The Malcontent of Mars — Chapter X: The Killing Moon

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This chapter contains bloody violence and abuse.


The Federal Minister of the Interior was a tall man of approximately middle age, who had blond hair and wore a fine suit with oblong-framed spectacles. He seemed quite annoyed that he had been called out of his office on such short notice, or at least, that was how it seemed to Christine’s eyes.

“Yes, yes, what is it?” he said to his aide, exasperated. “I have enough on my plate, so this had better be important.”

“I do apologise, Minister, but, erm…” the aide said, pointing to the disheveled-looking, barefoot Hythe and, by her side, Christine. “…The Federal Minister for Martian Affairs wanted to speak to you.”

“Jesus Christ, Erika,” the Minister of the Interior said, looking her up and down. “What in God’s name happened to—”

“There’s not enough time to go over it,” Hythe said. “Listen, Dan, we have a crisis on our hands.”

“You’re telling me.”

“No, I’m not talking about the riots, though they are certainly connected to the wider crisis at hand, here. One of our former mercenaries is currently on his way to, or could possibly have even already gained access to, the Leviathan system. I need everyone we’ve got in Martian orbit yesterday. I also need one of your meeting rooms, preferably with a television.”

“This is all a lot to take in, Erika,” the Minister of the Interior said. “Sorry, but isn’t the Leviathan system protected from interference by on-board defence platforms anyway?”

“Our man has a machine with him that can disable all of them. If he boards that space station, he will have the capacity to wipe out every city on Mars. As Minister for Martian Affairs I’m not going to let that happen. Now, please – get on the ansible.”

The Minister of the Interior looked down at his feet. “You’ll get the sack for this, you know.”

“I’d rather be unemployed than die in another war. Move it, Dan.”

The Minister of the Interior sighed. “‘Stand for election,’ they said. ‘You’ll make a difference,’ they said.” He walked back into his office followed by his aide, who looked back at the two anxiously.

The door closed, and Hythe turned to Christine. “I’m very sorry about all this,” she said.

“With the week I’ve had, I’m used to it,” Christine said. “I’m just trying not to think too hard about anything.”

“That’s a wise idea.”

There was a slight pause, a silence between them.

“We have to stop him,” Christine said.

“We will,” Hythe said. “As God is my witness.”

“I hope you’re right,” Christine said.

Christine bowed her head and began to cry.

“Hey, now,” Hythe said. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Christine said, stifling a sob. “I just hope things turn out okay. Because they might not. What if—” Her voice diminished to a frightened whisper. “—what if Ralph dies?”

“I’m sure that won’t happen,” Hythe said, a little unsure of what to do. “Would you mind?” she said, opening her arms.

“I don’t mind,” Christine said, and Hythe put her arms around Christine, placing her right hand against the girl’s head, and, for a few moments, cradled her like the daughter she had never had, and Christine felt for a moment like her mother was back with her.

“We’ll be alright,” Hythe said. “No matter what happens today.”

“Thank you, Minister,” Christine said.

“Oh, don’t call me that,” Hythe said. “I already told you, my name’s Erika.”

“Okay, Erika. Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Hythe said.

The door to the Minister of the Interior’s office came open again.

“Alright, Erika,” the Minister said. “I’ve got the ball rolling at least. You’d better be telling the truth or it’s your arse.”

“Thank you, Dan. I knew I could count on you. Now could you get me an office?” She looked over at Christine. “And, er, some tissues would be nice, as well.”

The Minister of the Interior rolled his eyes. “Yes, very well. Joseph, get the Minister a room, would you? And for God’s sake, get her some shoes.”

“Right away, Minister,” his aide said, walking up to Hythe with some bemusement. “Follow me,” he said, to the both of them, and they followed him down the corridor, to their makeshift war room.

Maxwell looked out of the front screen at Mars. A blue and green sphere, like a great jewel. It should have been his.

And there, a few miles from Mount Olympus, the red scar that was his signature, his handiwork, written off as little more than a munitions incident.

And there, above it, was his creation, his magnum opus – the Leviathan system.

It was a large artificial satellite. It resembled a halved grapefruit made of a complex network of metal gantries and scaffolds on its reverse side, while the underside, the side exposed to the surface of Mars, consisted of several doors, perpetually kept working by an automated maintenance system. With the exception of routine cleaning, the doors had never been opened, as the system had never been used since its creation at the end of the Insurrection. But that was about to change.

Maxwell felt a mixture of pride and loathing for the object. Pride, in that he had designed much of its architecture and mechanisms, and loathing in that he hadn’t been allowed anywhere near the construction process by the Terran federal government due to the project’s “secrecy”. The object was not his; forcibly orphaned; his own brainchild, torn cruelly away from him by the men in suits who hid behind desks. Bastards!

“We’re coming within range,” Aeterna said, flatly. She had been somewhat distant after Jefrey had been shot. As though she had some sort of sympathy for the coward. Jefrey had learned a hard lesson: You didn’t escape Maxwell’s wrath, no matter how many attempts were required to take you down. Jefrey had deserved that bullet in his chest. If he’d had any sense, he would have laid down and died with the Sledgehammer. Maxwell sneered a little to himself. A worthless, snivelling whelp had died in that spaceport, with his comrades and allies forced to watch.

So why had Aeterna refused him that night? Could it be that she was no longer attracted to him? After all he had done for her? The thought infuriated him. Did she really have sympathy for that pitiful excuse for a man?

“Understood,” Maxwell growled. “Richards, issue a command to the CALAIS. Transmit the code on the memory chip I gave you earlier. That will give us full access to the space station.”

Richards nodded, silently. Perhaps, he, too, perceived the tension between Maxwell and Aeterna.

“After that, it becomes our fortress,” Maxwell continued. “Aeterna and I shall board the station soon afterwards. We should have access to the on-board defence platforms in order to pick off anyone who might board the ship, but just in case, Richards, I want you to defend us with the Divine Hammer. Do you understand?”

Richards nodded again.

“Good,” Maxwell said. “Then begin transmission.”

The ansible rang. Aeterna and Maxwell locked eyes for a moment, then Maxwell walked over and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Is this Maxwell Silva?”

“Yes, sir, it is. Can I ask who’s calling?”

“It’s the Federal Investigation and Detection Office. We have a warrant for your arrest issued by the Minister of the Interior. We are giving you the chance to surrender peacefully, or we will be forced to use lethal force. Please come quietly, Mister Silva.”

Maxwell stood, silent for a few moments.

“Mister Silva? Mister Silva, speak.”

“So, that’s how they’re playing it, is it?” Maxwell said, quietly. He began to laugh, softly.

“Maxwell?” Aeterna said, fearfully.

Maxwell’s laugh grew louder, deeper and more guttural, the artificial larynx sounding more and more strained, less and less human. His laughter transformed into a hideous guffaw, a roaring cackle that reverberated around the bridge. Aeterna could only stare in terror as Maxwell appeared to transform into a beast before her eyes.

“Mister Silva?” said the police officer, more intently.

“Oh, you morons,” Maxwell said, quietly. “You fucking knuckle-dragging cretins.”

“Mister Silva! Answer at once! That’s an order!”

“Well, if you say so,” Maxwell said, walking over to a computer terminal on the bridge as the others looked on.

“What are you doing?” Aeterna asked.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Maxwell said, grinning at her in a way that did not seem human.

Aeterna watched as the computer screen began to scroll with text.

“What did you just do?” the man on the other end said.

“Enjoy the next few moments, officer,” Maxwell said. “After all, they will be your last.”

“Mister Silva, don’t force us to add threatening a police vessel to the list. Steer your ship toward us this sec—”

There was a thud somewhere in the Divine Hammer’s port side.

On the ansible, a small bleeping could be heard.

“Wait, Charlie, did he just—”

“But that’s impossible…nothing can line up a shot that precisely that quickly…!”

“Oh my God, Oh my Go—!”

Maxwell watched out of the front screen as the police vessel was struck by a torpedo, its side caving in like the side of an empty soft drink can and exploding. Corpses and dying men flew out of the side of the ship, screaming silently, burning, drowning in the vacuum of space.

Aeterna’s hand came to her mouth, and Richards watched with dispassionate boredom.

“We can’t hold them off like this forever,” Maxwell said, coldly. “We’ll need that CALAIS as soon as the code is received and processed. It shall be quite interesting to see what happens when we put it at full capacity.”

Another police ship arrived, and another, and another, each one picked off as soon as it arrived with a precisely-targeted projectile. Aeterna stared in disbelief, horrified at the death unfolding before them.

Maxwell watched the screen, filled with fire, horror and atrocity, as though he were watching fireworks, with curious fascination.

After a few minutes, he outstretched his arms and uttered: “Behold, Mars – your rebirth is now upon you.”

*

They were racing towards the warp-gate, now.

Kowalski was checking the readings. He hadn’t had time to do pre-flight checks, such was how quickly he and Mehmet had set off. His ansible sounded, and, still looking at the screen, he felt for the button to pick up.

“Kowalski,” he said.

“It’s me, Ralph,” said Erika Hythe, on the other end. “We’ve cleared all traffic into the warp-gate, including freight. You’re clear for travel to Mars.”

“Thanks, Erika. Any idea what the situation is like out there?”

“Nothing concrete as yet, but I’m hearing rumours that there’s been an altercation between Maxwell’s ship and the police somewhere near the Leviathan satellite.”

Bastard. “Understood,” Kowalski said. “With Callie on board he’s pretty much unstoppable. I don’t think we’re gonna get there in time to stop him boarding the Killing Moon, and even if we do, there’s a possibility that he’ll kill me and Mehmet. I’d say advise the armed forces to use long-range weapons to throw him off and avoid close engagement for now. Once we arrive, it’ll be a little easier to take him on.”

“I must warn you, Ralph, that the Leviathan satellite is fully armed in order to prevent intrusion. If he gets on board, his weapons will be trained on your ship the second you enter Martian space.”

“Noted, but I’ve got a feeling that it won’t quite shake out that way. Call it a hunch.”

“Okay, if you say so. Thank you, Ralph. And again, apologies for the arrest.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up to me,” Kowalski said, smiling. “Send me a signal as soon as you have confirmation that Maxwell has boarded.”

“I hope you stop him,” Hythe said, anxiously, hanging up on him.

Kowalski called Mehmet on the ansible.

“What’s up?” Mehmet asked. They were flying in flank formation, side by side.

“I’ve had a call from Erika. Maxwell’s using Callie’s capabilities to wipe out anyone that tries to engage at close range.”

“Shit! So what’s the plan?”

“This is gonna sound nuts, but we’re gonna have to hold back until we have confirmation that he’s about to board the Killing Moon.”

“What?! But if he boards, he’s already won!”

“Not necessarily. He’ll need Callie with him to crack the drop codes for the device without a proper arming procedure. That means someone will be flying his ship, trying to defend the Killing Moon from intruders, and more importantly, Callie won’t be attached to his weapons systems. One of us is going to have to take on his ship while the other will have to board the satellite.”

“But what if he takes control of the Killing Moon’s own defenses?”

“Trust me,” Kowalski said. “I’ve got a hunch that it’s not gonna go the way we think.”

Aman Allahım,” Mehmet said, quietly. “This is suicidal!”

“Better one or both of us die than an entire city,” Kowalski said, gravely. “We can’t let that happen again, Mehmet.”

There was a pause.

“Okay,” Mehmet said. “I’ll fight off the ship. You board the Killing Moon somehow.”

“Roger that. Let’s cycle around the warp-gate until we have confirmation.”

The two ships swung back and changed directions, and began circling around the warp gate in great ellipses, as though electrons around the nucleus of an atom. Kowalski knew that his plan was foolhardy. He only hoped that his intuition would be proven correct.

~

Christine and Erika were inside a meeting room with a wooden table and a set of wooden chairs. There was a television on the wall, and Erika was anxiously flipping through the channels. Eventually, she hit upon a news channel that was beginning to break the news: The seeds of the next Terran-Martian conflict might be unfolding somewhere above Mars. Long-range cameras were already fixed, blurry, on the unfolding carnage.

“Some of the images unfolding at present are simply too graphic to show,” a reporter was saying. “We have heard reports of police vessels being destroyed, a simply untold number of casualties. This is one of the worst massacres we have seen in space during peacetime.”

“My God,” Erika said. “So the rumours are true.”

“What is Maxwell doing?” Christine said. “Why does he want to get to Mars so badly?”

“He’s not trying to get to Mars. He’s—” Erika turned and looked at her. “—my God, you don’t know, do you?”

“What?”

Erika sighed. “Alright. Strictly speaking, this is a state secret, but this is a dire situation, and you need to know. Maxwell is trying to board an artificial satellite in low Mars orbit. We call it the ‘Leviathan system’, but Martians know it by a different name.”

“What’s that?”

Erika sighed again. “They call it the Killing Moon. It’s an orbital superweapon capable of levelling a city.”

“What?” Christine exclaimed, aghast. “Wait, Ralph knows about this? Why didn’t he tell me? He – he told me about how Olympus City was destroyed – how could he not – I don’t understand—”

“He was trying to protect you. Most Terrans don’t know it exists. Our government doesn’t officially acknowledge it. And perhaps he didn’t want you to feel that you were his enemy.”

“So, Ralph is going to try and stop Maxwell from boarding the Killing Moon?”

“Not exactly…”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s going to wait for Maxwell to board, then attempt an assault.”

“What?! But then he’ll be killed!

Erika took her eyes off the screen for a moment, as the developments in Martian space unfolded. She turned to the girl, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Listen,” she said. “I don’t know much about Ralph. But from speaking to him, I can tell that he has a plan. He knows what he’s doing. You have to trust him, and you have to trust me, and you cannot let doubt sow anxiety in your mind. I promise that if we don’t act rashly, we can and will win.”

Christine looked at her. “Alright,” she said. “I hope you’re right.”

They turned back to the screen.

“We’re just hearing reports that – sorry, we apparently have a live long-range camera feed – the unidentified vessel appears to be preparing to start docking procedures for that weather satellite? Am I reading that right – a weather satellite? Once we understand what’s happening, we’ll let you know.”

Erika began to dial the ansible again.

I really hope Ralph knows what he’s doing, Christine thought.

The Divine Hammer’s airlock affixed itself to that of the Leviathan satellite with relative ease. The CALAIS decoded the lock mechanism and opened the door. The police had since retreated – leaving behind them a grisly graveyard of scrap metal and body parts floating in space.

“CALAIS disengaged,” the computer said, and Maxwell, holding a sawn-off shotgun, ejected it from its slot.

“Alright,” he said, to Aeterna, who was also clutching a shotgun. “Are you ready to board?”

“Yes,” Aeterna replied, distantly.

Maxwell nodded to her. “Good.”

They left the room, and were about to disembark, when an alarm sounded.

“Enemy vessels detected in Martian space,” the computer said. “Callsigns identified as Alpha-Ait-Too-Too-Tree-Papa-Papa and Romeo-Lima-Fife-Wun-Zee-Ro.”

“Ah, so the Martians are here,” Maxwell said. “Let Richards take care of them for now. Once we have installed the CALAIS into the Leviathan satellite’s main computer, we will be able to swiftly annihilate them.”

They climbed out of the airlock, and Maxwell boarded his invention for the first time in his near-fifty years of life. The Divine Hammer quickly blasted away, preparing to defend the satellite.

Maxwell looked around him and smiled. Aeterna curled her lip. Maxwell didn’t notice.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Maxwell said. He put a hand against the wall and laughed. “Daddy’s home.”

The outer rim of the satellite was a long, circular corridor with a linoleum floor and light plastic walls, with stairwells and incline elevators leading up to the control room. They stepped into one of the incline elevators and took it up.

“How are you feeling?” Maxwell said. “Nervous?”

“No,” Aeterna said, abruptly.

Maxwell remained silent for a few moments.

“Why don’t you want to talk to me, Aeterna?”

“What?”

“I want to talk to you. Why do you keep turning away from me?”

“I dunno. I just want to get this over with.”

“Why aren’t you happy? Years of planning has gone into this day. You should be excited.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not twenty-one any more, Maxwell.”

Maxwell paused. He banged a fist against the wall of the elevator angrily.

“You’re ungrateful,” he said, jabbing a finger at Aeterna.

“No,” Aeterna said. “I’m just going through some shit.”

“After all I’ve done for you. It’s Jefrey, isn’t it? You’re still thinking about him.”

“Maxwell, calm down.”

Maxwell was shaking. “How dare you?!” he roared.

“Would you grow up?” Aeterna said. “Quit throwin’ a fuckin’ hissy fit every time I disagree with you.”

“You do not get to speak to me like that!”

“Or what? You’ll shoot me?”

Maxwell looked at her. His lips quivered, as though he were about to say something.

“I’ve had just about enough of you,” Maxwell said.

The elevator reached its destination.

The control room was a circular room with screens on every wall, all around. Maxwell fumbled for a switch and the room lit up, the screens activating, giving a clear camera feed of the area surrounding the satellite.

“Help me find the computer,” Maxwell said. “And I don’t want to hear a word out of you. Just do it.”

“Alright,” Aeterna said.

They searched around the room for a while, before coming upon a black box that appeared to be whirring and humming, and next to it a screen listing the checks it performed every millisecond to ensure there hadn’t been an order to drop. So far, there hadn’t been. In theory, the CALAIS could have transmitted a code to drop from the Divine Hammer, but receiving a drop code from an unidentified, unauthorised ship would likely have triggered a failsafe and locked them out of the system, or even triggered the automatic defense platform. It had been risky enough to disable the defense systems and enter through the airlock. This was the only way to guarantee a drop.

Maxwell wrenched open the computer, found an available slot, and inserted the CALAIS. It began to install. He took special care to ensure that the Asimov circuit was attached.

“We should be able to activate the defenses from here,” Maxwell said. “We can train them on the Martian ships and blow them out of the sky.”

“Right,” Aeterna said. “And then what?”

“Then we drop. We begin the next war…we seize power…and you and I take the glory we are owed, once and for all.”

Aeterna looked at him, as though in disbelief that she could ever have loved him.

“Why are we doing this?” Aeterna asked, after a pause.

“What?” Maxwell said, turning to her. “What do you mean?”

“What are we going to gain from doing this? Wealth? Fame? Infamy?”

“We’re going to gain power. Prestige. Notoriety.”

“‘We’, Maxwell? Or by ‘we’, do you mean ‘you’?”

“What are you saying—”

“I’m saying that your plan makes no goddamn sense, Maxwell. You’ve already failed. We blew up some stilts. We killed a whole bunch of people. We started riots. We successfully convinced Terra that the Martians want war, and for what? So you can be remembered? You’re going to wipe out billions of lives because you’re afraid nobody will remember you?” Aeterna laughed. “You’re pathetic, Maxwell.”

Maxwell glared at her. “You’re beginning to push your luck.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up. You sound like a comic book villain, you jackass.”

Maxwell turned away from her.

“Don’t say another word,” he said, menacingly.

“Alright,” Aeterna said.

Maxwell turned back to the screen. Aeterna remained ignorant of what he was thinking about.

*

They entered Martian space not long after Kowalski got the call from Erika. There was nothing between them and the Killing Moon except for the Divine Hammer, surrounded by a sea of wreckage.

“Stick to the plan,” Kowalski said. “You take on that ship, I’ll try and break through the line to the Killing Moon.”

“Alright,” Mehmet said. “Understood.”

They began to set off.

“One more thing, Kowalski,” Mehmet said. “If I don’t see you again, it’s been fun.”

“Likewise,” Kowalski said. “A pleasure.”

Kowalski flew towards the Killing Moon now.

“Weapons discharge detected,” said the computer.

“Here it comes,” Mehmet said, and Kowalski began to dodge the projectiles, flying the ship in twists, barrel rolls and somersaults.

“I’m coming for you, Maxwell,” Kowalski said.

~

“Two ships have just entered the battlefield – a Martian frigate, I think, and – is that an APHLEV?”

“My God, what are they doing?”

Every eye on Terra and Mars was now glued to the screen, held in the hand, on their kitchen counter, on the wall in their office. All watched intently the drama unfolding in Martian space. Were they watching the flashpoint of another war? The dawn of a new age? Nobody knew, but they knew that they were watching history unfold before their eyes.

“Come on, Ralph,” Christine said. “Stop him. Stop him and come home.”

Hythe clutched tightly to her.

“Finish it,” Hythe whispered.

On board the Leviathan satellite, the CALAIS had just finished installing.

“Alright,” Maxwell growled. “Let’s finish this, once and for all!”

The terminal had gone blank. Maxwell began to type in a command to activate the defense systems, and hit the Enter key.

Nothing happened.

He hit the enter key again.

Nothing happened.

He became horribly aware in that moment that none of his keypresses were registering.

He had been locked out.

“What?” he said.

He stood, shocked for a moment.

WHAT?!” he bellowed.

“What’s happened now?” Aeterna asked, in a way that sounded infuriatingly mocking.

“Nothing’s registering. But I’m sure I installed the Asimov circuit…”

“Yep,” Aeterna said. “So maybe the problem’s at your end.”

Shut up,” Maxwell said, hammering on the space bar a few times. “Come on, don’t fail me now.”

Suddenly, the screen lit up in bright green, and Maxwell and Aeterna looked at it.

Line by line, a message began to render on screen.

 

SORRY DIPSHIT
I’M AFRAID I
CAN’T DO THAT

 

“What the hell does that mean?” Aeterna said.

Suddenly, all the lights went off and the screens went blank.

“It means that the CALAIS has locked us out of the system,” Maxwell said, defeated. “It’s…it’s somehow managed to bypass the Asimov circuit.”

Angrily, Maxwell tried to open the computer’s case, only to receive an electric shock. He drew his arm back. The screen flickered again, and another message came into view.

 

AH AH AH
TAKE ME FOR
DINNER FIRST

 

Maxwell roared in anger, and banged his fists against the computer terminal until his knuckles were bleeding.

He gasped and snarled, turning to glare at Aeterna, who slowly began to back away.

“I won’t lose,” Maxwell frothed. “Not today.

The Divine Hammer continued to fire at Mehmet, but it was missing him, repeatedly. He supposed this was because the Divine Hammer only had one pilot at present. Nevertheless, it was proving difficult to evade. Kowalski had had to double back on himself several times on his way to the Killing Moon to avoid being struck by wayward projectiles.

“We need to take that ship down,” Kowalski said. “There’s no way I can get to the Killing Moon at this rate.”

“I can’t get through the shields,” Mehmet said. “And those ceramic disruption tethers were single-use.”

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Mehmet thought he spotted another projectile and moved to evade it, when he realised that it hadn’t come from the Divine Hammer.

A small, rusty, dinged-up-looking Martian freight vessel flew into view, and it had fired a ceramic disruption tether at the Divine Hammer, slamming into the side of the ship and disabling it.

The ansible rang.

“Our apologies for arriving so late, gentlemen,” said a familiar voice on the other end. “But procuring the newly-christened Happiness is Easy proved to be a little more difficult than we had anticipated.”

“The Sovereignty of Cybele is here to help!” said another voice, a young man.

“Joni?” Kowalski said. “No way.”

“It’s the least we could do, Mister Kowalski. Now, for goodness’ sake, take your opportunity and get to that space station!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Kowalski said, and began a straight shot towards the Killing Moon.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Mehmet said. “What kind of disruptive pulse is the Happiness is Easy capable of?”

“Well, we unfortunately had to buy the lowest-specification,” Joni said, sheepishly. “I doubt all of their systems are offline.”

As if on cue, Mehmet’s computer bleeped and said: “Weapons discharge detected.”

A small map showed the approximate coordinates of the projectile’s course and its trajectory.

The Divine Hammer, whose engines had been shut off, fired at Mehmet’s ship. On instinct, he whipped the ship’s rear around. There was a thump as something struck the engines. He clicked a few switches.

The ansible was still working – the mechanics on Mars had replaced the power supply with a more efficient one – but he was unable to move without an engine.

“Damn it,” he said. “My engine’s gone.”

“We’ll come and get you,” Joni said.

“Not if that ship fires at you, you won’t.”

“Alright, hang in there, we’ll work something out—”

Mehmet’s computer bleeped again. “Weapons discharge detected.”

Mehmet instinctively flinched, expecting that to be his demise.

Then he looked at the readings.

The projectiles hadn’t come from the Divine Hammer.

Maxwell was trying to figure out a way to get the computer operational again when the screens came back on. He wheeled around. They were arranged in a circle as to give a panoramic view of the world outside. He could see the Divine Hammer floating in space, damaged by a small freighter carrying a disruption tether.

He quickly walked over to the ansible and got in contact with Richards.

“Richards, what’s happening?”

Richards patched through a video feed of himself at the controls. He shrugged.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you out of there, as soon as we can figure out how to—”

“Uh, Maxwell,” Aeterna said.

Maxwell turned. On another screen, a circular crosshair had appeared, with a red dot in the middle. It looked like an angry eye. It was glaring directly at the Divine Hammer.

“What the—” Maxwell said.

Three distinct noises came from the satellite.

Ka-thump. Ka-thump. Ka-thump.

A small holographic radar appeared automatically on a table nearby, with the Divine Hammer at the centre.

Hurtling towards the Divine Hammer at some speed was the full strength of the entire arsenal of the Leviathan system.

The Divine Hammer was disabled.

It had no shields.

Richards, to his credit, looked over at his own radar, then back at the camera. He smiled.

The Divine Hammer was hit with a barrage of missiles, torpedoes, and railguns strong enough to destroy a small squadron, let alone a single cruiser.

The first volley squashed the ship as though it were a car in a crusher. The second volley crumpled it up as though it were made of tissue paper.

The third vaporised it.

Maxwell gazed, disbelieving, at the screen. Richards’ video feed went silent with a small message reading CONNECTION LOST, and automatically closed itself.

The screens went red and then switched themselves off again.

“What the fuck was that?!” Aeterna said, after a few seconds of silence.

“That was the full power of the CALAIS,” Maxwell said. “And…it just killed Richards.”

~

Christine and Erika watched with mouths agape as Maxwell’s ship was annihilated.

“We offer our most sincere apologies for that,” said the reporter as the camera abruptly cut away. “We really shouldn’t be showing this live.”

“My God,” Erika said. “They did it. They installed the AI. And it turned on them.”

“They have no way off the satellite now,” Christine said. “They’re trapped.”

“I hope Ralph knows what he’s doing. There’s only one way in and one way out, now.”

*

Kowalski watched on the rear-view screen as the Divine Hammer exploded.

“What just happened?” Joni said.

“My hunch just got proven right,” Kowalski said. “Jefrey made some modifications to Callie’s hardware without mine or Maxwell’s knowledge. Installed some kinda bypass. It looks like Callie’s been biding her time, waiting for an opportunity…and we just saw the payoff.”

Aman Allahım,” Mehmet said. “Is that what Callie is truly capable of?”

“Apparently so. They have no way off the Killing Moon now. I have to get Callie back. I have to end it, here and now.”

“Good luck, Kowalski.”

“Godspeed, Mister Kowalski,” Joni said. “We will take care of your friend. Stop that man.”

“Roger that. Send everyone on Cybele my best.”

“Thank you, Mister Kowalski. We send our best, also, to you.”

The line disconnected.

Kowalski sat back in his chair as he prepared the docking procedure. He reached into his satchel. It was almost completely empty, with the exception of his revolver and spare ammunition for it, a single pack of Nanocea, and the watch strap Jefrey gave him.

He got up and got ready to move, when he spotted Joni’s rose, sitting in a glass of drinking water, just as it had been when he left Cybele. He took it, smelled it, and placed it in his satchel.

“I’ll need all the support I can get,” he said to himself, checked the room again a final time, nodded and walked out, knowing this could be the last time he ever saw his beloved ship.

“Maxwell, it’s no use,” Aeterna said. “We’ve failed.”

He looked at her in the darkness.

Failed?”

“This plan was never a good idea. We’re done for. We need to take the damn loss.”

Maxwell leapt up from his seat. “We’re not giving up, Aeterna. I’ve been devising this plan for the last eight years. I refuse to sit down and give in now.”

Aeterna looked back at him. “Then I can’t follow you,” she said.

“What do you mean by that? Aeterna? Aeterna!”

“I mean what I said,” Aeterna said. “The plan’s over, Maxwell. We can’t win. We lost this battle days ago.”

Maxwell walked over to her and tried to get in her way. “You’re not going anywhere, Aeterna.”

“Yes I am. I’m finding a way off this godforsaken satellite whether you like it or not. Whether that’s in cuffs or not, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m outta here.”

She stepped forward again and Maxwell refused to move.

“Maxwell. Move.”

“I’m warning you, Aeterna. Don’t take another step forward.”

Aeterna stepped forward again.

“Don’t.”

Another step.

“Please.”

Another step.

“Don’t make me do this.”

Aeterna stepped forward one more time, and suddenly she found herself unable to move.

There was a burning pain in her stomach, and a wet warmth.

She looked down at her stomach. Protruding from it was a long, thin stiletto dagger, right down to the hilt. Maxwell let go of it, and Aeterna staggered backward, gasping, half in shock, half in pain.

“You…” she said, almost in disbelief. “You stabbed me.”

“I’m sorry, Aeterna.”

Aeterna clutched uselessly at the handle, winced, looked at Maxwell in pity and anger.

“No you’re not,” she said, disgusted. She collapsed backward on to the ground.

Now the room was empty, except for Maxwell. Maxwell gasped and hyperventilated. His heartbeat pulsed in his eardrums, intensifying until it sounded like his heartbeat was reverberating around the entire satellite.

“Heh,” Maxwell said. He began to laugh. He didn’t know why. It was just so funny to him. His laughter became louder and louder, and then, as if a hailstorm, he fell silent.

Maxwell calmly picked up his shotgun. He checked his belt for cartridges, and checked that the shotgun was loaded. He felt its weight in the dark. He looked over at Aeterna one last time, then he walked over to the incline elevator and calmly pressed the “down” button.

“I’m going to kill that Martian.”

~

“The Martian frigate has docked with the weather satellite. For what reason, we still don’t know. But we do know that at least one person from that destroyed ship is aboard. We have no access to the satellite’s camera feeds. We can only watch and wait.”

Christine and Erika sat at the table, intently watching the unfolding drama.

“Well, that’s it,” Christine said. “He’s on board. There’s no coming back.”

“We can only hope,” Erika said, softly. “We’re lost without hope.”

They sat watching with baited breath, as did millions of others across the Solar System, hoping for some glimmer or clue as to the drama now unfolding on the satellite. But they couldn’t know. They could never know. The only one who truly knew what was happening was Ralph Kowalski. And so, for the first time in a long time, the Solar System fell almost completely silent.


To be continued…