Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  Jux warily steps forward again to stand beside Cindy. The ramp of the Terran is a busy place as dozens of jeeps and trucks begin the task of unloading vast amounts of equipment, which they transport to a safe distance. One hour turns into two, then three, and still the vehicles ferry crate after crate from the ship’s vast innards.

  During this entire time, Jux stands and stares at the spectacle in complete awe. Cindy remains with him, and answers his occasional question. Five hours pass before the Terran is able to lift off from the field. As smoothly as the ship landed, it launches and retreats into space. Almost all of Emma’s team is now on the planet. Of the three hundred and sixty-four a mere seventeen remain on board. The amount of supplies they have arrayed around them is truly staggering, even to Cindy.

  An hour later John lands his shuttle near the tent city that is being established by Emma’s team. He, Peter, and Robert, exit on foot while Patrick and George stride down the ramp in their bodysuits. They head off in search of Cindy and Emma. Finding them, the group spend a long time debating whether or not to bring down a small defense force. Ultimately, they decide not, as such an action may cause further distress to the peaceful Oglans.

  Cindy takes a break and steps outside. Watching the picturesque scene of the setting sun makes her smile. She steps back inside and contacts the Terran using a portable transmitter, “Joe, come in.”

  Joe taps the console on the command chair and replies, “Terran here.”

  “Joe, we have a lot to do down here, so we’re going to spend the night in order to get an early start.”

  “Understood,” Joe replies, “Do you need anything?” He quickly adds.

  Cindy gazes around the camp site and replies, “No we’re good. I think Emma’s team brought everything.”

  Joe chuckles as he replies, “I think you’re right, the hangar deck has a lot of open space now.”

  Cindy adds thoughtfully, “Tomorrow, I want to begin a proper planetary survey, so get some rest yourself.”

  “No worries,” Joe replies automatically.

  Joe’s Command

  It has been a long day for the entire crew, Joe included. He yawns and stretches in the Terran’s command chair, then focuses on the replacement bridge officers. Watching the trainees who occupy four main consoles causes him to smile. He shakes his head as he recalls how little he knew when he first sat in front of the alien controls. With little happening, his thoughts turn to a warm meal in the mess hall, and his waiting bed.

  The Terran maintains its orbit directly over Emma’s position, and as the sun sets on those below, the ship begins to cross the terminator into night. Joe watches the long shadow slowly roll its way along the hull of the Terran. The peaceful scene causes him to yawn once more, so he turns away and focuses on the chairs armrest console instead.

  However, they are not the only vessel orbiting the Oglan world. Six small spacecraft, slowly and stealthily, approach the Terran. This group of vessels stay well concealed, and remain unnoticed until they are directly above the Terran’s darkening hull.

  John’s replacement, Robyn, points at the screen and asks nervously, “What are they?

  Joe looks up and immediately blanches when he recognizes the small craft. He slams his hand onto the chair’s armrest console and shouts, “Effen Raiders! This is not a drill. We have an unknown number of hostiles on approach. Action stations.”

  Robyn stares at her main screen in disbelief, then in a nervous tone asks, “What do I do?” Her eyes go wide as she scans the alien symbols before her. Her fingers hover over her console apprehensively.

  Joe taps his console and reviews the data before him. He gulps, then watches the small craft as they begin to land on the hull. He considers fleeing, then quickly dismisses the idea. He sighs deeply, then responds, “Nothing, we’re not leaving our people behind.” He sighs, then presses the ship’s intercom and says, “Prepare to be boarded. Ship lockdown in three minutes.”

  “Ship lockdown?” asks Glenn, the man who occupies Joe’s normal workstation. He gapes at his console, suddenly bewildered by its controls. With mounting fear asks, “Do I do anything?”

  Joe blinks in surprise at the question, then he stands up and hurries to his usual console. He touches a few symbols, then grabs his laptop and powers it up as he returns to the command chair. He stares at his laptop for a few seconds, then rapidly types on its keyboard. He taps the ships intercom and says, “David, sentry guns are live.”

  “Understood,” comes David’s impassionate reply through the bridge speakers.

  Glenn and Gordon move aside as Joe quickly and efficiently uses their consoles as well. He is both doing, and showing, at the same time. They watch as Joe closes numerous corridors off, effectively turning the Terran’s lengthy walkways into shorter sections.

  Joe takes precious seconds to ponder how he wants to tackle the impending attack. The four secondary officers all stare at him in trepidation as they wait for his instructions. Coming to a decision, Joe turns his attention to Robyn and tells her, “Using thrusters only, move us to a higher orbit. Glenn,” he says, looking at his replacement, “monitor for hull breaches.” Gathering his wits, he tells Gordon, “You’re from reactor control, so I want you to monitor the ship’s power and capacitor levels for any unusual activity.”

  Mike, who occupies Emma’s station, gulps as he awaits his orders. Joe nods to him and says, “Work with Glenn to maintain atmospheric pressure in the sealed off areas, but,” he adds with grim determination, “in areas that are breached I want the life support systems completely shut down.”

  The four trainees turn to the consoles, each one wishing the main crew was onboard. Robyn frowns and says, “Shouldn’t we warn our people on the planet?”

  Joe shakes his head and replies gloomily, “They have no means to defend themselves, besides, the raiders may not know that we have people down there. And if they do know, then I just hope the raiders are more interested in us.”

  The second Joe’s alert went out, Radclyf and Hayato’s team quickly gathered weapons and gear from special lockers in the hangar deck. Dozens of these lockers are spread out throughout the ship, each one is secured via biometric locks. These elite soldiers quickly don special purpose space suits, then arm themselves with a variety of rifles and pistols that have been modified to fire specialized ammunition. The men assume positions around the hangar deck, and then wait.

  During this time, David’s mercenaries gather at pre-determined locations around the ship. Each heavily armed group also waits for the inevitable incursion by the raiders. The five Army Corps of Engineers spread their forces out throughout the ship, occupying key areas. Based on their last experience with the Effen Raiders, Joe knows that none of these teams have the weapons needed to defeat the mysterious attackers. Their assignments include reactor control, the medical area, GUS, and the access points to the command levels. The engineers will be their last stand, but if all goes well, they will not have to fire a shot.

  Joe’s mind races as he stares at the data on his laptop. A rash and crazy idea suddenly springs to mind. He gulps then says, “Glenn, seal the Hydroponics bay and reverse the gravity in the area. Mike,” he adds, pointing to the man’s console. “Over pressurize the area to three atmospheres.”

  Glenn begins to sweat as he stares blankly at his controls. A few agonizing seconds later he asks, “How do I do that?”

  Joe leaps from the captain’s chair, then using Glenn’s console, he fulfills his own request.

  Glenn watches in awe as Joe’s fingers deftly touch a series of alien symbols. He frowns in confusion and asks, “Why are you doing that?”

  Grinning like a crazed man, Joe replies, “As soon as the raiders cut through the hull, our own gravity will push the slug of armor into their ship, instead of it falling into ours. That’s my theory anyway.”

  “Genius,” Robyn states, genuinely impressed as she stares at Joe with renewed respect.

  Seconds later, one of the Effen Raider’
s craft which is over the Hydroponics bay, completes cutting its way through the hull. The effect is as instantaneous, as it is impressive. Suddenly the craft launches into space. Unbeknownst to the bridge crew, the violent expulsion of gasses along with the heavy plug, causes catastrophic damage to the tiny craft. Joe watches as it explodes spectacularly, its fiery plume lasting for a mere fraction of a second before the vacuum of space extinguishes the flames.

  Joe thumps a fist into the air and shouts enthusiastically, “Yes! Got one!”

  Robyn grins at their success while her three colleagues hoot and holler in jubilation. The celebratory grin freezes on Joe’s face when he glances back at his armrest console. He slams his hand on the ship’s intercom and shouts, “Hull breach in section seven, main hull, level one.” He reviews more data then quickly reports. “And another one in section twenty, also level one.”

  Robyn puts a hand to her chin and says nervously, “Well, we’re about to find out if our defenses are good enough.”

  The second craft over the hydroponics area does not cut through the hull, and thus saves itself from a similar fate to its compatriot. The raider that cuts through the hull in section seven does not fall for Joe’s surprise either. Instead, the massive plug that is cut out of the hull is slowly extracted, then somehow discarded harmlessly into space. Two humanoids immediately drop from the opening and into the darkened corridor. They crouch down and prepare themselves for anything. They activate their bright helmet lights and shine them around as they examine their surroundings.

  A split second later the powerful multi-barreled gun, Retribution, acquires its target, and fires. At four thousand rounds per second, the corridor is instantly filled with lethal projectiles. The body armor belonging to the pair unbelievably withstands the initial volley, but the sheer force from the impacts send both invaders hurtling backward. Joe watches the video feed from his laptop with wide eyes, incredibly one of the attackers lifts an arm and fires a weapon. The Retribution continues to fill the area with projectiles as it tracks downward to the prone figures.

  Joe watches as the suit belonging to one of the prone men abruptly fails. Hundreds of rounds enter the chest area, but none exit immediately. Unexpectedly, the suit explodes outward, spraying the area with viscera. A split second later the remaining attacker meets a similar fate, splattering the area with gore. Joe turns away in revulsion, then as the images replay in his mind, he resists the urge to throw up.

  Steam wafts from the Retribution’s super-heated barrels as they cycle down. The cooling metal ticks while the unit’s complex tracking system continues to scan the area. The entire battle lasted mere seconds, yet the walls and floor are peppered with thousands of dents and gouges from spent rounds, along with the splattered remains of the pair of would be assailants.

  “Take that!” Shouts Joe loudly while he pumps the air with his fist once again, his revulsion at the gore-splattered corridor momentarily forgotten.

  Staring back at the video feed, Joe frowns as something enters the ship through the hole created by the raider. The object appears to be a metallic arm, one which swivels around then points directly at the camera. The Retribution’s sensors detect the threat, track to it, and fire at the same instant that Joe’s screen flares brightly then goes blank.

  No one hears, or feels, the tremendous explosion as the Retribution’s entire storage of ammunition detonates, along with that belonging to the backup sentry guns. The combined energies unleashed by the raider’s weapon, and the detonating ammunition, are so strong that the Effen Raider’s craft is shredded along with a long section of the Terran’s hull.

  Robyn gasps and points at the main viewer. With fear in her voice she croaks feebly, “Look at that!”

  Glenn is too busy to look up, instead he gapes at a number of flashing symbols which have just appeared on his control panel. He nervously tries to figure out what they all mean.

  Joe lifts his gaze and stares dumfounded at the zoomed in view of a jagged rent in the ship’s forward hull. Gas and debris freely vent from the gash. He gulps and says, “Let me guess, section seven?”

  Finally, Glenn understands what he is looking at. He slowly replies, “Yes, and we have hull breaches in sections three through ten, on levels one and two in section seven.” He gingerly works his console and seals off the affected areas.

  Mike is also busy figuring out how to fulfill his instructions. With a flash of insight, he taps on a number of symbols, and then proudly reports, “Zero atmosphere in the open sections.

  Joe smiles and replies, “Good job, now what of the other four raiders?”

  “Four?” says Gordon in confusion as he shakes his head, “There are only two left. The one over Hydroponics, and another over section twenty.” He points off into the distance at the two craft that are resting on the hull.

  The out of sight fifth and sixth craft belonging to the Effen Raiders, land on the hull over the hangar deck. They immediately begin to cut their way through the thick armor. Just as Joe is about to explain where the other raiders have gone, Glenn states with unease, “Ah, we have a hull breach in the hangar deck. He gulps, then turns to Joe with wide eyes.

  Joe nods his head and replies, “Maintain gravity and life support, for now.”

  A large round section of the ceiling’s armor falls to the deck, and lands with a powerful thud. The atmosphere does not vent out into space, indicating that the raiders have sealed their craft to the hull. Hayato grins with anticipation as his adrenaline kicks in. He is kneeling down in the vast open area of hangar, securely latched to the deck in case they lose gravity. His position affords him the best view of the ceiling, but is he is also a sitting duck.

  Apart from the five combat veterans, the entire area has been evacuated, and sealed off. Everything in the hangar is tightly secured to the deck, another innovative idea of Cindy’s. Hayato takes a number of deep calming breaths from his suit’s oxygen supply. He uses this breathing technique whenever he prepares for battle.

  Radclyf, who is crouching near the wall opposite the Gamin Power Unit, gives a supportive thumbs-up to everyone. Paul and Henry are on the uppermost level, with each of them manually operating one of the two ceiling mounted Retribution class GUAs. The two men aim these powerful weapons at the new opening, then wait. Their greatest concern is friendly fire; thus, they take great pains to constantly check on the whereabouts of their colleagues.

  Chokichi lays prone on the catwalk that leads to the pair of engines. He stares through the scope of an extraordinarily unique sniper rifle, one designed specifically for him, and the task ahead. Draped over him is a thin sheet of camouflage material, one that also prevents his body heat from being detectable by infra-red sensors.

  A number of metallic ropes snake from the hole in the ceiling and land on the floor far below. The combat veterans tense up and wait, but they do not have to wait long. With the aid of his enhanced scope Chokichi is the first to identify the object which enters the ship. A section of round metal that looks like the barrel of a sixteen-inch gun from world war two extends into the hangar deck. It begins to swivel around on a large knuckle like ball joint, at which point all hell breaks loose.

  The second the alien object begins to swing around Hayato gives the signal they have all waited for. Next, he releases the clamps holding him to the floor and sprints as fast as he can away from his exposed position. The alien weapon instantly begins to track on his movement, but before it can swing fully around it is shredded by thousands of rounds from the pair of Retributions. The noise is deafening as the caseless ammunition ricochets everywhere. The rounds that do not imbed themselves into the target, or the walls, fall like rain onto the deck below.

  Chokichi fires a single shell into the hole, then quickly ducks and covers his head. The large shell he fired hits the rim of the cut-out section, then fragments upwards into the Effen Raiders’ ship. The phosphorous-type round expends its energies inside the alien spacecraft, just as six, armor clad, humanoid figures rappel
down the ropes.

  Radclyf is pleased to see that Hayato makes it to his defensive position, then smiles as the invaders descend into their trap. He fires a flare into the air, signaling for the sentry guns to be trained on the invaders. Chokichi continues to monitor, and fire into, the opening that leads to the alien craft. Shell after shell bounces upward into the raiders’ craft, where each explodes spectacularly.

  The Effen Raiders reach the deck and raise their weapons, just as the second craft completes cutting its way through the Terran’s hull. Radclyf and Hayato duck down behind special purpose-built metal shields, and wait. Once again, the noise from the pair of Retributions is deafening, and easily penetrates the thin space suits. Incredibly the raiders manage to fire a few rounds before succumbing to the onslaught of firepower.

  Chokichi’s eyes narrow as he detects movement from the second hole, then his blood runs cold. It does not matter how alien the attackers are, the single object that falls from the hole can only be one thing, a grenade of sorts. Everything seems to move in slow motion for Chokichi. He fires one last round into the second hole, followed by a yellow flare into the air above the hangar deck, and then lays as flat as he can. His eyes go wide as the falling object reaches his level. Time seems to stop as he stares death in the face. Miraculously the object drops below him without detonating. Just as he heaves a sigh of relief, it detonates with a force that belies its size. A massive shockwave radiates outward in all directions.

  Radclyf and Hayato crouch lower behind their metal shields as fingers of flame lick at them. Chokichi, who is resting on a sheet of hardened metal, is flung upwards. He immediately regrets the restraints that hold him to the deck when they painfully arrest his upward motion. His body is snapped back down to the ground, where he hits his head, and immediately loses consciousness.

  Paul and Henry close their eyes and attempt to shield themselves from the powerful fireball. Paul suddenly cringes as it dawns on him that if the ammunition belonging to the Retributions ignites, they are all dead men.