Redemption Protocol (Contact) (29 page)

“I don't think that would be sensible.”

Stone nodded.

“Damn right it wouldn’t.”

Havoc listened through the open comms as Stephanie, Hwan, Kemensky and the late inclusion on Shuttle Two, Karch, discussed what to do. The difference in the onboard readings versus the transmitted telemetry suggested that the shuttle control systems had been compromised. Someone was mounting a psychological operation to damage morale and provoke conflict. It hadn’t occurred to the crew of Shuttle Two to check if their explosion was genuine – the sudden vibration and the venting from the tank had felt completely realistic to them. Not only that, it had been confirmed as real by their instrumentation.

Havoc would have checked, he knew. He thought that if anyone would suspect something it would be Karch. Karch had immediately run diagnostics on the shuttle software but hadn’t surfaced any issues. The fact that Karch had run diagnostics without discovering the subverted feeds suggested a sophisticated attack.

With Marsac being blown up, a bomb on board their shuttle would not seem unrealistic. Unwelcome, of course, but not unrealistic. Tanks simply didn’t fail like that so they would conclude it was sabotage. In the discussion on Shuttle Two, Stephanie had already stated as much and Karch was agreeing with her.

Havoc brought their shuttle round until they had come full circle and were approaching the wall again. He nodded toward the statue.

“Let's exercise that thing a little more. Could you put four drones over the wall, please, Novosa.”

“Four?”

“Yes.”

“Four full drones?”

“Please.”

Novosa turned to him.

“Isn’t that a waste?”

Havoc had a simple view of resources. You spent them to deal with problems. He’d seen too many people die because they were trying to preserve assets for an unknown future eventuality instead of a real and immediate threat. He thought there were very few situations where that approach was justified, and that this wasn’t one of them.

He shrugged.

“Could save us from dying.”

Novosa considered this.

“Fair enough.”

Four drones went out over the wall as Havoc guided the shuttle higher in order to observe. The statue lunged forward and fired four kinetics at each of the drones in turn. As before, the kinetics flew over the top of each drone.

Novosa highlighted a track in their battlespace. For speed, she simulcast to text as well as speaking.

“We have movement from the western statue. Thing. Guardian. I’m tracking it.”

Havoc studied their battlespace.

“Pull three of the drones back and push one forward.”

“Done.”

One of their drones accelerated toward the pyramid and thus toward the guardian, as Novosa had called it. The guardian opened fire. Kinetics obliterated the drone. Stone winced.

“Ouch.”

“Pull two out and leave one stationary, please, Novosa.”

“The other guardian is turning back.”

Havoc nodded.

“Makes sense.”

“They’re coordinating,” Weaver said.

“Looks like it.”

A hail of kinetics annihilated the stationary drone.

Havoc had seen enough.

“Ok, prep the two drones for pickup, please. Good job, everyone.”

From Shuttle Two, they heard a muffled boom. There was screaming and then silence. Weaver’s hand covered her mouth. Everyone waited, bracing themselves for the worst, as Havoc deployed sky hooks to recover the two drones.

Stephanie’s panicked voice burst out of the radio.

“This is Shuttle Two. We’ve had a second explosion. We’ve lost both our oxygen tanks. We don’t have any suits onboard so we’re down to the reserve. The reserve tank is damaged but has managed to self-seal. Our drive is down to twenty percent of rated acceleration. We’re at least thirteen hours from the
Intrepid
at maximum burn. We don’t know if you can hear this, but we’re short of sufficient air by a projected nine hundred minutes across three of us. I’m not including Karch in that estimate as she can rebreathe, but not sufficiently to sustain us all.”

Novosa frowned at the instruments.

“That isn’t right. They easily have enough oxygen left in the reserve.”

Havoc frowned as he thought about the capability of the people on board. It sounded like Karch was hoarding her oxygen or, more generously, being extremely conservative in case something else went wrong. A fifteen hour requirement for a thirteen hour trip meant even one less crew would present a shortfall, though presumably Karch could make this up.

“I repeat, we are short of sufficient oxygen by nine hundred minutes,” Stephanie said.

Novosa shouted at the radio.

“No, you’re not!”

Tyburn tried to transmit to Shuttle Two. No one was getting through.

“Why can’t we cast to the crew directly?” Stone asked.

Havoc shook his head.

“I tried. They’re tied in through the shuttle antenna.”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Weaver said.

No, Havoc thought.

Novosa covered her face with her hands.

“This could get real ugly, real fast.”

Havoc nodded.

“
Intrepid
, how near operational is Shuttle Three?”

“At least an hour,” Tyburn said.

“Can we get a raft to Shuttle Two?”

“Negative. Launching Shuttle Three is faster.”

“Can we signal their hull with a laser? Or even light kinetics?”

“We tried directed energy. It seems signals aren’t being transferred to the crew. Their sensor systems are screening.”

“I'm going to sit her up, Tyburn.”

“Roger that, Shuttle One.”

Stone looked at Havoc.

“Why can we hear them?”

“Psyops. It’s classic.”

Weaver gave a look of revulsion.

“That’s sick.”

Havoc nodded. The Shuttle Two crew thought they were short of oxygen. If it had just been a bunch of scientists on board they would probably sit it out, hoping for rescue and expecting to die, and then miraculously find that they'd lived. But there weren’t just a bunch of scientists on board. On Shuttle Two, Karch’s voice was clear and bleak.

“We don’t have enough oxygen to make it back. We need to do something.”

There was silence.

Havoc banked the shuttle right.

“Ok. We’re heading for Shuttle Two. I’m going to sit her up. Prepare for burn everyone.”

On Shuttle Two, Stephanie tried to reason with Karch.

“Shouldn’t we just wait?”

Karch’s tone was emphatic.

“No. That’s the classic mistake. People wait. They wait too long and everyone dies.”

Weaver looked in horror at the console.

“Oh no.”

Havoc tilted the shuttle back, laying the crew horizontal, and initiated the burn. The shuttle punched upward, pressing them back with brutal acceleration.

“How long?” Weaver said.

“Maybe ten minutes.”

Or put another way, it would take a miracle.

Havoc could hear the Shuttle Two dialogue in perfect quality over the shriek of their engines. He could even see the crew on their shuttle feed, standing in the forward cabin as they discussed their dilemma.

“I think we should wait,” Stephanie said.

Karch shook her head.

“That’s not an option. You’re just saying the three of you should die of asphyxiation instead of one of you. I can’t let that happen.”

Kemensky nodded.

“She’s right.”

It wasn't clear who Kemensky was agreeing with.

“The logic is undeniable,” Kemensky concluded.

Hwan dropped her head into her hands.

Havoc vibrated violently as their shuttle thrust through the lower atmosphere.

Karch drew a pistol and clipped it to the cabin wall.

“We need to sort this out in the next ten minutes. Even then we’re technically in the red. We’re going to draw straws.”

Stephanie looked stunned.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Karch drew out some filament wire to cut into lengths.

“If you draw the short straw, you take your own life.”

 43. 

Havoc pushed the shuttle as hard as it would go; harder than it should go. Their shuttle was battered brutally as they accelerated toward orbit.

Stephanie spoke in a small voice. She sounded like a frightened child.

“Why can’t we wait?”

Karch held out her hand with three lengths of wire protruding.

“Ok, here are the straws. Does everyone agree with this; does everyone understand and agree?”

There was a pause then everyone nodded.

Karch proffered her hand to Kemensky.

“Ok, Kemensky, draw one.”

Novosa stared at the console.

“Otva otva otva otva.”

There was a muffled sound, then Kemensky’s head dropped with relief.

Karch extended her hand to Hwan.

“Ok, Hwan, draw one.”

“Karma,” Hwan said as she took one.

“I can’t listen to this,” Weaver said.

Hwan slumped back, the slender thread slipping from her hand.

Shuttle One roared through the stratosphere, clawing its way upward.

Karch turned to Stephanie.

Stephanie spoke in a quiet voice.

“This isn’t right.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kemensky said.

Stephanie sat with a numb expression.

“No, wait, let's think about this.”

Karch shook her head.

“I'm sorry. There’s no time.”

“No, honestly––”

“There’s no time!” Karch said.

“Look, I’ve got to tell you...”

“Are you going to do it or do you want me to help?”

“Help? Don’t! I mean, I will...”

“Ok.”

“But I just wanted to say, look, I have to tell you––”

Karch pointed at the pistol.

“Just do it.”

Stephanie twisted to look at the pistol, her expression aghast.

“I have––”

Hwan’s voice interrupted, surprisingly loud.

“No.”

Karch turned to Hwan.

“What?”

“It should be me.”

“
What?
”

“It was meant to be me. It’s my fate.”

Karch looked bewildered.

“What are you talking about?”

Hwan started sobbing.

“I killed my family.”

Shuttle One tore though the upper atmosphere, breaking free of gravity and shooting for orbit. Havoc tracked their time to target. They had to match the flight profile of Shuttle Two before they could do anything other than obliterate it in a collision.

“I’m going to spin and burn down.”

“How long?” Weaver said.

“Less than five minutes.”

“What did Hwan say?” Stone said.

“What?” Karch said.

Hwan screamed hysterically.

“We didn’t have enough batteries! I was too scared. I didn’t want to die. I couldn't face it, not waking up. I'm sorry!”

“Damn,” Stone said.

Karch looked at Hwan.

“Are you seriously...”

Hwan sobbed uncontrollably.

“Don’t you understand? This is for me! I deserve it.”

“Otva,” Novosa said.

“We have to get there in time!” Weaver said.

“You’re saying you want to...” Karch said.

Hwan nodded.

“Yes.”

“Oh, no,” Weaver said.

Stephanie looked between Karch and Hwan.

“Oh my God. Why can’t we––”

Karch cut Stephanie off as she pulled the pistol from the wall.

“I’m sorry, Hwan, but you have to be quick.”

“Three minutes out,” Novosa said.

Karch pressed the weapon into Hwan’s hand as she stood up. Hwan looked down at it, then back at Karch.

“I’ll go next door. Do I just...?”

“Just squeeze the trigger. Make sure the muzzle is pressed against your temple. You can put it in your mouth if that’s easier.”

Weaver and Stone gasped in unison.

Hwan nodded.

“Alright.”

Weaver was beside herself.