by Simon E Bond
"Good; be advised, Stout will be monitoring this broadcast."
"Understood," replied Carter before he pressed the mute button and threw the headset onto the dashboard.
The ships thrusters began to come to life; a blue light flickered within each one followed by bright orange flames. Carter lifted the control stick back slightly and the ship started to hover a few meters above the ground.
"Hanger bay door’s opening; let's take her nice and easy,” said Carter as he increased the throttle.
The ship lurched forward and the nose tilted towards the ground while gaining speed at a steady pace.
"Hold on to your lunch," said Carter.
He then rammed the throttle suddenly to maximum, pinning him and Charlie back into their seats.
Within a split second, they were out in the vastness of deep space and Stout's ship was fading fast behind them in the distance as they increased speed.
"Auto pilot set; all is good,” said Carter as he adjusted the controls with his left hand.
"You are on course to rendezvous with the cargo. ETA, thirty minutes,” advised a voice through the intercom.
Carter knew the drill; he had been on pirate raids countless times. It was what made him one of Stout's best scout pilots but this one was different. Knowing Stout could easily replace him, he had to be on his toes and get it right.
"Thirty minutes? Damn, how fast is this cargo ship going?" asked Charlie.
"Trust me; it’s a slow moving bastard but nothing we can’t handle—speed wise that is," replied Carter.
Their ship continued on its course and moved fast through space; they would reach their target in no time…
The cigar shaped N class cargo ship, HMS Bravo, was over a mile long and was accompanied by one fighter scout flying alongside. The ship was destined for one of the moon bases in the Theros system, home to many trade markets. The crew on-board the N class mainly consisted of military types and standard crew.
It started to slow down and when the booster vapour left a trail the captain on-board said, "Let's take it easy around this sector and be on the watch out for any other vessels; it's a haven for would-be pirates,”
The scout fighter alongside them pulled in closer and was in the captain’s view. He gave a simple salute to the person inside who was flying his first mission in a fighter ship.
"Did you check out his record? Damn rookie assigned; why do they insist on sending rookies?” said the disgruntled co-pilot.
"Hell if I know, but he better be on the ball. What we’re carrying will make someone very rich, replied the captain”.
A blip appeared on the radar on Carter’s ship; they were closing in fast and needed to slow down to retain enough fuel to make it back.
"Okay, we have it locked on target; should be there pretty soon,” said Carter informing Stout.
"If there are any problems, you better take care of it,” Stout replied as he stroked one of his venomous creatures with his steel hand.
"Understood; over and out,” replied Carter.
"Well? Don't just sit there staring; go and get your weapons ready and get belted up next to the ramp bay,” said Carter with impatience.
Charlie unstrapped his seat harness and walked around Carter on his way to the weapon containers.
"Everything I need is here, right?" called Charlie. He thought to himself, “I can't go through with this; I just can't”.
But he knew opting out wasn’t a choice; Stout would trigger the switch and he would be dead.
He loaded up the heavy rifle with a magazine first, then pulled out several other magazines from the container, and secured them in his gear. Two hand guns were remaining which he attached to straps on both his legs.
"You forgot one thing, idiot," said Carter.
Charlie turned around to face him; he did not like his tone.
"Your bullet proof vest. Christ, do I have to spell everything out for you?" said Carter, exasperated.
Charlie bent down and lifted the vest attached near the ramp door; it was light considering what it was made of.
"Best material around, you’ll be able to handle numerous shots if you get hit," said Carter before turning around again to face the controls.
" I don't plan on getting shot,” replied Charlie as he strapped himself back into his seat.
"Shit!" grumbled Carter.
His eyes glanced across the radar screen when he saw two blips instead of one. He knew they had protection with them, more than likely a fighter scout.
"What's wrong?" asked Charlie.
"We got company—it's a fighter scout," he replied.
“We’re still going through with this?" said Charlie.
Carter did not respond as he focused on the radar.
"You have another vessel in your sector; you will need to take it out,” ordered Stout's android.
"I am fully aware of that," Carter said coldly and thought Fucking robot.
Carter decided to change the ships mode to stealth so they would not be visible but the option only had a short window.
"Take out the target,” ordered the android.
Carter could see the cargo ship and the scout fighter come into view; he clicked the stealth switch and powered some of the systems down.
"Engine off, minimum lights,” said Carter when he decided to glide the rest of the way.
The ship’s engines came to a sudden halt as the boosters flared a white flash, emitting nothing.
“Easy does it”, thought Carter as he held the controls steady.
The fighter scout was in his sight so he activated the laser cannon switch. He knew someone inside that craft would meet their death, but it would be quick because they would be incinerated.
"No problems… looks like smooth sailing from here, not a ship in sight,” said the captain at the helm.
Then suddenly a blinding white flash appeared to the side of him and covered his view. His eyes turned to see small fragments and debris floating past his window.
"Sound it!" he shouted.
Quickly pressing the alarm siren, the co-pilot took the controls and made the ship turn to a sharp right.
MAYDAY, MAYDAY, SHIP UNDER ATTACK, ALL PERSONNEL PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR STATIONS the main computer echoed throughout the cargo ship.
The crew in the control room quickly abandoned their standard checks and assumed positions.
"What the hell was that?" said the co-pilot to his captain.
"Not sure, but we need backup fast and radio the nearest convoy ship!" he commanded with a steady voice.
Trying to evade, the ship lurched again to the right but that was the only option the captain had.
Crew rushed around the various levels as red warning lights flashed and alert noises wailed. The cargo containers began to go on lockdown as a first priority because the contents had to be protected no matter what.
"You better be ready for this, Charlie,” said Carter. As he pushed his controls down, the nose of the scout ship started to dip and the speed increased they glided even closer.
Charlie was holding onto a strap above his head; they were traveling so fast that he needed to stabilize himself.
"Jesus, Carter, could you go any faster?" shouted Charlie, the adrenalin pumping around his body.
"Contact in two minutes, arm your guns like I showed you,” said Carter.
Carter was aiming towards a small hanger bay just underneath the belly of the cargo ship; he was traveling fast because he knew they would soon lock the cargo doors.
As they approached the belly of the cargo vessel and began losing speed, he pulled back gently on the throttles and vapour trails started to shoot out of the back of their ship. They were slowly approaching the hanger doors with the landing gear deployed but it wasn’t going to be easy, laser cannon fire started to appear from the entrance. Carter could make out two figures that stood firing at him and Charlie.
“Bastards”, th
ought Carter as he activated the shields.
"Are you crazy? They’re firing at us, let's abort,” said Charlie.
"Too late, dickhead," replied Carter as he started to fire rounds from the left wing. The shots hit the two figures; killing them instantly.
“Nice shot”, Carter thought, to himself.
They entered the hanger doors that led into the cargo bay area and the ships landing pads touched down onto the floor.
"Move it! Stay with me,” shouted Carter. He hit the controls in front of him, the door opened, and the ramp crashed to the ground.
The two of them made a quick break for it and as they did, they passed the burning bodies of two guards that Carter had killed.
The smell of burning flesh was all too much for Charlie as he ran to keep up with the pace. They had to take cover fast, other guards would come looking for them. Crouching down, they both hid out of sight behind some cargo containers to buy them some time.
"Stay quiet; we don't want our position to be given away,” whispered Carter.
Charlie started to listen to his orders with a new respect; he knew any failure would more likely see the both of them killed or subjected to another of Stout's horrors.
Unzipping the pack attached to his back, Carter pulled out a piece of sensor equipment and quickly activated it. The screen looked like everything had been pre-programmed and displayed a map of the whole of the ship.
"This is what we need, the main cargo bay. It’s three floors down,” said Carter as he ran his fingers across the screen.
"The only way we can get to it undetected would be to go through the ships main engine room."
Charlie glanced at the screen with him and wondered if it was a sensible option. They would soon find out…
Chapter Eight
The lockdown had already started in the main cargo area and steel barriers started to click into place. Each container contained rare diamonds and gold; their destination marked with various drop off points that would soon change.
Lorna stood at a control panel finishing the shutdown procedure; she had taken up the post of a guard a few months prior and fit the role well.
She was a slim brunette, and fell victim to the usual butt of sexist jokes among the males in her brigade. But she was tough and could easily hold her own if she needed to. Earth was once her home but, just like Charlie, she had managed to escape the hostile environment that it had become.
"We have no time; we need this space sealed shut within in the next few minutes. Have the company get their gear and saddle up,” shouted the sergeant over the ships alarms ringing out all around.
"Yes, Sergeant, closing down now,” replied Lorna as the final barrier protecting the cargo locked into place.
She quickly reached for her protective armour along with a gun and ammo belt.
"You keeping up with us?" replied a guard grinning.
"Of course, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she replied.
She placed her helmet on and shut off the controls hurriedly before joining a line of other guards making their way towards an exit.
"Listen up; get into position and guard this load at all costs. Nothing gets through—nothing," shouted the sergeant, barking the order to his guards as they took to their positions.
The blurring sirens had come to an end, much to everyone’s relief.
"You okay?" replied a guard crouching next to Lorna.
She gave thumbs up and started to grab some ammo rounds out from her belt. Locking a magazine into place and chambering a round, her weapon was now armed and ready.
"Keep moving," whispered Carter.
Charlie was panting as he tried to keep up as they ducked and crouch-walked their way past containers. They had not been noticed but already they could hear the sound of footsteps of guards patrolling the area nearby.
"We could be seen at any moment,” said Charlie in a blind panic.
"Well we will be if you don't keep up," replied Carter.
Charlie didn’t say anything and they carried on making their way to the belly of the ship. After a few minutes Carter stopped in his tracks; they had reached a dead end.
"Damn it, we need to find another way,” he said, frustrated.
He moved his fingers across the sensor screen again and, finding no more cover left in their current location, locked onto the air vents as the only option.
"That’s our route,” said Carter.
The two of them made it to a nearby vent where they carefully lifted the grid off of the wall and quietly placed it onto the floor. The number of guards had increased, so they had to act quickly. Carter crawled in the vent first; followed by Charlie who lifted the grid back into place behind them.
"Stay low, and follow my lead,” said Carter.
He activated the much needed light beacon at the end of his weapon—the area in front of them was pitch black.
"These vents are going to get shorter as we make our way towards the bottom,” he said, holding his weapon with one hand and the sensor in the other.
Charlie crawled forward with him, his head just touching the ceiling. Turning around, he could see nothing but darkness and heard the distance voices of guards.
"They appear to be moving in a vent, sir,” said Stout's android.
"Trust Carter, he’s dedicated to my cause,” replied Stout.
"He is, sir. Hopefully the new subject will turn out the same,” replied the android.
Stout once again moved his finger over the button which would end Charlie's life; he was unsure if he wanted to carry on with this task or call it a day. But the sick fantasies that swirled around in Stout's head stopped him and he moved his hand away from the control panel to rest it gently by his side.
Looking in the direction of his android Stout asked, "Are they at risk of being detected?"
"They are but it appears that has diminished somewhat; the air vents should provide adequate cover for them both."
"Shh," whispered Carter and stopped dead in his tracks.
Small skittering sounds at the end of the tunnel had caught his attention.
"What the hell is that?" asked Charlie, switching on his beacon light.
They scanned the area in front of them with their weapons, but nothing showed in the empty space.
The noises started again; rather than confined to one area, it was all around them just meters away.
"What the…?” said Carter.
He shone his light again and when Charlie followed suit, they spotted something. It was a swarm of nanobots that the ship had activated as a self defence system—they would both be dead men in a matter of minutes.
"Bastards! They've activated the shutdown system in self-defence,” said Carter. "We need to move it or there will be nothing left of us."
"Here take this; it could buy us some time,” said Charlie as he removed one of his weapon’s bags from his back.
"You emptied that thing first?" replied Carter.
"Of course I did. Quick, we need to think of something fast”
The nanobots started to move in their direction and the noise created vibrations all around.
"Throw it!" shouted Charlie.
Carter grabbed the bag and threw down the air vent and the bots started to consume the material, each piece dissolving into nothing in the blink of an eye.
"I didn’t want to do this but… Fuck; what choice have we got? Stand back,” shouted Carter.
He aimed the weapon towards the side wall in front of him and pulled the trigger; the sound of gunfire echoed around them. Charlie covered his ears and hid his head in between his knees. The walls were solid and the shots had done enough to penetrate some cracks in the metal wall.
"Get ready we are getting out of here," said Carter as he started to kick his boot into a small opening.
"Come on!" he snarled, frustrated by Charlie’s hesitation.
He turned around and could see that the bots
had nearly consumed the bag and some had started to spill over to make their way towards Charlie and him.
"Nearly there; keep going!" shouted Charlie.
Carter was making progress; large chunks had started to break away from the wall.
"Did you here that?" said Lorna.
"Take it easy, it's your adrenalin pumping; remember, this is your first taste of action,” replied one of the guards.
Certain of what she had just heard, Lorna scanned the area in front with her weapon.
The sound of chatter came through his headset and the sergeant reached his hand towards as he listened to the captain’s reports. He placed his fingers to his lips to quiet the rest of his troops.
"Yes, Sir; understood,” replied the sergeant before turning back to his troops and saying, “We need to split up; the Captain wants a guard assigned to each shipment of cargo in this bay."
Lorna smiled like a kid; she knew she was right and the gunfire had not been her imagination.
"Sergeant?" said Lorna.
"Yes, Private," replied the Sergeant.
"The gunfire I heard, it sounded like it was coming from the vents; should we check it out?" replied Lorna.
"Okay, maybe you're right. Tablo; you and Issac go and check—be cautious, we don’t know who we’re dealing with here,” commanded the sergeant while facing his two men.
"Yes, Sergeant. About time we seen some action,” replied Tablo.
They placed a step ladder on the floor and Tablo opened a vent before turning on his infra-red heat sensor. Immediately, he could see the figures of two men on his equipment.
"Sarge, I would say they are thirty meters down this vent," said Tablo.
"Lock and load; remember, short bursts okay?" replied the sergeant.
The two men nodded and climbed up inside the shaft then switched their beacon lights on.
"Come on, Charlie; what are you fucking around for?" yelled Carter.
Carter was on the other side of the wall away from the bots; Charlie on the other hand, only had half of his body through the opening.
"Arrh, my leg is stuck!" Charlie cried in pain.
"Come on, loosen your clothing. We need to get out of here,” replied Carter.
Charlie's leg was bleeding badly; he had to dislodge his foot quickly. Suddenly, he noticed two figures creeping towards them from the end of the shaft and the bots were spreading fast.
