Space Corps: Symbiant (Space Corps Book 2)

by K. D. Mattis

  Holt entered a sequence of commands that sent a series of six torpedoes toward the alien ships. The blast struck four ships and left a mark but didn’t do any real damage. The Explorer twisted and shot off back toward the space station.

  “Are they following?” Asher asked.

  “Yes, sir,” said the scanning team.

  “All of them?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Good. Card, contact Ambassador Station. Tell them to prepare for an all-out assault. If the Protector is ready, tell them we need it in the air.”

  The communications officer set to work.

  “And us, sir?” Gonzales asked.

  Asher stood for a moment, deep in thought. “Prepare for one-hundred-eighty-degree turn. Don’t slow down, but turn the ship so that tactical can get a better vantage point.”

  On the monitors, Asher watched as the alien crafts moved closer. Points of light grew bright on the front of each of the ships. She saw two massive ships and three slightly smaller vessels. She recognized the designs from previous battles. She felt the sweat bead on her forehead. Even with the upgrades to the Explorer, she never faced so many ships at once and wondered if she had the firepower to prevail.

  “We’re approaching Ambassador Station,” Gonzales said.

  Card spoke without looking up from her monitors. “They report ready to fire. Lieutenant Commander Kim of the Protector is awaiting orders.”

  “Good,” Asher said, continuing to watch the monitors. “Have Kim take the Protector to the near-Earth object. When he has a chance, he needs to take it out.”

  “Ambassador Station coming in range,” Gonzales said.

  Asher stood. “Card, order the station to fire. Have them focus their efforts on the three smaller ships.”

  As the Explorer neared the station, the station let off a volley of Alpha missiles and fired a steady stream of railgun fire into the ships. One of the three smaller vessels moved close to the station to absorb the bulk of the attack and block the line of fire. It was crude, but effective. The ship prepared to fire, but all six of its weapon ports lit up in a burst of flame before they could do it any good. The ship continued moving and blocking, but the space station prevented it from doing anything else.

  The Explorer twisted and opened fire. The ship’s tactical team worked as quickly as they could, but with so many targets, their efforts didn’t do much good. They fired at one of the three smaller ships and prevented it from firing its weapons. The others showed six points of light that grew bright before sending streams of light headed toward the Explorer.

  Beams of light bit into the Explorer’s hull. Even with the upgraded plating, chunks of the hull shot off into space. Asher watched on the monitors and winced as her ship shook under the intense fire.

  “Punch a hole in the smaller ships using the railguns,” Asher said.

  The exchange continued, and the hull of the Explorer glowed red from the heat of the constant barrage. Still, it carried on, their rail-guns raining fire onto the smaller ships until Holt shouted out.

  “Sir, we’ve penetrated their hull.”

  “Fire high-yield torpedoes,” Asher said.

  With a smile, Asher watched as the torpedoes made their way to the ships. Of the six torpedoes fired, only two found their mark, but that’s all they needed. Each of the two successful torpedoes rammed through the holes in the alien ships and disappeared. A moment later, a column of fire blasted from the holes. One ship erupted into thousands of pieces. The other only broke into two pieces, but the two pieces flickered with flame and failing power before going completely dark and drifting uselessly.

  Card shouted, “The device is gaining power. We’re seeing a series of earthquakes in several major oceans. They’re creating tidal waves. We need to shut it down.”

  “Contact the Russians. Get the Stalingrad up here immediately. Any status on the Guardian?” Asher asked.

  “Negative. Communications are scattered around the planet. However that transmitter works, it’s intermittently scrambling our communications to Earth. I’m trying to clear it up, but I’m not having much luck.”

  The steady stream of fire from Ambassador Station continued to strike the remaining smaller ship. As it took fire, the ship kept rotating, trying to keep a fresh side of its hull facing the station. A missile shot out from the station, aiming high. Nearly passing the alien ship, it twisted and slammed into a damaged portion of the ship’s hull and ignited it. Plumes of fire left the ship through several large cracks. As the flames burned, a line of light ran across the outside of the vessel before it exploded in a brilliant flash and sent debris flying every direction.

  Using the blast as cover, the Protector shot forward toward the near-Earth object.

  18

  “Do they see the ships pursuing us?” Lieutenant Commander Kim asked.

  “Unknown,” the communications officer replied as he continued sending the same signal over and over. “If they see it, they haven’t responded.”

  “Orders?” asked the tactical officer.

  Kim shook his head. He reached up to scratch an itch on his chin, momentarily forgetting about the helmet covering his face. When his gloved hand struck the polymer of his helmet, he let out an exasperated sigh and looked about for some divine inspiration.

  The repair crews eradicated much of the damage to the small ship, but Kim still saw the seams where the crew welded new metal to old. Kim said a silent prayer that the mends would hold.

  “Orders, sir?” tactical asked again.

  Snapping back to the moment, Kim said, “Sorry. Please prepare torpedoes to take out the near-Earth object and the missiles and railguns for the incoming alien vessels.”

  Without waiting for additional orders, the pilot pulled back on the throttle and shot the Protector forward even faster than before. The maneuver increased the space between the Protector and the approaching alien vessels. As it approached the near-Earth object, the Protector gathered readings and information.

  Most of the object was a giant rock floating through space in a rough, distant orbit around Earth. Many large structures dotted the outside of the object, with a giant rod running through the center. The device continued to broadcast its deadly signal, and lights pulsed on the metal additions.

  “Fire everything. Target the central structure.”

  Ports across the Protector’s hull lit up as it fired railguns, missiles, and torpedoes at the surface of the object.

  “No effect, sir,” the tactical officer said.

  The pilot, again acting without orders, pulled back on the throttle and moved the Protector away from the structure.

  “What are you doing?” Kim shouted.

  “The alien ships are coming. If we stick around, we’re dead.”

  “Bring us back around, immediately.”

  The craft twisted back around to see the four alien vessels quickly approaching, the two long prongs on the front of each vessel glowing brightly.

  Kim clenched his fist and said, “Tactical, target the ship closest to our starboard side. Take it out.”

  The Protector fired several missiles, but the alien vessel easily dodged them, leaving the missiles drifting into empty space. The aliens responded with two beams of light that ripped into the Protector, rupturing several oxygen tanks and igniting them in a blast of blue and white.

  Kim’s eyes darted around the room, looking for any signs of a full breach. Smoke began filling the back of the ship, but the main cabin maintained pressure.

  “Get us out of here!” Kim shouted.

  The pilot fumbled at the controls but managed to break away from the small pack of alien ships. As the Protector pulled away, the alien vessels let off several volleys of fire. The Protector rocked and twisted blindly in the hope of getting away cleanly. While it managed to avoid most of the fire, several beams of light tore into its back end.

  With each hit, Kim looked around the room, carefully watching the seams for signs of damage.


  “Comm, hail the Explorer. Let them know that we can’t continue the attack and that we’re breaking away,” Kim said. His helmet muffled his voice, but it couldn’t hide his concern.

  Another violent hit to the back of the Protector rocked the small ship and sent everyone scrambling for their emergency harnesses. Only the pilot remained calm in his seat.

  “We have a hull breach on the bow, spanning decks two and three!”

  Asher stared at the monitor, hoping to spot a weakness or an opportunity to break through the remaining ships. The damage to the Explorer limited her options.

  “Gonzales, turn us around. Holt, Tran, do everything you can to make them follow us. Card, tell Lunar Colony One to prepare to attack.”

  The giant ship turned, leaking gas from its front. It never stopped firing as it moved.

  “Sir,” Card said, “the Protector says it can’t take the fire and is moving away from the near-Earth object. They’re requesting orders.”

  Enemy fire sliced into the side of the Explorer and sent chunks of reinforced metal shooting off. The ship trembled but kept moving, weaving through space to avoid further damage.

  “Tell them to avoid the enemy where they can but to stay in the area. The Stalingrad should be here soon.”

  Gonzalez moved her hands across her console, firing off small thrusters across the entire hull of the ship in her efforts to keep moving and dodging enemy fire. “Admiral, I could use a little help here. These guys are staying right on top of us, and they’re getting hard to avoid.”

  “Keep it up, Ensign. This is exactly what we want.”

  “Doing what I can, sir.”

  An explosion shook the Explorer and sent a deafening roar down the halls. Many members of the crew reached out for something to hold on to, only letting go when they realized their lives weren’t in immediate danger.

  “Report,” Asher barked.

  “One of the primary thrusters took a direct hit,” Card said. “Engineering contained the breach, but they say they won’t be able to get it back up.”

  “Fine,” Asher said as she brushed her hair back. “Gonzales, can you make do?”

  “I’m trying. It’s not easy, but I think we’ll be all right.”

  “How long until we’re in range of the lunar colony?”

  “Two minutes?” Gonzales said. “Maybe just over, given the engines.”

  The tactical officers glanced at each other before Lieutenant Commander Holt turned to the admiral. “We need to ease up on firing. We’re running out of ammunition. Railguns are just about on their last breath, and we’re almost out of standard torpedoes and Beta missiles.”

  “Fine,” Asher said. “Hold fire until you see one of the ships try to turn off. If they do, unleash everything you can on them until they turn back to us.”

  The tactical officers nodded and set back to work, observing the alien vessels and taking careful aim.

  Card looked up from her console and shouted, “The Stalingrad has broken atmosphere and is reporting ready.”

  “What about the Guardian?”

  “No word, yet.”

  Asher nodded curtly to the communication’s officer and focused on the readouts coming across her screen. The reports scrolled so quickly that she could barely make sense of them. Given the circumstance, she knew most of them contained nothing but bad news.

  “Ask the Stalingrad to assist the Protector. The priority is to knock out whatever’s transmitting the signal.”

  “Sir,” Holt said.

  “What?” Asher asked, turning to her tactical team.

  “We have a problem. The alien ships are breaking off pursuit. We tried opening fire, but they’re not responding.”

  “They’re headed back to the near-Earth object?”

  With a frown, Holt said, “It looks like it. They’re going far enough out that Ambassador Station won’t be able to get a good lock on them. Not with all of the debris in the way.”

  Pacing in front of her chair, Asher turned to Lieutenant Card. “Any more news about the situation?”

  The lieutenant nodded and spun one of her monitors around to face the admiral. “Yes, sir. They see earthquakes all over the planet. Most of the quakes are directed toward the oceans, which makes a bigger problem. If they hit right, the water displacement will result in massive tidal waves.”

  “Holt,” Asher asked, “can we take another frontal strike?”

  The officer shook his head. “Most of the reinforced plating is either too damaged to help or is just stripped away. I only have so much left to work with to knock out their weapons. If we get hit too much more, we’re done for.”

  “I know.” Asher looked to the ground, then around to her crew. “We did it before, and we can do it again. Gonzales, take us about.”

  In a giant arch, the Explorer turned around and pushed toward the alien ships. It drove through the field of debris left behind by the destroyed ships. While Gonzales did her best to avoid anything of significant size, she couldn’t avoid everything, and even the small chunks of metal ripped off loose pieces of the Explorer’s plating. The engine groaned as one thruster tried to do the work of two, but it continued pressing on.

  Despite his harness holding him in place, Kim gripped the arm of his chair as hard as he could manage as a beam of light ripped through the Protector’s hull. The blinding light filled the bridge, and the officer winced as he felt the heat of the blast warm his suit.

  Once the beam subsided, all air in the Protector disappeared through the gash left in its wake. The room felt hollow and empty without the small sounds from the engine and consoles hanging in the air.

  Kim heard his every breath, a raspy declaration that, despite the damage to the ship, he lived.

  “Status,” Kim said into his suit’s microphone.

  Kim shifted uneasily as he listened to the silence while waiting for a reply.

  “The engineering team didn’t make it,” said the communication’s officer. “Everyone else seems to be fine. The ship is functional, but life support is completely knocked out, and we’ve lost our ability to fire torpedoes. Most of our capacitors are offline. I don’t think we can restore them.”

  “Does anyone here know how to check?” Kim asked.

  No one responded.

  The ship continued to swerve through empty space to avoid the shots from the alien ships, but its efforts failed with increasing frequency. Most of the shots only made a glancing blow to the small vessel, its size and speed saved it time and time again. Its commander slunk down in his chair and stared blankly at the monitors around him. He couldn’t hear the alarms, but he could see red warning lights on most of the consoles.

  As he prepared to order his ship to retreat, another ship flew past, literally unfolding in front of his very eyes. The craft fired at the small alien ships with an assortment of weaponry while two giant wings unfolded, revealing four fighter craft. When the wings stopped moving, the craft took off and teamed up. With the alien craft focused on the Protector, the fighters made a choice and obliterated two of the distracted ships in a matter of seconds.

  Kim’s eyes lit up and his fingers raced over his console. “Is that the Russians?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Fantastic. We’ll have to send them a fruit basket later. For now, tactical, focus all our railgun fire on whatever alien ship they aren’t after. Helm, keep us moving. We’re still alive. I’d like to keep it that way. Keep near the Stalingrad. Her fighters should be able to provide some cover, and hopefully, she’ll take some of the damage.”

  “Sir, I’m out,” said the tactical officer.

  “What?”

  “We’re out of railgun ammunition and missiles. Without the torpedoes, there’s nothing else I can do. But we’ve got bigger problems to worry about. The large ships are on their way back.”

  “There’s got to be something we can do,” Kim said, begging.

  “I’m open to suggestions, sir.”

  Kim glared at th
e man. “You don’t have anything we can use?”

  “No.”

  Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kim looked around the room. Every pair of eyes stared back at him, looking to him for answers. His shoulders slumped. He didn’t have anything to offer them.

  Another one of the small alien craft exploded, destroyed by the Stalingrad’s fighters. The shrapnel burst out every direction, and some of it found its way to the Protector. The gash in its hull left its crew exposed, and several small pieces of metal, usually inconsequential, slammed into their suits.

  The communication officer’s body went limp. Two small holes appeared in his suit. One near his chest, the other around the neck. Gas streamed out of the holes mixed with a frozen red mist. He screamed out in pain, but his suit didn’t carry enough air to carry his screams to the microphone. His harness held him in place, but he was gone.

  In horror, Kim looked down to see a similar hole by his ankle. A piece of metal shot clear through the suit and his leg. His suit, sensing the falling air pressure, tightened around the joints and made a seal to keep any more air from escaping. The man took a deep breath as he realized he could still breathe, but winced as the vacuum of space pulled on his wounds.

  One of the other officers ran over as well as she could manage with her magnetic boots. She wrapped duct tape indiscriminately over the damaged portions of the suit. She kept wrapping and wrapping until, finally, Kim collected himself enough to see that she fixed the problem. He thanked her and ordered her back to her station.

  Choking on the pain, Kim forced his hand to the harness release and stood up. Each step toward the communications console burned, but he made it and connected his microphone to the system.

  “Explorer, this is the Protector. We have no weapons left, we’ve experienced major casualties, and we can’t take any more. We’re pulling out of the fight.”

  He didn’t wait for a response before Kim ordered the pilot to move the ship to safety.

  19

  “Admiral, I have a message from the lunar colony.”