AMP The Core (12 page)

As I floated in place, staring at the Duke’s back, I slowly raised my left hand. A tungsten round was ready in the chamber.

The Duke spoke. "Wonderful. To think you would be so bold as to come into the middle of such an armada, to kill an enemy that cannot be killed!"

The Duke turned to stare at me. "And here you are with an artifact from your past! This is so exciting! I can’t tell you how long I have waited for an encounter such as this!"

I blinked in and landed gently on my feet. "Hello, Duke. I will give you this, you are a slippery one. But, we are slowly figuring out your game. And when we fully do, we’ll be coming to kill you for good."

The Duke clasped his hands together as he rocked back and smiled. "Mr. Grange! I was hoping it would be you! You just somehow continue to survive. And yet here you are, personally doing battle with a fleet that is larger than anything you have ever encountered. That is the courage, the boldness that I have been searching for. Now, let’s get on with it, so I can see what you have planned for your next move!"

I shook my head. "You are still the crazy fool, Duke. One day I will blow that smug grin off of your face for the last time. You can count on that as a future move."

The Duke’s grin diminished to a half smile. "Come now, Mr. Grange. Arrogance is not a redeeming quality in a leader. You may destroy this body, but I will return and continue to play out the game I already have in motion."

I queued up my comm to York. "You are a go, Sergeant!"

I noticed the Duke wince just before his smile turned to a scowl. When I pulled the trigger, Duke Ferdete’s android body exploded backwards into a million smoldering pieces. I immediately blinked out and moved back onto the Swift. After closing the door and activating the ship’s skin, I was quickly through the walls of the Duke’s cruiser and heading back towards the mega-ship. In an instant, the massive vessel dropped from light speed. I pushed the throttle hard and easily came back into position to float aboard her.

I spoke. "York, how you doing?"

I could hear blaster fire over the open channel. "Just mopping up a few loose ends, Mr. Grange. It seems that a couple of those androids were in some kind of shielded and hardened case. Kind of like our hybrid battle suits. The ion bolt did nothing, and the tungsten round sent them flying through the bulkhead behind me, but they were still intact. I caught up to one and managed to pinch off his head nice and slow with my fist. I’m chasing down the other one right now. I think the Duke is definitely making the transfer."

I replied, "Keep on him, York. I’ll be there in a sec!"

I passed through fifteen decks and six bulkheads before I reached the section of the ship that held York and the fleeing android. I swung the Swift around until I was directly in the path of the onrushing body as it attempted its escape. As the yet-to-be-fully-activated machine entered the same space as the Swift, I deactivated the sodium skin. In an instant, the remaining android was folded into the surrounding structure.

As York floated through a far wall, I dropped the rear hatch. York was aboard.

I spoke as she walked up through the cargo hold and the rear door of the Swift pulled shut. "Nice work, York. You always seem to have that extra edge that is needed to get the job done."

York replied as I punched the throttle and the Swift moved rapidly away from the now-stopped fleet. "A job not finished is a job poorly done, Sir. Glad I could be aboard for the fun!"

Upon return to Tresha, it was confirmed that the fleet remained where we had left it. After setting down in the quad, I was met by the Colonel.

I spoke. "Bad news, Colonel. The Duke somehow knows about these BGS suits, and the Colossuns have hardened battle suits very similar to our hybrid suits. Two of the Duke’s replacement androids were wearing them. Made them very hard to kill. York knocked them both through a bulkhead wall, and they came out without a scratch."

The Colonel replied, "We’ll make do; the prosthetics should still offer an advantage."

I nodded as we walked. "Speaking of the prosthetics, how goes the continued conversion?"

The Colonel smiled. "We have been able to reconstruct a number of the operating rooms and rehab facilities. Just over twelve thousand Marines have gone through the conversion, with roughly nine thousand of them ready for combat. The training is going remarkably well."

I stopped. "Colonel. We probably only have a week before that fleet comes this way again. We need to coordinate with Commander Grita to make use of those wormholes for a ship assault. That also means I can’t target any ship we drop troops on. That in itself could cut way down on my effectiveness with the Swift."

The Colonel slapped me on the back. "We fight with what we have, Grange. No sense in working ourselves up over what we can’t control. The Commander has been very good about cooperating thus far. He hasn’t given us reason to believe he won’t continue to offer what he can."

I reached over and returned the Colonel’s slap. This time the Colonel rocked forward, as with my mechanical arm I was able to apply a more substantial amount of pressure.

The slightly startled Colonel looked over with a smile. "Looks like we’re going to make a man out of you yet, Grange. Even if we have to keep replacing your parts!"

I spoke. "Colonel, have you made plans for a ground defense? If fifty thousand ships drop from light speed in this system, the Gonta are likely to just pull up and run. That leaves us with the two generators that Frig set up, hardly enough for an assault."

The Colonel replied, "I have teams going over that exact scenario. We have been studying the defensive layouts of the Gonta compounds. I believe we can adequately defend against orbital bombing, and their ion cannons will suffer with the thick Tresha atmosphere. We are trying to identify and set up choke points should they put boots on the ground."

The week seemed to drag along as we awaited the inevitable. As predicted, the Duke sent out a new ship with a replacement. I was continually troubled by the fact that the Duke knew about our active skin technology. We had kept such a close watch on it that I had a hard time believing he had access to the information from spies. I then realized that the Duke had the same wormhole technology that we did. There was nothing to stop him from opening microportals for performing scans just as we had done.

Since the Duke’s fleet had not yet begun to move, I made my way over to the Colonel’s office and knocked on the doorframe as I stepped inside.

The Colonel spoke. "What do you have, Grange?"

I replied, "What I have is that I think the Duke may know our every plan. He has the same wormhole tech that we do, probably more advanced. Why would he not make use of it to do remote scans in the same manner in which we have been doing so? We should assume that he knows all of our plans."

The Colonel rocked back in his chair and pursed his lips together. "If that is the case, then all we can do is carry forward with what we have. I’ll pass the word around that we may not have some of the advantages we planned on."

I continued, "I’m going to head out to Molov for one last visit. I’ll be back before the Duke arrives. I just want to keep them informed about what’s going on."

The Colonel nodded. "No shame in wanting to see your girl, Grange. We’ll be here when you get back."

The four-hour trip to Molov seemed like an eternity. I set down in the field next to the labs and made my way in to see Ashley and the doctor.

Ashley greeted me at the door with a much-needed kiss. "What news do you bring?"

I replied, "We managed to stop the Duke for a week, but that time is up. We’re expecting the fleet to start back towards Tresha at any time. How’s the progress going out here?"

Ashley shook her head. "Slow is how it’s going. Every question requires a reconstruction of neural pathways. Even closely linked questions require the same process. We are now certain that the Duke is responsible for our being in this galaxy. We haven’t had the chance to ask how or why. It seems the more generalized the question, the longer it takes for a response."

I sat in a chair and began to rub my brow. "Well, if the Duke is responsible, at least that explains how he knows about all this technology. York and I paid him a visit last week and destroyed him and his backup androids. That’s how we gained a week’s time. He halted the attack until he could be there again in person. Just before I blew him away, he remarked about how thrilled he was that we had the sodium skin technology."

Ashley sat beside me as she replied, "Well, if it’s any consolation, he now answers every question honestly. Those inhibitor circuits take away all of his sly remarks and half-truths. I almost miss his devious spirit and the challenge it brought to extracting information. The doc doesn’t really need an interrogator anymore."

I put my arm around her shoulder. "I guess this is where your analysis of the information comes in. The doc is going to be looking at answers from a scientific perspective. We need your thoughts on political and military angles of why he does what he does, or why he’s done what he’s done."

After several more minutes of discussion, I stood and made my way over to Frig’s lab. A cesium reactor was powered up, and two microportals were open in a side-by-side configuration.

As I entered the room, Frig spoke. "Good timing, Sir. I am about to combine the endpoints of these two portals."

I sat in a chair. "What do we hope to accomplish with that?"

Frig continued pressing holo-buttons on his display. "I am hoping the result will be an enlarged endpoint."

I replied, "What good does that do? We still can’t get through the small end."

Frig shook his head. "I am attempting the combination of the endpoints first, because we don’t know what the result might be. In this way, we can test out the joining several hundred meters from here."

I looked over at the cesium reactor that hummed heavily. "Why is the reactor maxing out with two microportals at only a few hundred meters’ distance? I thought that reactor was supposed to provide way more power than we needed."

Frig took several swipes on his display, bringing up various diagrams. "I struggled with that at first also. It seems the dense cesium core of this planet prevents us from opening wormholes from here. The reactor has barely enough power to overcome the effects of the planet’s core. I have another reactor coming online in about an hour. If this test goes well, I will then attempt to combine four microportals."

I sat back. "Is there anything I can help with?"

Frig replied, "You only need to sit and look pretty for this experiment, Sir."

I gave a half smile in return. "If that helps, I’ll do my best."

Frig slowly turned a holo-dial that affected the steering of the endpoint. "Brace yourself, Sir. The endpoints are crossing into each other’s space."

I looked down at my chair. There were no arms to take hold of. I looked back over at Frig, knowing that he was just toying with me.

I spoke. "Well? What do we have?"

Frig poked away at the holo-display, looking over several sets of data before he turned around. "I believe the endpoints have overlapped without incident. The question now remains, was there a joining or no real interaction at all?"

I sat quietly for more than a minute as Frig poked away at his data sets. "Well?"

Frig turned towards me. "Sir, science is not instantaneous. There is the raw experiment, which must then be followed up with a full evaluation of the results."

I shook my head. "Did they join or what?"

Frig turned back to his display. "The initial data indicates that a joining took place, but I must evaluate those results for stability, power efficiency, and if that joining actually means a larger portal endpoint resulted from the combination."

I replied, "OK, fair enough. Just don’t be stingy with the data while others are waiting. It’s rude."

Frig shook his head as he continued to mine the data. "I should think you would be least offended by rude behavior, Sir. After all, it is a mainstay of your personality."

I stood. "You know, remarks like that hurt me deeply. Right down here in my prosthetic leg. I can feel it there."

Frig turned. "Sir, while this conversation is stimulating, it is also distracting. We have much to do if we are going to make use of what we are doing here."

I raised my hand as I walked towards the exit. "Wait, one more thing. York and I paid a visit to the Duke on his fleet. We managed to set back any assault by a week. But while I was there, standing in front of him, he talked to me. He said he was thrilled that we were making use of the active skin! He knows about this planet and all this tech. Ashley says that he is responsible for Humans being brought to this galaxy in the first place."

Frig was silent for a moment before he responded. "He seems to remain a step ahead of us on every front, Don."

I replied, "I get the feeling he is still just working us for some big game he is playing. Ashley and the doc have Quan answering questions now, but every response is taking an hour to get. Anyway, I’ll get out of your way. I have to get back to Tresha, as I’m expecting the Duke to make his move soon."

Frig spoke. "Sir, take care. And see your wife again before you go. They have a handful of extra BGS suits now. I believe one of them is sized for the Colonel."

I collected the suits and said my goodbyes. I wasn’t sure why, but as I lifted off, I had a feeling that it might be the last time I would see any of them. I had the sudden urge to turn back and try to convince them that we should pack up the Swift and head back for Earth and the Milky Way. But there was nowhere that was safe from the Duke. He seemed to always know where we were and what we were up to. I had no doubt that our coming battle would not solve those mysteries.

When I had landed on Tresha, the word had come in. The massive fleet was on its way. In ten hours, we could expect the front ships of the fleet to drop through light speed as they entered the Tresha system. The Gonta had taken the precaution to move their Carions closer together. The Colonel was giving out final assignments as I walked into his office.

I tossed the BGS suit and its required food, filter, and energy packs on his desk. "There you go, Colonel. Once you get that on, I have another three BGS suits, if you want to put anyone else in them. I can give a crash training course in the next few hours before the fighting starts."

The Colonel looked at the suit and then back at me. "I wish I had time for it, Grange. Why don’t you pick out four people and set them up. I have too much to prepare for."

The Colonel was all business now. No time for training, and no time for anything but deploying and commanding his men. I gathered the suits and headed to the barracks where York was stationed.

As I entered the building, York was assisting others with their equipment. "Sergeant! I have four BGS suits available, if you have candidates for them. Where’s Frost?"

I felt a hand groping my behind. "Hello, Frost. I brought you a gift. Go put it on if you could, preferably in another room."

Frost replied, "Well, it’s nice to see you too, Sir. You know, when I found out you took Yorkie here out with you to take on the Duke, I was a little hurt."

I smiled. "Well, it’s time to put away that tender side, Frost. We have work to do over the next few hours. I need you to get in that suit as soon as possible."

I turned back to York. "I have three more suits. Do we have anyone that is similar in stature to the Colonel?"

York replied, "There is Cominsky, Sir. I deployed with him several times, and he is top notch. Other than that, I would suggest Lieutenant Powell and Major Maxwell. Both of them have excellent leadership skills, and they have completed the prosthetics conversion. The BGS may help to keep them alive while they command their troops."

I nodded. "Round them up and get them in these suits. When you are all ready, bring them over to the Swift, and we will take them out to the ore quarry for some practice."

York took the suits. "We’ll be there in short order, Sir."

York immediately turned around. "Cominsky! Get your scrawny ass over here! We have a special mission for you!"

I looked over to see a man stand up that was a head above the rest of the Marines. He had broad shoulders and powerful arms like the Colonel’s. When he smiled and raised up one of his big hands in recognition of York’s demand, I knew why she had chosen him. He was one of the few Humans alive that would make the Colonel look average in size. I couldn’t help but pity the poor fools that had encountered him in the past.

After a ten-minute wait at the Swift, York rounded the corner with her four new recruits following just behind her. As they stepped up into the Swift, Frost did not look at all happy.

Frost spoke. "Sir, I can’t say that I am impressed with the comfort of this thing. York wouldn’t tell us what was so special about them that we should give up those hybrid suits."

I smiled as I patted Frost on the shoulder and escorted her over to the copilot’s chair. "Have a seat, Sergeant. I think you of all people are going to enjoy this."

I connected the bio-gel tether to the port on her BGS and set the warm gel to flow.

Frost squirmed for a moment and then began to smile. "I’m not sure what you have going on here, Sir. But you are right, I kind of like it!"

I replied, "It’s a bio-gel that circulates in the suit to remove waste and to provide nutrients. Here is a filter pack, a food pack, and an auxiliary power pack. Snap those into the sockets on your belt. Put this helmet on, and York will instruct you on how to make use of the heads-up display."