They were in their suits, so nothing changed. With the armor on, they would have relaxed, shaken out tense muscles and turned their attention to the colonel. He couldn’t see within the metal shells, so had to assume they were doing all three.
“Char has felt a disturbance in the force,” he started, but no one snickered. After he said it, he didn’t find it funny either. It had sounded better in his mind. “There’s a cloaked ship out there, hidden from our sensors and barely recognizable through the Etheric. Whoever or whatever they are, they aren’t coming forward. They don’t appear to be interested in talking.
“We’re broadcasting messages into the void of space, trying to get them to talk to us. The last thing we want is to engage in a fight right here. We have family and friends scattered throughout Keeg Station and Spires Harbor, and even right on this ship.
“We don’t usually fight space battles in our mechs while we’re out in space, but this one’s different. This bastard is silent and invisible. Maybe with our Mark One eyeballs, we’ll be able to see him when all the technology at our command cannot. We’ll light him up, and like a beacon, that’ll draw every weapon in the fleet. We’ve lost one ship, a Harborian frigate that was in cold storage.
“I have no intention of losing any more, not if I can help it. First order of business is to move the War Axe close to the station so Ted and his equipment can transfer aboard. We’ll deploy like a cordon between the Axe and the station’s hangar bay to make sure Ted makes it on board safely. Then we’ll recover.
“With Ted’s help, maybe we’ll find this guy sooner rather than later, but we’re going to be suited up for some time. If you’re not ready, let me know. We have a war to fight. I can feel it in my bones. So hit the head and grab one last protein bar or whatever you need, but pretty soon, we’re going to be knee-deep in the shit. I’ll need you by my side and ready to fight. Company, attention! When I give the command to fall out, you’ll fall out, unfuck yourselves, and within ten minutes, you’ll fall back in. We’ll be ready to collect Ted at that point. Fall out!”
A third of the company unsealed their suits and hopped out the back with rigid efficiency before running from the hangar bay for the head or the chow hall. Terry strolled down the line of warriors, nodding appreciatively at the unit he’d built with Bad Company funds. Kimber joined him.
“Do we know anything about the enemy ship?” she asked without preamble.
“As close to nothing as possible. All we have is a blown-up ship and a ghost in the Etheric.”
“Did Shonna and Merrit find anything in the debris?” Auburn wondered.
“Massive secondaries. It was like they knew exactly where to hit us.” Terry looked out the open hangar doors at the shimmering forcefield as the ship moved toward Keeg Station. “We should probably check the outside of the ship when we stop. Take one platoon and perform a visual inspection of all the vulnerable spots, at least. I’ll make sure Ted gets on board. I’m sure he’s bringing all his stuff.”
A large dog ran across the hangar bay, stopped in front of Terry Henry Walton, and stared at the reflective helmet shield.
Your wombat is pooping everywhere. Make it stop, Dokken said.
“How’d you know it was me?” Terry asked.
It doesn’t take this fabulous nose of mine to figure out which suit you’ve befouled.
“Hey!” TH blurted. “You know what they say. Everyone likes a little ass, but no one likes a smart ass.”
Well? Wombat?
“What happened to the cleaning bot that follows her around?”
She gave it the slip.
“That’s my little girl!” Terry said proudly.
“Brother...” Kimber grumbled. Terry slapped the back of her suit with his armored hand. She heard it more than felt it.
How would you like it if I pooped everywhere? the dog asked.
“But you wouldn’t.”
I know. It’s kind of disgusting, like those wombat cubes she insists on leaving everywhere.
The warriors started to return.
“Put Cory on it,” Terry told the German Shepherd. “And you need to get out of the hangar bay in case we have an emergency decompression.”
Don’t you have any duct tape?
“We all do, but that’s not the point. I’ve sworn off taping dogs to my face. You licked my mouth.”
You liked it.
“I most assuredly did not!” Terry declared. He reached a metal hand down to the huge dog and scratched behind his ears. “Go on, now. We’ve got a fight coming up, and Cory will need you close. Take care of her for me.”
You can guarantee that, Dokken replied. But make sure your dumb ass makes it back home in one piece. Little ass, smart ass, dumb ass! Hahahahaha.
Terry watched Dokken go. At one time, his faithful companion would have been in his own suit and at the colonel’s side, but that wasn’t his job anymore. He needed to be Cory’s companion, and take care of her because Cory’s husband, Ramses, was gone. It was a huge void, and the dog filled it as well as he could. Terry was glad.
When the warriors were suited up, Kimber directed one platoon to the side while Terry led the other platoon to the open bay door.
Chapter Six
“Smedley, make sure the hangar bay is clear and prepare to decompress. First squad, take the left, second, to the right, and third on high. Form a triangle through which a shuttle will pass. Keep your eyes outboard, ladies and gentlemen. You’re looking for something that is trying to hide, so anything that seems odd needs to be reported.”
The squads affirmed their orders and waited.
“Hangar bay is secure. Prepare to decompress,” Smedley reported before starting a ten-second countdown. The shimmer disappeared right after the air was sucked into storage for use later to restore the atmosphere.
Artificial gravity disappeared with the forcefield. The warriors remained attached to the deck. With a hand-and-arm signal, a tomahawk chop to point the direction, First Squad launched out to Terry’s left. Second Squad jetted to the right, and Third Squad shot toward the ceiling before reorienting and heading into space to secure the top of Terry’s triangle.
The warriors moved into position and began their visual search.
Kimber’s platoon zoomed out the door and broke into teams of two, spreading into a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree pattern. The hangar bay entry was at the front of the heavily modified destroyer, so she needed her people to head out before circling back to overfly the hull, looking for that which did not belong.
Once they disappeared, Terry activated his jets and slowly spun as he flew toward the station’s open hangar bay. Its forcefield would remain in place but still allow the transit of a mech and a shuttle Pod. The War Axe could have done that, but it was easier for his people to get in and out of an unpressurized zero-gee space.
“Cap, have someone keep an eye on the hangar bay entrance. Let’s make sure our friend out there doesn’t get the idea to sneak in, just in case they truly are invisible.”
“On it, Colonel,” Sergeant Capples replied before relaying the order to the last warrior of Second Squad, who moved back into the hangar bay and secured himself to the deck to maintain a vigil over the entrance. “Eldis is linked in with Smedley as a redundant measure.”
“Roger,” TH confirmed before continuing toward the station. He adjusted his orientation to fly through the opening feet-first and head up, landing heavily as the gravity sucked him down to the deck. He strolled to the Pod that was loading. Ted was aggravated, wildly swinging his arms and mumbling. Felicity was trying to calm him down.
“We’ve got beer on the ship,” Terry interjected at nearly maximum volume. The workers returned to what they were doing, and Ted threw his arms up in frustration.
“Beer?” Ted asked.
“What matters is getting you over there, where you’ll be safer and able to help us find the enemy ship.”
“What enemy ship? Maybe I should use Ramses’ Pride instead,” Te
d turned away.
“We could use an additional asset. Bring it over. We’ll park it in the hangar bay.”
Ted ignored him.
Felicity answered. “It’s currently broken.”
“Ted’s ship is broken? How did that happen?” In the back of his mind, Terry was pleased since it kept Ted as a captive audience on board the War Axe.
“You don’t want to know,” Felicity dodged.
Yes, I really do want to know, Terry thought, but he didn’t verbalize it. They needed to get going. An enemy ship was out there somewhere, and as long as he was jaw-jacking, the enemy was the only one doing the hunting. The colonel preferred action to reaction. “Let’s go, people. We have a job to do, and it isn’t getting done while we’re over here.”
“The large combat vessel is indisposed,” the weapons specialist stated with a dark smile, pointing at the War Axe as it assumed a nose-first position nearly touching the station.
“If we attack that ship, a catastrophic explosion would probably destroy the station.” The commander scratched his jaw with one hand while he rubbed the other two together.
“They have people outside the ship. We could be spotted.”
An enhanced image showed the mech-suited warriors drifting over the hull.
“It was a good thought while it lasted,” the commander conceded. “Prepare to execute the original plan. Pilot, take us to Attack Point Angelor. Weapons, prepare to launch the first two mines and energize the plasma driver.”
“Two of the mines will hit ships here and here, and we’ll fire on a ship here.” The weapons specialist pointed to three disparate targets, vessels that were separated far enough to give the impression of multiple attacking ships.
“Underway,” the pilot reported.
The weapons specialist assumed his tactical station and immediately checked on the status of the mine reconfiguration. Not all the mines were upgraded with magnetic grapples. It would take another day to get the last ten finished once combat began since the engineers would be pulled away to other duties. He snarled at the report and shook his head to clear it. He had another battle to fight, and every shot had to count.
“Attack Point Angelor,” the pilot announced.
“Launching weapon number one,” the weapons specialist stated. The calculations for launch angle and speed had been taken into account, and a small pack was on board to fire, slowing the mine before it impacted the enemy ship’s hull.
The first mine sailed toward the target, a cold destroyer-class ship just like the second mine target. The third would be a battleship that was powered-up and active.
The Traxinstall would take that one on directly. Five shots, and then reengage the shield. The plasma weapon and the shield also couldn’t be used at the same time. The specialist wondered if the aliens had better power sources. They could use those as well as the Gate.
This place was like a toy store for adults. So much worth taking. The weapons specialist changed the trajectory on the second weapon to disable the destroyer. After the fleet fled in terror and the station was eliminated, they could return to a few wounded vessels and take what they wanted. Yes. That was the revised plan. His “incompetence” would be rewarded with riches beyond compare.
Until then, it would be his secret.
“Launching the second weapon,” the specialist stated, and the mine proceeded exactly on its adjusted trajectory. The Traxinstall remained shielded. It would expose itself to the aliens at the right time, when the plasma attack began.
“Got you!” Merrit’s face brightened as a critical piece from the destroyed frigate floated into the cargo space of the small shuttle. He secured the hatch, repressurized the interior, and headed into the back.
Shonna was in before him, working the piece carefully while letting the scanning systems do their job. It only took a few moments before Dionysus was able to deliver the result. “It’s heavily irradiated from what is undoubtedly a miniaturized nuclear device.”
“A nuke went off in our shipyard, and no one could tell until we pulled this piece in?” Merrit stared in disbelief. “That’s bullshit. We have to have better sensors than that.”
“The explosion occurred too close to the engine’s energy system, which, when blown up, looks nearly identical. Nearly.”
“You can tell this wasn’t the engine?” Shonna clarified.
“It is not from the engine. This piece was irradiated in space as it was blown inward. In human parlance, you are holding the smoking gun.”
“Get on the hook and let everyone know,” Merrit ordered.
An explosion nearby sent a piece from another ship bouncing off the Pod’s hull. Shonna and Merrit rushed back into the cockpit and studied the screen. A destroyer had been ripped apart. It was no longer recognizable, but not pulverized like the frigate had been.
The light of a mini-sun flashed from the other side, and another destroyer fractured into pieces, secondary explosions bright, until the oxygen burned off and darkness returned.
Above them, a ship materialized where they had just seen stars. A massive plasma cannon running along the lower hull erupted and sent a glowing energy ball toward a Harborian battleship. Then another and another. The barrel started to superheat.
They watched in fascination until the fifth shot, then the ship started to disappear, turning before it was invisible. Merrit slammed the engine to full and raced toward the spot where the ship had last been seen.
“Impact imminent,” Dionysus stated clinically.
The Pod slammed into something they couldn’t see, slewing sideways after impact and drifting with the loss of power. Somewhere behind the werewolves, atmosphere whistled as it escaped through a rupture in the hull.
“Terry Henry, Dionysus just reported that the Harborian ship was destroyed by a tactical nuclear device,” Micky transmitted to Terry’s armored suit.
“Get on your fucking horse and let’s go!” Terry roared at Ted as he continued to delay. With care, Terry picked Ted up and tossed him through the open hatch. “Secure it and get to the War Axe right fucking now!”
TH pushed the shuttle as if that would hurry things along.
“I have it, Colonel. Please stand clear,” Smedley remarked. The small ship lifted off the deck, rotated, and shot straight through the opening like a bullet being fired. In a matter of seconds, it pulled up and hovered, waiting for the Bad Company warriors to return.
“Return to the War Axe. All hands. Double-time!” Terry broadcast as he ran toward the hangar bay opening. He dove through like Superman and ignited his jets to accelerate toward his ship. “Bring it in, people.”
The mini-supernovas coming from the shipyard told him everything he needed to know. He saw a strange spot of light that soon after fired plasma beams at another spot. It disappeared, and the darkness returned.
“Replay that,” Terry ordered his suit. “And magnify.”
A tiny ship appeared at the extreme edge of the ship’s optical capture. It was a third the size of the Harborian battleship upon which it fired, making it about half the size of the War Axe, and it had already killed three ships. The battleship didn’t explode, but each plasma discharge was a direct hit. Without active gravitic shields, the damage would have been nearly catastrophic. The ship hadn’t exploded, but it was probably dead.
He touched down inside the destroyer’s hangar bay, his vision of the shipyard now blocked. All he could see was the great expanse of Keeg Station, a massive and vulnerable target.
“Felicity, you better move your people away from the outer hull. Shelter behind secondary bulkheads while we go kill this bastard. You won’t be safe until he’s dead.”
“I understand,” Felicity replied into a portable comm device. She sounded like she was running.
“Micky, my people are still outside the ship. As soon as they’re back inside, button us up and establish an erratic course between the enemy and the station. We have to stay here and protect the station, as much as I want to hunt
that bastard down.”
“Will do, Colonel,” the skipper replied with unnecessary formality. Keeg Station was a Bad Company asset, and when it came to the Dren Cluster, Colonel Terry Henry Walton was in command.
“And get the Harborian fleet moving. Those with gravitic shields, activate them and charge weapons. Shoot to kill.” Terry switched channels. “Come on Kimber, pick up the pace. We have a battle to win.”
“Almost there,” she replied. As if to put an exclamation point on it, two suits arced from overhead at full acceleration until they were aimed at the hangar bay.
“Squad leaders, report.”
A series of “all present” replies came through, along with two reports from platoon commanders that verified all warriors were accounted for. The last two mechs through were Kimber and Auburn.
“Secure the hangar, Smedley.” Terry Henry’s weight settled as gravity quickly returned, and he released his boots’ magnetic clamps. The forcefield shimmered into place, and air rushed back into the space. A light by the hatch leading into the ship started flashing red, then green, followed by burning a solid green.
Ted’s shuttle settled, and he stormed out when the hatch opened.
“Stow it!” Terry growled. “We’re under fire. If you want to save Felicity’s life, you need to figure out a way to find this bastard.”
“Felicity?” Ted’s face screwed up with confusion. “I just left her without saying goodbye because of you.”
“She’s fine for now, but we’re under attack. The station is the most vulnerable target, even with moving to the spindle core.”
“Yes,” Ted replied, relaxing. “They’ll be safer there. I’ll be in Combat Information. Tell them to bring my stuff.”
Ted waved a hand indiscriminately toward the suited warriors.
“Third Squad. Ditch your suits right here and carry Ted’s stuff to him. If we want to win, that man will give us an edge. Kimber, take charge of the mechs and keep them rotating through ready status. We won’t get any warning if we need to take an in extremis action. I’ll be on the bridge.”
Destroyer Page 5
