Gudsriki (49 page)

“I don't want freedom. I want to die. Now.”

“I can't offer you death. But I can offer you war. How does your kind put it, ‘to die with sword in hand'?”

Vibeke stared at him. His gray translucent skin offended her. His giant eyes disgusted her. His pomposity, his regal tone—she hated the fish. Hate. It felt better than guilt and regret. She knew she would rather die hating than weeping.

“Give me my tank.”

 

 

M
ISHKA
'
S
TANK
was embedded in the ice, but as soon as the submarine withdrew it fell free. Harvard climbed up to the wreck and felt its canopy. He imagined the clear canopy covering Mishka like Snow White in her grave. He heard nothing inside. She was sleeping. Or was she dead?

Harvard felt out, hit the escape measure on the canopy, and it lifted. Mishka was still asleep. Her skin cold, deathly cold. He was too afraid to take her pulse, afraid she would have none. His eyes watered.

He brushed the stray hairs from her cheek and leaned in close to her. So like Snow White. He gently kissed her on the lips, with true love if ever the world had known it.

She suddenly came to with a panicked jolt and struck outward, hitting Harvard in the throat, collapsing it inward, crushing his larynx. He fell back, struggling to breathe.

She took stock of her surroundings. The emergency rescue measure on her canopy had been activated. She shut it down and closed the canopy. The tank was damaged, crushed by the submarine, but only its armor was deformed. The mechanics listed all clear. She only had to microwave the panels and beat them back into a shape, not scraping the inner mechanisms. Easy work.

She hopped out and landed by Harvard's body. She pushed it aside, and it fell into the freezing water below where the sub had broken through the ice. She pulled out her microwave and secured a hammer from the back bottom toolkit. She began to heat the first panel. In only hours she'd have her tank up and running. Then she would head south and abandon the north forever.

 

 

T
HE
G
EKI
surveyed the wreckage of the cathedral. They couldn't determine if Vibeke was alive or dead.

“We must be pragmatic. It doesn't matter if Vibeke lived. It's Mishka we need to find.”

“I agree, sir.”
Varg sighed.
“I don't think she's here.”

“Nor do I. We have two jumps left. We must plan them carefully. One must be to the implant. The other….”

“The other?”

“Earth is lost. The other must be to Luna. There we can cut this trend off before it affects the lunar community, before it can reach Mars.”

“We can't just write off the entire planet.”

They floated past the cathedral to the docks.

“This is the dawn of a new dark age. We're powerless to stop it. But we can ensure the colonies survive unscathed. They'll have enough problems with supply lines from Earth gone, but they were made to be self-sufficient. The great domed cities have a chance. And maybe someday they'll send an expedition to Earth to recolonize it, take it back. On the moon we can help. Protect them from degenerating into what we see here.”

Varg nodded.

“To the moon, then.”

“To the moon.”

“But first we need to find Mishka. We need that implant. How?”

“We embrace our apotheosis.”

Varg looked up at him. He was grinning.

The Geki floated down to the crowd with halos of fire.

“
Hear me crusaders! Hear me O Faithful of Christ
!”

The crowd murmured, gripped with fear, mumbling prayers and utterances of awe.

“
Your leader, the great Voivod is lost! You must reach out to her across the void! Call her back with your faith
!”

More murmurs.

“
Do you not know where she has gone
?”

The crowd erupted into cries of “Svalbarð” and “Kvitøya” and various cries of allegiance. The elder whispered to Varg,
“Nice of her to keep them updated. Should we burn them all?”

Varg thought how best to dissuade him.

“Nah, we'll let them live,”
the elder laughed.
“It's crueler.”

“Indeed,”
said Varg, relieved.
“Our penultimate jump, then?”

“Indeed.”

They disappeared.

“They've gone!”

“Have we angered them?”

“You fools, they were of the devil! They sought to kill Voivod Suvorova!”

“You lie! They were angels!”

“Blasphemy!”

“You are the blasphemers! You must die!”

“No, you shall burn!”

“Burn them!”

“Kill the heretics!”

“Cut their throats!”

“Bash them in!”

Within thirty minutes of the Geki departure, the entire city was in flames.

 

 

“S
IR
! W
E
CAN
detect the Ulver forces. And additional.”

“Additional?”

“UKI Military, sir. Inbound from the west.”

“They must have noticed the troop surge. Assumed they were massing on Kvitøya to launch an attack from the north. They launched a preemptive strike.”

“Ulver is now at the dome. They have yet to attack Admiral Taitamaton.”

“Has Taitamaton penetrated the dome?”

“No, sir. Ulver is between them and the drill site.”

“Surface with the admiral's vessels.”

“Sir?”

“No time for questions. Do it.”

They surfaced alongside the rest of the Valkohai fleet. A signal immediately came in from the flagship.

“I'm not surprised to see you here, Risto.”

“You know me too well, Erittäin.”

“What are we to do about this?”

“We should leave.”

“I would normally agree with you, but I've been sent to secure the Ares. To see it not fall into the hands that are currently grasping at it.”

“If we are to accomplish your mission, we will not do it by subterfuge. This will be a violent confrontation.”

“Our record couldn't last forever, Risto. There is a time for peace, and a time for war.”

“I would abandon my brother and the Ares to whoever takes them. The UKI and Ulver will soon be in a massive conflict here. We should depart and have no part in this.”

“Simple enough for you, Risto. But I have my orders from the assembly, they override you. Will you help us?”

“Of course.”

“Will you command us?”

“Well, you are very inept.”

Taitamaton laughed. “I stand ready to accept your orders, sir.”

“Very well. We will defend our fleet and send in a minimal force to deal with Loki and secure the ravine, developing a conduit with which to reinforce the entrance to the dome.”

“What force will take point?”

Risto considered. “A special asset.” He looked to Vibeke. “You wanted your tank back.”

“You want me to clear a path through Ulver to the drill site?”

Risto just stared at her. She looked past him and saw a mechanical mosquito on Risto's bulkhead.

“Yeah sure. Good a way to go as any.”

Risto retired to his compartment to change. He put on his dress uniform. Pytten whistled at the door.

“Come in.”

Pytten saw what he was doing. “Sir, you're wearing your dress uniform?”

“Tradition among the best admirals. I'd not suffer to see it ignored on the Valkohai's first violent act. I will be present at the front of the team.”

“Sir, you'd be a target for every sniper out there.”

“Aye. But leaders must lead. Not follow.”

“At least wear armor!”

“Pytten, this is not an act of suicide or hubris. The Valkohai have never
fought
before. Never died before. I am asking them to march out to fight. Some
will
die. Morale is critical today, and they must see their admiral walk out proud and in control, unafraid.”

“And if they see you killed as a result?”

“Then they'll name a boat for me.”

Pytten shifted uncomfortably.

“I won't stay behind while you're out there in harm's way.”

“Who said anything about you staying behind? You're my assistant. You fight by my side.”

Risto opened the hatch and met Lieutenant Korvaaminen, who nodded. Korvaaminen hopped in and offered a frog to Willie as Risto and Pytten departed down the passageway.

They headed to the land bay as its doors opened. There Vibeke stood beside her tank. She walked out by its side. She'd not board it. If she did, she might live.

The Ulver forces began firing on the subs. UKI began firing long range at Ulver. The sky grew darker and darker at sunset as the fireworks grew brighter. Vibeke walked slowly through the cold white snow. She surveyed the line she was to carve to the drill site. There were hundreds of Ulver troops on the ground. Seemingly infinite air support. It was utterly hopeless. In that was a sense of impending closure. Of a good death.

She drew her Tikari, drew Bob for the first time since Nel without any consideration for him as a unique being. Nel was over. Tikaris were knives again, nothing more. She had to keep herself from crying at the thought. She'd die with it in hand. Risto was right: if you die with a sword in your hand, you go to Valhalla. If you've been there already, and you die with a Tikari, where do you go? Vibeke was ready to find out.

 

 

A
MASSIVE
gold battlepogo flew over Vibeke's head, crushing the snow around her.
Old Baleful
, Valhalla's heaviest. It scraped down onto the ground before her and disgorged Valkyries. Valkyries with Tally Cannons and Tikaris spinning. The battlepogo launched again to join two more gold pogos in raining fire down on the Ulver troops.

Kabar, Kalashnikov, Katyusha, and Katana ran toward her from behind the sub, back in their Thaco armor. Tahir and his teammates were right behind them. Around them flew the Tikaris of L and E teams, who were taking ground before her.

D team swept into the mess from its flank, killing dozens, repelling fire from above with their suit fields. Another gold pogo, she couldn't guess whose, flew in low and began destroying the Ulver artillery.

M team flooded in, with some new Ms. More Ms than would have fit into a team back in Valhalla. One she recognized as Schmelgert Helgerzholm. They were all ready for an assault. Another half dozen Ms were on the way. And there were other teams, hidden in the snow or preparing weapons.

“Didn't think I'd get to see Alf's tank again,” said Kabar as his team dived into the violent mess ahead.

“I thought you said you were just going to observe,” said Vibeke.

“We came, we saw,” said Kabar. “Let's conquer.” He ran toward the violent path. Ready to clear the way for Risto.

The admiral knew a godsend when he saw it. He ordered his boat to start launching missiles at an oncoming Ulver sky assault team. The sky was on fire; battle raged in every direction. Risto stepped out onto the snow. Pytten followed. Pytten was scared shitless. There were rounds flying past them. Fire jumping out around them. Risto was the ideal image of calm. He walked forward toward the growing path. Armored Valkohai followed, three on each side with the rest of the platoon behind them. Pytten stayed close to Risto, armored lightly but feeling weighed down next to the man in his dress uniform.

Trygve jogged up beside him.

“You're underdressed, Admiral.”

Risto looked him over.

Trygve went on. “Admiral Turunen, pleased to meet you. I'm Trygve. I've been spying on you for a while now, and I just want to say I really dig your style. And the dress uniform march, really badass! Stupid as a box of hair but…. Bad. Ass.”

“It's a tradition,” said Risto.

“That's cool, that's cool. You'll wanna stay outside the pit, though. Your bro's in a hell of a new body. It's more of a match for a panzercopter than a dude in a ball gown. But whatever's cool, like, come in and watch if you want. Just stay out of the splash zone, if ya get me.” He winked. “Well, I'm gonna go kill these guys. See you at the after-party!” He ran into the fracas.

Pytten and Risto looked at one another.

The Valkyries annihilated most of the individual enemy troops. The Valkohai subs took care of most of the sky and the UKI was beating down the land support. Risto walked calmly all the way to the drill site and arrived as the Valkyries melted the snow.

Around them the Valkyries and Cetaceans fought side-by-side. Pytten caught sight of an armored Cetacean hesitating to use his bayonet. A Valkyrie woman stopped to take his hand and guide the blade into an enemy soldier. Another fish in armor laid down microwave fire to cover a Valkyrie in red as he launched a spectacular Tikari assault into the center of the Ulver line. The mayhem around them was fierce. Pytten grew more and more afraid. “Sir,” said Pytten, “we've made it. Perhaps you should move to shelter inside the hole once the teams are inside.”

“Yes, we shall enter the dome once the others are inside.”

The last of the Cetaceans filed in.

“Pytten, there's one thing I never told you about my brother. If he's in there and we are to face him, I think you should know.”

Pytten listened intently over the sounds of the battle.

“Loki, in all his time underwater, before he left—”

Risto was hit in the back by a round from an Ulver sniper. He fell to the rock. Pytten rushed to his side and held him up.