Star Cadets - Soldiers of the Future 3

by Todd Mcleod

  STAR CADETS:

  SOLDIERS OF THE FUTURE

  * * *

  EPISODE 3

  By Todd McLeod & M G. Thomas

  Copyright © 2018 Todd McLeod & Michael G. Thomas

  Published by Swordworks Books

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  Chapter One

  On the edge of the system Kroni IV a small scout vessel moved through the stars. Lieutenant Rowe entered the bridge, nodding to Samson at the con and Reeson standing over her with his arms behind his back. This gesture usually meant he was deep in thought and still regarding something. Rowe walked over and switched places at the con as Samson went over to her usual station of ops. The ship was moving quickly in space, and Rowe went over the coordinates and travel to orient herself.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Things are kind of complicated,” Reeson commented, “There have been complaints with signals to this sector. The tech guys want us to think it’s nothing more than echo interference from the sun in the nearby system, but we’ve been having issues getting signals out.”

  “Is there something blocking them? According to my console there’s still a lot of data coming in.”

  “That’s the curious part. We’re getting a lot of signals, but it’s the same things again and again. It’s like it is somehow recycling. I have given orders we are to head to Kroni to check it out.”

  “It might be nothing more than the interference they’re telling us it is.” Rowe commented, “Though it seems strange. It’s like we’re getting all sorts of stuff from them again and again, but none of them are current responses.”

  “That’s what I was thinking.” Reeson said, “Hence why we should check it out.”

  “We have received a signal,” Samson replied, “Something live and current. I think it's a distress call.”

  “Think?” Rowe asked in curiosity, “Aren't distress signals usually pretty cut and dried?”

  “We’re barely receiving the signal at all,” Reeson added, looking over Samson’s shoulder, “It seems to be coming from a debris field, and it’s getting cut off. However, the frequency and the recycling likely mean it’s a distress signal. It’s definitely too weak to reach deep space rescue. I’m considering diverting course to check it out, but I want a second opinion.”

  “We are going to help, right?” Samson asked, “Is it not the duty of space vessels to respond to distress calls of other vessels?”

  “Duty, perhaps, but in no way a regulation. It is ultimately up to the command of the ship to determine if it is safe to proceed. We must weigh this ship and crew against those in need.”

  “Let's take a look at the situation.” Rowe went over the controls. The distress signal was coming from the general direction of where the ship was going, and indeed coming from a large debris field, “It is not unreasonable to believe that a ship might come into distress in a place like that. It looks to be a field made from the collision of two massive asteroids, and depending on the composition, it could make both navigation and communication difficult.”

  “But what do you think?” Reeson asked, “Should we go in or not?”

  “I think we should. It’s hard to get signals out of here right now. We might be their only chance.”

  A few moments later the ship slowed to make its careful approach and incursion into the debris field. As anticipated, massive stones of rock and metals floated precariously around, threatening to crush smaller vessels into scrap. Rowe powered up the protective countermeasures and headed slowly into the debris. She piloted the best course through the field, allowing the ship to repel smaller debris while moving around larger ones. It was slow going, but with the piloting skill Rowe had at her disposal, and with the help of her crew, it was easy enough to do it safely. Soon the ship moved towards the coordinates of the crippled vessel and found the small ship floating in space. Rowe pulled it up on the view screen and was surprised to see it dark as well as adrift.

  “Samson, are you picking up anything from the ship? It looks dead in the water to me with no power.”

  “I am getting no signals from the ship. No power, no life signs, nothing.”

  “Can it be part of the debris field?” Reeson asked, “Could we not be able to get any signal?”

  “The signals are getting interference, but we should be getting something,” Samson explained, “There seems to be no power coming from the vessel at all.”

  “Are we too late?” Reeson asked, “Did their systems fail?”

  “Do a hull temperature reading,” Rowe requested, “Even if their power has gone out, the air inside should still be running close to internal ambient.”

  “It's cold,” Samson replied, “As cold as the rocks.”

  “We are about to be attacked!” Rowe said urgently, “This is a decoy vessel, and the signal must have come from another ship.”

  “Bring us about!” Reeson shouted, “Get us out of here!”

  As Rowe manipulated the controls, and the ship began to turn, two vessels emerged from deep in the debris field and began to close in on the ship.

  “Two unidentified craft,” Samson replied, “They’re powering up their weapons. I cannot identify them. They are like nothing we have on record.”

  “Evasive action!” Reeson opened up the weapon controls on his panel, bringing them to bear, “I will buy us as much time as we can. Continue the retreat.”

  Rowe tried to compartmentalise what she had to do. She knew that Samson and the Captain were capable as well as the other crew. But the large ship was at a disadvantage in the debris field, as it needed space to manoeuvre and fight at full capacity. This was literally the best trap the strange attackers could have set, and their smaller vessels were on the ship immediately. Rowe could feel the weapons in the ship powering up and firing, but the small unidentified vessels were well practised in the space terrain. As shots were fired, only small asteroids were hit, adding to the chaos.

  “I can't pinpoint the shots,” Reeson replied, “The targeting computers aren't shooting straight!”

  “Malfunctions from the other gunners, Sir!” Samson confirmed, “No one can get a clear shot!”

  The ship was rocked from a direct hit, causing the bridge to shake and warning lights to come to life one after another.

  “They can hit us!” Reeson responded, “How can they fire so accurately in here?”

  “They had time to compensate their equipment,” Samson offered, “They probably have this all figured out.”

  “Tell all weapons masters to use line of sight telemetry,” Reeson ordered, “We need to get some damage on them.”

  Another explosion shook the ship, a second shot
slamming the hull. The control panel in front of Rowe went red, and the ship lurched violently. In seconds another crash shook the ship, not like the last shot, nearly toppling the bridge crew from their seats.

  “Report!” Reeson demanded, fighting with his controls that seemed unresponsive.

  “The last torpedo knocked us into the debris field,” Samson responded, “Massive damage, we are venting atmosphere. Damage reports flooding in throughout the ship.”

  “Rowe?” Reeson turned around, “Give me some good news.”

  “The engines are down. The hit tore open the drives, and we’re venting fuel. We’re dead in the water.”

  Reeson looked down at his console as if confirming the gravity of the situation. Rowe knew Reeson was never one for rash decisions, and she could see the one forming on his face might be the hardest one he’d ever had to make. He took a deep breath and hit the all quarters emergency intercom.

  “We have to abandon. Signal all hands. We have to abandon ship. I repeat, all hands abandon ship!”

  Chapter Two

  The bunker the group had made it to after the train incident was secure and stocked well. Meant for use as an emergency shelter, it had some supplies, so along with those they brought, it was a place where the remaining Humans could hold out. At least for a while. There were actually a lot less people than anticipated. With all the hardship and the speed which the invasion had taken place, not that many made it out.

  Elvin, Vi, and the others put their gear away and settled in as well as they could. Barely able to think of what to do next, they were summoned to speak to Captain Stevens. They were taken back to an engineering room, two burly guards blocking the door as if guarding something of great importance. Inside the room, Stevens and a pair of scientists had the captured alien scout on a slab and were doing a makeshift autopsy.

  “Normally, there would be some kind of system of rules for not talking about what we are seeing here,” Stevens began, “But since there really is no one to tell, and you shot the damn thing, you get access.”

  “What do we know about it?” Vi asked.

  “Not a hell of a lot. The idea that they are robots or androids is not accurate. There is a biological component inside. But it is not really like a space suit. It’s like the suits are built to them to make them what they are.”

  “Like cyborgs?” Elvin asked, “Biological components for things that cannot be replaced but needed on machine parts.”

  “Precisely.” Stevens looked back to the alien. The suit had been hastily and unceremoniously stripped away, revealing pinkish purple flesh that appeared not to have seen light or air for some time. The being had cords and equipment grafted into the flesh and face, which was vaguely humanlike with a massive lower jaw fixed to some manner of respirator, “This is a foot soldier, trained and built for its singular tasks. Think of it like a worker ant, powerful but dumb, and set to do one thing very well. This thing was meant to get in, get info on us, and get out.”

  “So, we can imagine that the others are much more complex?” Elvin suggested, “The one Vi and I fought in the outpost was much more formidable, capable of adaptive combat techniques and other tactics. This one was predictable and easy to defeat.”

  “Just because they’re different from us doesn’t mean their military is not like ours. Infantry has different capabilities than rangers and specialised troops. The main difference is it seems their troops are all made primarily for war. With how this one is put together, I cannot imagine he’s had much of a life outside of war. They go out, fight, and that is their existence.”

  “But what is it they want, Captain? Why have they come here?”

  “We don’t know, Brendan. As you know we’ve been unable to get them to respond to any of our attempts at communication. They have the cognitive complexity and means to understand us, so all we can assume is that they don’t want to. They know they’re here to take from us and are not prepared to stop it. This is likely as simple as conquest. This race is an evolutionary chain of war and conquest for the most inhospitable adventure of all, space. They likely have been doing this for some time and like a hunter, set on target and unprepared to let anything stand in their way. We cannot reason with them, and we cannot fight them. All we can do is focus on survival. There might be other survivors, and we’ll wait for them to find a way to contact us.”

  “Is there nothing else that we can do?” Vi asked, “We have a lot of soldiers here, cadets and otherwise. There has to be a way forward.”

  “We have to worry about survival over all else. That’s what we need to focus on.”

  “I understand that. We’ve been going from one fight to the next, staying one step ahead of attackers that are trying to utterly destroy us. However, there is nothing to be gained from only defence. We need to at least think about going on the offensive.”

  “I will consider that when the time comes. In the meantime, sit tight and do what needs to be done. Dismissed.”

  Chapter Three

  The next few days were tense and filled with inactivity. Technically, there was not much to do, but with the threat of the aliens hanging over them, no one could take it easy. A myriad of scouts were coming to the area, as if they knew the Humans were hiding somewhere in the mountain chains; they just couldn’t figure out how to get in. The group was drilled on how to retreat further into the mountains, and given the lack of things to do, even the drills were welcomed. At least they were somewhat exciting.

  Elvin went over his gear as someone came up and stood over him. He looked up to see a tall man, not much older than him, but with a full soldier’s uniform. He tried to ignore the man as he said nothing, but it seemed he was waiting for Elvin’s attention and wasn’t going to move on until he got it. Elvin sighed. “Can I help you?”

  “Can I help you, SIR! A cadet must address a full soldier with respect.”

  “Passive aggressiveness is unbecoming of a soldier, SIR!” Elvin replied.

  “You seem to think you are some kind of hero. But we know you’re still a wet behind the ears cadet.”

  “You’re right.” Elvin stood up and faced the soldier, “I am JUST a cadet that led a group of survivors to the train after taking out a bunch of enemy combatants. As a cadet, I defended the train and helped get us here. I am not a full soldier, and I did those things. But you are a full soldier and have done nothing like that. What is your excuse, SIR?”

  The soldier grabbed Elvin by the collar with both hands. “You wipe that self-satisfied look off your goddamned face.”

  “Is that an order, Sir? Because if you order me to lie to you, and pretend you have done anything, I will be happy to.”

  “Listen, you little shit. I don’t like you, and I want to teach you your place.”

  “If we are to fight, I am not calling you sir.”

  “We’ve got a little combat arena set up in Storage Five,” the soldier growled, “0400, come and prove to me you’re as good as your reputation. If you can.”

  “I’ll be there,” Elvin replied with a grin.

  In the morning, Elvin and Vi waited as people gathered outside of the storage room. Vi looked like she was not so keen on the idea. “You’re going to fight this guy, then?”

  “Why not? We used to duel all the time.”

  Vi sighed. “Yeah, but that was in peace time and amongst friends. I’m pretty sure this guy wants to hurt you.”

  “Good,” Elvin replied as the door opened up to let people in, “I’ve got a lot of frustration to work out.”

  Inside the storage bay was set up to make room for the fights and the spectators. Boxes had been arranged in a circle to make a makeshift spectator stand, and already dozens of soldiers and cadets had gathered. Elvin and Vi were surprised not just how many cadets, younger soldiers, and civilians there were, but also higher-ranking soldiers. Elvin gave a look to Vi before heading onto the makeshift pitch.

  A cheer came up from high above as a young soldier stood to do some fight announcing.
Elvin could not help but be impressed in these haphazard times that someone had that level of showmanship.

  “Many of you have wondered about the brave cadet that seems to be rising through the ranks of glory. Well wonder no more, as our undefeated champion of six wins will put him to the test. The cadet will be fighting the unstoppable Dutch!”

  The crowd cheered again as the brash young soldier entered. His eyes were deadly serious, and he looked like he was ready for blood. He drew a massive energy glaive from his back. The blade lit up and seemed to dance around the edge. Elvin knew it was on a low mode, but it would still hurt if hit and cut.

  “Will the plucky cadet win his first match?” the impromptu announcer asked, his tone clearly trying to excite the audience, “Or will he be yet another win for Dutch?”

  Elvin didn’t have time to think, no time to debate. Once the announcer stopped talking, the large soldier charged toward him, readying his glaive for combat. Elvin brought up his swords, readying to defend herself. Dutch charged forward, slashing and spinning his glaive in spinning arcs, each strong enough to end the fight as soon as it began. Elvin was not just a plucky cadet, he was a great warrior, and though he didn’t have a real rank, he knew how to fight. He aggressively parried the blows, knocking back the spear with every turn. The attacks were faster than he’d anticipated, and the strikes against his blades rang loudly. However, he felt strong, in fact stronger than he had ever felt before. He was frustrated and angry about the invasion, and his anger made him stronger.

  “I know what you’re thinking, folks,” the announcer called out, “How could a simple cadet match the strength of a decorated soldier?”

  Elvin wished the announcer would shut up. One of Dutch’s strikes got past his guard, sending painful energy into his bicep and shoulder. He staggered back, trying to get some distance to assess his tactics. It was a light hit, and it would fade soon. He could still fight, but not afford to be that careless again.