Survival Strategy Read online

  Survival Strategy

  Battlegroup Vega Book 2

  Genosimilators universe

  Anders Raynor

  Author’s disclaimer

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Muon Publishing, 2019

  ISBN: 978-1-9161472-2-5

  Copyright © Anders Raynor 2019.

  All rights reserved.

  Visit AndersRaynor.com

  Subscribe to Anders Raynor’s mailing list and receive special offers, new release details, and a welcome gift delivered right to your inbox!

  01

  Alien world

  At the edge of a cliff, Dr. Adrian Darus contemplated the mountainous desert that stretched as far as he could see. The sun melted over the horizon. Its last rays tinted orange the toxic vapor veiling the valley below.

  For most colonists, Neo was a hellish ball of rock constantly trying to kill them in inexhaustible ways. But for a xenobiologist like Adrian, it was paradise.

  “I love the smell of sulfur dioxide in the morning,” Talia deadpanned, adjusting her rebreather.

  They both wore a protective suit with hood, goggles, and a rebreather connected to an emergency oxygen bottle.

  Adrian gave her a sly smile. “Where’s your spirit of adventure?”

  “Sorry, I left it on Vega. It was vaporized when the Biozi nuked my hometown.”

  “Oh, someone needs cheering up.” Adrian affectionately rubbed her shoulder. “Look, this planet is no vacation destination, but it does have an…uncanny beauty.”

  Through the veil of vapor, they could make out the green river meandering amid golden pillars of rock. The green color had nothing to do with the lifeforms in the river. Neo had never given birth to plants, or even microorganisms capable of photosynthesis. Nean ecosystems relied mainly on geothermal energy, and their biochemistry was based on substances released by volcanic activity.

  “You do realize this planet is teaming with life,” Adrian added, his gaze sliding over the contours of distant mountains. “We don’t often see it because many Nean creatures live under ground. Neo isn’t that different from Earth, but it’s much younger, and evolution took a different direction here. The bricks of life are the same, they’re simply arranged in a different way.”

  Talia finally returned his smile. “A truly primeval world where the Taar’kuun have never set foot; for you, this must be a dream coming true.”

  “Yes. But I have this silly poem stuck in my head, mocking me:

  “O Neo, dear alien world,

  You stole my heart and soul!

  Your lakes of sulfur shine like gold,

  Your fragrance is burnt coal

  Your creatures have uncanny grace,

  They fight to dying breath

  You welcomed me in warm embrace

  To grant me a swift death.”

  Talia chuckled. “Well, it describes our experience on this planet rather accurately. Barely breathable air, hostile fauna, high gravity, high radiation levels, bad food…”

  “And bad poetry,” Adrian added to it. “Still, Neo fascinates me.”

  “Have you already forgotten about Earth?”

  “No, I’ll never abandon my search for the world of our ancestors. Terra was the first love of my life, even though I’ve never seen it with my own eyes. I fell in love with the mystery of Terra, and I intend to uncover its secrets. But for now, Neo has my undivided attention. I must find a way to protect the colonists against local wildlife without hurting its endemic ecosystems.”

  They heard steps behind them and turned. Riley stood unencumbered, her blond hair glinting in the open under the light of the setting sun. She was the only member of the expedition who didn’t need a rebreather, as her bionically enhanced lungs could process Nean atmosphere.

  “We have to return to base,” she said. “A mechanic just died.”

  “Poisoning? Fall? Industrial accident? Animal attack? Scorp bite?” Talia guessed.

  Riley shook her head. “Murder.”

  Adrian and Talia exchanged meaningful looks.

  “Not a word to anyone,” Riley added. “The president wants to keep this under wraps.”

  “There is a first time for everything, but I didn’t expect it to happen so soon,” Adrian said darkly. “The first murder in Nean history, and—alas—probably not the last.”

  *****

  Adrian, Talia, and Riley joined the rest of the team in the armored personnel carrier, a modified all-terrain Barracuda. The APC was designed to transport ten people and operate in combat zones. Its aggressive, aerodynamic shape gave it an advantage on an inhospitable world like Neo, where atmospheric conditions could change suddenly and drastically. Its nanoalloy armor offered good protection from environmental hazards and hostile wildlife, and its turret with two 12-mm rapid-fire blasters had enough firepower to dissuade Nean predators.

  The engine growled, and they sped toward the Alliance base, getting a surprisingly smooth ride despite the rugged terrain.

  Through the windshield, Adrian saw only rocks, rocks, and more rocks. The Barracuda’s headlights pierced a cloud of acid vapor crawling over the plateau. The calls of nocturnal predators were haunting and eerily melodious, evoking Tchaikovsky’s music played on some alien organ.

  Adrian started to relax only when the lights of Base Alpha twinkled on the horizon. The Alliance had established its main base in the safest location, as far away from volcanic hotspots as possible. Local predators had learned not to approach its walls. Fifty-meter-high towers equipped with blasters encircled it, creating a formidable defensive network.

  When the APC reached the base, the sky was already dark. Moons were small and barely visible, even at night. Only the base’s lights kept darkness at bay.

  The vehicle rolled through the gates and stopped before a squat building of self-repairing concrete. Adrian and Talia took off their rebreathers, as purifiers kept the air in the base safe to breathe.

  Riley, Talia, and Adrian jumped out the rear door. A dozen security officers in gray uniforms constituted the welcoming committee. Kwan Kor was among them, recognizable by his bald scalp, dagger-shaped face, and narrow eyes. He wasn’t in uniform, but his brown civilian coverall couldn’t conceal his true nature. Spine straight as a laser beam, chin up, hands behind his back, he had the bearing of a career officer.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Riley snapped at him.

  “Glad to see you too, Commander Lance,” he croaked in a tone indicating that the feeling was mutual. “I’m taking the lead on the criminal investigation. President’s orders.”

  Riley sighed in frustration. “I’m surprised DeCourt let you out of your cage. I thought you were relieved of duty.”

  “If you don’t believe me, feel free to call your superiors,” Kor said.

  “Will do.” Riley followed military protocol to the letter and went through the proper chain of command.

  While Riley was talking to her superiors through her earpiece, Talia asked Kor, “How can we help solve a murder?”

  “There are no officially appointed medical examiners in the colony,” he said. “As the Chief Medical Officer, it’s your responsibility to appoint one, or do the autopsy yourself.”

  “Following the same logic, I’m the forensic scientist,” Adrian supposed. “As the president’s scientific adviser, I’m in charge of all things scientific, as Dr. Galen is in charge of all things medical.”

  Kor gave him a curt nod. “Let’s face it—barely a hundred thousand people made it to Neo. That’s all the Alliance for t
he Preservation of Mankind is reduced to. You want to delegate? Be my guest, if you can find people with the right skills for the job. Otherwise do it yourself.”

  Riley finished talking to her superiors and turned to Adrian and Talia. “Admiral Winsley confirmed that Colonel Kor oversees the murder investigation. That’s all I’m at liberty to say. We’re ordered to assist him.”

  “Marvelous,” Adrian muttered. “Being the Bloody Colonel’s assistant is a dream coming true.”

  He was surprised the president put the disgraced colonel in charge of the investigation. Something odd and disturbing was going on here.

  Talia, Riley, and Adrian followed Kor inside the building. The body had been found in a maintenance depot filled with vehicles and machinery awaiting repairs. The Alliance was short on everything, including repair bots, and human workers had to perform some tasks.

  Usually the depot operated day and night, but Kor closed it to preserve the crime scene. The body of the victim was lying on the floor between an APC and the depot wall.

  “Sun Jin, level-three mechanic, male, biological age—twenty-seven,” Kor said. “Single, no family. No known enemies or ties to criminal organizations.”

  Adrian examined the body. The victim wore a dark-gray coverall and lay on his back, his eyes frozen in an expression of terror.

  “No visible wounds,” Adrian noted. “No blood.”

  “If you look closely, you’ll notice a tiny hole in the coverall at the chest,” Kor said.

  Adrian pulled a multispectral scanner out of a pouch on his belt and directed the device at the corpse. “I see the hole. Something thin and sharp pierced this man’s heart. I don’t detect any burn marks, so the murder weapon wasn’t a blaster or a laser.”

  “We can exclude ray guns,” Riley stated, being the weapons expert. “Otherwise your scanner would’ve detected residual radiation.”

  “Intriguing.” Adrian turned the body. “Aha! An exit wound. This time, I’m detecting a small amount of blood. But no projectile, no radiation, and no energy signature. What sort of weapon could cause such a clean wound?”

  “A silent one,” Kor said. “There were eight other mechanics in this depot at the time of the murder, and none of them heard or saw anything suspicious.”

  “I’m detecting something. It’s…wait, can’t be. Let me run a diagnostic.” Adrian’s device beeped after a few seconds, confirming completion of the diagnostic. Adrian announced his conclusion, “It’s water. Not condensed vapor, but cold water. At the time of impact, its temperature was below freezing, yet it wasn’t ice. This water had a curious molecular structure.”

  “A water pistol,” Riley said.

  Everyone turned to her.

  “I’m not joking, it must have been a water pistol,” she maintained. “High-pressure water weapons were used by gangsters on Vega. Silent, undetectable, and deadly, they work on the same principle as a water-jet cutter. We need to consult with someone who knows the criminal underworld.”

  Kor glared at her. “What are you saying, commander? That a gangster from Vega killed this mechanic? How the hell would a gangster get into Base Alpha? No one enters without a security clearance. Is this an excuse to get your boyfriend involved in this investigation?”

  Riley returned his glare. “Commander Blaze is not my boyfriend. He’s the only ASF officer with extensive knowledge of the criminal underworld.”

  “Yeah, ‘cuz he used to be a smuggler.” Kor scoffed. “Guess what—he doesn’t have sufficient security clearance to get involved in this investigation.”

  Riley stepped toward him, her fists clenched tight. Adrian knew she hated Kor. “Blaze may not be a saint, but he’s not a convicted murderer, unlike the piece of garbage who does DeCourt’s dirty work.”

  The Bloody Colonel was not easily intimidated. He held Riley’s glare, and even allowed himself to smirk. “I see I struck a nerve. What are you gonna do, commander? Complain to your CO? Be my guest.”

  “Stop your bickering, will you?” Adrian intervened. “Riley is right—we need Jason’s expertise on this one. We can trust him; he’s proven his loyalty to the Alliance time and time again.”

  Kor turned to Adrian. “The last I heard, you weren’t on very good terms with Commander Blaze.”

  “We had our differences, but we moved past them,” Adrian said. “Are you willing to bring him into this investigation, or do I have to go over your head and talk to the president?”

  Kor’s smirk disappeared, and his nostrils flared, but he didn’t argue further. “Have it your way, doctor. Commander Blaze is in.”

  02

  Mystery of the water pistol

  Commander Jason Blaze hated Neo. He also hated procrastination and was itching for action. To keep him busy, his CO, Captain O’Neil of the carrier Phenix, put him in charge of starfighter pilot training.

  “No, no, no, you’re doing it wrong!” he shouted, his eyes fixed on the flight of training craft. They tried to get through an obstacle course in space, the obstacles being holographic asteroids. “Johnson, how many times do I have to repeat myself, dammit? I said, you cut your main thrusters, you use your laterals to adjust your trajectory, and then you fire your mains again. Got it? Start the course again.”

  “Don’t be too hard on them,” Porto said on Jason’s direct channel. “Not everyone is born with a flying stick in his hand, like you. Mastering space flight is difficult. Give the rookies a little slack, okay?”

  Jason sighed and resumed in a more composed tone, talking to the novices, “You’ll get the hang of it, nuggets, don’t worry. But you’re lucky the cockroaches didn’t follow us to Neo. In a combat situation, you’d all be space dust. Arachnids are sneaky bastards, fast and agile. If you frag up your move, they’ll jump on your six and shoot an alpha. Then you’re toast—you won’t have time to shoot defense bots. Start the course over again.”

  He glanced at the orange disk of Neo through the transparent nanoalloy of his fighter’s cockpit. The planet looked like a rusty orb with green veins. He had no desire to set a foot on it.

  Only a crazy nerd like Darus can find that hellish world exciting.

  “You should be grateful we have a few months of respite,” Porto boomed. His RF-30 Rapier interceptor flew in formation next to Jason’s. “We’ve been fighting the Biozi for five years. I say, it’s good to have a break. Get some sleep, relax a bit.”

  “I’m not sure I agree,” Jason replied. “I can’t stop thinking about the people we left behind on Vega, Arcturus, Ceres, Deneb… We know there are millions, probably billions of humans fighting for survival, resisting the invaders.”

  “We can’t free our worlds, Jason, you know that. The ASF fleet is down to a handful of ships. What can we do against the TGS armada? The bugs outnumber us a thousand to one.”

  Jason could hardly argue with that. The Taar’kuun Galactic State had dominated the known galaxy for a million years, and it had millions of planets under its thumb, including thousands of major worlds. At its peak, the Alliance had held only nine. Now they were all under TGS occupation, and the Taar’kuun were exterminating or re-assimilating the survivors of the initial attack.

  “Surely there’s something we can do,” Jason insisted. “We still have Admiral Winsley, the greatest strategic mastermind in galactic history. We have Captain Hunt, a tactical genius. An eccentric genius maybe, but a genius nevertheless.”

  “We may never save our worlds,” Porto said darkly. “I know it hurts, but we have to accept that eventuality. We must preserve what remains of mankind at all costs. But I did hear rumors that Winsley is planning to strike back against the Biozi.”

  So much happened in one year, since the invasion of our worlds. Feels like it was in another life. We fled the Biozi armada, snatched a narrow victory at the Battle of Chloris, journeyed to Neo, then settled that hellish ball of rock.

  Jason was about to reply, but he received an urgent message on his direct comm channel. “Sorry, Porto, priority call.” He cut
the channel with Porto and accepted the call from the planet’s surface.

  “Commander, we need your expertise,” Riley said. “Top-secret, need-to-know basis—you know the drill.”

  “Hey Riley! Glad to hear your voice. How have you been?”

  “This is official business, not a social call,” Riley replied stiffly.

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking, Ms. Big Gunz. I’m glad you enjoy yourself on the surface.”

  He could almost hear Riley gnash her teeth.

  “Commander Blaze, report to Alliance Base Alpha at once. This order has been confirmed by your CO. Transmitting authorization code. Commander Lance out.” She killed the channel.

  “Sorry, chaps, have to go. I’ve got a date with a very hot commander,” he announced to everyone, and heard sniggering in response. “Just kidding. Apparently, I’m needed for an urgent, top-priority, top-secret, classified, uber-important mission on the surface. Like, the president’s cat has run away, and I need to find her.”

  “The president doesn’t have a cat,” one of the rookies said with a chuckle.

  “Oh, I’m sure he’s got a cat,” Jason deadpanned. “A fat, fluffy one. I bet she’s fed better than most people on that goddamn ball of rock.”

  Porto cackled good-naturedly. “Beware, commander, your words border on sedition.”

  “Yeah? What’s he gonna do to me? Throw me in the brig? Who’s gonna train his nuggets then? Any volunteers?”

  “You’ve got a point, Air Boss,” Porto boomed.

  *****

  When Jason’s starfighter touched down on the landing pad, the base was asleep. Not completely, of course, as some facilities operated round the clock. Outside the base, everything was pitch black.

  Jason jumped to the ground without even deploying the ladder. A military car was waiting for him next to the landing pad. He hopped in the front passenger seat and gave a casual salute to the driver.

  The autopod system was not operational yet, and the colonists had to rely on relatively low-tech methods of transportation such as wheeled vehicles. The car rolled through empty streets amid squat buildings, some rectangular, some dome shaped. The base looked like most Alliance towns, but streets tended to be narrower than in a civilian settlement. Military presence was visible, and defense towers rose above the buildings at regular intervals.