by Ryan Kirk
As the two men walked towards their exosuits, Derreck seemed lost in thought. Tev needed to know what he was heading into, though. “What was that all about?”
Derreck glanced at Tev and then looked straight forward again. “I am not convinced Fleet has your best interests at heart, Tev. I don’t really want to say anything else, but stay alert out there. Stay safe, stay with your team, and no matter what happens, don’t try to be a hero. You need to stay alive, more than anything else.”
Tev nodded. He wasn’t afraid of death, not really, but it wasn’t something he was going to go searching for. When they got to their exosuits, Tev saw that Kindra was at his, waiting for him.
As he began suiting up, he saw that Kindra was nervous as well. It was clear there was something happening he wasn’t being told about. He met Kindra’s gaze and held it, repeating the same question he had asked Derreck.
Kindra shook her head. “It’s a lot to say, Tev, and I’d tell you, but they want you on station in less than three minutes. Derreck and I are worried that Fleet might be almost as bad as the rebellion ship. We’re not quite sure what to do, but there is one thing we know. We need you with us, so even though you are going out to fight, we need you to stay alive.”
Tev laughed softly to himself. “That’s poor advice for a man going into combat.”
Kindra’s smile at Tev’s joke became a frown. Before she put on his helmet she leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. She looked embarrassed by it, and Tev was completely surprised, so there was an awkward silence between the two of them as she put on his helmet. When his suit checks were complete, she gave him one last glance. “Be safe, Tev.”
“I will. Do everything you can here. I trust you to watch my back.”
Kindra nodded, and Tev walked towards the launch bays, taking a deep breath before his first fight in space.
Tev was on the launch pad with the rest of his squad, but for now, there was very little happening. They had needed to hurry so they would be ready when the moment came, but the moment seemed a long way off in Tev’s mind. If not for his years of waiting for prey, he thought he would have gone mad with anticipation.
Kindra’s breathing was a steady reassurance in Tev’s helmet. She had boarded the Vigilance and was in the command chair, promoted yet again so that Derreck could be used as an exosuit pilot. She would be with him the entire time.
In the corner of his viewscreen, a display started counting down from two minutes. They were getting ready to launch. Tev smiled, and all four members of his squad grabbed hold of the small rocket they were clustered around. Tev had never used one before, but he was excited for the opportunity.
As the time marched down to zero, Tev followed the lead of his squad by crouching down while holding on to the small rocket. When the timer hit zero, the launch bay door opened with one lightning-quick motion. Tev and his team were sucked out into the vacuum of space, the initial shock dampened by the suit itself. If it had just been Tev holding on to the rocket, he wondered if his arm would have gotten torn off.
He understood the basics of what was supposed to happen next. The space in between the two jumpers, although only a few kilometers wide, was some of the most dangerous space around. Tev and his squad needed to get to the Hellbringer as quickly as possible, hence the violent ejection and the rocket.
Captain Absalon was trying to give his squads the best chance possible. Moments before Tev and the others launched, he had ejected tons of debris, reflective material, and decoys into the space between the ships. At the same time, Destiny’s AI launched an all-out assault on Hellbringer’s AI, trying to scramble, jam, and cause as much trouble as possible.
All of this was designed for one purpose. With the help of the rocket, Tev and the other exosuits would have less than a minute between the ships. But while the jumpers would never destroy each other, they would be happy to destroy any suits in space. As Tev watched, a missile struck out from Hellbringer, exploding debris off to their right.
At this point, all Tev could do was hold on for the ride. The rocket they held on to was nothing more than fuel, nozzles, countermeasures, and a simple targeting computer. It bobbed and weaved through space in near-random patterns, trying to balance safety and speed in their boarding.
With nothing to do, Tev just watched. He saw debris being vaporized and fired upon, and at one point he was certain he saw another suit floating through space, lifeless.
It was terrifying, not being able to do anything. He knew the machines in charge of this part of the battle were faster and smarter than him, but he couldn’t help feeling as though he should be doing something. Waiting for death to take him was not something he was very good at.
The seconds between the ships passed both in an instant and in an eternity, but before Tev could rationalize what was happening, the other members of his squad were turning their bodies, preparing for a hard landing. Tev did the same, pointing his feet toward the rapidly growing Hellbringer.
It was hard to measure speed in space, but Tev absorbed the impact with his exosuit-enhanced legs. Operating quickly, his squad double-checked their landing location to ensure they were on the right part of the Hellbringer. After confirming the correct touchdown, they placed the rocket up against the hull, transforming it into a small breaching charge. Tev stepped back with the rest of his team and watched as there was a short flash, and then there was a hole in the hull. One by one they stepped into the hole, their magnetic boots pulling them down into the ship.
Tev was the last, and before he dropped, he took one last look at space. There was some debris still remaining between the two ships, but it was hard to believe they had just passed through some of the most dangerous space around. Tev was reminded of accidentally passing through the lair of a predator once when he was younger. He hadn’t even known the danger he was in until afterwards.
Bringing himself back to the present, Tev dropped into the ship, his weapons out, ready to fight.
By the time Tev came down, the rest of his team had already formed the perimeter, their arms extended. The weapons they were using were the same ones Tev had used in his fight with Kenan back on his home planet. The barrel was attached to his arm, and the targeting reticle was one of the few things he could see on his display.
They waited for a moment, and Tev figured that Aki was looking over schematics and using his sensors to see if anyone was coming. If their intelligence was correct, they should have some fierce fighting ahead of them.
Tev could almost hear the frown in his commander’s voice. “Everything looks clear. All sensor readings show that the hallways are empty.”
Tev understood Aki’s fears. They had been expecting heavy resistance. If no one was here to fight them where were all the suits? Where were their opponents?
The lack of resistance seemed to confuse Aki. For a few moments they all stayed in position, scanning their fields of fire while their commander relayed his findings back to the Destiny for instructions. After a few moments, he spoke again. “Okay. They aren’t on Destiny either, so we don’t know what’s going on. Our orders are to keep heading towards the bridge and try to take the ship over.”
The members of Tev’s squad all looked at each other, nervousness on their faces. To Tev, it was just like being in any other hunting party. When they encountered the unknown, fear soon set in.
The commander read their body language, even in the exosuits.
“I know, I don’t like it either. We’re going to keep this simple. Move slowly and make sure you’re checking your corners. I refuse to walk us into an ambush. Is that clear?”
There was a chorus of assent, and the squad started moving. Tev took the rear, walking backwards and making sure that no one came up behind them.
They walked the hallways, strangely silent. Even Tev, with his limited understanding of the functions of jumpers, knew something was wrong. Walking the hallways of the Destiny, you always passed somebody, no matter what time it was. Jumpers
were busy places, and to walk through empty hallway after empty hallway was disturbing.
Eventually, that fact got to Tev’s commander as well. He called for a stop.
While Aki got in touch with Captain Absalon, Tev tried to contact Kindra, who responded instantly.
“How far are we?”
“If your objective is the bridge, you’re just over halfway there. You haven’t seen anyone either?”
Tev shook his head, then remembered that she wouldn’t be able to see the gesture. “No. It’s eerie, like being in an empty ship.”
“I don’t like it, Tev. Be careful.”
It was obvious advice, but he knew she didn’t know what else she could say. He focused his attention as Aki’s voice came through his helmet. “Our orders are to keep going. None of the other teams have encountered resistance yet, either. I’m not liking what’s happening here. We’re going to move even more slowly, clear?”
The chorus of assent came back, but this time it was softer. There was nothing more challenging than facing an opponent you didn’t understand. Tev knew exactly how it felt. It made a predator feel like they had become the prey.
Two more empty corridors, and one of Tev’s teammates called for a stop. “Hold on, all. I’ve got something faint on my sensors here. I’m reading trace amounts of explosive residue.”
Aki didn’t hesitate. “Everyone, back ten meters.” Tev became the front of the line as the group retreated the way they had come.
Tev paused about ten meters away from where he had been, and the rest of the team came to a stop behind them. Each of them turned rapidly, trying to see if anything was coming their way. But the corridors were as empty as ever.
Tev’s commander turned to the woman who had reported the explosive residue. “Use one of your snoopers.”
The woman, Murphy, nodded and reached to her waist, where several balls were strapped. She detached one, pressed a button, and tossed it gently forward. The snooper, which Tev had never seen before, floated in the middle of the hallway, held up by some force Tev didn’t see or understand. Slowly, it moved forward.
Tev didn’t want to look foolish in front of his team, so he asked Kindra instead. “Kindra, what’s a snooper?”
“It’s a small device that has a lot of sensors on it. They’re expensive, so we don’t use them too often, but it can find things while keeping your team safe.”
Tev nodded, forgetting again that Kindra couldn’t see. She seemed to understand though, and remained silent as Tev watched the proceedings.
The commander spoke, “Murphy, what readings are you getting?”
Murphy replied. “I don’t like it, commander. I’ll feed you the info, but there’s something...”
Murphy’s words were cut short as the hallway in front of them exploded, filling with fire that rushed towards Tev. Tev, caught completely off guard, didn’t know how to react, and the flame washed over him before he could make a move. He could feel the heat, but it dissipated quickly, and as soon as his sight came back to him, he was looking at a gaping hole in the hallway. Surprisingly, he was unharmed.
His first instinct was to check his team, but he was in the rear and could see easily. All four of them were standing. Aki, who had been in the front of the squad, turned around, and Tev saw there was shrapnel sticking out of his suit in at least a dozen places. Tev worried for a moment that perhaps his commander had been killed, but he seemed to move without problems. None of the shrapnel had pierced his armor. But Tev knew, if they had been closer to the explosion, at least some of them would have died.
Aki’s voice came over all their helmets. “General message to all teams. Hellbringer contains traps. Explosive devices utilizing shrapnel. Proceed with caution.”
Switching back to his team’s frequency, he spoke again. “Why would they go to the trouble of setting traps in their own jumper? If they are as powerful as we think they are, there’s no reason at all for them to resort to such measures. They should be able to set up checkpoints that would kill us all with no problem. They shouldn’t need to do anything like this.”
Tev saw where Aki was coming from. Something was wrong with this entire mission, but Destiny kept ordering them onward. Even Tev’s commander wasn’t sure about how to proceed. In the end, there was no way to go but forward, so forward they went.
They had turned through two more corridors when they came upon their first roadblock. Scrap metal had been piled high across the hallway, and as soon as they poked their heads around the corner, people opened fire from small holes in the scrap. Everyone took cover behind the corner, and thankfully no one was hurt. But they were stopped.
Aki spoke to the team. “There’s no other way to the bridge that doesn’t involve a whole lot of backtracking. We’ll need to go through.”
Another of Tev’s teammates pulled a rocket from his back and loaded the tube. He was their heavy artillery, and the boyish part of Tev’s heart was excited to see what would come of it. The teammate stepped into the hallway, launched his rocket, and continued his momentum so that he ended in the opposite corner. If nothing else, he would split the focus of the fire onto both sides of the hallway.
Tev heard the explosion, the noise dampened by the sound system in his suit. Immediately, the team received the order to advance, and they did so. The scrap metal hadn’t been piled too thick, and the rocket had blown completely through it. Tev saw one exosuit down, with a steel beam through its chest. Tev’s commander stepped over him and fired a few rounds into the helmet, to end the pilot’s misery.
Tev was a hunter. He had never been a part of a war before, and while his prey had sometimes fought back, he had never hunted humans before. The nonchalance of the commander’s actions disturbed him. It had been cold, emotionless. The least someone could ask for was some emotion at their death. But here, there was none.
Tev didn’t have any time to process the event. His team was moving forward, and Aki spoke again.
“Let’s get moving, people. We need to take that bridge, double-time.”
The team moved quickly, but after turning down just one more corridor the commander signaled a halt. It lasted longer than any halt should have. They were in the middle of a corridor, exposed in all directions. Tev knelt down into a crouch while keeping his weapons trained on the hallway they had just come through.
Something was wrong, and Tev felt like he was being left in the dark. He opened his channel to Kindra. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“There’s a lot of chatter passing between the teams and Destiny right now. I’ll patch in.”
About thirty seconds later, Kindra was back, distress in her voice. “They think the entire ship is one large trap. Some teams have found crew in sleep in preparation for a jump.”
Tev shook his head. What was going on here? Despite his ability as a pilot, he didn’t have the slightest understanding about the strategies and tactics of space combat. All he knew was that nothing he had seen thus far made any sense.
His commander’s voice overrode his connection with Kindra. “Okay, team. We’ve got a situation here. It seems like this might all be a trap. But we’re close to the bridge, and Captain Absalon wants to know if we’ve got any chance at all of taking this ship. That means we need to move, now. Murphy, lead with a snooper. We don’t have time to go slow, not anymore.”
Their careful advance became a sprint through empty hallways. Tev was forced to turn around, unable to keep up while keeping his eyes focused behind them. The empty ship, which had once been eerie, was quickly becoming terrifying. Tev could sense the change in his teammates.
He had listened to the stories Kindra had told him of how scared her people were of jumping without drugs. Apparently, it caused madness and insanity, and was one of the greatest fears of any person who traveled through space. Tev didn’t understand exactly what happened during a jump, so he didn’t understand the deep-seated fear. But even though he didn’t understand it, he could feel it among his team. They were
professional pilots, used to danger and combat, but the mere prospect of jumping without drugs had them more on edge than Tev had ever seen them.
They made it to the bridge in the space of only a couple of minutes, but when they got there, they found that the door was tightly sealed. Not only was the regular door sealed, but an additional door had come down around the command center, preventing any easy access.
Murphy spoke quietly. “My sensors aren’t picking up any signs of life behind the door, sir. There’s no one in there.”
Tev was now certain. They planned to jump, and jump soon. Otherwise, the bridge would be crowded.
Tev’s commander came to the same conclusion. “Fine. What’s the likelihood of us being able to cut or blow our way in there and take over Hellbringer before she jumps?”
Murphy shook her head. “With this ship’s AI, and the blast shield between us, I’d guess the chances are close to zero. Maybe if we had the full jump sequence, but there’s no way that’s true. They had to have initiated it before we even began our attack. This had to be their plan all along.”
Captain Absalon’s voice came over all their helmets. “Attention, all pilots onboard the Hellbringer, we are detecting signs that the jump process is already well under way. You’ve all got about seven minutes before Destiny needs to pull away to avoid being in the jump field. Get back home, now!”
The urgency in his voice couldn’t be mistaken, and it was backed up by Tev’s own commander. “You heard the captain, people! Move!”
What had once been an orderly operation turned into a panic. Tev and his team sprinted to get out of the ship. They were limited less by their speed and more by the narrow corridors. The commander allowed his suit to crash around corners, and everyone else followed, looking like pilots who had drunk too much before the mission.
A countdown timer popped up in the corner of Tev’s vision, concerning him further. He wasn’t sure how long it had taken them to get to the bridge, but it felt like a long time. Trying to get back out in so little time would be almost impossible. He pushed the thought out of his mind. It wasn’t something he could worry about. What he needed to do was focus on getting out. He put all his attention into piloting the suit, making sure he was moving as fast as he could.
