“Listen up,” he announced over the combat suit’s comm. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to get access to the prison’s network. So, to improve our chances of finding the prisoners we are going to break up into five squads. Each squad will take a different route and we will search until we find those prisoners. Any Kemmar you come across is to be presumed hostile and shot on sight. We will take no prisoners. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” the rest of the Marines said in unison.
“Good.”
Kevin quickly organized the squads and assigned each a route. He gave the order for all squads to move out and they each entered their designated corridors.
Kevin leveled his Gatling gun in front of him and led his team down their chosen path. He had managed to contain his grief for now, but a blind fury had taken hold in its place, and he couldn’t wait to run into some more Kemmar.
CHAPTER 64
“Sir we’ve lost another shuttle,” Petrovic said.
The air battle had turned for the worst, and they were now down to only four shuttles. Any numerical superiority was lost. The Kemmar fighters were simply better equipped for atmospheric combat and would soon destroy the rest of the shuttles. Then what? Jon shuddered at the thought.
Orbital support had been vital to the mission’s success. Without the interference the Hermes could easily eliminate all external opposition from orbit and take over the prison’s systems. Finding the prisoners would be simple and any Kemmar defenders could be eliminated. But none of that was possible and now they were all running blind.
“Helm, break orbit and enter the planet’s atmosphere,” Jon said, knowing now what he had to do.
“Yes, Sir,” Richards said.
“Sir?” Commander Wolfe said.
“I know, but under the circumstances it’s our only option.”
“Yes, Sir,” Wolfe said, nodding.
Jon sensed the rising tension on the bridge. Everyone focused on their work, but he saw the tightness in the neck and shoulders, the rapid glances at each other, the clenched jaws. The plan hadn’t survived the opening shots and now drastic measures were underway.
The Hermes turned and began its descent towards Kerces. Entering a planet’s atmosphere with a ship as large as the Hermes wasn’t completely unheard of, but it was to be avoided. A ship like the Hermes was designed for space, not atmospheric travel. Once inside the planet’s atmosphere the Hermes would be far less maneuverable. This made it vulnerable, and they all knew it.
The Hermes approached the fringes of the Kerces atmosphere and began its descent. Flames lashed the underside of the ship.
The Hermes continued its measured descent. The flames wrapped around the sides of the ship, orange fangs pressing down hard, trying to crush the life out of their prey. But the Hermes persisted and soon broke free, with nothing but sky and ice ahead.
“Take us to within range of the Kemmar fighters,” Jon said.
Ensign Richards dropped the Hermes to an altitude of thirty thousand feet.
“We have targeting back, Sir,” Petrovic said.
“Glass every one of those damn fighters.”
“Yes, Sir!”
A merciless stream of blue light erupted from the Hermes boring holes through two of the Kemmar fighters. Their flaming carcasses fell from the sky and crashed into the glacial mountains below.
The rest of the fighters broke off their attack of the shuttles and raced at high speed straight for the Hermes, too fast for the now regrouping assault shuttles to catch.
The Hermes destroyed one more fighter, but the rest evaded the energy weapon onslaught and bridged the gap between them and the warship with blistering speed. In comparison, the Hermes sat motionless in the sky, too cumbersome to outmaneuver the agile fighters.
“They’re trying to ram us. Bring rail guns online. Point defense mode.”
Rail gun turrets sprang up across the Hermes hull and opened fire. The shells created their exploding barrier in front of the Kemmar fighters, blocking their access.
But the Kemmar fighters were not missiles and did not fly straight into the barrage. Instead they scattered, looking for a gap. The Hermes destroyed another attacker, but that left five more.
Two of the fighters focused their fire on one of the rail gun turrets, their energy weapons unhindered by the rail gun fire. The Hermes managed to destroy another fighter, but the concentrated fire took out the rail gun turret creating a hole in the point defense shield.
In the blink of an eye the Kemmar fighter took advantage of the weakness and flew straight into the Hermes hull.
The resulting explosion rocked the Hermes and breached the hull. In short order, the other fighters changed direction and flew straight for the breach.
The shuttles had made it to within range of the Hermes and fired on the Kemmar ships, but it proved futile. The Kemmar fighters were too fast, and their pilots suicidal.
There was a large flaming hole in the Hermes hull, and the remaining three Kemmar fighters slammed into it in rapid succession.
The Hermes yawned as massive explosions threatened to snap the beleaguered warship in two.
The powerful concussions threw Commander Wolfe across the bridge, her head slamming into the unforgiving floor. She lay there in a heap, face down, her body crumpled and broken, the only movement a twitching foot.
Jon struggled to reach her, but the ship lurched and he lost his balance. He grabbed hold of a railing with a vicelike grip. Using it to steady himself he placed one foot after another until he finally reached Wolfe’s body.
He placed a hand on her neck feeling for a pulse. He found it. She was still alive but her pulse was weak.
He opened a comm with Doctor Ellerbeck. “Doctor, we have a medical emergency on the bridge. It’s Commander Wolfe.”
“Understood. I’ll get someone up there as soon as possible.”
Jon closed the comm and turned his attention back to the bridge. “Report!”
“We have sustained heavy damage, Sir,” said Petrovic. “Inertial dampeners are offline, and there is a massive hull breach on the port side. We have multiple casualties and injuries and there are reports of fires raging throughout the ship.”
Jon looked around him. Several of the bridge crew had also been thrown from their stations. Some picked themselves up off the floor, while others lay inert. Blood streamed from head wounds on two crew members who sat with a confused look in their eyes. Another stared in shock at the gruesome bone poking out of her broken forearm.
Smoke had started to creep in adding to the confusion. The foul smell of burning circuits combined with the smoke to make breathing difficult, causing multiple coughing fits. Jon found his way back to his chair, the smoke now stinging his eyes.
“We’re losing altitude, Sir!” Richards said.
“Can you compensate?”
“Negative. I’ve only got thrusters. I can use them to slow our descent.”
“Can you land her in the valley?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jon opened a comm with the rest of the ship. “All hands brace for impact. Emergency landing underway.”
CHAPTER 65
Kevin and his team approached a double set of doors, which opened as they got closer. Ahead was a large open area, which looked like an indoor gymnasium.
“They must use this for the prisoners. We’re getting close,” Kevin said over his comm. He gestured for his team to enter in two groups, one taking the right flank and the other taking the left.
The Marines rushed through the doorway two by two, splitting up as they went, rail guns leveled in front of them and ready to fire. They moved so fast that it would be difficult for the enemy to target them. But there was no resistance. No firing. Kevin’s group continued to advance.
They reached the far side of the large room with ease and regrouped at a far wall. There were openings at both ends of the wall.
“Listen up,” Kevin said. “There could be Kemmar on the other side
of this wall waiting to ambush us. So, we’re splitting into two teams. Private Chen, you and your team are going to take the opening on the left.”
“Yes, Sir,” Chen said.
“The rest come with me on the right. Nice and easy. We’re not getting nailed by a Kemmar ambush. Move out.”
The two teams split up and approached their designated openings, flanking them from both sides. Kevin looked back at Chen and held up a metal fist. He waved it forward and the two teams entered.
They moved in with fingers tight on their triggers, ready to take on an entrenched enemy. But what they found stopped their advance faster than any Kemmar energy burst could. From one end to the other were rows of naked humans hanging upside down from the ceiling on hooks.
None lived.
There were dozens of them, both men and women, and all visibly tortured, their bodies riddled with cuts, welts and blisters. Their arms were not bound, but hung down instead, like some morbid human willow tree, making it impossible to walk through without the corpses touching you.
“What the hell is this?” Chen said.
“The Reivers,” Kevin said. He looked ahead and saw a set of doors and it all began to make sense. “They make the rest of them walk through here, to get to the gymnasium.”
“Those fuckers!” Chen said.
Several other Marines grunted in agreement.
Kevin knew they had to get through to the other side of the doorway. With grim resolve, he gave the order to advance.
Even with his combat suit on he swore he could feel every hand of every corpse touch him as he passed. He didn’t want to look but couldn’t help staring at the lifeless eyes of each Reiver he passed.
He felt them all pressing against him, grabbing at him, trying to hold onto him. He knew it was all in his imagination, but he couldn’t shake the feeling they were trying to hold him back. Trying to keep him from reaching the doorway and crossing through to the other side.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep after this one,” Reynolds said.
“You and me both,” Burke said.
“These Kemmar are some twisted motherfuckers,” Chen said. “I’ve got something special planned for them.”
“Ok, everybody stay focused. Keep your eye on the prize,” Kevin said.
The Marines made it through the Reiver corpses and reached the doors on the other side with half the group flanking the left side and the other half flanking the right.
“Ok, same as before,” Kevin said. “On three we go in, two by two.”
“Yes, Sir,” the rest of the Marines said.
“One, two…”
Just then the doors slid open and a round metal object flew through.
“Bomb,” Chen yelled.
But before the Marines could get out of the way a blinding flash of light discharged from the device and the power drained from Kevin’s combat suit. Where he was once a metal Goliath, he now collapsed under the dead weight of the unpowered body armor. He hit the ground hard and heard the rest of his Marines doing the same.
He tried to open a comm with the rest of his team, but to no avail. “Chen, Reynolds, Burke, respond.” But there was no response. He tried to get up, but his combat suit wouldn’t budge.
Everything was dead. Then realization swept over him. The device was an EMP weapon. It fired a focused electromagnetic pulse at his team frying the power supply and all the circuits in their combat suits.
They were all trapped.
He heard the heavy stomping of more combat suits, but any hopes of rescue were dashed when two armored Kemmar stood over him.
The two Kemmar bent over and each grabbed one of his arms, lifted him up and dragged him through the doorway.
CHAPTER 66
The Hermes left a fiery trail as it fell from the sky. The remaining assault shuttles followed closely yet were almost invisible beside the wounded warship. Thrusters fired underneath the ship ensuring the fall was a controlled one, and the Hermes dropped its landing gear, hoping for an easy landing.
Ensign Richards manually controlled the fall, positioning the ship for a landing in the valley directly in front of the prison complex.
On the viewscreen the ground came up fast. Mountain peaks and frozen cliffs rushed past as the Hermes dropped, like a giant skydiver, waiting until the last minute to let loose her parachute.
They were still falling too fast. Even with Richards’s piloting skills, they were not slowing down enough for a soft landing. There simply wasn’t enough power in the ship’s thrusters.
As alarms rang out, fires raged and smoke filled the bridge, Jon stared at the viewscreen. He stared at the crystal blue surface rushing up to meet him and wondered if this was it.
Would he die here on this desolate frozen world? Would he finally be free?
He had spent years wishing for death. Had his time finally come?
I want to live.
He heard the words, or rather felt them, but wasn’t sure where they came from. Was it him or the creature? He didn’t know. Did it matter?
With all that had happened did he still want to die? The answer was no. Why?
At that moment he thought of Breeah and Anki. For all his efforts to save the Reivers, for all his dreams of freeing humanity, at this moment the only thing that made him want to go on was Breeah and Anki.
Why them? Did he love Breeah, or was she just a replacement for the wife he lost? What about little Anki? The little girl did bring out his paternal instincts. Was it because he missed his daughters so much? Did it matter?
They needed him and he realized he needed them just as much. He wanted to protect them. And for whatever reason, that desire made him want to live again.
He looked back at the viewscreen. Richards had managed to slow the drop considerably. At their current speed, the impact would damage the Hermes but shouldn’t destroy it.
He looked over at Commander Wolfe’s still motionless body. A medic crouched over trying to revive her. Jon yelled at the medic. “We’re going to crash. Grab hold of something.”
***
At first Commander Wolfe didn’t know exactly where she was. She looked around at the mayhem surrounding her and was jolted back to reality. The battle. The Hermes had been hit. People were injured. She had to get up. The crew needed her. But something was wrong with her legs and she couldn’t move them.
She looked down expecting to find them pinned under some piece of equipment, but there was nothing. She noticed the medic working on her. She had been injured, and from the looks of everything it was serious. Although the Hermes didn’t look any better off.
Chaos reigned around her. People were hurt, equipment destroyed. They needed her to keep things under control. As she saw the viewscreen and the ground rushing up at them, she opened a comm link with Chief Engineer Singh.
“Yes, Lynda.”
“Raj?”
“Yes, what is it?”
She heard the commotion in the background and knew things were no less chaotic down in Engineering than they were on the bridge.
“Lynda, I’m very busy down here, what do you need?”
“Raj…” Her throat exploded into a violent coughing fit and she struggled to catch her breath.
“Lynda? Are you alright?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks and she knew they weren’t only from the coughing. Everything around her seemed to slow down. They were going to hit the ground any second now.
The medic who had been looking after her was lunging, trying to grab hold of a railing to brace against the impact. This was it.
“I’m sorry, Raj.”
The Hermes hit the ground.
***
The medic changed directions in mid-air, and her body surged hopelessly into a bank of consoles, bouncing off of them and turning like a helicopter before landing on the ground in a broken heap.
Commander Wolfe’s body didn’t fare any better and flew yet again across the room into a nearby wall, the impact so stron
g that Jon doubted any bones remained intact. Her lifeless body fell to the floor.
Jon stared at his vibrant first officer’s corpse in disbelief. So much talent. So much potential. She was the very last person who should have died. But she was dead. All because of him.
She was not the only one. Reports were coming in fast from throughout the ship. The casualty rate was climbing.
The seated crew members fared much better. The threat of a crash landing forced them all to secure themselves with their seat restraints.
The bridge’s Marine sentries were also unscathed. They wore full combat suits which protected them from injury, so while they were bounced around a fair bit they got up and took their posts as if nothing had changed.
On the viewscreen the orientation had changed to show the prison complex on the far side of the icy valley. Regaining his focus Jon realized they hadn’t heard from Kevin and his Marines.
“Do we have communications now?”
“Yes, Sir. The interference is gone,” said the comm officer.
“Open a comm with Chief St. Clair and see if you can bring up his combat suit’s video feed.”
“I am receiving no response, Sir.”
“Ok try Sergeant Henderson.”
“No response.”
“Can you locate their combat suits?”
“No, Sir. I am not getting a response from any of the combat suits.”
“I thought you said the interference was gone?”
“It is, Sir.”
Jon slumped back into his chair. No response from the combat suits could only mean that they were all destroyed. If the combat suits were destroyed, that meant the Marines were all dead. Could it be possible? Kevin? Henderson? The fleet’s finest, dead?
“Captain, we are under attack,” shouted Petrovic.
Petrovic’s words pulled Jon back into the moment. On the viewscreen were dozens of Kemmar soldiers in combat suits charging the ship. There could be no doubt now. The ground assault had been defeated and the Kemmar were now coming for the Hermes.
The assault shuttles responded first and swooped in on the attackers opening fire immediately. Energy weapons and missiles lit up the icy landscape as the shuttles did their best to fend off the attackers. The Kemmar kept coming and fired missiles of their own at the shuttles buzzing above their heads.
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