“Or a riot?” added Teresa.
“Either way I think we have our location. Something big is going on down there and if we don’t hurry it might be all over. Angelo, get your team assembled with full tactical gear and meet us at the Tamarisk in twenty minutes, I’ll brief you when you get there.”
“Don’t you want to sent out scout drones first?”
“No, time isn’t on our side. We’ll sort out a detailed plan on the way. We’re going to have to improvise on this one. Speed is of the essence and I have a few ideas about getting inside.”
“Okay, it’s your funeral. Twenty minutes.” He turned and ran for the door.
“So, this is it then, Sir?”
“Yes, Teresa, grab what you can and follow me. It’s time to go, come on,” he said as he grabbed the briefcase and papers.
“About time, I just hope they’re alive when we get there!” said an excited but fearful Teresa.
* * *
“Go, we’ll cover you!” shouted Marcus.
Spartan, Misaki and Tigris rushed ahead and ducked down behind an overturned trolley. They had already covered most of the ground and so far run into just two guards who were quickly dealt with. At this point the main corridor opened up into the large ring section that occupied the centre of the base. From their position they could make out several dozen guards as well as columns of prisoners who were being escorted away, presumably to their cells. In the background the annoying hum of the compound alarm system wailed, indicating that a general alert was in progress. Spartan looked back at the rough note he had drawn on his arm.
“According to the security room this section opens out into the main ring. We’ll have access to the harvesting areas and shipyards as well as the entrance to the computer centre. Can’t we just sever the link somewhere?”
“No way. Did you see how far down the cabling goes? It’s multithreaded as well, we take out one and they just shift the load onto a different circuit. The only option is to destroy or hijack the antenna masts or the computer centre. The masts are on the surface and exactly where reinforcements are likely to land,” said Tigris.
“Yeah, but how the hell are we going to clear that area and get down to the computers? There must be over a hundred guards out there, look, see another group in armour?”
“Spartan, you need to do this one quietly,” said Tigris.
Spartan gave him an odd look as Marcus joined in.
“The only way you’ll get through there is if we get you a diversion. My recommendation is that you and Tigris hide here and we’ll create a diversion and draw them back down the arm and towards the cells and security room.”
“No way, you’ll never hold them off.”
“We don’t have to, we just need you to get control of the computer system and comms. When you get there patch into the security feed and dump the video out on all frequencies. People need to know what these bastards are doing!”
Tigris looked at Marcus then back to Spartan.
“He’s right Spartan, if we control the computer centre we will have full access to everything in this compound, including climate control, air filtration and pressure. We can hold the site to ransom or depressurise the whole place.”
Spartan looked to the small group, trying to work out if this plan had any possibility of working. He never had the chance though as Gun made the choice for him and stepped out into the open roaring loudly. His voice must have attracted the attention of a score of guards as streaks of fire from projectile weapons blasted around them.
Spartan dove for cover, Misaki and Marcus moved to the side of the Biomech and joined in the shooting. Inside the great cavern the sound of the weapons was amplified substantially though nothing like the sound that came from Gun’s Gatling gun. As he opened fire the entire group almost vanished in flame and smoke.
“Spartan, come on!” shouted Tigris who ducked down low and sneaked off around to the right, keeping his body low and in the shadows. Spartan followed and in just a few steps they were out of the line of fire and following round the perimeter. Every hundred metres or so, they were forced to stop as they reached a series of wide metal doors, each one easily able to accommodate a small transport vessel. Spartan turned to see Marcus disappear back down the corridor with Gun providing a devastating rear-guard. In front of them were at least twenty bodies and three times of that number were rushing after them.
“Look, that must be the entrance to the staircase right? We need to get there and then head down three levels. You ready?” asked Tigris before noticing that Spartan was still carrying the multi-barrelled gun given to him by the dying Biomech.
“What the hell did you bring that for?” he asked incredulously.
“This baby?” asked Spartan as he patted the metal of the barrels. “She might come in handy. Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself.”
Tigris shook his head in annoyance but Spartan simply ignored him and looked about the large open area, feeling exposed to attack at any moment. Their position was weak and vulnerable and he knew it.
“Wait a minute. We need to give ourselves a clear chance to make the distance. Look!” he said as he ducked back down pointing as discreetly as he could in the direction of the approaching men.
His timing couldn’t have been better, another ten seconds and they would have run directly into the heavily armed group and their mission may have been over. As they kept low to the ground a group of six Zealots in their flowing robes and a dozen armoured guards ran past towards the doorway they had just passed. Spartan watched in fascination as one of them, the tallest of the group, pressed a series of buttons to open the seal. With a groan the massive door lifted up to reveal a great area, the equal of the hull of the ship they had arrived on. Hundred and hundreds of cylinders were laid out in the just the same fashion as he had already seen.
“Biomechs, they are making them here, poor bastards!” said an angry looking Spartan.
“Who cares about them, they’re just meat, right now we have our own skins to save,” said Tigris.
For a moment Spartan looked at the man in disgust, he had turned on his own and now had a callous disregard for the creatures being made here. His redeeming feature though was of course that he was helping them, maybe that was enough thought Spartan to himself.
“For now, we will be back to help them,” said Spartan firmly. The more he thought about it though the more there was something in Tigris’ tone that worried him. After his combat in space and then on Prime he had more reasons than most to hate the Biomechs. Yet he of all people could feel compassion for these manufactured slaves. One of them had already given its life for them and he had no doubt Gun would do the same. Tigris on the other hand seemed to be only interested in himself and would do whatever it took to stay alive. While their aims were remained in synchronisation, Spartan would stick with him, but with a watchful eye.
“Spartan, now!” shouted Tigris as he checked one last time and then dashed across the open ground. Spartan looked and followed, keeping low and moving as fast as his legs would carry him. They quickly made their way across the ground and reached the doors that led to the staircase system. The door was wide enough for three people to enter at once but like most of the compound it was locked.
“Can you open it?” asked Spartan as he looked behind them nervously. They were terribly exposed in this position and if they were located they would have no choice but to fight and die on the spot.
“No problem, the details from the security room should allow us access to most of the restricted areas,” he said as he accessed the computer security system in the touch screen fitted to the wall. Spartan watched him work as he moved and rotated hexagonal icons around the screen until with a crunching sound the door opened to reveal a dark room with a narrow staircase going up and down. To the right were two locked elevators. Tigris moved directly past the door, calling out to Spartan as he made for the stairs heading down.
“Don’t bother with the elevators,
they are always locked down in an emergency.”
* * *
“The signal is coming from the centre of this facility here,” explained Commander Anderson as he showed his newly expanded crew the situation. As well as Bishop, Kowalski and Teresa there was also Angelo and his team of eight heavily armoured mercenaries.
“You’re sure you want to hit this place? From your scans it looks like there could be thousands of people down there. What if they are all hostile?”
“Then this will be a really short trip, Angelo!” said an irritated Teresa.
“Hold on to your hats people, I’m picking up something!” shouted Kowalski as he moved through three pages of contact information.
“Yeah, look at this,” he said as he brought up a three-dimensional model of the area around the planet. It showed six green contacts above the planet and directly above the compound.
“What are they?” asked Angelo.
“Cutters by the look of their size, about the same size as us. There are no Confed ships in this area, they must be private security,” said Commander Anderson.
“Trust me, the private security around here you will not want to mess with!” replied a serious looking Angelo.
Teresa threw him a look of concern, for a moment worrying that the Commander might cancel the mission. If they were unable to complete this operation there was a very good possibility that they would lose the prisoners and that would be the end of Spartan and the rest of them.
“Nonetheless we’re still going in!”
“What landing craft options do you have on this ship?”
“We have two shuttles, one a standard small crew civilian craft, the second a heavily modified black ops model. At a push you can fit six in each craft plus gear and weapons,” said Bishop.
“That’s not going to help us. How will we get the prisoners out with just two shuttles?”
“You won’t, Angelo, for now your mission will be to secure access to the landing zones and attempt to find the prisoners. From the information we have there is something bad happening down there. Either there is an emergency or a riot and revolt of some kind. You land and then move in hard and fast. Get me intel and if you find the General get him to the surface. We can ferry up passengers with multiple passes, you might even be able to secure craft on the surface. As soon as you start your attack I will send a general Confed alert for assistance. Any police or off-duty forces are required to respond to the call and it might give us the extra numbers for the operation.”
“We’ll be in range in five minutes, Sir,” said Kowalski as he monitored the displays.
“There is one other option,” said Teresa.
“I thought there might be, what is it?”
“We could bring the Tamarisk down and land her, Sir. With her loading space and weapons we could take off any number of people and have the firepower to assist in an evacuation.”
“No, not yet. We’ll be a sitting duck to those ships in orbit. If we try and land we’ll be shot down and lose everything. It is an option afterwards though,” agreed Anderson as he brought up a view of the planet’s surface.
“As you can see here there are a number of access doors, much like loading bay doors, at fixed intervals around a central landing pad. The central point is directly over the main power source and also beside the communications array. I suggest you form two teams. One will secure the communications array and the landing area. The second will penetrate the base and find our men.”
“What about you, Sir?”
“I will stay with the ship, Teresa, and keep the cutters busy while you perform the drop.”
“No way!” called Kowalski at the news. “That’s a suicide mission, Sir, and one man can’t do that, you’ll be toast.”
“Not necessarily, she’s got more than they will be expecting and you will need the time on the surface.”
“Commander, they have the numbers, I’ll stay back and help with the operation. You need another set of hands for this one.” Kowalski spoke in a tone that suggested he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
The Commander considered his offer for a moment before accepting it.
“Okay, the two of us will provide a diversion by moving directly into the path of the cutters. I will trigger an electromagnetic discharge that will scramble their sensors for up to a minute. That will be your window to start your attack run. All clear?”
Teresa, Bishop and Angelo all acknowledged him.
“Good, Bishop, you’re the senior marine here, I want you leading the rescue team with Teresa as your second. You know our men and I know you’ll do what needs to be done. Take half the mercs and the heavy weapons with you. You’ll need them. Angelo, take the rest and keep that landing zone clear, it is critical for the retrieval of you all. If it falls apart you will rendezvous with Angelo and get the hell of that hot rock.”
“We’ll get them, Sir.”
“I know you will, Teresa. Okay, get your gear and prepare your shuttles, how long do we have, Kowalski?”
“Three minutes, Sir, they’ve already picked us up and are scanning us.”
Anderson turned to them. “Good luck, people, see you on the flip side!” he said with a grin.
Teresa and the others pulled themselves through the ship to meet the waiting mercenaries in the loading bay. It didn’t take long for them to make it there. They were already wearing their armoured suits and just needed to grab their helmets before climbing inside the shuttles. Teresa tapped four of the mercs on the shoulders.
“You four are with us, we’re on the rescue op the rest of you will be with Angelo and securing the LZ.”
The mercs all looked to Angelo who gave them the nod. Teresa noted that they looked to him and not the marines. It wasn’t really surprising, he had arranged their contracts, but it was of concern to her as to who could be fully trusted.
Reaching to the wall mounting she pulled off her helmet and pulled on the protective helmet. It took just seconds before they were ready for the vacuum of space and with simple hand signals they pulled themselves along to the two shuttles to get themselves ready for the operation.
Anderson looked over the computer screens and then to Kowalski.
“I’m going to put us right in the middle of the force. When I give you the signal you hit the trigger and send the pulse. If they look hostile we open up with everything we have, got it?”
“No problem, Sir, I’ve got the guns already loaded and the EM capacitors are on trickle charge, another minute they’ll be ready.”
“Good, this is going to be one hell of a surprise for them,” said the mischievous Commander.
The communication screen started to flash to indicate an incoming message. Kowalski hit the button to show the feed but not to respond. The face of a Zealot, in the common robe they all seemed to wear, appeared.
“This is restricted territory. Please vacate this area immediately or you will be fired upon.”
“Connect us,” said Anderson as he quietly cleared his throat.
“This is Captain Mathius of the transport vessel Tamarisk. We have food and supplies for the compound below.”
Kowalski grinned to himself as he watched the capacitor move further and further up.
“Tamarisk, you are not registered for any deliveries. Alter your course immediately or we will use deadly force.”
Anderson grabbed the intercom. “Who the hell do you think you are? Under whose orders will you open fire?”
“The Church of Echidna is the only authority in this region. This is your final warning, Tamarisk.” The signal was cut off abruptly.
“Commander, they are charging up their weapons, I am detecting railguns and missiles on two of the ships. Wait, what the…!” he cried hitting a button on the console quickly. An alert tone echoed through the ship and the emergency thrusters pushed the vessel slightly to one side as a projectile rushed past.
“They mean business, Sir, I think you can call that a shot across our bow!” he la
ughed.
“Yeah, you could say that. Standby on my mark, 5…4…3…2…1…now!”
Kowalski hit the release button and with a crackle a blast of energy rushed out from the ship in a large invisible bubble. A few sparks jumped from one of the broken computer units, next the navigation system and two displays went down.
Anderson reached for the intercom and spoke calmly, “Shuttles, you are a go, good hunting!”
* * *
Tigris and Spartan made it down to the three floors without issue and came to a rectangular room with doors on three sides. Each was mirrored like security glass but there were no obvious locks, hinges or doors. Tigris moved closer and struck his pistol against the toughened glass.
“Shit! It’s a security screen, I’ve heard about them. They drop down to seal rooms against fire, water and gas.” He stepped back and aimed into the middle of the door opposite him.
“What are you…” shouted Spartan before the loud crack of the pistol echoed in the room. He blasted it three times but the bullets did no more than take small chunks from the glass.
“Out of the way,” said Spartan as he swung his heavy Gatling gun into position. It was much too heavy to hold on the shoulder so he held it hung down next to his thigh. He pulled the trigger and with a deafening roar it spat out hundreds of large calibre heavy slugs that tore chunks from the glass. In seconds one pane was destroyed and he turned on the spot until the other two doors exploded into tiny shards. The gunfire halted but the barrels continued to turn as Spartan depressed the trigger.
“Nice!” shouted Tigris, as he stepped forward over the glass. Spartan dropped the gun, pulled out his side arm and followed him.
* * *
Teresa was first out of the shuttle, quickly followed by Bishop and the four mercenaries. With speed and precision they fanned out onto the landing platform. The second shuttle had just landed and she could just make out Angelo giving orders as the side door opened. She turned back and examined their surroundings. The landing platform was circular in shape and easily two hundred metres wide. To the one side was a large metal door recessed into the rock itself. A large communication array pushed up from the ground on the right with a series of antenna and dishes pointing up to the skies. The horizon was packed with rocky mountains, molten rock and burning fires.
Star Crusades Uprising: The First Trilogy Page 57
