Ki’Ra turned his head towards the massive hologram, where an image of the Guardian hovered in the air, frozen in the moment of his attack.
“As for this warrior, this Guardian, he and the other organics will soon find we are more than prepared to purge them all.”
Location: Aboard the Atlantis, at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean
All around Syvon, alarms blared and screens flashed with alerts. As their tour of Atlantis had carried on, he, Lieutenant Commander Stone, and Vice President Hunter had eventually ended up in the ship’s bridge. The area was shaped like an arrowhead, pointed towards the front but was so massive it made the Thunderfox’s bridge look like a storage closet. Two massive screens were held up by supports that were bolted on both sides, displaying the status of the ship, with three additional screens along each of the curved walls that lead to the front point of the bridge.
Two curved rows of console stations were lined side by side, overflowing with officers scrambling to handle the panic. In the front center of the ship was the command chair, flanked by a chair on either side where Stone and Syvon were sitting.
“What’s going on, Chief Allen?” Hunter demanded as he leapt from his command chair.
“There’s been a breach in the docking ramp, sir,” Chief Derek Allen responded from a separate console to the right of the command chair. “From the reports that are being sent in…”
He paused as he examined his screen and then snapped his head up.
“Sir! The Ribiyar are boarding the Atlantis!”
“What?” Syvon asked, glancing at Stone, who shot from his seat in one of the command chairs, retrieving his weapons from a Secret Service and as he instinctively glanced around for threats. “How did they get so close without us seeing them?”
“We’re in a dome buried under solid rock, and it’s not like we’re one-hundred percent up and running,” Hunter responded. “It’s not like it’d be too hard.”
“Sir, they’re spreading out, approaching through multiple routes. They’ll soon reach cargo bay two, the main library, and med-bay five.”
“Send a patrol to each location at once,” Hunter ordered. “Especially med-bay five. Make sure Chief Lexton is escorted to safety.”
“Our Chief Lexton?” Syvon asked. “Sir, why would she be in a medical bay?”
“Because a cooling valve exploded next to her,” Hunter managed to get out as he continued send out a stream of orders to Allen and the other officers. “She was getting treatment for her injuries.”
“And you didn’t tell us, all this time?” Stone demanded. “Why?”
“Because it would have been a distraction,” Hunter snapped and shot him a look. “This is a war for survival we’re in, Stone, and we can’t let one person’s wellbeing derail us from the protection of every other soul on this ship.” He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. “She recovered from her injuries, and she’s fine. But right now, we need to make sure we keep it that way.”
“Go find her, Stone,” Syvon ordered. “I’ll help manage things up here.”
“Right away, sir,” Stone replied, ensuring that his rifle and archery equipment was securely attached to his back before running toward Lexton's location.
Hold on, chief. Help is coming for you.
“What do you mean they’ve found us?” Chief Lexton demanded, almost yelling.
Elijah took little notice of as he quickly glanced through the all-hands alert on the screen in front of him.
“What I mean is that the Ribiyar have somehow found the outer storage dock, likely where your ship first found us, and are advancing through the boarding tunnels. It looks like there’s about … forty or so of them.” Elijah glanced at the chief. “Wouldn't your ship have intercepted their fighters before they got here?”
She shook her head. “After the other officers and I were escorted aboard, they had the ship moved into the larger hanger with the Atlantis.”
Those idiots! Elijah shouted inside his head. How could Vice President Hunter leave us all so exposed?
He forced himself to take a deep breath. He couldn’t let his short temper affect his cool, not now. At least the main hanger had proved more hidden then the sub-port had. A fighter-attack in there could prove lethal for the uncompleted vessel.
Just then, the door to the infirmary opened and a group of dark-grey uniformed officers rushed in. They all carried bulky laser rifles on their back or their hands.
“Chief Lexton,” the lead soldier, face enclosed in a combat helmet, barked, “we’ve been ordered to escort you to a safe room. Acting President Hunter wants to keep you safe while you continue to work on the Atlantis’s equipment.”
Always looking out for everyone’s best interest, Elijah grumbled inwardly. “Be careful. She’s barely had much time to recover from surgery, you’re not going to be at your best.”
Lexton nodded and turned to the soldier. “Can’t I just use the railway system Harmonds and the others put me and to take me here?”
The soldier shook his head. “Considering the advanced nature of these aliens, we don’t want to risk the rails getting hacked and you diverted towards them like cattle to a slaughterhouse. Our best bet is to get you out of here on foot.”
“I understand.” But after taking a few pained steps, she glanced back at the door in the side of the room. “What about the president? Shouldn’t he be brought somewhere else as well?”
“I assure you, that room is quite secure,” the lead soldier answered. “There are two Secret Service operatives guarding him in the room at all times. And his current medical condition prevents us from easily moving him, so it’s best to keep him safe in here. Worse case, we’ll find a way to get him to safety. Doctor, where are the rest of your staff?”
“They’re either at other med-bays or had been assigned to another temporary task on the ship,” Elijah responded. “And with how close this place is to the boarding hatch, I doubt anyone’s going to risk coming here to get help.”
The officer nodded in agreement. “I agree, doctor. Gather whatever supplies you’ll need and get to another med-bay asap. Let the computer secure the door once you’re out.”
Gently but firmly, the officer placed a hand on the chief’s shoulder and led her out of the room.
The other officers hurriedly followed and the door briskly shut after their departure, leaving Elijah alone in the med-bay. Moving quickly, he grabbed a white back-pack off the wall and began throwing medicines and tools into it. Though each med-bay was equipped with the same supplies, he didn’t like being unprepared and knew he would need it if he found anyone injured on the way.
I still wish I could do more, Elijah thought to himself.
He never felt comfortable that, as he was safely tucked away and tending to people’s needs, others were risking their lives and dying in action. He didn’t deny that his work was important and his Hippocratic Oath, along with the refusal to end someone’s life, left him unwilling to ever pick up a gun. Though it gave him a clear path, it also forced him to continue his work as a sense of discomfort preyed on him.
Hastily finishing his packing, he grabbed his bag, but as he was about to sling it on his back, a sharp pain erupted in his chest.
Crying out, the bag fell from his hands and he dropped to one knee. What he felt didn’t match anything he had ever seen, experienced, or researched in the medical field. It was like a spear had been thrust into his heart and draining all the energy from him. Adding to the pain, he felt continuous waves of fury-like anger wash over him, like a balloon being quickly overfilled with air.
His vision clouded with a hazy crimson color and he couldn’t hold his grip on consciousness any longer.
Falling to the floor, the world went black.
Chapter 19
Date: July 15, 2132
Location: Southern Africa, near a Ribiyar storage base
“There she is,�
�� Jack said as he pointed ahead at the Ribiyar base, glimmering in the sunlight.
Jack, Colonel Brown, Agents Law, Carton, and Henderson laid or knelt on a small ridge surrounded by trees, providing them with a secluded look out point. Ensuring they remained unnoticed, Law and the other agents had modified their stealth equipment to shield their presence from alien scanners.
Heavily surrounded by trees, the Ribiyar base was crescent-shaped and several stories tall. Smaller towers on the roof and surrounding the building accommodated small landing pads for fighter craft. There were no visible weapon emplacements, but Jack doubted the aliens would be easy pickings. He felt Blitz’s soft fur against his side as the cat laid next to him, keeping a protective watch on his master and taking his own lay of the land.
After a few minutes, Colonel Brown put his binoculars down.
“Okay, here’s the game plan. Jack, you, Law, and that cat of yours will be in charge of retrieving the material from the compound on the western side. If the worst happens and you’re overwhelmed, Law can summon her Gladiator to get you out of there in a hurry. The rest of the team and I will engage the Ribiyar in the front. We won’t be able to hold them for long, so don’t take the scenic route. Agent Law, tell your people to take out any Ribiyar on the other side of the base. With their stealth equipment, they should be able to get a good jump on ’em and get the upper hand. Any questions?”
Everyone shook their heads.
Brown grinned. “Well then, let’s go steal us some nuclear fuel.”
It's a crazy plan, Victor thought to himself. Insane. And yet the idea that had popped in my head is even crazier. But Brown gave me the go-ahead. Victor grinned. If he thought it was crazy enough to get me killed, he’s about to be proven wrong.
The jungle whooshed by Victor, clad in his Dark Serpent armor, as he flew through a barely worn path. If he had been driving a car, even his skills wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the terrain. But this ride was anything but a car.
He finally reached the end of the vegetation in the jungle, and Luna, with Victor cloaked in his Serpent armor and hanging on for dear life, broke into the clearing. They encountered a small cluster of Ribiyar immediately and cut them down with a quick shot from the massive tiger’s laser beam. Luna continued to charge forward, quickly approaching the alien base.
Slowing down, he saw a large cluster of Ribiyar beginning to surround them. Their weapon fire began to compromise his stealth field and punched holes in both his and Luna’s armor. A growing rumble behind him, he looked back and saw several Enforcer Pods rolling straight toward them. Luna saw them coming as well and didn’t even flinch and roared defiantly.
Knowing this was the calling-card for her ultimate weapon, Victor prepared himself for battle. Sliding off Luna, he rolled once when he hit the ground and jumped to his feet. Decloaking, he grabbed the Phantom Blade and clicked the second button on the sleek weapon. The handle sparked as tendrils of energy shot from the small wings on the sides of it and coalesced into a large energy blade.
“You want some of this?!” Victor shouted.
Without waiting for a reply, he swung widely, and numerous Ribiyar fell in half all around him. The rapid movement made his side flare up in pain, nowhere near healed, but the thrill and power overwhelmed it all. As the remains of the machines tumbled around him, Victor clenched his hands over his ears and smashed the button for his helmet’s sound buffer.
Luna fired her railgun and obliterated the Enforcer Pod in the middle of the cluster, debris flying out and damaging the other Ribiyar forces around it.
More Ribiyar emerged from the base, but they were shot down as the rest of Victor’s team finally arrived. The E.V.A.N. Trigger charged ahead of them, taking down whatever moved, as Longshot sniped others from a hidden position in the jungle. The rest of the team regrouped in the wreckage of the Enforcer Pods, giving them some semblance of cover.
“I hate to admit it,” Colonel Brown said over the team’s radio channel, “but that deluded plan of yours actually worked perfectly. Good job, Davidson.”
“Happy to be of help,” Victor said as he flashed a two-fingered salute.
He heard the whine of engines and Ribiyar fighters began taking off from the other side of the base. Luna fired a barrage of lasers in the sky, bringing down several of them.
One of the fighters spiraled downwards rapidly. It landed dangerously close to Victor and showered him in a hail of dirt.
I sure hope you’ve made it in by now Vade, Victor thought impatiently. The team wasn’t going to last long against this much firepower, no matter how much skill I have.
On the other side of the battlefield, Agent Carton slowly advanced toward the Ribiyar base, hidden by his suit’s stealth equipment. Though he couldn’t see them, he knew that his team was also approaching the aliens. Their radios were disconnected for stealth, but he wasn’t worried. They all knew what they needed to do.
Creeping slowly, he was in shooting range of a soldier near the base. Carton closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. As planned, Agent Henderson decloaked a little bit ahead of him and took aim at the Ribiyar.
Show time. He silently decloaked, his vision blurred as the stealth field melted away, and he readied his weapon.
He fired and three bullets shot out noiselessly.
His bullets hit the upper center of Henderson’s back, and the younger soldier slowly lost his grip on his weapon before collapsing to the ground.
Sorry, kid, Carton offered to his fallen team member. But you’re not part of the plan.
Right as he lowered his weapon, he was slammed into the damp dirt, the impact jarring his helmet off his face. A Ribiyar clad in black armor stepped out of the shadows, aiming its rifle at him.
Not as effective as my own armor, Carton stubbornly pointed out. But it had obviously done its job.
“You never stood a chance to defeat us, organic,” the Ribiyar said as it approached. The weapon barrel glowed orange as it hummed louder and louder.
“Wait,” Carton said as he threw his hands in the air in surrender. “I’m not here to fight. In fact, I’ve come to talk.” Carton pointed. “See? He was about to take out some of your warriors. I killed him before he could.”
The weapon had reached full power, but the alien hesitated in firing. His head rotated, taking in the body of the dead agent and turned back to Carton.
“Irrelevant. There is no purpose in trying to delay your termination. Ribiyar do not negotiate with organics.”
Carton allowed himself a small grin as he finally did what he and the rest of his team, had come to do. His eyes watched as the skin on his hands and arms began sectioning off and lifting upwards, clicking into stacked clusters and revealing the mechanical circuitry that lay beneath it. The transition continued up his arms, onto his shoulders, up his neck, and finally on his face. He closed his eyes, relishing the moment, and opened them, his eyes glowing a crimson red.
The Ribiyar froze, taking the time to examine him. Finally, with a metallic echo in his voice, Carton broke the silence.
“Who said anything about being an organic?”
Chapter 20
Date: July 15, 2132
Location: Southern Africa, near a Ribiyar storage base
“This way!” Jack yelled as he and Law rushed through the base.
They did their best to avoid the Ribiyar, but they were heavily perused nonetheless. Blitz, ferocious as ever, did most of the heavy lifting, at times staying behind and engaging the enemy as the other two continued forward. The upside-down, V-shaped corridors were the same as he had seen in other Ribiyar constructions like Freedom Bound, but slightly smaller.
Fortunately, the base wasn’t near as expansive as the Holding Facility, leaving less ground to cover to reach their objective. While there was not nearly as many Ribiyar as he had to take on at Freedom Bound, there were still a good number stationed there.
Though the virus continued to eat at him, Jack had been able to reactivate his scanners, giving him and Law the most direct route to the main storage room. They made it to the entrance at the end of the corridor and he went to work on getting it open. He deployed his drone, Recon, from his arm and watched as it latched onto the access panel. Electricity arched off the four small arms on its underside paneling and connected to the mainframe. A series of command codes Jack had retrieved from Freedom Bound were quickly fed into the interface.
Hopefully the codes hadn’t been reset since the Holding Facility’s capture, Jack silently pleaded. If so, it’ll add a lot more precious time than we have.
As Blitz fought further down the corridor, Law and Jack sniped at the Ribiyar who came near. Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he finally heard the door begin to split apart.
As he turned, he saw Recon consumed by a flash of sparks. It fell to the ground, smoked and charred to a crisp.
Good thing I thought to use the drone instead of myself…
“Blitz, Law, move!” Jack shouted.
He ran backwards into the storage room while continuing to fire at the Ribiyar. As the cat and agent ran in, Jack fired his laser cannon in several wide arcs. Cutting the walls and ceiling in a handful of spots, the ceiling collapsed, blocking their pursuers from catching them.
“Good thinking, Vade,” Agent Law said as she glanced at the pile of rubble. She lifted the visor of her helmet to give her eyes a rest from the Head-Up-Display that overlaid her view on the visor. “That should buy us the time we need.”
Blitz rubbed his back against Jack's leg, purring his congratulations.
The laser cannon’s barrel smoking, the weapon lifted into the bottom of his arm as he nodded. “Thank you. Both of you have done amazing as well. Let’s get the uranium and get out of here. That’s not going to hold them for long.”
Galactic Defenders- Perseverance Page 11
