"Not exactly part of the plan, was it? This was supposed to be a quiet in and out," said Taylor.
"We both know it was never going to be quiet getting out of here, but trust me, we will get out."
Missiles soared from the Phoenix and struck gangways on the pirates’ vessels. Others struck the retaining chains and allowed several of the ships to float off into space. It was utter mayhem.
Chapter 14
Gunfire burst out from a tower on the surface. It zipped past their shuttle, and CJ banked hard to get away as they fired again. A salvo of fire from the Phoenix smashed the gun position just moments later.
"They don't want to make it easy for us, do they?" CJ asked.
"You'd do everything to protect what you thought was rightfully yours, wouldn't you?"
"Damn right, and I'd kill any bastard who tried to take it from me."
He banked and reduced their speed as they approached the docking bay of the Trident. The environmental shielding was still up, and the ship appeared to have power.
"Still think she'll fly?"
"Better hope so, CJ. She's our ticket out of here now, and we need her. Just like we need her crew."
As they passed into the docking bay, they could see five armed Krys awaiting them.
"A welcome party, wonderful," said Taylor.
He got up ready for the fight, but winced in pain as he put weight on his wounded leg.
"That doesn't look good," said CJ as they bumped into a crash landing. They slid along the deck and crashed into one of the Krys, killing him instantly.
"Smooth," replied Taylor.
But CJ was grinning as though it was all part of the plan. He leapt from his seat, picking up his rifle as the ramp went down. He activated his shield just in time as two pulses smashed into it, but he rolled a high explosive grenade out under the protection of that shield. The charge blew, and two more of the pirates were blown apart.
"Come on, Colonel. We've got work to do!"
He rushed out onto the deck and shot the fourth down, but the fifth was firing repeatedly, causing him to protect his rifle behind his shield while he stormed towards his attacker. Finally, he reached him, but he hadn't slowed down. He hit the heavier Krys fighter with immense speed, and the creature was thrown back into a tumble. As it rolled, he fired several shots until it came crashing to a standstill, and he fired three more into its body to be certain.
"Kanor, Boron, get to the engine bays. Mirov and Onder, find a way to get us loose. Taylor and I will find the crew! You've got four minutes, run!" CJ yelled to the other four.
They rushed onwards, and Taylor tried to catch up. He was in pain, although still able to move reasonably well.
"Never thought you'd see this day come, did you? The day I helped you save one of your own?"
"Stranger things have happened, and you can't tell me this is a selfless act."
"What's the matter with making gains when you're doing something good? I'm just multitasking."
CJ was busy looking at data on his Mappad, trying to track down the crew.
"They're being held in the canteen."
"Lead the way."
They carried on at the quickest pace that Taylor could manage, which was a light jog. They found no contact with the enemy. CJ stopped before the doors to the canteen with a big grin on his face.
"Well, look at that, two minutes to spare, and not a single hurdle yet."
He hit the door release and froze in disbelief. They found themselves face-to-face with one of the heavily armed assault troops that Babacan had encountered.
"What the hell is that?" CJ asked.
Taylor had ignored it and looked past it. Babacan and many of the others were at the far end of the room. They were chained up in lines.
One yelled out excitedly, "It's Colonel Taylor!"
He didn't know any of the crew that his friend had been attached to, but they clearly knew him. The single, heavily armed enemy stood between them and the crew. It had no weapons in hand, but stood confidently as if it were untouchable. They lifted their rifles and opened fire together. They both emptied their magazines on the thickly clad creature as shots bounced right off, and finally the scene fell quiet once again.
"The armour is thinner on the rear!" Babacan shouted out.
It was nice to know, but not much relief right now. They'd never seen anything like this armour. It looked locally produced, clumsy and ill fitting, but ridiculously strong. Both drew out their Assegais, and this was the moment Taylor really felt the hindrance of his leg injury. He was trying to not let it show, but it wasn't easy.
"We don't have a lot of time," said CJ.
The metal beast didn't move. It appeared to be toying with them.
"Come on, let's take this heap of shit down!"
CJ rushed forward, but Taylor could not move so quickly. The beast lunge towards him as he closed. He tried to cast the strike aside with his shield, but the force was too much, and he was thrown into a table that collapsed under his weight.
"You fool," Taylor muttered under his breath.
He ducked under the creature’s swing as it threw a backhand against him. He slashed with his Assegai, and the blade burrowed deep, but not far enough to penetrate. The monster shoved him off his feet, and he landed on his back. The creature lifted up one leg as if to crush him. He rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the foot that crashed down to where his stomach had been moments before. He again winced in pain as he felt it surge through his leg. He wasn't in remotely a good enough condition for this fight, but neither could it be avoided. He struggled back to his feet and formed his guard. As he did so, CJ leapt onto the beast’s back and plunged his Assegai deep. It penetrated, but the Krys pirate staggered back and smashed him into a wall.
CJ couldn’t hold on and fell, leaving the weapon still protruding from the beast’s back. Blood seeped out from the wound, and it looked pained, but it was still standing. CJ didn't even look conscious where he had been crushed. The creature ran right for Taylor.
"Oh, this is gonna hurt," he said to himself.
The monstrous armoured beast was descending on him with tremendous speed and power. He stood his ground.
"Come on!"
It was almost on him. At the last moment he stepped aside, dropping down onto one knee. He felt excruciating pain as he did so, but he slashed to the knee joint of his enemy’s lead leg, rolling away as the lumbering heap of metal crashed to the floor when its leg gave out. Taylor fell down onto his hands and was close to crying from the pain.
What was that Lorenzo said? Rest, yeah, right!
He heard the crashing of metal and looked around. His enemy was trying to get back up. It was already up on one knee, but trailing the other leg behind it. It staggered precariously towards him. He winced.
There’s a lot more pain to come if I am to end this.
He stood back up and readied himself, at least relieved that the creature was slowed now, although he wasn't much better off himself. It reached for him, and he slashed its arm down. It was knocked aside, but it had not cut deeply enough to wound. He backed off, slashing and slashing again at its arms until finally he was backed against a wall. He voided a strike and drove his Assegai into the armpit of its left side. But it struck him and knocked him back with a glance to the side of his helmet.
The creature began to fall back, but it grabbed hold of him and pulled him down with it. He rolled as he was pulled over, and the creature had him pinned to the ground. It lifted its hand and smashed down with a hammer blow. He'd lost his weapon. It was still stuck in the beast's side. He held up both his arms crossed together to protect his face, but the blow that landed on them was like a pile driver, and it knocked the wind out of him. He reached for his pistol and held the gun to the flank of its armour, firing shot after shot, but it did nothing. It rose up to deliver an even more power blow, one that he had no hope of stopping, but before its arms began to descend, an Assegai appeared over its shoulder. It drove
down into the top of the spine, and CJ was the one wielding it. He pushed the body aside, and it landed with a crash beside the Colonel.
Mitch gasped with relief and pain at the same time.
"Great timing." CJ slowly helped him to his feet.
Taylor was hurting like hell, but he clearly was, too. CJ went right over to the prisoners and broke their chains with a thrust of his Assegai.
"I am sorry that we got into this mess," said Babacan.
"No, I'm sorry I let the President split us up," Taylor said as he approached.
"Orders are not optional," said the officer beside Babacan.
"You better believe they are, or we wouldn't be here saving your ass," replied Taylor.
That was certainly enough to shut him up.
"This is the Captain of the Trident, Asil," said Babacan.
"Yeah, I figured."
"Not for much longer. A Captain who loses his ship is not worthy of a command."
Taylor slapped him violently across the face. It came as quite a shock to him.
"I won't hear that kind of talk, and I won't have anyone fall on their sword. You were screwed over here, but I am willing to bet you got this command because you were good enough for the job. The fact you were dealt a shit hand with this mission is not your fault. You are going to take back command of this ship, and you are going fight for it."
He looked to his crew as if asking for their support, and there was no doubt, he had it. CJ was looking down at his Mappad.
"We're two minutes over time."
"Then we’d better move."
"What do you want us to do?
"Get to the bridge, Captain, and fly us out of here."
"Yes, Sir," he replied, and they rushed onwards.
"Are we ready for it?" Taylor asked CJ.
"Mirov, Kanor, are we good to go?"
"Yes, Sir," replied Kanor.
"We will be," Mirov added.
They could hear gunfire in the background.
"Will he make it?" Taylor asked.
"Yes."
They followed the crew back towards the bridge, though Taylor was limping heavily, and CJ had blood gushing from a wound on his head. They were free-floating in space, which at least meant half their job was accomplished. The Phoenix was taking a beating as it traded shots with two other vessels.
"Come on, we've got to get this moving along," CJ insisted. He was watching his beloved vessel under intense fire.
"Colonel, when this ship was taken we suffered substantial engine damage," said Babacan.
"Yes, that was being worked on when we arrived. We just gotta hope it has been fixed."
"Sir, we're being hailed by the Phoenix."
"Open a channel."
King appeared before them with a look of deep concern her face. She was being rocked back and forth from fire hitting her ship.
"Colonel, whatever you are going to do, you’d better do it fast. You have to get those engines online. We can take a good few punches, but this is only going to get worse."
Taylor looked past the Captain. More pirate vessels were beginning to lift off from the asteroids to join the fight.
"Kanor, what is the situation with the fucking engines?" CJ asked over the radio.
"They should be working now."
He looked to Asil, but he shook his head.
"We've got nothing."
"I don't know what else we can do."
"We can't stay here. Much longer and we're gonna get torn apart," said Asil.
Everyone looked to Taylor for answers, but he had none.
"We can leave, abandon ship. Get to the Phoenix and get the hell out of here," said CJ.
"Have we got enough craft to do it?"
"I saw more than enough in the dock."
Taylor had to make a snap decision, but there wasn't much to think about. They had one option to get out of there alive.
"King, we're coming to you. We're abandoning the Trident. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sir."
"We'll be with you just as soon as we can. Taylor out."
"You heard the Colonel. Abandon ship!" Captain Asil ordered.
It had to be a tough call to make, and yet in the face of such overwhelming odds, it was relatively easy.
"You think we can make the distance?" Taylor asked as they stepped onto the docking bay.
"Without support, no?" CJ headed for a Krys heavy fighter in the hangar beside the shuttle they had come in on.
"What are you doing?"
"Covering your asses, Colonel."
Taylor grabbed him as the others poured into the shuttle and another transport nearby.
"We are doing this together," he insisted.
"Yes, we are, but if we don't have someone flying escort across that opening, we're all finished."
Taylor looked back at the ship. It was larger than their shuttle, but with a tiny crew compartment. It was clearly a single seat fighter, and yet heavily armed.
"Then let me do it."
"You can't fly it. You can barely fly a Human ship, let alone this, but I can."
Taylor didn't look happy about it, but he didn't know what else to say.
"I can do this. I'll see you safely to the Attila. I promise you that."
Taylor found it difficult to believe it, but he shook CJ's hand as he heard Babacan cry out, "Colonel, we must go, now!"
Taylor stumbled over to the shuttle, and CJ climbed into the heavily equipped Krys fighter.
"All right, you bitches, how about it?" he said.
The door shut behind Taylor. He slumped into his seat and let Babacan take the controls. They were in the air within seconds and soaring out to space. It was not a pretty sight. Lights flashed across the sky as the pirate vessels laid into the Phoenix. If it were the Attila, Taylor would have no doubt that she could take it, but she wasn't. Two pirate fighters were approaching, but CJ's fighter rushed past their starboard side, as he spotted them and opened fire. A brutal salvo blew both apart as he took up position beside them.
"He really can fly a fighter," Taylor smiled.
He opened up with another burst of fire as they closed with the Phoenix, and it seemed like they were actually going to make it. But the Phoenix was being smashed by volley after volley.
"King, once we are all aboard, you jump, do you hear me?"
"Yes, Colonel."
They weren't far away when they saw a whole fighter squadron approaching, silhouetted against the planet. Nobody said a word, but CJ began to bank and apply full thrust to take them head on.
"What is he doing?"
"Buying us time, Babacan," Taylor said in amazement.
He watched a few salvos be unleashed before a vicious dogfight began to ensue. He saw CJ's craft take several hits, but they passed into the docking bay moments later. He tapped a few keys on the screen before him to use the Phoenix's onboard cameras to get a view of what was going on. CJ was ducking and weaving and still firing.
"Colonel, we can't take any more of this," said King.
Taylor could find no words as he saw CJ fight a dozen fighters. Yet all the while they were being rocked by heavy fire themselves.
"Colonel, if we don't jump now, we won't make it. We can’t keep taking this punishment!"
CJ was clipped by several shots. Smoke and fire was pouring from his craft, and he took several more shots as he began to lose power.
"Captain, we aren't leaving CJ behind."
"Sir, we have to. If we stay another minute, we are all done for. Do you hear me, Colonel? We jump now, or we all die here!"
He failed to reply. He watched CJ's burning fighter plunge into the atmosphere of the planet, and before he could say a word, they made their jump. He felt his stomach turn and the sickness that it caused, but this was something different. He'd never like CJ, but in time had come to accept him, even respect him. Now with the thought of losing him, he realised he had become what he never could have believed him to be, a friend. As they came out of t
he jump, he stumbled out of the shuttle and collapsed down onto his knees. Partly it was the wound, and partly the gut wrenching loss of leaving CJ behind.
In this moment he realised that for all his faults, he was the only connection left to Charlie Jones. William was a very different man than his ancestor, but CJ had become more the man he used to know. He wanted to break down and cry. He had lost too much, and suffered too much. He put on a brave face all the time, but there was only so much of his old life he could afford to lose. Jafar and Irala were gone. CJ was all he had left to his old life, even if it was a painful one.
CJ's comrades were as shocked as he was, and yet they didn't take it as badly. Taylor was lost in a nightmare. He couldn't concentrate. He wasn't even in control of his own thought process. He began to shudder and felt hands on his shoulders. They were shaking him. He started to come around and saw a beautiful face before him. His vision was blurred, and for a moment he thought it was Eli Parker, or his heart did, even though in his mind he knew she was gone, too. His vision began to settle, and he could see the red hair. It was Razor. That was disappointing, but there was a look of genuine concern on her face.
"Where is CJ?"
And then it dawned on him. It was all real, and she didn't know.
"He's gone," said Babacan.
"What do you mean gone?"
She looked back to Taylor, knowing she would get a straight and honest answer from him.
"It's true. He took on a dozen fighters or more to make sure we made it."
"Gone? You mean...dead?" She staggered back.
"We don't know that," said Kanor.
"You saw the same as the rest of us," replied Mirov.
"I saw his fighter heading for the surface of that world, nothing more."
"And it was on fire, and he was alone," said Mirov.
Captain King stormed onto the docking bay floor as they argued.
"What the hell happened out there?"
She softened her tone as she realised the heartbreak and loss they were all feeling.
Beyond Earth- Civil War Page 21
