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  "Continue your mission, Knight Six. We'll figure it out from here. Good work," Ian said.

  "Unda' stood. We be gone now!" Leblanc replied and cut the channel.

  Combat Theater 'Astra'

  Star Dancer Command Center

  New Talos System, Carnius Sector

  Ian had the fleet hold position while they figured how to deal with the mining station turned missile base. He knew it would delay the overall plan of attack, but he wanted to talk to all his ship commanders, as well as Admiral Goya if they could reach him.

  "Mel, try to get hold of Admiral Goya. Cindy said she dropped off a new comm unit to him when she escorted the medical shuttle. I will also need a video conference with all the commanders in my office," Mel asked as he entered the office.

  "Do you want them concurrently, Sir?" the woman asked.

  "If it is possible, that would be best," Ian said tiredly.

  The big screen on the wall lit up with a haggard looking Goya who smiled broadly when the connection was made. "Ian! Major Williams said you were coming. I take it you have arrived, but from the look on your face, there's a problem."

  Ian nodded. "A very large one. If you'd hang on a moment Sir, I've asked the other commanders to join us."

  "I'm not exactly on a tight schedule right now, son. We knew it was getting really bad out there, but from the look on your face, we had no idea just how bad," Goya said.

  Ian nodded. "A lot of civilians have already been tortured and killed, Sir. I'm afraid there are going to be far more civilian casualties before we're done here. That's something I do not want, but it's getting harder to ensure."

  As the two men were talking, the ship commanders were slowly being added to the link, and their images were appearing in the chairs around the conference table.

  "It looks like everyone is here. Folks, we have a problem." He nodded to Star who brought up the outside image of the mining facility. "This is the Argyris mining facility. The heavy cruiser, Summer's Eve, has converted the entire facility into one very large missile platform. As you can see, they have freighters docked at every port and they are all loaded to the gills with replicator mass. The cruiser has been modified to launch twice her normal capacity at the expense of her fighter launch facilities. We have also discovered she doesn't have any fighters anyway."

  "Holy Eriss! That bitch could fire as many missiles as she wanted for as long as she wanted. With her landing bays open, she can also launch hypermissiles. Because of her location in the atmosphere of the planet, any ship on approach would be lit up as the radiation interacted with the shields. I have to admit, this was a brilliant move by whoever planned this party," Goya replied.

  Ian nodded. "We could easily blow it out of the sky, but there are, or at least were, roughly five thousand reasons preventing such an attack."

  "It's a civilian facility, don't tell me; the civilians are still there?" one of the Talosian ship commanders asked.

  Ian slowly nodded. "What's left of them are, yes." Star brought up the internal scans taken by the Swamp Witch. "It would appear that the crew is... using... the facility for other purposes as well."

  One of the commanders ran for the head to throw up. Two others had tears in their eyes. The rest looked very, very angry. "People, we knew something like this might be a possibility when we left the station. I'll grant that imagining it, and actually seeing it are two very different things, but we cannot allow it to consume us." Ian looked every one of the people in the eyes. "Use the anger, but don't let it control you, or you and your people will die. We do have an idea for taking this station out of the equation, but it will warn the rest of the system we are here.

  "We can send five Raptors to the station to neutralize it. However, if the Commander gets wind of our attack, he'll probably destroy the station and everyone on it. We also can't send the Raptors in as their first stop in this mission as the rest of us need them to shut down the moon bases and the orbital forts. This mission would have to be first, and take place before we move any deeper into the system," Ian said. "We just don't have the extra teams to spare to add this as a separate mission."

  "Sir, can I take a look at the station layout? Maybe I can figure out how to do this with fewer teams or at least try to shave some time off it," Ty asked. He was stationed on the Tiamat in command of the entire squadron of Raptors that had accompanied the assault force.

  "I don't think it'll matter, Ty. We only had one spare team, and I don’t see how just one team, no matter how good you are, can do this alone. In addition to the ship's crew, the entire 'marine' compliment of the ship is also there, mostly on the station," Ian replied. "But, I've been wrong before, so you're more than welcome to take a look." He glanced at Star to ensure she sent him the requested data. Then turned back to the assembled officers. "So I need ideas folks. The only one I've been able to come up with would kill everyone on the station. Something I don't want to happen regardless of what's happening to them right now."

  "Ian, although I really appreciate the thought, it might be a wasted effort. Our people are not used to brutality on this level. I very much doubt they will survive this even if we do somehow manage to rescue them. I'm afraid a good share of those that have been... uh, violated will kill themselves as soon as they have the opportunity," Goya replied sadly.

  Ian nodded slowly. "I can understand that intellectually, Sir, but I refuse to accept it. I know it might be that we are simply from different cultures, but I feel that if we can get those people out of there, we can get them the help they will need to get over this and move on with their lives. We know that people can survive this nightmare, because our people have survived it.

  "They will need help to get past it, but it can be done. Yes, we will still lose some folks, but we can still save many more of them,” Ian said. “I know that to be a fact, and I will do everything in my power to give those people that chance."

  "Sir!" Ty said, anxiously. "Give me an hour and I'll make the problem go away. I'll need two medical shuttles afterward and a lot of trauma councilors."

  "You figured it out? How?" One of the men asked.

  "Look here," he typed a few commands and the graphic he had been using was sent back to the conference. "The rebels are holding all the personnel on this one deck in the station. It's common to do this in order to keep control of them with the fewest people. I'll send in the Cherokee. They will isolate that deck and rig the rest of the station and the ship to dump the atmosphere without warning. If we place charges on the hull in these places," he made several dots appear on the graphic. “Before we go in, they can take out the guards and any other bastards mixed in with the civilians, while the rest of the station and ships try to figure out how to breathe vacuum."

  One of the Commanders shook his head. "The automatic doors will seal and protect the station. It was designed that way to prevent accidental decompression because of the amount of meteor strikes they have."

  "Neither the station nor the cruiser have an AI anymore; we do. She'll have complete control before the team even gets into the station," Ty replied. "She can make sure those doors don't close."

  "I know we seem to be relying on them a lot, but this is really what the teams were created for. The mission is authorized, Colonel. Good hunting," Ian said. "Commander F'dress, on our way in-system, you and your escorts will be passing close to the station. Would you be so kind as to give a couple of medical shuttles a ride?"

  "I would be honored, Admiral." The man hesitated. "Sir, I had thought maybe Goya had lost his mind when he told us about you. I see now that he was, as usual, correct. Regardless of your age and experience, you are most definitely an Admiral worthy of your rank. I think perhaps we could learn a great deal from you and your people."

  He smiled at the older man. "Keep your people and yourself alive for the next week and I'd be happy to teach you anything you want." He turned back to the conference. "Okay, now that we know how to deal with that douche bag at the station..."

&nbs
p; Mel groaned and shook her head, but she was grinning. "You just couldn't resist, could you, Sir?"

  All of the Talosian Commanders looked confused, so Star discretely provided the information about feminine hygiene product named 'Summer's Eve' and what it meant to Terrans.

  Ian winked at the girl and continued. "We will launch the mission when the team at the station blows the atmosphere. Star, please ask the CMO to coordinate with the rest of the fleet and gather the help needed for the station, but keep the numbers low, remember, we will need councilors on the planet as well. Admiral Goya, according to the plan, we will send shuttles for you and your people as soon as we make sure the skies are clear." He checked the local clock. "So I'd be ready to load up in about twenty hours. It might take us just a bit longer than that, but I doubt it'll be less. Keep your head down; the fighting down there isn't going to be pretty at all. Major Dancer, please monitor Raptor command and keep us in the loop. Good luck everyone. Dismissed."

  Combat Theater 'Astra'

  Rebel Military Command Post

  Location Unknown

  New Talos System, Carnius Sector

  “Tomiakin, this is Roan. I think we were just probed. That is if your energy sensor idea is really working.”

  “Are you sure? What have you got Roan?”

  Captain Roan of the Summer's Eve sighed in frustration, then re-keyed the communicator. “Didn’t I just say I was? We detected a weak energy signature pass over the hull, then an energy spike as they accelerated away. I think it’s a safe bet they know we’re here.”

  “Well, we actually expected them over a week ago. Perhaps all the advanced technology we heard about isn't so advanced,” Tomiakin replied. "I sure didn't see anything I didn't understand when I was there."

  “Maybe,” Roan said, “or maybe they simply didn't let you see everything, like they did for Goya. Have we heard anything from the spies we left there?”

  “No, but that could simply be that there was no way for them to report in. Remember, these renegades have allowed their AI to become sentient. It’s damn hard to sneak anything past those," Tomiakin replied. "You should get ready for the Raptor team that will be hitting you. They won't be able to advance in system with you there firing missiles at them."

  Roan waved the warning off. “I still think we should have attacked them in mass before our ships were destroyed by the council. With those facilities, we could have done this a lot easier and cleaner. I really detest using those... criminals as troops. You don't even want to know what they've been doing to the people on this station. That's why I'm not too worried; at any given time, there are over a hundred of them down there, 'entertaining' themselves. I'll warn them to get ready for the assault, but I'm sure there are more than enough of them to deal with six fucking Marines, no matter how much extra training they have. It's really too bad we couldn't use our regular Marines for this.”

  "I know, Roan. We are very aware of what's going on. However, we didn’t have time to build up our army, so we had to make due. If this all works as planned, we'll have those animals back in their cages very soon," Tomiakin explained. "Until then, we have to ignore their, uh, activities, until we no longer need them. Now, if I were you, I'd start trying to figure out how to stop that Raptor team."

  Roan snorted. "Like I said, we're covered. Half the brood are down in the base, and the other half are up here. I'll warn them but I honestly don't know if they even care anymore. They have a whole station they can do basically whatever they want with. They already figured out they don't have to follow my orders."

  "You better convince them, or that Raptor team will walk in there and kill every single one of them before they even know they're there. Remember what they did to the Adonis," Tomiakin replied.

  "I’ll do what I can. Has there been any progress with the Adonis? Have we managed to get control of the ship?" Roan asked.

  Tomiakin shook his head. "No, the command crew is still handpicked flunkies of Goya and Noren. The rest of the crew are too confused to support either side. Since the AI is fully active and still loyal to the Council, they have settled on a more or less neutral position. They are still blockading Antares Base. We could destroy the ship, but not before it destroyed the base and all of our assets there. For now, they are both out of the equation."

  "If this Terran brought a strong enough force with him, we're going to need that base and the fighters there. What would happen if they convince the Adonis to join the fight?"

  "Then things will be getting interesting for a bit. How many of the hypermissiles do you have ready?" Tomiakin asked.

  "Twelve. Eleven antimatter and one gravimetric." Roan narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

  "If the Adonis does make a move; I want you to blow it to hell," Tomiakin ordered.

  Chapter 10

  Combat Theater 'Astra'

  Argyris Mining Facility

  Planet Aerie, (Gas Giant)

  New Talos System, Carnius Sector

  Major Jana Cromwell just finished reviewing the plan with her team. The hardest part was going to get the charges placed on the hull without being detected. They couldn't use the Raptor, as the radiation from the planet would over charge the armor and give away their position. They would have to land on the station and tie into the power systems so they could bleed of the excess energy. While the Cherokee discharged and did its thing against the computers, the team would be walking the hull to place the charges. The radiation would cook them a little while they were on the hull, but this needed to be done, and they would do it.

  "Major, I think I might have found a better way to get the charges where we need them," Samuel said. "I made a query of the tech base from Phoenix base and got a few hits. There is a very small missile originally designed for use underwater that we could easily adapt for this purpose."

  "How so? The guidance system would be detected by the cruiser," Jana replied.

  Samuel shook his head. "The original design uses sonar and a low-power form of lidar to scan the terrain around it. Like I said, I think we can adapt it for our use here. The lidar guidance laser would be lost in the background radiation of the planet, and the directional thrusters use compressed seawater for maneuvering. We could build it to use hydrogen instead, since we are literally awash with the stuff here. If we upgrade the on-board memory with the mapping data and converted the thrusters, we could easily place the needed charges in about a third of the time."

  "Time is an issue here; if you are certain it'll do the job, do it, otherwise we need to get moving," Jana said.

  Samuel nodded and turned around to the replicator. It took about ten seconds before he lifted five tiny missiles out. Each one no bigger than a foot in length and about two inches thick. They had no guidance fins since they weren't needed here. Samuel sat them on the table. "Touch the missile, then touch the place on the map you want it to go. Once we get this batch programmed, we can toss them out the hatch and they'll go," the android explained.

  Jana nodded. "Marty, once we get this batch done, go toss them out, please. We should have the next batch ready about the time you get back."

  "I'm on it Major. This was a good idea, I wasn't looking forward to getting cooked out there," the big American Indian replied.

  "Too bad this isn't the hardest part," the ship's gunnery officer, Mary Ward, replied. "The real fun doesn't start until we get inside this pig."

  Jana nodded. "Let's just hope none of these assholes are in their armor and all we'll need to do is comfort a few civilians until the medics get here. How is the attack on the computers going?" She asked the AI.

  "There was no attack, Major. None of the computer systems involved in this mission even had a firewall. I simply took control of them, and that was that." Samuel replied.

  "How many computer systems are we talking about? The colonel only thought there would be the station and the cruiser," Jana asked.

  "Each of the freighters as well. While none of them had ever had an AI, they did have smart systems.
In order to dump their atmospheres, I need to have control of them so I took it," Samuel explained. "With your permission, Major, I won't depressurize the empty ships. I'll simply seal them up and isolate them. That way, once the objective is attained, they can assist in replacing the station atmosphere as quickly as possible."

  Jana nodded. "That'd be great, Samuel. Okay kids that's the last of the charges, let's get moving; the fleet is waiting on us."

  The entire team, minus Samuel, suited up and would be participating in the mission. Samuel would remain to protect the ship and control the computer systems involved in the mission.

  The team entered the station through a maintenance airlock near the ship and made their way into the occupied area. They slowly approached the occupied area and when they got close, Samuel stopped them.

  "Hold there, Major," Samuel called. "Let me seal the area and blow the charges. We'll use the corridor you are in as an airlock."

  "Understood, let the control know when you blow the charges," Jana reminded the AI. "You have my order to proceed with detonating the charges."

  "Understood, Major. Section sealed. Blowing charges... now!" Samuel replied. "Atmosphere at eighty percent and dropping..." there was a short pause, "Sixty percent." And another pause, "Forty percent."

  The AI called out the dropping pressure until he reached zero. "Negative atmosphere in all unsealed areas. The only remaining life signs I am detecting are in the sealed areas, Major. The fleet is now moving in system. Medical ETA is twenty minutes."

  "Raise emergency force fields and get the repair drones moving. Do not reestablish the atmosphere in the station for at least ten minutes," Jana ordered.

  "By waiting that long, I cannot be certain to have full atmosphere restored before the medical shuttles get here, Major," Samuel replied.

  "I understand, Samuel. Focus on the landing bay where the shuttles will arrive and as straight a path as you can from here to that bay. The rest of the station can wait," Jana ordered.