by John Walker
“I’ve got it, sir.” McGreary seemed to come into his confidence as he fended off their attackers. Hoffner watched him chase an enemy with a stream of fire before catching them in the tail. At first it looked like their shields held then one of their engines flared and they started spinning wildly out of control.
The pilot could not have survived those sudden maneuvers. Then the vessel exploded. I…guess it doesn’t matter now.
“Um…Captain Hoffner?” Kilburn drew his attention to the scanner. “Look.”
Hoffner leaned forward and cursed. The blips on the radar indicated a sizable force of over ten fighters incoming. They were on a direct course for them. “How long before they get here at their current speed?”
“Just under two minutes.”
“And for us to be at the station?”
“We might beat the by ten seconds but that doesn’t give us much time to land these boats.”
“Hot drops?” Hoffner dreaded the idea, but at least they’d be out of the shuttles. “We can do a hop once we get close enough.”
“I can get you close enough, sir…it’ll make it a lot harder for them to kill us all.”
The implied risk to Kilburn was not lost on Hoffner but the pilot would be able to do whatever it took to escape. Plus, he’d cease to be a target of opportunity without a payload to take out. They needed to get out of the ships as quickly as possible. He made up his mind and patched his come through to all the marine units.
“Teams, we have a problem I’m sure your pilots have already made you aware of. The incoming group of fighters would be more than enough to wipe us out. We’ll beat them to the drop point by a matter of seconds so as a result, we’ll be doing hot drops. Get yourselves ready and triple check your seals. The last thing you want is to be out there with a rupture.
“Sound off when you’re ready. You have less than ninety seconds.”
Hoffner turned to Kilburn. “Do we have backup on the way?”
“The escorts called in for help,” Kilburn replied. “Not sure how long it’ll take for them to get here.”
“What about you? How will you escape?”
“I’m pretty wily, sir. With the escorts and other shuttles, we should be fine. We’ll have to find a way to stay close in case you need extract though. I’ll work with Giant Control on that part. You guys just get down there and take these bastards out. Don’t worry about us. We’ll do our jobs one way or another.”
“Good man. Thank you.” Hoffner disengaged the safety harness and moved back into the hold. “McGreary, get back down here in the next fifteen seconds. Everyone else, you ready?”
The men shouted in unison, “locked and loaded, sir!”
“Okay, this is going to be exciting.” Hoffner moved to the edge of the ship to stand beside the hatch. He turned off the safety protocol preventing the ship from being opened while in flight. “Seal up the cabin, Kilburn.”
“Already done, sir.”
“Twenty seconds,” Hoffner shouted. McGreary hopped out of the turret control and grabbed his gun. He moved down the line and joined Hoffner, offering up a wave.
“I figure I’m already up so might as well be the first one out, huh?”
Hoffner chuckled. “You’ve got nerve, kid.” He turned to the others. “Get your asses up! We’re moving!” He tapped the panel and red lights flashed overhead. Air vented out of the cabin until they were in zero G, forcing their magnetic boots to kick in. Once the place was vented, he dropped the hatch which fell soundless outward.
Open space yawned before them for a long moment before Kilburn pulled up, revealing the base some distance below them. Hoffner engaged his computer and it told him they would have a fifty meter distance to cover to get to their destination. He let out a deep breath and tapped McGreary’s back. “Go for it! Get down there!”
The environmental suits gave them all the protection they needed from the vacuum of space and they also contained microthrusters for zero G maneuvers. They didn’t have a lot of time with them but fifty meters would be no problem. As McGreary hopped out, he engaged a burst of thrust to take him downward, heading face first toward the station.
Each of the other marines filed up and jumped out, plunging into space. Hoffner envisioned the situation like paratroopers from some distant war of Earth’s past, a contingency of men dropping in behind enemy lines. The technology changed, the theater of conflict updated but the concept was similar.
Time for my least favorite part of being in the infantry. Hoffner followed the last man out, giving him a count of two so they didn’t end up right on top of each other. As his feet left the deck, weightlessness plunged over him. A sense of helplessness filled his chest even as he engaged his thrusters and got moving.
Zero G action never ceased to be strange, especially in open space. At least on board a ship or station, one could use the walls to propel oneself in a direction. Having to rely solely on thrusters made the entire situation frightening. Especially since distance could be so deceiving. Without his scanner indicating exactly how far he had to go before landfall, he’d have no idea if he was even moving.
And when they got closer, the ground would come up fast enough to make response time tough. Slamming into the ground or even the roof, even in armor, might break bones. He’d seen it happen before and it wasn’t pretty. When they drew closer, they’d have to engage thrusters to bring their feet down in front of them then slow their descent enough for a safe landing.
All of that didn’t take into account that there were fighters flying around trying to kill them. Hoffner looked up and saw one of the enemies scream by silently, firing a blast at something. God, I hope that isn’t one of us. An Earth ship caught up to the target and took them out, their ship turning into a bulbous, orange blossom.
Wow…I had hoped to not have to see that kind of action in this type of situation again. The last time he’d witnessed a space battle during such a jump was before they encountered other alien races. He was still a corporal and had dropped in on an enemy space station with a small group of marines. In that mission, their thrusters weren’t nearly as reliable and he nearly broke his ankle on the landing.
Fighters carried on during that operation and again weren’t nearly as complex. They had to keep it slow or they’d simply pass out. Inertial dampeners didn’t work well and so each pilot needed to be careful with their maneuvers.
Hoffner’s computer warned him that he had less than thirty seconds to land. He peered at the station which finally started to really grow. He imagined himself like a person throwing themselves off a building, a final desperate act to end their life. The ground coming up quickly, finality growing until it was all they could see.
He engaged his thrusters, spinning around so his feet would land first. The computer counted down from ten and at five, he slowed his descent with a long discharge through his boots. The ground grew slower and as he came in toward the rendezvous point, he bent his knees for a somewhat graceful touchdown.
Looking around, he watched as some of his men landed much harder, tumbling and climbing to their feet afterward. Mine was total luck. I could’ve been just like them. “Those of you with boots on the ground, get to the door!” Hoffner yelled. “We’re prime targets out in the open like this so hit it! Is anyone injured?”
“Dejenko didn’t make it,” McGreary’s voice piped through his com. “Taken out by an enemy fighter.”
Hoffner clenched his fist but refrained from cursing. “Understood. Sound off as you move to the door!”
He took a role call and everyone but Dejenko replied. I suppose it was too much to hope for a perfect deployment. God damn it! Hoffner didn’t need any motivation for what they were doing. He’d seen enough of the Orion’s Light’s activities to know they deserved what was happening but losing a man threatened to push him over the edge of rage.
It won’t help anyone to be pissed. Let it go for now. The kid knew the risks. We’ll mourn him later.
The others a
rrived at the door and one already plugged into the panel to hack his way in. They huddled closer together, pressed against the structure. Hoffner checked his com and sent a ping to the other marine units. They all got back to him that they were okay and en route to their designated locations.
That’s good news at least. “Come on, Orinson!” Hoffner barked. “ETR on that panel?”
“Less than twenty seconds, sir. They have some pretty solid security.”
Private Roper chuckled, “guess they don’t feel like being sucked out into space.”
Hoffner hummed. “Be sure to bypass the safety protocol of the airlock. Open both doors at the same time. It should cause a little chaos in there.”
“Will do, sir.” Orinson kept working and Hoffner tapped his leg, trying to remain patient. Hacking always irritated him. It was one of the things he hadn’t ever become particularly good at and so he had to rely on others for everything. How long it would take, whether it could be done, challenges and obstacles…his basic understanding allowed him to realize just how little he knew.
“Gah…” Orinson shook his head. “I need another ten seconds.”
“Really?” Roper scoffed. “Sir, why don’t we just blow the door?”
“Get a charge ready,” Hoffner said. “If Orinson doesn’t get it done in his next checkpoint, blast it.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” Roper pulled a couple of square blocks from his belt and moved over to the door. “This is the way you really make an entrance, Orinson. You don’t knock gently on the door with your stalker device. You kick the son of a bitch down and tell them you’re there to party.”
“Subtle,” Orinson muttered, “but also unnecessary.”
As Roper reached to apply the charges, the door slid to the left. Air vented outward, a harsh breeze powerful enough to force them to lean into it for a moment before some safety protocol engaged. Hoffner grabbed Roper and dragged him to the side just as someone began shooting in their direction.
“Are you serious?” Orinson pressed himself against the wall just as the others took cover as well. “Do people really just hang out in environmental suits on the off chance a bunch of guys hacks their door and causes it to open?”
Roper pointed harshly toward the door. “Apparently so!”
“Relax,” Hoffner said. “We’ll breach this in a moment. Let’s make sure everyone else is in position before we start blasting our way in there. Believe me, we’re going to want some backup. Give me a moment. I’ll establish a connection.”
***
Alma killed her primary engine and engaged the top thrusters, dropping straight down some distance. Enemy fighters flew over her, unable to respond as quickly to the maneuver to keep a bead on her. Once she bought some distance from the general dogfight, she jammed the throttle forward and was pressed into her seat as the ship lurched into high speed.
“I’m coming around to catch them from the rear,” she announced. “I’ve got a count of ten total.”
“Nine,” Tular replied. “And I think Rahan…yeah, we’re at eight.”
Alma smirked. If I take my time, my companions might finish them all off. “Save at least one for me.”
“No promises,” Rahan said. “Whoa!”
Alma craned her neck to see what caused him to exclaim and watched him perform a wild climb to avoid a missile. It flew long and popped well outside the skirmish area. She turned and zeroed in on the next ship, her computer beeping as it attempted to lock on. So much went on around her, she had to fight not to be distracted, to focus on the task at hand.
A long tone sounded and she depressed the trigger, deploying a rapid fire pulse blast into the enemy’s tail. His ship spun as if he tried to perform an evasive maneuver then exploded in a spectacular fashion, purple and blue globes of fire winking out only a moment later. She dodged to the side of the wreckage and entered the fray.
“Alma,” a voice outside her unit filled her cockpit. “This is Pointer. How’re you doing?”
“Well enough to help you if you need it,” Alma replied. She dodged an attack, fired at an enemy, missed and was forced to disengage or collide with them. They’d both need to reposition if they wanted to continue their dogfight. “What’s the situation?”
“The enemy’s sending out bombers. We’ve got a full wing on scans and they’re going for the Behemoth. Keep an eye out in case they pull the same nonsense on The Crystal Font.”
“Understood. I appreciate the notification.” Alma checked her scanner, noting they only had four more fighters to contend with. “I’ll let my people know. Good luck.” She switched back over to her general com. “The enemy has launched bombers. We’ll need to be cautious and mindful. If they decide to go for the Font…”
A vision popped in her head of what happened to Hilot when they engaged a bomber’s ordinance. We can’t make that same mistake. “It would be good to stop them before they launch anything too. If at all possible.”
“Let home tell us their problems,” Rahan said. “I’ve got a few of my own. Can you get this guy off my tail?”
Alma grunted, adjusting her course. “On my way. Hold on.” Regardless of what happened next, Rahan was right. The present battle was more pressing than the future one. She got her head back in the game and moved to conclude their business with the enemy fighters.
***
Deva watched her scanner intently as the battle began around her. The various ships they fielded against them, Orion’s Light’s first line of defense, were not the largest fighters but they sure brought a few. The freighters didn’t worry her. Even modified they couldn’t do a whole lot but the destroyer and scout might have real hard points and that meant actual weapons capable of damaging a capital ship.
And that didn’t even account for the reports of special weapons the terrorists stole, adapted or somehow invented.
Deva lifted her head just in time to see a massive explosion from one of the freighters. Thaina tapped her console, muttering with excitement. The weapon’s officer glanced back to address Kale. “That’s the second one we’ve taken down. They’re holding the destroyer and scout in reserve it seems.”
“I see.” Kale hummed. “Deva, what’re you scans saying about those two ships?”
Deva looked over the console and at first, she was about to report nothing unusual but a minor energy reading got her curious. Focusing on that, she did a deep dive. Her eyes widened at the news. Their reactors were charging up but not toward self destruct levels. They remained just out of range to prepare for something.
“Power spike,” Deva said. “Possibly for a weapon.”
“The freighters are a distraction,” Athan said. “Permission to close on the destroyer, sir?”
“Hold on,” Kale replied. “I’ve got an idea. Thaina, target the destroyer.”
“They’re just barely out of range though…”
“I understand,” Kale said. “Just comply.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Athan, when I give you the mark, close the gap on them. How long will it take to get us in range?”
“I suppose I can perform a burst…” Athan hummed. The shields flared from an attack by the freighters but they couldn’t penetrate The Crystal Font’s defenses. “Ten seconds.”
“Prepare for that.” Kale turned to Wena. “Address the ship and let everyone know to get secure. When we perform this maneuver, anyone standing will probably be knocked down. Hurry.”
Wena’s voice filled the ship with her warning and Deva swallowed back her nerves. She knew bursts were possible, quick thrusts that could catapult a ship a great distance, but no one tried them. Especially not in such a large ship. The structure could take it but the crew…that was another story. Inertial dampeners on capital vessels weren’t designed for quick moves.
And what was worse, Athan would have to override safety protocols to make it happen. Deva figured any time someone had to turn something off to do a task, it was probably too dangerous. But she forced he
rself to focus on the scans and tried to ignore the fear growing in her belly.
“Target locked,” Thaina said. “The freighters are moving off.”
“Energy is building,” Deva added. “If they go any higher…wait! Their shields are dropping…um…what?”
“Now, Athan. Prepare to fire, Thaina.”
Athan hit a button and the ship jolted forward, pressing everyone hard into their seats. Deva gripped her console until her knuckles turned white and she bit her lip to avoid crying out. Athan seemed to enjoy it, even going so far as to let out a whoop. No one else seemed to share his enthusiasm.
Deva lost track of time and the only thing that told her ten seconds passed was the weapons firing. A massive turret blast riddled the destroyer, tearing through it while it’s shields were down. The attack might not have been enough to take it out before but undefended, the hull tore open and oxygen vented into space.
Bodies followed and a moment later, the supercharged reactor went up, sending debris in all directions.
“Target down,” Deva shouted. “Target down!”
“We heard you,” Kale replied, sounding perfectly calm. “That was our biggest threat, I believe. What about the scout?”
“Their shields might’ve dropped…if they did the same thing as the destroyer,” Deva responded. She checked the scans. “They’re past where those guys were and they’re coming closer.”
“Fire at will, Thaina. Put some blasts in their path and see if we can’t make them waste some of that energy.”
“What do you think they’re trying to do?” Athan asked. “I don’t care what weapon they’ve got on that rig, they can’t possibly damage this ship. It’s a scout vessel!”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Kale said. “All the briefings suggest they are particularly cunning and they’ve got some pretty decent equipment. I wouldn’t put it past them to install something far too powerful for the ship. It might even kill the crew on board. These people mean to win even if they lose.”
“Pleasant thought,” Athan muttered.
