Crossed
Ava smoothly piloted the shuttle down, compensating for the slight increase in gravitational pull as they neared the surface. The floating hunk of rock and earth did not have nearly enough mass to pull itself back into a spherical shape, but it had enough gravity that she needed to activate her downward thrusters to compensate for the pull as she moved into position just above the desired drop site for the artifact.
She allowed the ship’s AI to take over for the final few inches of descent. Just before the crate impacted the ground, Ava released the magnetic locks and disengaged the hook clasps, releasing the artifact to the surface.
It floated the final inch and settled with a muffled thud.
Ava then positioned the craft over the designated landing zone, helpfully outlined in green on her HUD.
Ava scoffed, as if she needed it.
The craft settled, and Ava activated the anchor system built into the shuttle’s landing feet. Barbed rods drilled into the surface below, standard practice in low-gravity environments where there was no option to mag-lock to a surface.
“Peters, Juarez, on me. Isaac, follow close behind. Ethan, stay back by the shuttle on overwatch. Ava, remain in the ship. No comms. Be ready if we have to run,” Kane said over his suit’s external speakers, not wanting to risk an intercepted broadcast.
Ava felt like she had been punched in the gut. She was so shocked she didn’t have to control her protests because they had not yet formed.
“I am sorry, Ava, but I do not want them to know there is still someone aboard the shuttle, and we will need you ready if it comes to that.”
Kane didn’t wait for her assent. He turned and motioned toward the door.
Ethan opened the hatch manually. Ava could have done it from her controls but instead sat there, soaking in the injustice.
Kane exited first, with Juarez and Peters flanking him. Ethan stood by the door as Isaac exited.
Ethan cast a glance toward Ava that said,
Keep it together,
before exiting the shuttle.
As Kane stepped into the perpetual night, lights burst to life.
Still sitting in the shuttle’s pilot chair, Ava suddenly had her screen go bright. Her ship’s exterior lighting had revealed much of the terrain in the immediate vicinity, but these were like stadium lights, turning the entire area to daylight.
The ship’s scanners were still active and indicated small flying drones—fifty of them—floating a hundred feet overhead and shining light down onto the drop zone.
The entire area was bathed in overlapping points of illumination, turning it into a sterile, flat, shadowless valley.
Ava stood from her chair and activated the rest of the shuttle screen. The AI core projected a 360-degree view around the shuttle’s interior. Ava looked through the shuttle walls and saw Kane and the others adjust to the sudden lighting before walking toward the artifact.
Ethan lagged behind, taking up an alert position. His hands were not on his rifle, but the weapon was swung forward and could be ready in an instant.
Farther away, the light revealed a structure—or an opening into one.
The face of a building was set into the ground, with two doors. One was a small personnel entrance, while the other was much larger and obviously intended for receiving freight.
The rest of the base, or
station
, as Felicity had called it, was likely underground.
Ava watched both doors open.
Heavy-duty vehicles began emerging from the larger entrance, but they seemed small compared with the size of the door. Ava adjusted her estimate of its height from twenty or so feet to closer to forty.
The smaller door, too, was much larger than she had initially thought, as an entire group of people exited side by side.
It was difficult to tell at this distance, but most did not appear to be wearing combat-grade suits.
Ava counted twenty-one people marching from the base toward the drop zone.
A patch of darkness separated the base entrance from the illuminated area. As the group marched down the sloping road, they disappeared into the darkness before reappearing beneath the light provided by the drones floating high overhead.
The industrial vehicles rolled out of the darkness with the column of people to their left. The formation became less rigid as they entered the illuminated area, spreading into a staggered arrangement.
The leading figure was a woman. Ava had no doubt of that. She was tall, and her curves showed through her armored suit.
While the others accompanying her wore generic dark-red Vesta Model work suits meant only for light zero-atmosphere work, this woman wore a Minerva Model designed for combat engagements, with enhanced plate armor and strength modifications.
Ava tried to remember whether this particular model included stim injectors but couldn’t be certain.
As far as combat-grade suits went, the Minerva was on the lighter side, but it compensated with mobility. Ava also noted that while the suit was red like the others, it was a lighter shade that stood out against the gray and brown terrain.
The others, dressed in light labor suits, were almost entirely uniform. Dark red, like coagulated blood, seemed to be their color scheme. Each carried an autopistol attached to their belt.
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It was a good sign that the weapons were secured and not in hand.
“Well met, Captain Summers,” Felicity greeted as she stepped forward.
The others she had brought with her fanned out, forming a semicircle between the base and the drop site.
Sixteen of them, Ava thought.
She tried to message Kane over comms but found herself locked out. The shuttle was jamming her signal.
She swore loudly and submitted a request to the ship’s AI for an override.
Denied.
“Ms. Mhyre,” Kane responded.
Kane motioned toward the others surrounding Felicity. They all had guns hanging from straps within casual reach.
The weapons appeared to be what Stanley had always called
bullet hoses
. They were small arms—automatic pistols with shoulder stocks and forward grips.
Ava had fired one before and had not enjoyed the experience.
They kicked hard and had terrible accuracy, but they could sling metal fast.
The rounds were likely all antipersonnel and low caliber, but they would tear Ava’s suit apart in seconds.
They were severely outgunned.
But Felicity was present, which spoke to this being in good faith, Ava told herself.
She would be the first to drop when the shooting started. There was no way Felicity wouldn’t realize that and act accordingly.
“The amount promised has been transferred to your account. Between you and me, you could have asked for so much more, but the ink is dry, and here we are,” Felicity said as she continued closing the distance.
She walked completely around the artifact to stand before Kane.
She was the same height as him, if not a smidge taller.
She pointed toward Isaac.
“Is this the data analyst and my data slates?” she asked.
“Yes. This is everything. All of our scans and recordings. Do you wish to go over them to ensure compliance?” Kane asked.
“No, no. That would take far too much time, and we can take care of that later. If you will all follow me.”
She turned and began walking back around the artifact.
“Excuse me?” Kane said, taking an involuntary step after her.
“I am afraid not, Captain. None of you are excused. Not until this business is concluded,” she said without slowing her stride.
Kane planted his feet firmly.
“It is concluded. We have been paid, and the artifact is here. The requested data is here. That is all that was discussed.”
Felicity turned on her heel and looked back at Kane.
“I am afraid some necessary precautions are in order. Your analyst will be needed to bring our team up to speed, and then he will join you in the brig until we are finished with the artifact. When we have no further use for you, we will decide whether to cut you loose or otherwise end our engagement. That is for us to decide and you to accept. Do I make myself clear?”
Her tone betrayed how much fun she was having.
“That is bullshit. We have kept our end of the bargain. Anything you could need from us, we have given you. That is the end of our obligation,” Kane said calmly, his tone signaling that this was not a discussion but a recitation of facts.
“I like you, Captain, but this game is over. Order your men down, or they will die. All of them. I mean, yes, it will prevent us from interrogating the analyst and slow our work, so that is a win for you, but I think it is too costly, no?” she purred.
“You do not think we can defend ourselves?” Kane asked.
“No. I think you would be committing suicide and throwing away the one lifeline I am offering you.
“Hope.
“If you surrender and are compliant with our needs, you may yet have your lives and freedom. If you resist, we will blow you from this world.”
Two sleek fighter craft lowered into view. Their lower pulse cannons rotated to aim directly at Kane before the fighters ascended again into the total darkness above the drones.
Ava was beside herself as she watched from the shuttle. Her blood pumped hot with need, but she felt cold with fear.
She was powerless.
The shuttle had no armaments.
She had her guns and demo charges. She even had her survival knife, but none of that would turn the tide in a fight this unbalanced.
Ethan, just outside the shuttle, stood with his back to the door, his arms clenched and ready for the inevitable ruin.
“Throw down your arms,” Felicity ordered.
Kane seemed to make up his mind.
“I’m sorry, but they are attached.”
Ava watched in powerless fear as Kane drew both pistols and aimed them at Felicity.
Felicity dove aside, putting the artifact between herself and the rapidly firing Kane.
Kane fired, hitting two armed personnel behind where Felicity had been standing. He stepped toward the artifact, using it as cover while firing at the red suits, who were quickly raising their weapons to rain fire down on him.
Juarez and Peters shouldered their rifles and began selecting targets, working on the outermost combatants first.
Ethan joined the firefight from his rear position, still firmly planted in front of the shuttle door.
He fired on the man farthest to the right before the weapon on his shoulder could be brought to bear, but the next man got his weapon up and threw a hail of bullets Ethan’s way.
Ethan dropped into a crouch, still firing, and landed a hit center mass.
The shots continued but flew high overhead. The initial burst had raked just above Ethan’s head and slammed into the shuttle hull with a rapid hammering of metallic
tinks
.
Ethan continued firing on the next man.
Now the remaining red-suited personnel had their weapons up and were firing bursts of angry metal back at Team A.
Isaac pulled his own pistol and ran behind Kane for cover, completely out of his element.
Kane told him to stay down.
Isaac cursed Kane but did as he was told, crouching in the dirt and looking around wildly.
Isaac saw a blue flash of light reach out from the darkness to the left of the artifact.
It slammed into Ethan’s chest.
Ethan fell backward against the shuttle.
Another flash of blue light from the right missed Kane by inches, streaming past overhead.
Isaac reached up to pull Kane down, but a third blast caught him in the shoulder, and he rolled to the ground.
Kane leaned out from behind the artifact and fired a succession of shots, taking two more personnel down before darting back into cover with his back pressed against the artifact’s crate.
Then Kane noticed Isaac’s body on the sandy ground.
He looked left and then right, scanning for any sign of the shooter, and saw Ethan slumped against the shuttle door, his rifle hanging limply from his grasp.
Anger and adrenaline filled Kane as he stepped back around the corner of the crate.
A blast struck him in the back.
He tumbled to the ground.
Peters fell shortly afterward, caught by a spray of automatic pistol fire. He slammed against the crate and tumbled forward out of view.
Juarez managed to down two more before a blue energy blast struck the side of his head.
He dropped.