by Gary Weston
Chapter 256
After a troubled and sleepless night, Millet walked outside his ship. He imagined he could smell the electrical field generator, humming efficiently away. Gagenjet Singh followed him outside.
‘At least we had a quiet night, Sir. Nothing to report.’
Millet turned to face her. ‘Perhaps you should look behind you, Singh.’
Singh gasped at the fresh hieroglyphics on the side of the ship. ‘But how is that possible, Sir?’
‘Go get Warner.’
Singh ran into the ship and returned with Warner, a minute later. Singh pointed at the strange writing.
‘Something got through the electrical field and did that?’ Warner said, incredulous.
Singh said, ‘And passed the alarms and the shooters.’
‘Record it and tell Lieutenant Croxfort come here and you tell Captain Dorran to get ready for take off immediately.’
‘With pleasure, Sir.’
Singh said, ‘Shall I have the turrets retracted, Sir?’
‘Not just yet, Singh. To take off, we need the electrical field generators turned off and stowed away. I know the shooters can’t see anything, but I’d like to have their cover until the last possible second.’
Lieutenant Croxfort led his team outside. ‘Shall I get the generators down, Sir?’
‘Yes. But I want your men guarded while they do it. Have six watching your backs at all times. Have two with dye-backpacks. The shooters will cover you as well. I want to be off this rock within ten minutes.’
‘Right, Sir. Sergeant. Get six men here and packing. Ok, you grunts. Get ready to shut down that generator and the field coils in record time.’
The well trained team got in position and waited for the command. As soon as they were covered by armed men, Croxfort gave the word. The generator was turned off, and two men took one end each and took that on board the ship. Millet watched anxiously as his people went about their work, knowing they were all vulnerable. They were just rolling up the thick cables when it happened.
The two men with the cables were the furthest away from the ships, with one man with a dye back-pack and two more with rifles just yards away. Those armed and Millet, heard the screams. There in the open, something had sprayed an unarmed man with acid. The screaming didn’t last long, as the dead body became pools of disintegrating mess on the ground.
‘Fire that dye,’ yelled Millet, trying to find something to shoot his gun at.
The men with the back-packs pulled their triggers, releasing the clouds of red dye. And there before them, they had their first sight of one of the invisible creatures. It was roughly human-shaped, but twice the height and size of any human. But it had two legs, two arms, and a neck-less head. Partially covered in the red dye, the solitary creature could finally be fired at. Both laser shooters were blasting it, but the laser power just passed harmlessly through it. It roared at the humans, then turned, walking slowly away. The cannon continued to blast pointlessly, the creature seemingly feeling no pain. Then it stopped walking and began roaring at something the humans couldn’t see.
Millet ran to the nearest man with a dye back-pack and grabbed the trigger out of his hands and shot a cloud of red dye at the creature. The dye did its job, shocking the humans with what it revealed. Not two creature’s of the same species, but two different ones. The second creature was smaller than the first, human shaped, but with a long neck, and a head-full of the wickedest teeth Millet had ever seen. One thing was also certain. These two invisible creatures hated each other.
‘Lets get out of here,’ yelled Millet.
As he urged his troopers on board, was the moment when the screams came from high up on the back of the ship. The silicon around the top of the laser turret was dissolving, and running down the side of the ship. Then, the top of the turret was pushed free, dropping to the ground. Yelena Gavrikov, what was left of her, crawled out of the turret, then fell dead to the ground.
Chapter 257
Reacting on instinct, Millet yelled, ‘Leave everything and get on the ship. MOVE!’
Nobody needed telling twice. The second the airlocks were closed, Millet raced to the flight-deck.
‘Dorran. Can we at least move away from here?’
‘No, Sir. Sure we could take off and stay within atmosphere, even with the turret open. But that acid has fried enough electrics and circuits to compromise the flight controls.’
‘Have you even tried?’
‘I daren’t. I had to shut everything down or risk further damage. We need to make repairs, just to relocate.’
Jordan said, ‘We can get the other ship away, General.’
‘Radio working, Captain?’ Millet asked.
‘Not ship radio, Sir. You still have suit radio.’
Millet picked up Dorran’s helmet. ‘Captain Luppino. Get your ship in the air now. Get off this damn rock. That’s a direct order.’
‘But, Sir…’
‘Luppino. We’ve already lost two good people. I won’t lose any more. Go. Radio Boss. Tell him…Tell him what happened.’
Jordan grabbed the helmet. ‘The General’s right, Mario. Don’t make me come over there. Get going.’
‘Right. We’ll stay in orbit. Good luck, Sir.’
Captain Luppino, took his ship into the air and into orbit around the planet from where he called Boss.
* * *
Raven had raced to the communication centre from where Commander Felix Gordon had called him.
Gordon said, ‘Captain Luppino wants to know what to do, Boss.’
‘Still in orbit?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then he’s safe where he is.’
‘We have two ships ready to go. The crews are on their way here.’
Raven said, ‘No. I’ll not risk sending others. Not unless we have a way to keep them safe.’
‘This is all your damn fault,’ said a voice behind them.
‘Shorty…’
Shorty snapped, ‘Don’t you Shorty me, Tagg Raven. You should have got them back. You should have told Frank to get his sorry backside here. To me.’
Gordon said, ‘Frank was doing just that, Shorty. He was seconds away from coming home.’
‘Yeah. Just a few seconds too late,’ growled Shorty. She jabbed Raven in the ribs. ‘You could have had them off that rock hours before. Two have already died. I hope you can live with yourself.’
Raven said, ‘I tried to…’
‘Not hard enough.’
Gordon said, ‘Shorty. Frank made the decision to stay, not Boss. This is not the time to have a go at Boss.’
Raven said, ‘She’s right, Felix. I should have…’
‘No, damn it. D S I know the risks every time they go on a mission. General Millet is the most experienced D S I Military officer we have. He made the call. Shorty. I’m sorry, but you know I’m right. You more than anyone.’
The toughest little Captain just stood and her chin wobbled as she filled up with emotion she was unused to feeling. Risking a punch that could break his jaw, Raven went to her, and held her. She didn’t fight him, needing someone to comfort her, even Tagg Raven. Even Boss.
‘We’ll get Frank home, Shorty. I swear we will. Frank. All of them.’
Shorty pulled back, but didn’t let Raven go. ‘You send a ship, I go with it.’
‘Shorty. We’ll both go. But we have to come up with a plan before we go. Ok?’
This time, Shorty did break away. She pointed at Gordon and Boss. ‘You two had better come up with a damn good plan. And fast.’
With that said, she stormed out.
Chapter 258
Professor Chuck Itterway summoned the universities finest scientific minds to the assembly hall. He called them to order.
‘Esteemed colleagues. You probably are familiar with our honoured visitors. D S I Boss, and Commander Felix Gordon. They need help and they need it fast. Lives are hanging in the balance. From what I’ve already heard, this is going to be challengin
g. Boss?’
‘I’ll let have Commander Gordon explain. Commander?’
‘The situation as of our last communication, is this. On a planet approximately thirteen days away, one of our ships is stranded on the surface. The ship was damaged by an invisible creature who spits out acid as corrosive as hydrofluoric acid. Two D S I soldiers have been killed already. Unfortunately as well, the silicon part of one laser cannon turret was destroyed, the shooter regrettably killed at the time, and the electrical wiring has been damaged and the technical team on the ship are trying to repair it as of this moment. They may or may not be able to make the ship capable of outer atmosphere flight. We have another ship, a fighter, in orbit around the planet. We also have two fighters crewed up and ready to go to help. But we don’t want to put more lives at risk. Boss?’
Raven said, ‘You need to appreciate the following reported facts. Two species have evolved into sentient beings, both capable of conveying ideas in a written form. On the planet scans, there was no sign of a city. We assume they live in the jungle. These two species are mortal enemies, it seems. They can cross electrical fields unaffected and laser fire just goes through them causing no damage. We need to know, if we can reach that planet in time, how can we get our people off that rock. If we have to abandon the ship, so be it. How do we land a rescue ship, keep these creatures at bay long enough to safely rescue our people?’
Professor Itterway said, ‘Boss. You mentioned to me before that the marsillium coating protects ships hulls from the acid?’
‘Sorry, everyone. Yes. The ship, and of course so far, the people inside, are safe from attack by the acid. I think you have all the information Commander Gordon and I have. Time is of the essence. Thank you.’
Chapter 259
Raven said, ‘You are beautiful. Yes you are. Yes you are. And you have your mom’s eyes. Yes you do.’
‘I just want him to have my brains,’ said Joy Dainty as she folded away the clean clothes. ‘I don’t blame Shorty for having a go at you. I’d have done the same.’
Raven put little Dixon back in his cot. ‘I already have two people’s deaths on my hands. Having to tell their families was pretty harrowing.’
‘I don’t envy you having to do things like that. I just hope we can get the others home safely.’
‘And I hope those scientists can come up with something and fast.’ As he said it, a call came through. It was Professor Chuck Itterway.
‘Professor. News for me, I hope?’
‘Yes, indeed, Boss. Quite a simple solution as it happens. But best plans usually are.’
‘Go on, Professor.’
‘It will mean leaving the damaged ship behind, though.’
Raven said, ‘That’s just hardware. How do we get the people home?’
‘Transfer to another ship.’
Raven was stunned. ‘Is that it? Don’t you think Commander Gordon and I haven’t already come up with that one? The closest another ship could land to the fighter would be twenty feet away. That’s twenty feet when people are at extreme risk, and not only that, the airlocks would be open, meaning both ships would be vulnerable to attack with the acid.’
‘Exactly, Boss. Which is why we came up with this. Can you see the images clearly?’
‘I can.’
‘Right. As you say, twenty feet is as close as one ship can land next to another. Landing jets fluctuate slightly and the danger of collision is too risky to get closer.’
‘Professor…’
‘One moment, Boss. What is needed is a flexible cover. A tunnel, if you will, to cover the airlocks and yet reach between ships, to protect the people as they cross from one ship to the other.’
Raven sighed and counted to ten. ‘A tunnel made of what, exactly?’
‘Canvas. Coated with marsillium.’
The professor now had Raven’s attention. ‘That would be acid proof?’
‘We’ve made samples and tested them. Yes. Acid proof. The whole thing remains flexible, but the coating of marsillium makes it acid proof.’
Raven was impressed. ‘Brilliant, Professor. Just how long to make such a tunnel?’
‘Only two weeks at the most. Ten days as a minimum.’
Raven sighed. ‘That’s ten days too many. We need to be on our way as it is.’
Itterway said, ‘Sorry. Best we can do.’
‘Your Daddy is a silly daddy. Oh, yes he is. Oh, yes he is.’
‘Thanks, Joy. Really helpful.’
Joy picked Dixon up. ‘Shall we tell Daddy, Dixon? Shall we?’
‘Joy!’
‘Get what you need for the tunnel and put it together on your way there.’
‘Of course. But…’
‘Now, Dixon. This is where your Daddy says, “There isn’t a fighter big enough to build something like that tunnel inside”.
‘And Dixon would be right.’
‘And your Mom would say, so build it in a bigger ship on your way there. Like Karma Casey’s freighter which is coming in tomorrow.’
‘She’s home tomorrow?’
‘I was going on a lunch date with her. But I guess she’s got new plans now. See, Dixon? Don’t you wish you were born a girl instead of being a boy with your brain between your legs?’
Raven said, ‘I gotta go.’
‘Your Daddy has to go. Yes he does. Oh, yes he does.’
Chapter 260
Millet was slumped in his chair, alone, and feeling like his heart was breaking. The lives of two of his crew had been lost and the blame rested heavily on his broad shoulders. He felt the hate of everyone, wrongly or rightly, resting with him. Not everyone took that point of view.
Tilly Jordan sat by his side. ‘Frank. We need you right now. More than ever.’
For a moment, Millet didn’t move, speak or even open his eyes.
‘I wish you had overruled me, Tilly. I was wrong, but I just couldn’t see it.’
Jordan said, ‘And I share the responsibility. Yes, I was for going home when we had the chance. I was so close…But I didn’t overrule you. Boss didn’t order you. I know Tagg as well as he knows himself. I bet both Joy and Shorty have let him have it with both barrels.’
Millet finally opened his eyes and he looked at Jordan. ‘Shorty must hate me, right now. Forget getting married. I’ll be lucky if she even speaks to me again.’
‘You’re talking crap, Frank. She’ll understand more than anyone. D S I people know all the risks. What would she say if she were here right now?’
Millet said, ‘Once she’d stopped swearing at me? She’d say pull it together, Frank. Get us home.’
‘Then I’ll say it for her. Pull it together. Go see how the repair crew are going. Encourage them.’
Millet sighed. ‘Ok. Sorry. You’re so right. This is not a good time to fall to pieces.’ He got up and made his way to the rear of the ship where a team of five men and women were flat out at work. He spoke to a young female technician.
‘Camilla. Getting anywhere?’
‘An unbelievable amount of damage, Sir.’
‘Can the turret be sealed?’
Camilla shook her head. ‘I’m not even sure if we can fix the wiring. We have tacked a temporary cover in place to stop those creatures climbing in this way, but it’s a patch job at best. We need the ship in the workshop back home to fix the turret properly. This bird isn’t going into space in a hurry.’
‘Ok. I get the picture. Listen. Don’t forget to take plenty of breaks. You all need to be on top of your game for this.’
‘We will. Sir.’
‘Yes?’
‘We all feel bad about what happened. But none of us blame you. I just wanted you to know that.’
Millet forced a smile. ‘Thank you. I appreciate that. We will get off this rock, Camilla.’
‘One way or another, Sir.’
‘Carry on.’
Chapter 261
‘Now, see, Sam. This is not a good sign. Whenever this man is standing on the launchpads when
I land, it’s always trouble.’
Raven said, ‘Karma Casey. It’s so good to see you, too. High, Sam. Good flight?’
Sam Thorne said, ‘Good but kinda long. I was just about to head off home and chill out with a beer. Seeing Boss here, suggests that’s not going to happen.’
‘Well. We do have a bit of a situation.’
Casey said, ‘Tagg. We are not D S I.’
‘I used to be,’ said Thorne.
‘Used to be,’ said Casey. ‘Hang on to that past-tense.’
‘Can we go home, Karma?’ said Shannon Thorne.
‘We’re going there right now. Sorry, Tagg. Not this time.’
Raven said, ‘Two good D S I people have already died, Karma.’
‘Damn. I’m sorry, Tagg. I had no idea. But, that has nothing to do with us. Now, if you’ll excuse us…’
Thorne said, ‘Hang on, Karma. Hear the man out. Who died, Boss?’
‘A young rookie called Tim Vincent and a shooter called Yelena Gavrikov.’
Thorne said, ‘Yelena? I know that kid. Her folks, too. Her father and I go way back. What happened Boss?’
Raven said, ‘They were about two minutes from taking off that planet with those invisible beings. Amongst other things, they spit out highly corrosive acid. Yelena got in the way of some. Same for the rookie.’
‘Damn,’ said Casey. ‘I feel sick just imagining that. Those poor kids.’
‘Why do you need us?’ asked Thorne.
‘General Millet is stuck on that planet and we need to go rescue him and the others. We have one fighter already in orbit, with two ready to go. We have a plan, but we need a bigger ship, like a freighter, to make it work.’
Casey said, ‘We can’t go off with Shannon into a situation like that.’
Raven said, ‘You wouldn’t have to land and we’re pretty sure these beings have no ships or cannon. But we have to build something on the way and the fighters are just too small. Karma. If there was any other way…’
‘I’ll go,’ said Thorne. ‘You stay here with Shannon until I get back. How long will this take, Boss?’
‘Nearly a month all up.’
Casey said, ‘If you go, we all go. Two pilots are always better than one. Ok. We’ll do it.’
