Assault on Ambrose Station: A Seth Donovan Novel (25 page)

Finally, Max broke the silence. “Well this is definitely not natural.”

“Indeed, Captain.”

“What do you think went on here?”

“It is a similar chamber to that depicted in the Firebreaker Artefact.”

“The what?” I said to Garner.

“The piece of Ghantri bulkhead we found.”

Max continued to speak. “The ship’s scans indicate that there are no more non-metallic sections near this part of the asteroid. I suppose we can call it a hulk now, though.”

“That would be an accurate description.”

Garner switched off the recording. “The rest of the data is just stills and images of the symbols they could find in the chamber. The Dreaming is starting to mine another asteroid as we speak, but I’m only going to give them a few more days. Once your team makes landfall on Ambrose, I’ll let them know about the Gate shut down order. They should make for the Eridani Jump Gate then.”

“So what does this mean for our mission? I’m not referring to Blackburn’s rescue either.”

“It means that there is definitely a link between the Ghantri and the Destroyers, at the very least we’ve confirmed that. What they were looking for in these wreckages, I have no idea. Hopefully your man Osiris can shed some light on that.”

“Could they be trying to obtain Destroyer technology? There has to be something left on the hulks.”

“It’s a possibility, although the age of these hulks has to be…at least a thousand years old.”

“I’ve seen hulks perfectly preserved in vacuum. Once the atmo is gone, no corrosion.”

“True.”

“What level of understanding do the Ghantri have of bio-tech sciences? Or advanced technology?”

“The Ghantri? Limited. The Jaani, however, are a different matter. It was they who unlocked the majority of our technology for the Ghantri to use, remember? Then there is the elusive religious caste. We know next to nothing about them…”

“We need more time. We need to find out what’s going on here.” I said, feeling the frustration of our time limit.

“I agree,” said Garner, “But this is all the time we have. Perhaps that portable Jump Gate might be used as a fall back plan should we deem…”

“Out of the question.” barked Artemis, sulking in the back of the compartment, “The people I work for will not take kindly to Protectorate people exiting the other end of this Gate. You’re more than likely to just be shot on sight. Besides, I only know how to set it up to link once.”

“Very well, looks like our time restriction stands. We’ll need to find what we can within the week, if we’re to get back in time before they shut down the Eridani Gate.”

“No pressure.” I said.

40.

Our final approach to Ambrose Station was the most dangerous. Although our cloaking system was good, there were still minor energy emissions that a lucky scan could pick up. It was how we found it, after all. A massive armada of Junker warships normally surrounded the station, situated halfway between the Ghantri home world of Ghan and Nsarri, the second planet of the system. The Jaani had completed the construction of shipyards, started by foreign systems and Corporations before the Betrayal, and put them to use. The Jaani used designs reverse engineered from captured vessels and as a result, there were familiarities to some parts of ships in the system. Most were slapped together sections, usually of mixed origin, with only a few original designs. It seemed the Jaani still had a lot to learn about starship construction.

When we were close enough for our sensors to take passive readings, however, we made a startling discovery. The space around the station was nearly empty.

“The fleet must have moved to Ghan.” mused Garner, as Ormund and I arrived on the bridge.

“How many ships are still on station?” I asked.

“Forty-seven, sir.” reported one of the bridge crew.

“Well, that makes our job a lot easier.” said Ormund.

“I don’t like it,” said Garner, “Too many unknowns.”

I nodded my agreeance. “Is it possible they headed to the Jump Gate?”

“We would have detected them, even if we were cloaked. They would have had to pass right by us. Ghantri propulsion is easy to detect, they still haven’t gotten the mix of fuels and exotic particles right. Always an imbalanced emission you can follow.”

“What does this mean for our insertion?”

“Like Ormund said – makes it easier for you, but harder for me.”

“Why harder?”

“We’re going to be tip-toeing in there, with no clue where most of the enemy is hiding. We’re going to need to use low emission active sensors this close to the station in order to avoid getting too close to those forty-seven other ships. A lot less traffic in the region will make masking those emissions harder. We’re going to have to be extra careful.”

“Is your crew up to it?” I asked, and coped an eyeful from Garner.

“What do you think? You’ve whipped them into a fully-fledged fighting unit. What’s your assessment?”

I thought about my answer a few moments. “They’re capable, but never truly tested. We pushed them pretty hard these last couple of weeks, but we won’t know how they’ll go under real pressure.”

“That’s always a risk, every captain understands that.”

“They feel confident, but now they have some measure of what they may face, so that confidence now tells me that at least they aren’t overconfident.”

Garner gave me a funny look.

“Hey,” I said, “You should have seen the bravado on the crews during the Push. They thought it was going to be a cake-walk and look what happened.”

“What about you? Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“You think so?”

“I thought I was ready the last time I was here.”

“But now you aren’t over confident.”

“No.”

“So, this is it. Time to take the dive, throw the dice.”

I nodded. “How long until we’re within insertion range?”

He checked a few read outs on his command station. “You got twelve hours.”

I headed down to the ship’s medical centre, hoping to catch Zoe before things got too busy. She was seated at one of the small benches for pathology, head resting on an outstretched arm. I could hear her faintly snoring.

“Hey,” I said, giving her a little shake. She awoke with a start, momentarily unsure of her surroundings.

“Was I asleep?”

“Could hear you snoring out in the passageway.”

“You liar. Geez, I’m super tired. Haven’t had much sleep lately. Your fault.”

“You medical guys have coped a flogging, I’m not surprised. You did great work, though. I thought I’d come round and let you know – we’re getting ready for the drop soon. Garner gave us twelve hours.”

A mix of emotions played out on her face. Concern for me, relief that the journey is over, apprehension at the possibility of combat. She settle on a stern look that told me she was ready, for whatever happened next. My love for her swelled along with my pride. She reached out and gave me a hug, squeezing me tight.

“Come see me before you go?” she said, not letting go.

“I promise. Why don’t you go get some rest?”

“How can I sleep knowing what’s coming?”

“Ha, you managed just fine in the middle of a job.”

She let me go and punched me playfully in the chest. “Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“What’s it worth to you?”

“How about never having sex with you again?”

“No fair.”

“Beat it, I have work to do. So do you.”

I kissed her and left, sending messages to Naga Team as I went. It was time to muster the troops. When I arrived in the ready room, half of the squad was already there – the familiar sounds of checking equipment playing out in the compartment. Harris gave me a nod and came over as I walked in.

“Your suit ready?” he asked, indicating my new M4 MAEL storage locker.

“Should be. The sarge says I just need to break it in.”

“Ha, you’re going to be chaffing for the next three days.”

“Yeah, not my first suit I’ve ever had to break in. I got calluses in my nethers.”

He looked shocked. “You’re kidding?”

“Haha, good to see some of the old rookie jokes still work on you new generation ground pounders.”

He gave me a sheepish grin and went back to his own equipment. I started to unpack my own gear, laying it out before me on one of the large tables set up just for this purpose. The Argen trooper, Private Carro, was handing out cells from the armoury and I stepped up to get my share.

I opened my suit locker and pulled my M4 helmet free, slipped it over my head and started up the computer inside. Once I was satisfied it would link with my overlay, I pulled it free of my head. A sharp pain on my neck, near the base of my skull, reminded me of my new implant – the battlenet protochip. I rubbed the injection point tenderly.

“Careful,” came a snide remark from the hatchway as Art strode in, “keep fingering it and it will fall out.”

“Bullshit.” I said, but I was smiling. I had not seen Art much lately and I found that I was missing her company. Something about the way she cut through all the bullshit and then layered it with a brand all her own was entertaining in some ways. “How are you loading up?”

“Standard riggers space suit going down, with extended life support. Got Marty’s composite armour when we hit the ground.”

“Marty?”

“Martin. Martin Renthal?”

“Oh, Renthal.”

“Geez, Seth. At least learn their real names.”

“Why? The military never uses them. We all have nicknames.”

“Like luverboy?”

“Yeah, only more manly. Wait. Why are you wearing Renthal’s armour?”

“Don’t worry, he’s wearing his M4, like the rest of you. He said I could use it if I wanted, and I took him up on it.”

The way she smiled at me, I could tell that she was hinting that she took him up on other things as well. I made a mental note to have a word with Marty Renthal, should I get the chance.

The next to arrive was Tac. Much like Art, I had had little opportunity to meet with Tac recently, and I was eager to hear how he was doing. I asked him as much.

“I’ve had the most delightful time, Lieutenant Donovan!”

“Please, just call me Seth. Nothing’s changed between you and I.”

“Of course, Seth. I have spent the majority of my time with Doctor Elias and the ship’s array of AI Cores. They are most fascinating to talk with.”

“Elias or the other AIs?”

“Both! The AI’s do lack personality, I’ll admit…and so does Doctor Elias, to be honest, but their knowledge!”

“I’m glad you’ve been making friends. I was worried you’d be bored, since they wouldn’t let you hook up to the sensor nexus.”

“Oh, that was only a minor restriction. Once Elias questioned me regarding my brakes, and was satisfied they were present, he had no qualms about feeding me as much data as he could make available to me.”

The brakes he was referring to were personality brakes built into all AIs. A set of unbreakable ethics, so to speak. Long ago, shortly after the dawn of true artificial intelligence, a way to limit and contain aberrant behaviours of rogue AIs was devised. There were always stories of rogue AIs going nuts and causing all manner of mayhem, but truth be told they were nothing more than ghost stories to scare people. Most AI cores were small, and therefore relatively simple. They were rarely given much responsibility and instead worked in tandem with other AI cores to perform different tasks.

Tac was different, having been developed by a culture devoted to pushing the boundaries of what is capable with artificial intelligence – The Demarchy of Vengnashi.

“I want you to stay close to me, down there. Stick to cover and don’t try anything heroic. We need you intact to break through some of the security we may face, and besides – you’re my friend. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Your concern is noted, Seth. I also consider you my friend. We’ve been through much, you and I.”

“That we have. Are you ready to go down into the belly of the dragon with me once more?”

“I am unsure of your reference, but I am ready to proceed with our mission. If that is what you were asking?”

I laughed. Sometimes Tac could be childlike in his innocence. “I am, Tac. I am.”

The others arrived soon after, and we got to work.

41.

The approach to Ambrose was stressful, but uneventful. Captain Garner and his crew really mastered their art, slowly drifting closer and closer to the station over the passing hours. I joined them on the bridge for a few hours, before I was needed for deployment. I stood quietly behind and to the left of the command station, Zoe beside me. We were not meant to fraternise in public, but no one said anything when she slipped her hand into mine and leaned against me slightly. I was hoping everyone was too busy with their work to notice.

The view before us was magnificent. The torus ring station was a massive, brightly lit vista of greys, greens and blues against a starry backdrop. From this far out we couldn’t make out the state of disrepair it was in, as there had not been any regular maintenance performed on it over the decades to keep it in order. Many of the systems on board it would be non-functional or malfunctioning at best.

Besides, from out here, it simply looked beautiful. A beauty that hid hundreds of thousands of prisoners used a slave labour. I wanted to stay up here, enjoying the view, Zoe within arm’s reach of me, but eventually I was needed in the ready room on Deck 3. We parted with heavy hearts, but we said no good byes.

Adjacent to the ready room and armoury was an airlocked compartment called 3A-17. It was fitted with crash harnesses that would fit my armoured troops, and all we needed to do was pump the air out and open the outer ‘lock when we were ready to deploy. The compartment was bathed in red light, the only illumination until the go ahead was given to leave.

The next hour was stressful. Pre-op nerves were at their most charged. We could all feel the tension, the adrenaline building just underneath the level of consciousness. It made us break out in a cold sweat. A few of us got the shakes. We were all veterans, yet we all knew that this could very well be our last few moments alive. All it would take is one of the Ghantri to look in the right place at the right time and see us, small though we were. If this happened, we were all doomed.

A line of text appeared on my overlay, startling me.

Command MSG MT0.17.43.11: You should probably speak to them, a pet talk or speech.

Huh? Who is this?

Command MSG MT0.17.57.27: Ormund. The battlenet feed.

Oh. Right. What’s MT etc?

Command MSG MT0.18.11.07: Mission time elapsed. You can turn it off by going into the app settings and unchecking the timestamp check box.

Done. That was annoying.

Yeah, it is useful for when you have multiple feeds running at once, though. Should be okay to have it turned off as it will just be me on this feed. Garner may drop in from time to time, but he has agreed that he will focus on Fleet activity only.

All right. A speech, you say?

To take their mind off the drop.

Okay, let me think.

I went to rubbed my chin, then realised I was wearing my M4 helmet. I unhooked myself from the harness and stepped into the middle of the compartment.

“I can see many of you are nervous. That’s good. That tells me you understand the gravity of what we’re about to attempt. To say we’re behind enemy lines is an understatement. Just coming into this system puts you behind enemy lines. Point two of an AU from here is the black heart of the Ghantri and their dreaded fleet of warships is nowhere to be seen.”

If they weren’t nervous before, they are now. You’re supposed to give them courage.

“You have a right to be scared. You’d be a fool if you weren’t. Last time I was here, I lost most of the people I respected most. I saw thousands of my comrades die under the guns of the Ghantri. If you looked out there hard enough, you can probably still see their frozen bodies drifting through space. There’s a very high possibility that we’ll be joining them, permanently.”

I take it back. You shouldn’t give them a speech, after all.

“But courage doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. It doesn’t mean you don’t feel fear. It means you feel it, and you do your jobs anyway. In a short while, we’re going to jump out that airlock and attempt with a dozen people what a hundred thousand could not do. We’re going to liberate as many people as we can from that steel prison, we’re going to find information about the Ghantri-Destroyer connection, and we’re going to kill as many of those black-hearted bastards as we can in the process.”

That’s a little more like it.

“You all know who I am. What I’ve done. Now is your time to show me what you can do. Today you show me, you show the Ghantri, what Naga Team is made of. After today, it will be the Ghantri who know fear, not you.”

Suddenly, the red light switched to green and the outer airlock irised open. From my standing position, I could see the pale green and blue of Ambrose Station as the habitation ring swept into view.

Captain Garner has given the go ahead. The ‘lock should be opening soon.

Yeah it’s open now. Beginning deployment.

Good luck. Loading telemetry now, your drift patterns should appear on your overlay in five seconds.

As I stepped up to the airlock, a ghostly web of tunnels appeared on my vision, indicating my projected path I’ll need to ‘drop’ through.

“First wave.” I ordered, which Kekkin immediately repeated, much louder. The sergeant joined me at the airlock, while Renthal, Geko, Masters and Carro lined up single file at the threshold.

Renthal gave me a salute, grinned and lightly pushed off the hatch combing. Geko waited until Kekkin tapped him on the shoulder, then he followed. Masters and Carro followed suit.

First wave deployed.
I reported to Ormund.

Tracking successful. Clean drop. Stand by for second wave in thirty seconds.

“Renthal, check comms.”

“Five by five, LT.”

“Roger, I have you loud and clear also. Second wave.”

Once more, Kekkin repeated the command, adding several colourful names to the order. By the time he’d finished insulting Harris, Rhondel, Triptych and Gunther, they were all lined up at the ‘lock. I looked at Triptych, who appeared to be fidgeting while he waited.

I questioned Ormund.
Triptych going to be alright? Fairly open out there. I know Malforians hate open spaces.

He should be good, just remind him to activate his implant.

Implant?

Mild sedative, should calm his nerves somewhat but keep him alert.

“Tryp, time for your dose.” I said lightly to him over the suit’s comms.

“Already hit it, LT. Just waiting for it to kick in.”

I gave him a nod and gestured to Kekkin.

“Time to drop, girls! Out, out, out!” he shouted.

Harris leaped clear of the hatch, and in seconds Rhondel, then Gunther followed him. Triptych need a little more motivation from Kekkin, but he jumped out eventually.

Second wave deployed.

“Harris, make sure you check comms with Renthal, and stay within five clicks of his team. Landing markers should appear on your overlays shortly.”

“Roger, establishing comms now.”

“How many drops have you done,
naga-zak
?” asked Kekkin, out of the blue. We had a full minute before the rest of us were due to drop, so I humoured him.

“Combat drops? Five times. Mostly axial deployments. One more since I mustered out, a few months ago just before we came into Gossamer. Over a hundred training drops, though.”

“Axial deployments are stupid. Too many troops die.”

“They do have a high fatality rate, yes. Not the most fun thing to do in a battle. Tactically, though, we almost always created enough of a problem for the enemy to either surrender or we cripple their ship.”

“Only Primarch Star Marines crazy enough to do it.”

“That’s why we’re the best.”

“Bah!” he waved his hand at me dismissively.

I checked the countdown on my overlay. “Time to go. Third wave!”

Art, Tac and Rego joined us at the air lock. Rego was our technician, a near human of some race I didn’t recognise. He rarely spoke, preferring to play with the myriad of devices he always carried around. I wanted him close to Tac when we landed, we’d need them to set up our comms beacon we were to deploy on the ring’s outer shell.

“You should go first, Kekkin. I’ll go last.” I said. He nodded and dove head first off the ship.

“See you dirtside, loverboy.” Art gracefully rolled out of the ship, turning as she did so to flip me the bird.

Rego went next, leaving Tac and I alone at the airlock’s threshold.

“This is it, Tac. Any second thoughts?”

“None. I merely wish to express my gratitude for providing such experiences to me. My old crew and position would never have afforded me such opportunities.”

“You might not feel the same way soon, but for now it’s been a pleasure.”

“Whatever may happen in the next few days, I just wanted you to know that I don’t regret allowing you to remove me from the Viridian March. It’s been a pleasure to get to know you and the others.”

“I feel the same way, you’re a remarkable intelligence, Tac. You’re part of the family now.”

He tilted his head in a very human gesture of acknowledgement, then leapt from the ship. I waited a few seconds and then followed.