“Well now, that’s a bloody problem.” Smitty sidestepped the corpse and trudged to Valawn’s console.
“What are you doin’?” Taylor asked.
“Seeing if I can salvage this mess,” Smitty said. “I spent some time on a stargate once while working with Steeldriver. Mind you, I never got anywhere close to the ops room. However, I did get to observe the gate master working with similar equipment.”
“Do you think you can figure it out?” Jack asked.
“Maybe,” Smitty said. “I’ll need some time, though.”
Blam, blam, blam!
A chorus of fists pounded the door, joined by a klaxon.
“What was that about needin’ time?” Jack asked.
Smitty went to work at her console. “I could use some help at Station Two.”
“On it.” Stan demagnetized his boots then pushed off to the console beside Smitty and buckled in. “What do you need?”
Taylor keyed his comm as the two began talking. “Husker, this is Tomahawk. We’ve taken the target, but we’ve got issues.”
Tick, tick, tick.
“Ah, hell,” Billy grumbled after hearing the situation.
Yep, that was pretty much my thought, too.
“Whatever Smitty’s doing, tell her to double-time it,” Billy continued. “As things stand, we’re thirteen minutes out, but that extra ship is about to close the gap on us. I think we can hold out, but it’s gonna be fargin tight.”
Taylor spotted a Tri-V below the viewport. “Can somebody get me access to this station’s sensor grid?”
Stan swiped at his screen. “I think so.”
It took a moment, but eventually the Tri-V flickered alive to render a 3D projection for all to see. Sure enough, the blip representing the Ryley Osyrys was on its way with a second blip charging right in its tracks.
If the Osyrys misses her transition, she’ll be a sittin’ duck. Taylor ran a palm through his hair. “Hold your course, Husker. One way or another, we’ll get this done. Tomahawk out.”
Minutes drew out like hours as the chaos around them continued to unravel. Soon, dozens of fists joined the chorus outside.
“Hey, Chief?” Smitty asked. “I think I’ve got something.”
Taylor trudged to her side. “Please tell me it’s good news.”
Smitty’s fingers blew through keystrokes on her display. “I think…it could be…yes!”
A massive thrum rumbled the deck as the capacitors powering the stargate jolted online. A second later, the space outside the viewport erupted in light as a dazzling blast of energy burst forth into the void.
“Way to go, Little Lady!” Jack whooped.
Smitty was too into her work to respond. She tapped a final command into her console and the light wave outside retracted back inward, forming the barrier, or event horizon, into hyperspace. “The stargate is open, sir.”
“Husker, this is Tomahawk. You are cleared for—”
A shower of sparks sprayed their air in front of the door.
“That’s a cuttin’ torch!” Jack announced.
“Damnit!” Taylor snarled. “How long do we have?”
Jack studied the device he’d fixed to the entrance. “That’s an LR-series mag lock, which is one of the best in the business. I’d expect it’ll hold a good seven, maybe eight minutes in these conditions.”
That ain’t enough time. Taylor spun back to the Aussie. “Can you lock out the computers to keep the Krulig from shuttin’ down the gate?”
Smitty chewed her lip. “I could, but I wouldn’t advise it. They might break the system and we wouldn’t be able to leave when we wanted to.”
Taylor barked a curse.
“I’ll do it,” Retay said.
All eyes turned to the corporal as the commotion outside continued.
“I’m sorry?” Taylor asked.
“You need someone to stay behind and keep the Krulig at bay while your ship escapes through the stargate.” Retay patted his own chest. “I’ll take care of it.”
Valawn’s jaw hung open. “Retay, you can’t.”
“I beg your pardon, sir, but I can, and I shall,” the corporal said.
“Everyone just bugger off a minute and let me think.” Smitty rubbed her temples. “I may have another solution.”
A glimmer of hope flickered as Taylor faced the commander. “Explain.”
“Stargates require an enormous amount of power to function, right?” Smitty asked. “Well, big power means a big possibility for overload, which typically leads to a power regulation system of some kind.”
Taylor shook his head. “You’re losin’ me.”
“I propose we flood the capacitors with all the solar energy in their reserves,” Smitty said, “then let the safety protocols kill the transfer before the system goes critical. If my math is correct, there’s no way the Krulig will be able to come in and simply shut off the gate. Not at first, anyway. They’ll have to let some of that excess energy bleed off, or they’ll risk blowing the gate’s powerplant.”
Jack snapped his fingers. “It’s like muscle after extreme exertion. If you don’t give it a proper cool down, you could rip the whole thing.”
“Well done, fart,” Smitty said. “In theory, that should buy the captain the time he needs to get the Osyrys through the stargate.”
“How long will it take you to rev up the capacitors?” Taylor asked.
Smitty considered. “Five, maybe six minutes.”
Taylor gave her a go motion.
“That still leaves us with another problem,” Jack said. “How do we get ourselves out of here given that Door Number One ain’t an option?”
“I may have an answer there,” Stan said, “as I think I’ve managed to dig out a schematic of our location. As it stands, we’re right here.” He pointed to a block near the screen’s upper-right quadrant. “If I’m readin’ this right, there should be nothin’ but empty corridor space on the level beneath us. A few jigs and jog once we’re down to it, and we oughta be able to work our way back to the dockin’ bay.”
“That’s all fine and well, Stan, but how do we drop to it?” Taylor asked.
“Easy.” The old sergeant reached into his vest and fished out a device the size of a matchbox.
Micro-explosive.
“If Door Number One won’t work,” Stan said, “then we make ourselves a Door Number Two that does.”
“Do it,” Taylor said.
* * * * *
Chapter 17: Enemy at the Gate
Taylor relayed the new update to Billy, then took cover across the chamber while Stan set his charge on the floor. After that, the sergeant grabbed the slate into which he’d cloned the station’s map data and floated over.
“You ready?” Stan asked.
Blam, blam, blam! The protests at the door answered on Taylor’s behalf.
“Right.” Stan ducked his head. “Fire in the hole!”
Click…KABOOM!
A thick haze filled the control room as the wretched smell of fried electronics and seared steel saturated Taylor’s nostrils.
“Hurry it up, farts! Let’s go,” Smitty called through the fog from the new exit.
“I’m really gettin’ sick of her,” Jack muttered.
Taylor pushed himself upright and plodded to the hole with the others. From there, he pulled himself down with help from Valawn, then shouldered his rifle to move out.
“Which way?” Retay asked.
Stan checked his slate. “Accordin’ to this, we’ve got a junction about twenty yards up on the right. After that, we pass through an interchange, then cut over three sections to our shuttle bay.”
The group fell into formation beneath the red glow of the emergency lights and began to move. They cut left at the first junction then right into one of the smaller corridors.
Pop, pop.
Two laser bolts sizzled the wall ahead.
Shit. Taylor dipped low, rifle up, as Smitty aimed over his shoulder. Both returned fire
on the squad of attacking Zuul, as did Jack, Retay, and Valawn on the other side of the passageway.
“We’ve gotta get past this narrow stretch!” Stan yelled over the staccato of weapons fire “We’re fish in a dadgum barrel down here!”
“Cover me!” Jack announced.
Stan and Retay complied, while the Oklahoma sergeant put aside his rifle long enough to reach into his ruck and dig out a telescopic device the size of a cardboard tube. Next came a flashbang grenade, which he fitted to the end of the launcher. He then keyed the rig active and propped it atop his shoulder. “Y’all hang on to your britches.”
Everyone covered their eyes and ears.
Funk…BOOM!
When Taylor looked up, all five Zuul were writhing in agony.
Pop, pop. Pop, pop, pop. Pop, pop.
All went calm save for the klaxon.
“Stan, what’s next?” Taylor asked.
The sergeant checked his slate. “This way.”
The group trudged onward, this time with Retay on point while Jack and Stan took turns crisscrossing from hall to hall, picking off any Zuul they encountered. An interchange down and three sections later, the team arrived at the entrance to their hangar as an audible boom shook the decking from above.
“The Krulig just breached the control room,” Smitty said.
“And not a moment too soon,” Taylor said. “Everyone set?”
Everyone nodded, while Valawn relayed a “fall back” message to Natona via comm.
Taylor tapped the enter key on the access panel, causing the entrance to slide open. Once inside, the group coasted over through the bay toward their shuttle, which still slumbered with its ramp down on the far-side docking pad.
“Y’all get in and get set to fly,” Stan said on his way up. “I’ll check on our alien navigator, then meet you in the cabin.”
Taylor didn’t argue. He raced up the ramp behind the sergeant and up toward the cockpit where Jack was already waiting in the pilot’s seat.
“Can you fly this thing?” Taylor asked.
“I’ll muddle through,” Jack said, flipping switches. “Get back to the passenger cabin and buckle in. We’ll launch as soon as I fire the engines.”
“Copy that,” Taylor said.
Just then, Valawn entered the cockpit in a visible panic. “I can’t find Natona.”
“What?” Taylor turned to face him.
“She’s not responding to my calls,” Valawn said. “I’ve tried multiple times, but to no avail.”
“That’s not our only problem,” Stan said as he coasted in to join them. “Coco’s gone.”
“Dammit!” Jack snapped.
Taylor was just about to posit another question when a new thought dawned. “Where’s Lisa?”
Static crackled the dashboard comm speaker.
“Attention, crew of the Shuttle Santuva,” a male voice said in a calm, even tone.
Definitely Krulig. Taylor palmed his face as Smitty floated in.
“I must warn your pilot that he’d be ill-advised to attempt a launch,” the voice said. “My people have locked out his credentials to open the bay. As a result, all he’ll succeed in doing by firing his thrusters is killing everyone aboard.”
Taylor faced his pilot. “That true?”
Jack checked his screen and frowned. “Yeah, it’s true. That scaly bastard has nixed our access.”
Taylor turned to Valawn. “Ideas?”
The RFC leader considered but offered no reply.
“Tomahawk, this is Husker! You copy?”
What now? Taylor opened his pinlink comm and cringed at what he heard. Billy’s voice was almost inaudible through the roaring crescendo of laser batteries, hull explosions, and yelling personnel in the background. That can’t be good. “Go for Tomahawk.”
“We’re setting up for our gate approach, but that other ship has caught up with us. We’re taking heavy fire.”
Another squelch popped the shuttle comm.
“Attention, shuttle crew,” the cool voice repeated. “Please acknowledge.”
“What’s our play?” Smitty asked.
“Stand by, Husker.” Taylor had barely spoken the words when the bay entrance opened beyond the shuttle’s viewport, and five Zuul stepped out, accompanied by a lone Krulig officer.
Taylor studied the reptile for a long pause, then turned his focus to the Zuul, specifically the last one in line with the chocolate-colored fur and beady, brown eyes. Coco.
“Y’all mark my words.” Jack scowled. “If I do nothin’ else today, I mean to kill that sombitch.”
“Get in line,” Stan agreed. “I don’t suppose we got any weapons on this tub, do we?”
The Krulig officer motioned back to the bay entrance. This time when the door opened, two familiar figures were shoved to the forefront.
“Bugger me,” Smitty grumbled.
Lisa offered a small wave beside an expressionless Natona from the platform.
“You have twenty seconds to disarm and debark.” The Krulig took a rifle from Coco and aimed it at the women. “Twenty.”
Taylor grimaced.
“Nineteen.”
Stan leaned past a distraught Valawn and kept his voice low. “What are we doin’ here, Chief?”
“Eighteen.”
Taylor rubbed his temples.
“Seventeen.”
Think, dammit, think! Unable to find a solution, Taylor gritted his teeth and keyed his pinlink comm. “Transition when ready, Husker. We’ve seen to it that the door stays open.”
The lag this time was almost nonexistent.
“Godspeed, Tomahawk,” Billy said. “We’ll see you on the flipside.”
Taylor dropped his head. I sure hope so, brother. “Ayew. Tomahawk out.”
The Krulig outside continued his countdown.
“Ten.”
Taylor glanced to Jack. “Lower the ramp.”
“You sure?” Jack asked.
Taylor exhaled and set aside his 14. “We’ve been lucky in that we haven’t lost anybody today. That ain’t a streak I care to break if I can help it. Now do it.”
Prodding out with the others, Taylor made sure to keep his hands in clear view while descending the boarding ramp. As expected, the Krulig was waiting on the platform twenty yards away, as we were the Zuul who held the girls at gunpoint.
“Very good,” the Krulig said. “You may stop right there.”
Taylor halted next to Smitty at the foot of the ramp and faced his inquisitor. This Krulig looked different than the others. For one, he was smaller in stature, with a lean physique, shorter horns, and a sharp jaw. His attire was also different, boasting gold trim along the shoulders and an elegant black cloak that reached his ankles.
“Thank you for your cooperation,” the Krulig said with an easy smile. “Hear me when I say, it was truly not my wish to see you and your compatriots dead.”
Taylor glowered at his captor. Smug and pompous. Nice.
The Krulig shifted his crimson gaze to the RFC leader. “Hello, Valawn. It’s good to see you again.”
Valawn’s lip curled as he spoke. “Lord Prefect.”
Taylor raised an eyebrow. Yolik Sadeed, I presume.
“I must commend you,” Sadeed said. “This mission of yours to seize control of the stargate. It was ambitious—far more so than the RFC’s normal tactics.”
“Continue to underestimate us” Valawn bit back. “It will be your undoing someday.”
“Perhaps. Alas, that day is not today.” Sadeed clicked his tongue. “When will you learn, Valawn? There is no changing what is. Many of your kind have accepted that, and as a result, now reap the rewards of my benevolence. Why can’t you?”
Valawn was practically seething as his golden eyes flicked to Natona.
“So,” Taylor said. “Where do we go from here?”
“Now we take you into custody for interrogation,” Sadeed said cheerfully. “That way we can all get to know one another.”
A tinge of
blue light from a nearby viewport caught Taylor’s attention. It was the stargate’s event horizon outside. The doorway to hyperspace was still open. Come on, Osyrys. Kick it in the ass.
The lord prefect followed Taylor’s gaze. “Ah. You’re doubtless waiting for your ship to transition. I can assure you, it will not.”
“We’ll just see about that,” Smitty grumbled.
A lone dot blipped in the black as the Ryley Osyrys crept into visual range, her aft section doused in weapons fire from her pursuer.
“Oh, very well.” Sadeed flopped out a green-scaled hand to Coco, who filled it with a comm device. “Sadeed to Tulipza, please acknowledge.”
The crackle of static preceded Zuul’s response. “Yes, Lord Prefect.”
“As soon as that Navarro is in range, I want it blown from the stars,” Sadeed said. “Use whatever means you deem necessary. Understood?”
“Yes, Lord Prefect,” the Zuul said. “It shall be done.”
Taylor’s fists clenched as the Krulig put down the device. Meanwhile, outside the viewport, the second dot continued its assault on the first as each ship ripped into the other with every projectile, laser, and battery she had. Even at this distance, the scene was pure carnage.
C’mon, hurry! Taylor could almost make out the Osyrys’s shape. Just a few seconds more.
The comm in Sadeed’s palm crackled a final time. “Firing solution acquired.”
“Execute.”
A colossal blast exploded from the alien ship’s bow, then rippled the space between its owner and the Osyrys. There, it struck the latter’s hull with the violence and ferocity of a lightning bolt from Zeus himself.
“Billy!” Taylor screamed.
A plume of fire sprayed from the Osyrys’s hull, only to be swallowed up in the void. Still, the ship recovered, coughing debris from its damaged sections, and lumbered forward.
Taylor briefly considered closing his eyes but couldn’t do it.
“Hey, Chief?” a familiar voice called.
Taylor glanced back to the platform.
“Do me a favor.” Lisa reached into her tunic. “Keep an eye on my Cubbies this season, will ya? Especially our new pitcher…Flash.”
Free Bird Rising Page 18
