by G J Ogden
“We’re down and locked,” Banks called out, appearing physically unaffected by the pressures that had just ravaged Sterling’s body. “Hatch seal intact, cutting beams activated.”
Shade punched the buckle on her chest to release her harness then sprang up and grabbed her plasma rifle from its stow to her side. The four commandoes were on their feet moments later, but these soldiers were packing far more devastating firepower. Two of the commandoes grabbed plasma hand-cannons from the rack; the twenty-fourth century equivalent of a sawn-off shotgun. The remaining two commandoes drew down heavy plasma rifles and moved to the side of the docking hatch. These heavier weapons were rarely used due to their propensity to blow holes through walls and even the sides of ships. They had earned the nickname, ‘Homewreckers’ on account of this. However, on this occasion, Sterling was willing to throw caution to the wind. The Sa’Nerra's armor, combined with the alien species’ exceptional resilience to injury, meant that sometimes two or three shots from regular weapons were needed to put them down. In contrast, the Homewreckers could one-shot-kill even the toughest alien warrior.
“I haven’t seen those used in a while,” said Banks, sliding out of her seat and drawing her pistol. “I just hope those commandoes can shoot straight, otherwise we’ll all end up being blown out into space.”
Sterling might ordinarily have laughed, though on this occasion, Banks’ joke was a little too close to the truth for comfort.
“Breaching in thirty,” Shade called out as Sterling, Banks and Razor gathered their gear and got ready to move.
Razor pulled on a backpack containing the hardware she needed to hack the alien computer system. However, also tucked away inside the bag was another piece of equipment that Sterling was hoping they’d not have to use.
“Remember, we need to take one of the warriors alive,” Sterling called out to Shade and the commando squad. “Someone on the bridge or close to it. We may need an alien commander for this to work.”
Shade acknowledged Sterling, but kept her eyes locked ahead. Her expression had hardened like granite and the weapons officer did not show a flicker of fear. This was Opal Shade in her element. Violence fueled her and Sterling knew the assault would be like injecting nitrous oxide into her veins.
Seconds later the cutting beams shut down and a commando kicked the hatch open. Immediately, plasma blasts flashed through the opening from inside the Sa’Nerran cruiser, illuminating the lusterless armor that Shade and the commandoes wore. Undeterred, the two lead heavy riflemen leaned out and fired. The sound of the over-powered Homewrecker weapons was more akin to the pulse of a rail gun blast than a hand-held weapon. Sterling imagined the rifles could probably take down an alien Wasp fighter as easily as a warrior.
“Moving out!” one of the commandoes cried before pushing through the hatch and into the alien ship. Shade and the remaining three soldiers followed right behind the helmeted commando. Sterling moved up to the hatch and peeked inside the alien ship. The Homewreckers had already left devastation in their wake. Walls had been blown through, metal panels were melted and the remains of five warriors with missing limbs lay scattered across the deck.
“This armor looks old,” said Banks, moving through and taking cover behind a melted support column. “And look at their skin.”
Sterling dropped to a crouch beside his first officer, keeping his plasma pistol held ready. He pressed a hand to the dead alien’s leathery face and discovered it was clammy and slightly sticky.
“Hibernation,” said Sterling, meeting Banks eyes. “These warriors have recently been thawed, and quickly too. I’m amazed they survived the process.”
Banks nodded. “Something tells me they don’t get much trade through that hidden aperture. They likely abandoned it because of the havoc it wreaks to ships passing through.” Banks rapped her knuckles on the partially-melted chest plate of the dead alien. “These poor bastards were probably left to guard it, just in case. They could have been here for decades, for all we know.”
Sterling felt a neural link form in his mind. It was Lieutenant Shade.
“The section is clear, Captain, you can move up,” Shade called out. Sterling could feel the unadulterated thrill of his weapons officer’s bloodlust through the link. It was intoxicating, like a sudden hit from a powerful narcotic. “Scans are showing at least another dozen warriors between us and the bridge.”
“Understood, Lieutenant, proceed as planned,” Sterling replied through the neural link. “Leave this channel open.”
Sterling stood up and proceeded to walk through the corridors of the old warship. He checked the adjacent corridors as he moved, just to be sure that the commando squad hadn’t left any of the warriors alive. However, Shade’s team had been as brutal in their work as Shade herself had been.
“Be advised that these aliens are recently out of hibernation stasis,” Sterling added, allowing the entire assault squad to listen in. “That means there could be more of them in freezers, still waiting to thaw out.”
Sterling, Banks and Razor caught up with Shade, who then moved into an adjacent section of the ship. It wasn’t long before a thick blast door blocked their access to the next intersection. Shade ordered a commando to run a bypass, then they all took cover, expecting to meet resistance on the other side. Moments later the door swooshed open and plasma blasts flashed through, slamming into the ceiling and walls, causing showers of sparks to rain down on Sterling’s crew. One of the heavy riflemen was hit in the neck and went down. It was a lucky shot to one of the only weak points in the combat armor. Cursing, Sterling darted over to the wounded soldier, picked up the powerful weapon and returned fire. The kick of the Homewrecker was ferocious, as was the effect of its blast. Plasma tore through the advancing alien warriors like bullets through paper, splattering their remains across the walls.
“Move out!” Shade ordered.
The three remaining commandoes advanced, blasting aliens, walls and decks to pieces as they pressed on.
“He’s dead,” said Banks. She had knelt down to check on the commando who had fallen.
“Here, you can probably use this one-handed,” said Sterling, passing the Homewrecker rifle to his first officer.
Banks shifted the pistol to her left hand and took the weapon from Sterling. As expected, she wielded it like it was no more substantial than a plastic toy ray-gun.
“We’re meeting more resistance than I anticipated,” Sterling added, as the sound of more blasts filtered along the corridor. “We need to pick up the pace before more of these bastards thaw out.”
He ushered Banks and Razor ahead then followed a few steps behind, checking their rear to make sure no more aliens had defrosted and come after them. Suddenly, a door thudded open to Sterling’s side and he found himself staring into the yellow eyes of a Sa’Nerran warrior. Reacting on instinct, Sterling shot the alien at point-blank range. With his pistol set to full power, the blast burned straight though the warrior’s gut, leaving a hole as wide as his arm, but to his astonishment the warrior didn’t die. Hissing madly, the Sa’Nerran grabbed Sterling around the throat, seeming unaware that a chunk of its flesh had been melted away. The alien’s clammy fingers dug deeper into Sterling's skin as he fought against the warrior’s grip. Moments later the effect of the critical injury hit in full force and the warrior’s strength faded. It released its hold on Sterling and dropped to its knees, revealing five more Sa’Nerran fighters in the room behind it. Opened hibernation chambers surrounded the aliens and Sterling could see a dozen more chambers inside the room that still remained sealed.
“On me!” Sterling called out, as the first of the alien warriors charged.
The warrior had already donned its armor, but was equipped only with the serrated, half-moon blade that the belligerent aliens used for close-quarters fighting. Still struggling for air, Sterling aimed and shot the warrior in the chest, but its armor absorbed the blow. His second shot took the warrior down, but by then the other aliens were on him like a
pack of wolves. One of the warriors grabbed his wrist and pushed his weapon hand away, while another drove him against the far wall of the corridor. A blade was raised, its sharp metal edge glinting under the ship’s subdued lighting. Sterling edged away but then the alien’s head exploded, covering him in hot flesh, some of which flew into his mouth. The taste was vile and he gagged before taking a hard shot to the body from another warrior. More plasma blasts raced along the corridor, striking two other aliens as they advanced on Banks and Razor. That only left a single warrior for Sterling to deal with, and he relished his task. The alien’s assault on him had pissed him off and made him hungry for a fight.
Sterling spat the charred alien flesh in his mouth onto the deck then squared off against the warrior. The alien had only recently thawed and stood before Sterling entirely naked, with only the serrated blade in its hand. The Sa’Nerran’s grotesque features were only made worse by its lack of clothes and armor. Sterling waved the warrior on and the alien advanced, but Sterling quickly snapped a kick toward its knee. The alien buckled under its own weight allowing Sterling to hammer a crushing elbow strike to its leathery face. Stripping the blade from the warrior’s hand, Sterling then drove it into the back of the alien’s neck. This was the second weak-spot in the otherwise robust Sa’Nerran anatomy. The warrior hissed wildly as blood gushed from the wound, but Sterling pressed harder, digging the razor-sharp blade further into its flesh, severing arteries and bone until finally it was dead.
Banks then appeared at Sterling’s side, aiming the Homewrecker rifle into the room from which the aliens had emerged.
“Are you okay, Captain?” Banks asked, after ensuring the room was clear.
“Let’s just say this fight left a nasty taste in my mouth,” Sterling replied before spitting more alien flesh onto the deck. He recovered his pistol, but retained the alien blade. He imagined he might need it again, before the day was out. “Destroy those other hibernation pods,” he ordered, wiping blood from his face. “It’s time we started to even the odds.”
Banks nodded then blasted the power distribution hub that was feeding the hibernation pods. The hub exploded, sending sparks and fiery debris flying out into the room. Moments later the pods shut down and the yellow eyes of the alien occupants sprang open. Sterling could hear the sound of the warriors thudding against the insides of the chambers, their yellow eyes wide and wild-looking. However, the aliens were trapped, buried alive, and Sterling had no intention of releasing them from their tombs.
“Let’s go, I have a feeling those aren’t the last sleeping warriors on this ship,” said Sterling.
Sterling took the lead, following the sound of plasma weapons fire, while Banks covered their rear. Soon they had caught up with Shade, Razor and the remaining three commandoes. They were at the door to the main bridge, but it was sealed tight. One of the commandoes was attempting to run a bypass, but Sterling could see that it wasn’t working.
“Let me try,” said Lieutenant Razor, hurrying alongside the commando, then dropping her backpack of gear onto the deck. The engineer pulled out a collection of wires from a device inside the pack and hooked them up to the locking mechanism on the door.
“How long will this take, Lieutenant?” asked Sterling, anxiously checking their rear.
“I almost have it, sir,” Razor replied, working at her usual, frantic speed.
“Remember, I need one of these things alive, as insurance in case we can’t crack the computer,” Sterling called out to the assault team while they waited. “And check your aim in there. If we blast through the windows then we'll all get blown out into space.”
“Got it!” Razor called out.
Shade ordered the commandoes to stand by and they each took up position behind the door.
“On three, Lieutenant,” Sterling said to his chief engineer. He then began the countdown on his fingers, tightening his grip on the pistol in his other hand.
The door slid open and straight away the commandoes and Sa’Nerra on the bridge began trading blasts of plasma. A commando went down, hit in the gut, but Shade and the other two pushed through onto the bridge. Hisses and shouts filled the air along with the fizz of the weapons. Sterling then moved through, shooting an injured warrior in the head before it could raise its pistol at him. He spotted a warrior in the center of the bridge, hiding behind what appeared to be the primary command consoles. The memory of his Omega Directive test suddenly rushed into his mind. Instead of the cruiser’s leader, he saw the warrior on the bridge of the Hammer, with its fingers around the throat of Ariel Gunn. He physically shook his head to clear the image from his mind then gritted his teeth and advanced. Blasts flashed past him, missing by inches, but Sterling was relentless and fearless. Returning fire, the alien commander was struck in the shoulder and went down.
“Lucas!”
Sterling tried to shut out the voice of Ariel Gunn in his mind. She was dead and this warrior, like the one who had forced Sterling to kill his friend, would also die by his hand.
“Lucas, stop!”
Sterling fired again, pummeling blasts of plasma into the alien command console. Soon it provided no cover at all for the alien commander, who was struck to the thigh, then the wrist as it raised its arm in an effort to block the blasts. The next shot blew its hand off completely.
“Lucas, it’s Mercedes! Stop!”
The neural link from his first officer felt like an eagle claw clamping down on his brain. He staggered back, lowering his weapon and pressing his hand to his temple.
“Lucas, it’s me. Ease down, we got them…” Banks continued, though this time her voice was soothing and reassuring.
Sterling shook his head then turned to see Commander Banks beside him. She had taken a hit and was bleeding, but she still looked strong. Shade was by the door, which Razor had closed behind them after they’d all entered. The devices in her backpack were flashing as she worked on the locking mechanism. The two other commandoes were dead, as were six of the alien bridge crew. Sterling turned to the smoldering command console and saw the alien leader, cowering beneath the vessel’s viewscreen. The warrior cradled what remained of its arm and hissed quietly as Sterling approached. He had no idea what the alien was saying, but he guessed it wasn’t complimentary.
“Glad you’re back with us, Captain,” said Banks, raising her eyebrows at Sterling. “That creature over there is the only one we haven't killed,” she added, pointing to the Sa’Nerran officer. “Wasn’t it you that kept telling us to keep one alive?” she added, with a smile.
“It was,” said Sterling, truthfully. Then he shrugged. “And I only said alive. I didn’t say in one piece.”
Banks laughed, causing the alien’s hiss to grow louder. However, it soon fell silent again as Banks aimed the barrel of the Homewrecker at its head.
Sterling silently cursed himself for losing control, and he cursed his own mind for subjecting him to the memories of his Omega Directive test at such a crucial moment. There was a time when thoughts of Ariel Gunn would only recur during his sleep. Now they were encroaching on his waking life too. He didn’t like it, and resolved to do something about it, but what that was he didn’t know.
Turning to Banks, Sterling rested a hand on her shoulder and met her eyes. “Thanks, Mercedes. Thank for bringing me out of… whatever that was I was in.”
“Just doing my job, Captain,” Banks replied with a heartfelt smile. She then playfully rapped her knuckles on Sterling’s chest plate. As usual, his first officer struggled to moderate the strength of her blow and it hurt like hell, even through the armor.
Sterling then became aware that their intimate neural link was still active. Banks’ emotions and echoes of her thoughts suddenly came through strongly. Sterling could feel that duty was not the only reason for his first officer’s actions. There was something more, but it was new and unfamiliar. It felt like something secret; something Banks didn’t want him to know. He quickly tapped his interface and closed the link. He didn’t need a
ny more distractions, nor did he want to invade the thoughts of his first officer, any more than he wanted others to know what lurked in the darkest recesses of his own mind.
The awkward moment was then interrupted by Lieutenant Razor, who approached with her backpack and set it down next to one of the consoles that hadn’t already been blown apart.
“Is that our backup plan, sir?” Razor asked, pointing to the wounded alien commander.
“What’s left of him, yes,” Sterling replied. “Hopefully, we won’t need it, but I’ll keep it alive just in case.”
Razor nodded then set to work, unpacking the gear from her backpack and attaching devices to the alien command console. Sterling then felt another link form in his mind. This time it was from Commander Graves on the Invictus.
“Captain, we have three gen-two Sa’Nerran Destroyers incoming,” Graves said, in his usual unruffled, surgeon’s voice. “They are less than an hour out.”
“Understood, Commander,” Sterling replied. He had expected company sooner or later, though he was surprised that the aliens had only sent three aging warships. “Standby, we’re on the bridge now.”
Sterling closed the link and peered out of the window of the old alien cruiser. Unlike the newer Sa’Nerran ships, the phase-one vessel still had viewing portholes in addition to its viewscreen. The space outside the ship looked the same as it did in every other system Sterling had visited. However, the stars he was looking at now had never been seen by human eyes before. They’d come further than any vessel in history and fought against odds that seemed unassailable. They should be dead, he realized, but the Invictus and the Omega Taskforce fought on.
