Battle of Hercules

by Richard Tongue

   Cooper reached for his suit and began to tug it on, struggling to wiggle inside it; Roberts held it by the neck, helping him ease his arms and legs into the holes. Though it was difficult to put on, it felt surprisingly comfortable when he was inside it; he flexed his fingers, holding the pistol in his hand, and there was no difficulty at all reaching for the trigger.

   “Do you want these back?” he asked.

   “Just do what you have to do,” Roberts replied. She glanced down at her watch while the others started to stuff equipment into their pockets, almost at random – anything they thought might conceivably have a use. “I need to head down. Good luck.”

   “Thanks, Corp.”

   She nodded, then fixed him with a stare, “This isn’t a suicide mission. Get back. All of you. Is that understood?”

   “We’ll certainly do our best,” Orlowski said, snatching a pair of clips from a rack.

   Roberts drifted off, and Cooper looked at his two friends as they finished getting ready, looking to him to make the first move. It was finally beginning to dawn on him what that new stripe on his arm actually meant, that he was going to be commanding this run. Not taking orders from someone else, or making a couple of quick decisions in a crisis – all of this was on him.

   “Let’s get going, guys,” he said, pushing off down the corridor, making for the hatch down. The three of them drifted in silence down the first shaft, heading to the second level, only a single guard from First Squad there to greet them. He clapped Cooper on the shoulder, then pushed off towards the other end of the station, no doubt to join the rest of the diversionary force.

   “How will we know when they’ve started?” Kelly asked.

   “If we can’t hear them up on this level, then something has gone very badly wrong,” Cooper replied, and they carefully drifted towards the hatch, not making a sound. He rested his hand on the control, the other reaching for his pistol, and mentally started counting down the seconds.

   A series of shots rang out, then the muffled explosion of a smoke grenade, and a confused jumble of shouts and orders. With a smile, Orlowski made for the control, but Cooper shook his head, continuing to wait.

   “Give them time to react. Thirty seconds should do it.”

   Finally, he gently tapped the control, and the hatch slid open; before the others could enter, he took the lead, pushing himself down the shaft as fast as he could, flying head-first into the unknown, one hand reached out to where he hoped the control button would be. His guess was right, and the lower hatch slid open; he kicked out into a corridor, slamming straight into a guard.

   Quickly, he smashed him in the chest, sending them both spiraling around the corridor, then reached into a pocket for a tranq needle. Stabbing the diamond point through his suit, he managed to get the sedative home, and the guard hung loosely in his arms. Orlowski and Kelly drifted down after him, looking around the corridor.

   “Save some for us, Gabe,” Orlowski said; Cooper made a hacking movement across his throat to silence him, then gestured up the corridor. Before letting the guard drop to the floor, he relieved him of his ammunition and his pistol, throwing them back up the shaft; he didn’t have any room for more ordnance, but that was no reason to allow the enemy to have it.

   The sounds of battle continued to echo around the corridors, but reassuringly distant; they had time to get moving. Now that they were in enemy territory, the suits would provide at least some element of protection, and he kicked off after the others, pushing the guard’s unconscious figure up the shaft after his weapons, and then sealing the hatch. By the time he woke up, the battle would be over.

   “Which way?” Kelly whispered as Cooper drifted behind her; they’d found a crossroads, and nothing particular distinguished any of the tunnels – just more twisted gray rock with the occasional curtained alcove to break the monotony. He glanced down at his datapad, looking at the tracking indicator, but with no other signs, he picked a direction at random.

   “We go left,” he said, waving the datapad to provide the illusion of knowledge. The three of them kicked off down the corridor, attempting to look as if they belonged there, while inside, Cooper quietly hoped that he’d made the right decision. They continued to drift down the corridor, cautiously looking around, and came to a corner; spinning around, they group came face-to-face with a technician working on a panel on the wall.

   For a second, Cooper’s heart stopped; the technician waved at them, and Kelly had the presence of mind to wave back as the three of them drifted past, not daring to say a word. Once they were safely out of range, he remembered to breathe, and turned around another corridor. He looked at the datapad again, and noted that they were at least getting a little nearer.

   The noise of the diversion was beginning to dissipate; there was only so long they could keep it up without actually trying to take the level below, and that was definitely out of the question; they’d need to reinforce the other entrances as well as quickly as they could. Time was passing, and they didn’t seem to be making any progress.

   “Over there,” Orlowski said, gesturing to a spot on the wall. Cooper looked over, and tucked behind an ill-fitting curtain was another hatch cover. He pushed over, activating it, and peered inside, looking down into the inky gloom. Glancing back with a nod, he pulled himself into the tunnel and started to descend.

   This time proceeding with more caution – reasoning that he now had no need of excessive force, as the disguise was obviously working – he drifted down to the lower level, glancing with satisfaction as he noted that he was dropping down almost to the level of the communications station. Somehow they’d managed to find a direct shaft, bypassing an entire area.

   That meant, however, that it was taking a long time for them to descend, too long for his liking. Kelly and Orlowski were behind him, their shapes blocking out the light from above. Placing his pistol in a convenient pocket, he pulled out a tranq needle instead, holding it concealed in the palm of his hand, ready to wield it should the opportunity arise.

   Eventually the shaft came to an end, and the three of them congregated at the hatch. There was no sign of security cameras or other monitoring equipment – they’d found no evidence in the levels above they’d held, for that matter – but all that meant is that it was likely hidden too well for them to detect. He glanced around at the others, held up three fingers, dropping them one at a time before using the last to jab the release button.

   The hatch opened, and they scrambled out; a guard was standing by the side of the hatch, and looked down at them with a frown as they floated into the corridor, shouting something at them in French. Cooper looked at the others, but none of them could understand a word he was saying; before the guard could raise the alarm, he reached over, tapping him on the back, jabbing the needle in between his shoulder blades.

   “Let’s ditch the suits,” Cooper said. “They’re going to slow us down, and we aren’t going to get away with just drifting into a secured facility, I reckon.”

   Frantically pulling off gloves and boots, they stowed the suits with the unconscious guard in the shaft, a silent guardian of the bounty of equipment stored with him. Pulling out everything they could carry from the suit pockets, the two others looked at Cooper for direction. Holding up the datapad again, he gestured down the corridor.

   “We’re getting close now. Pistols at the ready, I think stealth is about to be sacrificed for speed.”

   “How do we get back?” Kelly asked, glancing at the shaft.

   “One thing at a time,” Cooper replied, pushing off from the wall.

   As he slowly moved down the corridor, he waited for alarms, sirens, shouts from approaching guards, but there was no trace, no sign that their incursion had been detected. He began to think that this was actually going to work, that they’d manage to get in and out with the data they required.

   The unbroken walls flowed past; this level was even more spar
tan than the one above, aside from some data cables bolted to the wall, surprisingly similar to the ones they were using above. Thinking of the knife in his pocket, he decided to make some destructive modifications to the network as soon as they were on their way back.

   A quick, insistent buzzing came from his communicator; slapping his hand down to his pocket, he pulled it out, checking the system. He quickly saw the problem, a loss of signal. Either someone was jamming them, which had some worrying implications, or they were getting too deep in the asteroid. He glanced at the others, who nodded.

   “Now what?” Orlowski said, quietly.

   “We take back the data we need by hand. Come on, it’s just ahead.”

   Shaking her head, Kelly muttered, “I thought this was going too damn well.”

   “It still will if you both cut the chatter. Let’s get moving,” he replied, replacing the now-useless communicator in his pocket. The corridor dipped, and he nearly crashed into the wall before pushing off, using the opportunity to steady himself. Every time there was a dip or a turn, he braced himself for a fight, but they didn’t meet a soul on their passage through the level.

   At last, the datapad gave a single, quiet buzz, and they were finally at their target. Cooper risked a quick peek around the corner, and saw a long corridor, a pair of bored-looking guards floating in front of a door, obviously their destination. The only problem was that the door was at least fifty feet away, plenty of time for them to draw and fire. This time simply barreling in would not suffice.

   Cooper pointed at Kelly, making a pistol symbol with his finger and thumb, and she nodded, drawing her pistol. Two guards, two shots, with Orlowski standing by as cover. They’d only get a single shot at this, so it had to be good – and as soon as they fired, all manner of hell was liable to descend upon them.

   There was no rush. Cooper lined up the shot, and Orlowski counted down, so quietly as to almost be imperceptible, and with a pair of cracks that shattered the silence, two people died, their bodies slowly tumbling down the corridor, blood spilling from their foreheads. Kelly was the first down the corridor, Cooper right behind her; before they could reach it, the door opened, and a pair of shots rang out, a lone guard firing wild, and Orlowski managed to take the shot.

   Kelly drifted past the door, gasping for breath, as Cooper grabbed her; she had a nice bullet hole in her arm, sweat beading up on her forehead.

   “Damn,” Orlowski said, pulling out his medical kit.

   “Do what you can for her, Orlok,” Cooper said, heading into the room. Aside from the slowly tumbling corpse of the last guard, the communications suite was vacant; a pair of consoles with equipment that Cooper vaguely recognized.

   He struggled to remember his combat hacking course – Kelly had done a lot better than him at that exam – and pulled out a data stick, sending it on a hunt for data; fortunately, most of this equipment seemed to be of Triplanetary origin – something he filed for future reference, as he took a few photographs with his datapad.

   Orlowski drifted in, pushing Kelly, “She’s in shock, but will be fine. How are you doing?”

   “We’re getting the data now, draining it dry.”

   “Any chance we can transmit it to Alamo from here?”

   “If you have some hidden experience with Cabal-modified communications systems, now would be a good chance to use it. Most of the damn dials read backwards.”

   He swapped out data sticks as Orlowski looked nervously around, saying, “Come on, Gabe, we’ve got to get out of here. It’s going to take us twice as long carrying Kelly.”

   “It takes as long as it takes. Cover the door.”

   Peering out, he replied, “There’s no one there.”

   “What?”

   “Hey, don’t look a gift horse…”

   “If this was one of our stations, the place would be swarming with troops by now. Hell, if we were trying to protect some of our most vital intelligence secrets, we’d have more than a pair of dopey guards defending it.”

   “So they’re incompetent.”

   “This would be the first time. The only thing I can think of…”

   “What?”

   Cooper looked at his friend, eyes wide, “Is if they suddenly had to be somewhere else in a hurry, and that what they were doing meant that us getting out wouldn’t be a problem.”

   “Kurwa! They’re attacking the upper levels.”

   “No wonder we didn’t see anyone.” Snatching the data stick out, he said, “I hope that’s enough. We’ve got to get back, right now.”

   Groaning, Kelly said from the corner, “Get out of here, then.”

   “We’re not leaving you.”

   “Yes, you are,” she replied. “Orlok’s right. Getting me back will take too long, and I’ll be no use in a fight when you get there.”

   “Damn it, Joyce,” he said, shaking his head. “I can’t leave you behind.”

   Reaching for a gun, she said, “Do I have to shoot you to make you leave? I’ll come after, as fast as I can. Don’t write me out yet.”

   Hanging at the door, Orlowski said, “She’s right, Gabe. Come on.”

   Turning to Kelly, Cooper said, “Give ‘em hell, Private.”

   “I’m a Triplanetary Espatier, Corporal. That’s what we do.”

   His last sight of her as he pushed off down the corridor was of her propped up against the wall, gun in hand, a crooked smile on her face.

  Chapter 19

   Sitting in his command chair, Marshall stared at the viewscreen, watching the image of the asteroid ahead, Hercules seeming to hover just above it from this angle. A pair of shuttles slowly lumbered towards the ships, laden down with a dozen tanks of precious fuel.

   He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair, drawing a look of chagrin from Caine at the tactical station, but he could see her fidgeting with her targeting controls, and realized with a smile that she was having exactly the same problem. Turning to face Ivanov at the communications station, he started to speak, but was cut off by the technician.

   “Still nothing from the asteroid, sir.”

   “Well anticipated, spaceman.”

   He looked up at the clock, set to Mission Elapsed Time; twenty minutes and counting since Cooper and his team had begun their infiltration. Zabek had reported that her diversionary attack appeared to have been successful, but there was no news of the strike team. Caine rose from her station and walked over to him.

   “It could take hours, Captain. They’ll be taking their time working their way through the levels.”

   “I take it you haven’t met Lance-Corporal Cooper.”

   She smiled, shaking her head, “Another one of Orlova’s disciples, no doubt. Even so, it takes time to go that far through the decks.”

   “We could send another team after them.”

   “The espatiers are stripped bare enough as it is, Danny.” Glancing at the door, she said, “Why don’t you go and get something to eat.”

   “Is that an order?”

   Putting on a mock-fierce expression, she replied, “Don’t make it one.”

   “Yes, mother.” He stood, starting towards the door, only to be stopped by a look from Bryant.

   “We’re picking up some activity, Captain. Not from the asteroid, from the moon.”

   Returning to his chair, he replied, “Put it up on the screen. I could do with a change. What are we looking at?”

   The screen changed, and a few small dots were visible moving across the surface; the image was blurry, operating at the maximum possible magnification.

   “Some sort of atmospheric transport, sir. We’ve seen them a couple of times moving between the settlements, pattern suggesting cargo traffic. But only one at a time up until now.”

   “Any message traffic?”

   “None that we are able to detect, Captain.”

   “Want to take a l
ook?” Caine asked.

   “And leave our troops stranded down there?”

   She shook her head, saying, “Sir, you have two ships to play with now. Alamo can go and take a look while Hercules remains on station.”

   “That’ll put us further from the hendecaspace point.” His eyes widened, and he looked over at the sensor station. “Bryant, I want everything we’ve got focused at the two local hendecaspace points.”

   “Aye, sir.”

   “Matsumoto, have the Executive Officer report to the bridge on the double, and get Mr. Mulenga down to his emergency station.”

   Nodding, the diminutive watch officer replied, “Aye, Captain,” and began issuing the necessary orders from her station.”

   “What is it?”

   “They’re trying to lure us in. Either that or they’re getting ready for something, and I don’t like the implications of that.”

   “Danny, there’s no way they can have responded to us in this little time.”

   He looked up at her, “Unless they were expecting us.”

   “How?”

   “All of this, finding my father, finding Hercules, all of this has been just a little too easy so far.”

   “Tell that to the three troopers.”

   That silenced him for a second, but he replied, “For an operation of that type against such odds, three casualties is astounding, especially for troops engaged in their first action.”

   “They weren’t fighting fully-trained troops…”

   “Or is that just what they wanted us to think?”

   “Sir!” Bryant said. “We’ve got shuttles launching from the surface of the moon. Four of them, I think they’re shooting for orbit.”

   “Configuration?”

   Frantically working her controls, she replied, “Three unknown, one of them from Hercules.”