With a series of overlapping, augmented thoughts, I calculated my options and latched onto the closest of the junkyard’s ARVACs. I dived the ARVAC at the mini-tank’s missile system. Counting off seconds. The tank carried three small, specialized warheads, but all I needed to do was disable the firing mechanism or targeting system. Fortunately, the Spaatz tanks were older models and firing and targeting were side by side. The ARVAC slammed into the mini-tank roof and took out or damaged everything on top. Pieces flew. Even without it being a weaponized drone. Too bad they cost an arm and a leg.
“Nice shot, Honey Lamb,” Jolene said.
“I’m on the property,” I murmured in response to Jagger’s question. “Oh, lookee,” I said as a human got out of the first Tac vehicle and strode down the drive. I shared the screen with Jagger. The bearded man was huge, and he was wearing a headset with dual earbuds. Joleen and I tapped into his comms system.
“How deep?” he asked someone on his end.
“Eighty-six meters at the access point,” a female voice said. “Reading power output and steady sensor activity.”
I slid my awareness into the remaining ARVAC and hovered over the six-man team. They were near the back of the property, at the massive mine crack. There was nothing back there. Nothing at all. Unless I had missed something.
“McElvey will be pleased,” the bearded man said.
CAIT said into my ear, “Possible name match. McElvey. Ervin E. General. Combined Military Command, retired, at my last update.”
I said to the office AI, “Gomez. Initiate a background search into finances and current location of McElvey. Ervin E. General. Look for anything that relates to us. Or the OMW. Or the MS Angels.”
“Executing search. Authorization requested to expand parameters,” Gomez said.
“Affirmative. As needed,” I said, watching as the big man strode up the drive.
“Can I help?” CAIT asked. “That sounds like fun.”
“Knock yourself out.” I opened up comms through the office speakers. “Jagger. You know this guy?”
“Yeah. He’s the east coast enforcer for the MS Angels. He travels with enough equipment, firepower, and warriors to take down small cities. And it looks like he brought his entire armament and forces with him, just for you.”
Or something he wanted at the back of the property. Where nothing was except certain death in the mine cracks. I initiated a full scan for communication access and found an electronic crack I could use, though it was mostly only defensive sensors and suit readouts.
I turned off access to Gomez, so Jagger couldn’t hear me. “CAIT.”
“Jolene.”
I held in my frustration. “Right.Jolene. You, the command center, engineering, the frontal sensor array, and two of your hull weapons arrays crashed here eleven years ago.”
“Ten years, ten months, twenty—”
“Stop. Request minimal information in response to questions,” I said.
Jolene stopped talking. I asked a question, one I had never asked before. Had never thought to ask. “Are there other parts of the spaceshipSunStaron the ground?”
“Affirmative.”
“Where?”
“Please provide parameters.”
Now Jolene was just being snarky. “Within ten kilometers.”
“Affirmative.”
I watched the big man stop. He was behind a skid full of heavy equipment, looking at the remains of the woman lying on the stone. He was in range for the office weapons, but if I took him out now, I might not figure out what was going on. On another ARVAC screen, the six-man team at the back of the property reached the unstable ground. Two of the team stumbled and one tumbled into the ground and disappeared. There was a lot of scrambling around as a woman crawled away from the crack. The others secured climbing and rescue ropes and went down after the man. His suit readouts were redlining from panic, but they didn’t indicate a major injury. Sadly.
“Within one kilometer?” I asked Jolene.
“Affirmative.”
“That might explain some things,” I said, mostly to myself, watching as the team struggled to get the panicked man back to the surface. “What ship parts are within one kilometer?”
