Wellard turned and took the first painful step. Then another. After a handful more he could maintain a steady pace without the pain being too much of a hindrance. Still, his was the pace the rest of the group needed to maintain, as he found groups of marines holding at doors much longer than necessary to allow him a chance to catch up.
They were down two more levels when the group came to a sudden stop. The marines in front of him all dropped to a knee while holding a single fist up in the air. Not knowing the signal, Wellard held his position for a moment before deciding it would be a good idea to mimic the others, in case something was about to go wrong. He spread his legs apart and prepared to drop when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Reeks leaning in towards his ear.
"Stay on your feet," he whispered. "Back against the wall. Maintain as small a profile as you can."
Wellard nodded and leaned back against the wall. Gun propped against his chest, he raised his free hand up to his ear activating his comm.
"What's going on up there?"
"Multiple contacts in the cargo bay. At least twelve, but there could be a lot more. Hard to say with all the equipment they have stashed inside."
"Shit, taking down twelve Klyptons will be difficult at best." Nightmarish at worst.
"Our contacts aren't Klyptons," Walker replied. "They're human."
Chapter Thirty-Four
Gibraltar Sector
Bridge, NECS Endeavor
"Sir, we are approaching Medaca Gate."
"Very well. Slow our approach to one-third thrust before we enter." Bremerton turned towards Wilson. "Put the crew on red alert in case someone left us a surprise on the other side."
"Red alert sounding," Wilson said, initiating the command.
Klaxons blared through the ship, putting the bridge crew on edge. Jason hated putting the crew on alert without a credible threat, but he couldn't afford to take any risks. Especially knowing the enemy's propensity towards jump gate ambushes.
The ship slowed to a relative crawl as it approached the gate. Jason watched it grow large on the main viewscreen as the Endeavor approached. The closer they got, the tighter he gripped his armrests as the anxiety of the situation got the better of him.
"Gate is in range," Ensign Price said.
"Initiate."
The view on the screen shifted from a view of the vast blackness of the Gibraltar sector to a view of the three sister gas giants of Medaca. The familiar wave of nausea washed over him as his senses struggled to adjust to their new surroundings. He bent at the waist and took in a few deep breaths before sitting back up. Looking around the room he saw the rest of the crew was doing the same.
"Cancel red alert," he said once he was sure there weren't any ships waiting to ambush them. "Midshipman Ritter, perform a full scan of the sector. Focus the early scans on our route before sweeping the whole sector."
"Aye, Commander. Beginning scans now."
"Price, change our heading towards Lebrea Gate. Full thrust."
"Full thrust," Price acknowledged. "Puts our estimated time of arrival at just over sixteen hours."
"Very well. Send the command to cycle some of the crews out for shift change. That includes all of you. I want every person rested and ready to go when we arrive at New Earth."
"Including us?" Midshipman Rayne asked.
"Especially us." Bremerton stood and stretched his legs. "I sent for your replacements before the jump. They should arrive any time."
"What about us?" Wilson asked. "One of us needs to be on the bridge at all times."
Bremerton nodded. "You take the first break. I'm far too wired to get any sleep now. Be back up here ready to go at 0800 hours."
"You sure you're up for it? You've been up here for twelve hours already."
"I'll be okay. Go."
The doors to the bridge opened and what Jason thought were the first of the shift replacements had arrived. That lasted until the first round of blaster fire was shot into the air.
Jason turned and saw ten marines storming the bridge, their blaster rifles held towards various members of the crew.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" he demanded, stepping towards the marines. The move drew the attention of three marines, and they each leveled their weapon towards him.
"Commander Bremerton," a man in the back of the room said as he stepped towards Jason. "This is what we like to call a mutiny. You and your people are no longer in charge. Instead, you answer to me."
Jason spat. "We'll see about that."
The man smiled. "Yes, we will." He motioned to a marine to detain the commander. Jason took a few steps away as the man approached, keeping his weapon trained at Jason's chest. He reached his chair as one of the other marines did. The man wrenched Jason's wrists behind his back and strapped them together using a plastic zip tie.
"The rest of you are being allowed to work without restraints, but don't test my patience. Don't think for a second that we won't hesitate to tie every single one of you up. We know full well that the reserve bridge crew should be up here momentarily and believe me when I say that crew can be persuaded to do anything we ask."
"Then why keep us here?" Wilson asked, face growing red in frustration.
"Because, Lieutenant Wilson, you are the best. Sure, you're missing your illustrious captain, but the rest of you are the best of the best." The marine strolled across the bridge, stopping at every station to glare at the person working. Each stop was the same as the one before. All except two, the stop at the XO's station, and the terminal devoted to Richards.
"You seem to be missing a man, Commander. Care to brief me on where he is?"
Bremerton scoffed. "Not particularly. You have access to the ship's computers, find him yourself."
"We've tried. Every attempt at locating the engineer has come up the same. It says he is up here, yet he clearly isn't."
Jason glared over at Richards' station and noticed the man's transceiver resting on the desk alongside his datapad. It took everything he had to keep the smile off his face. Instead, he cleared his throat and focused his eyes in front of him.
"Richards isn't an essential member of the crew. He only has a station up here because he is proficient in detecting and analyzing incoming data. As such we don't keep a tight leash on him. Maybe you should check with Vaughn. He might have a better idea where he is."
The marine frowned. In a flurry of movement, he rushed across the bridge floor before pushing the muzzle of the weapon into Bremerton's chest. Jason felt the cold steel of the blaster digging into his skin, threatening to break a rib as the marine pushed it harder.
"You call him. I doubt the commander will cooperate with anyone else."
Bremerton sighed. "Fine." He tapped a button on his console. "Bridge to engineering. Vaughn you there?"
After a moment the man replied. "I am, Commander. Is there a problem?"
"You could say that," Jason replied. The marine pushed the weapon in harder, eliciting a grunt from the commander as if to warn him about saying too much. "Seems we've come across a problem up here that requires Richards' expertise."
"His transponder signal is going off on the bridge. You positive he isn't up there with you?"
"Positive. Guess we'll just have to find him the hard way. Bremerton…"
Before he could say the word to end the transmission, Vaughn said something he could vaguely hear over the radio. Something about his workshop on the flight deck. Jason hoped the marine hadn't heard those final words, but it was clear by the look on his face he had. He balled his fist and landed a blow on Jason's jaw, knocking a tooth loose from the impact. Jason smiled inwardly, even as he spat the molar with onto the ground.
"I thought they checked down there already," the marine said to a man holding a position in the back. "Call Riley and have him take his unit down there to investigate. Now!"
"Yes, sir." The man nodded before backing off into the hallway.
"I don't know what you are trying to
play at, Commander, but I will get to the bottom of it. If you think hiding the engineer from me will change the fact that I control the ship, you are gravely mistaken."
Spitting another wad of blood on the ground, Jason sat back up in his chair. He wasn't sure why they wanted Richards so badly, but he wasn't about to give the man up without at least giving him a fighting chance to escape. Not that escape was even possible since Jason wasn't aware just how far the treachery had spread through the ship. He only hoped it hadn't gotten so far as to give his people a fighting chance.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Medaca Sector
Flight Deck, NECS Endeavor
"You OK?" Thompson said as she stepped over Capelli's remains. Blood pooled under the man's head, staining the gray steel a shade of dark crimson. Tegan stared at the gore for a long moment, mesmerized by the carnage. She'd doled out death hundreds, shit thousands of times, yet never once had she seen it up close. At least, not after the fact where she had time to reflect on it.
"Lancer is dead," she said, near to the point of tears. "And Fireball needs medical attention before his leg gets any worse."
"I'll survive," Fireball insisted, his face contorting from the pain.
Thompson pressed a button on her uniform, opening the channel to sickbay. "Thompson to Doc Simmons."
"Simmons. What is the matter, Commander?"
"We have two wounded down here on the flight deck. One is in need of immediate medical attention, the other we just need confirmation on."
"Confirmation? What the hell happened down there? Not like you guys to have mishaps."
"I'd rather not discuss it over the comm," she said, glancing over at Richards. "Never know who may be listening in."
"Understood. I'm sending a team down now. They should be down in the fighter bay in the next five minutes. Simmons, out."
Tegan stepped out into the fighter bay and grabbed one of the spare tarps from a nearby counter. Dragging it into the room, she placed it over the corpse of her hold friend, choking back tears as she did. She'd been friends with Lancer since her first day in a fighter. He was one of the few pilots who had joined the ranks of the NEC once their corporate contracts ran out. Outside of one pilot she'd flown with in her career, he was the best pilot she had known. Losing him was not only a blow to her personally, but it was also to the fleet as well.
"What are we going to do now?" Switch asked, wiping a tear away from his eye.
"We finish what we started," Richards said. "I need to finish tearing this thing apart to find out why it's so damned important."
Tegan nodded. "We should call up to the bridge and fill the commander in on what is happening."
As if an answer to her request, Tegan's datapad lit up and vibrated against her hip. She pulled out the device and flicked it on, noting the message inside.
Trouble headed your way. Get out of there before it's too late. It was addressed from Lieutenant Wilson's terminal.
"Your research will have to wait. Trouble is on the way." Tegan knelt down and picked up Capelli's discarded blaster from the floor. With a flick of her thumb, she energized the device and held it at her side.
"What kind of trouble?" Thompson asked.
"Wilson didn't say. Just told me to expect someone."
"Fine," Thompson pulled out her own portable blaster and flicked it to the ready position. "If they want to play hardball, I'm game."
Bobcat and Thompson stepped into the vast fighter bay where the pilots and technicians were still arguing over repairs. Thompson cleared her throat, which quieted the room near instantly. Tegan wasn't sure if it had to do with Thompson's rank, or that her uniform was covered in blood.
"We received a report that trouble is on its way down to the fighter deck. I can't tell you what we are about to face, but I can tell you it will be deadly. We've already lost one pilot and have another one wounded by their cowardly attack. I'll be damned if we lose anyone else. Pilots and technicians with combat experience are to come to me. The rest of you are to hide out in the fighters or storage compartments until I give the all-clear."
One of the other fighter jocks, Bear if Tegan remembered correctly, stepped towards the front of the crowd. "I don't have any formal combat training, but I'll be damned if I hide in a fucking closet while my friends fight in my stead."
"Same here," another pilot said, a smaller man from Bear's squadron. Squeak was his name. Likely the smallest person she'd ever met.
Before long every single pilot and technician was stepping forward. Those with weapons pulled them out and primed them for combat. Those that didn't, picked up anything that could be used as a weapon and moved towards the door. There was no shortage of potential weapons on the fighter deck, especially this soon after combat. Discarded parts and tools were now deadly weapons in the right hands. And while some of these hands weren't quite right, the hearts of the people more than made up for it.
"Did he give you an idea of their arrival time?"
"No," Tegan admitted, ducking behind the cover of the broken wing of an X-71 fighter. Kneeling next to her, Commander Thompson leveled her weapon at the door to the fighter bay. "Just told me to be ready."
"Fine. Those of you by the doors disarm and detain anyone who walks inside. If they try to fight back, kill them."
"What if we kill the wrong person?"
"I'll take that chance."
Moments later the door to the fighter bay opened. Two marines, both brandishing their blaster rifles stood on the other side. They looked inside, looking almost confused at the lack of activity on the deck.
They stood there for a long moment. So much time Tegan almost considered calling the whole thing off when the first marine entered the room. He made it two steps into the door when Bear grabbed the man's weapon, pulling him off balance through the threshold. Six people were on top of the marine before he even knew what was happening.
The second man was another matter. He raised his weapon and scanned the room with its enhanced sights as if looking for a target. He nearly stepped into the room when Tegan heard the sound of blaster fire off to her side. The marine's head ruptured in an explosion of brains and gore down the hallway. The body stood upright for a moment longer until it too gave into the reality and clattered to the floor.
Tegan inched out from cover, weapon aimed down the hall in case there was another threat hidden in the darkness, but the door closed before she could get a good look.
A weapon aimed at the man being mobbed by the pilots, Thompson stepped out from the cover and made her way across the bay. She knelt down and placed the barrel of the gun up to the marine's head. The marine's fight left as the hot steel of the weapon seared into his flesh.
Before he could utter a word in protest, Thomson said, "Why are you here?"
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lebrea Sector
Bridge, Infamy
"Vice-Imperator, three jumps until we arrive at New Earth. It will take the capacitor banks another three hours to store enough power for the next jump."
Kretch waved his hand dismissively. "Please inform me when we are preparing for our last jump. I would like to see the shipyards with my own eyes."
"Of course, Vice-Imperator. It will be done."
Kretch nodded and returned to the information flowing across his datapad. It was primarily reports of ships recently built at the shipyards and full diagnostics from the station the moment the data was retrieved. He poured over the information, noting important bits like the location of defensive structures and any ships that may be present when they arrive. He didn't have the luxury of hiding behind a dozen ships this time around and thus needed to make sure he had everything down so his remaining scavengers could strike hard where they were needed most.
Kretch tapped on the pad's display when he heard something rustling behind him. Turning his head he noticed the human servant was still standing by the door, his head bowed as if waiting for a chance to speak.
"I assume you have m
ore information, Stevens?"
"I do, Vice-Imperator. One of our missing scavengers has been found. They are closing in at a rate nearly double our own."
"How long until the ship catches us?"
"They should arrive at our next jump shortly after us. Thirty minutes to an hour if my calculations are correct."
"Continue on as planned. We will discuss the matter of their disappearance with them when they arrive."
"About that, Vice-Imperator. They've sent word that they have someone important onboard. A man by the name of Vincent Wellard."
"Captain Vincent Wellard?" Kretch asked, nearly dropping his datapad. "The captain of the NECS Endeavor?"
The servant bowed. "I am not sure of his rank and title. Only his name. All I know is they felt he was important enough to ask that you wait on them."
Vice-Imperator Kretch grinned. "He is important. Not so much to our plans, he is merely one man and not in any position to stop us from moving forward."
"Then why is he important, Vice-Imperator? I don't understand."
Kretch hated being questioned. Especially by someone who was supposed to do as he was told. But like the captain, the servant was only human and just as curious about trivial things as the rest of his species. Other than the occasional interruption, he supposed it wasn't the worst attribute to possess.
Kretch stood up, his massive form towering over the servant by a half a meter. His red and gold embossed cloak ruffled as he stood, rippling against his firm yet powerful muscles. The Vice-Imperator reached up and removed the hood of the cloak, revealing the sleek obsidian of the skin on his head. Few people had seen him without the cloak. Fewer still had seen the secret he was about to expose.
"Captain Wellard and I ran into each other a while back. The time is but a short stint for my kind, but a much longer time for your species. Ten years ago he commanded a ship that braved the long trip back to Earth. We never learned why he was there, but we assumed he was there to gather intelligence. We had long since believed your kind would mount an attack, but had given up on that wait five decades prior."
Infamy (The Mythrar War Book 2) Page 12
