by G J Ogden
An image of an animal then appeared on the console screen. Sterling and Banks both looked at it with their faces screwed up in disgust.
“There is no official designation for this creature, but in many ways, it resembles a Troodon, a theropod from Earth’s late cretaceous period,” Graves went on. Unlike the others, he was looking at the creature with an admiring gaze, like it was a famous work of art. “However, these alien beasts are more muscular and intelligent than Troodons. They are roughly a meter tall, walk on two legs, and are actually quite delicious.”
Sterling’s look of disgust was now aimed at his medical officer. “And just how the hell would you know that?” he said. He immediately regretted asking the question.
“I have had the pleasure of sampling the meat for myself, while working for Fleet research,” Graves said. “The upper section of the hind legs are particularly succulent, especially if cooked over an open flame.”
Sterling opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it again. He realized that there was no question he could ask that would not just create a dozen other questions that he similarly didn’t want to know the answers too.
“So you’re saying there are a bunch of alien dinosaurs roaming the Vanguard?” Banks said, asking the only question that actually mattered.
“Essentially, yes,” Graves replied, speaking as if this fact were no more unusual than discovering there were birds in an aviary. “Not all the crew would have been vented into space as a result of Commander Cannon’s actions,” Graves continued. “Some would have been trapped inside the ship and suffocated instead. That would have provided plenty of food for the animals.”
“Great, so they’re meat-eating alien dinosaurs,” Banks added, throwing her arms out wide.
“I would imagine that by now they are rather hungry meat-eating alien dinosaurs,” Commander Graves added, darkly.
“How the hell did they get on board?” Sterling asking.
“I believe I can answer that, Captain,” said Lieutenant Razor. She then aimed a finger deeper inside the docking garage.
Sterling followed the direction of his engineer’s point and saw a Sa’Nerran Light Cruiser at the far end of the docking garage. Like the Invictus, it was in bad shape. Sterling sighed and shrugged. In the end, it changed nothing.
“It doesn’t matter if this ship is plagued with aliens, dinosaurs, or even alien dinosaurs, we still have a job to do.” The Invictus’ remaining commandoes then began to march down the rear ramp of the ship, pulling trollies filled with weapons and armor behind them. “We suit up and move out at once,” Sterling added, moving over to the nearest trolley of equipment. He grabbed a plasma rifle and slapped an energy cell into it. The cell locked into place with a satisfying clunk. “And if Godzilla wants to get in my way, then I’ll blow it to hell too.”
Chapter 10
A little souvenir
Sterling paused to quickly check the computer built into the left forearm of his commando armor. Ever since he and the rest of his squad had left the relative safety of the command post, they had been cautiously followed at a distance. However, the contacts that were highlighted on his computer screen weren’t Sa’Nerran warriors, but the carnivorous beasts that the aliens kept as live food. Now the prey had become the hunter, Sterling realized. And he was the potential entrée.
Directly behind him was Commander Banks and Lieutenant Razor, both also moving cautiously through the labyrinthine corridors of the Fleet Dreadnaught Vanguard. A squad of four commandoes picked up the rear, sweeping their weapons from dark corner to dark corner, remaining ever-vigilant.
Had this been the sum total of their forces, Sterling would have felt vulnerable, knowing that the alien boarding party from the Sa’Nerran Raven easily outnumbered them. However, this time Sterling had his own secret weapon. Moving out at the head of the formation were twelve Obsidian Soldiers, arranged into three squads of four. Each one of the mechanical warriors carried a plasma weapon, and each one of them made Sterling nervous. They were a total unknown. Their mish-mass of gen-thirteen and gen-fourteen programming made them unpredictable. Ordinarily, Sterling would have never deployed them, but on this occasion, he simply had no choice but to trust Admiral Griffin’s onyx-black artificial soldiers.
“We take the stairs just ahead and to the right to reach deck fifteen,” said Sterling, whose familiarity with the layout of the dreadnaught made navigating its immense interior easy.
“That deck is crawling with blips,” said Banks, moving up alongside Sterling. ‘Blips’ was the terms Banks had coined to describe the beasts that were stalking them. “If we manage to reach reactor control without one of Graves’ alien dinos snatching us for lunch, it will be a miracle.”
“The problem is that even if we do run into these creatures, we have to take them down quietly,” Sterling replied, regretting the need to issue a hold-fire order. “As soon as we start shooting, the Sa’Nerra will know exactly where we are.”
“I’ll restate the order to use flame units only, until we engage the Sa’Nerra,” said Banks, glancing behind to the four commandoes that were picking up the rear. Like Sterling and his first officer, they already had bayonets fixed to the ends of their weapons. “Hopefully, these things are smart enough to know to stay out of our way.”
Sterling watched the Obsidian Soldiers veer right and begin to climb the stairs. Due to the width of the stairwell, the machines had rearranged themselves into groups of two. It was like watching a world-class drill squad in action. Several times, Sterling felt sure the machines were going to crash into each other, but their maneuvers were millimeter-perfect. However, despite being impressive to watch, the exacting precision of the Obsidian Soldiers did nothing to ease Sterling’s concerns. The movements were too orderly, too unnatural. Life was chaotic and random, and the fact that the machines lacked this spark of originality only deepened his distrust of them. It was why, despite its annoying tendencies, Sterling had faith in the Invictus’ gen-fourteen AI. For all its quirks, it was unique.
“Obsidian squads, halt on deck fifteen, secure the perimeter then wait for orders,” Sterling called out to the robots. “Remember, no firing until I give the command.” He doubted that he expressly needed to repeat the order to the machines, but he wasn’t taking any chances. If McQueen was alerted to his plan, it could destroy their chances of retaking the ship.
The Obsidian Soldiers thudded into position with regimented precision and took up their assigned positions. Sterling moved up into the center of the formation and dropped to a crouch, checking his computer again. The ‘blips’ were closing in on them.
“I’m convinced those damned things are stalking us,” said Sterling, as Banks dropped to a crouch by his side.
One of the Obsidian Soldiers suddenly began to approach. Sterling felt his grip on his weapon tighten as the machine thudded nearer and had to remind himself that the robots were on his side.
“Perimeter secured,” the Obsidian Soldier intoned, also dropping to a crouch so that its cranial section was level with Sterling’s head. Despite being modified with an earlier version of the gen-fourteen code from the Invictus’ computer, the Obsidian Soldier still spoke in the lifeless, synthetic voice of the older gen-thirteen AIs. “Scanners detect eight hostiles approaching our position. Analysis of their movement patterns suggest that they are not Sa’Nerran warriors.”
“Keep a close watch on those blips, soldier,” Sterling said, staring at the machine’s dome-shaped head. “But if they attack, your orders are to subdue them hand-to-hand, is that understood?”
“The order is understood,” the machine replied.
“The order is understood, ‘sir’,” Banks cut in, glaring at the Obsidian Soldier’s dome-shaped cranial section. “Don’t forget who you are talking to.”
“I am incapable of forgetting, which is why repeating the order was unnecessary,” the Obsidian Soldier said, turning its head toward Commander Banks. There was a pause before the machine added the word, “S
ir,” like it was an afterthought.
Banks continued to glare at the machine, but didn’t press her point further. From anyone else, Sterling would have considered such a passive-aggressive response to be insubordinate. However, he decided to let it slide. Now was not the time to discipline the mechanical warriors. So long as they obeyed his commands, Sterling would tolerate a little attitude from them, at least for the time-being.
“Move out, soldier,” Sterling ordered. “Advance to section five, mid-ships then hold for further instructions.”
“Directive understood,” the machine replied before rising to its full height and thudding away again.
“I’m going to have to teach these robot assholes some respect if they carry on like that,” said Banks, scowling at the back of the machine’s head.
“So long as they get the job done, I don’t care if they do it with a bad attitude,” Sterling replied. “Once we have control of the Vanguard, I’ll get Razor to re-wire them and fix their personality issues.”
Sterling waited for the Obsidian Soldiers to advance, then followed a few meters behind them. However, the further they ventured into the belly of the mighty dreadnaught, the darker and colder it became. It felt like descending into a crypt that hadn’t been opened for hundreds of years.
“I’m amazed this ship still has power,” commented Banks as they took a right turn and headed into a more open section of the ship. “I was half-expecting to need EV suits just to move around in here.”
“If the ship was operational with a full crew, the reserve cells would normally last for a couple of months at most,” Sterling replied, sweeping the barrel of his rifle down a connecting corridor. “But with half of the Vanguard shut down, and the other half running on minimal life support, even the reserve cells are enough to keep this behemoth alive for years.”
Banks huffed a laugh. “She just doesn’t want to die,” she commented, glancing over at Sterling. “The Vanguard is a fighter, just like us.”
Suddenly, Sterling’s computer chimed an alert and he felt his pulse quicken. “Movement, directly ahead,” he said, again feeling his hand tighten around the grip of his weapon. “A single contact, advancing fast.”
Suddenly, the Obsidian Soldiers halted and adopted fighting stances. Banks gave a signal to Razor and the others to hold, then checked her own computer, scowling at the screen.
“Just one?” Banks said, lifting her eyes to check along the corridor, though it was too dark to see more than a few meters ahead. “This alien dino is either very brave or very stupid.”
Sterling didn’t answer and instead surveyed their surroundings. They were in a more open section of the ship with little cover, which meant the beast would get a clear run at them. The scrape of claws against metal then snapped his attention directly ahead. An indistinct shape charged out of the darkness and drove one of the Obsidian Soldiers against the wall. Still mostly a blur, the creature lashed out at a second robot, knocking it off balance and sending it crashing to the deck. It was then that Sterling got his first clear look at the beast. Commander Graves’ comparison of the alien creature to a dinosaur was accurate, albeit with several key differences. This alien beast lacked a tail and held itself upright, like a bear walking on its hind legs. The rest of the creature more closely matched Graves’ description. It was reptilian-like in appearance, with a wide jaw of jagged teeth and claw-tipped feet and hands.
“Hold fire!” Sterling called out, aiming the bayonet attached to his rifle at the creature. “No-one shoot unless absolutely necessary!”
The beast charged through the center of the pack of Obsidian Soldiers. Sterling braced himself, ready to spear the creature should it break through the robot ranks and get a clear run at him. However, the alien animal only managed a few brisk paces before it was beaten across the side of the head by one of the Obsidian Soldiers. The creature let out a rasping hiss, then fell heavily, dazed by the brutal strike. Despite this, it was back on its feet within seconds, only to be smashed across its jaw for a second time. Blood and razor-sharp teeth spilled onto the deck, but there was no let-up in the Obsidian Soldiers’ assault. Another machine caught the creature by its neck, and the beast thrashed at the soldier’s metal torso with its claws, denting and scraping metal. For a moment, the animal appeared to be getting the upper hand before another soldier thrust its hand, like a spear, into the creature’s flesh. Seconds later, the Obsidian Soldier removed its hand and blood gushed onto the deck. The creature fell limp and the robot holding its neck allowed it to fall.
Sterling advanced cautiously, covering the animal with his rifle, but it was clear the beast was dead. He then turned to the Obsidian Soldier that had killed the creature, noticing that the robot was clutching a fistful of flesh. Blood from the alien organ oozed through the soldier’s fingers and began to pool on the deck.
“Is that its heart?” Commander Banks asked, moving up beside Sterling.
“Affirmative,” the Obsidian Soldier replied.
“Damn, are we sure that Graves’ didn’t program these robots instead of Griffin?” Banks wondered, scowling at the alien organ in the robot’s hand. “They’re creeping me out more than he does.”
Sterling’s computer then chimed several more alerts, one after the other, so fast he couldn’t count them all. He raised his forearm, assessed the scan data and cursed.
“That one was just a decoy,” Sterling said, spinning around to check his rear. “While we were distracted dealing with the first creature, the others have closed in on us.”
Banks spun around, standing back-to-back with Sterling. Moments later, more alien beasts charged out from the ship’s dark corridors, while others tore through light panels and crashed through the ceiling.
“Stand-to!” Sterling called out, ordering his squad to stand their ground and fight.
Suddenly, Sterling was pelted by falling debris and a creature dropped through the light tiles directly on top of him. The impact knocked him to the deck, but he remained alert and managed to catch the beast’s jaws as it thrust them toward him.
“Mercedes!” Sterling called out, barely managing to hold the creature off.
A second later the blood-stained tip of a bayonet was thrust through the creature’s mouth, stopping mere inches from Sterling’s face. The beast’s strength evaporated and Banks lifted the creature off Sterling’s body and slung it aside before hauling Sterling to his feet.
“Thanks,” Sterling said, wiping the creature’s hot, syrupy blood from his eyes.
Sterling and Banks were then both forced to shield their eyes as flame units lit up the dreadnaught’s gloomy corridors. To the rear of their formation, Sterling saw the commandoes torching at least six of the alien creatures. Then one beast leapt through the flames and charged at Lieutenant Razor, catching her by surprise. The beast’s jaws clamped down hard on the engineer’s armor and Razor cried out in pain while thumping frantic punches into the side of the creature’s head. However, like a dog with bone, the beast would not release its hold on her.
Sterling ran to Razor’s aid, but was cut off by another alien creature that had stalked out from the shadows. Sterling thrust his bayonet into the creature’s flesh and pinned it against the wall. However, like the beast that had bitten his engineer, it continue to fight on.
“Mercedes!” Sterling called out, spotting Banks across the other side of the hall. She had already gutted three more alien creatures and was advancing on the others, using a trio of Obsidian Soldiers as a shield. Banks heard Sterling’s cry and spun around. Her eyes were wild, but she had not yet lost control. “Help Razor!” Sterling yelled, nodding toward the engineer, who was still incapacitated by the jaws of the alien beast that had attacked her.
Banks reacted instantly and stormed toward Lieutenant Razor. However, instead of wielding her bayonet, Banks had slung her rifle and was advancing with her fists clenched. Sterling continued to fight the beast that was attacking him, keeping half an eye on his first officer. He wanted to c
all out to Banks, to ask why she had slung her rifle when the answer became apparent. Without a second’s hesitation, Banks grabbed the jaws of the alien creature, digging her armored fingers deep inside its mouth. She then let out a roar that was twice as terrifying as anything the alien monsters had uttered, and tore the creature’s jaws apart. The beast staggered back, the two halves of its jaw split open by one hundred and eighty degrees. Banks kicked it in the chest, hammering it into the wall of the Vanguard so hard that it left an indentation in the metal.
Satisfied that his engineer was in good, if brutal, hands with Banks at her side, Sterling returned his attention to the beast attacking him. Wrestling it away from the wall, Sterling pushed the creature out ahead of him, slicing another gash into its side with his bayonet. Unlike the others, this beast was now more cautious. There was an intelligence behind its black eyes, Sterling realized. These creatures were not dumb animals. They were hunters.
“Let’s find out how smart you really are,” Sterling said, switching his footing then raising his rifle above his head, telegraphing an attack. The creature took the bait and lunged forward, but Sterling stepped back and pulled the weapon level with his body. Using the creature’s own momentum against it, Sterling sank the bayonet deep into its flesh. The beast roared and pulled away, but Sterling thrust again and again, striking to its body and neck until it went down.
Breathless and pulse pounding in his head, Sterling raised his guard again and checked around him. The Obsidian Soldiers had formed a circle around Sterling and the others, and only a couple of the alien beasts remained. In the center of the circle were Banks and Razor, plus three of the commandoes. The fourth commando lay bloodied and torn outside the perimeter. Sterling watched as two of the alien beasts dragged the body away, sinking into darkness along one of the many connecting corridors.
