Forged in Darkness

by James David Victor

  A movement at the very bottom of the tunnel made Jack’s heart rate increase. He felt his hairs stand up as his skin tingled with fear and anticipation. A black figure, trailing tentacles, moved across the opening to the chamber at the bottom of the facility, the chamber where the unconscious Chitins slept.

  Jack moved to the junction and held position in one of the branching tunnels, the one leading to the communications room. Jack knew immediately he needed to prevent any Chits from entering that room and sending any signal that would alert the Chits to the Scorpio’s presence.

  Jack sent Reyes and Torent into the communication room where they would set the demolition. He instructed Jenks to take cover in the tunnel opposite himself.

  The moments it took Reyes to plant the demolition stretched on. Jack watched the entrance to the wide cavity below, looking for any further signs of movement.

  Then, a black shadow moved across the opening again, moving in the opposite direction this time. Jack signaled to Jenks that there was an enemy nearby. Jack lit up his pistol’s electron blade. Jenks did the same. Jack could see that Jenks heart rate was elevated but holding steady.

  Torent and Reyes appeared out of the communication room. Torent gave a thumbs up. The device was planted. Jack signaled for Torent to hold.

  This was tricky. If Jack took his team to the exit, they could be spotted leaving. That would give the Chit an opportunity to swim to the communications room and send out a signal. Jack remembered there were eight unconscious Chits on the first facility. Everything about this facility looked identical. There was no reason to believe there were any more than eight Chits in the sleeping chamber below. Jack had seen two moving. It could have been the same one twice, or it could have been two different Chits. For all Jack knew, there could be eight down there, all getting suited up and ready to fight.

  There was only one decision that could be made. Jack pointed at Reyes and instructed her to hold. Torent and Jenks knew what was coming next. Torent fired up his electron blade.

  Jack indicated that the three Marines would swim downward toward the cavity. They would enter the chamber and kill any Chit, conscious or otherwise.

  Jack set off. He led the way, swimming head-first down the fluid-filled tunnel. Torent on his right, Jenks on his left. They moved slowly and steadily. This was going to end one of two ways: either with a dead Chitin crew or a dead Marine team and a failed mission for the Scorpio. Jack knew if the Chitins alerted their command, the Scorpio and everyone on board would be killed, or worse.

  With only a meter left to go, a dark shadow moved across the opening. Not knowing for certain whether it was the same creature again or if there were now three active Chits below, Jack propelled himself faster and entered the chamber.

  Having emerged into the wide space, Jack could see there was only one Chitin moving about. Jack followed it. It seemed unaware of Jack’s presence. Then the Chit turned and faced Jack.

  The Chit reacted instantly and aggressively. The first tentacle to lash out caught Jack on the side of his helmet. It sent up a series of warning signals on his enhanced data overlay. The second tentacle struck him in the chest and another grabbed his wrist with the pulse pistol and its glowing electron blade.

  Torent rushed in and slashed at the tentacle holding Jack’s wrist, slicing through cleanly. The severed end on Jack’s wrist coiled up tighter as another tentacle lashed out and wrapped itself around his helmet.

  Through the coils of the tentacle around his helmet, Jack saw Jenks attack the Chitin. He slashed left and then right in wide arcs that caused a dark fluid to spill out into the clear fluid. The Chitin’s tentacles lashed about wildly but seemed to be slowing and Jenks slashed again and again.

  The severed tentacle on Jack’s wrist gripped even tighter. Jack transferred the pulse pistol to his other hand and began cutting the severed tentacle away in chunks.

  Torent launched himself at the struggling Chit and attacked. In a few cuts, Torent had removed several more tentacles. They drifted in the fluid and flicked this way and that, dark fluid spilling out of the severed ends.

  Jack pulled the last of the tentacle off his wrist. The floating severed tentacles stopped writhing as the body of the Chit was cut to pieces by Torent and Jenks. And through the fluid, becoming murky with the dark fluid that spilled out of the Chitin’s body, Jack saw movement in one of the recesses. Another Chitin was waking up.

  Jack rushed at the semi-conscious Chit and sliced away at the head. The tentacles thrashed about in a sluggish and uncoordinated manner, one managing to connect strongly with Jack’s shin. The blow was felt through his meat suit. It would have been enough to smash his shin bone if he had been unsuited.

  Torent and Jenks rushed at the other Chitins, who were also waking. Whether this was a programmed waking of some kind or if the group was alerted to the presence of intruders, Jack didn’t know. All he knew was that all the Chitins here needed to die.

  Jack attacked the next waking Chit. He was working up a sweat slashing away, his movement restricted by the dense fluid. Torent was dispatching his second waking Chit. Jenks was moving across the cavity to his next target.

  The tentacle that lashed out at Jenks caught him square on the faceplate. Jack had seen a meat suit helmet take a round from a pulse rifle, the suits were tough pieces of kit, but Jack could see that Jenks was unconscious as he drifted backward. The blow had knocked him out cold. A second tentacle lashed out and gripped his ankle as his body drifted. The tentacle pulled back and drew Jenks into a mass of tentacles. They wrapped around Jenks’s limbs and his helmet and crushed. Jack saw Jenks’s arms and legs bend and break as the tentacles gripped him ever tighter.

  Torent was rushing in to assist his teammate. Jack went in too. They slashed away at the tentacles, cutting them away to let them writhe about in the fluid.

  There was one more, Jack realized. He looked for the last creature, but the fluid was too murky with the blood of the dead Chits. He saw movement, a swirling of the dark fluid, heading toward the entrance at the top of the cavity.

  Jack went after the last Chit. Then he saw the trailing tentacles of a Chit disappearing through the opening above.

  Jack raced after it. He had to prevent it accessing the communications room. And, suddenly Jack remembered, Reyes was holding position. Jack activated the propulsion jets in his boots and powered forwards. The Chitin was just ahead.

  The fluid in the central tunnel was still clear. Jack raced after the last Chit. He saw Reyes float out into the tunnel ahead of the Chit. She was unarmed but blocking the way.

  The Chit slammed into her and bundled her out of the way. The Chit turned sharply to its right and went along the tunnel to the communications room.

  Jack caught up to the Chit. It was floating in front of the bundles of colorful tentacles. Its own black tentacles were moving over and between the control panels. Jack slammed into it and stuck his electron blade deep in to the back of its head. The creature reached out with a tentacle and grabbed Jack’s leg, trying to pull him away.

  Jack stuck the blade in again and twisted it this way and that. His hand sunk into the rubbery flesh of the Chitin as he plunged and sliced. Pulling and slicing upwards, Jack brought the blade up toward the top of the Chitin. It finally erupted, severing the Chit in two.

  The Chitin’s tentacles fell away from the short and colorful control tentacles. Dark fluid spilled out of the Chitin, filling the communication room and reducing visibility. Jack moved toward the central tunnel and Reyes.

  The data overlay showed Reyes was terrified and in shock. Jack tapped her on the shoulder and gave a thumbs up. They were out of immediate danger. Torent came up toward them, pulling the limp body of Jenks with him. The data overlay showed Torent was fatigued. His suit had administered a stimulant shot and painkiller. Jenks’s data overlay reported no brain activity. Jenks was dead.

  Jack sent Reyes ahead to the airlock. He told Torent to follow and take the body of Jenks with him. Jack followe
d. The demolition charge had been planted. That much had been a success. But Jack had lost a man and the Chits might have gotten a message away. All Jack could do now was return to the Scorpio as quickly as possible.

  17

  “It will happen again, Jack,” Commander Griff said. “If you are going to command field operations, then Marines will be lost under your command. You can’t stop it. You can’t prevent it. You can reduce the risks by planning and commanding well.”

  Jack sat in the chair next to Griff in the officers’ lounge.

  “And you do command well,” Griff went on. “The captain is impressed with you. We all are. You are a natural, a real asset, Jack. Any Marines under our command will be lucky to have you, but they won’t be able to count on you if you beat yourself up so much about losing those under your command.”

  “But you said I should care, Harry,” Jack said, shifting in the seat. He glanced over at the drinks cabinet.

  “Yes, care, but don’t let it control you. You owe it to those under your command to keep a level head. You have accepted the privileges of rank, you also have to accept the responsibility.”

  “Privileges?” Jack said. “A tiny bunk room, a small desk, and more paperwork than I ever had in university?”

  “Yes. All that good stuff,” Griff said. He leaned over to Jack. “All you can do for your team is to reduce the risk by planning, giving clear instructions, and not second-guessing yourself. But you can only reduce the risk, Jack. The risk is always there, and it’s always high. We are at war.”

  Jack knew Griff was making sense. Jack had fought under poor leaders. They made bad decisions, or no decisions. They changed their minds mid-fight, lost composure in the face of deadly threat, and got themselves and those around them killed. Jack was determined to be a good commander.

  “What did Visser ask you?” Griff stood up and poured a drink.

  “Usual debrief stuff,” Jack said. “She asked me if any Chitins made contact with me. I told her one nearly broke my ankle.”

  Griff laughed and knocked back a small drink. “What did she say to that?”

  “Let’s say she wasn’t amused.” Jack stood up. “Thanks for the talk, Harry.”

  “Any time, Jack.”

  Jack left the officers’ lounge, heading for his small, cell-like quarters. He had hated being drafted into the fleet Marines, and he’d never had so much cause to hate it before, but now he was determined to make a positive impact. He knew how to fight and lead. He knew how to kill Chits. He only wished he knew how to keep his people alive.

  The best way to do that was training. Jack went around the company’s squad rooms, searching out his squad leaders. He had only known them a short time, but he had fought with them. He trusted them. He needed to give them some instructions now.

  The squad leaders met Jack on the Marine deck.

  “How are your VR training sessions going?” It was the only question he had for his squad leaders, so they’d better have the right answers.

  Torent spoke up. “We’ve been too busy fitting the barricades to fit in any extra training, sir.”

  “Third squad is tired, sir,” Allen said. “We have been on full duties for a three-watch rotation now. We need a full rotation of downtime, sir.”

  Jack nodded.

  “And first squad is filled with veterans, sir,” Navidi said. “My guys don’t need to take on extra training. We were lucky we didn’t get rammed with replacements like most of A company.”

  “You were lucky you didn’t get posted to A company after you took a pulse round on your helmet, Joe. I hear they all got some brain injury in Adder,” Torent laughed.

  “Silence on deck,” Jack barked. The laughter stopped instantly. “Listen up, Marines.” Jack paced along the line of his squad leaders. “I have instructed you to go through extra VR training. Do it. You have been instructed to assist with the construction of the internal defenses. Do it. You have not been brought out here to take a three-watch holiday in the VR pool halls. You are Marines. You can take a three-watch rotation of duty. You are Marines. You can do your job and train for the next one. You are Marines and you will have hard work every day. You are Marines, krav it, and if you want your people to be Marines too, you will put them through the VR training for ship-wide infiltration by Chitin scum. As of this moment, you are on training. Get your squads into those simulations. Dismissed.”

  Jack watched as the squad leader group snapped to attention before saluting. The squad leaders filed out. Torent lingered. He held up his hand.

  “Not now, Sam,” Jack said. “Take sixth squad through the simulation. Make sure they are ready.”

  Torent looked at Jack and raised his hand again. Jack felt the anger rise in him. He’d given his orders and he expected them to be followed without discussion. Then he remembered how annoying he found it when leaders didn’t listen to their people. He relented.

  “What is it?”

  Torent put his hand down. He checked that the other squad leaders were off the deck before he stepped forward. “It wasn’t your fault, Jack.”

  Jack felt the emotion lodge in his throat. He nodded. He was going to tell Torent to carry on but couldn’t get the words past the emotion stuck in his throat.

  Torent smiled and left. “I’ll make sure Cobra Company is fit to fight, sir,” he said as he left. “I hear their commander is a real ball-breaker.”

  Jack knew he should come down hard on a squad leader who was so insolent, but Torent hadn’t let anyone hear his mockery. Jack felt a smile at the corner of his mouth. He knew he could rely on Torent to cheer him up.

  Then a runner came onto the Marine deck.

  “Commander Forge, sir,” the runner said. “The captain needs you on the command deck, now.”

  Jack ran. His cheerful mood didn’t last long. The serious business of the war was never very far away.

  18

  Pretorius was standing at the holostage with Commanders Chou, Griff, and Matavesi. The image on the holostage showed a number of vessels moving slowly around a central point. The image was indistinct, but Jack could make out enough detail to identify the Chitin Hydras.

  “I came as quickly as I could,” Jack said, still breathing heavily from his run.

  Pretorius began immediately. “What we can see here is a number of Chitin craft, Hydra class, in formation around our next target, the Chitin surveillance facility. We don’t know if they are waiting for us or if it is simply a routine gathering. Either way, we are in trouble. We do not have any data on any other locations for the Chitin surveillance facilities. We must plant the demolition device on this one.”

  Jack studied the image. He was no Fleet officer, but he had spent enough time on the Scorpio to see that it would be impossible for the captain to approach the facility as closely as he had done before. From the holoimage on the display, Jack could see that the Scorpio was holding position.

  “I don’t think the Chitins have detected us. If they had, they would surely have attacked by now. The Chits are nothing if not aggressive. So, options. We can creep forward and hope to slip by them. We’ve done it before, but that was a much more dispersed group of ships. These appear to be quite tightly packed. Or we send in a small craft that can slip between the Hydras.”

  Pretorius looked around the table for opinions. Griff spoke first.

  “We can’t risk the Scorpio, Captain. Send in a tactical drop ship. The tac boats are small and have good thruster power. The boat can slip past. The Marines can evac and infiltrate. Once the payload is delivered, the Marines can kick up the engines and power back to the Scorpio. We’ll all be detected when the demolition is activated anyway. No sense creeping about then.”

  Pretorius nodded and looked at Matavesi.

  “I’ll lead the team,” Matavesi said. “Jack has taken the last two. He’s earned his right to stay behind on this one.” Matavesi looked at Jack. “I’ll take three of my best Marines, and I’ll have to take the Chitin expert to get me inside
.”

  “Whether these Chits are here by chance or not makes no difference.” Jack spoke with confidence. “The number of them, so close to that facility, will make it impossible for any ship to slip by, even a tac boat. But one Marine might make it.”

  Jack felt all eyes fall on him.

  “Jack’s right,” Griff said. “I’ll go.”

  “No, Harry,” Matavesi said. “You can’t go. You’ve got more experience of running a Marine battalion than the rest of us put together. The battalion needs you here. Not even the captain could take over for you. No offense, Captain.”

  Pretorius nodded. “It’s true,” he said. “I’m a fleet officer, not a Marine. Harry, you’d better stay.”

  “It will have to be me,” Jack said.

  “No,” Matavesi said. “You’ve done enough already. I’ll take the duty, Jack. Besides, you’ve been preparing the ship’s defense. The Scorpio will need you here.”

  With the unwelcome but familiar feeling of fear welling up inside him, Jack shook his head. “I’m the only one who has been on board one of those facilities. No one can find their way around better than me. Sorry, Trace,” Jack said, looking at Matavesi.

  Jack saw the slight nods from Matavesi and Griff. He looked at the captain, but Pretorius was occupied by a number of holofiles that appeared before him.

  “What’s your plan, Commander?” the captain asked, flicking the holofiles away one by one.

  “I’ll go. Just me. I’ll set the device on the outside of the communication room.”

  “And what if you fail?” Griff asked.

  Jack noticed the stern expression on Pretorius’s face as Griff asked the question. It needed an answer.

  “I’ll set up a dead man’s trigger on my power cell. If I get killed, it’ll detonate. You’ll see then that I’ve failed. It’ll be up to you what happens next.”