The Tau Ceti Agenda

October 31, 2388 AD

Earth space, 100,000 kilometers above Orlando

Saturday, 7:40 AM, Earth Eastern Standard Time

"Goddamn, what was that!" General Ahmi was tired of asking that question. The Phlegra rang with secondary explosions, and warning klaxons sounded.

"I think we were hit by the moon's mass driver," the captain answered.

"Damage report?" Elle said impatiently.

"I'm still checking. The teleport is operating as planned." The buzzing and popping from the QMT projection stopped, and the Moon filled the view of the bridge.

"Well, shut those damned alarms off. We're here." Elle sat back at the empty station behind the captain's seat where she had been. She drummed her fingers against the console, waiting for Maximillian's report.

"Sublight engines are down. We are venting like mad from every seal."

"Tell me some good news."

"Uh, yes, General. The auxiliary drive is unharmed, and we can reroute to that one. I'm working it. Propulsion will be up in five, four, three, two . . . there."

"Good. If aux is all that is left, she'll be going there. All personel are to report to that section of the ship and stop that bitch." Elle slammed her fist into the screen of her console, cracking the cover. "Stop her! Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Full forward to Luna City. Ramming vector!" Elle ordered.

"Damnit, Jack, I'm cut off. I don't think I can get around to you. That last blast closed off several sections between us," Nancy warned Boland. The hallway she had been going down was completely destroyed, and air was beginning to vent out of it. She had been lucky that whatever had just hit them hadn't crushed her in the process. So instead of being killed instantly, she was probably going to die slowly of hypothermia or from lack of oxygen.

"Roger that, Penzington. Can you get out of the ship?" Jack pushed his bot-mode Ares-T back up to its feet and looked out of the gaping tear in the ship's hull above him. The Moon loomed overhead, maybe a hundred thousand kilometers or so away. They were running out of time, and Jack had no real, good idea of how to stop the battle cruiser.

"I don't think so. I think I'm trapped in here." Nancy looked in every direction but could see nothing but crunched metal. The ship had collapsed all around her, and it would take hours to cut her out with a laser cutter. There was no way that one mecha was going to dig her out in a few seconds.

"Hold on, we're coming to you. I'll blast you out if I have to."

"Don't, Boland. I'm too deep in the ship. I did my job. I got some good info on the Separatists' plan. I'm downloading it to you now. I haven't even had the chance to read all of it. You read it and then figure out what to do with it. And don't trust anyone that you don't already trust completely, and be wary of them. I mean no one." Nancy sat down in the corridor, listening to the air hissing through the cracks in the wreckage. She had done her job.

"That's defeatist talk," Jack said. "Now get your ass up and find a way out of there."

"Sorry, Jack. I'm stuck here, and my air is running out." She paused for a brief moment in thought. "If you can't stop this ship, you have to get out with the data I just gave you. Now go. That data is more important than I am."

"Come on, Jack." Fish pulled her mecha through the gash in the ship to the exterior hull. The Moon continued to loom closer. At their present rate of acceleration, they would hit Luna City in less than a minute. Fish rolled her bot over into fighter mode and throttled toward Earth. Then her blue force system dinged at her. There were two supercarriers not far from their location. "Jack, I've got two supercarriers Earthward."

"I see." Jack thrust his mecha up through the ship and outward into open space, where he toggled his bot back to fighter mode. He paused during the maneuver, only briefly, but long enough to look back at the Phlegra solemly. "Godspeed Penzington, or whoever you are."

Jack?

Yes, Candis.

Blue force tracker identifies the nearest ship as the U.S.S. John Tyler. Perhaps it can stop the battle cruiser.

Right.

"Captain! We've got a major electromagnetic disturbance Moonward, and a Seppy battle cruiser just appeared out of nowhere!" the CDC officer of the Tyler warned the captain over the command net.

"What the hell?" Captain Westerfeld looked confused.

"Sir, we're being hailed by the CAG of the Sienna Madira."

"Can't be. Wally's ship is way out in the Oort somewhere."

"Well, sir, his security codes validate."

"Patch him through."

"CO Tyler, this is Commander Jack DeathRay Boland of the U.S.S. Sienna Madira."

"Commander, this is Captain Westerfeld. What can I do for you?"

"Sir, this battle cruiser is on a ramming vector for Luna City, and we can't seem to stop it! I thought you might be able to help us out."

"Captain," Alexander Moore interrupted. "I have an idea." He shoved the AI Sienna Madira onto the teleport pad.

"Agreed," Westerfeld nodded. "Commander Boland. I recommend that you get out of there as quickly as you can. We'll take care of it."

"Trick or treat, bitch!" Moore said to the AI-driven Sienna Madira.

"General, the propulsion system is locked on. Even if it were knocked out, at this point our trajectory will still take us to Luna City," Maximillian said, nodding toward the bright silver and blue dome of the great metropolis in the Sea of Tranquility. The captain of the Phlegra tapped a few keys on his chair arm and moved several virtual icons around in his DTM mindview. Then he turned to Ahmi and said, "We should go now, ma'am."

"All right. Very good. Activate the QMT projector snap-back routine," Elle ordered.

"Yes, ma'am. Recalling all personell to original Tau Ceti QMT projection in three, two, one . . ."

Nancy Penzington or Kira Shavi or . . . well, her real first name had been Nancy at least . . . sat with her back against the collapsed bulkhead of the Phlegra, hugging her knees and waiting for the end. The air hissed by her, and it was getting very cold in the corridor, and she was shivering uncontrollably. None of that really mattered at this point, since the ship she was trapped on was about to crash and explode in seconds.

Nancy, we did our job, her AIC consoled her.

Yes, we did. And hopefully it will save some lives or do some good.

It will. Boland will figure out what to do with it. Allison had had the time to read the data when she had finally decrypted it. There was some very interesting data in there and some contacts that went all the way up to the White House. The data was more important than Nancy and Allison themselves. The data was worth the sacrifice.

I hope it isn't too big for him.

He'll figure it out.

Nancy?

Yes, Allison?

I've really enjoyed being your friend.

Me too, Allison.

The ship started popping and crackling around her, and then white light filled her vision. Through the light, she caught faint glimpses of the ship exploding all around her. She braced herself for the pain of the exploding hot ionizing plasma rushing toward her. And, she braced for death.

"Damn! That's a fireworks show!" Fish shouted. The battle cruiser exploded into a cloud of vapor and orange and white plasma that could have only been generated from a gluonium explosion.

"Tyler ATC, this is DeathRay requesting a landing vector, over?"

"Roger that, DeathRay. Vector has been transmitted, and you have the ball."

"Captain." Alexander Moore turned to Westerfeld and smiled. "Drop every AEM and AAI and tankhead and fighting mecha you have on Orlando and clean it up."

"Yes, sir. Uh, you realize that I officially can't take orders from you." Captain Westerfeld raised an eyebrow and grinned back at Moore.

"Well, consider that a recommendation from an advisor."

"I'm not one to ignore good advice." Captain Westerfeld smiled and finished with, "Mr. President. Now, sir, if you don't mind, I've got a cleanup to take care of and you have a letter to write."