“I’m in them now. There’s Istilin, Granol-42 and Polysempe. A crapload of each. Other stuff too that I don’t recognize.”

  “What else?”

  “Traces of plasma on levels Sub-60 through to Sub-70.”

  “Except there’s only meant to be a level Sub-62.”

  “Eight hidden levels. The lower level sensors are no longer gathering a live feed.”

  It was Nation’s turn to swear. “We need something, damnit. Can you reactivate them?”

  “Maybe not. I think they severed the link.”

  “They’re really doing the business on this one.”

  Keller dug deeper into the Isob-2 system. The Faor cluster was so crushingly fast it could effectively bypass any security in nanoseconds and without triggering alarms, like a ghost seen so fleetingly it was impossible to believe it was there. It wasn’t all straightforward and a few systems could slow things down – if she ran into enough Istoliar cores working in tandem, they could block the Faor for long enough that she risked setting off alerts. She reached the Isob-2 central mainframe, searching for a way to re-establish the sensor feed.

  “Too risky,” she said to herself. Then, louder, “They’ve got a new model processing cluster down on level 40. I can get inside, but they’ll know about it.”

  “They must be aware we broke into this room already.”

  “That’s low-level stuff. If I start poking around inside the mainframe, it might be programmed to shut itself down or wipe its data arrays.”

  “Well do something. We don’t have long.”

  Keller had a flash of inspiration. “They might keep their recorded feeds elsewhere…checking.”

  At that moment, the entrance doors opened and a dozen or more Estral soldiers rushed in. They carried gauss cannons and it didn’t take an expert in alien diplomacy to see they were agitated.

  JN> Keller!

  Nation fell back from the entrance, in case any of the soldiers stumbled into him. He was just in time to see Keller break contact with the comms console. She could make people unable to see her, but she couldn’t make them forget they’d seen her.

  BK> Damnit!

  The Estral advanced rapidly across the room. One of them swung a leg and kicked a chair into the wall. Whatever they were saying, it was hidden behind their suit helmets.

  BK> Made it.

  JN> Close.

  Keller trod carefully towards the back wall of the comms hub, putting distance between herself and the soldiers. Apart from the central antenna, there weren’t many other places to hide in the hub. The soldiers checked behind the main console and circled the antenna. The tension faded visibly from them. One of the Estral gestured towards the door using the barrel of his gun and the soldiers filed from the room, leaving two behind to stand guard.

  BK> Shit. I was this close to finding the feed recordings.

  JN> Not close enough. Did you check out the upper level sensor feeds?

  BK> What would I want to do that for?

  JN> So they’re working?

  BK> Yep.

  JN> I want to see how full that hangar bay is getting. That’s where we go to get out of here.

  BK> Fine, I’ll check it out. What about these two?

  JN> It’s their lucky day. Timestop.

  BK> That gives us what? A few seconds?

  JN> Twelve.

  BK> Great!!

  JN> Ready?

  BK> Always.

  The two Estral evidently thought they’d been served up an easy job looking after an empty room. They leaned against the central console and watched the entrance. Nation targeted them and discharged his timestop augmentation. The name of the device wasn’t wholly accurate – it didn’t exactly stop time, so much as it created a limited, localised field in which time ran exceptionally slowly. As far as tools of the trade went, the stasis emitter was invaluable and only hampered by its very high power draw and long recharge.

  The Estral soldiers were frozen in place.

  JN> Go.

  Keller sprang at the console and re-established the interface. This time, she knew exactly what she was looking for. Except that what she was looking for was no longer there.

  BK> They deleted the recordings!

  JN> That means they found out what you were doing?

  BK> Yes.

  JN> Do they know where you were doing it from?

  BK> Maybe.

  JN> That means there’s going to be a whole lot more Estral inside this room shortly.

  BK> You always look on the bad side of things, Nation.

  JN> Get me that hangar feed.

  BK> Already done – I’ve pulled out the last sixty minutes of every upper-level sensor recording. I’ve also squirted in some code which should allow our suit comms to piggyback up this antenna without the Estral knowing about it. Grins They aren’t sending traffic through it so someone may as well get use out of it.

  JN> I’m impressed. Now let’s get out of here.

  Nation waited impatiently while Keller picked her way over the ice. The time field collapsed and the Estral carried on as before, unaware anything was wrong.

  BK> They’ll get a shock when the door opens.

  JN> We’ll get more of a shock if it opens and a hundred more come through, looking for us.

  With practised ease, Nation swiped his fingers over the entrance access panel. The doors slid open and the two of them hurried through before the Estral realised something wasn’t right. The alien soldiers were in the process of walking to investigate when the doors closed automatically.

  The corridor outside was empty.

  “This way,” said Nation over the suit comms. “Back to the airlifts.”

  Keller had something to say and she switched back to neural augmentation talk, where they weren’t constrained by the speed of spoken language.

  BK> I got you two lots of bad news.

  JN> Only two?

  BK> I checked out the hangar feed on ultra-high speed. Here.

  Keller pushed a big data packet at Nation’s neural receptor. He accepted it and the sensor feed from the upper hanger streamed into his data arrays. Without waiting for the entire file to arrive, he began playing it on ultra-high speed. What he saw wasn’t a positive development. Another seven Estral shuttles had landed and alien troops flooded across the hangar floor, doubtless heading for the Isob-2 lower levels.

  JN> Lots of troops. That is bad news.

  BK> Oh, I wasn’t counting the troops as bad news. That makes three lots of bad news. Have you seen the bomb yet?

  The recorded stream continued until it showed the Estral unloading a huge, cuboid object from the rear doors of a shuttle. The device was thirty metres long, ten deep and ten high, with a grey shell and rounded edges.

  JN> Holy crap, that’s a damned planet buster!

  BK> Yeah. Once you’ve seen one, you don’t forget.

  JN> We can’t hang around on Isob-2.

  BK> Neither can we leave. Do you remember Admiral Cody talking about that iceberg?

  JN> Yeah.

  BK> Well, we’re balanced on top of it and we need to find out exactly what’s below the water.

  Keller was right and Nation didn’t argue. It was one thing for the Estral to try and hide the evidence of a messed-up refinement operation underneath the noses of the Confederation’s inspection team, it was another thing entirely for them to bring a planet buster into the equation.

  JN> There is absolutely nothing I can think of which would require the use of a planet buster. Why not seal the place with small-scale explosives? It would be easy enough to bring this entire facility down and destroy the evidence.

  BK> Which brings me to the third piece of bad news.

  JN> We have to go below Sub-5 and find out what’s down there?

  BK> Exactly. I’m not sure it requires both of us.

  JN> Agreed. First, we should speak to the inspection team and find out if any of them has a theory about what kind of refinement failure might require a whole damn planet buster to put right.

  BK> They need to evac immediately. Even if it makes the Estral suspicious.

  JN> Let’s deal with that when we’ve spoken to Lieutenant Mack.

  Nation checked the RRT Alpha open comms channel. The names of the personnel were listed and available.

  “That was a good plan to hijack the Estral antenna.”

  “I have my uses.”

  Nation pushed open a connection to Lieutenant Mack. She was mid-conversation with someone else in RRT Alpha but took the interruption in her stride.

  “Lieutenant Mack, you need to evacuate. That means the entire team. The Estral have brought in a planet buster.”

  “What the hell do they…”

  “Let’s keep the questions for later. Recall anyone you’ve got out there.”

  “Bonner and Sasso.”

  “Get them back at the double.”

  “Acknowledged. Are we expecting to waltz out of here without trouble?”

  “Stay put. Lieutenant Keller and I will take care of that.”

  Nation closed the channel and he ran with Keller in the direction of the airlifts. The air was already three degrees cooler and it was just enough to cause the first signs of ice to appear on the walls. There were no more alien soldiers to avoid, though it was certain they were heading towards either the lower levels or the secondary comms hub room. The two of them kept a careful watch along the few side passages, with Nation using his advanced optics to search through the shadows. It was as if the Sub-3 level was suddenly empty and without apparent reason.

  The room leading to the airlifts was deserted and Keller called the lift. The centre doors opened and they got into the car. This time, the lights were completely out and when the doors closed, the only illumination came from the symbols on the access panel.

  BK> Shit, check this out.

  Keller linked and pushed another file at Nation. When he accepted it, he could almost feel her cramming it through into his data arrays, as if she were desperate for him to see what it contained.

  He played it on highest speed.

  JN> Damn.

  BK> R2s Bonner and Sasso?

  JN> Got to be.

  The two investigators were caught on one of the recordings, poking around in a room filled with crates. The label on the feed showed the location as Sub-9 Storage-8, so they’d somehow managed to get to one of the sealed-off levels. One of the two – R2 Kelly Sasso, judging by her build - held a portable sniffer close to one of the containers and then excitedly waved Bonner over. A group of Estral soldiers appeared on the feed, armed with gauss cannons. It wasn’t clear if the two sides exchanged words, but after a few seconds, the Estral raised their weapons and shot the RRT Alpha investigators. Sasso and Bonner collapsed to the floor, their bodies a bloody mess, and they were simply left where they’d fallen.

  BK> We’ve got to warn the others. Get them out of here.

  The airlift banged and scraped, before it shuddered to a halt. The doors opened on level Sub-5. Nation looked out, shaking with anger and wondering if he’d be able to prevent himself from using lethal force against any Estral he found.

  BK> Stay calm. Focus.

  JN> Yes.

  There were no Estral in the antechamber. Keller and Nation sprinted for the room where RRT Alpha were stationed.

  Chapter Eight

  It only took a few seconds to reach their destination. Keller didn’t need to open the door to the room to know something was amiss. The Estral guards were exactly where they’d left them and they had an air about them which suggested they were ready for violence.

  Nation hit them with a focused blast from his shockwave augmentation. Ten Estral soldiers were punched from their feet, hurled into the walls or thrown onto the floor. One of them discharged his weapon aimlessly and a gauss projectile cracked off the ceiling, sending a shower of rock fragments to the floor. Once they were down, the soldiers didn’t get back up.

  The shockwave had a short cooldown. If any more Estral appeared in the next few seconds, it would require more direct action to finish them off. There was no sound of reinforcements.

  Nation checked his power cells to find they’d fallen significantly from the weapon discharge. With inexorable steadiness, they began recharging.

  BK> Dead?

  JN> Yes.

  BK> That’s not going to go down too well in the next diplomatic meeting.

  JN> Justifiable retaliation for murder. We have the evidence.

  Nation sprinted towards the door, still alert for the sound of footsteps. One of the Estral had fallen nearby, losing its suit helmet in the process. Nation glanced at the alien’s face. The soldier’s eyes were open, but its expression was peaceful.

  Nation reached out and activated the door panel. The members of RRT Alpha were inside, gathering their belongings. Across the room, R2 Otto Spinks was doing something to the sniffer.

  “Sasso and Bonner are dead. Murdered. We’re leaving. Now,” Keller said loudly.

  Keller’s words got their attention. However, instead of working faster, the inspectors stopped packing their gear and stared at her, as if they suddenly had no idea what to say or do.

  “We’re leaving!” Keller repeated, her voice close to a shout. “There’s no time to pack a suitcase!”

  RL Enny Hunter caught sight of the bodies in the corridor outside. Keller was expecting her to ask a stupid question, but she kept her mouth closed.

  “Come on, guys, get it together!” said Hunter. “The shit just hit the fan and it’s blowing our way!”

  “What about the sniffer and the number cruncher?” asked Lieutenant Mack. “Are we bringing them?”

  The two robots were exceptionally valuable pieces of equipment and doubtless the Estral would gain something useful if they were given the opportunity to salvage them. Keller remote connected to each and activated their emergency shutdown routines, rendering the hardware useless until they were returned to a Space Corps repair facility.

  “They’ll slow us down. I’ve deactivated them.”

  “The data…”

  “Too late. Now move, unless you want to end up like Sasso and Bonner!”

  RRT Alpha had been caught unawares by this change in circumstances, but they were trained to respond in emergency situations. In moments, they were hurrying through the door after Keller.

  “Oh, crap,” said Griffin, when he saw the bodies.

  JN> You can cover the whole group, right? To stop the Estral seeing them?

  BK> One way or another. If we’re lucky, we might get to the hangar bay before the Estral catch on.

  JN> Let’s get going.

  BK> Taking a gun?

  Nation stooped and picked up one of the Estral gauss cannons. It was comparatively lightweight for its size and it felt comfortable in his hand. With a five-foot barrel, it took some getting used to, but he’d fired one in the past.

  JN> Gauss coils screw with the stealth modules.

  BK> Only when you pull the trigger.

  JN> It can’t harm to bring one.

  The group got moving in the direction of the airlifts. The members of RRT Alpha had come to the realisation that their lives were in the balance and they followed Keller. Nation was hidden by his stealth modules and he caught one or two of the investigators trying to see through the cloak. The older version of the tech had its flaws, however, the augmentations he was fitted with made him entirely invisible to human senses. There were other methods of detection which were harder to fool and he hoped he wouldn’t run into any of those on Isob-2.

  They reached the bank of airlifts and Lieutenant Mack called one. The group shifted nervously as they waited for it to arrive.

  “Straight up to the hangar bay, walk to our shuttle and take off, right?” said Mack.

  “Yes. Don’t request clearance to depart until you’re all inside.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll take the Gundar’s shuttle. Once you reach the SC Givens, I recommend you leave this place immediately. Head to Primol-1 and leave the fallout from this to Admiral Jacks.”

  Mack sounded as if she’d had enough. “I will. This is way beyond anything we’re equipped for. It’s like a damn war zone in here.”

  “What about the proof of what’s happening on Isob-2?” asked Griffin. “If we leave, the Estral will be able to deny everything.”

  “I think that’s what they were planning to do anyway,” said Nation. “We’re not leaving them to it. Once you’re safely away, I’m going for a look around below.”

  “And I’ll use the SC Gundar to keep the Estral guessing.”

  “Is it enough?” said R2 Fletcher doubtfully.

  “Let me worry about that.”

  One of the two centre lifts banged against the inside of its chute and the doors opened. It was dark inside and Keller spotted shapes within. It was too late to hide the others and she swore at her oversight.

  Estral soldiers stepped out of the lift, lowering their gauss cannons and pointing them at the members of RRT Alpha. Keller’s quick count came to eight.

  BK> Crap, crap, crap!

  JN> I’ll deal with them.

  BK> Wait.

  One of the Estral spoke in his harsh tongue. There was nothing marking him as the commanding officer of this squad, but the aliens didn’t usually wear insignia. “You are not allowed here.”

  “Why not?” asked Keller.

  “I was speaking to your Lieutenant Mack,” said the Estral.

  “Why aren’t we allowed here?” asked Mack. “Our investigation is complete and we are returning to our shuttle.”

  The words took the alien by surprise and he furrowed his brow while he tried to think up a suitable response. “We will accompany you.”

  “Fine.”

  It wasn’t easy to fit everyone in the lift, mostly because of the Estral’s requirement for personal space. The aliens shuffled uncomfortably towards the rear of the lift car and pushed their backs against the wall. It would have been comical were the situation not critical. The members of RRT Alpha stood nearer the front and Nation found it difficult to get inside without making an obvious gap in the crowd. He managed it by crouching close to the door.

  Eventually, the lift got moving towards the hangar bay. Lieutenant Mack turned on her visor torch and the stark light filled the space. The grey skins of the Estral looked eerie and pale through their helmet faceplates, like they were rotting corpses found at the bottom of an ocean.