Bishop's Gambit Omnibus Page 6

  Steve nodded. “You’re right.” We looked around the room for a while and traced where all of the power conduits were running to. “Here’s the rail cannon. And it has an auto-loader; it’s just been turned off.”

  “You think it still works?” I asked.

  “One way to find out,” said Steve. He pressed a few buttons on the auto-loader, and the machine came to life. The floor opened up, and a massive slug of metal came up on a lift. Arms came out of the machine and latched onto the slug and dropped it into the rail cannon. The hatch slammed shut and the machine blinked “READY” on the screen repeatedly.

  “Well,” I said. “There’s one less issue. We should check out the mass drivers while we’re out and about. Might as well have those ready as well.”

  “Yup, let’s go,” said Steve.

  We spent the next couple of hours heading to the other three cargo decks. The explosive munitions had been stored for transport in the smaller cargo bays. We modified them with proximity sensors and loaded them into the mass drivers. They wouldn’t be horribly powerful, but we didn’t have much in the way of heavy weapons, so they’d have to do.

  When we returned to the Strider, we walked in to find Anne and Sami in some sort of debate on the benefits of inertial dampeners and their usefulness. Apparently, Sami’s thoughts were that they were a waste of power and that humans should grow stronger spines. Anne didn’t seem to agree. Quite honestly, neither did I.

  “Would love to hear the rest of this debate,” I said, “but we have better things to talk about. Like the damned Sentinel strapped to the rail cannon downstairs.”

  Anne scoffed. “A Sentinel? Are you kidding me?” she looked between Steve and me. Her disbelief was written all over her face, but she said nothing more.

  Steve walked past her and brought up the sensory feed from the lower cargo hold. She gasped and paled. “You guys weren't kidding…” she whispered. “I've never seen one up close before.”

  “Oh, trust me,” I said. “You still haven't. Not until you're three meters from one and feel your skin crawling from the static electricity in the air.”

  “Oh my,” said Sami. “I was so enthralled in our thrilling debate that I hadn’t noticed when you reconnected the sensors. That is quite the specimen…”

  “You’re actually admiring this thing?” I asked.

  “Of course. Are you not? This is the closest we have come to a Sentinel in recorded history. It should be of significant scientific importance.”

  “I suppose,” I said. “For now, it’s a reactor powering the rail cannon. We can worry about science later.”

  “Agreed,” said Steve. “Later, I’m going to expose the government for what they’ve done. I’ll bring them down to their knees, and someone more able to lead will be voted in.”

  “That is quite the dream,” said Sami. “It has potential, however.”

  “This still seems unreal,” said Anne.

  “I can take you down to see it,” said Steve.

  “Actually,” she said. “Maybe we should. It’d be good to see the ship anyhow.”

  I shook my head. “Hurry up and get your jollies off,” I said. “We have work to do.” She giggled as they exited the ship and left me in peace.

  “Is it wise to let them explore the ship alone?” asked Sami.

  “Probably not,” I said. “But Steve will keep her out of trouble.

  “Indeed,” said Sami.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “Their biochemical statistics are abnormal when they are in proximity.” he said.

  “Huh?” I asked. “English, please?”

  “She wishes to mate with him,” he said flatly.

  “What? No, she doesn’t,” I said. “Besides, they’re like eight years apart. Why would she be interested in… You know what, whatever. I don’t have time for this.”

  I went out into the cargo bay and started to take note of what kind of supplies we had available to us. I found several crates labeled “REACTOR PARTS” and made a mental note of it. Nearby, there were several unmarked crates. I opened several of them. They all had weapons of various kinds I’d never seen before. Some were rifles, others sidearms, and yet others were tube shaped with some sort of saddle that looked as if it sat on the shoulder.

  I kept looking through the boxes until I found one that made me smile. “EMERGENCY RATIONS,” it read. I carefully opened the case, and inside, filled to the brim, were cases upon cases of rations. “Coming out of my cut? Hah!” I spat. After I grabbed two cases, I noticed that the stacks were labeled with different flavors. I grabbed a few different ones and took them back to the ship.

  13

  Steve and Anne returned about forty-five minutes later, and both looked quite a bit more relaxed. Both of them had sweaty hair, and Anne’s face was slightly flushed. Huh. “There’s food,” I said. “Different flavors too.”

  “They make different flavors?” asked Anne. I noticed her hand trembling just a little bit as she reached for a ration pack. “Where’d you find these at?”

  I smiled. “There’s an entire crate of them. Enough rations to last the three of us for a year.” I thought about that for a minute. “Not that I’d want to, but we could,” I said.

  Steve laughed. “Roast beef and potatoes, honey ham and potatoes, chicken and rice, and Salisbury steak. I’ve never had any of these.”

  “Wow,” said Anne. “This is way better than the rations we had.”

  I laughed. “That’s because they’re fresher. Ours actually expired two years ago. They just don’t really go bad, just bland.”

  “What else did you find?” asked Steve as we finished up the rations.

  “Reactor parts,” I said. “Lots of them. I don’t even know how much they’re worth, but there’s enough there to keep the Grey Wolf maintained for the rest of our lives.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I also found a crate of weapons. There were pistols, rifles, and some kind of shoulder weapon with a tube.”

  Steve’s eyes went wide. “With weapons like those, the colony militia would be outgunned.”

  “Yup,” I said. “They looked pretty high tech too.”

  Anne stretched and yawned. “I’m pretty tired,” she said. “I think we should all get some sleep.”

  Steve and I nodded. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s been a long day.”

  “It sure has,” said Anne. She quickly turned her face, but I saw her blush.

  “Good night,” said Steve, almost too quickly.

  I shook my head and wrapped myself in the insulated blanket. I lay on my cot, worrying about the pirates.

  I thought I’d been dreaming about an alarm going off and something being wrong with the ship. The alarm registered its importance in my mind, and I was instantly awake. I looked over in time to see Anne pull her hand back from Steve’s and sit up. I hit the comms button.

  “Sami, what’s with the alarm?” I asked.

  “Proximity warning. Pirate fleet now within mass driver weapon range. Estimate one hour until they are within turret range.”

  Steve, now awake, checked the sensors. “They’ve spread out pretty loosely. Probably to keep another rail round from taking out a bunch more ships.”

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll fire some explosive rounds from the mass drivers. Hopefully, I can thin them out a bit more. If they get close to each other on accident, I’ll let them have another rail round.

  “How’s the Strider?” asked Steve.

  Anne frowned. “Better, but not good enough for a fight. We just have to hope that the Grey Wolf can perform as good as Bishop seems to think she will.”

  “She’ll be fine,” I said. I donned the interface helmet and gloves and initiated the connection.

  The ship’s systems flooded my mind, and my senses expanded the void around the Grey Wolf. The reactor pulsed in my mind. The engines thrummed with power. The ship was an extension of my body, and it made me fee
l strong. I couldn’t deny the absolute rush I was feeling.

  “Admiring the scenery?” asked Sami.

  Just taking it all in. This is the most powerful ship I’ve ever interfaced with. And the most powerful neural interface I’ve ever used. It’s all quite new to me.

  “Anyone want to say any words of inspiration?” asked Anne.

  “A few come to mind,” said Steve over the crackling comms. “God of power and mercy, maker and lover of peace, to know you is to live and to serve you is to reign.”

  I wasn’t exactly a religious man, nor did I know the words, but they flooded into my mind. “Through the intercession of St. Michael, the archangel, be our protection in battle against all evil.”

  “Help me us to overcome war and violence and to establish your law of love and justice,” said Anne.

  All three of us finished the prayer simultaneously, “Grant this through Christ our Lord.”

  There was nothing else to say. I focused on the reactor core. The ship thrummed with pent-up power as I willed the fusion reactor to maximum output. I boosted the tracking speed on the defense turrets and warmed up the rail cannon and mass drivers. The automated cargo loaders had already filled the chambers. Thanks for telling me the words.

  “You are welcome. It was customary for military troops to recite a prayer on the eve of a battle. And a battle, you shall have,” whispered Sami.

  “Here we go,” I said over the comms. I reached out for the mass drivers, their coils already warm. They were basically ancient rail cannons in their own right. Same technology, just different generation. I found the most clumped-together ships heading toward us and lined up the Grey Wolf with their trajectory.

  I fired the first round, then aimed for the second, and fired. I did the same with the third and then readied the rail cannon. I watched as the three bombs soared toward their target groups. The second they detonated, I fired the rail cannon. The explosions took out their groups, forcing their wingmen to scatter. As they did, the rail round scored three more.

  I got on the comms. “Nine down,” I said.

  “Great, only fourteen left,” said Anne.

  “Looks like the mass drivers need to cool off,” said Steve. “What about the rail cannon?”

  “It’ll be a little while,” I said. “Not sure how long.” I turned the ship away from the pirates and fired the engines at maximum power. “I’ll try to buy us a little more time, but it won’t be much.”

  Thirty minutes later, I spun the ship back around. I fired the rail cannon again but only took out one ship. The rest entered weapons range. Unfortunately for us, if our turrets were in range of them, it also meant they could target us as well. They opened fire as a group, and their ammo hammering the hull felt like a million bugs stinging my skin.

  I spun the ship around without slowing and fired the mass drivers one after the other. The exploding munitions scattered them as the turrets tracked and fired at their ships.

  “This isn’t working,” I said. “They’re way too fast for the targeting computers.”

  “What about manual tracking?” asked Steve. “Give me control over two of the turrets.”

  “Sami?” I asked over the comms.

  “Complying,” he said. “Manual turret control of units six and eight transferred to Steve.”

  “Got it,” said Steve. “Thanks.”

  Sami, give me a turret as well.

  “Illogical. It would be more efficient for you to manually control all of the remaining turrets,” he whispered.

  At the same time?

  “Correct. Visualize it as just another ship system. The targeting information will appear to you just as it would in reality.”

  I focused on the targeting system, and my awareness expanded. For several heartbeats, my vision went white as massive vertigo set in.

  “The resolution may still be too high for you; however, I believe with focus and willpower, you can succeed.”

  Noted. My awareness cleared up, and I could sense where all the pirates were around us. Even the two flying directly aft of the ship, hiding in the engine wash. They fired torpedoes at the engine ports. I swung around the rear turrets and intercepted their torpedoes and then turned the turrets on their ships. The heavy gauge ammunition tore up the small fighters like scissors through paper.

  I could get the hang of this.

  “Indeed.”

  I brought my awareness into full focus and began targeting ships simultaneously. Missiles pounded into the portside of the Grey Wolf. It felt like my ribs were on fire and broken. I lost control of the turret on that side of the freighter as it was hit by a lucky missile.

  I rolled the massive ship on its central axis and brought the upper turrets to bear on the ships hitting the portside.

  “Two left,” yelled Anne into the comms.

  I brought all of the turrets to focus fire around the last two ships. They both expertly dodged the combined firepower of the remaining nine turrets. Their engines belched out yellow plasma, and they surged forward out of the turret’s range.

  I chose a target at random and swung the Grey Wolf around as hard as I could. Screams of protests crackled over the comms, but I tuned them out. Lining up the targeting system, I fired the rail cannon. It missed, but the energy around the projectile was enough to vaporize half of the ship. It exploded in a brilliant ball of blue and yellow as its reactor went critical.

  “One got away,” said Steve. “It’s heading for the moon.” I fired the engines and made to follow the retreating ship.

  “We won’t be able to catch up,” said Anne.

  “Still going to follow it,” I responded. “One way or another, we’re heading to the moon. Might as well keep it lined up with the rail cannon and see if I can get a firing solution before he’s out of range.”

  Twenty minutes went by keeping the target locked. The ship was still dodging and corkscrewing, trying to keep me from getting a precise lock. Even a glancing shot would be enough. The rail cannon was now fully charged.

  “Firing,” I said. I lined up the shot and energized the coils. The shot streaked out. The small ship’s engine cut out, and the ship spun at a ninety-degree angle and over-boosted the engine.

  “He dodged it!” screamed Steve. “How the hell is that even possible?”

  “He’s using a military interface similar to the one Bishop is using,” said Sami. “There is no way to destroy him with the rail cannon. A close quarters dogfight or hand-to-hand combat would be the only option as they are evenly matched.”

  I disconnected from the interface. Somehow, I was drenched in sweat, and my hands felt like I’d been clenching my fists the entire time I’d been in the Dive.

  “You all right?” asked Steve.

  I nodded. “I’m just disappointed that I couldn’t get the last one.”

  “We pretty much took on an entire pirate squadron and survived,” said Anne. “I’d say that’s reason enough to celebrate.”

  “Yeah,” I said. I thought about the pilot on the other ship. Was he that much better than me? What resolution could he have been at? Probably close to one hundred percent…

  “What are we going to do when we get to the moon?” asked Anne.

  “Probably should hide the ship on the dark side,” said Steve. “Will be a little easier to hide it there since the sensor network was never designed to find ships that close.”

  “Yeah,” said Anne. “And we’ll need supplies.”

  “And we need to get back to the colony,” I said. “I’m not sure where to go yet, but we will need to find a place I can interface with the colony ship and see how badly damaged it is.”

  Steve sucked air through his teeth. “That’s going to be a challenge,” he said. “The leadership is pretty strict about who they let interface with their systems. I’m sure they’ll be a lot more wary now that the pirates have been wiped out.”

  “You’re probably right,” I said. “Still, we have to try. Maybe you have some friends that m
ight be able to help?”

  “I can ask,” he said. “I’m going to have to be really careful though. They knew who was on the Strider when we set out to mine. They’ll know I’m involved in this now.

  “I’m hoping that won’t spread so fast,” I said. “We can take a few of those pistols if we need protection.”

  Steve nodded. “Probably not a horrible idea.”

  “Where can we hide a ship this big?” asked Anne. “It’s not like we can just park above the colony. They’ll send the military remnant to arrest us.”

  “We’ll think of something,” I said. “In the meantime, Sami, how are the engines?”

  “Engines sustained minimal damage. Both drives are functioning at ninety-plus percent,” said Sami. “ETA to colony ship is one week under full power.”

  “That’s not so bad,” said Steve. “With the Strider, we would have been two or three weeks from the moon.”

  “All right,” I said. “Still do the original plan and put the ship on the other side of the moon.”

  “Yeah. We’ll have to see what kind of resources we have when we—”

  “I am detecting a wideband transmission on all frequencies,” said Sami over the crackling comms.

  “Put it up on screen,” I said.

  BEGIN TRANSMISSION

  “Citizens of Colony Two-Seven,” the president said. “This is a general declaration that Bishop Jones, Anne Jones, and Steven Miller are all wanted criminals, highest priority, shoot on sight. They are wanted for piracy and conspiring against the well-being of our great colony. Any citizen found to be aiding these criminals, in any way whatsoever, will be subject to summary execution along with them. Thank you for your cooperation.”

  END TRANSMISSION.

  “Well, shit,” said Steve. “If we weren’t royally screwed before, we sure as hell are now.”

  “What now?” asked Anne. “Is that it?”

  “Nope, not by a long shot,” I said smiling. “We have the Grey Wolf and all of its technology.” I paused for a moment, smile turning into a grin. “And we have Sami.”