Freefall (Rebel Stars Book 4) Read online

  "Third, regrettable as they were, the recent battles involving the Hive, FinnTech, and the Locker were the biggest naval actions fought in decades. Warfare is changing in ways that none of us really understand yet. My people and my allies have experience that obsoletes everything that came before it. So who are you going to trust? Your theories and your textbooks that haven't been updated with live experience since before I was born? Or the people who went out on the front lines and are here to tell you about it?"

  "No one questions your recent credentials," Fontaine said without a beat of hesitation. "But we are discussing the ability to organize and oversee the joint alliance of humanity. You have experience leading a single corporation. Those I represent, however, have led nations of hundreds of millions of people—and coalitions of nations that hold billions. The ability to coordinate such vast scales of people is the experience that will matter most."

  Fontaine sat back. "In other times, I would use gentler words. But we face subjugation at the least, and more likely, our complete extinction. Anyone who refuses to adhere to our chain of command will find themselves with no say in how that command is executed."

  This drew hard claps, nods, and "Hear hears" from his delegation, along with those from the moon and most of those from Mars. The corporate representatives nodded carefully; a few began to express platitudes about solidarity, the importance of trusting the authority of Earth, and so forth. The Belters watched this with tight mouths and crooked eyes. The eyes from the Locker crowd were actively rolling. All except for Kansas, who was watching Toman like he was holding a loaded pistol.

  "That's quite the ultimatum." Toman's heart was beating like it intended to pound his ribs into gravel. They stood on the edge of the moment when they would either hang together, or fall apart. "So I have one for you, and will follow it with a question. Here's the ultimatum: anyone who partners with us will have full access to our technology, our video records, our experience, our intelligence, and all other resources we can cultivate. But anyone who insists on commanding us will have nothing."

  He paced across the room, eclipsing the stars on the map behind him. "Now here's my question to you, Ambassador Fontaine. You argued at length that Earth will be the Lurkers' primary target. I wonder how well you'll fare when we decide to protect ourselves instead, and let Earth fend for itself however it pleases?"

  The crowd had a lot of reactions to that, but Toman only had eyes and ears for Fontaine, who jerked forward like he'd been stabbed in the back. "Be careful, Mr. Benez. You are walking very close to treason."

  "Treason? I'm a spacer, Ambassador. The only laws I'm beholden to are the ones I set for myself."

  "I speak of moral treason. Earth is our collective home. It's the heart of our species, the soil from which you all sprung. As a planet, it's far more vulnerable to attack than mobile fleets of ships. It is the moral duty of everyone alive to defend the core of our species."

  "No, Ambassador. It's our moral duty to protect our friends, our families, and our homes."

  Fontaine smirked, probably about to launch into well-oiled phrases about how Earth was the mother of them all and hence Earth was the only family that mattered, but he stopped cold when he saw the looks on the faces of everyone who lived beyond the Inner System. These were people who had been going it alone for generations. They would not be afraid to continue that tradition now.

  Fontaine swiveled his face back toward Toman. "We won't forget this."

  "Neither will I."

  "What is your counter proposal?"

  "A strategic partnership. Coordination on all sides. When it comes to the defense of Earth, we'll defer to your judgment—it's your home. But when it comes to the defense of the greater System—of our homes within it, and the species as a whole—we will fight on our own terms, willing to take your advice, but ultimately autonomous."

  Fontaine had already sublimated his anger and superiority and was back to the role of charming but not terribly important ambassador, not unlike a piece of shiny home technology that wouldn't improve your life in any significant way, but which all your friends would be very impressed by.

  "I don't bear the authority to make that decision on my own," he said. "But I will relay what you've said. Every word of it."

  "Please do." Toman let out a huff of air and turned to the others. "Now if we're done threatening each other, should we get back to the lesser business of figuring out how to stop our impending annihilation?"

  He resumed questioning those present about what they could contribute to the joint fleet. The corporations present each pledged as many as thirty battle-ready ships, as well as a great deal of logistical support for the transport of materiel. Privately, Toman was gratified to learn that even after the losses he'd taken fighting FinnTech, the Hive still fielded a bigger fleet than his fellow captains of industry—but then again, what was good for his ego was rather less good for the size of the navy they'd be able to bring to the table.

  The moon claimed forty warships, with Mars just over twice that many. The numbers were underwhelming but not terribly surprising: both bodies were under Earth's implicit protection, and if Mars was ever threatened, the Mars-based corporations would rally to the Red Planet's defense for it. Not even in his most syphilis-addled fever dream would a pirate ever dare to attack either body.

  Toman thanked them, then turned at last to Ambassador Fontaine. "What can Earth bring to bear?"

  The official pretended to consult his device. "Approximately one hundred battle-worthy vessels."

  Toman jerked up his head. "I'm sorry, did you say a hundred? As in a singular hundred?"

  "That is correct."

  "From the entire Unified Defense League?"

  "That figure is restricted to what the nation of Ryukyu can field. That is the only member state I'm authorized to disclose numbers from."

  "The others do realize we're going to need their help? And that once they launch their fleets, any fool with a telescope will be able to count exactly what they've got?"

  The ambassador shrugged smoothly. "As I said, that is what I am authorized to disclose at this time. I am sure the other member nations will be more forthcoming as the situation develops to the point that it becomes necessary to launch fleets."

  "They should be launching now. Our pilots will need all the training they can get between today and doomsday." Toman folded his hands behind his back, patrolling the area between the hologram and the audience. "Let's assume, conservatively, that Earth's governments can deploy six hundred vessels. That means we're looking at a combined fleet of roughly fifteen hundred. Regarding the Lurkers' advance force, I'll have my analysts run simulations until their devices burst into flames, but my first instinct is we'll assign a quarter of our fleet to intercept the enemy in the Outer System, a quarter to the sweeper fleet holding down Mars and the Belt, and the remaining half to Earth."

  "They're only sending a little slice of their fleet in the first wave, right?" Kansas had her bare legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles.

  Whenever she spoke, she drew looks of concealed hostility from the planeteers and corporations. Toman wasn't sure if that was because she was still in her late teens and they didn't trust her to put away her device during dinner time, let alone prosecute a war against hostile aliens, or if their mistrust stemmed from the fact she was leading a station full of pirates who'd spent decades happily preying on any ships that flew within range. As for Toman, he knew two things: that he himself had formed and sold three corporations by the time he was her age. And that anyone who could unify those pirates, who typically spent more time backstabbing each other than they did frontstabbing corporate freighters, should indeed be considered very dangerous.

  Then again, given current circumstances, dangerous was an asset.

  Toman nodded. "Things could change at any moment, but right now, they're sending roughly one-sixth of their fleet."

  "Which means we'll outnumber the advance force. A lot to a little
. So why don't we throw our entire fleet at it and smash them so hard they'll wish the Swimmers had finished us off a thousand years ago?"

  "It's not wise to put too much of our forces in harm's way when we make first contact. The Lurkers could have a superweapon that can disable or vaporize whole formations. They may have tactics we're completely unfamiliar with. If we commit too much, we could lose everything. A measured response gives us a chance to adjust tactics while reserving plenty of ships to defend ourselves with."

  He tipped back his head. "Along similar lines, we should make sure each of our three fleets is a mixed force from different parts of the System. That will accomplish two things: prevent any given ally from being wiped out in a single encounter, and allow pilots and commanders from every nation and station to gain hands-on combat experience for later encounters."

  "Fine by me," Kansas said. "But if you're concerned about developing experience, I got a proposal for you: we immediately dispatch a force to the Kuiper Belt to murder every last Lurker we can find. Give our pilots a taste of blood."

  "The ships they've got in the Kuiper won't be like the ones they've got inbound. They'll be older. Built for stealth and scouting rather than destruction."

  "Don't care. You can spend all day training in a dojo, but the only way to learn how to win real fights is to get into them. Plus I just want to kill them." She motioned across the room. "Rada, you want to come help us blow up some sons of the alien equivalent of bitches?"

  Rada blinked. "Are you conscripting me?"

  "Do I have that power? Then yeah, I'm conscripting you."

  Rada eyed Toman. "I'm still working for you. Sounds like that's your decision."

  "It wouldn't hurt to knock out their eyes and ears. But are you sure…" He clenched his teeth. He'd been about to ask if she was sure she wanted to get back into combat after all the near-death encounters she'd just had. It would have been a kind question, sensitive to her recent experiences.

  But he was starting to suspect that kindness and sensitivities were luxuries they wouldn't be able to afford for the foreseeable future.

  "We'll arrange a raid of the Kuiper after this meeting." He took in the crowd. "I called you here to tell you everything I know. But that was just phase one. Now, I want to hear ideas from you. No matter how stupid, expensive, or implausible they might sound. The Lurkers are coming for us. We need to throw everything we've got at them."

  There was a moment of silence. Can-Rita got to her feet. "How about we do just that? Crush up every spare rock we can find and throw it in their way." She chuckled. "When it comes to rocks, the Belt's got plenty to spare."

  "They'll see the debris coming from a mile away," Toman said. "Or more accurately, a hundred million miles."

  "But they'll have to dodge, won't they? Ought to slow 'em down a little. And what if we get real lucky and catch them napping?"

  "Then we'll have gotten lucky indeed. But if nothing else, it'll let us observe how they handle a fleet maneuver. It could help expose the capabilities of their ships, too. Let's add it to the list."

  Rada was next to stand. "The Lurkers have lasers powerful enough for space combat. That's something no pilot or admiral has had to deal with. What can we do to counter their advantage?"

  "I'd suggest we start by not flying close enough for them to cook you."

  "Our missiles need to be able to get close enough to broil them. It's a bit harder to get in range when they've got a countermeasure that travels at the speed of light."

  "Yes, that's the inconvenient thing about light, isn't it? Always traveling at the speed of itself. This is obviously a tough nut to crack. Anyone have an answer?"

  This received a lot of blank looks. Just as Toman was ready to table the matter and move on, Perry James got to his feet.

  Toman practically had to grab his eyebrows to stop them from flinging themselves at the ceiling. Perry James worked for Dark Solutions. The corporation's name wasn't just to sound cool: the solutions they provided were often of questionable legality and/or morality. Yet governments and corporations lined up to do business with them, as they'd delivered on those solutions countless times, including when there seemed to be no chance for a solution at all.

  The "dark" part seemed to hold a secondary meaning, too. Despite producing some of the most interesting tech in the System, no one ever had any good rumors on what DS was currently working on, a fact that irritated Toman to no end. You could always count on secrets to leak, whether through outright espionage, deliberate teases to stir up their fanbase, or some engineer looking to score cool points by blabbing to his friends on the net.

  Not so with Dark Solutions. They were as leak-proof as a submarine. It was like something in the company inspired the level of loyalty you normally only saw with religions.

  "We have a partial answer to the laser question," James said. "But I am not cleared to present that answer unless our conditions are met. For several years, we've been researching an avenue of future interest. There was no immediate need for this research, but that's what we do. Now, our research hasn't been completed. We would be willing to share our results in the hopes that by pooling our knowledge we'll be able to achieve a breakthrough, but we will only do so if Dark Solutions is granted ownership of the patent—with the understanding we will make just financial compensation to anyone else involved in the final product."

  Toman shifted his weight. "Everyone in this room can happily agree to that. But you and I both know that no one here has the power to enforce that agreement."

  Perry James nodded quickly, as if that was obvious. "But I have stated it for the record, and everyone here has heard it. In other words, we are making a gentleman's agreement for the salvation of our species. Anyone who goes on to betray that agreement shows himself to be no less than a traitor to humanity."

  "In that case, I'll help you hang him from the monument of your choosing. Does everyone here agree to do the same?"

  This was met by lusty cheers from the Locker and Belters. Even Mars got in on the action. The others were more reserved, but no one spoke out against it.

  James nodded again, more measured this time. "Mirror armor."

  Toman broke into laughter. "You bastards have mirror? Does it work?"

  "If it worked, we wouldn't be giving it to you. We would be selling it to you."

  "But it's close enough that it could work before they're here."

  "We've decided it's worth finding out."

  Rada tilted her head to the side. "You're talking about deflecting the Lurkers' lasers with a mirror finish? Would that actually work?"

  "It isn't a finish, it's armor," James said. "And yes, it works in theory. Not yet in practice."

  "Then we'll get started on it right now." Toman motioned to one of his aides, who jogged up to Perry James with a device in hand. Toman turned back to the others. "Give me more."

  Someone asked whether they were sure the incoming fleet they'd spotted was the only fleet on its way. This question caused numerous people to visibly tighten their throats, and less visibly tighten their sphincters, but it was a good question. Ambassador Fontaine pledged all of Earth's telescopes would be turned to the effort.

  Next, a Nevedia executive floated the idea of setting up a false battle station in the Outer System comprised of three or four smaller stations set up to appear as a vital defense node, with the intention of drawing the enemy off course. With a wild look in his eye, one of Christina Black's aides suggested stuffing the false base with explosives and somehow luring the Lurkers into the blast.

  This struck Toman as a ludicrous idea. The whole problem with defending stations (or planets, for that matter) that were locked in a fixed orbit was that the enemy could destroy them by hurling some rocks at them from a million miles away. The Lurkers wouldn't have to get anywhere near the booby-trapped habitats to destroy them. Yet the proposal sparked so much discussion and argument that by the end of it Toman was ready to assign a team of his own people to explore it furthe
r.

  A man from Conex wondered if it was worth trying to contact the Lurkers, suggesting there was a chance (however small) that this was all some bizarre misunderstanding, or that they might be able to bluff the aliens off with tough words and bluster.

  A woman from a private, locals-only station in the Belt suggested packing an iron-heavy asteroid full of nukes, then boosting it up to the enemy and launching those nukes from close enough that even if the Lurkers intercepted them, the bursts would still damage or destroy their fleet.

  As the group popped up and batted around one idea after another, Toman got so caught up in discussion and possibility that he forgot all about the fact that they were trying to solve the problem of stopping their species from being enslaved or extincted. This was his favorite part of doing business, far more than making money, and even more than making a breakthrough: to gather together and conjure up ideas like spells from the ether, and then take those ideas and cast them into reality as hard and fast things. It was a form of magic, and it was the best part of humanity. Was it ironic that it might be the only thing that could save them from the Lurkers? Or was it beautiful?

  The conversation hit a lull. People sipped from water or paged through their devices, doing on-the-fly research. Toman racked his mind for more, but he couldn't seem to catch hold of anything substantial.

  MacAdams got to his feet, thick arms folded across his chest. "That's a lot of thinking about how we're going to win. But have any of you geniuses given a second's thought to what we're going to do if we lose?"

  "Well," Toman said, looking down. "I for one plan to print up a sign denouncing the alien occupation and then march it up and down the streets of Better Sands until they give in. I might even update my net avatars with a big thumbs-down."

  "You guys ain't committed enough crimes. When you do a job, you know there's always a chance it's going to go south. That's why you always leave yourself a way out. Say the Lurkers come in and they clobber our fleets, capture our stations, and plant a flag on the North Pole. What do we do then?"