Chapter Eleven

  Closure

  It was a very different team that pushed their way past the shattered remains of the ring of security bots and up to the base of the imposing tower. Even a hundred meters away from the frame of black steel girders, they could feel a charge in the very air itself, as if the world's largest storm was brewing right there and then.

  “Gas Tank, get the converters online fast. We don’t know if there are any more of these things coming our way.” Cheape warned, setting her rig’s feet and legs to lock in place. Her own power meter was reading at less than five percent, and she was planning to use every last drop of it to defend their position if necessary.

  “On it!” Gas Tank called, climbing over to the back of his Rig and starting to fiddle with their best attempt at a transformer that would, hopefully, do what the Queen said it would.

  “What did they say this thing was again?” Andy J asked. She was still being a bit pouty about the riot act she got on her return. Cheape couldn’t spare anyone here for any kind of punishment, so she had just yelled until she was hoarse instead. Hopefully, it got the message across.

  “Queen Nellie called it a Tesla Wireless Electricity Tower,” Cheape explained. “Don’t ask me how it works; I have no idea.”

  “I get that, but, like… how?” Andy smirked.

  “I can ask Queen Lucy to explain it to you if you like,” Cheape offered a little nastily because she was still pissed at the maverick woman. Sure, Andy had come through clutch in the end, but she had still run off without orders or telling anyone else. “All we need to know is that these transformer things will allow us to charge our rigs and suits from these towers.”

  “It is actually more the antenna than the transformer itself,” Gas Tank called. “The antenna gets the power; the transformer converts it into something compatible.” He stopped for a moment, looking thoughtful. “In fact, the antenna receives, the transformer steps up the current, and then this bit here—”

  “Wireless Energy Reciever,” Cheape rolled her eyes. “That’s the name now. If anyone asks how it works, just say ‘because’ so we can all get this done before we die of old age!”

  “I told you she was getting snippy,” Andy stage whispered to another of the team, who hurried away.

  Cheape was about to start shouting, but Gas Tank’s cheer cut her off.

  “It works!”

  Ten minutes later, Cheape watched in wonder as the energy level on her Rig started to rise, slowly but steadily. She had insisted Gas Tank install everyone else’s receivers first, just to be safe. If they were forced to fight, she had at least the ability to get out and run. If caught with no power, the Exo-suits would be locked in place as the new additions were too heavy to move aid.

  “Test complete,” Andy called back over the comm. “I have moved as far as I was allowed and my suit is still getting a constant charge.”

  “Good, get back here,” Cheape ordered. “No getting sidetracked on the way.”

  “Yes, Mistress,” Andy replied tartly.

  Cheape took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself down and turned her focus to their next target.

  This tower marked another dividing line in terms of building design, like neighborhoods or districts in a city. So far, each section has featured not only its own building designs but also different enemies. Worse still, each area had been a distinct leap forward in technological terms. The industrial entrance had the scavengers, and the more corporate area featured the security bots, which begged the question of what this new shift would bring.

  Looking across the dividing line, Cheape saw smooth painted metal and glass with large buildings with smooth, curved corners instead of the rigid squares and oblongs they had seen so far. There was no doubt that it marked a big step forward, perhaps more than the other two combined. There was a definite space-age look to the place, and Cheape couldn’t help but look down at the chaingun welded to her Rig’s arm and wonder if it would be of any use against what they would face next.

  Gas Tank had been busy over the last day, and each enemy that fell had reinforced their own troops. The Exo-suits now featured shoulder guards made from sections of curved metal, as well as a pair of barrels on each shield-sporting arm. Gas Tank had cut up the spare chainguns and rigged up a pair of machinegun mechanisms for each of the Exos. There wasn’t one of them that didn’t have an ammo backpack now, and additional plating had been added as well. Other than their heads, the Exo-suit wearers were completely covered now.

  Helmets were a more complicated issue, but they and Queen Lucy were constantly working on coming up with something.

  They moved out a half-hour later, moving quickly across the road. Quietly was no longer an option. The extra armor and weapons had resulted in a squad deemed ‘heavy’ by any definition of the word. Cheape was honestly amazed the roadway didn’t crack beneath their feet.

  Approaching the nearest building, Cheape stopped cold as the doors rolled open ahead of her. Scanning suspiciously around inside, nothing seemed to be moving, the motion-tracker silent on her dash. Taking a step back, the doors closed.

  “Automatic doors,” Gas Tank whistled. “Nice. Mind if I have a quick scan of them while we are searching in there?”

  “Only once we are done with the first sweep,” Cheape warned. “Standard search pattern.”

  Stepping inside, Cheape looked around at a very different version of industrial production. Gone were the huge machines and heavy arms, replaced with machinery recessed under the floor and in the walls, with the big yellow and orange arms replaced with smooth, enameled metal arms with multiple joints. The biggest addition by far was the large screens that had replaced the control panels.

  “Touch-screens,” Gas Tank verified. “Any chance this stuff is working?”

  “Probably,” Cheape nodded to the screens mounted on the walls. Each one showed a series of adverts and notices. She trained a camera on the nearest one and asked for a translation.

  *** House Partnia Seizes the Outer Rim ***

  The Legions of Partnia completed their domination of the neighboring system this week when they invaded the last bases of the backward native population.

  Their victory was complete, and the First Interstellar Empire now has complete domination of the surrounding systems.

  Long Live The Empire!

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  *** 132nd Airborne Recruiting Now ***

  House Separa has opened recruitment for their new airborne wing.

  Join now and bring order to the chaos of the universe as the hand of the houses in the wider galaxy.

  Honor! Glory! Voting Rights!

  All Veterans are guaranteed the right to vote!

  Sign up now for priority training assignments!

  [The rest is more of the same]

  *** Production Producing Prestige ***

  The hardy workers of Empire’s Hall have once again increased their yields, making them the most bountiful source of machined parts in the Empire.

  The Emperor has granted the planet a bonus of an extra fifteen days of annual leave at the end of the solar cycle to celebrate this incredible accomplishment.

  Let their endeavor and dedication inspire the other worlds to greater heights!

  Maybe you could help?

  See your Overseer today for extra shifts and bring prestige to your own planet!

  Remember, service is the duty of every citizen of the Empire.

  Serve in the Legions

  Serve in the Factories

  Serve in the Medicore

  Serve in the Colleges

  All service is worthy. All service is worthwhile.

  “Huh,” Cheape shrugged. “Most places don’t consider those other types of work as highly as soldiers.”

  “It is more balanced than I expected,” Queen Nellie spoke over a direct comm to Cheape, which always made her nervous. “But it makes sense. If you send all the best workers to fight, you’re going to be giving your troops substandard gear.”

  “This way, you get well-taught, well-armed, and well-taken-care-of soldiers,” Cheape nodded. “I get it.”

  “Movement!” The call came from the far end of the factory.

  Cheape and her team crouched on the roof of the factory, looking over the edge and down into the street below. Even the streets had changed now; the simple tarmac had been replaced with a slightly elastic roadway that looked like rubber but acted like metal under stress.

  Cheape already had several samples for when they returned to Haven. Something like this would work a lot better in Stone Break with its heavy Rig traffic. They could save a ton on repairs.

  All of that would only happen if they could deal with the latest threat here in the Yellow Segment.

  Five figures stalked down the street, and they were neither security bots nor salvage machines. These things were elegant, with smoothly flowing bodies that looked like stylized, elongated statues. The torsos were especially elongated thanks to the inclusion of a second set of arms.

  The top pair of arms was what Cheape would expect. They looked strong, with metal plates in the shape of muscles arrayed along them. The bottom pair, however, were completely different. They were thin and featured a second elbow and hands with extra-long fingers.

  “Look at those heads!” Andy hissed. “That’s just plain weird.”

  The heads on the robots were equally stylized, with elongated heads with shaped features that suggested a face but never actually became one. There were no eyes, ears, mouth, or anything like it—just shaped metal. Every part of it was covered in a white material that looked like a semi-transparent plastic of some form, but Cheape was betting it was a lot tougher than that.

  Worst of all, they were all armed.

  A pair of pistols were sitting in molded holsters on the robots’ hips, while a pair of strange weapons were crossed over their backs.

  They looked almost like axes, but the blades themselves were mere outlines with no actual metal within. There was clearly something else going on, but the only way for Cheape to find out what was to get a clear scan, which meant a line-of-sight scan.

  What were the chances none of the robots would look up?

  Did they even have forward-facing sensors?

  There were just too many unknowns and only one way to answer them.

  “Get into strike position,” Cheape ordered, hoping the height advantage would be enough of an aid if things went wrong.

  For exactly three-point-two seconds, everything went fine. Cheape’s rig got all the scan information it could, building a 3D model of the enemy units while Queen Lucy identified possible threats in real time.

  Just as the first scan had completed—elapsed time three-point-two seconds—the furthest unit turned its head up to scan the rooves. Luckily, it was looking the other way. Unluckily, Cheape’s Rig, battered and twisted from days of battle, creaked as she moved carefully back from the edge.

  All five blank faces turned to face her in absolute unison.

  “Fuck! Fire!” Cheape yelled, bringing her weapons up and unloading with the salvaged ammo and chaingun.

  From all along the line of the roof, weaponry fired, raining a hellstorm of slugs down onto the sleek-looking bots below.

  As quick as lightning, the enemy patrol reacted, only two of the five getting riddled with bullets, and the other three scattered. Chaingun rounds chewed up the ground behind the sprinting robots before they launched themselves up and scrambled up the sides of the building opposite the team.

  They were up and over the top, into cover, before anyone could get a decent bead on them. Seconds later, they started to return fire.

  “Get down!” Cheape yelled as the plasma bolts from the enemy pistols impacted her Rig’s shields. Energy weapons were a step above even her worst predictions.

  From the power drain she was seeing, the Exo-suit shields would only take a single shot, and even that wasn’t guaranteed.

  Andy J proved her point a moment later when she took a bolt to the shoulder, her shield fizzling before absorbing the entire shot. The impact of the energy weapon against her suit sent her flying back. Thankfully, it knocked her back into cover.

  None of the enemy units broke cover long enough to hit them, popping up and down like demented jack-in-the-boxes.

  Luckily, Haven Rigs were built with a certain industrial background. The kind that involved a need to break up boulders.

  “Rock Crackers!” Cheape ordered, shifting the power output of her Rig to overcharge the railgun on its arm. By lifting the arm in a single straight line, she could lock the elbow joint and align a double-length track for the ammo to accelerate to insane speeds.

  “I got left!” Gas Tank yelled.

  “Center,” Cheape said coldly. “Fire!”

  The rounds shot across the street, punching straight through the metal wall and into the targets sheltering behind it. Before confirming the first kill, Cheape aimed and fired again, this time at the remaining bot on the right.

  Silence fell as no more fire came their way.

  “Got ‘em!” A voice called excitedly.

  “Wait for confirmation!” Gas Tank yelled, beating Cheape to it by mere microseconds.

  Cheape took three steps back, a short run-up, and leaped clear over the street to land on the building opposite. Her motion tracker beeped.

  Seeing a streak from her right, Cheape didn’t have time to think. She leaped back a few yards, drawing her chainsaws as she did so. By the time she landed again, it was on her.

  The robot moved in eerie silence, the axes in each hand ending with glowing blades. These guys really loved their plasma weapons.

  Fortunately, out of every bit of gear in a rig, the chainsaws were the only things hardened against the energy. They had to be, considering the teeth on the saws were plasma. Cheape blocked the first strike by luck, and her shields took the second.

  As the bot leaped back, its smaller arms drew the pair of pistols still at its waist and fired while in the air. Cheape crossed her chainsaws in front of her cab, blocking the shots.

  “It can’t change trajectory in the air, Cheape,” Queen Lucy’s line lit in her comm. “Get it to jump again, and then kill it.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Cheape rushed forward, slashing madly with her saws and forcing it to retreat.

  Twice more, it got past her rather amateur guard and landed blows, leaving her shields decidedly weakened. Then it happened. As Cheape stumbled back, she saw dropping to leave an opening; the bot leaped for her, drawing the twin pistols.

  Cheape fired her laser array for the first time in days, the tight line of light and heat bisecting the creature entirely. The halves clattered against the Rig, and finally, they were clear.

  “Gas Tank! Get over here and see what we can do with the remains,” Cheape called immediately. “I want plasma weapons for the whole team before we move on.”

  “I mean, we can just pick them up?” Andy J called.

  Looking over the edge, Cheape was not even slightly surprised to see the woman waving with one of the alien weapons.

  “Oh, they don’t explode if an enemy picks them up. That’s good,” Cheape said drily.