One Day on Mars

'This is fun!' she said. 'Look!' Two SH-102 Starhawks pulled into hover formation behind them and followed the gliderchutes all the way to the bottom of the cliff.

Chapter 17

1:49 PM Mars Tharsis Standard Time

Senator! The AI wireless connection to the mecha and sensors! That is the key! Abigail said into the senator's mind. He had been distracted by his charge to protect his family long enough.

What! Moore fired the HVAR until it ran dry and then he dove behind a dead enemy drop tank for cover. 'I'm out!' he announced over the QM.

'Shit!' Corporal Shelly bounced about ten meters to his right and her left arm was separated from her body at the shoulder by a cannon round. Before she had time to fall several more rounds chewed her to a red bloody mess into the Martian ground. Major Moore started to rush to her, but the armored Marine sergeant landing on top of him thought otherwise.

'Nothing you can do for her, sir,' the sergeant said. The two men belly-crawled under the downed enemy mecha as best they could.

The signal is continuous because it is a disruptive code not a virus. The signal is controlling the sensors, not jamming them. Just like the AI controls the Kitty! Clever! Abigail had figured it out.

What do we do, Abigail?!

Hardwire!

Spread the word! There was still time to really turn the tide of this battle and minimize further losses for certain.

Yes, Senator Moore!

'Listen up! The jamming source is the wireless link between AIC and hardware! Go hardwire on sensors!' Moore shouted over the QM.

'What?' Washington replied. He and private Kootie were still rushing their position. 'How the hell do you know that?'

'Hardwire between AIC and hardware is the key! Just do it!' Moore repeated.

Abigail!

I'm explaining it to all the AICs I can reach here sir. They're getting it done, the AIC staffer told her counterpart senator.

'Captain! We've got a solution to the sensor problem spreading throughout the fleet!' the XO said. The flagship was beginning to vent gases from several decks and was getting a severe beating. Nine of the ships of the fleet had already been lost and the Seppies had the advantage due to their ghost ships. The Madira was holding up better than others because it was the first to figure out the tactic of deploying its mecha along the hull to act as gun batteries. That tactic seemed to be buying them time and Captain Jefferson had issued orders that the rest of the surviving fleet should use similar tactics.

I have the solution, Captain, and I am resetting the ship's systems and shutting down any data critical wireless systems and transferring them via hardwire. Now, Uncle Timmy added.

Good, Timmy! the CO replied in his mindvoice. The DTM blinked off then on briefly in the captain's mind and when it came back up it was filled with enemy bogies and target alerts. 'Air Boss, direct all the surviving fighters back into the engagement zone immediately!'

'Aye sir!' The Air Boss nodded instinctively and reached out to several icons showing surviving pieces of squadrons and began pulling them together in the virtual battlescape around his head. His DTM now showed the Seppy bogies and they were seriously outnumbered. But the Air Boss knew the limits of the Seppy equipment and although there was an asymmetry in numbers the awesome capabilities of fully functional U.S. fighters and mecha more than made up for the deficit.

'Alright, Demon Dawgs from Hell, y'all heard the Air Boss! We're to form up and insert into the engagement zone at maximum velocity with maximum ferocity!' Lieutenant Commander 'Rabies' Chavez ordered his squadron.

'Rabies! I've got sensors and multiple targeting solutions! This is shit hot!'

'Roger that, I suggest we get in there and start giving some of those targeting solutions a go!'

'CO! CDC!'

'Go, CDC!' Captain Jefferson replied. The battle was coming fast at him now, with multiple splinter groups of large fleet ships and enemy ships fighting and evading and with swarms of enemy fighters that hadn't been visible before that now were literally . . . everywhere.

'Captain! Sensor nets have been reset and hardwired throughout the system and we're getting reports of large ship signatures in several different locations across the system that just shouldn't be there,' the Combat Direction Center deck officer explained.

'What does that mean, CDC?' The CO had more to worry about right now than some lost ships in the system.

'Sir. They were cloaked like the others until the sensors were reset. That suggests they are Seppy ships, sir!' the CDC explained.

'Shit. How many and where, CDC?'

'Three large haulers and seven smaller passenger-size vehicles at various locations all about two AUs away, sir.'

'Time from engagement zone assuming maximum hyperdrive?' More ships into the mix would be bad. The fleet was getting pounded as it was. The CO didn't like this at all. Hopefully, the tide would start turning now that sensors were up.