“I’ll be watching. Oh, and when you get there, you’ll find the main docking bay open. You should be able to fly right in.”
A trip to the Retreat in the Gooch gathered a squad of a dozen Biomarine volunteers who were eager to get-in-the-mix. The group was returned to Midelon, where the Bangor was undergoing a final inspection of the new welds. Once finished with a battery of tests, Trish gave the thumbs-up.
Harris turned to Trish and Gandy. “You two remain here and provide support to Sharvie.”
Gandy said, “How about we pilot the Bangor? I assume you’ll be taking your team aboard. Who’s gonna watch the ship?”
Trish nodded as she pointed at her brother. “What he said.”
“OK, that’s a reasonable suggestion. One of you stay and one come with us. The two of you decide.”
After a short discussion, Trish raised her hand. It’ll be me. He wants to be here if Sharvie needs him. Besides, I’m the more experienced pilot with the Bangor.”
“Good enough by me. Grab whatever you need. We’ll be leaving in three minutes.”
Harris was waiting in the cockpit when Trish stepped into the cabin with an armload of tools.
Harris chuckled. “You planning on a rebuild while we’re out there?”
“No. Just like to be prepared. If needed, with these items I could repair most of our systems. The standard toolkit isn’t bad, but it has a few shortcomings.”
Harris nodded. “When we get back, think about what you might want to move aboard as a more permanent set.”
The drive was powered up and the Bangor was soon racing up through the atmosphere. Once in free space, they opened a wormhole to the Rumanta System, and more specifically, to the location of the hacked, rattle ship.
Harris stood as Trish piloted toward the vessel. A hologram display of the ship floated above Farker’s back.
Harris said, “We call these rattles, because they look like a baby rattle, if you’ve ever seen one. We’ll be going in through the main aft docking bay. The outer door will be open.
“You’ll be using your suit environments as we’ve had the environment on that ship cut back to the minimum sustainable level for oxygen breathers for the last several hours. We have a short list of the hand weapons they have in use, but I would expect the unexpected here as we don’t know their strategies, tactics, or fighting capabilities for that matter.”
One of the squad members raised her hand. “Will we be taking prisoners?”
“Not certain as of yet. I’ll make that determination depending on the resistance we encounter once we’re in that bay. If they fight, which I totally expect they will, we fight to the bitter end. If they lay down arms, well, we’ll have to set up a two-man team in the bay to accept prisoners.
“If we go the prisoner route, any Denzee coming in with their hands raised will be treated in a humane manner. One of you will pat them down while the other keeps vigil. If they check as clean, park them on their ass right there on the deck.
“Trish, you’ll be monitoring the nav to make sure no ships are approaching from outside. Last thing we want is to be trapped aboard that ship with one of those warships coming in.”
Trish nodded. “Got it. And what do I do if you lose control on the ship?”
Harris returned a confident look. “Use your best judgment. Although I’d suggest you back out of that bay and wait for word from one of us to return.”
“I can handle that.”
Harris zoomed in on the various decks of the ship, using intel from Sharvie and her team of hackers. The sphere that made up the aft of the ship would be secured first, followed by the long tube connecting it to the smaller sphere.
“Any final assault will be geared toward taking the bridge. After that, we’ll be reliant on our hacker team to fly it back to Midelon space.”
Harris took control of the Bangor as it approached the enemy ship.
A comm hail from Sharvie was accepted. “What’s our status?”
Sharvie replied, “We remain in control. Although there’s a group up forward who continue to work against us. I’m forwarding streams from the deck cameras, which cover almost every square centimeter. Five of the forward cameras have been disabled. You’ll be able to see which ones. And just so you know, they all look to be armed. All of them.”
Harris nodded. “Keep this comm open.”
Sharvie shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Someone on our own team is trying to hack through my firewalls here on this ship. If successful, the Bangor will be next, and you don’t have anyone there to monitor that. I’m working with one of the people I know personally to try to find out who on our team is doing this. So far they’ve avoided our traces.”
“How do we keep the camera feeds running?”
“I’m passing you the data for a direct link. Have Farker make a connection and run as your firewall. If he detects any intrusion attempts, have him switch comm channels with you every few seconds. That should at least be a deterrent for a short while. Hopefully it will give us time to uncover their identity.”
Harris turned to face his team. Weapons were checked and rechecked, as were the supplies in their suit-packs. As a final effort, complete diagnostics were run on their combat suit systems. A video stream of the docking bay was brought up as a hologram, floating above Farker’s back.
“I want two mini-squads. I’ll take one with six of you, while Miss Freely will lead the other. As you can see, we can expect some resistance as we enter the bay. We’ll be going in with the hatch pointing toward space, so we’ll be using the Bangor as a shield until we’re fully out and on the deck. I’ll be taking my squad to the left while Freely’s team moves right. We’ll need to secure this bay before we can move forward.”
An image of the hallways just outside the bay was pulled up. “Coming out, we again go left while Freely’s squad goes right. Clear all rooms down this hall. At the end you’ll find stairwells. Make your way to the top deck. When we meet up there, we’ll start our way back down, clearing every nook and cranny. We can’t afford to leave stragglers behind us. The Bangor will be passing us bioscan results to assist with this effort.”
Tawn asked, “Should we leave someone in the bay once it’s been cleared?”
“No. Trish will be here in the Bangor. If she needs help she can let us know. I don’t anticipate them having weapons powerful enough to damage this ship. Shields will remain up once we’ve landed.”
“What about the main tube leading forward? How do we prevent the Denzee from coming through once we pass it on our way to the lower decks?”
Harris replied, “We’ll be leaving one member from each squad at those entryways. There are two decks running through that tube, hence two guards.”
Harris shut down the hologram. “Anyone unclear about what we’re doing? No? Good. Let me add that we’re on a timer here. We should expect the Denzee to be out looking for this ship.
“If we get an indication they’ve found us, we’ll have no more than eight minutes to fight our way back to the Bangor. At that time, the Bangor must leave. If you can’t make it, well, you know the protocol.”
Harris again took the controls as the raiding ship closed, pulling into the docking bay while turned to the side. The hatch was opened and the two squads exited in a flurry of blaster fire.
Chapter 24
_______________________
Harris dove to the deck at the front edge of the Bangor, firing two plasma rounds at a pair of Denzee crewmen who were standing in the open. He rolled and dashed to the cover of a loading vehicle parked in the bay. The loud cracks of blaster rounds impacting the machinery in front of him were countered by the familiar whumps from the Saxon Repeating Plasma Rifles.
Tawn’s squad took out another Denzee crewman as they made their way behind a stack of containers on the far wall. Harris was quickly joined by the remainder of his squad.
“Genna, you and Harpwell move down this way. The rest of us are heading stra
ight for that door.”
Trish came over the comm. “Five bios showing in here. Two left and three right. Five more moving down the hallway toward the door.”
Harris’ charge cleared the left side of the bay, ending by taking the door. The five crewmen coming down the hall met with quick deaths as two slugs dropped through the door, blanketing the approach with plasma fire. Tawn’s squad made short work of the remaining three.
“Bay is clear of bios,” said Trish.
Harris glanced back at the ship. “You’re on your own in there. You have trouble, you comm us. If it gets bad, just take her out and wait for further instructions.”
Harris looked at Tawn. “Let’s keep it moving but keep it safe. They’re crewmen, not warriors. They’ll make mistakes. Exploit them. See you on the top deck.”
Tawn led her squad off in the other direction.
Trish said, “Bisocan shows fourteen Denzee down this hall on either side just in front of you, Mr. Gruberg. Two behind the first door on the right.”
The door was blasted open. A stump ducked behind the doorframe, dodging several rounds before charging inside. Two whumps saw to the end of the crewmen attempting a defense. The remainder of the hall was cleared in the same manner. Trish highlighted bioscan data, passing it to either squad as they moved forward.
The stairwells going up saw minor resistance. All were dispatched with minimal effort on the part of the Biomarines. Their moves were precise, their efforts determined, and their tactics spoke of their extensive training and experience. Nine minutes into the assault, the top deck was reached and cleared.
Harris said, “We have two stairways on either side of this ship. Post someone at each of these two. Tell me when you have the stairwell covered and we’ll move down a deck. You move down two. When you have it cleared, wait for my signal that we’re ready to drop another level. I’m giving us twenty-two minutes to clear this sphere. We have Trish’s help. Let’s see if we can shave a few minutes off that allotment.”
Tawn nodded. “Show the way.”
The twenty-four decks of the larger sphere were taken without casualty. A run back up the stairs saw the two squads converging on the two halls in the tube leading forward.
Trish came over the comm. “Bioscan counts sixty-five crewmen in the rooms along those halls. That’s all the info I can give you. The hacker is close to penetrating our firewalls. I have to disconnect.”
Harris nodded. “Just follow our prior instructions. We still have the camera feeds running to our helmet displays. Be safe.”
The comm closed.
Harris looked to his second. “Turkey shoot is over. We’ll have to work for these.”
The slug standing beside him grinned. “An honest fight? I prefer it, sir.”
Harris’ squad moved down the upper tube. The first two rooms were empty. The third erupted in blaster fire as the door was opened. Shrapnel from a disintegrating doorframe dug into the arm of a slug. After a coordinated series of plasma rounds, the room was cleared.
“You OK?”
“Just in the meat, sir. Cut through the suit. Could use a bandage… and a good stiff drink.”
Harris waved her back. “Dothan, see what you can do to patch her up. You two up front, keep that injury in mind going forward. Make certain you’re as far around the corner as possible when the door is opened.”
As the squad moved ahead, Harris leaned against the wall. A slug and a stump moved to the next door. The wall behind Harris buckled outward violently, pushing him across the hall and into the far wall. He slammed to a hard stop and dropped.
The door was blown open and the room filled with plasma fire. Any fight from those inside was quickly over.
Dothan knelt beside a stunned and shaken Harris. “You’ll live.”
Harris held up a hand. “Give me a minute to clear my head.”
Dothan glanced up at the others. “Hold up. Chief has cobwebs.”
Harris stood, rotating a shoulder that had taken the brunt of the initial hit. “I’ll be OK. Move us forward.”
Dothan waved to the two Biomarines in front. “Move out. We’re good. Sir, I’d suggest you hang back for a few minutes. We’ve got this.”
Harris nodded. “I think that best.”
Ten minutes of continued action saw the team reaching the end of the connecting tube. The smaller of the two spheres, eight decks tall, held the bulk of the Denzee crewmen. Harris enabled a translator that had been loaded into his helmet system. The commands that would follow would be spoken in Denzee.
“This is Harris Gruberg. I’m in command of the force you are fighting. We have control of the rest of this vessel, including all systems. Surrender now and you will be allowed to live. Attempt to resist further and you will die.”
The footsteps of small boots could be heard coming from around a corner along with hushed voices.
Dothan leaned back toward Harris. “I don’t like this, sir. We’re exposed.”
Harris nodded. “Listen up. Fall back to those first two doorways. Dirgess, you and Scalese stay out here, but be ready to move back should things get dicey. I’ll give them one more chance to respond. If they don’t, we’ll press forward.”
Harris stood in a doorway with the two Biomarines on either side of the hall in front of him. “This is Harris Gruberg. We’re giving you one last chance to comply with our request for surrender. Enough of you have died. There doesn’t need to be any more.”
Again the thumping of small boots was heard, along with whispers in Denzee.
Dothan said, “Sounds like a lot of boots out there, Chief.”
Harris opened a comm to Tawn. “What’s your status?”
“We’re at the hall’s end. I’ve given the ultimatum as we discussed. Haven’t received a reply.”
Harris nodded. “Hold tight.”
A comm was opened to the Bangor. “Trish? What’s the bioscan telling you?”
The comm closed before an answer was given.
Harris sighed as he looked over his shoulder at Dothan. “Hackers must have her tied up still. Looks like we’re doing this the hard way.”
As Harris leaned out into the hall to give the order, the loud cracks of blaster fire filled the audio in his helmet. Dirgess and Scalese opened fire immediately as a rush of Denzee flooded their position. Plasma and blaster fire quickly gave way to hand-to-hand fighting with knives. The two Biomarines were overwhelmed by numbers before a respectable fight could be put forward.
Harris repeatedly expelled explosive rounds into the horde of Denzee crewmen filling the hall in front of him. Dothan reached up, pulling him back by his shoulder as the first of the Denzee reached their position. Plasma rounds split bodies wide as their taloned fingers clawed gouges into the lower suits of the Biomarines.
Tawn came over the comm. “They’re pushing us back down the hall! It’s a bloodbath but they keep coming! We lost Lopez in the initial surge!”
Harris countered as Denzee body parts filled the hallway just outside his door. “Dirgess and Scalese are gone! We’re trapped in side rooms! There are hundreds of them!”
“The numbers are thinning down here. You must have taken the brunt. Hang tight. We’re on our way up!”
Tawn yelled into her comm. “Push forward! We’re taking this hall!”
Harris, Dothan, and a stump named Ferris fired a constant stream of plasma toward the door and into the hall beyond. The whumps of their rifles was followed by the rumble of explosions in the hall. An equal maze of similar noise emanated from just down the hall at the next room as the two slugs trapped inside attempted to defend their position.
Several minutes of mayhem passed before the forward assault stopped, the rumbles and explosions of plasma rounds coming from the near end of the hall.
Tawn yelled over the comm. “Charge out! We’ve got ‘em pinned!”
Dothan shoved Harris forward, high-stepping over the remains of dozens of dead Denzee just beyond the door. Forty seconds later, the hallway fe
ll silent.
Harris stood, knee deep in body parts. “Your squad?”
“I lost Bellamy coming up. You?”
Harris glanced back down the hall. “Shaw? Drumford?”
Dothan came from their doorway. “Gone, sir. Both took blasters to the head, so it was fast.”
Harris sighed. “We have eight decks to clear. Let’s move.”
Two stairwells went up and down through the levels of the smaller spherical section of the Denzee rattle ship. The team, this time staying as one unit, fought their way to the top deck. Five minutes later, the single vast room at the top was cleared of belligerent defenders.
Harris pointed at the far stairwell. “Take your team that way. We’ll meet you in the middle of each deck. Leave one behind to guard the stairwell as we clear the rooms.”
Tawn nodded with a smile. “Exactly as I would have called it. I’ll race you to the center.”
Harris frowned. “We’ve probably taken out 60 percent of their crew. I wouldn’t get too cocky if I was you. That leaves a couple hundred still. Pick your battles and bring your four friends back alive.”
“You concerned that we haven’t heard from Trish?”
“I am. But at this point our only real choice is to finish the job. We do that and we can jump this ship out of here.”
“And where would we take it? We don’t have Farker with us.”
Harris nodded. “A fact I’m aware of. Worst case, we jump it to the Retreat and leave it with the colonel.”
Tawn took a step toward the assigned stairwell. “Let’s get this over with before we have visitors.”
An explosion coming from the stairs knocked a squad member off her feet. The roar of small boots followed.
Harris pushed Tawn toward the other stairs. “Come on!”
The duo slid, spinning around to face the other way as the rest of their team stepped over and past them onto the stairs. Harris was the first to pull the trigger, catching the lead Denzee as it charged out with a blaster in hand. Eight plasma rifles focused a continuous stream of bolts into the stairwell opening. Screams were heard and chaos ensued. The fallen quickly blocked the path upward.
ARMS Jebwa Atrocity Page 22
