AMP Armageddon (19 page)

I nodded. "OK, now, how about we mess around with the Duke. Does this complex still have knowledge of where our people are? Can they be tracked from here?"

Frig replied, "Sir! Brilliant! They can! According to the data in these computers, they are all back on Tresha in the Triangulum!"

I connected to the comm channel that Quan was on. "Quan, can all of the Humans be moved from their current location to another? Can we do that through this complex?"

Quan replied, "That can be accomplished, Mr. Grange. Please provide an endpoint for the move."

I spoke. "Frig, can we move them anywhere that the Duke can’t get at them?"

Frig turned to John. "Would it be possible to transfer everyone back to Earth? Can the Duke pick up their bio-signals through the sodium skin around the planet?"

John answered, "There is one major problem with that. In order to move the Humans there, we must disable the active skin, even if only for a moment. The Duke would still be able to detect the transfer before the skin has been reactivated. Those bio-signals must be turned off before any transfer is to occur."

I again clenched my fist in anger. "There must be a way to make this happen!"

Frig again spoke. "John, by what process did you accelerate Ashley’s DNA transformation? Could that be applied or even accelerated further through the use of this complex?"

John replied, "One moment. I am patching a connection through Quan to our computer systems back on Earth. OK, the data is being run through an analysis. It would appear that the medical facilities in this complex are quite capable of performing a DNA change that would be near-instantaneous. The DNA marker that emits the bio-signal can be hobbled for every cell. In a sweep that takes only a few seconds, we can perform that operation."

I spoke. "Here is what we are going to do: move every Human into this complex, restore their memory, and perform that procedure. How long after the operation will the bio-signal remain active?"

John replied, "For less than one hour."

I requested to be swept back aboard the
Rogers
. I moved back to my chair and pulled up a holo-display that showed the stats on our people.

I spoke. "Quan, set up the process as I described. Let me know when you are ready to run it."

Quan replied, "It is ready, Mr. Grange."

I nodded. "Opinions? I want to know what everyone thinks."

Quan spoke. "Sir, an endpoint is still required."

I replied, "Make the endpoint exactly where they are. No, wait, move everyone to the two Grids. I want to see how the Duke reacts to that."

Frig spoke. "Sir, should we really be playing this game? What if the Duke again transfers them, only this time into the void of space? He could wipe them all out at once."

I nodded. "He could, but he won’t. This is a game to him. And so long as he thinks he can play, he will keep them alive. His ego is too big for just killing them. He would only do that as a desperate last move. And he is far from being desperate right now."

I looked at Ashley. "What do you think?"

Ashley replied, "I think we run them through this process as you suggest. If the Duke behaves as you say, we will have our people back in an hour. If the Duke jumps them elsewhere, we know where they were moved to; this complex will tell us that. What I would add is for us to temporarily unload our clone BGS Marines on Megiddo and then use those ships to pick up all the Humans for transport back to Earth once those bio-signals stop emitting. From Megiddo to Earth is only a single jump."

I looked over at Frig. He nodded. John then offered the same nod.

I spoke. "Ashley, make the fleet ready. Quan, perform the transfer of our people as just discussed. And, when you have them through, take Ashley and the rest of our DNA-enhanced people and perform the memory restoration on them as well."

As I looked at Ashley, she smiled. "I should like that."

A mere twelve seconds transpired before Quan spoke. "The Humans are now on the Grid stations in the Saw Blade galaxy. Their memory pathways have been adjusted, and the bio-signal negation has begun."

Ashley then vanished from view. Several seconds later, she was again sitting in her chair.

As she slowly turned around to face me, I spoke. "Ashley? Did it work? Are you back?"

She smiled. "I’m sorry, Don. I don’t feel any different than I did a minute ago."

I spoke to Quan. "Quan? What happened?"

Quan replied, "Sir, the memory restoration process was performed. It may take a short while for those pathways to activate. All indications are that the restoration was successful. There was, however, an 11 percent difference in her brain mapping from the original scan to her current one. Her DNA seems to have been altered. How this will affect her memory pathways is an uncertainty."

I smiled back. "Give it a bit; hopefully it will all come back to you."

I turned towards Frig. "Any move by the Duke?"

A general hail came over my comm. "Mr. Grange, I must say that I am impressed that you could so quickly make use of the complex for such a bold move! You must know that I can move them again. It leaves me wondering what it is that you are up to, Mr. Grange. I shall have to ponder this for a short while."

I replied, "You go do that, Duke. And I’ll—"

The comm channel closed. Frig laughed.

I spoke. "What do you find so funny about that?"

Frig replied, "It is rather amusing to listen to the both of you sparring. I do find one thing rather fascinating, though, Sir."

I rolled my eyes. "And what would that be?"

Frig smiled. "You have managed to get the Duke to follow your lead by closing the comm early, Sir. On a psychological basis, I find that most intriguing. If the Duke claims to be omniscient, why is he stooping to playing your games?"

I shook my head. "Who knows, Frig. Maybe we do give him too much credit. He has been able to keep just ahead of us, though. I can’t take away any points for that."

Our clone troops were unloaded onto the plains of Megiddo. The fleet was readied for a final collection and transport of our people. We remained in the
Rogers
by the Duke’s complex, waiting for a chance to make a final transfer of our people. As the minutes ticked away, time seemed to stretch out for an eternity.

We monitored the progress of our Human counterparts as their bio-signals began to fade.

I spoke. "Why don’t we make a transfer to Earth and then close that sodium shield? We will only need a couple seconds for the move, and if successful, we only need load our fighters back on the fleet and jump home to defend them. Anyone else think that is worth a shot?"

Ashley replied, "I was just talking with the Colonel, Don. Why don’t you ask him?"

I looked at Ashley. "What are you saying? Does he have his memory back?"

A hail from the Colonel came over my comm. "Grange! What are we doing out here! I have millions of Marines that want into the fight!"

I smiled. "Colonel! Does this mean you remember the last couple years?"

The Colonel replied, "There are a few bits that are fuzzy, but I do remember kicking the Colossuns’ asses and sending the Durians running home with their tails between their legs! I also remember an ass kicker named Don Grange who often fought right alongside me!"

I grinned. "Glad to have you back, Colonel. We were thinking of transferring everyone to Earth for one final shot at getting away from the Duke. That will only work if he is slow to react. Otherwise we may be moving you all over the place in a game of ‘who gets to do it last before those bio-signals are gone.’"

The Colonel spit and replied, "Just do it, Grange. If he moves us, just move us back. If you know where we are, that fleet can get to us quickly. And if the Durians are any indication of his fleet, we won’t have much to worry about with that Earth fleet!"

I opened the comm to Quan. "Quan, we are going to coordinate a signal with you for you to move everyone to Earth. Set that up and stand by for the signal."

I turned to John. "When the active skin of Earth is down, pass that info to Quan. He will move everyone then. As soon as he says OK, enable that active skin."

John replied, "Just say the word, Sir. The active skin will be taken offline."

I nodded. "Make it so, and re-up that skin the instant Quan replies!"

Five seconds later, Quan reported the delivery of the Humans, and John sent the signal to re-enable the active skin.

John spoke. "The skin is once again active, Sir."

I raised my fist in the air. "Yes! Let’s take down this complex and get back to Earth!"

Quan spoke. "I am afraid I have some bad news, Sir. Before the skin went active, the Duke transferred the Humans away."

I looked up at the ceiling. "You have got to be kidding me! That fast? Do we at least know where they are?"

Quan replied, "They are on Megiddo, Sir. With our cloned Marines. And the bio-marker signals have gone silent. This complex can no longer transport Humans without a specific location given for each individual to be transferred."

I looked at Frig. "I think it’s time we took this complex apart permanently, Frig. It’s of no use to us anymore, and we don’t want the Duke somehow retaking it."

Frig replied, "I would concur with that, Sir. I also believe we should begin preparations for attacking the Duke’s other complex. I recently checked, and our bots on the planet near the supernova have continued to build ships. We have an armada of 124 destroyers at the ready there. I think we should redirect their efforts towards building another black hole containment complex. There is a nearly identical supernova not far from that complex. A focused gravity beam would reach the complex in just under six hours."

I nodded. "Give those orders, and let’s get this place shut down."

Frig began to send the commands and then stopped. "Sir? What do we do about Quan?"

I thought for a moment. "I want to say let him go down with the complex, but we may still need him. These other clowns back here, though, Belon and the other two—sweep them down there. No good can come from their continued existence."

Ashley spoke. "I would have to agree. They are machines and are only an inhibitor away from being another nightmare for all sentient species. Let the gravity of that brown dwarf take care of them for us."

The orders for our black hole containment fleet were given, and Quan was brought back to the hold of the
Swift
while Belon, Koswal, and Tardette were transferred to their final resting place. With the complex squared away, I gave the order to bring it down. Frig started the Yacabucci, bringing up a strong web that was then spread out over a wide field of power converters. As the systems went offline, a section of the inner containment structure failed. Again, the destruction spread outward like a ripple in a pond. An hour later, the complex was nothing more than a storage sector in the Duke’s memory banks.

The Duke hailed me. "Mr. Grange. I will say that it was with a touch of sadness that I watched the complex go. Such a remarkable structure, I would have thought you would keep it with the hope of making use of it someday. You know, the Harithians—the species I took that very complex from—they used it to transport their citizens and goods between worlds without having to make use of ships. Yes, the Harithians—it was too bad that they were lacking the ability to fight. The many millennia of peaceful living had softened their will to defend themselves."

I replied, "So, you didn’t even build the complex? You stole that as well. I’m thinking that you aren’t quite as smart as you let on to be."

The Duke laughed. "Mr. Grange, your taunts are a welcome distraction. What you fail to understand is that everything I do, everything I allow, is all for the excitement of having a single grand battle! I would guess that you are in the planning stage of moving your people back to Earth. Why bother? The plains of Megiddo are calling out your name! The war to end all wars! The end time is here, Mr. Grange. Behold! I have constructed a fortress where your elderly, women, and children can take refuge as the battles rage around them!"

Frig spoke. "Sir, our video feed from Megiddo shows that a huge fortress just appeared on a rise in the center of those plains."

I shook my head. "And why would we put our people in there instead of on our ships heading back to Earth? What incentive do we have for doing that?"

The Duke replied, "Ah! Finally, the question I have been waiting for and the answer that you seek. Behold! I don’t know why I like saying that so much, but behold! A fleet against which to do battle! And I would hope you now realize, Mr. Grange, that having your population on those ships while they are at war is not necessarily a good strategy! Wait! Is that a fortress I see on yonder hill? Would it not offer refuge to a populace while its warriors went forth to defend it? You must make your decision quickly, Mr. Grange; the fun is about to begin!"

Before I could reply, the comm channel went silent. In an instant, a fleet of five hundred thousand ships burst into view on the edge of the Megiddo system. The Duke remained one step ahead of our efforts.

I raised the Colonel on the comm. "Colonel, it looks like we are going to have to fight it out with him this time. The Duke brought his real army. See if you can coordinate getting all of our people into that stronghold while we get a full accounting of what we are up against. If we can’t protect them, there isn’t much use in fighting."

The Colonel replied, "Consider it done, Grange! I expect a full briefing when we are done!"

I sighed. "Don’t worry, Colonel. I wouldn’t think of planning our defense without you."

The Colonel snarled. "Defense! Who’s talking defense! I say we kick the crap out of these android lovers by showing them what a real Marine assault feels like!"

I shook my head as I smiled. "Rally the troops, Colonel. We are going to need it!"

York and Frost walked onto the bridge. "Sir, don’t forget to insert us into this fight. This is what we’ve trained all our lives for!"

I nodded. "Wouldn’t dream of leaving out our two best weapons! Start prepping your teams for ship assaults, Major. When the Colonel completes his current mission, I want you two to join him on the Defiant ships we have sitting out there. I know it’s not much of a fleet as compared to our cloned friends, but I think we are going to need everything we can muster."

York smiled. "We would just as soon stick it out here with you, Mr. Grange. And we
will
make this happen, Mr. Grange. They don’t call us Humans for nothing!"

I turned to Ashley and John. "Ashley? Would you prefer to fight in a ship or on the ground? I think I know the answer, but I wanted to hear it from you."

Ashley replied, "If it’s all the same to you, Don, I would prefer space. I know it can get nasty on the ground!"

I laughed. "I thought you might say that. Space it is. I would say to have a talk with Admiral Zimmerman, but I’m guessing you want to go in with the Colonel and his men. He will be running the show as far as ship assaults go. We will have to make sure to mix in John and as many of his men as we can. Fighting is most of what they know, and we have a billion and a half of them to help us fight."

Ashley rose from her chair and came over to mine. She stepped up to my chair, sat down in my lap, and laid a big, soft kiss on me.

When she slowly withdrew, I spoke. "Wow! Can I take that to mean your memory has returned?"

Ashley smiled as she leaned in for another kiss. "You can!"

The thoughts of our troubles melted quickly away. It had been too long since I had enjoyed the warm embrace of my wife.

As she withdrew for the second time, she spoke. "Now, are you ready to kick a little ass with me?"

I smiled with a goofy grin, like a kid that had just received his first blaster in combat school. "Whatever it is that you want, I will do exactly that for you!"

Ashley stood. "And Frig? What are your plans as we begin this fight?"

Frig replied, "I plan on taking the small fleet with the black hole containment structure to get that set up and running. I say we just use it to destroy that complex and then worry about catching the Duke on his ship. There is no way we are going to be able to coordinate a move in both places with a full war going on."

I looked around at the others on the bridge. "We have been through tough fights before. All we can do is do our best. Remember, we are Humans, we don’t give up, we don’t quit, we fight to win. Once again, we are confronted with a war that may end all wars. The Duke wants to be entertained? Let’s show him exactly what Humans bring to this show!"

I walked over to Frig. "Take us back and sweep us down to the surface of Megiddo, and we will coordinate our next move with the Colonel."

Frig shook his head. "I have a better plan, Sir. Take the
Rogers
as your command ship. I will take the
Swift
to the planet with the other destroyers and take command of one of them. You can jump to Megiddo from here in a couple minutes’ time."

I nodded as I placed my hand on Frig’s shoulder. "Don’t hesitate to call if you find yourself in need, my friend. I’ll be looking to get my half of the
Swift
back under my control when this is over."

Frig smiled his rare smile. "I will take good care of her, Sir."

Frig turned to face Ashley. "I’m expecting you to keep my friend out of trouble. He likes to bite off more than he can chew. He requires the assistance of others to get him out of the jams that he constantly gets into."

I held up my hands in a mildly sarcastic gesture. "What’s this? I thought I made it through because of my outstanding luck! Are you saying it has been other people all this time?"

Frig shook his head. "The luck that surrounds you is the people you lead into battle with you, Sir. You have always been good at leading others out of impossible situations. You will risk it all for others, so they risk it all for you. Ashley, keep him safe; this mixed-up species called Humans will still need his leadership when this is all over."

Ashley smiled. "I’ll bring him back. We have a lot of time apart to make up for. I’m not letting him slip out of my sight this time!"

I winked at Frig. "Hit the road, my friend; we have a war to win."

Frig stood, smiled, and bowed his head. He reached out and swiped a button on his holo-display. Two seconds later, a portal opened beside him and swept him away. I let out a long sigh as I walked back to my captain’s chair.

I sat down and looked around the room with a bit of a tear in my eye. "What? Are you people androids? You got no emotions? Well, come on, let’s get us a fight going!"

I pressed a button on my holo-display, and we started the 420 hops to the Saw Blade and Megiddo. When we arrived, I set the
Rogers
down on the surface near the fortress the Duke had offered to us. He felt it was his way of ensuring that we would stay and fight: giving us the choice of an all-or-nothing outcome.

I walked towards the Colonel, who was standing in a field. He was giving orders as usual, yelling at his staff to get things right or turn in their Gray Ghoul patches. I had to laugh at the thought of any one of his volunteers ever doing so.

As I stepped up to the Colonel, he reached out and slapped me hard on the back. "Gonna be one heckuva fight, Grange! Five hundred thousand ships! That is an impossible number! He must have half a billion androids out there!"

I smiled. "I’m guessing you are liking our odds, then, Colonel?"

The Colonel laughed as he spit a wad of Omega root on my pant leg. "Grange, this is a fight made for a Marine. If you know going in that the odds are long, it makes you fight all that much harder!"

I spoke. "I have room on the
Rogers
for two hundred Marines, Colonel. What would you suggest?"

The Colonel pointed down the hill, several kilometers away, to a white horde of BGS Marine clones. "From what I have seen, you are not going to get a better or more well-equipped fighter to go with you than you will find in that group down there. Go down and ask for Colonel Sheffield. He will get you whatever personnel you think you need."

I slapped the Colonel hard on the back, rocking his big torso forward and eliciting a big grin. "Thanks, Colonel! And Colonel, when things are winding down, I’ll race you for first shot at the Duke!"

The Colonel laughed as I began to walk away. "That electronic gizmo is all yours, Grange! Kick his digital teeth in when you find him!"