by Andrew Gates
“I’ll admit, that definitely helped convince me,” Ellen said.
“But I know that’s no excuse. I’m sorry.”
If Vexa Corp finds out, there will be a trial, Yuri said.
I doubt they care anymore. It was over a thousand years ago. I think we’re fine. At least… I hope so, Gloria replied.
Well… that puts one question to rest, Yuri said.
“What question was that?” Ellen wondered.
It explains why he’s still not that good of a pilot.
They all chuckled at that one.
If this had been the old world, Ellen would not have been so passive about this discovery. After all, forging data was a serious offense. But after everything they had been through on Taspansa, it no longer seemed so important. It was almost like a funny joke.
“Thank you for admitting that, Dave. Admitting your mistakes shows that you’ve matured.”
“Thanks, Milsen,” Dave replied with a smile.
“Please, call me Ellen.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, Ellen, it’s about damn time.” There was a tone of amusement in his voice.
“I know, I know.” Ellen held her hands out.
“I take it they called you Milsen in the Marines, right?” Dave said.
“They did.” Ellen nodded. “That’s how it stuck.”
“And I’m guessing you didn’t forge any of your record,” Dave replied with a chuckle.
“No, unfortunately, that’s all true.” Ellen shook her head. “No forgeries there.”
“Wow, part of me actually hoped that record was forged. It’s hard to believe how much you’ve seen. You were in some deep shit,” Dave noted. His tone was instantly more somber.
You have no idea, Yuri added.
“That was before you two were together though, right?” Dave asked. He pointed to Ellen’s head.
Ellen nodded again.
I didn’t meet Ellen until after her time in combat, Yuri replied.
“Yuri and I got together shortly after I left the Marines. But I could have used someone like him at the time,” Ellen explained.
“You don’t talk about your combat days much,” Dave said.
“I don’t.”
“Any reason?”
“I guess I just don’t want to relive it. That’s why I quit the Marines. I was sick of getting shot at. I thought piloting would be a suitable alternative, but now, here we are again, preparing for another war.”
“Well, this war has swords and muskets. It’s a bit different,” Dave replied with a chuckle.
“Still, I’d rather not get shot at, whether it’s a musket or a laser cannon,” Ellen said. She adjusted her legs a bit and stared against the wooden wall as memories came back to her.
“What happened back in combat that made you want to give it all up?”
“There was one mission in particular. I don’t like to talk about it a lot, but it stuck with me. It’s something I can’t ever seem to forget. It was a mission back on the JSR, back when the Indomitable was getting prepped for launch.”
“I remember reading about that. From what I recall, the mission was successful. What happened?”
Ellen met Dave’s eyes again. She could tell he was genuinely curious.
“I’ll tell you the story once, but that’s all. I dare not live it again.”
“I understand,” Dave replied. “Tell me at your own pace.”
The JSR Assignment
Earth Date (Revised Julian Calendar): 09.27.4123
Location: Jupiter Shipyard Ring (JSR), Jupiter Controlled Space, Sol System
It was supposed to be a simple job. Protect the ship. Somehow that mission had evolved into securing the ship. Terrorists were inside the ship now. They were well-armed, well organized, and determined to stop the ship from leaving at any cost.
That job was easier said than done. Terrorists tried as they might to secure the ship and so far, they had succeeded. Ellen and her fireteam, or what was left of it, were outside of the ship now, quickly making their way to it as the Indomitable was prepping for launch.
A barrage of laser fire rained from above their heads. The two still-surviving members of Fireteam Bravo crouched beside the nearest cover. Zheng crouched a few milliseconds late. A laser singed the tip of his helmet. He promptly checked to make sure the ablative plating was still in one piece.
Darla, Major Markos’s internal AI, placed a marker on Ellen’s HUD. A green arrow marked the major’s location on her retinas. It seemed Major Markos was inside the Indomitable already. A sea of mercs stood between them and their exit – as if anything were every easy.
“Come on, there’s the major!” Ellen said, hoisting up the injured Zheng. She pointed to the ship.
“I don’t need an assist. They just got my helmet,” Zheng replied.
“Good. I need you tip-top. Let’s go!”
They pulled away from cover and sprinted across the dock. Enemy fire nearly hit them from the catwalks above. Ellen even smelled her hair singing from the lasers.
Milsen, Zheng, get inside now! ordered Staff Sergeant Williams over the ATG.
On the way now, Ellen replied. Darla showed us where to go. ETA is any fucking second now!
The two Marines displayed their affirmative signals on the combat net.
After years in the force, Ellen was still not fond of getting shot at. She aimed her rifle at the first merc she saw and unloaded, putting him out instantly. Though her weapon was set to a non-lethal setting, it still felt good to see the bastard fall.
“Keep going, Zheng!” she shouted.
Zheng stayed closely on her six as they dashed from cover to cover, firing shots when he could. Before long, the two reached the ship, miraculously unscathed. It seemed luck was on their side.
The two Marines sprinted through the airlock. Sure enough, Major Markos stood on the other end, accompanied by Lieutenant Günter, Commander Donovan and Fireteam Alpha. Ellen knew the four Marines with Alpha: Privates First Class Anvil, Lockheart, Hermes, along with Corporal Michaels. She nodded to each of them.
“Seal the door!” shouted the major, wasting no time at all.
Ellen did as she was ordered, sealing the airlock shut.
“Damn. Just you guys and Alpha. Is this all that’s left?” Zheng asked.
“It is,” Hermes confirmed.
“I don’t understand how that’s possible. How the hell did the terrorists get inside the ship with our defensive perimeter set up around it?” Zheng wondered.
“They were always inside,” Lockheart answered. “Many of them were posing as colonist passengers. They slipped in right under our noses.”
The major had no time for talk. She turned to Günter, who stood behind her, and said, “Commander Donovan, I want you to take Michaels and Anvil. I want you three to secure the Indomitable’s bridge. From there, we can better take control the situation.”
“You will be dead before you take this ship!” another merc called down from a platform above them.
Like most mercenaries, this man must have been a moron to willingly give up his own position like that. Ellen wondered how these people ever got hired in the first place.
Major Markos casually used hand signals to order the Marines to lay down suppressive fire. Ellen did not wait for her to finish her orders. She fired away, causing the merc to duck down for cover. More mercs poured in. She counted four in total.
The major grabbed a rifle and wasted no time unloading it on a target. Her shots were precise. One down. Three to go.
Ellen lined her sights on another merc and let fire. She hit him straight in the head. The merc toppled over the catwalk’s railing and fell to the deck plate below. She grinned. The shot to the head may not have killed him on this setting, but the fall would surely wound him. Two down. Two to go.
Return fire caused Ellen to duck for cover. By the time she reemerged, another merc toppled to the floor. There was one more left.
“To the one merc still standing!” the major shouted, “stand down! We will let you live, but only if you play nice. Surrender or we will end your life.”
If Ellen had learned one thing about Major Janice Markos, it was that she had a brutal efficiency about her. She had seen it firsthand on Mars and again here on the JSR.
A gun flew over the railing. A man nervously stood up from behind his cover. He shivered.
Look at this guy. He’s trembling. He’s scared shitless, Zheng said privately to Ellen. He doesn’t trust Markos at all.
Given her brutal reputation, I wouldn’t trust her either if I was standing on the other side of her gun, Ellen replied.
“You were wise to surrender,” Hermes said, stepping forward. “You wouldn’t have lasted long if you’d stayed and fought.”
Ellen rolled her eyes as the other Marines stood up from cover and walked out.
“Take him,” the major ordered, “and dose the others with sleeping agent. We want them out for good, at least for a few hours.” She paused for a moment, as if conversing privately on the ATG. Then she turned to face Ellen. “You two, Milsen, Zheng,” she started, “stay right here and protect that airlock. I don’t want it damaged and I definitely don’t want anything else getting in or out.” Then she turned to face the others. “Hermes and Lockheart, I am seeing a secondary airlock on the combat net. Darla says it’s secure, but let’s make sure it stays that way. I need you two to make sure it stays in one piece.”
“Roger!” the Marines responded in perfect unison.
Everyone went their separate ways. Donovan, Michaels and Anvil went to the bridge, while Hermes and Lockheart went to the secondary airlock.
“Lieutenant Günter, you’re with me. I want the two of us in the weapons bay. If we can get this ship’s exterior cannons under our control, we can protect this ship from an outside assault,” Markos continued.
Günter nodded as they both hastily made their way out, leaving only Ellen and Zheng behind.
Zheng held onto his helmet for a moment, making sure it was still intact. He took it off and inspected it.
"Don't worry. They didn't mess up your pretty head," Ellen said.
Zheng brushed off the comment and went over to the surrendering merc. He pulled laser cuffs from his pack, securing the prisoner’s hands behind his back. The man did not put up a fight or anything.
Meanwhile, Ellen dosed the three unconscious mercs and dragged them to a corner of the room. The whole process only took a few minutes.
“So we’ve gone from securing a ship to protecting a doorway,” Zheng said, escorting the prisoner to a nearby corner. “Think we disappointed Major Markos?”
“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Ellen responded. “Protecting this doorway is part of securing the ship.”
"It is. I suppose it wasn't a very good joke though."
“In her defense, we didn’t exactly do the best job. The terrorists did take control of the ship and we were still outside.”
“Hell, Major Markos can secure this ship herself. You’ve seen her in action. The woman is like a one-woman tank!”
Ellen did not disagree with him there. Major Markos was an impressive soldier who had saved her life more than once. If it weren't for her, Ellen would have been another ghost back on Mars.
When she first learned that that soldiers had been requested to provide direct action force against saboteurs bent on stopping the departure of the Indomitable colony ship, Ellen thought it sounded a bit excessive. After all, who would try so hard to stop a simple colony ship? But she should have known that when Major Markos was involved, nothing was ever easy. These saboteurs were more organized, better financed and more motivated than she ever imagined, all led by some terrorist in the shadows named Volkro.
Major Markos was battling a talented and resourceful enemy, but in typical fashion, Major Markos was on the path to winning.
“How’s your head?” she asked, motioning to Zheng’s helmet.
“Good,” he replied, nodding. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“You tough guys always this sappy when you’re not getting shot at?” the prisoner interjected.
Zheng slapped him on the back to shut him up, though the blow did nothing but annoy the man.
“Hey, hey, I’m your prisoner here. I thought the boss-lady wanted me in one piece,” he continued.
“She wanted us to secure you. She didn’t say anything about keeping you in one piece,” Ellen retorted. "By the way, you sure can talk a lot of game for someone who almost pissed himself five minutes ago."
His eyes widened and he paused, motionless. That statement seemed to shut him up.
“Uh oh, I’m detecting additional heat signatures,” Zheng said, cutting the conversation short.
Ellen turned. Sure enough, the catwalk lit up with more targets. It seemed this mission was never easy.
“Get to cover!”
They both squatted down behind cover. Zheng held onto the prisoner with one hand and his weapon in the other. Before they knew it, more mercs were on them. Within a matter of seconds, a mix of weapons fire rained down upon them from various points along the catwalk.
“Dammit!” Zheng shouted.
Ellen deployed remote sensors to line up targets. She studied the enemy locations. She counted five hostiles in total. They were well spread out along the upper walkway. She shared the images with Zheng.
Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, she said.
Suddenly one of the images cut out. The sensor had been destroyed.
Well that didn't last long, Zheng joked. Should we call for backup?
There isn't enough time.
Ellen stuck her head out and let off a few shots, though none seemed to hit their desired targets. She brought her head back in, just as a bullet whizzed by her head.
“One of them is firing ballistic weapons! Don’t they know we’re in a space ship?” Zheng shouted.
“Who said mercs were smart?”
“Hey!” said the merc prisoner, seemingly offended.
Ellen studied the enemy positions once more and rounded the corner again. She let out a few more shots, this time landing a solid hit, center mass. The man fell over the railing like a lifeless corpse. One down. Four to go.
Another merc came into sight. From just looking at him, Ellen could tell this man was heavily modified. His rounded chest extended far out in front of his body and shimmered in the light. It reminded her of some sort of metallic turtle shell. His arms were twice as thick as a normal human’s, also coated in some kind of metal. His face was the only thing that seemed unaltered, though it was honestly hard to tell, as his combat helmet obscured most of it. The armored man’s enhancements must have been expensive and well worth the price. He was not even trying to stay in cover.
Ellen took advantage of his exposure and took a few shots on him. As she feared, nothing happened. It was as if her shots simply bounced right off.
“Damn, this guy is gonna be tough,” she said as she pulled back behind cover. A blast exploded not too far from where her head had been only moments ago.
“I didn’t get a good view of him.”
“He’s heavily modded. This guy’s basically a metal wall. He’s not even taking cover,” Ellen explained.
“Damn.”
“That’s Rosh,” the prisoner said. A smile filled his face before turning into a laugh. “You guys are fucked!”
Zheng slapped him again and the man shut up.
“We can do it,” Ellen said, trying to stay positive. “We’ve been in worse.”
“Have we?”
Ellen did not answer. She had certainly seen worse, but always with weapons that could damage the enemy. Here she had nothing but a non-lethal rifle with a small laser attachment. The odds weren't great.
Zheng popped out of cover and let out a few shots. He managed to hit one of the other mercs and squatted
back down again before another wave of projectiles zoomed over his head.
“I got another one.”
“Good.”
Two down. Three to go… including Rosh.
A thunderous boom echoed through the room. Ellen could feel the floor ripple. She studied the sensors again to find the armored man now on their level. He must have jumped down from the catwalk and landed on the floor, unscathed. He was now walking their way.
“Rosh is on his way over,” she reported, trying to stay calm.
“Down here? With us?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn.”
The prisoner tried to pull away now, as if suddenly finding the courage to fight back. Zheng kept a firm grip, but the prisoner was relentless. He squirmed until Zheng could no longer keep a hold of him.
It would have been easier if they had dosed this guy with all the others. Ellen wondered why they hadn't, but it was too late now.
“Rosh!” the prisoner said as he stood up and revealed himself. “Rosh, it’s me! It’s Garren!”
The mercs held their fire as the prisoner ran out from cover. Taking advantage of the pause, Ellen and Zheng both jumped out and released a few shots, taking out the remaining two mercs on the level above them. All that remained now were Rosh and the prisoner, Garren.
“You idiot! You gave them a perfect shot!” shouted Rosh. He ran up to Garren and punched him straight in the face, knocking him out instantly.
“Finally! Someone who can shut that guy up!” Zheng joked.
Ellen rolled her eyes. This was not the time for humor.
“I know you two are there,” the armored man said in an intimidating tone. “And I know your weapons can only stun… or burn a little. Mine kill. You will not see any mercy from me.”
Ellen poked her head out from behind the cover as Rosh raised two pistols, one in each hand. He fired at her, prompting her to pull her head back in. At the same time, Zheng popped out from the opposite side and got a few shots off on the target.
“Damn,” Zheng said, coming back in behind cover. “The shots did nothing. You’re right. He’s like one big shield, this guy."
