Empire of Light

'But a lot of this looks brand new.'

'Just like in those bays we passed,' Ty agreed. 'Hang on…'

A screen took up most of the wall directly above the console. A grid of images now appeared on it, each showing identical views of metal-grey rooms. All but one of these was empty.

'What are they?'

'Those are the isolation booths for storing larger samples,' Ty explained. 'The body I brought back is held in one of them.'

He looked around suddenly. 'What's that?'

'What?' said Olivarri.

'That noise.'

'I don't hear anything.'

'It sounds like… I don't know. Almost like singing.'

Olivarri just looked dumbfounded. 'I have no idea what you're talking about.'

Singing wasn't the right word for it, exactly. That would imply there was something pleasant about it, when in fact it was horribly abrasive. It was more like static, he decided, but barely at the edge of perception. After a moment it began to fade.

'You really didn't hear that?' Ty said, after it had passed.

Olivarri shrugged and shook his head. 'I really didn't hear anything. Maybe a problem with the comms?'

'Maybe.' Ty tapped at the interface once more and the empty booths disappeared, all except for the one containing the Atn's remains, which now expanded to fill the screen.

'That's it.' He turned to Olivarri. 'That's the reason we're here.'

Leo let out an incredulous laugh. 'You're fucking kidding me. That's what we've been fighting for? It looks like a pile of junk.'

'Appearances can be deceptive.'

A pile of junk was a fair description, Ty realized. But inside it might just be found the one thing that could bring down an entire civilization. Corso and Lamoureaux supported the wounded Commander and helped him along the passage. As they walked, they passed archways leading aside into mess halls and recreational areas, all of them now deserted. Thick, lush vegetation grew from pots placed at every metre or so, all tended by small, delicate-looking machines that climbed in between branches or vines.

They kept their weapons at the ready, but met no further resistance. Before very long they reached the door leading into the bridge itself and found that it was, of course, sealed.

Martinez let go of them and slid down against one side of the passageway.

'Lucas,' he instructed, his face pale and slick with sweat, 'radio the others now. Don't worry about breaking silence. We just need to know if they're in position yet.'

Corso established contact with Nancy Schiller and she delivered a brief report. He then asked her to send Ray Willis to join them.

'They had a clear run all the way around the far side of the wheel,' he told Martinez and Lamoureaux. 'The bridge is sealed around the other side as well.'

'Why do we need Willis here?' asked a puzzled Lamoureaux.

'In case you hadn't noticed, we're one man down,' Corso explained. 'Otherwise I'd be the only one on this side who's both armed and uninjured. There's three of them around the far side of the bridge, so they can easily spare Ray.'

'For what it's worth,' said Martinez with effort, 'I'm begi

'Maybe,' Lamoureaux suggested, 'they've got other people scattered throughout the rest of the ship. There's plenty of room to hide.'

'No, I think everyone left is on the other side of that door,' Martinez grunted, pushing himself a little more upright. He looked increasingly pale and frail. 'I'm going to try and persuade them to let us in.'

Martinez opened a command frequency to the bridge. As he spoke, his voice took on a deeper, solider timbre.

'This is Commander Eduard Martinez hailing whoever is currently on the bridge of the Mjollnir. Please respond.'

An unfamiliar voice burst out over their shared comms. 'I hear you, Mister Martinez. This is Luis Simenon, acting commander, addressing the boarders. You are committing an act of piracy and I demand you surrender your weapons.'

'Luis, I need you to open up the door. You're outnumbered, and you're already one woman down.'

'The last I heard, sir, you were under arrest for sedition. That means you don't have the authority any more to-'

'Mr Simenon,' Martinez thundered, 'the Mjollnir is still my commission. It'd take a special plenary meeting of the Senate to change that fact, and I don't recall hearing anything about one taking place. That means I have every right to board my own command, and yet your people actually fired upon me and my men. Whatever explanation you have, I'm sure it's bound to be fascinating.'

Simenon didn't respond for at least another thirty seconds, and when he came back he sounded cold but subdued, even apologetic. 'My orders come directly from the Senate security services, Commander, just as they did when I relieved you of command. There are fast-response teams on their way here, so I suggest you and your men surrender your weapons now, or suffer the consequences.'

'He's cut comms,' Martinez said a moment later.

'Is he telling the truth?' asked Corso.

'About the reinforcements? Sure. There's a couple of orbital platforms that can launch police boats in a hurry, plus there are tactical teams on permanent standby on the ground.' He nodded towards a screen flush with the door's surface. 'Help me over there and let's see if I can get us through that entrance.'

Corso got an arm under Martinez's shoulder and helped him over to the door just as Ray Willis arrived, his rifle slung over one shoulder. He was panting heavily, having just run the entire way around the centrifuge from the opposite side of the bridge.

'I saw a body,' Willis gasped. 'Was there any…?' He stopped when he saw Martinez.

'We ran into some trouble,' said Corso.

Willis nodded, his chest still heaving. 'Door's locked round the other way as well,' he said, 'though we didn't run into anyone. Nancy's ready to blow it open on your signal.'

Corso nodded and checked his pulse-rifle. Its battery was at half capacity. Weapons such as these were only good for about a dozen shots before their batteries were completely drained, but they were cheap and easy to manufacture.

He nodded to Willis, who moved to one side of the bridge entrance, his back to the wall and his rifle held close to his chest.

'Visors down, everyone,' said Corso, taking up position opposite Willis. 'Ted, get the Commander safe to one side as soon as he's done.'

Martinez finished entering his code into the screen, but didn't activate the door. Corso warned Nancy to be ready, then waited until Martinez was out of harm's way before leaning over to touch a panel on the screen that read CONFIRM.

The door slid open a moment later, to the sound of shouting from inside.

'Now,' Corso barked into his comms.

Willis twisted at the waist, aimed the barrel of his rifle through the open door and fired off several shots. Almost at the same moment there was an enormous thump from somewhere inside, followed by more yelling and scuffling.

Willis ran inside, Corso following a moment later.

The first thing Corso noticed was the buckled remains of the door on the far side of the bridge. One of the Mjollnir's crew lay facedown near the interface chair positioned at the bridge's centre, a pulse-rifle just beyond his outstretched hand.

Willis was barking orders at a uniformed man and woman who had sheltered behind a comms console. They stood up uncertainly and dropped their weapons, clearly shaken.

The noise and confusion was tremendous, as black smoke rose up to collect under the smooth dark dome of the bridge's ceiling.

Nancy kept her rifle levelled at an unarmed man, dressed in the clothes of an orbital dock-worker, who was hiding behind another console, while Perez had his aimed at a man in the uniform of a deck officer, his shoulder and one side blackened from a pulse-rifle shot. The officer was sitting next to a console, a pistol gripped in one hand, but pointed at the deck as if momentarily forgotten.