“What about battery power?”
“Only on the command level,” Standt responded as he turned to face Betel. “They control everything else.”
“They’ve come for the station,” Betel stated in dawning realization. “They want to capture it just like they did the one in Sector Eleven.”
“The Zaltule have brought this upon us by attacking the nonaligned worlds,” uttered Standt, as he finally realized the danger they were in. “Where are the Zaltule now that we need them?”
“On their way back to our home system with their captives,” replied Betel coldly. “Our empire was steadily expanding with only minor resistance from the inferior races this section of our galaxy is infested with until the Zaltule were awakened. Now the nonaligned worlds are uniting against us and they are demonstrating they’re not as inferior as we’d thought.”
“The Council of Overlords must have known this,” grated out Standt. “That’s why they signed so many neutrality agreements.”
“Agreements the Zaltule have now made null and void,” responded Betel, as he saw numerous viewscreens changing to static and others ceasing to function completely. Many of the outside and interior video feeds had been cut. “Send a message to the council informing them we now believe the humans have come to seize this station and possibly others.”
-
Colonel Nelson listened to the reports coming in over the command communications channel. More assault ships had entered flight bays that Kalarn had opened up and in some cases filled with breathable atmosphere. Flight Control had its own emergency battery system and sufficient power to operate for a full forty-eight hours if needed.
“I have found records in the Kleese mainframe about captured human conscripts,” Kalarn announced. He had been searching the computer files relentlessly for any word of the missing human Marines.
“What did you find out?” Wade asked, as he listened to a report of the Argyle docking to the far side of the station. He waited tensely for Kalarn’s answer, hoping Ryan and the missing Marines were still on the station.
“They were here,” Kalarn confirmed. “For about two weeks.”
“They’re gone,” Wade said, feeling a huge emotional letdown.
“Yes,” Kalarn answered. “They left in an exploration ship with the main attack group of the Zaltule fleet. There are some vague references to the Marines being interrogated here on the station and the Zaltule departing with them to return to their home world for further questioning and study.”
“They could be thousands of light years away by now,” spoke Jamie in consternation, as she realized rescuing the abducted Marines was now out of the question.
Wade stood silently, feeling anger flow through him at not being able to rescue Ryan. If they could have launched the rescue mission earlier, there might have been a chance. Now that chance was gone forever.
“We need to take this station,” commented Nicole, suspecting Wade was feeling the loss of his brother. “We can worry about our missing Marines later.”
Wade took a deep breath, knowing Nicole was right. “Kalarn, can you find us several safe paths to the command level?”
“Yes,” Kalarn answered as he pressed several icons on his computer pad. “There will be some resistance, but it should be minimal.”
“I need corridors we can pass through as well as inter-station trams for our Marines as well as the Argyles.”
“I have safe routes for both groups of Marines,” Kalarn said after a few moments. “I’ll override the closed hatches as needed. I can send power to the necessary control panels from Flight Control.”
Wade slid his visor back down, sealing his suit, and turned to address Captain Stern. “I imagine the fighting on the command level will be intense. We’ll take five hundred Marines with us, securing the connecting tram hubs as we go.”
Jamie acknowledged Wade’s orders and quickly began contacting the companies of Marines that would be needed.
-
An hour later, Wade led his five companies deeper into the station. Major Jeffries was leading another five companies from the far side of the station where the Argyle and a number of other assault ships were docked.
They’d discussed waiting forty-eight hours to allow the conscripts between them and the command level to run out of air, but the danger of Kleese reinforcements arriving was too great to risk the delay. Fortunately, Kalarn, as he activated the power in each corridor, could use the station video feeds to keep Wade abreast of what was ahead of them.
“Kalarn says the next corridor has a large group of conscripts in Type Two battlesuits,” Jamie said in a cautioning voice.
“As soon as the hatch opens, fire some explosive rounds down the corridor. I’m not that concerned with the damage we may be causing. We can always repair it later.”
“Yes, sir,” Jamie replied, as she passed on the orders.
Satisfied they were ready; Wade gave the signal to Kalarn to open the hatch. Almost immediately, the hatch swung open and half a dozen explosive rounds were fired through it. Explosions rang out and Wade thought he could hear screams of fear and pain from inside.
“First squad forward,” ordered Jamie.
Half a dozen Marines ran through the hatch their RG rifles at the ready. Shots rang out and one of the Marines fell to the floor. The remaining Marines fired back and after a few moments, the firing came to a stop.
“Clear!” called out Corporal Stinson.
“One more corridor and we’ll be at a transit hub,” Wade said as he stepped through the hatch.
-
For the next four hours, they slowly fought their way through corridor after corridor and transit hub after transit hub until they reached the main corridor leading to the command level. They had suffered casualties along the way while eliminating hundreds of Kleese conscripts.
Wade had his Marines come to a stop as he waited for Major Jeffries to reach his attack position. The major still needed another twenty minutes to get where he needed to be. Checking his HUD, Wade saw he’d lost twenty-six Marines with another forty-seven wounded. There was just no cover in the corridors and even a Type Two battlesuit could be deadly to a Type Three in such closed in spaces.
“What’s the plan?” Jamie asked from Wade’s side.
Wade knew the next part was going to be the hardest. He didn’t want to damage the station too much, but he also didn’t want to lose more of his Marines. He strongly suspected the command level would be heavily defended. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face Captain Stern. “We’ll use suit explosives,” he said in a determined voice.
“Suit explosives!” uttered Jamie in surprise.
“Yes,” Wade replied. “I know they’ll cause a lot of damage, but there are several auxiliary control stations we could use to activate the station’s Fold Space Drive if needed.”
“Sergeant Dawson,” called out Jamie, turning around to look for the sergeant.
“I heard,” said Dawson, as he walked up to the closed hatch with a squad of Marines. “Open the hatch and we’ll fill the corridor with suit explosive rounds.”
More time passed until Major Jeffries was in position.
“Begin!” Wade ordered over the command communication channel.
On both sides of the large command level, large metal hatches swung open and Marines stepped through the hatch. Heavy weapons fire brought down the first few Marines before they could fire their suit explosive rounds. Marines behind them pressed forward and managed to get off a few rounds before they too were cut down. Then the rounds went off, shaking the command level and blowing huge, gaping holes in the floors and walls. Dark black smoke began billowing out and flames could be seen. More Marines entered the large corridor and additional violent explosions could be felt.
The conscripts, realizing what was happening, retaliated with their own weaker RG explosives and took out a number of Marines. But more of the deadly suit explosives blew gaping holes in the ranks of the massed defenders, d
ropping dozens at a time.
The Marines moved determinedly down the corridor, absorbing casualties where necessary and eliminating hundreds of Kleese conscripts who stood in their way with their heavy suit explosives. Some sections of the corridor were nearly impassable from the damage. For an hour, the heavy fighting continued until at long last Wade stood in front of the massive metal hatch to the Command Center with Major Jeffries, Captain Stern, and Captain Foster at his side. Behind them were strewn over a thousand dead conscripts in mutilated and destroyed battlesuits. A suit explosive round oftentimes blew apart battlesuits when it detonated. Wade had heard several Marines get sick in their battlesuits upon seeing the carnage they had caused. The long corridor was gory beyond belief and it was something none of them would forget.
“This seems familiar,” Sergeant Dawson said, recalling other attacks in the past, as he stared at the hatch. His battlesuit was covered with scorch marks and drying blood.
“There will be Kleese behind that hatch,” warned Jamie. “They’ll undoubtedly be wearing Type Three battlesuits and heavily armed.”
“Then we kill them,” uttered Major Jeffries. This battle had been costly enough and now it was time for the Kleese to pay.
“We end this now,” Wade said. He was anxious to find where the abducted Marines had been held to see if they’d managed to leave any type of message. He also wanted to get the station secured so they could set it on its course for the solar system, its new home.
-
Betel gazed emotionlessly at the large hatch, which protected the Command Center. Twenty conscripts in Type Two battlesuits stood in front of it ready to give their lives to protect the ten Kleese inside the room.
Picking up the black control box, he pressed three red buttons and small sharp explosions rang about the Command Center. All the conscripts serving as the command crew fell headless to the deck. “They’re no longer needed,” uttered Betel. “They would have been useless in what is to come.”
“Inferior beings,” replied Standt from the base of the Command Pedestal where he was standing in his battle armor, holding an energy cannon.
Betel didn’t reply. As the humans marched resolutely toward the Command Center, eliminating all opposition with near impunity, Betel had come to realize that here was an enemy possibly as fierce as the Zaltule themselves. It had shaken him to the core to realize his long held belief of Kleese superiority was being proven to have been false.
-
The hatch blew open and the Marines charged in, firing their RG rifles on automatic. A number of the waiting conscripts fell, but those still standing fired back, trying to defend their masters. An explosive round went off in the hatch blowing several battlesuits apart, killing the Marines inside instantly. More conscripts dropped as the Marines pushed deeper into the Command Center with weapons firing. The Kleese now stepped forward, firing both heavy RG rifles and energy cannons. More Marines dropped as the Kleese were more calculating in their attack. They chose each target and then fired their weapon until the target went down.
Wade flinched in anguish as fifteen more green icons swiftly turned red. However, he had hundreds of Marines at his disposal in the outside corridor and more rushed inside to take aim at the Kleese. In another minute, the battle was nearly over as all but one Kleese had been killed. Only the Kleese standing on top of the Command Pedestal still survived and with shock the Marines watched as the Kleese threw down its weapon
“I surrender,” Betel said in a calm and even voice. “Do not fire.”
“Hold your fire,” Wade ordered, as he stepped inside, eying the Kleese suspiciously. Walking over close to the Command Pedestal, Wade came to a stop gazing up at the Kleese. Sergeant Dawson and several other heavily armed Marines were standing with him. Dawson had his RG rifle aimed squarely at the center of the arachnid’s chest. “Why should we accept your surrender?”
“You came in search of your abducted people,” Betel replied, his triangular head focusing on Wade. “I can tell you where they went and what’s going to happen to them.”
Wade thought deep and hard for several long moments. This was obviously the commander of this station, which meant he was at least a Minor Overlord. “Kalarn,” Wade spoke over the private comm channel, which linked him to the Kivean. “I have the station’s commander offering to surrender. Any suggestions?”
“His name is Betel and he’s a Minor Overlord,” Kalarn replied. He’d already done more searches of the station’s mainframe to learn more about the Kleese in charge and what the Zaltule might be up to. “As much as I despise the Kleese and would like to see them all dead, he may have information we can use.”
“Very well,” Wade replied. He then turned his attention back to the Kleese. “I will accept your surrender, Minor Overlord Betel,” he said, wanting the Kleese to know they knew who he was. “If at any time you fail to answer my questions or refuse to cooperate, I will have you taken to the nearest airlock and blown out into space. Do you understand?”
Betel gazed coldly at the human. It was almost as if he was speaking to one of the Zaltule themselves. This human was deadly and he knew if he failed to do as this human demanded his life would be forfeit. However, the Zaltule had caused this problem and he felt no allegiance to the warrior caste.
“I agree,” he said.
“Sergeant Dawson, take two squads and escort this Kleese back to the Defender and place it in a holding cell. I’ll question it later.”
As the Kleese was led out, Wade looked around the Command Center, seeing the decapitated command crew. There was no doubt Betel had been responsible. With a deep sigh, Wade decided that if he thought the Kleese was lying to him during his interrogation he would indeed airlock the arachnid.
-
Hours later, Wade stood inside the small dome where the abducted Marines had been held. He gazed at the small mountain in the distance, which reminded him of the harrowing times he had went up just such a mountain during his time as a Kleese conscript.
“Sir, we’ve found something,” Captain Stern said, as she walked up to the colonel. She handed him a small sheet of paper that was folded up. “This was found in one of the officer’s quarters. It’s from Ryan.”
Wade wasn’t wearing his battlesuit, as it was no longer necessary. The station’s crew were still locked in their habitation domes and the few remaining Kleese were cornered in their private quarters at the heart of the station. Captain Foster was in the process of rooting them out. Once that was done, they would set course for the solar system and activate the station’s Fold Space Drive.
Taking the letter, Wade opened it with shaking hands.
-
Wade, I figure you will probably find this as there is no doubt in my mind that you’ll eventually lead a rescue mission to this station. We hoped to still be here when you arrived but that is not meant to be. In another few hours, we will be loaded back on board the Kleese exploration cruiser that brought us here and will be taken to the Kleese home world for interrogation and study. We hope to find a way to escape, but the odds are stacked very badly against us.
Tell Mom and Dad I love them and have no regrets about joining the Marines. Casey is still with me and she is truly a wonderful woman. I just wish that someday our children would have been able to follow in our footsteps.
You and Beth are two wonderful people. Mom and Dad need grandchildren and now that will be up to the two of you. Don’t let them down!
There are still two hundred of us alive but how much longer that will last is hard to tell. The Kleese and their conscripts, the Nabians, threaten daily to kill us. I will try with all my will to find a way to return, but if I don’t I just want to say that you’re a wonderful brother and I have always wanted to be just like you.
Love Ryan
Chapter Eleven
Ryan and his platoon were in one of the small training facilities going through a workout. For several weeks, the daily routine had been the same. Two Nabians would bring in two
food carts three times each day. Every other day they were allowed out of their barracks for one to two hours of exercise. Each time they went to the training facility they were escorted by two conscripts in Type Two battlesuits carrying stunners. Gureen normally left it up to Ryan as to what the Marines did while he watched.
“Are you going to speak to Gureen today?” asked Casey. She was breathing hard as they were in the midst of a three-kilometer run. She was becoming anxious about the plan Ryan had decided upon to attempt to gain access to their equipment.
“I’m going to drop a hint,” Ryan answered. He and Casey were in the front of the platoon as they jogged in double file. “I can’t wait too much longer as each day we’re getting farther from home.”
“We haven’t seen any of the other platoons. I wonder how they’re doing.”
“I wish I could have spoken to Major Stevens longer,” Ryan answered as they jogged along the perimeter of the training facility. Major Steven had instructed Ryan to do whatever was necessary to escape even if it meant leaving the other abducted Marines behind. That was something Ryan didn’t feel comfortable with and had no intention of doing.
“I’ve spoken to Lauren, and she feels pretty confident that between the two of us we could fly an assault ship,” Casey said in between breaths. “We would just need some time to prep it.”
“Then all we need to do is find our equipment,” Ryan replied.
Casey and Lauren had taken some flight-training while at the academy at Vesta plus Lauren was really good at technical items. It didn’t surprise Ryan that between the two they would be able to fly one of the Kleese assault ships. They just needed to get to their equipment, find a way to remove the damn explosive collars around their necks, free the other Marines, and then fight their way to where the assault ships were berthed.
Ryan wondered if his brother had led a rescue mission to the trading station. If his guess on the time it should have taken to mount a rescue mission was accurate, Wade should have hit the station shortly after they left. He just hoped his brother found the message he’d attached to the underside of the desk in the quarters he had been using. It had been a long shot but it was the only thing he could think of. It all depended on how soon the Kleese had sent conscripts in to clean out the habitation dome after the Marines had departed.
Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 4) Page 16
