“No,” Carter said. “Let them get as close as they want.”
“Can you repeat that, Major?” Sullivan asked.
“Yeah, I second the request,” Hill said. “You’ve got to be out of your mind.”
“No,” Carter explained. “It’s just better sometimes to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don’t.”
“Well, I’m positive that didn’t help me,” Hill said.
“What are your intentions, Major?” Neil asked. “If I don’t burn with at least thirty seconds to spare, then they can clip the rear of our ship with the rear of theirs.”
The statement seemed odd, but the Chinese ship never turned around. It was floating engines, or rear first, into orbit around Mars. Their lander had long since landed, as it raced suicidality toward the Valles Marineris. Neil couldn’t get a positive readout from the satellite over the region on whether the ship crashed or landed successfully.
“Boarding can work two ways,” Carter said.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Hill asked. “Wait a second, I think we need to have this conversation face to face.”
“We don’t have time for that now, Doctor. Stay in the main cabin behind the secondary airlock doors. They may try to blow our outer doors. Me and my men have already moved into position, and we’re going EVA to deal with the situation. I need Commander Sullivan to hold the ship steady so we can do our work.”
“Doc, you copy the Major?” Neil asked.
“I did,” Hill said.
“Then I suggest you do as he says. David, you two get into the forward section with Doctor Hill and myself. Do you copy?”
“Roger that, Commander,” Dave Dakos said. “We’re on our way.”
Neil watched as the Chinese ship got within a hundred yards and then fired its starboard lateral motors to arrest its approach to the Red Horizon. Neil couldn’t help but let out a long breath, and he didn’t realize the last ten seconds he had held it.
Two figures emerged into the vacuum of space from the Chinese ship with some sort of rocket sled or powered thruster. Both men were tethered to the device and to the ship. A chime in the cockpit indicated the outer rear port airlock had been opened locally. The major sent two men to intercept.
Neil watched as the thought came to him that never in his lifetime did he ever think he’d witness combat in space. It appeared that the impossible was about to happen. Humanity was going to have a hard time letting go of millennia of warfare even tens of millions of miles away from Earth.
*****
Krasnaya Zvesda (Red Star)
Interplanetary Space
In the near future, Year 4, Day 175
“What happened?” Olga asked from the side cockpit seat.
“You saw the same as me,” Yuri said. “Last communiqué indicated that Vostochny Control was under attack and that all mission operations were to come via Kalinin.”
“Bozhe moi,” Olga said.
“My God, indeed,” Yuri agreed.
“Do you think the report of the complete coms blackout in the United States is accurate? I mean, the last sitrep was to triple check our own communication channels. What is happening back there?” Olga asked.
“I think a more appropriate question is what is happening up there.” Yuri nodded at the small red dot that represented Mars, two days out.
“You don’t think . . .” Olga’s words trailed off.
“That’s exactly what I think,” Yuri said. “This time, we may arrive and find that our entire mission is back to one of search and rescue.”
“For whom?” Olga asked.
“You ask such a question?” Yuri countered.
“What if the blackout and the communication disruptions were caused by the Americans? I don’t trust them, despite your cozy relationship with the American female commander.” Olga was a bit blunt with her statement.
Yuri looked at her sideways. “You don’t think the Americans are laying siege to Vostochny now, do you?”
Olga shook her head. “Nyet.”
“Then I fear we’ll be there to help the Americans, or if not, then we pick up the pieces. Perhaps it was fortunate for us to arrive last this time. Remember what it cost us when we were first?”
“Da,” Olga replied. “So what now?”
Yuri looked at her carefully before responding. “Now, we have a very long two-day wait.”
Olga nodded and unstrapped her restraining harness, moving up and over the cockpit controls to exit the cabin. “Sons of bitches,” she said on her way out.
When she had left and the door shut, Yuri mumbled under his breath, “Indeed.”
*****
Alien Construct
93° West, 4° South
Near Tithonium Chasma, Mars
In the near future, Year 4, Day 175
The battling commandoes spurred Julie Monroe into action. She moved her hand over the alien console looking for something, anything that would open a door, or somehow allow her to assist her crew members. Not seeing anything understandable or useful, she grasped onto the only idea she could to make something happen.
Moving to Maria, Jules knelt at her side and released the locking clamp first on her helmet, then on Maria’s. Clipping the helmets to each of their utility belts, she used her free hands now to pull a miniature med kit from her front belt pouch. It didn’t have much in it, but there was one item specifically that she wanted, smelling salt.
Finding the salt, she broke the seal on it, shaking it twice then holding it under Maria’s nose. The odorous substance was primarily intended to awaken astronauts who could have been knocked unconscious during flight operations. Jules never thought she’d be using it under different circumstances but the effect was both the desired one as well as immediate.
“Ah,” Maria said, shaking her head to get her nose away from the smelly mini packet. “What the hell happened?”
“We don’t have time for that,” Jules was quick and firm. “On your feet. I need you at this console.”
Maria half stood while Jules half dragged her fellow astronaut onto her feet. She gasped when she caught sight of the hologram taking up almost the entire room and stumbled back against the wall, her eyes wide. “What?”
“The Chinese have landed. They’ve entered the same sort of building or space that we have and engaged with our SEALs. They need our help. Can you look at the console and see if anything stands out for you?”
“Yeah,” Maria nodded, then walked with Jules’ help towards the middle of the room. The four men were continuing their hand to hand combat and both women watched in awe and horror. Reaching the console, Maria looked at the various components and their strange symbolic hieroglyphs that meant nothing to them in general. She’d have to work quickly if they were going to help.
“Can you open a door to them?” Jules asked.
Maria seemed flustered, “I can’t tell what any of these symbols do. I need access to Max in order to run the predictor program after uploading-”
“Stop,” Jules interrupted her. “We don’t have coms right now nor any sort of link with the Red Horizon. You’ll have to do this on your own.”
Maria nodded and took a deep breath, looking back at the console and holding her hands over several of the symbols. “I’ll try,” she said under her breath.
Jules looked back at the hologram all around them and realized that their time had run out. She watched as Lieutenant Harris fell to a nasty blow across his neck while Petty Officer Jackson threw his opponent across the room with a back flip, the other man landing hard and remaining prone no longer moving. It was down to Jackson and the lone Chinese commando. “You better hurry,” Jules urged.
“I’m trying,” Maria said. Studying the symbols and holding her hand over one of the symbols.
There was something symmetrical in the way the hologram was being displayed. Jules couldn’t pin point what it was, but she moved towards the battling men, passing right through the display and spreadin
g her arms out she felt the side of the circular wall looking for any crack or handle that could have been overlooked. “Hurry,” Jules said, looking back at Maria.
Maria finally made her choice and pressed a glyph that looked like a rectangle. Nothing happened. “Damn,” she said.
Jules could no longer contain herself as she watched the men’s fight turn more violent as they hit and threw one another back and forth. The Chinese commando had somehow pulled a stubby knife and was making thrusts with it at the American SEAL. The sight of the combat turning deadly spurred Jules into action and she ran back through the hologram and slammed a hand down on the nearest symbol at the bottom edge of the console. Nothing happened. “Damn,” Jules said.
“Well now you have both of us damning,” Maria said. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” Jules asked.
“Don’t activate anything without consulting with me… Commander,” Maria said, adding Jules’ rank as an afterthought, a sign of respect.
Jules ignored her and hit another symbol, a round ball with rays coming from it. The lights dimmed slightly and Jules hit it again with a similar result. “Found something.”
“Commander, this could be dangerous,” Maria pleaded.
“So is that,” Jules said, pointing without looking at the hologram running all around them with the combatants to their left. Jules reached across the board and hit another circular symbol to no effect. “Damn again.”
Maria pressed one to her right and a hissing sound happened as part of the circular wall on the same side retracted and slid back revealing a lit corridor, similar to the one that Jules had seen the Chinese commandoes running through. It didn’t feel right, but Jules headed off at a run down the corridor trying hard not to hit her head against the ten foot ceiling as the weakened gravity of Mars failed to hold her weight the way Earth did. “Bingo,” Maria had said.
Jules went halfway towards a distant door when she heard Maria calling her to stop. “What is it?” Jules asked.
“You’re showing on the video feed in the room, opposite the SEALs,” Maria yelled.
Jules cursed under her breath and ran back into the room towards Maria and the console. Maria pressed another symbol, this time to her left and a door opened leading to another short corridor and a further set of doors. Racing towards it she was surprised to see the doors opening as she arrived until she heard Maria shout again, “Bingo, got it.”
The other room was exactly as she had seen in the hologram and as she entered she watched as the Chinese commando sliced Jackson’s suit at the wrist, exposing some sort of metallic bracer that he wore underneath it. The swing was so violent that sparks flew in all directions. Jackson swung around and used his other gloved fist to land solidly on the faceplate of the commando, cracking it and causing glass to cut the other man’s face. In turn the man ducked low and plunged the blade into the SEAL’s abdomen causing him to fall backwards. With one last tug, the commando pulled the dripping red blade out and looked up at Jules.
“No,” Jules yelled as she rushed to Jackson’s aide. The Chinese commando unlatched his neck collar and pulled the broken helmet off his head, dropping it on the floor and wiping the streaming blood from his forehead with the back of his free hand. He held his blade in front of him and looked directly at Jules then advanced slowly.
Jules had pulled up and looked between her fallen colleague and the advancing enemy. The man had murder in his eyes and Jules shivered at the thought of what would come next. Bracing herself she pulled the only thing she had on her that could act as a weapon, her large metal flashlight secured tightly to her utility belt. Jackson was holding his abdomen with one hand to staunch the bleeding and was reaching for something with his other.
Jules wanted to keep the commando’s attention on her and she stepped forward, swinging the light end first at the man who leaned back slightly, easily avoiding her swing. She knew that if the man got by her that Maria would be no match for him. Hell, she wasn’t sure how she was going to deal with the man.
With a lunge, he tried to jab her with his blade and Jules swung at his hand, hitting it, but failing to dislodge his weapon. Quick as lightening, the man swung backwards extending a leg and hitting Jules with a force enough to knock her on her back. Jules felt the air go out of her lungs but she didn’t hesitate and rolled once first, which saved her life, before arching her back and flipping herself upright on her feet. The move was much easier to perform on Mars than on Earth as the gravity wavered against her muscles. The blade scratched along the metallic floor, showering sparks in all directions as he narrowly missed hitting her.
She bounced slightly trying to stay out of his reach when she thought she heard Maria yelling something. She couldn’t make it out then realized it was also coming from her helmet speaker which was secured to her waist. The radio block must have been lifted once the doors were opened. Maria was only a few dozen meters away.
“What are you saying?” Jules yelled, turning her head slightly so her voice would carry down the corridor but still keeping her eyes on her opponent.
She couldn’t hear Maria clearly, then noticed Jackson motioning to his helmet then nodding at hers. The Chinese commando seemed to tilt his head, unsure if she were yelling at him or someone else then he advanced slowly and deliberately for a killing blow. Jules backpedaled finally reaching down for her helmet with her free hand and lifting it to the side of her head so she could hear.
“I said put your helmet on, Bingo time,” Maria’s voice came from the speaker.
Jules quickly pulled it over her head and the commando struck during the split second that she couldn’t see him as it crossed her eyes and line of vision. She tried to duck but couldn’t and the man landed on her, knocking her to the ground and pinning both her arms with his own. He was unbelievably strong and he leaned forward, looking intently into her eyes through her faceplate. In one quick moment of decision he released his pin of her with the blade hand and brought it up over his head for a killing blow.
Maria opened the outer doors.
The explosive decompression expelled shards of glass and material as well as blood immediately from the floor. The debris swept down the main corridor that the Chinese commandos had entered and were ejected onto the Martian surface nearly a hundred meters away. Both Harris and the other commando slid violently down the hallway and Jules felt the other man on top of her being pulled away, his facial expression one of surprise. The blow never landed and both started to be pushed down and out.
Jules scrambled with both hands and when she thought she was going to get expelled down the corridor a strong grip came from her light. She clung to it and tried to roll over towards the source as she watched the disappearing figure of the commando as he was ejected from the construct. She looked at the source of the stability and found herself looking directly into the eyes of Petty Officer Jackson. One of his hands gripped her flashlight tightly and the other was on a large round magnetic handhold that was attached as an anchor to the floor. She had seen the devices designed to be used on a ship’s hull or a metallic alien construct. Now it was their lifeline.
“Closing now,” Maria’s voice crackled across the radio and the doors slid into place, removing the intense flow of pressure that was trying to kick them out.
Jules tried to stand and could only get to her knees. Jackson was bleeding heavier now from his wound and she moved to stop his bleeding. Taking off her helmet, he tried to do the same and Jules helped him take his off.
“What the hell are you trying to do?” he said to her. “You could have gotten yourself killed.” His words were raspy and he grimaced after speaking.
“I could ask the same of you,” she said. “Trying to be a hero now?”
“Hardly,” Jackson muttered, leaning back and looking at the ceiling now. Jules crawled closer to him so she could look down at his face clearly. “Harris will never let me live this down… must retrieve him… no oxygen.”
“I’ll take car
e of it. You need to keep the pressure on here. Maria, get over here and help Jackson, now.” Jules said.
“On my way,” she said.
In short order Maria arrived and together they half dragged, half carried the large SEAL back into the main chamber where the console was located. Jules had put her helmet on and secured it, then headed back towards the chamber where the men were expelled down the long corridor and entered it when the doors opened.
The doors closed behind her and she ran to the outer doors and halted as they opened. This time there was no explosive force to propel her forward and she walked out into the deep canyon near the Tithonium Chasma. She found Harris twenty meters away and changed out his oxygen canister, then pulled him back into the corridor. The doors remained open.
She stayed away from the commando that she had fought. She didn’t want to see his face and from his position on the ground it was obvious that the man was dead. A quick check on the other commando showed a faint wisp of breathing as the man remained alive in his pressurized suit. She almost left him, but her humanity called to her action. She pulled him inside as well, thinking perhaps he may know how to operate the lander and that may be the only way for them to leave their location.
Not sure if Maria could see her, but positive that no radio coms were possible, she pointed at her helmet then up into the sky from where she stood. The doors closed and Jules hoped that Maria executed the move and not by the alien design.
Stepping as far away from the immense cliff wall, Jules keyed her mike and spoke, “Red Horizon, this is Red One, do you copy?”
There was no answer.
*****
Red Horizon
Mars’ orbit
In the near future, Year 4, Day 175
The pair of combatants met between the two ships in a clash of metal, synthetic fabric and plastic gear. One of the Chinese commandos had a thruster powered sled that he moved at the Red Horizon’s engines. Petty Officer Flores moved to intercept with his own EVA pack and the pair met and careened into the side of one of the Horizon’s large engines damaging both the engine and the Chinese sled.
Red Horizon: The Truth of Discovery (Discovery Series Book 2) Page 24
