by Chris Burton
Jake set about the arduous task of putting on the radiation-proof exterior suit and helmet he would need to manually attach the Sabre’s docking clamps to the Eagle’s bulkhead. They would need to get in close, which was in itself dangerous. The Eagle was equipped with thirty-two cm Laser cannons, which at close range could penetrate the Sabres shields.
* * * *
The Kryl pilot aboard the Eagle saw the Sabre coming and tried to out run it, but this was futile. The Eagle opened fire on the Sabre as it began to close to within two meters. Obeya was wise to the Kryl‘s tactics and she deployed additional shielding to the Sabre’s vulnerable areas.
Jake readied to commence the clamping procedure. He waited patiently for a lull in the Eagle’s close range offensive tactics, and then, having sealed the Sabres inner hull, he opened the canopy outer door and stepped out on the wing. Immediately he felt the force of the two ships’ propulsion systems tugging at him, trying to release him of his grip and allow the two ships to part. Jake had some practical experience of spacewalks, but only in a controlled environment. This was different.
The clamping column was recessed into the wing structure. Jake pulled the column release button, and a recess within the wing opened, allowing the column to push out into Jake’s hands. He gave the thumbs-up to Obeya, who pulled the Sabre to within thirty centimeters of the Eagle. Jake then reached out and clamped the first of the three clasps and locked it in place. With the second and third clasps then in place, the two ships were connected. By now, the two ships were travelling at a nominal thruster velocity, but the repetitive Eagle laser cannons’ firing made the process infinitely harder than it should be.
Jake knew the setup of the Eagle like the back of his hands. His first two years at the academy had seen him complete hundreds of simulated and actual Eagle flight hours. Jake must open the bulkhead doors. He opted for the fastest method by firing a single blast from his hand laser to the doors’ locking mechanism and, within moments, he had access to the Eagle’s inner door. It was just a case of blowing the interior blast door inwards and he would have access to the interior of the Eagle.
* * * *
Winterburn watched the progress being made by Carter. It was clear his new adversary was confident. So he should be, he thought.
“Please leave the crew of the jump ship to me. Your chance to feed will soon be upon you.” The Kronan was situated in the aft passenger area of the Eagle shuttle. This particular variant was fitted as a troop carrier, with two passenger compartments, a holding cell and the cockpit. The blast door was situated towards the rear of the main compartment, which was currently occupied by three Kryl. The remaining Kryl drones were in the cockpit. Carla and Joely were in the holding cell. Winterburn released his influence on both of them the moment the Eagle took off, now that their part in all of this was over. Once again, the two sisters were Winterburn’s prisoners.
* * * *
Jake was protected from the Eagle’s laser cannons by the Eagle itself, but he could clearly see Obeya was not. The Kryl were bombarding the cockpit area with cannon blasts, and it was only a matter of time before her shields failed.
He thought it was necessary to obtain control and remove the weapons threat as quickly as possible. Jake placed the charges on the inner door and was in the process of setting the timers. It was imperative that he created as much havoc as possible when the door opened. He applied more charges than he needed, to ensure that the blast door blew right in on itself. He would then launch a combined stun-cloud grenade, and then fire indiscriminately around the main passenger compartment while he sought cover to protect himself from the Kryls’ weaponry. Jake took a big gamble. He was still reliant on his assertion that Winterburn could not seek to control his mind and that the other Kryls could not either. He also bargained on both Carla and Joely being held in the holding cell and not in the main compartment. Jake was nearly ready. He needed to protect himself from the blast which meant exiting the outer door and remote detonating the charges. Jake commenced his assault on the Eagle.
* * * *
The blast pushed the Eagle’s inner door off its hinges and into the Eagle’s main compartment. Jake threw his stun grenade, waited five seconds and then charged into the main chamber with his hypercannon discharging plasma bursts to all four corners of the compartment. It had gone just as Jake planned, and he found himself aboard the Eagle with three dead Kryl by his side.
So far so good, he thought. He needed to find Winterburn though and again as anticipated Winterburn, was in the smaller rear compartment. He was on his own.
Jake was just about to open fire again, when Winterburn interjected, “I have to say I am impressed with your entrance and your persistence. If this is about Carla and Joely, then they are lucky to have you on their side.”
Jake ignored him. “I am assuming control of this vessel and returning you and the ship to the Halo 7.”
“I doubt that, Jake. Do you really think you will be given the opportunity to return to your vessel? Look at your jump ship; it is already beyond repair. You would have to seize control of this ship. My drones will overpower you before you get a chance.”
“Did you see what happened to the three Kryl in the main passenger compartment?”
“Do you think that would have happened had I not asked them to leave you to me?”
“You cannot control my mind. I have already proven that more than once. You and your fellow Kryl will stand down and allow me to take control of this ship.”
“I am afraid you have been duped, my young friend. I asked my drones to leave you to me because I have been waiting for you since the first day we met. You could say this moment has been etched on my mind ever since. As for us not being able to enter your mind...” Winterburn laughed.
“That is correct. I cannot enter the mind of the person who is about to take my life. I have known from the moment I saw you that you are my killer and that it would take place here on this Eagle. That is your destiny and mine.”
Jake frowned. Winterburn was mad.
“What do you mean, I am your killer?”
“Kryl, and particularly my caste, a Kronan, have many gifts, and insight into their own demise is one of them. This has always been the case, my friend. I have always known I would die by the hands of a human, shortly after the galaxy fissure opened. I have achieved my objective and it is my time to die. Joely and Carla are merely part of the timeline that leads to my death. I must meet Joely to meet Carla, so that ultimately I would meet you here today.”
“Aren’t you going to try to stop me?”
“From killing me? There will be a struggle and I will die. It is as simple as that. Don’t think for one moment that puts you in the clear. My drones will assume control of your mind and kill you.”
Jake was suddenly scared. He quickly told himself not to be taken in by Winterburn’s lies. “I am afraid I don’t believe in destiny, Winterburn. My job is to return you to the Halo 7 alive and I intend to deliver you.”
“Such naiveté. Your inability to comprehend the realities of life and death beyond the actual and physical is and will be your peoples’ downfall. This is the reality. I have foreseen my death and it cannot be changed. It cannot be ignored. I have done my bidding and I am ready for my life to end. You will take my life.”
Jake decided to ignore Winterburn. Clearly he could not exercise any control over him and he was playing games to try to get Jake to slip up. Jake decided to take the initiative.
“I am going to take control of the ship, Winterburn. You are my prisoner.”
Jake didn’t realize but that was the moment that Winterburn waited for. Jake’s words were the switch in Winterburn’s head that told him that his life was about to end.
Winterburn lunged forward and grabbed Jake by the neck. Jake fell to the ground with Winterburn on top of him, strangling him. He must do something. He managed to free his left arm and reached into the inside right hand pocket of his tunic and pulled out his hunter’s
knife. Winterburn was squeezing hard. Jake tried to respond. He pulled the knife up and then down straight into Winterburn’s neck, severing the jugular and killing Winterburn instantly.
* * * *
The Sabre was in a bad way. The Eagle continued to pummel the jump ship. The shields were down and the cockpit had all but disintegrated. The drive systems were smashed and the right wing was ripped off. Obeya had seen quickly that the jump ship would not hold. Shortly after Jake entered the Eagle, she suited up and exited the jump ship armed with a hypercannon. Obeya entered the Eagle and headed straight for the cockpit. The two Kryl inside assumed the jump ship pilot was still onboard and that she was probably dead. This was to be their down fall: Obeya slipped in behind the first of the Kryl and slit his neck with her hunter’s knife. The second Kryl saw her instantly and tried to enter her mind. Obeya recoiled. She felt the penetration of the Kryl into her mind but she held back the pain, her Barcudian side was stronger than her human side. The Kryl could not assume control and could not neutralize her electrical brain stimuli. Obeya realized that she was in control and lifted her hypercannon and squeezed the trigger. The second Kryl died instantly. There were no Kryl alive aboard the Eagle.
She staggered to her feet and composed herself. She must take control of the Eagle. She quickly re-programmed the NAVCOM and the shuttle began to arc and turn back towards the Halo 7. It would be a long haul back, but they were on their way.
* * * *
Jake sat on the floor, with Winterburn’s body in his lap. He pushed the body to one side and stood up and brushed himself down. Winterburn’s death throws was dramatic and there was a huge amount of blood. This was the third time Jake witnessed death in as many days. He realized that the ship was banking and coming back on herself. Had Obeya taken control of the ship? The answer was immediate as Obeya entered the rear compartment accompanied by Carla and Joely. Jake lunged forward and grabbed Carla and Joely and hugged them both closely.
“My, you have been busy.” Obeya said.
“So, it would seem, have you,” replied Jake.
“The other Kryl?”
“All dead, and we are returning to the Halo 7. Without light speed it may be a long way back, especially if we have to catch her before she goes through the fissure.”
“Do you think Hoskins will leave without us?”
“I don’t know. At the end of the day, he needs to preserve the lives of all of his crew and not just us. I guess a lot depends on whether they have defeated the Kryl attack yet.”
“Let’s hope so,” said Jake. He pulled Carla closer and they kissed passionately.
He was not going to let her go again.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Halo 7 Victory
Jonathan Hoskins was worried. Obeya had been gone far too long, and she was not answering her comm link. He regretted sending her with Carter the moment they had left the ship, not least because Carter has shown himself to be utterly reckless. Obeya had spoken highly of Enson Carter; she promoted him as brilliant although immature. That immaturity had twice shown itself, and Hoskins, even under pressure, felt that he should have been able to notice these character traits himself without having someone else point them out to him. As for Winterburn, he had shown himself to be totally ruthless, and he was surrounded by another five Kryl.
This could be a bad day, he thought.
He was suddenly dragged back to reality. The Assistant CAG reported some success in the last half hour, and his latest report suggested the dogfight between the jump ships and the Kryl fighters was nearly over. The reports from the Sabre group attacking the Kryl cruiser suggested the beginnings of something good. The cruisers’ shields were all but depleted, but only two Sabres remained to continue the assault. Although the Halo 7 continued to fire alternate rounds of plasma cannons and teutonic missiles at the Kryl cruiser, he needed Rapier back up to finish the job.
There were no reserves, though, and until the Kryl skirmish was won he could not risk releasing any of the Rapiers to assist the fight against the cruiser.
Hoskins was also worried about the condition of the Halo 7. She was still intact and her shields held up remarkably well. There was damage to the main SD drive and the auxiliary shield harmonics were currently failing to consistently alternate the shield polarity. Even if the battle ended in success, they still must get to the blue wormhole fissure, and goodness only knows how many other Kryl ships were out there waiting for him. He needed something positive.
He didn’t have to wait for too long. The call from Obeya was brief but it was good news. She was okay and they were bringing Winterburn back, albeit dead. The bad news was that the Sabre was defunct and the Eagle, with no light speed capability, would have her work cut out just to get back to the Halo 7.
Again Hoskin’s train of thought returned to the here and now as yet another huge explosion rocked the command bridge.
“Shield status?”
“Holding steady at twenty seven percent. The harmonics are still not working properly. A few more hits like that and we are done for.”
“Thank you for your summary, Mister Jacques. This battle is being won, so let’s draw on the positives if you will please.”
“Update from Sabre group leader. The Kryl cruisers shields are down.”
“Target the cruiser with everything we’ve got.”
“PBA?” asked Commander Jacques.
“No. We won’t be able to transfer the power reserves quickly enough. The fucked up shield harmonics are making life difficult.”
“Sir. The frontal shields are failing.”
“Compensate.”
It was too late, and a huge plasma cannon burst from the Kryl cruiser smashed into the side of the ship’s frontal lobes. The force of the explosion rocked the ship once again, but Hoskins knew that this one was bad. “Get a team down there A.S.A.P. Get some temp shielding in place quickly, dammit.”
It was clear that both the Halo 7 and the Kryl cruiser were severely weakened, and, although no critical systems were damaged in the latest impact, the shield harmonics made the Alpha vessel a sitting duck. This battle could go either way.
The battle continued for another half an hour, with the Halo 7’s shields periodically failing, but somehow managing to stay in operation when hit by enemy fire. Hoskins waited for some news to indicate they were back on top. It was a long wait, but finally it all came together.
“Sir, the Rapier group reports the Kryl fighters have pulled back.”
Finally some real good news. “Excellent. All jump ships to target the cruiser immediately.”
* * * *
In the end, the jump ships won the day. The Rapiers’ superior capability in an open fight, and the Sabres’ ability to pick off its targets at pace and indiscriminately, proved to be the crucial factor in a contest which Alpha should have lost. There was no time to carry out a battle analysis. The Kryl Cruiser was destroyed and that was that. Hoskins pulled back both the two remaining Sabres and five Rapiers and started to assess the damage to his ship. She was still intact and the stellar drive still functioned, at reduced capacity. The shield’s harmonics were repairable if they could be brought off line. By far, the biggest problem was the gaping hole in the frontal lobe of the ship. The hole was twenty-five meters across and spanned three decks. Twenty-eight crew were lost in that section of the ship alone.
“We can patch up the hole, but the bulkheads have been damaged. How she will fare inside the wormhole is anyone’s guess.”
“I agree. Long range scans are showing a buildup of Kryl activity. I don’t think we have much choice. As soon as the harmonics are up and running, get some emergency shielding and stabilizers in place, and then we are going to need to head straight for the fissure.”
This is going to be close, he thought. Will Obeya have enough time to catch up, or will they have to take the Eagle through the wormhole separately? Things had not changed much. It still had the potential to be a bad day.
Chapter Six
ty-Six
The Closure of the Wormholes
Things were looking up for Shenke. The combined forces of Alpha, the Sect Guard and, surprisingly, a small Sentinel contingent from General Yoshi’s Southern Fleet were making real inroads into the Kryl armada.
The Sentinels joined the fray some two hours previously. Shenke was advised of their arrival. He prompted his commanders to draw off ten ships and 200 jump ships. He anticipated the Sentinels came to join in the attack on the Alpha fleet and not to help them; however, the new Sentinel General, promoted from within by general agreement from the ranks following Yoshi’s death, had made immediate contact with the Pacific and offered his services. This bizarre turn of events had surprised the Alpha Command Team and it was initially greeted with suspicion, but, after a period of reflection following a further explanation from the Sentinel General, they realized that the offer was genuine.
It was General Yoshi’s personal crusade against Alpha that kept the battle against Admiral Rose’s fleet going after the wormhole had opened. Once he was dead, the new general quickly decided their interest lay with assisting Alpha and the Sect. The Sentinel force numbered only seventy-five vessels, but this was the edge Shenke needed to finish the Kryl off.
The Sentinel Fleet joined the attack on the mother ship which Shenke initiated four hours previously. Some one hundred twenty-five vessels surrounded the huge Kryl vessel and bombarded it with plasma fire. The majority of Kryl cruisers surrounding it were engaged in one-to-one fighting, with over two hundred Alpha ships commanded by Admiral Haines and the larger Sect vessels. The remaining Alpha vessels protected their flagship, which was itself engaged in a fierce battle with eight Kryl cruisers defending their own mother ship.
* * * *
In the meantime, the jump ship battle still raged separately from the main battle. The losses were huge on both sides, but Alpha’s problems began to mount up. They deployed over thirteen thousand vessels in total: nine thousand seven hundred fifty were lost and the remainder were either engaged, in repair or on fast turnaround for re-engagement. The pilots were exhausted, and this was beginning to tell.
