“The ship?” she pointed to the proximity alert screen.

  “The Sao Paulo.”

  She looked as confused by my answer as I was. “You...you need to…”

  “I will. The captain has to gather his people and gear. I tend to travel light.” She flexed her wrist, and the tiny handgun was in her hand, then vanished back into her reflex holster again. Once again, I’d forgotten about that. So much for no guns on the ship… seemed like no one had listened to that order. “Thank you for… this. A moment of peace in the midst of the storm. I do have dragons to slay now, though.”

  I kissed her again and moved past. “Good hunting, Voss. And remember to take your pet.”

  Only I knew the truth of what had happened with her Sisters at the Chateau. Nevis hadn’t just taken out a stronghold for the Sisterhood but also a field hospital and orphanage for hundreds of children injured and homeless since Last Day.

  Settling in behind the holodisplay, I watched through the clear armor glass bulkhead as Voss walked away. “Ada, are we tied into ship’s defenses?” I asked before accepting the call.

  “Yes, Prowler. Belle and I can remotely override anything needed if your weapons officer needs help.”

  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “This is Commander Kovach with the IAS Stone Mountain.”

  Technically not a lie. Somehow, I’d gotten a posthumous field promotion. I just hadn’t tried it on myself until now. The face that stared back at me was too handsome and too young and…he was smiling. That bothered me on several levels.

  “Commander Kovach, I’m Captain Orric from Fleet Command, and we need to talk.”

  The dropship slid noiselessly out of its cradle and out the starboard launch door just minutes before the Space Fleet envoy’s ship entered the same landing bay from the opposite side. Banshee team in full battle gear was strategically placed along the walls. It was silly, it was overkill, but I liked a good old-fashioned show of force. I signaled to close the space doors and heard the crackle of the stasis field generator shutting down as the bay doors sealed.

  The small shuttle’s rear bay opened, so that anyone could see the cargo bay was empty. That was a good move if he was looking to build trust. The same man from the earlier call unlatched himself from the pilot’s seat and began moving aft. Remote cameras fed every move the man made into my HUD. Yes, I was now in full battle armor as well.

  Captain Valyn Orric, the assistant to the self-proclaimed War Commander Reese, walked down the ramp and directly up to me. He was in a simple, red flight jumpsuit, one of the very plain garments favored by personnel on Luna.

  “Master Sergeant,” he said, smiling and sticking out a hand. “Or is it, Captain?”

  I snapped a crisp salute then shook the outstretched hand. “That depends on who you ask.”

  He eyed the digital name tape on my chest plate. I knew my normal chevrons and rockers had been replaced with captain’s bars.

  It seemed to take him back slightly to realize he didn’t outrank me. Since he was the adjunct to a senior flag officer with Fleet Command, maybe the last senior officer in the fleet, he did, in fact, still outrank me. I was certainly much further down the food chain. Honestly, at the moment, what mattered was my armor more than the rank insignia on my chest.

  “Permission to come aboard,” he said with a wry smile that seemed totally out of place.

  I held up my hand. “That depends. What is your business on the Stone Mountain?”

  “Straight to the point, Kovach. I like that. I’ve been ordered to take possession of the vessel by any means necessary.”

  The man’s response was as direct as my own and not unexpected but still surprising. “And yet, you show up in that.” I pointed out the thick polyglass portals in the space gate toward the Sao Paulo, now just an orange dot several dozen kilometers away.

  He smiled, “There is a method to my madness, and we are a bit thin on transports.”

  “So, you have armed assaulters waiting to board us if I don’t hand over the keys?”

  He didn’t seem to get the ancient reference; the kid was too damn young.

  “I felt like diplomacy might be a better… um, first step. I wanted to speak with you and see if I can grasp what your plan is for the ship. Do you have a mission objective that perhaps would benefit everyone?”

  Well, that was damn polite of the little asshole. “Well, shit, friend. Permission granted. Let’s talk.”

  It seemed that Fleet Command was trying something new. “I don’t trust this guy, Ada,” I said mentally. “Find out everything on him and keep scanning that damn ship out there.”

  I motioned to Banshee to stand down and walked the man up the main corridor toward the large and totally useless war room. The massive space was designated for Fleet officials and dignitaries; the oak paneling and overstuffed chairs were not intended for the rank and file, so it had remained unused until now.

  Ada pinged me with a bit of initial data which helped. I followed up on one interesting fact with her before pouring the man a drink from the bar.

  “Scotch, neat,” I said, handing it to him before completely removing my suit’s helmet and placing it beside my bourbon.

  He sipped and smiled. “I see my briefing on you was correct. You have an embedded AI, don’t you?”

  “He wouldn’t know that Joe. His clearance level is not high enough,” Ada said internally.

  “No games, Valyn, why are you really here?”

  “Two things, Joe, and yes, they are related. First, I truly want to hear from you about what is going on down there. Second, how does keeping this Space Force carrier and you at the helm help the situation down there?”

  Damn, I was really hoping for a less reasonable question. I wanted to hate this guy, but well, fuck. I took twenty minutes and filled him in on almost everything we’d encountered on the planet. Every horror, every machine, every vacant town and destroyed city.

  “So, people aren’t sheltering in place? We were informed that survivors were being held in massive bunkers and others were told to shelter in place. It didn’t seem too bad because a lot of the bunkers said only a trickle of people were even showing up.”

  “Captain Orric, they aren’t showing up because they are dead.” I rattled my glass as I stared out the porthole on the opposite wall. “We aren’t fighting a war, Orric. We are fighting extinction.”

  He seemed to think about what I said for a minute before asking me about the second part. Why should I get to use this ship?

  “Because I can,” I stated flatly. “Look, Valyn, I have been a mostly good soldier, but there is no one calling the shots right now. Not anyone on the side of humanity at least. Not anyone I trust to be in charge, especially your admiral.”

  “That is a dereliction of duty and failure to follow orders of a superior officer.”

  “So, court-martial me, but even then… good luck getting your ship back.”

  He took another sip, then lifted his glass and touched mine. “I think you just crossed your Rubicon, sir.”

  I stared at him long enough for it to get awkward, then he gave me a crooked grin that disarmed me despite my armor. The kid was good looking, dark wavy hair, neatly trimmed beard. Middle Eastern if I was right, although Ada’s intel showed he was a Brit.

  “So, tell me, who do you think created these weapons?” he asked.

  “The hybrids, the monster?” I asked, caught off-guard by the sudden shift in the conversation. “We did, I think.” Correcting myself, “I know Hammer Industries was at least partially behind it, but I’m not sure the plan isn’t much bigger than that.” I filled him in on the intel concerning Nevis Carlson and the so-called ‘Liberty Strike.’

  He stood.

  “So, now what, you summon your boarding party?” I asked.

  “Nothing like that I’m afraid, Joe. I have to make a tactical decision. If I don’t think we can take the Stone Mountain back mostly intact, I have orders to destroy you.”

  He didn’t move to leave, instead he walked over and refilled his scotch. “You?”

  I shook my head.

  “So, you are using this ship as an FOB? How does that work?”

  “It’s the ultimate high ground.”

  “If you have a drop team,” he said.

  “Or orbital bombardment weapons,” I added.

  “Touché, and you do have both. But I see a problem.”

  “Just one?” I asked.

  “You can’t be in command of both this ship and your drop team. As soon as you are off this ship, anyone could assume command.”

  “Like you?” I’d already seen in his file he was qualified to command a destroyer class starship; he could manage one this size, too.

  “I do have my orders, Kovach.”

  “She’s coming in now,” Ada said.

  “Just know, we are all survivors up here. We fought our way here, many of us died getting here. We won’t give it up easily.” I finished talking as the hatch swung open, and Xero glided in.

  The captain’s eyes went wide, as Xero threw herself into his arms.

  “How did you get here?” he asked.

  “I’ll give you both some time,” I said, leaving them and walking past the two security sentries guarding the door.

  “Joe, I didn’t tell Xero anything. Should I have asked them to help?” Ada was brilliant, and even I caught her use of the gender-neutral pronoun, but she still struggled to comprehend human behavior. Then again, so did I.

  “There’s nothing you could say that will change anything. The man had his orders, and I trust Xero to do the right thing. She’s a very smart girl, guy…person. Discreetly monitor the conversation and let me know when they’re done. Meanwhile, I’m going to see how we might fend off a boarding party. Arggghh! I love being a pirate!”

  CHAPTER

  SEVENTY-SEVEN

  “What are you doing down here, kiddo?”

  Junie was licking at my boots, and Sumo was off to the side pretending to ignore her.

  “I… I was helping Xero with something, but she got called away,” Lux said.

  “Oh,” I nodded, knowing I was the one who made that call.

  “She had you helping with the Warbot?”

  “Yes, but Mister Tripp said it was perfectly safe. She helped me with Rex, so I owed her.”

  The kid was also on a first name basis with our Chief Armory Officer, why wasn’t that a surprise? I then noticed the little service droid he called Rex back against a charging port in the nearby wall. I’d first mistaken if for a piece of scrap from the battered ship fragment.

  “Your mom okay with you doing this?”

  Lux grinned in a way that let me know Carol was unaware of his current activities. “She was taking food to the WitchWalker. Sergeant Gi asked her to help. Is she really a witch? That was what Aunt Dami said.”

  Gi had mentioned one of his guards had been injured in the last drill and was still in the medbay. I guessed he was running shorthanded. “I dunno, kid, maybe.”

  My guys had Koog going through another round of training sims in the far corner of the bay. I motioned them over.

  “So, what did Xero have you doing?” I asked Lux.

  “Trying to find out why the remote operator function isn’t working. There is a space for an operator inside, but it’s really cramped, too tight even for her.”

  “She had you inside—that?”

  The kid nodded.

  My comms chimed, Ada’s signal that she had something. “Joe, two things. First, Deb seems to be regaining consciousness.”

  “Thank God,” I whispered.

  “Also,” she continued, “I have been monitoring the very private conversation you asked me to.”

  From her tone I could tell she found it distasteful. Hell, so did I, but I wanted Xero brought in for a reason. And now, I needed to know if it was working or not.

  “Captain Orric told Xero he isn’t supposed to be here. He arranged the ride on the Sao Paulo under the guise of it being a resupply run.”

  “He’s off the rez?”

  “Not the reservation exactly, but essentially, yes. This trip seems to be all his idea.”

  Now, I really was confused. Valyn seemed like the perfect officer for Fleet Command. A rigid, by- the-books leader. Why would he be calling an audible on something as critical as this?

  “Okay, keep me posted.”

  Halo, Gi, and Priest were still in battle armor. Koog was back in the training version. It gave him simulated damage without too much of the real thing, although he would be bruised and sore afterward. Danny rubbed Lux’s hair. I had to smile. If Halo liked the kid, he was something special.

  “What’s up, Boss? The Fleet guy okay, or do we need to deep space a body?”

  “He’s okay, for now. Still not sure what his game is, but I think we need to be ready for anything. Koog, get back into the full battle rattle. Training is over for today.”

  “Copy that, Captain.” The Marine departed for the team’s ready room.

  I eyed the group and smiled; we’d been through hell together but somehow kept managing to pull off the impossible. “I’ve got an itch.”

  All of them except Gi started groaning.

  “Last time that happened the world ended,” Priest growled.

  “Did not, I wasn’t even on a mission that day.”

  “What is this itch?” Gi asked in confusion.

  “Ummm… my intuition, Sergeant. I have a feeling that something is up, and I want us locked and loaded for whatever the hell it is.”

  “Me, too?”

  I looked down at the source of the tiny voice.

  “You too, what?” I asked.

  “Should we be locked and loaded?” Lux pointed at the Decimator.

  “No!” I turned back to the men, then had second thoughts. Turning back, I saw… disappointment. The kid wanted to be part of this. But he was a child. Man, what a shit childhood for the dude. Still, my dad’s words were haunting me. I pointed at the Warbot, “It’s not loaded now?”

  Lux’s face brightened. “Some things are, but we returned normal ordinance to storage.”

  “Ordinance?” I looked at my team. “Okay, he has to stop hanging around you guys.”

  “Mister Tripp set it up so I can back the Warbot into the loader slot. We practiced it and everything.”

  I glanced up at the loader slots; nine of them lined the closest bulkhead. Our own suits used them for hot swap reloads, and if the carrier held fighters, that’s how their ammo would be brought up from the armory as well.

  “What else did Mister Tripp show you?”

  Lux gave a small snicker, “Nothing, really.”

  “Okay, Lux, show me what you got.”

  Lux tapped a control on the datapad, and part of the massive bot spread out and up revealing the cockpit. The kid landed in the undersized seat and had the access doors closing in seconds.

  “Joe, you sure this is a good idea?”

  “Probably not, Halo, but we may need that rust bucket if the shit goes sideways.” We all watched as Lux spun the iron giant on its axis and backed it rapidly up against the loading hatch. Clamps automatically slid down and latched to the back, and the query panel showed on my HUD.

  “What you want loaded?” Lux asked.

  Xero must have hacked the thing’s comms system to work with our own. Any live ordinance would need command authorization from me or… the chief armorer. The kid had called my bluff, now I needed to decide how far I wanted to play this hand.

  “Lux, can anyone else operate this thing as it is right now?”

  “Not unless they can fit in here. Like I said, Xero is working on the remote teleprez thing.”

  Telepresence, yeah that would be helpful. I recalled the brief melee session I’d enjoyed down below. “What about its sentry mode, could we rely on it to not attack us or damage the ship?”

  “Kovach, you know you are having a tactical discussion with an eight-year-old kid,” Priest whispered.

  “I’m nine.”

  “He’s nine, and the thing has excellent sound sensors, dumbass. Also, this kid survived down there on his own longer than nearly any of us have so far.”

  “Full load-out,” I said and keyed in the authorization at the same time. “I want to see how fast this thing can be ready for action from a cold start.”

  I heard the whirring of the automated weapons chute and felt a rumble as ordinance was cycled into empty racks and holders inside the giant machine.

  “Battle ready status is green,” Lux said just a few seconds later.

  Shit, that was faster than even I could have a weapon detached from its maglock up and firing. I could see on my own display that the loadout was only at about forty percent, but it was increasing fast. “Full load in under two minutes.”

  Lux wanted to undock and move back into the formation with the men, but I was able to lock him out of moving the fully loaded machine.

  “Impressive, Lux, but cool your jets for now.”

  “I can assist the boy if it comes to that,” Ada said. “My access to the machine is excellent, and even without the telepresence, I believe I can operate it in the standard sentry mode.”

  “Let’s add this into our plans along with the Marines who are combat effective and any of the remaining Red-7 guys. Divide them up into fire teams.”

  “Issuing them weapons?” Gi asked, the concern evident. He had a right to be on guard, some were near mutiny just a few days earlier.

  “Not yet, but have it staged close. We may have to be weapons hot in a hurry.”

  “Captain, you are needed on the bridge. We are picking up another ship. The Sao Paulo is backing away from its parking orbit fast.”

  I turned and started for the door. “It may be happening. Move, gentlemen. Lux, you can exit but stay close to the team.”

  CHAPTER

  SEVENTY-EIGHT

  Xero watched her friend closely. Ada had transmitted the info directly to her comms implant before the ship-wide alert sounded.

  “Valyn, you need to tell me what you know about this. I can’t protect you if the shit is about to go sideways.”