by S. H. Jucha
Olawale tipped his head toward Patrice, who took a step forward. “Sol has a lot to do to redeem itself,” she said. “Under United Earth, many atrocities were committed. Twice now, Alex, his people, and the SADEs have helped restore Sol’s democracy and boosted our technology. It’s time to pay that generosity back by contributing to the well-being of the galaxy’s sentient species. This system is where we start to make a difference. Good luck to all of you.”
“Good fortune, and may the stars protect you,” Olawale added.
“Board,” Lucia called out, and the teams filed onto their respective travelers.
As Lucia settled into her seat, she linked with Sam through the SADEs. The link would be kept open for the conflict’s duration or until one of them was terminated.
With reluctance, Lucia sent,
Lucia paused to consider the ramifications of Sam’s request.
Sam replied.
Immediately, Lucia relayed Sam’s warning to Olawale, and he ordered the fleet to fall back to Talseseena Station. If the dome’s power source blew, debris headed toward the station and the planet would have to be intercepted. Olawale was prepared to use the Tridents and travelers to pulverize the rock.
Olawale asked for a volunteer to stay on station over Talseseena to guard against the Colony’s last two shuttles lifting.
Sam waited for Lucia’s response to his suggestion that Jess command the assault. Finally, it came.
This time, Lucia heard Sam chuckle. She sent him an image of small darts peppering his behind, and Sam’s chuckle became full-throated laughter.
As the fleet pulled back, and the team’s cargo travelers flew toward Talseseena, Lucia invited Jess to the cabin’s rear seats for some privacy.
“Apparently, a great deal of information has passed from the defenders to Lieutenant Fleetfoot,” Lucia said, when they’d settled into seats across from each other. “He believes you should command the taking of the dome. If you do, your orders can be instantly relayed via the SADEs to Sam. It would be as if he was standing beside you.”
“That’s what the lieutenant wants. What do you want?” Jess asked.
Lucia’s first thought was to reply as a commander who had chosen to accept a junior officer’s recommendation. Under the circumstances, that felt dishonest. “I think this assault against the Colony might be beyond my capabilities,” she said. “Sam is more experienced than me in these kinds of things, and he doubts he’s up to the task. As for me, I want to survive taking the dome, and that goes for all of us. You’ve the knowledge and history, Jess. You lead.”
Lucia stood and offered her hand to Jess, and he stood and took it. But before Jess released Lucia’s hand, he leaned over and kissed her.
“That’s in case I get killed,” Jess said, with a quick smile. Then he returned to his seat beside his sister.
Kasie sensed the mix of elation and anxiety pouring off her twin. “Short but intense exchange, I take it,” she commented to Jess.
“If you’re going to die, you might as well die happy,” Jess replied, with a grin.
While Kasie tried to puzzle out her brother’s remark, Lucia had taken a stance at the cabin’s front.
Lucia expanded her link to include her pilot. She announced the assault commander change, and Esteban shared with Juliette for the other team and with Olawale.
Kasie could sense confusion and relief from the squads. She focused on who was feeling what. It was the Judgment’s squad that was concerned, while the Enclave personnel approved of the change. To Kasie, this was unexpected.
Lucia’s pilot took up a position just below Talseseena’s horizon out of sight of any observers within the dome.
Sam’s pilot made for the dome’s empty tube two. Sylia’s star was peeking over the horizon. It would shine into the insectoids’ faceted eyes if they looked in the shuttle’s direction.
Omnians aboard Sam’s cargo traveler linked with the ship’s controller. As the ship neared the tube, they signaled their faceplates to close, which triggered the suits’ air supplies. Juliette sent a message to the SE’s ear comms to do the same.
When Sam’s traveler held station over the tube, the pilot sent,
Sam walked down the aisle, inspecting the team.
Juliette strode down the aisle. Nanites attached a bolt and an eyelet to the bulkhead above the ramp. A long coil of synthetic line was attached to the eyelet. She stood at the ramp’s edge and peered over it. Her eyes measured the distance from the ramp to the retracted gangway’s ledge. Corrections were required to facilitate a direct drop, and she
directed the controller to maneuver the shuttle until the distance and position she required were attained.
Aboard the second cargo shuttle, Jess and Lucia watched Juliette’s viewpoint via Esteban’s holo-vid.
“Not much to land on,” Jess remarked.
A thick metal plate jutted out about a meter from a blast door that protected the gangway and the tunnel beyond. Both the blast door and the metal ledge were blackened by shuttles’ hot exhaust gases.
Juliette released three metal struts from the ramp, which the engineering team had installed, and swung them up until they met. Their bases were also affixed with nanites. The struts formed a tripod, which extended the line past the ramp’s edge. After hooking the tripod’s legs together, Juliette clipped the line through the tripod’s safety ring. Then she dropped the coil overboard. The tail end of the line struck the metal ledge and remained there.
“Only a SADE,” Lucia murmured in appreciation, viewing the action through her link.
Tacnock was the first to descend. He clipped his harness to the line and fearlessly leapt over the edge. He rode the brake wheels that gripped the line. He lightly touched down on the ledge and released his harness from the line. Then he stepped close to the blast door to make room for others.
Sam was next and Juliette followed.
Tacnock was crowded to the side of the metal ledge by Juliette and Sam. Sam’s bulk was increased by his suit, weapons, and other gear. As Tacnock eyed the drop to the bottom of the tube, he quipped, “It’s a good thing that you accompanied us rather than Bortoth or Daktora.”
Sam, who was pressed tightly against the blast door, offered Tacnock a weak grin.
Juliette examined the blast door’s controls.
Sam signaled Tacnock to get ready. Both of them carefully hoisted their launchers, attached drums, and loaded the lower tubes.
Sam felt the door slide across the back of his suit. Its movement threatened to throw him off balance, and he felt Juliette’s formidable strength hold him in place.
The scorched metal door slid slowly aside into the moon’s recesses. Five meters beyond lay a hatch. There wasn’t an insectoid in sight.
“The airlock,” Tacnock hand signed, and both Sam and Juliette nodded in understanding.
Juliette relayed the request, and the remaining security members slid down the line, one at time. Sam stood ready at the ledge to pull each one into the tunnel’s mouth.
However, when Bortoth and Daktora dropped down the line, Juliette joined Sam. They used their combined leverage to ensure the Crocians landed safely.
When Juliette examined the airlock controls, she found them similar to those of the blast door. The Colony had made no effort to protect against an enemy’s entry by installing encrypted panels.
Sam arrayed his teams. The Judgment squad — designated alpha — Tacnock, and he would traverse the airlock first. Juliette, the Crocians, and Enclave security — designated beta — would wait behind.
Juliette triggered the hatch. When Sam found it empty, he waved his squad forward. Then Juliette closed the hatch behind them.
Inside the airlock, Tacnock directed Sam and the team to split up and press against the side walls. He pantomimed his proposed tactic to Sam, who grinned and nodded enthusiastically.
Tacnock tapped the plate to equalize the airlock. When the telltale lit green, he eyed Sam and then touched the plate to open the hatch.
It slid aside, with the opening appearing on Sam’s side. He tipped his Loopah weapon through the narrow slot and fired the launcher’s lower tube. Immediately, Tacnock closed the hatch.
As Sam loaded a second round from his bandolier, he directed three of the squad to lie on the floor, facing the hatch. He nodded at Tacnock, who triggered the hatch again. This time, they allowed the hatch to slide entirely open.
Sam tipped his weapon through the opening and sent another seventeen small darts flying down the tunnel.
As the hatch opened farther, each team member on the floor added more rounds from their launcher’s lower tube. Then Tacnock managed a shot of his own.
Sam and Tacnock peeked around the edges of the hatch opening. The corridor was littered with Colony members writhing in pain from wounds created by the small darts. They counted four reds with harnessed weapons comingled with more than ten grays.
“No cars,” Tacnock signed to Sam and tapped his temple, which the lieutenant also relayed.
Jess unexpectedly announced, “Change of plans, Sam. You’ve an opportunity. Take it.”
“Sorry,” Jess replied. “No gas, Sam. We left the tunnel cars at the gangways when we evacuated. I expect that they’re at the other ends of the tunnels now. Keep the organization of the squads as you presently have them. Have beta squad hold the hatch in the event you have to retreat. Tacnock, alpha squad, and you must strip out of your suits. You’ll need to drop the weight to sprint down the tunnel. I don’t expect you’ll encounter opposition, but you must reach the cars quickly. If the Colony chooses to make a counterstrike, the cars will offer solid cover. We’re on our way.”
Lucia’s face offered surprise at the audaciousness of Jess’s plan, and Sam hesitated. To him, the plan held too many risks.
Juliette witnessed Sam’s concern via his thoughts on the shared link.
-11-
Team Two
Lucia ordered her pilot to shuttle tube two. Her thought conveyed urgency, and the pilot shot the cargo traveler low across the moon’s surface.
“Commodore, we duplicate teams one’s landing operation,” Jess commanded, “and we make entry with the same tactics. Can I presume the Judgment’s squad witnessed the action?” he asked, tapping his temple.
“Affirmative,” Lucia replied crisply.
Jess stood, and he announced loudly, “Alpha squad, after we clear the far side of the airlock, we drop suits and make for the end of the tunnel to the connecting ring, as fast as we can. Our goal is to reach the cars at the end of the tunnel.”
“Beta squad will hold the airlock,” Lucia affirmed.
“Commodore, after we’ve secured our positions at the ring, beta squad needs to leave their suits behind and come running to support our fire,” Jess continued.
“Understood,” Lucia replied. “Then what?”
“That depends on the Colony,” Jess replied.
“Faceplates down; air on,” Lucia called out. After a check of the team, she confirmed to the pilot that they were ready.
The shuttle was depressurized, and the ramp was dropped. In a repeat of team one’s entry methods, Jess, Esteban, and alpha squad slid down the line first. When they commanded the space between the blast door and the airlock, Lucia, Kasie, and beta squad descended.
Unlike the first team’s encounter on the other side of the airlock, Jess’s first squad fired into an empty tunnel.
“I don’t like this,” Sergeant Yousef Dakar said, with trepidation. He led the Judgment’s security team.
“Follow the plan, Sergeant,” Jess said firmly, as he stripped out of his suit.
The Judgment’s security team looked at their sergeant for confirmation.
Lucia had watched the interplay through Esteban’s link with Yousef. She was about to issue a rebuke, when she heard the sergeant snap, “You heard the man. Get those suits off.”
After Jess shucked his suit, he grabbed his weapons and bounded down the tunnel, utilizing the moon’s lighter gravity to take long strides. Esteban kept pace with him, and alpha squad hurried to join t
hem.
Despite the lesser gravity, the humans were out of breath when they arrived at the connecting ring and took cover behind the mass of tunnel cars.
“Lieutenant, you there?” Jess called out quietly.
“Here, Jess,” Sam replied, just as softly. Neither individual wanted to disturb the strange emptiness of the broad expanse of the connecting ring.
“I don’t see any bodies,” Jess said. “Did you make contact in the tunnel after your initial encounter?”
“Negative,” Sam replied.
Jess regarded the worried face of Sergeant Dakar, who was crowded next to him. “I don’t like this either, Sergeant,” he said.
Jess wasn’t prone to underestimating the Colony. He believed they possessed superior intellect and drive. Now, he was desperately trying to think like them and divine what they’d planned for the dome’s invaders.
“Sam, can you reach Juliette?” Jess asked.
“Yes,” Sam replied. “What’s the message?”
“Beta squads and the others are to leave their suits behind and join our positions,” Jess replied.
Jess had been intent on examining the other three tunnel openings, when he felt someone crowd against him.
“Do you think the Colony is abandoning the dome?” Lucia asked in Jess’s ear. “Maybe what Sam’s squad encountered was a rear guard.”
“The Colony doesn’t retreat,” Jess whispered. “They’ll be intent on holding the dome. Our job is to figure out what kind of trap they’ve planned for us.”
Jess turned around and sat on the floor with his back against a tunnel vehicle, and Lucia eased away and rested on her heels and haunch to give him some space.
“Sam believes the insectoids they eliminated were bait,” Esteban relayed to Jess.
“Oh, yes. They were definitely offered up as sacrifices,” Jess replied. “Add to that, there were no other encounters in either tunnel that we traversed.”
