Mecha Rogue by Brett Patton

destruction aimed at the ship. They converged first on one orbital emplacement, then another, turning each into a soundless orange fireball.
    Soon there was only a single orbital platform left. It redoubled its Zap Gun fire, finally scoring hits on critical UUS
Helios
systems. The FTLcomm transmission array ablated in a blinding white firestorm. The maneuvering pits took a hard hit, blowing them out of shape as the surrounding ceramic exploded into vapor. Even the Mecha Dock doors were struck. The massive steel armor glowed dull red, orange, shading into yellow and slumping toward a molten pool, before the UUS
Helios
managed to focus on that last platform.
    The Mecha Dock doors quickly cooled, groaning and squealing as their tortured shapes vented air into space. They were only orange-red when Combat Intelligence came back on the comms.
    â€œPlanetary orbit secure,” the bland voice said. In the background, Cruz cursed.
    Cruz himself was soon back on the comms, feeding Matt a new set of coordinates on the planet’s surface. “Deploy as soon as Mecha Dock doors become functional. Assemble at the location provided. Wait for orders. If engaged, use all weapons to destroy the enemy.”
    â€œThey weren’t trying to destroy the
Helios
,” Matt said, spitting out the first thing that came to mind.
    Cruz said nothing for a long time, but his comms icon remained lit. He switched to a private channel, CRUZ LOWELL . “I said they were smart.”
    â€œThey were trying to capture us?”
    A pause. Then: “Yes.”
    â€œHow could they—even with Union weapons—how could they expect—”
    â€œPrepare to deploy, Major,” Cruz interrupted.
    Matt ground his teeth. “Who’s the enemy?”
    Cruz growled, “Prepare to deploy.”
    That’s all you need to know,
Matt thought, anger rising. All the stuff about the military he hated came rushing into his mind: drills, following orders, going in blind like this. Don’t worry about why they were trying to capture a Union warship, don’t think about who you’re fighting, just do what we tell you. Like a machine. Something to be turned on, used, and disposed of again.
    He had graduated top of class at Aurora University. He could have been a top executive at one of Eridani’s largest firms by now—or at least on his way up. He didn’t need to be here. His father was avenged. His true mission was over. And he knew the Union hid the whole truth from its citizens.
    So why do you keep doing it?
    And in the yawning space of his mind, he finally admitted:
I don’t know why I do any of it anymore.
    When I get back, I’m going to find out,
Matt told himself. He’d get with Peal and Jahl and investigate Keller. And 0195-GX7A-1023. He’d dig into the Union and the Corsairs. The Mecha. Even the HuMax.
    That’s my new purpose,
Matt realized.
To find out what’s really going on in the Union.
So there’d be no more of these crazy missions, no more Kellers, no more Jotunheims. Maybe that would be enough to fill the empty space where revenge used to be.
    Matt forced himself to breathe deeply, calm and regular, as the Mecha Dock doors cooled. Because if his enemy was really smart, they’d be waiting when the Mecha came out.
    Two minutes later, the Mecha Bay doors ground open. The last wisps of atmosphere exhausted into space, taking rock dust and haze with it. The raw metal of the doors framed the snowball world. Shades of white and blue mixed with off-gray, in feathery fractal patterns all over the surface of the planet. There was not a single mountain range, not a hint of vegetation. Just a frozen ball of ice.
    Matt shivered. It wasn’t a human world. Not a place anyone would live. And yet the briefing hadn’t listed any resources or strategic importance. Why did the Union have such heavy artillery around it?
    â€œAdepts Norah, Elize, and Jie, enable Zap Guns and