The Stars Came Back (48 page)

Kwon: B
ut it mostly works very well when shove gets to blunder. No, no weapons other than small arms. Be happy to show you around so you can see for yourself.

Ship AI: (OC, quie
tly) There’s ‘n ill wind a’blowin’ out there right now, Mr. Kwon, sir; best be keepin’ close to th’ cable tier a few bells, ‘till we see how sh’blows.

FADE TO BLACK

Incoming

FADE IN

Tajemnica
Bridge

Quiritis stands alone at the controls,
checking readouts, tweaking settings, studying images. On the main display before her is a map of the surrounding area. It zooms out rapidly, showing significantly more terrain. There are many clusters of red icons near the edge. Red and green static dances everywhere for a moment, then disappears.

Quiritis: (
To herself) What’s
that
all about?

Ship AI: (OC, with heavy pirate accent, quietly) That be
the sounding lead, testin’ the waters.

Quiritis: Meaning?

Ship AI: (OC) Someone looks t’be slippin’ into the harbor, quiet-like, to take us at anchor. Crow’s nest can’t see a thing, fog’s thick, but thar be a splash t’ be heard.

Quiritis ponders the words a moment.

Quiritis: You think we are under attack?

Ship AI: (OC
cautiously) Aye, perhaps, lass. But no shots fired yet, an’ we cann’a fire blindly in’t’ fog without knowin’ wha’ sail be thar.

Quiritis: What sort of attack?

Ship AI: (OC) Noises. Pokein’ ‘n prod’n wi’ lightnin’. Gettin’ their magic in’r compasses.

Quiritis: Lightning? EM attack, hacking?

Ship AI: (OC) Aye. Shit-magnet ‘peers t’be on full power, t’is.

Quiritis: But they can’t
do that at this tech level! Jamming only.

Ship AI: (OC) Aye. That’s why the crow
’s nest is keepin’ a sharp eye, so’s we knows th’ targets well.
Then
we be clearin’ the decks in a hurry.

Quiritis: Can’t you
do something!?

Ship AI: (OC, conspiratorially) Not mov
in’ duzin’ mean not doin’.

CUT TO

INT
- DAY - Command bunker

Lag and camp officers are
still examining maps.

Quiritis: (OC, through Lag’s com unit) Colonel,
Taj
says we are under EM attack. Not real clear on the details yet.

Lag looks sharply at his com, then the base commander.

Zendek: Who’s
Taj
?

Lag: The ship. I’d take it seriously. An unusual bunch, but effective.

They both look at the Com Tech.

The
Com Tech looks at them, shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.

Quiritis: (OC, though PA) All
Tajemnica
crew, return to ship immediately! Not a drill!

CUT TO

Tajemnica
bridge

The
tactical displays are covered in static fuzz and red icons.

Quiritis: What
now
?

Ship AI: (OC) Thar they be, fly
in’ colors at last. Now we see what sort’a skullduggery they be up’ta…

CUT TO

Near a tank emplacement

Allonia, Quinn, and the soldier giving them a tour are looking it over.

Quiritis: (OC, though PA) All
Tajemnica
crew, return to ship immediately! Not a drill!

Allonia: (
Into com) What’s the problem?

Ship AI: (OC, through com) Sail in sight, ya’ best be get
tin’ behind th’ armor, lass.

Allonia grabs Quinn, picks him up, and
runs as fast as she can for
Tajemnica
in the near distance. The soldier looks at them in confusion.

Allonia: (
Over her shoulder) HEAD FOR YOUR BUNKERS! SPREAD THE WORD!

Behind her, soldiers
begin to run this way and that. As she gets close to the ramp of
Tajemnica
, all hell breaks loose around the perimeter.

CUT TO

Command bunker

Ship AI: (OC, through Lag’s com unit) Sail in sight, and firin’ upon us, yur martial-ness, sir. Best keep yer head doon!

The base commander and Lag look at each other in surprise.

Ship AI: (OC) Hell’a storm comin’ down, sir. Duck’n’cover.

CUT TO

Cargo bay

Helton, Bipasha, the Compliance Monitor, and some soldiers stand together talking over each another, no clear conversation, everyone talking at once. They are interrupted by a warning klaxon.

Ship AI:
(OC) Incoming fire! Incoming! All personnel take cover! Impact in 16 seconds!

All the civilians freeze for a moment, and all the military folks drop what they are doing and scramble, heading through side
hatches. The Compliance Monitor looks shocked and runs for the main door and down the ramp, apparently headed for his personal bunker.

Ship AI: (OC, over Helton’s com unit,
enthusiastically) Permission t’ commandeer th’ guns and return fire, sir!

Helton: WHAT?! YEAH, SURE, DO WHAT YOU CAN!

Ship AI: (OC) AYE-AYE, CAP’N!

CUT TO

Near
perimeter vehicle emplacements

Warning sirens and klaxons
blare. Automated warnings scream “TAKE COVER.” Every tank and APC and gun jerks skyward, aiming at various high angles, and starts unloading at high speed, with a slightly stuttering full-auto thunder. Spent brass is pouring out of auto-cannons, Gatling guns, and every other self-loading mechanism mounted on a platform. After about ten seconds the view pans skyward. High above and all around there are abrupt blossoms of explosions, many lines of detonations in a descending cascade as all guns continue to fire, tracers arcing up into the heavens to meet the metal rain falling. No sounds from the supersonic incoming rounds above, just the guns, not so much distinct shots as a ripping, rolling wave of deafening sound, as powder is turned into gas and flying metal. Soldiers dive into trenches, through bunker entries, behind sandbag walls, anywhere they find cover.

R
ounds start landing. The top of
Tajemnica
is wreathed in smoke and fire as battalions of shit fall upon her. Vehicles are hit, some with a dozen or more rounds almost simultaneously. Shell fragments and shrapnel whizz wickedly about. An APC with a 25mm open-mounted gun on top is shattered, parts go flying. As the first rounds impact they are joined by the sounds of the shells detonating higher up, further away, a torrent of vibration from larger bombs and shells exploding, a concussive wave of sound felt as much as heard. In the open areas, some smaller shells kick up dust and flash brightly.

CUT TO

Open ground between bunkers and
Tajemnica
. Cooper runs as fast as he can for her, uniform only half on, red jacket unfastened. Guns are blazing away all around. Incoming rounds start exploding. One detonates near him, and he spins with several bloody wounds ripping open on his legs and body. He falls, bounces, rolls, and lies still, next to the bloody body and lifeless eyes of the Compliance Monitor.

CUT TO

Cargo loading ramp, view from inside

Allonia sprints up the ramp, clutching Quinn. She sprints in and goes into the stairwell, holding him close, ducking down as the frightful din cascades around them. Then, as suddenly as it started, it ends. She raises her head to look at Quinn. His eyes are wide, trembling as he huddles against her.

Allonia: (
Comforting) It’s OK, it’s over. We’re safe. It’s over.

She raises her hand to stroke his head, comfort
ing him. There’s blood. She inhales sharply, worried.

Allonia: QUINN. Are you hurt?

Quinn nods a small nod. She stands up and heads fast up the stairs for the infirmary.

Allonia: (
Shouting) Medical! Quinn’s hit! Infirmary!

CUT TO

Cargo bay ramp

The 25mm cannon, disconnected from its APC, lays on the edge of the ramp. A mechanical arm hatch opens, the loading arm unfolds to extend downward and prods the gun into a slightly different position, hooks onto it. The arm lifts, and swings the gun around experimentally, as an experienced shooter would heft a new gun, then folds away, the hatch snapping closed behind it.

CUT TO

Tajemnica
’s
bridge

Quiritis
looks over the screens, hands dancing to get more and different views.

Ship AI: (OC, quietly
, intensely) They flew their flag ‘n fired the first broadside. Now, I be thinkin’, it’s time we fly
ours
.

Quiritis
eyes dart at the various screens with grim determination.

FADE TO BLACK

AARAS

FADE IN

EXT - DAY - Open area not far from
Tajemnica

Lag and
Colonel Zendek stand next to the body of the Compliance Monitor, looking down at him and Cooper, then at the destroyed camp around them. Zendek seems a bit dazed, looking at it all.

Lag:
(Urgent) Too much, too accurate. You need to bug out
now
.

Zendek
stares at him, expression hardening.

Zendek
: No. I will not abandon my position unless ordered.

Lag: You are being jammed, and you have lost essentially ALL your transport. You have injured. You
must leave.
Now
.

Zendek
: You can’t carry us.

Lag: I don’t see how this could be a proper tech-level strike. It was
far too massive and accurate.
They
are in violation.

Zendek
: Tell
him
that. We can’t call. Jammed and cut lines.

Lag: Get the injured aboard, and start salvaging everything you can, get it near
Taj
in case we find out more. Surely you can do that.

Zendek
relaxes slightly.

Zendek
: Yes. Yes we can do that much.

Shaking
his head, he clenches his jaw as he faces the reality of the situation and starts taking action.

CUT TO

Atop
Tajemnica

Lag and Helton stand
surveying the ship topside and the surrounding smoking base. There are hundreds of new small blast marks all over the ship, dozens of larger ones as well. Helton whistles. Lag squats, runs his hand over one lightly. Helton looks at some of the larger one near a drone launch tube bump. Few of the blast marks are much more than splatters of color, with little penetration or cratering. Lag stands, and ponders the smoking ruins of the base around the ship. Only one vehicle, an APC with 25mm gun turret, survives. Most of the piles of gear, supplies, and cargo containers are burning. Few craters are not on a target. Soldiers are salvaging what they can and
extinguishing
fires. The base has been virtually wiped off the map as a military asset. Helton stands up, runs his hands through his hair, and walks back to Lag.

Helton:
Don’t see any holes, so I guess the old gal’s armor is as good as Stenson said, unless we only got hit with smaller stuff than those things (tips head toward wrecked tanks). Hard to believe only six got killed in all that shit that landed on us.

Lag: (
Looking thoughtful) Yes, it could have been much worse.

Helton: Not a good way to start the day.

CUT TO

Ground near the lowered cargo ramp.

Base soldiers
hustle around with salvaged gear and supplies. A soldier carries a pair of boxes, about 30cmx50cmx20”, with a pattern of 72 circles (6x12) on top. He pauses to talk to one of two sergeants on the ramp.

Flare
Soldier: Where these?

Ramp
Sergeant1: Stack ‘em with the rest of the mixed ammo, next to-

He gets interrupted by BEEP
BEEP and the sound of a small hatch retracting. They look over to the side of the ship and see an indentation exactly the same size as the boxes the soldier is carrying, and there is a small flashing light inside it.