This is too weird.
He entered one of the many junctions, instinctively checking both directions before crossing. It was big enough that he could expect to make it through without bumping into people, but after the bloodbath on the starbase, he was taking nothing for granted. There were blackspots throughout the ship, and they had been warned to stay together and well away from them. As he continued to make his way through the passageway, his mind filled with images of space fighters. Since humanity’s expansion into space, they had fought many enemies, including factions from within, aliens, and even the dreaded biomechanical machines of the last two wars. All he wanted was take command of one of the fighters and do his part, like so many pilots before him.
Cassandra walked in front and Billy at his flank. Their boots made a clunking sound, and though incredibly tired, Nate found that for the first time in days he was starting to relax. It wasn't that they had nothing serious to think about, but he was actually beginning to feel comfortable controlling the fighters. What had seemed complex and confusing was quickly becoming second nature, and Lieutenant Higgins must have noticed it.
"Hey, Nate. Do you think he'll let us actually sit inside one of the active Lightnings? I've only been in one of the Mark I models in the military museum on Terra Nova."
Nate looked at him, and although he'd heard the words, they were just sound, nothing more. He looked at his friend for a second as he tried to gauge what he was saying. Normally, Nate would have loved to listen to more stories of Terra Nova. He'd spent his entire life on Kerberos, and even though it was one of the most advanced planets in the Alliance, it was still never going to match the prestige of either Proxima Prime or Terra Nova. His mind was far from thoughts of those planets, though. Seeing armed spacecraft was quite the distraction, but then so was the odd sound he could hear. He kept walking but tilted his head to listen. It was a knocking sound, like somebody on the other side of a door hitting it with a wrench.
Weird.
It stopped as quickly as it had begun. He shrugged, lifted his foot, and took another step forward. It returned, but this time it was a jarring sound like rough metal being dragged along a flat surface. As his foot touched the floor, the entire ship shuddered violently. It wasn't enough to make him lose his balance, but he did reach out to make sure he didn't bump into Billy or the wall.
Not good!
Nate regained his balance and then came another series of thumping sounds. The ship shook three times in quick succession, and at that exact moment the lights went out. As darkness filled the ship, it was followed by a series of loud banging sounds, each one louder than the rest. A single last booming one sent a shockwave like a thunderclap through the ship. The blast was so great Nate felt it rush through his clothing. He couldn't see what was happening, but the noise level increased as if a tornado was ripping through the shafts and passages.
"Brace yourselves!" yelled somebody off into the distance, "Here it comes!"
Nate instinctively lifted his hands to his face, and it wasn't a moment too soon. He struck something hard and metal at speed. His fingers pulled back, but not enough to cause damage. He reached out, found something strong, and held on. There was no way of telling if it was a hatch cover, grab handle, or a loose piece of equipment, and at that moment, Nate didn't care. All he wanted was to live.
"It's an attack! It has to be!"
Nate recognised the panicked voice of Jack immediately as he cried out loudly to whoever was nearby. Without light, the interior was completely black, not even a pinprick of light to show the way. Something flashed, and then Cassandra's arm glowed blue, along with her face. She moved her fingers to access systems, and a single light at the end of the passage flickered and then stayed on. It wasn't much, but it at least illuminated the rough shape of the corridor they were currently in.
Secpad! Use it, you fool!
Nate had completely forgotten about his own bracelet. He pulled closer to the wall and ran his right hand over the unit. With a single pulse it activated, and the blue hue appeared. Once functional, he looked back into the passageway. A long groan sounded as if the spine of the ship would crack at any moment. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard before, and it filled his heart with terror.
"Stay where you are...wait for the..."
The low level lights came on one at a time, filling the passageway with a subtle red glow. It was a fraction of the normal lighting but more than enough to make out the shape of the passage. Nate didn't want to see the damage, but curiosity, tinged with a sense of self-preservation, forced him to turn around. Billy was nearby and holding onto one of the many rungs. Blood had leaked out onto his face, growing into a small patch that refused to drip in any particular direction.
"You okay?"
Billy nodded quickly.
"Yeah. I'm okay."
He lifted his left hand to his face, rubbed the blood, and then looked back to Nate. The smeared blood was still there, and instead of improving his looks, he now actually looked far more injured.
"Sorry about that. I...I panicked."
He grinned at his friend's embarrassment.
"You don't say!"
Nate then pushed out, but kept one hand on a rung so he could look further into the ship. The other four were spread out, with Cassandra helping Rex position a temporary field dressing. She spotted him watching and nodded at Rex.
"Lacerations to the forearm, nothing serious."
A great weight pulled on his body, and he moved down to rest on the ground. The pull increased, and then as quickly as it had left, artificial gravity was back to normal. The loudspeakers fitted everywhere crackled to life.
"This is the Captain. We have intruders at engineers. All marine and militia units report for duty. This is not a drill. I repeat; we are under attack. Communications and networked devices have been hacked. All other personnel are to follow breach protocols. Do not use your mobile communications."
Nate swallowed uncomfortably. The breach drills had been practiced twice so far, and each time had made him feel sick. His eyes blurred, and he suddenly felt nauseous. A pulse of what must have been electromagnetic energy rushed through the ship, and he was sure he could feel the affect on his body. As it moved through him, his Secpad data link vanished as though the ship's main computers had just shut down. In an instant his device turned into a disconnected computer. He looked to his comrades. Matilda reacted the quickest.
"Into the nearest compartment, now!"
Nate had made it four steps and was heading in the same direction when the shooting started. It was impossible to tell how far away it was, but the vibration of the guns could be felt through the floor. He looked ahead at Matilda activating a security door. The thick metal door slid open, and she signalled for them to get inside. The entrance was nearly ten metres away, and just across from a crossroad in the passage.
"In here, quickly!"
It was a small door, large enough just for one person to enter at a time. Rex and Jack were already inside and Cassandra was next. Billy stepped across the junction, leaving Nate as the last of the group. He moved to the open space and spotted movement far off to his right.
"Run!"
Billy was blocking his path, as well as leaving himself completely vulnerable out in the passage. Nate pushed him hard but stumbled, falling face down to the ground. He looked up and saw Billy looking back at him, three metres away. His friend reached out, but a streak of thermal energy rushed past his face from the right. He'd seen it before, back on the starbase.
Byotai weapons!
Nate wanted to move forward to join his friends, but two more blasts narrowly missed him. These were not the minor flashes of pistols, but the powerful blasts of military grade firearms as used by marines. He pulled back as a third struck where his head had just been.
"Nate!" Billy yelled.
An arm reached from the small doorway, yanked Billy inside, and then a great thud marked the shutting of the door. One moment the group were m
aking their way through the ship, the next he was alone, and with an enemy force nearby. In game simulations, he would have leaned to the left, fired a few shots, and jumped back, but this was no game. Nate and his friends were unarmed, and their Naval issue PDS gear was not designed for the rigours of combat, merely to protect against debris, heat, and flash burns.
Keep your head, and stay alive.
He stayed low and crawled backwards to where he'd come from. Only his head now stuck out, and though his gut told him to keep going, something persuaded him to roll his head to the right. Then came the sound of voices and the figures of four heavily armed Byotai soldiers. He had never seen such figures in the flesh before, and they were a terrifying sight. Bulkier than a man, they were covered from head to toe in layered plate, not the smooth finish so prevalent among the PDS Alpha armour. Nate had seen pictures of Byotai soldiers from the last war, and these were very different. The thick plating and great size of the bulky carapace plates made them look massive.
"Dræb ham!"
The words were shouted with a loud, guttural roar unlike any sound emitted from a human. Nate had no idea what it meant, and with one last push moved backwards. At the same time, a powerful blast of heat struck the ground and burnt a hole as large as his fist. He lifted up to his feet. The sound of the soldier's footsteps became louder and louder.
Run, you fool!
He turned and ran back. The passage was not the longest on the ship, but on this particular occasion, it felt like the greatest distance he'd ever travelled. Just as he reached the end, it turned away to the right. A heat blast struck just centimetres from his left and put a long black scorch mark on his PDS suit. Then the shapes of three armoured warriors appeared in front of him. He was moving so fast he crashed into the first and sent them both to the ground.
"Get back," said a stern voice.
Nate was still on the ground, but he looked up. Three marines were aiming their carbines off into the passageway. The L52 Mark II carbine was a deadly weapon, but when faced by the massive shapes of the Byotai, it somehow seemed puny in comparison. The marine on the floor was now back on his feet and glanced over to Nate. At the same time, the visor plating slid back.
"Cadet, you in trouble again?"
"Private Valentine."
Nate tried to sound confident, but he was already out of breath. His chest was pounding from the exertion and unexpected arrival of the Byotai. Private Valentine looked away from him, and her visor clamped back into position.
"Contact!" said one of the others.
The first marine spun about and then crashed to the ground, a burning hot projectile embedded in his face and still hissing away. Blood dripped from the wound and made a foul sound as the heat from the projectile made it crackle, like oil in a pan. Nate turned from the scene of carnage and vomited on the metal deck. He choked twice and then staggered towards the wall.
"Open fire!"
Private Valentine had already lifted her carbine and activated the unit. She was exactly where the first marine had died and taking aim. Her comrade may have just been killed, but her training and instincts were to move back to the firing line. Nate could see the marks on her armour where it had been penetrated by the projectile in the previous battle. It had been repaired, but the mark was easy to see.
"Stay back."
The marines fired a volley from their carbines as soon as they spotted the shapes of the first two Byotai. Nate pulled himself backwards but still managed to see the glint of shining metal as the rounds struck armour. Sparks and flashes flickered all over them, and then they returned fire. The marines had the edge in terms of training, but the Byotai had the element of surprise, as well as the thick armour plate that seemed perfectly suited to beating off attacks from the carbine.
"Fall back."
This time Nate recognised Sergeant Perkins. The marines moved back but kept their fronts to the enemy, putting down such a withering hail of defensive fire they managed to make it to the next junction without suffering a single loss. Sergeant Perkins took the right and signalled for Private Valentine to take the other. She then signalled for Nate.
"Get behind Valentine, and keep your head down."
The corridor now effectively looked empty, each marine waiting at a side of the crossroads. Sergeant Perkins moved his carbine out around the corner and took aim. Few might know, but the carbines were designed to send video feeds directly from their sights to the visor of the carrier. It was a simple mechanism and allowed the marine to fight safely from behind cover. Then Nate heard a sound behind him. He turned around and found a single civilian. It was a man in his late forties, and he was falling. The man hit the ground hard, his knees striking the metal surface with a cracking sound. He tipped over and landed face first. Nate took a step closer and then stopped upon seeing the dark shape of a Byotai soldier coming right at him.
At this range he had the perfect view of the monster. Though slightly bigger than the average human, the Byotai were often bulkier, and with this new armour they appeared even bigger. He was fascinated to see the plating was clamped on top of existing armour like reptilian scales.
Now what?
He twisted around and called out to Private Valentine, but it was too late. As he opened his mouth, a great roar filled the passageway. The bright light floodlit the marine so well he couldn't even make out her features. Nate flung himself to the wall and was stunned to see Private Valentine was safe. She turned around, took careful aim, and then fired. Nate glanced back. The Byotai soldier was already down on one knee, hit by gunfire from in front and behind.
As he dropped to the ground, Nate found the figure of Captain Dreuc with an old-fashioned Marine Corps L48 rifle in his hands. The weapon fired again, sending an intelligent warhead at the back of the enemy soldier. The shell exploded with a bright yellow flash, and then he was dead. The body lay silently on the ground, as if it had always been there. Private Valentine immediately bent down, and for a second Nate thought she was about to attack the fallen warrior. But she grabbed his thermal carbine, checked the safety lock, and tossed it to Nate.
"Take it."
He reached out and caught the weapon awkwardly. In his hand it seemed massive, yet the ergonomics matched his physiology surprisingly well. The stock was longer than he would have liked, and when he tried to lift it to his shoulder, he found it caught at his armpit. It was front-heavy, and the curved ridge at the front warm to the touch.
"Keep it under your arm, and don't shoot unless you're sure it's an enemy. Got that?"
Nate nodded and started speaking, but the ship's internal speakers growled loudly. Much of the audio was muffled, and occasionally alien-sounding words would completely blot it out. Finally, a few made it through before it cut completely.
"...aboard...breached networked systems. Marines, activate Protocol Seven...Go Dark."
The two marines looked at each other at the mention of this.
"Seven," repeated Private Valentine.
The audio system crackled, and then a long, continuous tone activated, drowning out any other sound. Private Valentine grumbled, jumped up, and struck the speaker with the back of her armoured fist. The worst of the sound vanished, but it was still faintly audible from other, much more distant speakers. Nate tapped her arm.
"What is that?"
He had a terrible thought that the protocol might mean evacuation of the ship. But as her visor slid open for the briefest moment, he could see she remained calm and confident.
"They've block our comms, may even be monitoring it."
Nate shook his head while resting his newly acquired weapon under his arm. It made him feel powerful even though he'd never used a firearm in anger before.
"Protocol Seven. What is it?"
Sergeant Perkins leaned in and spoke.
"It means we're in serious trouble, son. The Byotai must have infiltrated us before we escaped and waited till we were tired and vulnerable. Now they're heading for propulsion. The other routes
have been blocked. The only way through is this corridor and pass us."
Captain Dreuc moved up to them and then double-checked his L48. Nate had no idea where he'd got the old Marine Corps weapon from, but neither of the marines appeared bothered. One of them spoke via their integral translator, and Nate was left listening to the guttural sounds of the two speaking. Finally, they stopped, and Captain Dreuc placed one of his hands onto Nate's shoulder.
"Komdu meth mér."
Nate shook his head.
"What?"
Private Valentine laughed grimly.
"Go with him, and watch his back. He'll take you to the others. Tell the Captain we have them pinned. We'll keep them occupied, but they need to be hit, and hit hard. We don't have much time."
"What about you?"
The Private's visor hissed shut once more, and she pointed off into the distance.
"Go."
The two marines moved around the edge of the corridor and opened fire. Both were using the low-power settings on their weapons, a mode that increased rate of fire at the expense of damage and penetration. Nate had little doubt the reason was to limit the damage to Relentless as much as possible. The last thing any of them wanted was a breach in the outer hull.
Look at her!
For a brief moment, Nate was entranced. He watched Private Valentine fire burst after burst and then pull to the one side. A thermal round struck the nearest bulkhead and showered her in red-hot sparks. The marine leaned to one side and returned fire, never once flinching from what had to be done. The entire episode played out as though in slow motion. Then everything began to speed up, with a mixture of screaming, gunfire, and shouting.
"Run!"
Nate had no idea who was speaking, but needed no further encouragement. Captain Dreuc was already moving, and he followed right behind. As they rounded the first bend, he threw a quick glance back at the furious firefight. The two marines were outnumbered, yet neither was giving ground, and then they were gone. Nate and Captain Dreuc moved through an array of corridors, and to his surprise they found every single secondary hatch and seal locked. As they moved back, he stopped at any of the remaining passageway blast doors and locked them as they went through.
Star Crusader: Hero of the Alliance Page 15
