Part 32 (2/2)
”We are under attack and being boarded,” the captain said, her voice remarkably calm. ”The original escort force is also now under concentrated attack, and will be unable to come to our relief. We have put out a broad distress call, but it seems unlikely in the extreme that anyone could make it here in time to affect the outcome of the conflict. We are preparing to offer a vigorous defense, but if we are unable to a.s.sure your safety, it may become necessary for you to evacuate.”
”Into the middle of a firefight?” Alex said.
”It isn't optimal,” the captain said. ”With respect, my first priority has to be the safety of the prime minister.”
”Of course, Skipper,” Bobbie said at the same time that Alex said, ”That's sounding a mite ominous.” The captain ignored both of them.
”We have half a dozen rescue pods prepped. Protocol is to give each of you an armed escort in the pod, and release them all at once, in hopes of distributing enemy attention and giving each of you the best possible chance of being overlooked.”
”That's a s.h.i.+tty plan,” Alex said to the captain, then turned to the prime minister. ”You know that's a s.h.i.+tty plan, don't you, sir?”
Smith nodded. His face was flushed, and a thin sheen of sweat danced across his neck and jowls, surface tension adhering it to his skin.
”Yeah,” Bobbie said. ”Pods don't have an Epstein. You'd be dropping us out there to get shot. And we have a racing yacht right here. The Razorback's built for speed.”
The captain raised her hand, demanding silence. ”What I was going to say? We can commandeer the Razorback for the prime minister, give her a pilot and an escort guard, but that means I'm still dropping two civilians into a meat grinder.”
”Why the h.e.l.l would you do that?” Bobbie interrupted. ”We've got a pilot and an escort right here. Don't we? We can put Prime Minister Smith in the bunk and take the couches. Alex has more experience piloting that s.h.i.+p than any of you, and all respect to Lieutenant de Haan I can shoot as straight as anyone you've got. It'll be tight, but it's totally possible.”
”That's where I was going, yes,” the captain said, her voice buzzing with annoyance. ”In addition, the prime minister has made it clear that for political reasons, the presence of Sergeant Draper is required on Luna, so -”
”They said yes, Captain Choudhary,” the prime minister snapped. ”Take yes for an answer.”
”Lieutenant?” Bobbie said. ”If I'm acting escort on this mission, I'd really like to have a weapon.”
The thin-faced man smiled, his eyes glinting and cold. ”I can arrange that, Gunny. Captain?”
The captain nodded sharply, and Lieutenant de Haan launched for the lift, Bobbie close behind him. Alex's heart was beating double-time, but the fear was tempered by a growing excitement. Yes, he was in danger of losing his life. Yes, an unknown enemy had them surrounded and were likely about to storm the s.h.i.+p itself. But he was going to get to fly in battle again, and some immature, juvenile part of his soul could hardly wait.
”We will use our PDCs to cover you as long as we can,” the captain said, and Alex interrupted her again.
”Not going to be enough. If we're burnin' all the way to Earth... we can probably outrun the enemy s.h.i.+ps, but their missiles don't have to worry about keeping anyone inside from getting squished by thrust. And it ain't like there's anything out here to hide behind.”
”You'll have to think of something,” the captain said.
”All right,” Alex said. ”Set a bunch of missiles to match the frequency of the Razorback's comm laser. Launch as many as you can with us when we go, and Bobbie can use our laser to target incoming fire. We'll outrun their s.h.i.+ps and shoot down their missiles. Unless there's someone between here and Luna or we run out of missiles, we should be fine.”
As long as we don't get shot the second we launch, he didn't add.
The captain blinked and shot a glance at the prime minister. There was a question in the politician's eyes. Captain Choudhary shrugged. ”He thought of something.”
”You mean -”
”No,” the captain said, ”that might... that might work.”
”Captain!” A voice came from behind them. ”We have confirmed enemy contact at decks seven and thirteen. Permission to use heavy weapons?”
”Permission granted,” the captain said, then turned to Alex. ”I think that's your cue to head out, Mister Kamal.”
”Thank you, Captain,” Alex said. ”I'll make this work if I can.”
The prime minister unstrapped and floated up out of his couch until one of the two remaining marines grabbed him and pulled him back into orientation. The prime minister and the captain shook hands as another voice interrupted.
”Captain, we're getting a message from the attacking force. From the Pella.”
”Their command s.h.i.+p,” the prime minister said to Alex.
”More demands of surrender?” the captain asked.
”No, sir. It's broadcast, not tightbeam. It's... well, holy s.h.i.+t.”
”Give it to me, Mister Chou,” the captain said. ”From the start.”
An audio feed clicked on. Thick static crackled, vanished, then crackled again. Someone grunted, and it sounded like pain. When the voice finally came, it was focused and serious. And it hit Alex like a kick to the belly.
”If you receive this, please retransmit. This is Naomi Nagata of the Rocinante...”
Chapter Thirty-two: Naomi.
She knew it was coming before it came. Before she even knew what it would be. The feeling of the s.h.i.+p changed without any of the details s.h.i.+fting, at least not at first. The crew still watched the newsfeeds and cheered. She was still under constant guard and treated like a mascot: James Holden's tame girlfriend brought back to the cage where she belonged. Marco was polite to her, and Filip was caught between approaching and avoiding her. But there was a difference. A tension had come into the s.h.i.+p, and she didn't know yet if they were all antic.i.p.ating news of another atrocity or something more personal and concrete. All she was sure of at first was that it made it harder for her to sleep or eat. The dread in her gut was too heavy.
No one told her anything, and there was no single moment when she drew her conclusions. Instead, she looked back, and details filtered through from her days in captivity. A few remained, trapped by a nearly occult sense of importance. Wings showing off in his Martian uniform, a broad-shouldered girl hardly older than Filip exercising with the steady focus of someone preparing for something she knew she wasn't prepared for, Karal steering her own inventory busywork toward the armory and its store of powered armor, the seriousness with which Cyn tried the weight of each of the guns in his hands. Like the sediments of dust that built up in a badly maintained duct, the small things came together over time into a shape that was almost the same as knowledge. They were going into battle. And more than that, they were ambus.h.i.+ng a Martian force.
When she found Miral and Aaman sitting knee-to-knee in the corridor outside the medical bay, she knew the moment was almost on her, and the hope she'd been hiding even from herself bloomed up in her throat, as wild as anger.
”This is the Pella,” Miral said, concentrating on each syllable. ”Conferme course match.”
”Confirming,” Aaman said gently.
Miral balled his hands into fists and tapped the deck with them. ”f.u.c.k. What did I say?”
”Conferme. You want confirming.”
”Again,” Miral said, then cleared his throat. ”This is the Pella. Confirming course match.”
Aaman grinned. ”Course match confirmed, Pella.”
Miral looked up, noticed Naomi and Cyn approaching, and grimaced. Naomi shook her head. ”You sound great,” she said. ”Very Martian.”
Miral hesitated, caught, she guessed, in the uncertainty of what she knew and was supposed to know. When he smiled, it was almost sheepish. Naomi smiled back and kept walking, pretending that she was one of them. That she belonged. Cyn, beside her, made no comment but watched her from the corners of his eyes.
The mid-s.h.i.+ft meal was refried noodles and beer. The newsfeed was set to a system-wide report, and she watched it avidly for the first time, not for what it said, but what it didn't. Food and water reserves were running out in North America and Asia, with Europe only a few days better. Relief efforts from the southern hemisphere were hampered by a growing need for supplies locally. She didn't care. It wasn't Jim. Medina Station had gone dark; the basic carrier signal remained, but all queries were being ignored, and she didn't care. The Martian minority speaker of parliament back in Londres Nova was calling for the prime minister to return immediately to Mars, and she only cared a little. Every story that wasn't about a s.h.i.+p blowing up at Tycho Station was a victory. She ate fast, sucking down the sweet, pale noodles and slamming back the beer, as if by hurrying her meal, she could rush the s.h.i.+p, the attack.
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