Nathan turned, eying the woman before grunting and nodding. The carrier would not be the first thing on site and had defenses that would make short work of any missiles. He fully expected the Skytigers to clear any hostiles out of the area before they got there, and he suspected that there would be more than a few of them.
“All right, but Alex will have my head if anything happens to you,” he rumbled before turning once again and headed for the transport that would take them to the Komodo’s underwater hanger. The carrier hadn’t been through all of its trials, but they would need the capabilities of the massive craft if they were going to save all the people that were on the ship from the cold sea. He just hoped there were some still alive.
Chapter 12
Time: May 28, 2036
Location: 250 miles South of the Coast of Japan
The Komodo carrier moved up from the depths like a Kraken from myth and legend, ascending from blackness into gradually brightening blues and turquoise. The massive fan blades pushed against the water, causing not a few sonar techs on several nearby naval vessels to pay attention to the unusual, thrumming noise they had not heard before. All hands on those ships went on full alert, getting their recording devices and instruments ready for whatever was about to emerge.
Minutes later a thick, black-bodied machine breached the ocean’s surface, displacing what seemed like tons of water as it pushed upwards into the light. For a few moments, it paused while large engines emerged and locked into place before igniting in blue flame, driving the large carrier up into the air. At two-hundred meters in length, and eighty meters wide, it moved upwards far faster than someone viewing its snub-nosed bulk would have guessed.
After ascending several hundred feet into the air, the engines began to turn, and the Komodo burst forward, quickly gaining speed as it headed to the northwest. Numerous radar arrays and cameras tracked it as far as they could before it eventually disappeared out of range, leaving the various navy personnel in awe of what they’d just seen.
Nathan, standing on the bridge of the Komodo watched the miles tick by, shaking his head. “Truthfully, I don’t think this is going to help our international reputation,” He said, turning to the small woman standing next to him.
Colleen shrugged. “Does it matter? We already have the powerful and elite coming after us. The only way to have avoided this was never to use the Komodo. Are you willing to let people die in the ocean for that?”
“Not even a little,” Nathan said with gritted teeth. “I just want you to be aware that this will have consequences and for you and the rest of the company to be ready. For me, this has been a long time coming.”
“We’ll be ready,” Colleen said. “They attacked our people. Worse, they attacked people we were trying to help. I don’t have much compassion for people who will use the injured and helpless as targets.” She paused, glancing up at the tall Australian. “Who do you think it was?”
Nathan sighed and shook his head. “Hard to tell. Hopefully, we’ll find something to help us narrow in on who’s attacking us, but it might not be this shadow organization. It could be a country after our technology. Maybe it was related, maybe not. We’ll know in-” he paused, checking a holographic readout, “-thirty-five minutes when the first group of Skytigers gets there.”
“There were a lot of lifeboats,” Colleen said. “Do you think they’ll kill those people?”
Nathan breathed out a sigh and looked down before giving Colleen a stern, almost angry look. “It’s possible. If these are the same folks as the shadow council, then we already know they are ruthless enough to kill their own people to hide their secrets. I doubt they would be concerned about ours, but it entirely depends.”
“Depends on what?” Colleen asked carefully.
“It depends on what the eyewitnesses can tell us, and how rushed they were for whatever they were looking for,” Nathan said, crossing his armored arms over his chest and looking back toward the distant horizon. “In my experience, these types of people don’t like to leave witnesses. I don’t know how else to prepare you.”
For the moment, his armor was all black, giving Nathan a sinister profile in the dim light of the bridge. Colleen knew that if he wanted to, he could engage his holographic cloaking device and be almost invisible to her sight. Even if he moved, the delay on the adaptation of his cloak was quick and would only result in a gentle blurring of his form. However, she was never so glad that someone so imposing was standing beside her.
She didn’t know how she would react. Even if whoever had attacked the hospital ship killed no-one, it was an accident at sea, and there were sure to be causalities. Never before had she felt so far away from her small farmhouse in Oregon as now.
They stayed silent for several more minutes until a flashing caught their attention. One of the techs leaned over before turning and addressing Nathan. “Captain, the first group of Skytigers is on approach. Do you want it up on the main screen?”
Nathan shook his head. “No need. Send it over to console eight,” he said, pointing at one of the unattended bridge stations. He gestured for Colleen to follow him, and a moment later they were viewing the carnage of the burning ships.
Colleen couldn’t help but hold her breath as the Skytigers arrowed in low over the water. Thankfully it was daylight, so things became clear far more quickly than they would at night. She didn’t doubt that Nathan could understand all of the readouts that were streaming in over other screens of the console, but she wasn’t used to them at all.
Gasping, she put her hand over her mouth and stared wide-eyed at the carnage. There were intact rafts floating about, but they were outnumbered by the ones that had been shredded and punctured, now deflated and floating just under the surface of the waves. Bodies and debris were everywhere, with so many people having been riddled with bullets that the water had a red tinge to it.
However, the worst part was the sharks. There wasn’t a feeding frenzy yet, but it was just a matter of time before the masses would smell blood and arrive on the scene. There were enough in the water already that Colleen had to avert her gaze. With the Skytiger’s arriving and no sign of the enemy ship, they immediately began rescue operations by lowering themselves toward the bodies and letting their engines blast into the water, chasing away the sharks as best they could.
Nathan switched off the visual before taking Colleen by the shoulders and turning her towards him. “Are you going to be okay? You don’t have to watch any of what happens next. It won’t be pretty.”
Colleen took a deep breath, feeling unsteady and was just about to nod when another flash arched across her vision. The smell of smoke and fire was there, but it was dark as if someone were in a small area. She could almost feel her friends fear and terror. “Helen! She’s alive! She’s still on the ship!”
Nathan gave Colleen a look of surprise mixed with caution. “Colleen,” he began slowly. “The chances of that are-”
“No, listen, I know it will sound crazy, but we haven’t had a chance to talk,” Colleen said before glancing around the bridge and leaning closer to Nathan, whispering softly to him. “I was the one that had them check on this, but it was because I was awakened by a nightmare in my quarters. I thought it was just a bad dream, but after I’d awoken, I had another vision which was what spurred me into action.”
“Is it our friend, do you think?” Nathan said cautiously, well aware of their suspicions. He had been one of the first people to have been told about trying to figure out exactly what was helping them, but they knew so little. Despite his attempt to remain positive, Hollywood movies had an impact on his fear.
“I think so,” Colleen said, “But as you can guess, it’s hard to tell. We still haven’t established any kind of communication with it, and even my breakthrough earlier this year wasn’t really anything but an impression. However, what would have happened if I hadn’t had these visions? As mysterious as it is, I’m thankful it happened. I think Helen is alive and still on the ship.”
Nathan glanced quickly at Colleen with a narrow look before reaching for the com. “Tiger three, get some men on that ship and look for survivors. We have reason to believe some may be in hiding, but be careful. Make sure you sweep for bombs.”
He turned back to Colleen, giving her a long look. Despite raising his hopes, the mystery of whatever caused the vision was still a danger, and they all knew it was a long time from being resolved. No matter how helpful it might be, there was every possibility that whatever it was could be something dangerous to humanity.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes. I’ve had the crew prep several antigravity plates we can attach to the ship’s hull. We don’t have enough to lift the entire thing, but I want to try towing the ship with the Komodo. They probably think the ship is going to sink, and I hope to disappoint them.”
“I’m going to stay up here on the bridge until I hear more,” Colleen said, pausing before continuing. “I’m just not sure I can stomach seeing what’s happened to all those people.”
Nathan reached out, comforting Colleen as best he could with his armored hand. It wasn’t much, but Colleen appreciated the gesture.
Chapter 13
Time: May 28, 2036
Location: 250 miles South of the Coast of Japan
The Komodo was about ten minutes away from the wreck of the Mary Eliza when one of the techs on the bridge turned and spoke to Nathan. “Sir, we’re getting a reading from overwatch that they’re picking up a sporadic radar blip heading north at a distance of sixty kilometers.”
“Sporadic?” Nathan said, walking forward and leaning over the man’s console. “The only way it would be sporadic is from interference or some sort of stealth coating.”
“Yes, sir, that’s why they reported it. It probably wouldn’t show up at all on the normal radar, but our sensors are much more sensitive. They’ve been watching it for about five minutes, and it’s not going away. They think it might be the ship that attacked the Mary Eliza.”
Nathan frowned and narrowed his eyes. “They’re still a good way’s away from Japan’s coastline but well within their international boundaries. That might be a problem if we go after them.” Nathan stood, walking back over to his own console and activating the com unit. “Tiger three, do you have anything to report? Can we tell what they did to the Mary Eliza?”
“Just a moment, Major,” a voice said. The line went dead for a few seconds before coming back on. “Looks like they stripped the ship of everything that wasn’t nailed down, and some things that were. All the computer equipment is gone as well. Captain… we haven’t found anyone alive yet. It’s messy. Don’t let the civilian come over.”
“Will do, Lieutenant. Any sign of Doctor Helen Harken?” Nathan asked, giving Colleen a glance and wondering if he should take the conversation private.
“No, not yet sir, but we’re only just getting started. We have to go slow. We’ve found a few explosive devices, so there’s a lot of the ship left to search.”
“Is it sinking?” Nathan asked.
“No, sir. They targeted the engines, but other than listing, she’s not going down.”
“Very well, Lieutenant. We may bypass the wreck and proceed after the attacker. We’ve managed to catch something on radar.”
“We’ll take care of everything here, sir. And sir, if I may, give them hell for us. They killed a lot of people that weren’t armed. Women and children among them. I wouldn’t be sorry to see them get a little payback.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Out,” Nathan said before turning back to the tech, his chiseled jaw working with slow-boiling anger. “Get those coordinates from overwatch. We’re taking the Komodo after them. I want some answers, and I don’t think whoever they are deserve our tech. Full speed and make sure our weapon systems are online.”
“Shall I have some of the Skytigers follow us?” the communication officer asked, turning in her seat.
“No, we’ll handle this ourselves. We need them to stay in rescue operations. I’m confident the Komodo can handle whatever they throw at us.”
Colleen frowned, walking up to Nathan and giving him a long look. “Won’t this cause an international incident? Attacking a ship in Japanese waters?”
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t think so. If I’m right, they won’t want to acknowledge what happened even if the ship belongs to Japan. Would you want to admit you attacked and murdered everyone aboard a hospital ship? Besides, maybe we can find some clues as to who they work for and who’s behind all of these attacks.”
Colleen nodded before heading back to her chair. She felt apprehensive and was regretting even coming along but forced herself to rally. She felt a responsibility to those people that were killed, even if she might not add much to the operation. She still wanted to be here, and bear witness to what was happening. Still, they were pursuing a combat ship that had not only attacked the Mary Eliza but destroyed one of their Skytigers. Nathan was confident the Komodo could handle whatever was to come, but she wasn’t quite so confident.
They blasted past the wreck and rescue operations, bearing down on the faint radar signal like an avenging angel. The mood on the bridge had tightened, with chatter stopping as each of the bridge crew grew silent and focused on their tasks. Nathan sat in the center chair like a rock, his grim face staring intently forward at the horizon like a hawk stooping toward its prey.
Colleen wasn’t sure what to expect, but it came almost as a surprise when a high-pitched beeping broke the relative silence of the bridge.
“Missiles in route,” said one of the bridge techs in a dispassionate voice, as if reporting on crop yields. Colleen’s eyes widened, attracted to one of the holograms that held what looked like a radar circle. Two dots appeared at the edge and began heading in toward the center with frightful speed.
“Launch counter missiles,” Nathan rattled off, “warm up the lasers and send a message to that vessel to cease hostilities and prepare to be boarded.”
“Do you want to prep the rail guns, sir?” A strong-jawed woman said, her hair pulled back in a tight bun and her eyes all business.
“Prep them but we’ll use the lasers for now. I want to disable them, not sink them,” Nathan answered, not looking at the woman who turned back to her screens, enacting his commands.
A moment later, she felt the Carrier shudder gently, and a stream of dots exploded onto the center of the radar screen and screamed out toward the missiles. They moved at a much faster rate than their targets, arrowing in on them after only a few moments which caused both of the offending missiles to disappear from the sky.
Nathan let his lips curl up into the barest hint of a smile, though a moment later, the radar officer confirmed what he suspected might happen.
“Four more missiles are in the air, sir!” he said, his voice rising slightly.
Nathan leaned forward, glancing back to make sure Colleen was buckled in correctly before resuming his forward gaze. “Redirect the remaining intercept missiles towards them and prepare to launch another round, if needed. Any response from our target?” Nathan asked.
“No, sir,” the communication officer said. “No response. We’re repeating the message.”
“Weapons, target their missile launchers and com towers, then take out any secondary weapons before reducing their engines,” Nathan ordered. The Komodo shuddered again as several more intercept missiles were sent flying to defend them even though there was only one enemy missile left.”
“Sir! We’ve got two Japanese jets altering course toward our position. They’re twenty minutes out, but closing fast. I’m detecting others directing toward our position from the mainland, though they will take longer to get here.”
“Interesting,” Nathan mused. “They responded quickly. Are there any identifying marks on the ship?”
“No, sir. The ship is black and unmarked although it’s clearly some sort of warship. No design that is in our databases.”
Nathan paused, glancing toward C
olleen at the back of the bridge. “We can turn around, but I want to know who these people are.”
Colleen frowned, giving Nathan a steely gaze. “They killed our people, Nathan. I want to know who they are, too. Can we avoid destroying the jets when they get here?”
“Easily,” Nathan said. “Their missiles won’t get through, and our armor and inertial shields can handle their guns. I wasn’t planning on shooting them down, anyway.”
Colleen settled back into her chair, taking a deep breath. It was such an odd experience. If she’d not seen the radar or heard them talking, she never would have suspected they were under attack by things that could snuff her life out in a flash, or that their own ship would be busy picking the other ship apart with massive lasers. It was a sobering thought to witness first-hand how impersonal warfare was.
“We’ve destroyed their missile batteries, com tower, and Gatling guns, sir. They’re still under power, though. No response yet to our messages.”
In the distance, Colleen watched as a dark shape appeared on the horizon. Smoke was trailing from several areas of the ship as it tried to race away but stood no chance against the far superior speed of the Komodo Carrier. It was almost frightening to watch how quickly the dark ship grew in the forward screen. Its smooth, sleek shape looming threateningly before them though there were several obvious places of damage spouting fire and smoke. Even as she watched, the rear of the vessel toward the waterline seemed to glow, and then melt before her eyes. The ship lurched, then an explosion erupted from the rear, and the ship slowed its forward momentum and spun in the aftereffect as its engines were reduced to slag.
People in clean, dark uniforms were scrambling about on deck. Some were pointing at the ship, while others were racing to put out the fire or effect some kind of repair. However, out of the forecastle, a man emerged carrying what was obviously a rocket launcher. Before they could react, he raised it and launched it at point-blank range.
Empyrean Rises Page 23
