The Colony Ship Vanguard: The entire eight book series in one bundle

by John Thornton

  Larissa swept her leg at the Roe with a kick directed at its feet. Again she struck the spacesuit which absorbed the impact.

  “It will not go down,” Brinley yelled. “I cannot believe it!’

  “Enemies always go down,” Larissa said.

  They circled around the Roe. It was enraged. It was shaking its head trying to follow one or the other. It eyes blazed orange hatred. It swung the pipe at Larissa who nimbly backed up. Brinley then hammered her fists down on the Roe’s arm, striking it twice in quick and hard blows.

  The Roe dropped the pipe, which clattered to the floor making a loud ringing sound. With speed not seen before it shot out its hand and grabbed Brinley’s shirt. The Roe yanked her toward it. The arm with the broken collar bone and injured elbow, that arm came whipping around and smacked Brinley in the back of her head. The Roe then lunged forward and bit at Brinley. Sputum and foul breath covered her as she fought to escape its one-handed grasp, and its snapping jaws.

  “Four little flowers for me!”

  “Not today,” Larissa said calmly as she rushed in and punched the side of the Roe’s face with the palm of her hand. The broken teeth of the Roe flew out and struck Brinley in the face, but the Roe released her. It stumbled away and reached for its shattered mouth with its only functioning hand. That hand, the one with only two fingers, tried to stem the flow of blood from the shattered teeth and jaw, but was unable to do so. The other arm of the Roe whipped about, but could not reach up to its mouth.

  Gurgling blood and sputum, the Roe spat out the words, “Four little flowers for me!”

  Brinley picked up the rusty pipe and attacked. She swung it as hard as she could and it smashed into the Roe’s working arm and burst apart both bones in the lower arm. They came jutting out through the skin and blood poured from the terrible injury. Yet, still the Roe stood.

  “Brinley, its legs!” Larissa called out.

  Brinley swung the pipe at the Roe’s legs and struck the front of them at the same moment that Larissa landed a powerful side kick to the small of the Roe’s back. It lost its balance and fell face first onto the deck.

  Brinley pulled the pipe up and was about to crush the Roe’s head when Larissa pushed Brinley back and jumped onto the Roe. She stomped down with her heel into the neck of the Roe. It cried out in agony. With Larissa standing on its back, the Roe struggled but was unable to get away. Larissa stomped on it again. She then stepped to the side and kicked the Roe’s head slamming it into the deck.

  “You will not!” Larissa kicked the head face first into the deck again.

  “Attack me!” She again raised her leg and kicked down hard into the head thumping it down into the deck.

  “Ever again!” She forced another kick into the head.

  “No one!” Larissa shifted legs and stomped on the head again.

  “Hurts me!” Kick, bash.

  “Or my friends!” Stomp, crush.

  “Not ever again!” Booted, thump.

  Larissa did not kick the head again. Her boots had made deep ruts in its skin, and broken the skull nearly flat. The front of the head was just a cracked, broken, and bloody mass of tissue. The orange eyes were unrecognizable. Blood was all over the deck, and the pool was spreading.

  Brinley stood by in shock at the brutality. She let the pipe drop and it clanged on the deck.

  Larissa stepped away. Surprisingly she had almost no blood on her hands, or anywhere else on her, except her boots. She straightened up her uniform, and then checked her hair and causally repositioned it a bit into a better braid.

  “Larissa?” Brinley asked.

  “Yes?” Larissa turned to her. Her blue eyes were clear and steady.

  Brinley was about to confront Larissa on the violence, but instead blurted out, “There will be tagalong animals coming. We need to flee.”

  “A very good point,” Larissa said. “I thank you for your assistance in this matter.”

  “Uh… okay,” Brinley said.

  “We will see if you are immune to the Outbreak.” Larissa looked carefully a Brinley. “Oh no, you are injured on your face. I am very sorry I did not defeat him before he could hurt you. I take responsibility for that. I will work hard to not let anyone hurt us again.”

  “We need to find an ESRC and get more tools,” Brinley said. “We may need them in our escape.”

  “Lead us on,” Larissa said. “You are the expert on these kinds of places.”

  They jogged down a dim corridor which led away from the dead Roe. Neither discussed the incident with the Roe.

  The corridor ended at a stairwell which was lit by better lighting. The white color was a welcome relief. Brinley looked down the stairs, and was stunned.

  “The deck below us is flooded,” Brinley said. She saw the churning waters swirling around the hand rails and stairs.

  “Can this be from where the water was pouring in?” Larissa asked. She too was surprised but did not want to show it.

  “That would be immense amounts of water. But it is flooded,” Brinley stated. “So we go up.”

  “Our enemy is relentless,” Larissa commented. “Remember it lives in water. It is trying to drown us out.”

  “But what is it?” Brinley asked. “That thing, what did it call itself?”

  “It said that us ‘gas breathers’ called it a Jellie,” Larissa replied. “That water is rising. We need to stay ahead of it.”

  “Can they, or it be?” Brinley did not finish the whole thought. She then continued, “Can the Jellies actually flood the all these decks?”

  “If I was in there place, I would if it suited my purposes,” Larissa answered. “When it called us ‘gas-breathers’ and said ‘others like you’ we know we are not the first people it has attacked. I wonder how it knew how to speak to us? That comment about ‘gas-breathers’ makes me think it cannot breathe like we do. So to flood the whole are makes tactical sense, from our enemy’s point of view.”

  “It is also drowning the tagalongs,” Brinley said and pointed to the waters. A few orange eyed rats were swimming in the waters. They looked weak and bloated as they floundered in the dark and smelly water.

  The next level up opened to a long corridor which had bluish gray walls, and occasional red lights set in the middle of the walls. Large pipes and ducts ran vertically about every twenty meters. Set into the wall near the stairway was a door with large letters, ‘ESRC’ in white on the side.

  “We found one,” Brinley said and rushed over to it. She quickly assessed it and discovered the seals on the front doors of the cabinet had already been broken.

  “It has been raided,” Brinley observed. “But there might be something left.”

  Larissa looked on, “So what have we found in our Emergency Supply Resource Cabinet?”

  Brinley sorted through the supplies. There was a fully charged vibration saw, a first aid kit, a set of multi-tools. There were no food supplies, or weapons.

  Larissa took the first aid kit and opened it. “Step over here and let me treat your wounds.”

  “I can do it myself,” Brinley snapped.

  “No you cannot. I know. I had to have my own forehead rebuilt after you shot me,” Larissa said in an unruffled way.

  “You killed my people!” Brinley barked back. She recalled all the death she had seen.

  “And you have tried to kill me. Like we agreed, we are at truce. Now if you want to try to kill me again, that is your choice, but you will fail. We did work well together against that Roe. I know I would have been able to defeat it alone, but it was handy to have your assistance. Since this wound is on your face I will treat it for you. Hold still,” Larissa commanded. She removed several items from the first aid kit and gently and carefully applied antiseptics, and a spray-on bandage to the wounds. She had to pick a part of the Roe’s tooth out of Brinley’s cheek, but that was the only foreign body.

  “Thank you,” Brinley replied. She was surprised at the gentle and careful touch Larissa had shown.

&nb
sp; “That should hold you until we locate a medical automacube or an infirmary,” Larissa said. “And you have not turned to a Roe yourself. The account of you being immune must be true.”

  “Why are you helping me?” Brinley asked. “You have tried to kill me before, why change now?”

  “The situation demands it. We have a common enemy. I prefer you as an alive enemy of my enemy, rather than a dead enemy of mine.” Larissa looked deeply into Brinley’s hazel eyes. “This is bigger than just us two. Those Jellies are the greatest enemy I have ever faced, and I need you as an ally.”

  Brinley’s anger burned inside, but she was conflicted in her emotions as well. The Jellies had been bizarre and the way they killed Herric and the hippos was extremely frightening. She looked back at Larissa. “I do not trust you.”

  “You should not,” Larissa replied. “Nor do I trust you. In this situation we will both profit by cooperation. I will add, I would rather be on your side against these Jellie enemies, than be with them. So our truce holds?”

  “For now,” Brinley answered.

  “Good enough. So what direction do we take?” Larissa asked. “If there was a multiceiver in there I could contact the Wilds, or even the CPO and get us help.”

  “I think I can find out where we are, so we can decide our next steps.” Brinley pulled the remaining supplies from the ESRC and then removed a shelf at the back. Brinley then opened a recessed control panel at the back of the ESRC. She activated several levers, and adjusted a dial. A display opened on the wall near the ESRC.

  A man’s image was there. He had bristly, short, black hair, a medium and clear complexion, and round brown eyes. His eyes were direct and concentrated on the display. His uniform was dark blue with gold trim and red epaulets.

  “This is the midshipman monitoring this area. You in an isolation restricted areas. What is your purpose in making contact?”

  Brinley adjusted the controls trying to turn off the link to the CPO. Larissa stepped in front of her and into the range of the display. Brinley backed several meters out of sight.

  “This is Governor Larissa of E Habitat, the Wilds. I need to make a security report.”

  “Governor Larissa?” A light came on over the display and shone down on Larissa. “Your identity is confirmed. You are in A Cylinder in an isolation restricted area. Why have you broken quarantine?”

  “I was kidnapped from the Wilds. There were casualties. I need to make a security report immediately. I also need supplies and extraction so as to make my way back to the Wilds. Constable Herric has been killed in the line of duty.”

  There was no emotional response from the midshipman. “I will connect you to TSI-7 Ship-wide Internal Security Operations.”

  The display shifted and a dull color came on.

  “TSI-7 is unavailable for links or couplings,” came a recorded voice. “The current crisis has necessitated all components of the lattice to coordinate efforts. Therefore routine inquiries are suspended. I am sorry, but no further information is available at this time. Rest assured that the Central Planning Office is addressing this crisis and has everything under control. Just remain in your habitat, enforce the quarantine, and await further instructions. End communication.”

  Brinley stepped back to in front of the display. She thought it was disconnected.

  “It looks like you were….” Brinley started to say.

  The display shifted again, and the midshipman’s image reappeared. He looked at both Larissa and Brinley, but did not acknowledge that he had seen Brinley before.

  “I hope that satisfied your needs, Governor Larissa. May I assist you in any other matter?” the midshipman asked.

  “Perhaps. The interaction with that AI did not satisfy my needs. I was kidnapped. I need weapons, supplies, and reinforcement to go back to the Wilds to protect my people,” Larissa stated.

  Again, there was no emotional response from the midshipman. “I can apply for a dispensation on the issue of your initial violation of quarantine. The kidnapping diverts responsibility from you to those criminal elements. I cannot offer you a return to any habitat as that would constitute another violation of quarantine. Therefore, you are now part of the remnant human population which exists in the isolation restricted areas.”

  “That is unacceptable. There are enemies on the Vanguard attacking at least two different habitats. I need weapons and supplies to lead a counter attack.”

  “The Outbreak affects all habitats and the quarantine is in place to protect all habitat personnel. It is regrettable than you were kidnapped and taken out of your habitat, but the fact remains that you cannot return,” the midshipman stated.

  “I demand to speak to your superior,” Larissa stated in a calm voice, even though inwardly she was highly stressed. Even during the best of times, she privately disliked working with the CPO, but the situation was grave. There were additional things she observed as she spoke to the midshipman.

  “I will transfer and link you to the Chief Gefreiter for this area. Please wait while coupling is established.”

  A different image appeared. It was of a woman. Her uniform was slightly different from the midshipman, but only in minor ways. She had perfect skin complexion, of a medium to dark tone, very symmetrical face, and a large brown eyes. Her black hair was precisely arranged.

  “I am the chief Gefreiter for this area. The midshipman informs me you have an issue. How may I assist you?” the Chief Gefreiter asked.

  Brinley was puzzled as she looked at the Chief Gefreiter, but said nothing. Brinley’s mind and memories were spinning.

  “I am Governor Larissa of the Wilds. I was kidnapped by hostile forces. There have been attacks in several habitats by enemy forces. I wish to strike back and protect my people. I need weapons and assistance from the CPO.” Larissa was more demanding now.

  “The Central Planning Office is aware of the crisis and taking appropriate measures,” the Chief Gefreiter responded without emotion or surprise. “You are not allowed to break quarantine by returning to any biological habitat.”

  “It was horrible! There were so many people killed!” Larissa was shrill in her delivery. “I am the Governor of the Wilds. I was kidnapped. My people are being killed. I demand the CPO do something about this immediately! Oh please help me!”

  The Chief Gefreiter just looked at Larissa for an awkward amount of time. Then she said, “You are in an isolation restricted area. Your position as Governor has been revoked. However, I can approve your request for weapons and personal defensive gear to confront what you call the enemy.”

  Larissa responded. “Oh thank you so much! I was so afraid. Where can I receive the weapons? I need a dispatch of security automacubes, a personal sidearm, and a set of multiceivers so as to remain in contact with the CPO. That way you can guide and help me.”

  Brinley leaned in and whispered to Larissa, “Something is wrong here.”

  Larissa nodded but did not comment. She turned back to address the Chief Gefreiter. “My associate reminded me we need food supplies as well. Where can we pick up the items you are so graciously providing?” Larissa wiped tears from her eyes.

  “Since you are located in A Cylinder, the Reproduction and Fabrication of supplies and equipment is under the administration of TSI-2229RF. I have put in the proper request. You will receive two security automacubes, personal defensive gear and weapons for two humans, and a ten day supply of consumables. These items are not to be used in any attempt to violate the quarantine,” the Chief Gefreiter.

  “I understand. We can never go back to a habitat,” Larissa stated and tears ran down her face. “I can never see my family again, I know that now.” Larissa looked up at the Chief Gefreiter. “But I appreciate you help me. When and where can I get the supplies.”

  “You will proceed to this point,” the display faded out and a deck plan appeared. It showed a green arrow. “Do you understand how to get to this location?”

  “Yes,” Larissa said as she quickly memorize
d the floor plan. “Thank you again. You have saved our lives!”

  “Link disconnected,” the Chief Gefreiter said.

  Larissa stepped away from the optics of the display. With contempt she rubbed her eyes of the tears she had used, straightened her back, and stood more erect.

  “Larissa, are you okay? I have never seen you like that before,” Brinley asked. She was trying to reconcile how Larissa had just acted, with their history. She also was wondering about suspicions she had about the Chief Gefreiter.