“Anything at all from Hermes?”

This was the third time in as many minutes that Ross had asked her this question, and each time, she had answered with a no. The communications centre at the heart of Lazarus, a city on the Moon, had seldom dropped out of contact, but this was getting close to half an hour with no word from anyone. The use of aether communications had made the tedious process of contacting the mother world considerably easier, and like with a lot of technology, it was prone to faults. She had her doubts this time. While her mind wandered, the screen on the console lit up and showed a new arrival had breached Mar’s atmosphere. Accompanying it was a transmission. They both put headsets on and prepared to listen to it.

“This is BK765, from Luna to Tower. Sending you the manifest now.”

“More supplies and building material. Even some Constructoids and parts. Identification checks complete. It’s everything we asked for,” said Ross.

“This is Tower. BK765, you have clearance to land in Docking Bay Two. Once you’ve landed, ground control can handle you from there.”

“Good to hear we will maintain this altitude and orbit before beginning the final descent. There are no departures planned?”

“This is Mars, dumbass. Get used to seeing red and not much else.”

Ross disengaged his mic and looked over at Anya. “Let’s hope they are good company.”

“Yeah, amen to that.”

“I’m going to take my break. You good to hold the fort?”

“Nothing ever happens, Ross. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

Ross chuckled and stood up. He did a long stretch before heading downstairs. Anya waited until she was sure he was no longer in earshot. She opened a private channel to BK765.

“Black Knight, can you confirm?”

A different voice came through this time. “Is it just you?”

“For now, my colleague is on break. He won’t be gone long so we have to make it quick.”

“Good, then you know why we’re really here.”

A chill ran down her spine. It’s finally happening. We’re taking control of this operation. “Yes, I’ve waited a long time for this moment.”

“So have all in the Maxim Front. No one suspects anything either?”

“This is the first frontier world. The rules aren’t like those back home. It’s a dog-eat-dog world down here, Black Knight.”

“I bet. For now, you maintain your cover, and we will slowly take over this operation. If we’ve timed it right, in the next few hours, both the Moon and Mars will be in the hands of the Sov Imperium. It is by the Maxim that we obey - It is by the Maxim that we serve - It is by the Maxim that we thrive.”

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Anya found herself subconsciously crossing her right fist over her heart. “Continue your landing, we’ll talk later.”

She disconnected the comms and soon heard heavy footfalls on the steps as Ross reappeared with two coffee cups. Upon coming into view, she dropped the gesture and tried to appear less tense. He smirked at her while handing over the still-steaming cup of coffee. He approached where he had been sitting.

“Something bothering you?”

“No,” she said. “Thanks for the coffee.”

He collapsed into his chair. “I can only hope that once things settle back home, we’ll start seeing more activity.”

“Well, if rumours are anything to go by.”

“It keeps getting worse, I know,” said Ross before taking a sip. “Whole of Earth is going to shit, and if it does get worse, what then? We’re as good as stranded out here.”

“Stop worrying so much, Ross. I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

“Man, I wish I had your optimism.”

***

“At least we know someone is on our side,” said Francis standing between the pilot and co-pilot’s chair of the cockpit.

The co-pilot, Pyotr, who had been managing their communications with the Mars base, looked at him. “For now at least, these people have been out here for a while, remember? There's no telling where their loyalties lie.”

He couldn’t disagree with that and even appreciated the irony of the man saying this. He was here under the impression he was bringing glory to the Soviet Imperium. If only it were that simple. “Keep us updated, Pyotr. I’ll go let the others know of our warm welcome.”

Francis returned to the dark part of the transport ship, lit only by a set of red lights above, the other infiltrators sat in silence. Both from nerves and anticipation of what was to come. Only some of those inside this flying casket were aware of the true mission. Francis reclaimed his seat opposite Charles, a fellow member of the Black Knight division of the Black Watch. Unfortunately, to get this far they had to cut some deals with some unsavoury types. On one side they had the Maxim Front, a nationalist Soviet Imperium militia group who believed they were taking over for the Imperium’s benefit. They had no idea they were being used. The other side of things could prove troublesome if left unchecked. Charles’ cool expression showed a mutual understanding as Frank looked down the seating area. The Aevetas members also held a neutral expression and the Maxim Front members had no idea they were amid Deterrent Mortans.

From the time of them being in the Aether, the plan to usurp Lazarus, the luna city had already been set in motion. Now it was their turn to secure Mars for the benefit of the Black Conglomerate.

“Something tells me this won’t be as easy as we hope it will be,” said Charles.

“We play the long game, we shouldn’t have to worry.”

“I know.”

The voice of the pilot came over the comms. “This is Echo, we’re set to land in docking bay two. Let them unload the cargo and put it in storage. The weapons we brought will be transferred to the armoury too.”

“Surprised they authorised that,” said Eva, like Pyotr, who also was part of the Maxim Front. “I get you want to keep some element of authority but this type of firepower, makes you wonder if it’s for something more.”

“It’s for what’s beneath the Martian surface,” said Melina of the Aevetas. “Early planetary scans showed structures deep beneath the Martian surface. The mines are trying to dig down to them.”

“What are they expecting to find? It’s been what? Thousands of years! You don’t seriously think anything could survive that long.”

“You already know the state of Earth, Eva. What they are capable of. How long they are willing to endure?”

Melina looked over at fellow Aevetas member, Andrey. The two Mortans shared a knowing look and Andrey whose head had dropped finally spoke up, "Yes, Mel, we all do.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” said Frank. “For now our focus is getting into the good graces of our Martian hosts. Remember, no funny business, don’t give them a reason to launch us out the base’s airlock.”