Operation seraphim, p.21
Operation Seraphim, page 21
“But still, there is a chance?”
“There is always a chance. Good news. Stathis has made contact with Eldrin Valdar.”
Sif smiled. He was alive!
Casting out her senses, she tried to hear, see, feel, smell him. The civilization of the gas giant was dying, and their ability to hide their presence was dying with them, and she could now feel the vanhat, Stathis, and Eldrin.
She was reaching out as they all disappeared again, sliding into Shorr space, but before they left, Sif couldn’t fail to notice that something was wrong. Not all the survivors were what they claimed to be, and she could feel something wrong with Eldrin.
* * * * *
Chapter 41: Trapped
Major Zale Stathis, USMC
Dying beside Hakala was not exactly what Stathis had imagined when he’d thought of them spending the rest of their lives together.
“Bifrost has entered Shorr space,” Hakala said to the council.
“Where are we going?” Kaelan asked.
“We don’t know,” Hakala said.
“Can the Musashi track us?” Kaija asked.
“No,” Hakala said, and Stathis heard the emotion in her voice. Around him, he could see the hope being replaced by fear. Being on a spaceship controlled by genocidal monsters was the stuff of nightmares. They could be going anywhere, and Stathis knew better than to even try to guess what was going through the vanhat’s mind.
“Yes,” Stathis said, stepping forward. He didn’t want to contradict Hakala, but he had to this time; these people couldn’t lose hope. “The Musashi can find us. They found Bifrost the first time. Sif will be able to find us.”
Eldrin shook his head, but didn’t say anything, and Stathis wondered what he knew.
“And don’t underestimate Admiral Winters,” Stathis said. Was he lying to them about the Musashi coming for them? Probably. If Sif couldn’t find them, the only practical thing for the fleet to do was to continue the mission. She would have to, unless Sif could find them quickly. Stathis almost felt sorry for her because he knew it would be a difficult choice, but it would be her only choice.
Meanwhile, he was stuck on this city-ship, with millions of vanhat and not nearly enough troops, going who knew where to commit genocide on someone else. The vanhat would have a target, Stathis knew that for sure. Someone was going to be attacked.
“What are our chances?” Kaelan asked. “Really?”
“Dude,” Stathis said. Maybe not the most “majorly” language, but screw it. These people needed hope. Morale at this time could be crucial. “The Musashi found us once in the depths of space. They will find us again. What we have to do is make sure that when they do find us, we can evacuate.”
“For those of us who want to,” Kaija said.
Stathis nodded. If they wanted to be monster chow, that was their choice. They weren’t under his command. You couldn’t help everyone, even if you wanted to, and Stathis wasn’t going to force anyone.
“Well. Until we find some hot tubs, I have something else to do,” Stathis said. “I was a United States Marine, and now I’m a legionnaire. Failure is not a word I understand. In fact, as a Marine, there are probably a lot of words I don’t understand, but—”
Stathis looked at the blank stares around him. The gunny would have laughed. People of the Republic had no sense of humor, did they?
“I’ve been in much worse situations,” Stathis said. “On a SOG space station, overrun and surrounded by vanhat, my rescue ship on the run and out of communication, and people I cared about lying wounded nearby. I survived that, survived being on a planet swarmed by vanhat—two planets, actually. Zhukov and—well, you get the point.”
He glanced at Hakala. Did she remember Red Lotus Station? The ghost of a smile graced her lips. Probably not one of her favorite memories, for sure, but that had been a bad situation they had survived.
Though, was this worse?
“So, what now?” Aino asked.
“Well,” Hakala said, picking up some of Stathis’s motivation. “We make sure the inkeris don’t fail, or we eat each other’s faces, as my favorite major might say. The simple things first.”
He was her favorite major? Woot!
“The simple things are always hard,” Kaelan said. Stathis remembered saying that once. Maybe Kaelan had been in the military for real.
“If you wanted easy, you should have stayed home in bed,” Stathis said.
Kaelan looked at Stathis.
“I was not aware I had that choice.”
“You were Aesir, weren’t you? Sword of your people and all that? Time to scrape the rust off that sword and buck up,” Stathis said. “Or is that just the Erikoisjoukot and Jaegers?”
Kaelan scowled at Stathis. Was humor taught in Erikoisjoukot school? Though to be fair, Skadi didn’t have a whole lot; Vili did. Maybe just the enlisted had humor, then?
“Once an Aesir, always an Aesir,” Kaelan said.
“Good,” Stathis said. “I was starting to have my doubts. So Hakala is 110 percent correct. We need to make sure the inkeris are fully operational, and we need to prepare for them to fail. Who knows how long the Jotun is going to keep the Bifrost in Shorr space, or where we’re going? After that, we prepare to fight back, maybe take control of the ship’s navigation and systems, and then we can go where we want. We won’t need the Musashi to rescue us. We have options, and I would prefer to attack, to create our own solutions to the problem. I’m not the ‘princess to be rescued’ type. I am rescuing myself. Maybe we can take back the Bifrost and kick the vanhat off.”
“It takes thousands of trained specialists to fly the Bifrost. Do you have any idea how complex this vessel is?” Kaija asked.
“We have an ace up our sleeve,” Stathis said. “Or actually, implanted in our skull. Nothing is impossible for the Wolf Legion, just difficult.”
“You are crazy,” Kaelan said.
“I’m not crazy, I’m just creatively insane,” Stathis said.
“Don’t underestimate him,” Hakala said, giving Stathis a warm fuzzy.
“So, let’s get to work figuring out what we have to work with, quadruple check the inkeris, and see if there are any hot tubs.”
“There are no hot tubs,” Kaelan said. “Check that off your list now.”
No humor at all.
* * * * *
Chapter 42: Departure
Admiral Diamond Winters, USMC
Winters looked at the staff officers and specialists around her. Nobody looked happy, and Winters couldn’t help thinking about the fate she was abandoning Stathis to. There wasn’t a damn thing she could do right now. Sif could not track them through Shorr space, and the more time that passed, the further away they could be going. They could be going to Sol, for all she knew, where Sol’s defenses would be forced to shred the homestar if they could.
Blitzen had no suggestions. There was only one thing they could do and that was continue the mission. She might never hear from Stathis again, might never have a chance to tell him to shut up or listen to the stupid shit he said.
She was going to miss him.
Sakamoto was speaking, pointing at locations on the map.
“We will need to come out of space in this area right here and take readings on the nebula. Humanity has not expanded far enough into the galaxy to experience such a nebula. How this could impact Shorr space is only theoretical. We should be able to survive in Shorr space for weeks at a time, unless there are things that could impact our trip, which we honestly don’t know. In many cases, there is a lot of theoretical information. Humanity has barely begun to explore the Orion Arm of our galaxy, and there is the Sagittarius Arm that we must transition.”
Which wasn’t anything that had been discussed in initial planning, but now, with the journey in progress, everything was more real and immediate.
“Beyond the Orion Nebula, which technically Sol is part of, our first possible obstacle is Barnard’s Loop, a large loop of gas ionized by nearby young stars, part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. This contains the dark Horsehead and bright Orion Nebula. While we do not expect problems, we must still stop and analyze them.”
Now that the big picture was covered, Sakamoto pointed out several locations.
“These are possible stars where we will stop analyzing and assess our progress. It is estimated that these stars will have resources we may need. Furthermore, they will give us a chance to observe any interstellar phenomenon that may impact our journey. In certain areas, we will halt the fleet and send forth corvettes to evaluate our path.”
Sakamoto continued to map out the Musashi’s route through the Orion Arm and toward the Sagittarius Arm. On the holographic map, it didn’t look like much, and it was easy to forget or ignore the vast distances and how much unexplored space they were passing through. They could be passing countless nascent civilizations, clawing their way to the stars, vulnerable to the coming vanhat wave of death and destruction.
The admiral seemed to drone on and on about the path, the dangers, potential stops, and options, and Winters was having a hard time following him. She understood logistics and most of the science, but it was hard to focus on what he was saying as she thought about Stathis and those she had abandoned on Bifrost.
Blitzen and Musashi were in agreement, and she had seen the plan before and approved it, but she was here to listen to and help address any questions the others had, as if Musashi couldn’t handle them.
It was almost twenty-six thousand light years from Earth to the galactic center, and that was nearly a straight line. They would have to cover over two thousand light years a month, and Winters stared at the path. Perhaps a year to get there and back was optimistic. Could Stathis survive on the Bifrost for a year or more?
There were no easy decisions.
“Perhaps it would be best if we return to Sol?” Enzell, one of the civilian specialists, said. “We could task a small force with mapping a route. The Musashi and other battleships are likely to be needed if the Bifrost attacks Earth. The more we review our options, the more difficult and unlikely our success becomes.”
Winters locked eyes on Enzell. There was something about him that she didn’t like. There was no doubt he was a politician—nobody rose within the ranks of SOG without politics—but there seemed to be something else about him, something slimy, and though he was handsome enough, he didn’t look at her twice unless it was with cold, calculating precision. His eyes never lingered where they shouldn’t, and he seemed completely uninterested in making friends with others.
He was a product of the Governance, but he was supposed to be a master of political science, the vanhat, and maybe even the Collective. Some kind of genius, if his dossier was correct, though like most of the geniuses she knew, his social skills were lacking. Which made her wonder how he had climbed so high in the SOG bureaucracy. She preferred him to keep his distance but couldn’t justify that just yet.
“We have our mission,” Sakamoto said to him.
“Of course,” Enzell said, too patronizing for Winters to accept his words for truth. “The mission is, of course, incredibly important, which is why we must proceed with extreme caution, perhaps extend the mission time. If we are to continue the mission, the path you have laid out is very ambitious, and I doubt it allows for much analysis of the dangers. Not even the Governance explored far into the Orion Arm because of the difficulties and the need to map the area. What happens if we intrude into a hostile alien empire? We could spark a new war. There could be some space anomaly that cripples or destroys us. Many dangers.”
While Winters knew he wasn’t wrong, time was not on their side. Risks would have to be taken.
“We don’t have unlimited time,” Winters said.
“I understand that,” Enzell said. “We only get a single shot at this. If we fail, the human race becomes extinct. We cannot risk this ship or its crew.”
Winters looked at Sakamoto. Now she understood Enzell. He was scared, afraid to risk his hide. No wonder he was a civilian.
“We will proceed as planned,” Winters said.
“Hai,” Sakamoto said. “We still need supplies, though.”
“Then we find a system we can mine,” Winters said. Would that give Sif a chance to find Stathis? Give them a chance to mount a rescue mission?
“Hai,” Sakamoto said.
* * * * *
Chapter 43: Annoyed
Enzell, Advisor
Walking back to his quarters, Enzell tried to keep his anger in check. It would not be a good thing to lose his temper. He had to remain patient. The dumb idiot admiral was going to get them all killed, if not instantly, then piecemeal. She was willing to abandon her fellow Marine, which showed Enzell just how loyal she was.
It was extremely frustrating as he entered his quarters and sat down in front of his systems. He knew that Musashi was watching everything he did, every word he said, and every little action. Enzell would not fool himself into thinking he would be able to keep much secret from the Musashi, which meant that for now, he had to play his role as a good little scientist. He would have to be very circumspect as he recruited officers to his side. He had to be careful that not even the officers knew they were switching their loyalty to him.
The Musashi was racing toward death near the galactic core. It should be obvious, and for whatever reason, the Musashi, which should have been intelligent enough to understand, was not trying to stop her. She did not want to see reason, because she thought the clock was ticking. Perhaps the Musashi didn’t have an option? If it was sentient, surely it would want to survive. Could he use that?
Why couldn’t anyone see that, as they left the Sol System with the vanhat beginning a new assault, if the Musashi survived and returned to Earth, there would be nothing left? Without proper leadership and social organization, the defenders couldn’t hope to stand against the vanhat or the Collective.
It was a curse, being the only one who understood such things.
Turning on his computer system, he looked over the code. He remembered enough about the virus that had decimated the Weermag and the Collective. The question was, could he reproduce it, and do so without Musashi learning about his goals? It would be a disaster if he released the virus and killed the Musashi AI before he was ready. He was confident he had a copy on one of his data crystals, but there weren’t any systems he could plug it into without the risk of killing the Musashi and a good portion of the crew. The fact that Sakamoto and his senior officers did not have SCBIs was a good sign. He would have to earn their loyalty. Perhaps he could arrange a meeting with Admiral Sakamoto and bring him over to his side. If the admiral and his officers did not have SCBIs, they were obviously smart enough to avoid slavery to machines. They should be smart enough to know that only someone who understood the greater good, like he did, would be able to save humanity.
Feng had given him these data crystals and must have known what was on them, which was curious. Was Enzell supposed to be Feng’s insurance policy against something? Why would Feng do this? Why hadn’t the enigmatic agent left instructions? Perhaps because he feared discovery and trusted that Enzell was smart enough to figure things out?
Enzell knew Feng was a selfish, power-hungry thug. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the crystals. Was that Feng’s goal? If Enzell released the virus on the fleet, it was unlikely any of them would be able to return. The computer systems, the maps, and the data would likely be erased as the AIs fried their minds. The fleet would be lost in the depths of space.
He knew how difficult it could be to navigate in space, especially Shorr space. There was no chance of doing so without computer systems, computer systems that were now completely under the control of the AIs and SCBIs. He would have to take control of them somehow.
Damn Feng. Enzell couldn’t use the virus, not on the Musashi, not if he ever wanted to return home to Sol, and Feng must have known that. Feng was more evil, more diabolical than Enzell had given him credit for.
Had Feng set up a time bomb? Something to release the virus under certain circumstances? Was that Feng’s goal? To send the fleet out and for it to never return? Did he expect Enzell to take over?
Enzell could respect that. Feng was playing a long game. The Chinese seemed to like such plans. With Mathison gone, removing Stathis, Winters, and the Seraphim Fleet would guarantee he would not return, and all he would have to do was deal with his nemesis, Skadi, and her annoying father. Enzell didn’t know the details, but he knew that Shing Feng and Admiral Duque had a grudge against Skadi, and Enzell also knew, without a doubt, that Feng and General Duque would have a plan to remove her.
Skadi’s days were numbered.
So were Enzell’s, unless he revealed what he knew to Admiral Winters or Sakamoto, and that wasn’t going to happen.
Until he had some real options, his only choice was to pretend to be a good little political scientist on a ship that didn’t need one.
* * * * *
Chapter 44: Hiding on Bifrost
Major Zale Stathis, USMC
Stathis didn’t like the news. Zhao had looked over the survivors’ inkeri, and he had serious doubts about its ability to protect everyone. It had been stressed before and was close to failure. Fortunately, the auxiliary inkeris on the robo-mules were a lot newer, more powerful, and fresh. The Bifrost’s inkeris had been designed and deployed without fully understanding them. The Legion inkeris were so much more advanced and focused. Furthermore, the Legion inkeris were battle-tested and proven.
The biggest problem was that the Legion inkeri didn’t have the range and coverage of the Bifrost inkeri.
“It worked before,” Kaelan said.
“Most, if not all, of the others failed before,” Hakala told him. “We know what we are dealing with. We have been fighting the vanhat in a much more direct and aggressive way. We have learned so much. We need to move as many people under the Legion inkeris as possible.”
