“This is West Watch Command. Remain where you are and prepare to surrender. You will be placed under arrest then transported for processing if you cooperate. If you do not comply you will be killed,” an automated message interrupted the static momentarily before signing off, allowing the jamming to continue. It wasn't directed at him, but to that hemisphere of the planet in general.
He resumed his climb, emerging five floors later onto the roof. Jake crept out into the darkness of night and took cover beside an air processing unit before looking up at the stars. Instead of the bright star field and streaks of heavy weapons fire the sky was filled with the blue green engine fire of dropships. There were thousands of them and they were landing all around. Rain began to spatter the rooftop as he looked on from the shadows, ready and waiting for the nearest dropship to touch down. “Surrender my ass, it looks like the party's just getting started,” he growled through clenched teeth.
Damshir Spaceport
The dropships did their business quickly and before long the beach head, the city and every other strategic point on the island they could detect without broadcasting their location was manned by a rush of soldiers. Only one drop shuttle descended upon the ruined communications station, the rest of the sugar cane field didn't seem to be a priority.
As soon as ships descended upon the spaceport the group of four could see the lights of a large firefight flash in the air above the gargantuan circular structure. The visible structure was only twelve storeys tall but it used a deep pit for most of its facilities. Smaller ships docked deep inside main chambers under the direct control of the port artificial intelligences, a system that was one of the first infected when the Holocaust Virus struck.
The port was so wide that its circular outer wall almost looked flat as they neared it. “Oh God, I'm sorry, I have to rest,” Ayan struggling to catch her breath.
All four of them stopped, the tall sugar cane stalks rose up high above them. “I was hoping someone else would break down first. Now I don't look so bad, thanks,” Jason added as he planted his hands on his knees.
“If there were a time to take a break, this would be it. We're about sixty meters away from the edge of the field. I've been feeling like a sore thumb being the only one without a full stealth setup.”
“Jason, give Oz your trench coat. I noticed the problem-” Ayan took a few breaths and sat down before going on. “-noticed the problem while we were running.”
Jason took a few articles out of his long coat, stuffed them into his belt and pack then handed the large garment over. The whole act was only visible through the digital assistance provided by her faceplate, it looked like an animated outline was passing something to the real Oz, and when he put the self adjusting coat over top his own, he became animated as well, indicating that he was once again invisible to the naked eye and most known sensor technology.
“Well, glad you noticed before I had to cross through no-man's land. There's nothing but two hundred meters of paved ground and transparent steel underfoot. If they're interested in turning me into a grease spot, then they'd have plenty of time to take aim,” Oz said, shaking his head. “Thanks Ayan.”
“No problem, it looks like they have other things to worry about though. I've watched eleven drop ships go into the center of that port building and only five have come out. There's heavy gunfire in there.”
“I know, I've been watching the whole thing on infra and electromagnetic spectrums, one hell of a light show,” Minh said, sounding not at all out of breath.
“Looks like there's resistance inside. Hopefully we can get a read on them before we have to open a dialogue, maybe find a way to link the port up to the mountain, get them working together. By the way, how the hell are you in such good shape? What did you do while you were adrift?” Jason asked, still catching his breath.
“Ha! I didn't have much to do aside from run, jump, grow a garden and eat organically. I'd play guitar to break things up a bit sometimes.”
“Eat organically?” Oz asked.
“Yeah, I saw the digital tour Freeground Media put out, he had a better garden than most arboretums,” Jason chuckled. “Lorander's dragging the whole thing back to the new colony. They couldn't let all that mature growth just drift and die out.”
“They are?” Minh asked, in awe and surprise.
“I forgot, that's not public yet. Yup, Lorander's doing it as a courtesy. Your story is passing pretty quickly between deep space explorers and since Lorander is pretty much nothing but researchers, explorers and colonists, I wouldn't be surprised if they offered you a pretty good job eventually.”
“If it involves being out in space for long periods of quiet time, then they can count me out! I had so much time to think that my brain's been picked dry.”
“I couldn't imagine,” Oz said, shaking his head.
Ayan stood and checked her cloaking systems, energy levels and ammunition loads. “Well, I'm ready to move on. If there's a group of resistance fighters in there they could use our help.”
“I just wish we could have some transportation,” Jason mentioned. “Too bad they'd blast anything moving under mach five out of the sky from orbit.”
Ayan started jogging, taking point. Everyone followed her, keeping up with her brisk pace. “If it weren't for the war and all the running, I'd actually be enjoying this. I've never seen anything like this field up close before, it would be nice to stop and taste the sugar cane.”
“You have a point. We'll have to find an interesting place or two to visit when we're clear of this,” Minh agreed. “I've been in space my whole life and feel like I haven't really seen anything.”
“There was Zingara, now that was an impressive space station,” Oz said.
“Interesting place if you happen to be a geologist, maybe. It's really nothing but a big rock,” Jason replied.
“A big rock with three pongo ball teams and more entertainment than you can take in. Hell, you could spend two years there and not see everything once.”
“Who would want to? You can get a holo with all the best stuff and move on to a luxury port like Argyle where there's a blue sky and great big forests. We were snow boarding in the morning and sunning in the afternoon.”
“So you and Laura had a good honeymoon?” Ayan asked.
Jason was reminded of Ayan's rebirth, he had forgotten that she had no memory of anything after his wedding. He didn't pause long, however. “Once we got used to the gravity, it was only point eight five of standard.”
“Oh man that had to be fun. I've seen grav-boarding footage in low gravity, I couldn't imagine what doing it with nothing more than a flat board on snow would be like.”
“Cold. It was really, really cold,” Jason replied.
“Still, I'd have to give it a try.”
They were across the empty space surrounding the space port and running alongside the tall, transparesteel wall. The windows had been blacked out. As the first sign of the west entrance to the port started coming into sight silence settled over the group.
Instead of reaching out with entrance ramps, transportation terminals and vendor booths, there was a completely clear space outside of the port, continuing the two hundred meter wide paved ring around the structure. The doors hung open and slack, bent and burned by combat.
“Why is there so much empty space here?” asked Minh.
“Security. The flatter, more featureless an area is around a land based building the easier it is to scan and control. I wouldn't be surprised if there are automated guns mounted somewhere that can pick off anything that sets foot here.”