by Casey Herzog
“Okay team, the Dove is about to make a direct flyby over Europa Station 1.” The voice of Commander Icarus was dark and brooding. Peter could picture the Commander gritting his teeth and flexing his muscles as the made the announcement. “Map coordinates have been uploaded to your system computers, and I want to see a nice, smooth, operation. As soon as we have landed in your designated drop zones, your team leader will be responsible for getting you into the facility. Your primary objective is to get into the station while causing minimal damage to the complex. That means entry by designated air locks. If you have to use cutters or explosives to force entry…” the Commander paused, as if thinking the matter through for himself. “Well, just try to minimize damage, okay.”
Peter snorted, that was some speech. He turned to the Dove’s airlock, which would be opening in the next few moments. His ears pricked up though as he heard Alphred’s voice chime in. “Remember, we have been given permission to use necessary force on this mission, but that does not give us license to run rough shod through the facility. Exercise restraint wherever possible, and do not engage with members of the station unless provoked.”
Peter was glad to hear his commander make the point. Whether the cohort members paid attention was yet to be seen, but the reminder would hopefully go some way to reining in the hot heads. More than a few had worked themselves up into a kind of battle frenzy over the last few days, convincing themselves that the members of Europa Station were fully aligned with the Secessionist cause and in need of punishment.
The view from the shuttle window became completely engulfed in white as the craft banked and began its descent towards the moon’s surface. Peter’s eyes locked on the blocks of dark grey that grew larger and more distinct against the ice sheets. Europa base was a facility of wide extent, with several different sections and complexes built up over large space. Providing food and water for the entire Jovian system was a big job, arguably the most important job considering how long it took for supplies to reach the system from Earth.
As the shuttle circled the facility, Peter thought he could make out his team’s entry point. He had been given the lead on taking the living area of the facility. It was a large grey rectangular complex with great metal shutter doors near the base. This was meant to be Peter’s initial entry point and would bring them in to the facility’s garage. If there was any resistance to be had from the facility’s staff, he guessed that would be where they would make their stand. It put a knot in his stomach to think about it, and he wondered why Alphred had pushed so hard for Peter’s group to take that particular part of the facility.
As the shuttle made its final descent, the computer systems inside Peter’s helmet fired up with new data set and displays. He also noted that a new comms channel had been opened up to his suppression team. He gritted his teeth as the thought of having to lead sunk in. He may have been third in Pluto Cohort’s command, but the position was honorary. He lacked the keen mind Alphred possessed as well as the raw skill of Minerva. What thought process had prompted Alphred to put Peter in this situation? He could only guess. He shelved the question to the back of his mind as the shuttle banked again and began its final descent.
It had been a long time since Peter had put his feet on solid ground. Despite the situation and despite the fact that his feet were hermetically sealed away in his suit, the feeling that rushed through him as he stepped off the shuttle was powerful and made him pause.
“Hey, Gabell, you forget something? Come on, it’s time to move.”
Peter’s senses returned to him as he realised his moment’s reverie was holding up the entire line. He moved aside, quickly, eyes scanning the strange terrain around him. It was the most beautiful spectacle he had ever seen, and no amount of cajoling from his fellows could stop him from taking a moment to marvel at the splendor of the place. The sun shone bright, but small in the heavens, and the lack of any atmosphere revealed a beautiful jewelled sky of stars. The smooth regular surface of the planet was impressive, no ridges or rises more than a few metres high, creating a smooth plane that extended into infinity. These features were as nothing though to the planet that hung above the moon, dominating the sky with its majestic light.
Jupiter was an ever-changing light show, and Peter watched with wide eyes as he traced the lines of the gas giant’s ever raging storms. The great spot was on full view, but Peter found himself entranced by that swirling vortex that seemed to so unerringly suggest a great island or mountain jutting out from the clouds. He felt a presence next to him, and his eyes glanced sideward for as moment. It was Nisha, and she too seemed to be caught up in the same sight that captivated him. Together they just looked up silently, taking in the majesty of the Solar System. Grand thoughts and questions of the universe and Peter’s own place in it swirled around freely inside his head while he reveled in the magic of it all.
Such tranquillity was not allowed to distract him for long.
“Shuttle is empty; all squads are ready for embarkation.” Minerva’s voice carried a mechanical tone to it, devoid of all emotion. She had been charged with piloting the shuttle onto the surface, which suited her skillset perfectly. To her chagrin though, she was also expected to remain with the ship during operations, in case unforeseen circumstances forced an evacuation. As the others worked to pry their way into Europa Station, she would get to stay with the Dove and enjoy the vistas Europa had to offer. It disappointed Peter to reflect on how his friend would probably waste the opportunity by brooding.
Commander Icarus took over proceedings, voice firm and focused. He would certainly not have let himself be distracted by something as trivial and beautiful as the scenery. “Okay, let’s not hang about now. The station will have caught our landing on their monitors and will have set up any defenses they have made to stop us from entering. In case anyone forgets, we are inside Jupiter’s radiation belt and we don’t want to be outside any longer than necessary. The next linings on our suits offer protection, but nothing like being inside Europa Station itself.
The reminder of the radiation beating down on the planet was just the thing Peter needed to tear his eyes away from the panorama and focus on the mission at hand. As beautiful as Europa was, he was not quite willing to risk a slow death by irradiation in order to take it in. Turning to face Nisha, he gave a tilt of his head, indicating that she too should put her mind back to the mission.
“Okay teams, follow your commander’s orders and make the Unity and Earth proud.”
The groups left each other, spreading out across the surface like ghosts. In the low gravity, lower even than Earth’s moon, you could easily travel meters across the surface in a single bound. Factor in the power from their suits’ thrusters and the warriors of Pluto and Neptune Cohort were able to glide across the surface while barely setting a foot upon it.
“Do you think they have a Zamboni machine here?” Peter asked the question of his group with a chuckle. He did not know the five from Neptune Cohort well, and he hoped a little banter would help keep their spirits light.
“A what?” An incredulous voice Peter didn’t recognize answered him back with an air of incredulity.
“You know, one of those machines they use to keep ice rinks smooth on Earth.”
A single feminine laugh came through the comms. Nisha at least had found it funny, and Peter found himself grateful he had secured her for his team. “Only you would think of ice skating at a time like this.”
“You don’t think it’d be great? Imagine how high you’d go if you built up speed and then went into a jump. I bet a skilled ice skater could launch into orbit off a single axle.”
“Is this relevant?” The same incredulous voice came through again.
“Well, Pluto Cohort are the babies of the expedition, I guess they haven’t had to time to take in the importance of our mission yet since they’re always being hand held by the Chiefs.”
Before Peter could interject, one of the other members of Pluto Cohort chimed in to defend
him. “Hey, remind me how many kills Neptune Cohort has to their name, or have you forgotten the way Peter took out that terrorist on Mars. Saw. Blade. To. The. Head!” The words were enunciated slowly for maximum effect.
“Well, once we crack open this facility and take on the defense I guarantee Gabell’s one kill will no longer be such a big deal.” The voice from Neptune Cohort sounded cocky, arrogant in a way that made Peter clench his teeth in frustration.
“We don’t even know if Europa colony is hostile. Their refusal to answer our communications is probably nothing more than a silent protest.” Peter tried to rein in the blood lust his squad seemed to be exuding, but he doubted it would achieve much.
After a few minutes drifting across the barren, featureless surface, Peter and his team arrived at the manmade structure that jutted out from the ice like a thorn in the planet’s skin. As soon as they reached the entrance, Peter’s team began to examine the doors. A few tried hitting the door with the butt of their spears, but Nisha took the more sensible route by drifting over to the console. It was nothing fancy, just a big red button held in a box. She hit it at once, and Peter’s eyes fell to the large doors. Though he hoped to not encounter any resistance from the locals, it surprised even him to find the door open compliantly straight away.
“Well that’s disappointing,” a voice rang in his intercom. “I hoped the Europan’s would at least have tried to put a up a defense against us. They can’t even be bothered to lock the doors.” A few others chuckled at that, giving Peter that creeping feeling of unease once again.
“You’re really gutted you might not have the chance to kill something, aren’t you?” Peter knew he should maintain his cool and not antagonize his team. He needed their cooperation and respect, but it was hard to deal with the attitude he was getting from the members of Neptune Cohort who were with him.
A body pushed past Peter, his shoulder shrugging casually as they stepped into the facility. “I’m just saying, the Europans obviously favour the Secessionists if they’ve been supplying them these last months. If you ask me, these guys are worse than them. They side with Secessionists when it suits them, but don’t put up a fight when we walk into town. Now we’re expected to be lenient with them because they’re surrendering peacefully.”
Peter gave no answer. He was beyond arguing a point no one seemed to want to hear. Besides, as the door to Europa base’s garage opened, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. All the lights were out and great snowmobiles and mining vehicles sat in a loaded dark that Peter did not like. There were a lot of blind spots, and the whole scene reminded him uncomfortably of his encounter with the Secessionist terrorist from a year ago. Why did that moment have to have been brought up? Peter gritted his teeth and held his spear tightly as he stepped into the garage with cautious steps.
“Activate your lights and check all corners. I want a full sweep of the garage, make sure no one is waiting for us.” Peter stalked slowly to the left, spear held ready for anything.
For the first time, his group obeyed his orders without question, and they fanned out in parties of two. There were at least fifty vehicles of various sizes and shapes housed in the garage. They had thick outer hulls fitted with radiation shields to protect the electronic systems in inside. These thick skins made each one a monolith, which gave off long thick shadows as Peter’s team scoured the space between them for any sign of a trap.
Just as Peter began to relax, a powerful and bright light bloomed to life from the far right-hand side of the facility. Peter could not tell what had happened, but his whole body tensed as a creeping fear took hold of him.
“Shit, we’re under attack! We’re under attack!”
A garbled series of curses and shouts flooded the communicators, and Peter immediately activated his suit’s thrusters, careening through the maze of parked vehicles to regroup with his team. In his rush, he overshot a turn, his shoulder slamming into a wall strut as he sped forward.
The sudden light that had caught them all by surprise had come from a large exploratory rover. Built to equally resemble a truck and a tank, the machine had been activated suddenly and ploughed in a straight line into a wall of other parked vehicles. The chassis of several of them were crushed, and plumes of vapor leaked from their engines. Peter didn’t pay these much attention though. He kept his eyes on the empty space around the wrecks, looking either for some enemy, or for the members of his own squad who had sounded the alarm.
“Report, where are you?” Peter barked into his comms, hoping to be heard over the incoherent shouts that were beginning to sound more and more like screams.
“The truck, under the truck. God, I’m leaking. I’m leaking.” The shouts became unintelligible again, and Peter shut off the two comm voices if only to give his mind space to think. He still had seven other crew under his control awaiting orders, and they needed direction.
“Get eyes under that truck at once,” he barked.
Two members of the team threw themselves down to the ground, trying to get their lights under the giant wheel arches.
“Shit! Gabell, they’re there; they are under the truck. Peterson’s suit is ruptured I think.”
Peter grimaced. Two of his men trapped under a heavy vehicle and no sign of the assailant; things were spiralling far beyond his control. Though it was hardly the time, his stressed mind asked itself yet again why he had been selected to lead the party.
“Commander, we need orders.” Nisha’s voice came through, trembling but definite.
Peter closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to focus his mind. When he opened his eyes again, he hoped he had the answers he needed. “Nisha, hail the Commanders and let them know we have encountered potential hostile aggression. See if you can get any group to divert to our location to help. The rest of you, we need to turn this thing over and get our people out of there.” Peter looked to the large wheels; each one looked like it weighed a ton. “Someone see if there’s some kind of lifter or any device we can use to shift this thing.”
The team began to move about, frantically looking for anything that might be capable of lifting the truck. His training had not covered the exotic kinds of mining machinery and vehicles surrounding him. There was nothing resembling a forklift. In minutes, the team were reduced to crowding around the truck, attempting to lift the wheels through a combination of strength and their suits’ thrusters. It was not enough.
Peter punched the wheel with his fist in frustration. “Where the hell is Icarus and the others?”
“Alphred’s team is diverting to our location, but the…“ Nisha had begun to speak but stopped unaccountably. This was enough to draw Peter’s attention, and he turned to her in confusion.
In their concern for their teammates, Peter had forgotten about the residents of the station, and now that mistake had come to bite him. A group of ten figures in suits were bearing down on them rapidly. Peter immediately reached down for the spear he had put aside. “Team to arms, we have company.”
In a blink, the team moved and spears suddenly flashed at the approaching forces. Though he had not relished the thought of fighting, Peter found himself steeled by the thought of what they had done to his crew. There was a powerful urge within him to order his team to attack the strangers on sight. Only the view of the suited figures nervously putting up their hands in apparent surrender stayed him.
“Gabell, your orders?”
Peter sighed as he looked to the ten huddling figures, their arms shaking as they held them up above their helmets. “Maintain positions. If they make any sudden moves, waste them.” Peter lowered his spear and, with his spare hand, pointed to his helmet, tapping near the ear three times. At first, none of the intruding party moved, then, after Peter repeated the gesture, one of them began to inch closer. As soon as the man was near enough, he put out his wrist computer, bringing something up on the display for Peter to inspect. It only took a glance for Peter to realize it was the station’s private frequency and access passes for Pe
ter to open up communications.
Peter looked back to his squad, then to the vehicle that still held two of them trapped. He had little choice but to parlay. Making sure his team’s eyes were firmly on the Europan party, he began to connect to the provided frequency on his own computer systems.
“Hello? Hello, can you hear me!” An uncertain older voice came through immediately, clearly expecting him. The voice was shaken.
“This is Peter Gabell, third in command of Unity Cohort Pluto. You better tell me right now what you’ve done to my team or I swear I will have my men pin you to the wall and see how you like it!”
The figure in front of him shook a little more fiercely, the helmet turning back helplessly to his fellows. “Please, we mean you no harm. We saw the incident on the monitor...Please...We’re here to help you.”
Peter’s eyes widened. What was with the sudden shift of events? Only someone from Europa base itself could have driven that truck into his own squad. The intent to kill was definite, so why were they acting so contrite? Once again, questions for another time.
“Peter, do you have communications with them? What are they saying?” Nisha’s voice echoed inside his helmet and Peter turned his attention back to his squad. “The Europans claim they want to help us get our men out. We have no choice but to trust them. Let them work, help them where you can, but keep your sword arm ready.”
“Commander, what if they double-cross us?” one of the Neptune members on the team asked.
“We’re the ones with the weapons, but we’re running out of time. If those two have ruptured suits under that thing who knows what damage is being done to them. We’re not going to get them out of there quickly without help.”
There was a moment’s quiet, then, the team lowered their weapons with a reluctant slowness. Peter had no idea if he had made the right call, as he turned to the quaking figures of the Europans. “Right, if you want to help, now’s your time to prove it. Get my men out of there!”
