by John Walker
It was enough. Fielding depressed the trigger once, a red puff popping behind the target’s skull before disappearing. The attack suppressed additional attackers, at least for a few moments. Falling back into his own cover, Fielding checked the reports from the other marines, noting they were all uninjured and working through their tasks.
At least we’re coming out of this okay but our opponents can’t be taken lightly. I don’t understand why they won’t work with us.
A beam splashed into his personal shield, blowing through the one-time defense. Fielding engaged his jump pack and headed back toward the Gnosis. He had no idea where the attack came from and didn’t have time to look around. Getting out of the situation was the only real option.
Another shot caught him in the back just before he made touchdown on the hull. It spun him once and he crashed into the Gnosis on his side, bouncing and rolling until he was nearly at the center of the vessel. Only one of the turrets stopped his motion and he didn’t immediately move, trying to gauge if he’d been hurt by the fall.
His jump pack showed online but one of the thrusters had been hit. He ran a diagnostic test on it while crawling to his feet, wincing at a burning pain in his shoulder. Moving it hurt but not so bad to suggest a break. Flexing his muscles several times, he tried to walk off the injuries, heading toward the edge of the ship so he could provide some overwatch support.
A number of explosions popped all around the ship, rockets and grenades he figured. Fighter engines roared in the distance and another low rumble exploded off toward the mercenary ship. Their pilots were on their way back and Fielding adjusted their targets appropriately.
He crouched and peered over the edge, aiming and firing at anything that wasn’t a friendly. Zooming in, he took down two men in rapid bursts then moved to the right to find additional targets. His breath caught in his throat as he saw one of the emplacements aimed in his direction.
Fielding engaged his thrusters but only one of them fired. It tossed him to the right just as they fired their weapon. The molten hot beam cut through his shoulder armor and his body instantly went numb. Dropping to the ground, he didn’t dare to look at what happened. The fighters flew by overhead, firing as they engaged a strafing run.
Another explosion rattled the ship beneath him and someone started shouting over the com. “They’ve seared a panel on the Gnosis! They’re charging in!”
They made it. Fielding cursed but he didn’t have the strength to move. I can’t believe they got lucky.
More shots were fired, shouts and screams filled the air but darkness encroached on Fielding’s vision until unconsciousness fell over him. No matter how hard he fought, he could not remain awake and finally gave in, closing his eyes and letting the sounds of the world fade away.
***
Desmond saw the action on the screen and the ship shook violently when the heavy weapon hit them. The turret fired several times, taking down a variety of enemies but it wasn’t enough to stop them from boarding the ship. He considered leaving the bridge right away and joining the others in the fight but he remained in his seat, contemplating their next move.
“Captain, I have twenty combatants onboard,” Salina said. “Security personnel is ready to engage and the marines have stated they are able to come in and help. The fighters have taken down the mercenary ship and are containing the outside threat. We only have the intruders left at this point.”
“Not to be taken lightly,” Desmond replied. While twenty men didn’t seem like a lot considering all they’d dealt with so far, these attackers were amidst the tight corridors of the Gnosis, their home. They needed to be cautious with how they dealt with the threat. Further damage wasn’t an option. “Engineering and medical … are they well protected?”
“The mainstay of our forces are located in those two sections,” Salina said. “We still have the Tol’An agent running around somewhere as well.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky,” Zach said, “the mercenaries might find him and take him out for us.”
Desmond looked over the schematics of the ship. They’d armed everyone and many were holding down their particular area. The hangar was well protected by the pilots who had not launched and the technicians who didn’t want their hard work stolen or destroyed. Depending on where the mercenaries attacked, they’d encounter some tough opposition.
The Tol’An agent bothered him. How could the man hide so well that they hadn’t discovered him yet? What was he doing? Biding his time? Did he hope to escape with them when they launched then cause some trouble in space? There were too many options to contemplate. At least the mercenaries were attacking like soldiers.
Saboteurs tended to be far more difficult to contend with, especially when they proved to be resourceful like this one.
Fighting broke out in one of the hallways. It appeared that the mercenaries were making their way toward engineering after all. Security forces locked them down temporarily as they exchanged gunfire. Putting it on the screen, Desmond clenched his fist, watching as two Gnosis crew members were injured, possibly killed.
The mercenaries weren’t making it out better. They lost numbers but they continued to press, making reasonable speed toward their destination. The marines were on their way though and that would even things up, if not end the fight for that matter. It all depended on how long they needed to get into the fight.
“Get Fielding on the line,” Desmond said. “I want an update on their position.”
“Lieutenant Fielding is not answering,” Salina replied. “Um … Wow. His life signs are dangerously low.”
“Where is he?” Desmond moved to look at her station and cursed. “We need to get someone up there to help him soon. Can we get an emergency medical team on top of the ship?”
“I’ll work on it now, sir.” Salina began to coordinate the effort.
Desmond engaged his com, patching in to the marine’s com net. “Lieutenant Fielding is down,” he said. “Who is currently in command?”
“Sergeant Gillet, sir. I’m in command if Fielding is out. We’re making our way to the Gnosis now to flank the mercenaries. Do you have alternate orders?”
“Negative,” Desmond said. “I just wanted to get your position.”
“We are boarding now and should be on the enemies within one minute. We’ll coordinate with the rest of the security personnel so we don’t get shot.” Gillet paused. “Looks like we’ve got some bodies at the breach point. There were people near here when the gun tore the hole in the ship.”
Desmond closed his eyes, fighting back a sense of frustration. “Understood. Do what you can to eliminate the threats. Keep us informed on the bridge and we’ll do what we can to support you from here. Captain out.” He turned to Salina. “Are those medics on the way?”
“Yes, sir, I’m coordinating them so they do not encounter any enemies on their way. I don’t want to lead them into danger and have them become casualties themselves.”
“Thank you, let me know when they reach the lieutenant.” Desmond tried to raise Vincent on the com but only received static. They hadn’t heard from that party in some time and he worried they might have failed. Each member of that team might already be dead and if that was the case, then fending off the mercenaries would merely prolong the inevitable.
Desmond forced himself to remain optimistic. Cassie, Vincent and Gil were brilliant. If anyone could get through the facility and turn off that power system, it would be them. They needed more time and a little faith. Considering everything they were contending with, it would be hard to provide both but there wasn’t much choice.
Come on, Vincent. Give us a sign that we’ve still got some players in the game. We need some good news right about now. Desmond turned to the screen and watched as the fighting escalated. Grenades popped in the corridor, driving the security personnel back to avoid the inevitable carnage. We need it more than you know.
***
Ulian stood, hands clasped behind his back. The unknown
vessel started moving toward them, slow at first but picking up speed. All defense systems showed green and ready for action. Fighters showed online, waiting for deployment orders. If this ship proved to be an enemy, the Stalwart would give it a real fight.
“No response to hails,” Viran said. “Still trying on all frequencies and using the universal codes.” Those were sounds, vibrations and light waves the Pahxin had used in the past to communicate with new life forms. A few times, they were required until the two cultures could agree upon a common tongue.
I do not think this ship is having difficulty understanding us, Ulian thought. I have a bad feeling they’re simply ignoring us. This stinks of an attack pattern. I would not be surprised if they initiate a first strike against us.
“Erda, prepare for evasive maneuvers,” Ulian said. “Morala, get the fighters launched and send out the search and rescue shuttle. Have them fly well away from the potential battle floor. I want them to start looking for the Gnosis. I’m hoping their scans will be sufficient to search the system without scouring the whole thing.”
“Yes, sir.” Morala went about his task, speaking quietly into a microphone.
Ulian narrowed his eyes as the boxy ship continued its approach. He checked the navigation console and noted they were just inside extreme range. If they fired their most powerful weapons, they might score a hit providing their target continued on its present course. It couldn’t possibly be all that maneuverable.
But I won’t assume anything out here. Ulian sat back down. “Do we have a full scan of that thing yet?”
“I’m sorry, sir,” Viran said. “I’m not quite done but the normal procedures aren’t working. The hull is made up of some kind of compound that is deflecting scans. The only thing I’ve picked up for sure is a strong power source somewhere in the middle. If I’m right about that, then it’s one of the most powerful reactors I’ve ever seen.”
“Indeed.” Ulian leaned forward. “Do you feel that would translate to weapon strength or merely their endurance to continue firing for the foreseeable future?”
“I would be speculating either way,” Viran replied. “However, my gut suggests the latter. Surface scan isn’t even showing any visible signs of weaponry.”
“I won’t hold you to it.” Ulian nudged Morala. “Assessment?”
“We should attack,” Morala said. “First strike since they don’t want to talk. We’ve extended a hand and they’re ignoring it.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean violence,” Ulian pointed out. “Though they’ve got some serious power, they may not have range. Their communications could rely on being close up. The humans had a similar problem when they reached out to us, remember?”
“The humans reached out,” Morala replied. “That sets them apart from a strange vessel closing on us without a declared intent.”
“Can we assume it’s violent?” Viran asked. “We might start an incident if we jump to conclusions and start blasting away.”
“He raises an excellent point.” Ulian sighed. “Still, we’ve taken an aggressive action by putting our fighters in the field. I’m not happy about this course of action, nor what I’m about to state, but for now, we hold fire until they start it. Once they do, we’ll hold nothing back. Morala, inform the pilots that they are on standby out there.”
“Yes, sir.” Morala didn’t seem happy. She erred on the side of defense through strong offense in most engagements. During her most recent evaluation, she went through the simulator with quite the trigger finger. The passing grade came from efficiency more than diplomacy. Ulian hoped he might be able to coach her into a more thoughtful approach.
However, in this case, he honestly agreed with her. Ulian’s gut wanted him to attack, to fire first and not risk his ship on the hope that this strange vessel was a friendly. Considering the Gnosis disappeared somewhere in that system, he had good cause to go in guns blazing. He’d also learned to never go with his first instinct when it came to violence.
One could take back many things but a full volley of beam weaponfire tended to set a stage for a long time.
“Still nothing on hail,” Viran said.
They’re going to attack. Ulian shook his head. He knew the signs but he held out for as long as he could, waiting for that moment to come when they pulled the trigger first. We’ll do anything necessary to survive this encounter and complete our mission. I suppose we’ll find out if we’ve met our technological match in a moment.
“They’re raising shields,” Viran announced. “There’s a power build up.”
Morala turned a severe glare to Ulian. “Sir?”
“Erda,” Ulian said, “open fire. Full volley.” I hope they’re not simply opening their window to wave at us.
The screen lit up as a barrage of energy fire blurred away from the Stalwart, connecting with the incoming ship. Each attack connected with the bow of the target, causing the shields to appear in a spectacular blue globe with tiny electrical pulses dancing over the surface. It faded out a moment later and the ship continued its lumbering approach.
“Minor shield damage,” Viran said. “Er … correction, I think. It’s hard to get a solid reading on what I’m seeing. For a moment, it looked like they were down to seventy-percent but now, they’re nearly to ninety … Then it dropped to eighty. This looks like what happens when we recalibrate to bolster a particularly weakened session … only constantly.”
Morala left her station and joined Viran. “I’ve used this tactic in a simulation. It can lessen the effectiveness of beam attacks, essentially granting the defender an advantage. The Ahntha test pits you against overwhelming odds. It worked surprisingly well though it puts a serious burden on the reactor.”
“Unless you have practically unlimited power,” Ulian said. He ran through a number of options, including the use of heavier ordinance against them. The enemy shields needed to be weakened at the very least before attempting a different tactic. “The best offense against this would be to perform a similar exercise with our weapons.”
“Alter their power output?” Morala asked. “As in alternating the intensity of the beams?”
Ulian nodded. “Precisely. At least until we can get a good scan that predicts the pattern they are using. There must be something. Viran, have you detected one yet?”
“Um … my apologies, sir. I wasn’t looking.” Viran cleared his throat. “I’m scanning for that now.”
Ulian smirked at Morala’s scowl. “Now, now. Just because you’ve used the tactic before doesn’t mean you should give him a hard time. Anyway, finding what we’re looking for will be a lot easier when we’re blasting away at them. Did our shuttle get out there for the search and rescue?”
“Yes, sir,” Morala replied. “They are well outside of combat range and should be conducting their scans soon.”
The ship shook, a quick motion that most definitely felt like something struck them. They were moving backward but nothing should’ve been in their way. Ulian checked his own computer rather than wait for a report. They’d been attacked. The enemy fired some kind of nearly invisible beam weapon that jarred their shields.
Defenses held at one-hundred percent. They were testing the waters to see how tough we are. Ulian rubbed his chin. Their next assault will be heavier and include some precision I expect. We need to get that beam attack pattern test down.
Ulian turned to the pilot. “Where are we with alternating attack intensity?”
“I’ve got it now, sir.” Erda tapped his console. “Firing now!”
The ship’s weapons discharged again, a variety of them popping off and slamming into the enemy’s shields. Varying degrees of power tapped into their generators hard but they remained stable, recharging at a reasonable rate. Because they had so many cannons on the Stalwart, they were able to keep up the assault almost indefinitely.
After over fifty shots, the weapons stopped to cool off and give the generators a chance to recharge. Ulian turned to Viran, waiting for his report. Th
e young man worked feverishly, his hands moving so swiftly over the controls. It would be a miracle if he didn’t make any mistakes. When he finally looked up, sweat clung to his brow.
“I think I’ve got a shield pattern,” Viran explained. “I’ve fed it into the targeting computer. If we time it right, we should be able to hit their sections that are at their weakest during the recalibration. I think they started to respond to our attack, anticipating where the more powerful blasts would hit them and ignoring the weaker.”
“Exactly as I hoped,” Ulian said. “Alternate those now, Erda. And ensure that you use the timing mechanism from Viran.”
“I’m picking up an energy reading,” Morala announced. “They’re attacking.”
“Evasive maneuvers,” Ulian ordered, “brace for impact.”
Erda got them moving, a swift motion too much for the inertial dampeners to compensate for. They didn’t fully escape as something clipped their starboard engines, causing a tremor through the hull. Ulian was about to ask for a damage report when he noticed something spilling out of the target.
“Do you see that?” Ulian gestured. “Anyone know what that is?”
“Fighters of some kind,” Viran said, “roughly twenty it looks like. I’m trying to get them on scan but once again, they’re covered by that material. I’m having a hard time compensating to get through.”
“Understood.” Ulian turned to Morala. “Activate the pilots. We don’t need to contend with both blasts from their ship and being harassed at the same time.”
“I’m on it.” Morala made the call while Erda initiated another round of attacks. The new assault seemed to do the trick, causing their shields significant damage. Even with their generators able to move energy to the affected areas, there was only so much a defensive emitter could take before it began to fail.
