with a Protector briefly.” She looked at Claire’s sidearm which was out of its holster and in her hand. “Do you know how to use yours?”

“I know very well, Your Majesty.”

Atiana pointed to the tank holding Havlock. “He’s the most important person in the room. We must protect him at all costs. Will you keep an eye on him while I’m away?”

Claire shook her head. “Not so, Your Majesty. If you’re the Atiana who Sir Josh spoke about, you might end up being the most important person on the ship.”

When Atiana looked a question to her, Claire moved in close and spoke in a whisper, explaining what would happen if one of a small group of people, of whom Atiana was one, were not in the net. When she was done, Atiana looked sick.

“Should I go into the net right now?” she whispered back.

Claire looked up to the ceiling as she considered, then she shook her head. Continuing to whisper in case the peicks were listening, she said, “Probably not. If the super peicks have control of the net, it will give your location away. However, we should be prepared for you to go in. Let me check around and see if I can get you set up.”

Five minutes later she returned with two helmets and and their associated cables. She attached the cables to wall outlets in a recovery room and set the helmets on the bed. “This should be your place until we hear otherwise, Your Majesty. You should be ready to put the helmet on at a moment’s notice.”

“Why two helmets?”

“The peicks were given the ability to not only use the net but to take it over and defend it against use by the Chessori. I don’t know the capabilities of these super peicks, but I have a feeling they’re brutal and strong, and they have a vested interest in keeping us out. If you’re our last hope, someone needs to go in before you to clear the way.”

“You?”

“If necessary.”

“Can you?”

Claire frowned. “I don’t know what we’re up against, and I’ve never been on a ship’s net, but I’ve spent plenty of time in our own net. My specialty is mathematics.” She looked sharply to Atiana. “Regardless of what you see and feel on the net, it’s really just mathematics and trons.”

Atiana reached a hand out to Claire’s face. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you just said.”

“About the net?”

“Yes. I’ve heard the term mathematics, though I don’t know what it means. What’s a tron?”

Claire remembered that she was speaking with someone from an emerging world. There had to be a story here, but now was not the time. “I’m talking about numbers and particles—electrons, photons, that sort of thing. They’re what make up the virtual world.”

Atiana just shook her head in defeat. “I understand the part about survival of the ship coming first. That’s enough.”

Claire shook her head. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but you’re wrong. This is just a ship, and it’s infected. I believe it has seen its last mission. Saving its crew and my people are all that matter now.”

Claire’s meaning came as a blow to Atiana. This great ship might die? And everyone in it might die? Her gaze went to Havlock’s tank, and she knew there was no way the tank would survive if the ship died.

Her mind came back into tight focus. “I’ll do whatever is necessary,” she said to Claire, “starting with talking to the Protectors. We should send scouts out into the corridors. If a peick comes for us, we’ll have a better chance of survival if we have warning.”

“I’ll do it for you, though they probably know more about this than either of us. Wait here. I won’t be gone long.”

Atiana watched Claire walk away, then turned to the tank holding Havlock. “What have we done?” she whispered to him, though she knew he could not hear. “As usual, nothing’s simple around you.”

Claire approached Sergeant Tsarnov who was kneeling down behind an overturned table inside one set of closed doors to sick bay. She squatted down beside him and spoke softly, “The Queen didn’t know her purpose. She does now. How will we know if she needs to go into the net?”

The man frowned. “I should have thought of that. I take it she’s not on our comm network.”

“I don’t think so.”

Just then their ears popped with a pressure change and they felt a distant explosion. Tsarnov called Josh. It took several minutes, but when he got through he spoke obliquely in case the peicks were monitoring. In short order, he nodded and turned back to Claire. “They took out the operations center and everyone in it, including Admiral Jas. The countdown has begun. We have 116 minutes.”

Claire noted the time and nodded. “The queen was wondering if you had thought about sending out scouts.”

He smiled grimly. “Always the soldier, that one. Tell her they’re already in position. Both corridors are barricaded in both directions. I’ve kept the doctors and a few senior people in here. The rest of the staff are manning the barricades.”