“You know if they wanted to kill us all they’d have to do is guide us into the moon’s surface,” Rufo commented to Dover in a lowered voice.
“You know Cappillo, you really are a real wanker,” Alistair commented as the shuttle descended towards the ice and rock covered moon.
For a moment it looked as if that was exactly what was going to happen. The Shaker dove straight down towards the blue surface but instead of crashing it passed through a holographic image of the surface and went through the open bay doors into a large shuttle bay. The armored shuttle landing gear came down and it rolled to the end of the bay. The bay’s door automatically closed as the bay pressurized.
Once the shuttle came to a stop its passengers unbuckled and rose from their seats.
“All right everyone, remember your jobs and stick to the plan no matter what,” Hope said as he straightened his dress jacket and angled his sword with his left hand so he wouldn’t trip on the scabbard.
The shuttle’s rear hatch opened and half of their number disembarked. Captain Hope and Commander Hutton led the way with Mike and Angelique following behind them. Lieutenants Dover, Cappillo and Daily, along with Specialist Rojas would stay behind with the armored shuttle. They had a different mission than the three ship captains and the doctor.
Moving towards the airlock Mike looked about the bay and shook his head.
“Something wrong Mister Collins?” Hutton asked glancing back at him.
“There are no other ships in this bay,” he mentioned finding it odd that such a large bay would be empty.
“It is probably only used for visiting ships,” the Commander replied.
“Which means?” Hope prompted.
“That they have more than one bay,” Mike quickly answered.
“And?”
“They don’t want us to have access to the other bays or see their ships,” Angelique said breaking her silence and joining the conversation.
“Which means this place is very large,” Mike remarked.
“And that again raises the question of why?” Hope said as they reached the airlock and passed through into the interior of the base.
In the corridor outside of the airlock from the shuttle bay they were greeted by some of their Templar hosts.
Two Knights Templar were waiting for them with four of their men of arms. The knights were in everyday uniforms with a white shield symbol bearing a red cross just above their hearts. They both had extension swords and Browning Star Master gauss pistols as their side arms. The four men-at-arms, were dressed in standard combat armor and were carrying Colt auto needle assault rifles at port arms. They all had smaller Templar shield symbols on the left shoulder of their combat armor.
“I’m Captain Sir Randolph Hope,” the Confederation officer said, “these other officers are - Commander Sir Alfred Hutton, Lt. Michael Collins, captain of the Randori and Lt. Dr. Angelique Duarte.
Of the two Templars knights, one was older in his mid forties with black hair and an old scar along his jaw line. The other was young, perhaps no more than twenty-two who had blond hair and green eyes. It was the older knight who partially bowed at the waist and then spoke.
“I’m Sir James Ney, welcome to our humble station. We are here to escort your party to the base commander’s office,” he said with a slight smile.
“Very good, but I’d like …,” Hope started.
“Sir James, shouldn’t they be disarmed before we take them to see the Knight Commander?” the younger Templar said interrupting the old captain.
“We are Confederation officers, and we will not surrender our weapons without a fight,” Commander Hutton stated flatly.
Both Templars looked at him with his blue Order of St. Michael’s half cloak and knight’s badge.
“Well said Michaelite,” Sir James commented and continued, “Please excuse Sir Matthew, he is young and doesn’t quite understand the common courtesies extended between knights of other orders.”
“Of course,” Commander Hutton replied nodding politely.
“Shall we proceed to the Knight Commander’s office?” The Templar suggested waving his hand down the hallway and started to walk that way.
He stopped after a few steps realizing that his guests hadn’t moved.
Before he could ask what the problem was Captain Hope cleared his throat.
“I would like to see Admiral Sir Egbert Norton-Underhill first, so please take us to him,” the Hawk said his eyes squinting at them almost ordering them to comply.
Sir James looked away for a moment seeming to consider his request.
“Sir Randolph, the admiral is not in very good condition and has taken several severe wounds. He may not even be able to recognize you.”
Captain Hope stepped closer to the Templar.
“He is an old and dear friend, who I consider my brother,” he whispered.
Sir James sighed and nodded giving into the detour.
As this was going on the other Templar tried to move closer to hear their conversation, but Mike slid his foot out at just the right moment and tripped him sending him suddenly to the ground.
“Sorry about that Sir Matt,” Mike said leaning over and offering him his hand to help back to his feet.
The young Templar looked mad and ignored his help. He then surprised everyone by springing back to his feet with ease.
Before Sir Matthew could say or do anything, Sir James put a hand on his shoulder.
“Go tell Sir Jacob that we will be late and that we are going to the infirmary first,” he ordered sending the angry young knight away with a slight shove.
“Hasn’t had his spurs very long has he?” Hutton commented as the young knight hurried away.
Sir James shrugged with a frown before he turned and led them down the hallway to the infirmary. The Confederation officers followed his lead with the Templar men-at-arms trailing behind them.
“Well?” Cappillo asked pacing around in the back of the armored shuttle.
Rita was sitting in the top side gun turret looking down at them.
Daily and Dover were working at two mobile computer stations they brought with them.
“Steady on old man,” Alistair said “after all, we are trying to hack into their systems without being caught.”
Martin Daily ignored them and continued to work his magic. He was more skilled and capable then even his computer instructors at the academy and often taught classes for them. His time since they had stolen the Star Wolf had been well spent and he had learned more in the last six months of war than he had in all his years at the academy. He was not only a master of human computer systems but he had easily been able to write programs and intrusion algorithms to infiltrate and subvert Karduan systems. All in all, he was a wizard of technology.
“I can’t do it,” Daily announced leaning back from the terminal.
“What!” Cappillo cried out in surprise.
Martin shook his head, “The Templars have one of the best systems I have ever seen. They have a closed loop and a hardwired line so I can’t just hack in from an air station. They have several separate computer and security systems, even the ones I can access are using a multiplex rotating encryption.”
“What?” Specialist Rojas said.
“Every half hour the encryption and all of it security protocols change,’” he stated, “so just when you think you can get in the whole thing changes and you have to start from scratch,” Martin explained with a down trodden expression.
“So what can we do?” Dover asked hoping that they could salvage the situation.
“If I had a few days, I could create a program to predict the security sequence or reduce the time needed to penetrate their lock outs,” he answered.
“No, we don’t have time for that,” Cappillo remarked and asked, “Do we have access to any of their other systems?”
“I might be able to get into their low level systems that aren’t tied into their main security network.”
“What would that gi
ve us?” Dover asked.
“I might be able to access their hallway security surveillance, power grid monitoring and air recycling systems,” he answered returning to the computer’s control pad.
Rojas smiled, “We could freeze them out and cut off their air.”
Daily shook his head with a frown, “No, those controls are locked into the main security network.”
“So what good are they?” she said.
“You’re an engineer just take a look,” Martin suggested as he brought up the utilities grid.
“Wow! That is a lot of power and look at the air recycling system,” she remarked pointing to the holo screen.
“Yep, that’s enough air usage and energy consumption to power a small city or a very large bio sphere,” Cappillo added, looking over Daily’s shoulder.
“How big is this place?” Rita Rojas wondered out loud.
“And how many people do they have?” Daily added.
“A better question is why do they need that many people on an isolated underground station located way out here?” Dover proposed.
Sir James led them down several hallways to a central lift. One thing they all noted as they followed him was that every door they passed was closed and only marked with a letter and a number. Every side corridor was closed off and had a palm scanner set by their doors. Reaching the lift, they stepped inside and the Templar ordered the lift computer to the infirmary level. The lift moved and they felt as if several floors went by but there was no control panel inside the lift or any indication of how many floors they had travelled.
When the lift door opened they saw another hallway just like the one they left. This one had several people in the hallway. Two of them were dressed as men-at-arms who seemed to be working on an exposed access panel. They were unarmed and had an open tool box with numerous tools strewn about the floor.
The second group was heading right for them and stepped by the two workers and their tools. All four of them were dressed in white monk’s robes with black vestments and had their hoods up.
As their group passed by them the monks kept their heads down, not saying a single word as they entered the lift.
“Benedictine monks?” Commander Hutton asked moving up to walk just behind the Templar.
“Close, they are Cistercian monks,” Sir James answered and explained, “Our order follows many of the Cistercian ways and it is not unusual for a secluded outpost such as this to have an enclave of monks.”
“What do they do here besides pray?” Mike inquired curious to their role.
“Their order is based on the idea of a return to a life of hard work, manual labor and contemplation. In many places they run farms. Here they do just that and tend to our hydroponic gardens.”
Before they could ask any further questions they reached the entrance to the infirmary. Like every door they had passed it was plain and unmarked except for a letter followed by a series of numbers.
Sir James stepped right up to the door as it swished open. This made Mike wonder if all of the doors had biometric scanners to identify authorized personnel or if they just had motion sensors?
Stepping into the room behind the Templar, they could see that they were in a standard waiting room with numerous hard looking chairs along the right hand wall. There was an electronic window screen on the left wall for a receptionist to greet people but no one was there and the screen was dark. Sir James continued onto the opposite wall where there was another door. He didn’t even break his stride as he walked over to it and the door automatically opened.
Entering the room, they found it was an extension of the reception area used for basic medical examinations and treatment. It kind of reminded them of a school’s nurse’s office. It was a place for boo boos and ouchies. Continuing on they saw that there were several examination rooms down a hallway to their left. Their Templar guide led them to another door just ahead of them that opened to reveal a sick ward. It was a large room with twenty beds used for tending to the sick and injured. It was like every room in the infirmary so far as it was empty of people.
“Where is everyone?” Angelique whispered knowing as a doctor that some medical staff should be on duty.
Mike shrugged noticing that their men-at-arms escort had stayed behind in the hallway outside of the infirmary.
Sir James moved to the other end of the sick ward and passed through another door. Captain Hope quickly followed, leading their group who followed after him. Once more they found themselves in another large room but this one was set up as a trauma ward that had beds with diagnostic medical computers and overhead displays. All of the beds were empty and no one was around.
“Just this way,” The Templar said with an awkward smile as he pointed to yet another door.
Mike could hear Captain Hope audibly sigh but the old officer continued to hurry after the papal knight.
Enter this next room they were glad to find not only the admiral but also some medical personnel. What surprised them the most was the room itself and the status of the admiral.
The room wasn’t a patient’s room but was a surgical suite complete with an automated surgical unit and numerous other medical equipment. There were two Cistercian monks in their black habits and white robes monitoring the medical apparatus along with a third robed man. The last monk was dressed in a brown robe that had a red Templar cross over his heart. He was over by the surgical unit’s control panel busily monitoring the fallen officer’s condition.
The admiral was the biggest surprise as it was clearly apparent that he was not in good condition. Rear Admiral Sir Egbert Underhill-Norton, Commander of the 12th Defense Fleet was lying on the surgical bed with tubes running to his sole remaining arm and remote sensors attached to his thin and sunken chest. He had not only lost his left arm but had lost both of his legs, one below the knee and the other just above. He was old looking perhaps seventy-five or eighty but with modern gene therapy and medicine it was hard to tell his real age.
Everyone knew that he was a classmate of Captain Hope and that made them wonder how old was he?
The admiral also had a metal skull cap with sensors attached around half of his head that came down and covered the area where his left eye had once occupied.
Captain Hope wasted no more time and hurried past the Templar moving to his old friend’s side. There he grabbed his hand and looked into his remaining eye.
“Eggy, can you hear me?” he asked leaning forward.
“Sir Randolph, the admiral is heavily medicated,” Sir James said in a lowered voice.
Angelique moved over to the automated surgical unit’s control panel and stood next to the brown robed monk.
“Dr. Duarte, this is Chaplain Doctor Henri,” Sir James said, quickly introducing them.
Angelique nodded to the monk focusing on the unit’s readings. She said something to the chaplain doctor in French for which he smiled in surprise and then answered her back in French
“May I?” she asked in English and leaned over the chaplain to work the unit’s controls. She saw that the auto medical station was off and was being controlled manually. Adjusting his current meds, she looked over to Hope and nodded.
“Eggy, can you hear me?” the captain inquired, “Eggy, it is Randolph wake up old man!”
The admiral’s sole brown eye blinked as the counter medication to the sedation kicked in.
“Oh my, am I dead?” he asked as his proper British accent came out turning his head to look onto the face of his ancient friend.
“I don’t see any Valkyrie,” Hope said with a smile at a private joke from their youths.
“I’m seeing an old and rumored dead friend, and a beautiful woman who at the very least is an Angel of Mercy if not a Valkyrie,” he replied.
“Hold it together old man, you are still among the living,” Hope said smiling from ear to ear.
The battered officer let out a sigh as his face became downcast.
“I almost wish I wasn’t, my old chum,�
� he said sounding depressed.
“No talk like that, I’m sure that we can get you all patched up and back on a bridge in no time,” Hope said encouragingly.
“Randolph, I got my posterior handed to me, my fleet trapped as well as nearly destroyed,” he said in shame.
“I’ve been to Jericho Six and from what I saw and heard, your older defense fleet was caught between two full enemy fleets. The Karduans had both of the system’s gravity wells covered yet you still managed to fight your way clear.”
“I lost half my fleet and got the other half shot to hell,” he replied glumly and added, “If it weren’t for the Bastogne and the Patton arriving like the bloody cavalry we would have all been lost. I don’t even know what happened to them, they are probably both destroyed or captured.”
Hope smiled at him, causing his friend to frown more deeply back at him.
“What’s so damned funny?” he finally said.
“Both ships are safe and sound as are their captains. I left both of them back at our base along with the repaired Alamo, Lexington, Java and hopefully by the time we get back the Ajax. As for your other ships we are already assisting with their repairs,” he revealed in a lowered voice as he leaned closer.
“Are you sure I’m not dead? How can this all be?” Egbert said unsure if he was understanding it all.
“I’ll explain everything once we’ve gotten you out of here,” he said squeezing his friend’s hand.
Rear Admiral Sir Egbert Underhill-Norton smiled for a moment before his lone eye rolled back into his head and what was left of his body started to shake uncontrollably.
Alarms went off from the surgical unit and Hope looked over to the medical station.
“He is going into some kind of seizure,” Angelique announced as she and the chaplain doctor quickly conferred in French and worked the surgical unit’s controls.
Twenty seconds went by that felt like an eternity before the admiral’s body stopped contorting and suddenly went limp. The old man was panting and looked pale.
“I’m going to sedate him,” Dr. Duarte announced. Looking up and making eye contact with the captain.
Wolf's Run: The Chase of War (Star Wolf Sqaudron Book 2) Page 24
