A fool cowers before a storm, while the wise gather resilience.
- Writings of the Sol Empress, Words of Faith
[Hope]
Hope, between Gabriel and Eshe, stuffed herself into the utility service aisle, bending over at the waist because of the low ceiling. They jumped at the muffled explosion behind them. With his hand-held viewer light, Gabriel illuminated a dingy corridor lined with pipes and power cables. Clouds of fine dust, kicked up by their shuffling steps, hung in the stale humid air and left a musty taste in Hope's mouth.
Turning her head back, Hope gasped at an absence. "Where is Celeste?"
Behind Hope, Eshe replied in a steady voice. "She could not follow us."
"We can't leave her behind!" Hope stopped, causing Eshe to run into her. "Go back!"
"No, Empress." Eshe pushed Hope forward. "We cannot help her now."
I can't lose my mother now, not like I lost Faith. "But--"
"Eshe is right, Hope," Gabriel said, turning his head back. "We need to get away first, then we will try to help her."
Nodding, she accepted that there was nothing they could do, but the helpless anxiety still tightened in her chest.
After an indeterminate lapse of time, they emerged into a maintenance room with a rounded ceiling high enough that they could stand upright. Three tunnels branched from the small room. Hope flinched as two gray rodents scurried away with a faint squeak. No matter where humanity goes, the rats come too, and so does the wickedness of men.
A dim overhead light shined upon a small utility monitoring panel attached to the wall. Gabriel used a finger to scroll through the schematics, then pointed down the tunnel to the left. "That one will take us back near our shuttle."
Waving her hand forward, Eshe nodded. "We have to move. It won't take them long to determine where we are."
Hope asked. "Would they use the station sensors to track us?"
"Likely so." Eshe responded.
Oh, no they won't!
Grasping a silver biometric sensor tube attached to the panel, Hope commanded, "Sol override, code sigma-omicron-lambda."
An electronic voice responded from the panel, "Identity confirmed. Override achieved, Empress."
"Station AI, block all access to station controls and monitoring data except to me and those with me, identified as Gabriel and Eshe. Also, grant them full overwatch status."
"Complied." The AI responded.
"Damn!" Gabriel's eyes went wide. "You can do that?"
Hope grinned. "One advantage of being the daughter of an Empress."
"Enough chat." Eshe ordered with a frown. "Get moving!"
They ran down the pipe-lined tunnel, sometimes turning sideways where it narrowed and splashing through shallow pools of foul-smelling water. Automatic lighting came on as they advanced, leading the way. Eventually, they reached a narrow door along the tunnel.
Gabriel accessed the schematics on the monitoring panel next to the door. "We are just outside of alpha docking bay. The shuttle should be here." He reached for the door lever.
Eshe stopped him, grabbing his wrist. "Let's use the station data to our advantage." She spoke to the panel. "Access Alpha Bay visual."
She scrolled through the images, mumbling, "Not good."
The video showed soldiers swarming through the bay, holding pulse rifles. They wore dark-blue tactical suits and rounded helmets that obscured their faces. "Commonwealth Marines," Eshe muttered.
More marines marched out from a docking tunnel door into the bay. The Free Dawn operative that piloted the shuttle kneeled by another docking door with his hands behind his neck, a marine standing with a rifle behind him.
Gabriel sighed, "We are not getting out that way."
"Display dock status," Eshe said.
Panel windows showed visual images of each dock. The shuttle, a Commonwealth troop transport, and another ship occupied all the docks associated with Alpha Bay. Only a single ship. a Commonwealth Corsair, docked at the nearby Beta Bay. A Commonwealth Frigate approached Gamma Bay for docking at the far side of the space station beside two commercial mining ships.
Gabriel pointed at the Beta Bay image. "Hope, would you be able to hijack that Corsair?"
"I can override any advanced AI," she replied. "That should include Commonwealth warships."
"Display Beta Bay visual," Eshe said. Only four soldiers stood near the docking tunnel door, their helmets resting on a crate, and their pulse rifles either slung across their backs or leaning against the wall. Eshe nodded. "This is our best option."
Grinning, Gabriel said, "They look bored. Let's give them some action."
Eshe came up to Gabriel with narrowed eyes. "Commonwealth marines are well trained. Don't underestimate them." She addressed the station AI via the monitoring panel. "Isolate and lockdown all docking bays and cut the lighting, except beta bay. Then sound general emergency alarms throughout the station, but again, except beta bay."
"Complying," the AI responded.
A slight but rare grin came across Eshe's face. "That should keep the others entertained." The grin faded quickly to her usual stoic expression. With a motion to the others, she said, "Move out."
Running down to the tunnel's end, they came to another door that led to the beta docking bay. The muffled wails of klaxon horns followed them.
At the monitoring panel, Eshe scrolled through the bay visual images. After a moment of thought, she said, "I will go out first and draw their attention. When I raise my hands, come out to the right. Use those loader-bots for cover if you need to. Then get on the ship."
Hope said, "If you can, try to avoid killing those marines."
Shaking her head, Eshe responded, "I am sorry, Empress, that may not be possible. Their tactical suits have energy absorbing properties, and a stun bolt would be ineffective. Gabriel, set your gun to plasma bolt, full output."
Eshe drew her pulse pistol and discarded the holster, then stuffed the gun into her brown overalls behind her neck.
Hope moved in to hug her bodyguard. "Thank you, Eshe. Be careful, okay?" Gabriel added a hand to her shoulder.
With a warm smile, Eshe returned the hug. "It is my honor, Empress." She broke the hug. "Ready?"
Hope nodded with a confident expression, but inside, her gut twisted at a foreboding thought. Will I lose my friend Eshe, too?
Eshe opened the rounded metal hatch and staggered toward the four marines, walking a winding path across the bay. Eventually, one of them noticed her.
"Halt!" a dark-haired marine commanded, lifting his pulse rifle. "What are you doing here?"
She opened her mouth and tilted her head, but said nothing, and continued her wavering walk toward three large gray crates about ten meters from the marines.
The marine shouldered his rifle and shouted, "I said halt, or I will fire!"
Staggering, Eshe leaned her shoulder against a crate, as if trying not to tip over. Slurring her words, she said, "Don't thoot offi-ther." She raised her hands, swaying on her feet. "Where ith the head? I gotta pee."
Lowering his weapon, the marine snickered. "This bitch is buzz-head drunk." He tipped his head to a younger companion. "Throw her out."
The younger marine slung his rifle and approached Eshe with a smirk. "Come on honey, let me show you the way."
Peeking through the partially open door, Gabriel said, "That's our sign."
Hope spoke to the monitoring panel. "Activate the loader-bots, operate at my command."
The two wheeled bots, each shaped like a large box with rounded corners, whirred to life with a series of beeps. Yellow warning lights flashed from each corner. Pairs of large metal forks, meant to lift crates or pallets, folded down into position. The unexpected commotion attracted the eyes of all four marines.
As the young marine beside Eshe turned his head toward the bots, Eshe launched a lightning-fast punch to his throat. Gagging and wheezing, the marine bent forward, grasping his neck. A roundhouse kick to the face sent him crumpling to the floor.
While executing the kick, Eshe drew out the pulse pistol behind her neck. She fired. The plasma bolt caught the first marine square in the chest, and he fell back against a crate. Her next shot missed, blasting against the wall as the remaining two marines dove behind a crate. Eshe took cover behind another crate as the marines returned fire.
As yet unseen by the marines, Gabriel and Hope ducked behind the loader-bots. Hope operated one bot's manual controls, aiming it at the marines. She said, "Override safety constraints," and then sent it off, whirring away at full speed. The bot crashed against the crate sheltering the two marines, sliding it back across the floor. One marine cried out as the crate crushed him against the wall. The other dove out of the way, rolling across the floor, only to be struck by a plasma bolt fired by Gabriel.
"Let's go!" Gabriel yelled.
Motions at the main door across the bay caught Hope's eye. More enemy! She pulled Gabriel back behind the loader-bot as orange streaks slashed through the air, blasting divots from the bot and floor and showering them with hot debris.
Eshe pivoted and returned fire from a kneeling position, sending the new group of marines diving back behind the rounded door frame. She turned her head, yelling, "Go! I'll cover you."
An icy chill ran down Hope's spine. "Eshe, no--"