Alliance: Legacy War Book 3

by John Walker

  “What?” Reach scowled. “I thought we were trusting him with this one.”

  “We’re trapped in here … We need room to move. I think—”

  “Greetings,” a low voice from behind interrupted Christina and she spun in place, preparing her weapon. A hard blow caught her wrist and her fingers reflexively opened. Her gun bounced off the wall but she didn’t even spare it a look, instead throwing a kick at the person who attacked her.

  He blocked the blow and they began a brutal melee. Christina threw a punch at the dark figures face, he deflected it and retaliated with a low kick. She danced back and bumped into the wall, using it to propel herself forward. She connected with his chest and followed with an upper cut.

  The attack didn’t land before she was shoved back and he clicked his tongue. “You might want to settle down, little human.” Christina paused and glanced over her shoulder. Two men held guns on the ambassador and the admiral. “You don’t want to lose your precious cargo, do you?”

  Christina weighed her options. Would these fanatics kill them anyway? Reports suggested it was a distinct possibility. Where the hell are you, Lothan? She cursed under her breath but didn’t lower her guard. Think! There has to be a way out of this! The admiral grunted as he was poked by one of the guns.

  “I think we’ve lost this round, Major,” Reach said. “Better to live through this to fight another day.”

  If we live. Christina straightened up. Her gut burned. “You win.” The two words frustrated her and her face showed it. She scowled as the man gestured in her direction. Another of his men approached.

  “Bind their hands and let’s get them out of here. I’m impressed by the wily escape attempt but you never had a chance.” He patted her on the shoulder. “You’ll have the opportunity to understand why soon enough. Bring them. We must get to the ship and leave this forsaken place behind.”

  ***

  Heat took point, checking the corridor before dashing out and hurrying toward the conference room where the VIPs were. He passed by dozens of bodies, unarmed people in civilian garb. Some were shot, others cut open and blood soaked into the once nice carpet. Whoever went through there indulged some serious butchery.

  “We’re coming upon their last known location,” Heat said. “You say they’re in the maintenance corridors?”

  “Yes,” Fielding replied. “My HUD’s acting up but I think I see a few panels to get in there. Our armor won’t fit so we need to figure out where they’re going to come through.”

  The door to the conference room was little more than debris. Heat and Gorman stepped inside and cleared the room, pausing when they came upon the corpses of the human bodyguards. One had been shot but the other … Someone cut off his arms and his head lulled back, nearly severed.

  “Jesus Christ …” Gorman muttered. “Monstrous …”

  Heat grunted and looked around. “The fighting here was over fast. There aren’t that many scorch marks on the wall. Hardly any missed shots.” He noted one Tol’An soldier’s body. “They only took one with them, too.”

  “And the animals left their own behind,” Gorman said. “What’s next?”

  “Find the VIPs,” Fielding replied. “Let’s head back toward the hangar and see if we can’t rendezvous with them. God knows how many more of these fanatics there are out there so stay sharp. I’m guessing we’ll be in a firefight sooner than later.”

  They headed back down the hallway, past where their shuttle was located. Someone shouted up ahead, a loud woman’s voice. “Can you hear me?”

  “That was definitely English,” Anderson said. “Must be one of ours!”

  “Double time it!” Fielding ordered. “Spread out, Anderson and Gorman on our flanks. Heat, take my left.”

  Heat rushed down the hall, their armored boots hammering the floor. As they approached, there wouldn’t be any stealth. Whatever fight was about to happen would be inevitable. The trick would be differentiating the friendlies from the enemies. If they were in close quarters, the marines needed to be precise with their shooting.

  Rounding a curve, Fielding stopped abruptly. “Contact!” He fired his weapon and Heat moved closer to see what he was shooting at. There was a group of people approaching an airlock leading to another ship. Heat’s HUD identified the various targets. Three friendlies and five Tol’An.

  He took aim but paused. They were clustering up, forcing the VIPs into the shuttle. Firing their weapons risked hurting the people they were trying to save. “We have to find a way to keep that ship here!” He shouted, dropping low to clip one of the Tol’An in the leg. His target hit the ground and returned fire but he was rewarded with a head shot from Gorman.

  “Gnosis!” Fielding shouted into the com. “Can you lock down the magnetics on the station to keep this ship here? They have the friendlies and are attempting to depart! We need immediate assistance!” Static filled the speakers. “Damn it, they must’ve lost com again! Gorman, what can you do?”

  “Nothing from here!” Gorman replied. “I’d need to be at the control center and even then, this is alien tech. I’m not sure I’d be able to do much on short notice!”

  “Let’s get on board!” Anderson called. “If we’re on there, they can’t exactly leave.”

  “No.” Fielding shook his head. The rest of the Tol’An boarded the ship. “They’ve gotten away. We need them to be disabled out there to take them back.”

  “We have another problem.” The voice came from behind them and the marines spun in place, aiming at him. The Pahxin lifted his arms. “Please, don’t shoot! I am Lothan! Bodyguard to the Pahxin ambassador! I’m on your side!”

  “Why aren’t you with them?” Fielding motioned with his head back toward the airlock which had closed up. “How’d you escape?”

  “I was checking the way forward and had no idea that our enemies followed us through the maintenance tunnel.” Lothan shook his head. “And while I was away, I found that they have trapped this station with explosives. We must disarm them!”

  “Perfect.” Fielding sighed. “I hope you know where they are.”

  “Engineering,” Lothan replied. “And I can lead you there.”

  “We need coms, too.” Fielding sighed as they began to move through the station. “Lots of work left to do, gentlemen. Don’t slow down because the primary objective went south. We’ll get them back. It’ll just take a little longer than we anticipated, that’s all.”

  Chapter 8

  Desmond watched the screen as the enemy began to depart. They lost their scout vessels and one of the destroyers. The battleship was quite a ways off, pressed by the three remaining Pahxin ships. The fourth remained behind to contend with heavy damage. As the fighters began returning to the ship, they took stock of their own casualties.

  “We’re conducting repairs,” Salina said, “but the generators took quite the beating. Several crew quarters are not habitable and won’t be for a while. One of the medical bays is totally offline and this has put a strain on the remaining space. We have twenty-five wounded and … I’m sorry to say, three dead.”

  “Thank you,” Desmond replied. “Are we able to use the hyperdrive?”

  “Chief Engineer Webber stated that we can enter hyperspace if necessary.” Salina hesitated before going on. “Sorry, I just got a report from engineering. They’ve deployed crews throughout the ship and are beginning various repairs. They estimate the generators will be in regular operating condition within half an hour. The rest … will take longer.”

  Ulian appeared on the screen suddenly enough to startle Desmond out of what he was going to say. “Um … hello.”

  “Captain,” Ulian began. “It seems the ambassadors have been taken. They are in a fast assault shuttle rapidly departing the area. Check your scans as we have sent you the signature.”

  Salina complied and a smaller screen appeared beside Ulian’s head. It showed a blip flying quickly away from the station but it was hard to maintain the readings. So they were here to
kidnap people. What the hell happened to the marines? Looks like we’re not done with this mission after all.

  “We’ll need to get our people back aboard and pursue,” Desmond replied. “Do we know where they are going?”

  “Not yet,” Ulian said. “But our ambassador has a tracking device.” He paused and uttered something that the computer would not translate. “It appears one of our vessels has just shot the escaping vessel. It has been damaged but not enough to stop it from leaving the system. Perhaps they won’t go as far now.”

  Desmond frowned. “That was risky. Your people could’ve taken them out.”

  “Yes, I recognize this. We have another problem, as if the current situation is not trying enough. We have learned there are bombs planted on the space station. Your people are contending with them now. Providing they are swift, we should be able to depart the moment we know where the ambassador has stopped.”

  “You can track them from so far?” Desmond asked.

  “Yes.”

  Direct, Desmond thought. “Okay, coms must be restored so we’ll coordinate with our people on the station, get them back and come with you. Thank you for the heads-up.” He watched as the remaining Tol’An ships dropped into hyperspace. I wonder if we’ll be dealing with that battleship after all.

  “You fought well today, captain. Forgive my reluctance and lack of faith. You and your people have proven yourselves capable. Ulian out.”

  “Er … yay?” Vincent offered. “At least they’re impressed?”

  “That’s something.” Desmond stood up. “Let’s make sure we focus our repair efforts on defense and departure. Get the marines on coms and help if they need it. Sounds like the bombs aren’t too big of a deal or Ulian might’ve had an expression. Depending on how long we have to wait, we might be in for quite the trip.”

  ***

  Seven Hours Later

  Desmond sat in the briefing room nearly, going through various reports. The Gaelirans issued a formal declaration of their appreciation to both the Gnosis crew and the Pahxin ships for helping with the Tol’An. Gorman and Lothan were able to disarm the bombs and properly dispose of them, so that alone ingratiated them to the inhabitants.

  Admiral Reach’s bodyguards were returned to the Gnosis and properly stored so they could be interred back home. The report suggested the marines were pretty unhappy about it, especially considering one of the two men had been badly brutalized. Captain Gabriel committed to having a meeting with them in an effort to calm them down.

  Chief Engineer Webber made it clear that the repairs were going well. They were inside safety margins for a hyperspace run. Ulian sent a message along that stated they knew where the Tol’An had stopped and so they’d be leaving soon. The few other small problems they needed to work out could wait until they got home.

  Desmond sent a communication request to the Pahxin. He needed to speak to Ulian about their course of action and how they intended to conduct the next part of the operation. When the commander’s face appeared on the screen, Desmond dove right in, having learned his counterpart preferred to simply get to the point.

  “I’d like a better understanding what the plan is for attacking the Tol’An.”

  Ulian nodded. “I understand. We will likely find an outpost there, a launching point for terrorist operations. My proposal is we go into the area ready for battle. We will deploy fighters, bombers and soldiers to secure the area and the hostages. My navigator will work with yours so you can arrive much closer to the target.”

  “Sounds good,” Desmond replied. “How soon will we be able to go?”

  “When we deliver the coordinates to you and have them fully plotted, we will depart. The Gaelirans have given us their blessing and they are ready to see us gone. They have many dead to put to rest and a station to clean up. We will speak again soon, Captain Bradford. Thank you for reaching out.”

  The screen went dark and Desmond sat back in his chair, feeling thoughtful. This next part of the assignment could be the most important. A joint operation like this will see how we truly work together.

  The attack gave them a taste of unity but now they would be on the offense. Depending on what waited for them, they might find themselves in a tough spot. Four ships could probably take a small outpost but if it was some kind of main base with dozens of defenders, they’d be in for a real mess.

  The Tol’An could not be allowed to keep the ambassadors regardless and waiting wasn’t an option. The time to strike was upon them and as Desmond prepared himself for the unknown, tension began to build in his neck. Launching into a system without intel may have been required but it did not settle well for him as he considered all the lives about to be at risk.

  ***

  Vincent checked in with the pilots thirty minutes before the ship was supposed to emerge from hyperspace. Engineering crews finished repairing the worst of the damage to the fighters and they were ready to go. The bombers were prepped and loaded. Three shuttles also idled, waiting for the marines to mount up.

  Considering they had no idea what to expect, they were as prepared as they could be.

  Vincent stopped at Cassie’s quarters on his way to the bridge, knocking twice. Once they arrived at the station, they didn’t have a chance to speak. Especially when the fighting started. Even when the enemy fled, they went in their own directions. She went to work with Thayne in regards to the signal the Tol’An used to selectively block communications.

  The door opened and Cassie peered at him with wide eyes. She wasn’t wearing her jacket yet and she buttoned the sleeves of her blouse. “Hey,” she said, “what’s up? Am I late?”

  Vincent shook his head. “No, I just … I was heading to the bridge and thought you might be on that way too.”

  “Sure.” Cassie grabbed her jacket and pulled it on, securing the buttons. “Let me grab my tablet and I’ll be good to go.”

  They headed out into the hall a moment later, moving toward the elevator at a good clip. Vincent wasn’t sure what to say. Platitudes seemed weak and he didn’t want to make small talk, especially since he went out of his way to see her. He drew a deep breath and finally decided anything was better than nothing.

  “How’ve you been? Has it been busy?”

  “Oh, beyond,” Cassie replied. “We made some headway into researching the weird signal they used to jam our coms. Thayne hadn’t seen it before but it was definitely something from the Orbs. We don’t know how to compensate for it yet but I think we can use a similar method to mute them when we arrive.”

  “Great news. I’ve been coordinating the marines and pilots. They’re probably going to be busy.” Vincent smirked. “What’re the chances we show up and that ship is all alone? Wouldn’t that be nice?”

  “Impractical.” Cassie returned his grin. “But hey, hope is important, right?”

  The elevator arrived and they boarded. “When we get back, I trust you’re going to throw yourself into research?”

  “Depends on how fast we have to turn around and leave again,” Cassie replied. “I wouldn’t mind having a day off when we get back there. One that doesn’t involve staying at Gamma Alpha.”

  “Seriously. I was wondering about that …” Vincent cleared his throat. “Maybe we could break away for a few hours. Have lunch in the city at least.”

  Cassie nodded. “I’d like that. Maybe a commander will have a better chance to get us off the base than I typically do. I swear they think I’m some kind of extension of the Orb, like … property.”

  “Your superiors?”

  “And Harper,” Cassie replied. “But especially the AIA. When I joined up, I thought it was just an amazing tech job but it consumes you fast. I’d like to say expectations are high but the reality is, they’re exalted.”

  “What’s the career path? Politics?”

  “Advancement through the AIA, I guess.” Cassie shrugged. “I got a promotion to senior agent when I got the assignment with the Gnosis. I’m not sure where I go from here but I s
uppose I’ll find out soon enough.”

  The doors opened and the conversation ended. Captain Bradford stood at Zach’s station and Salina chatted quietly on the com. Cassie sat at her console and Vincent logged into his own, checking for any new reports. The marines had boarded the shuttles and the fighter pilots signaled they were ready to go.

  Okay, great news. Vincent leaned back in his seat, drawing a deep breath. He took a moment to relax. He might not get another for the next few hours. Considering the lives at stake and what it meant to humanity’s plunge into the galactic theater, he felt the pressure resting on their success or failure.

  Losing the ambassadors would transcend tragedy and represented a potential rift the two cultures might never mend. The thought should’ve filled Vincent with despair but instead, he found himself unusually calm. All things considered, worry wouldn’t help his performance and the men under his command would certainly feel it.

  ***

  Gizan fought to maintain discipline, to keep to his usual reserved nature. The situation on the station frustrated him. He lost five of his ten men and one of the humans proved to be more dangerous than he anticipated. Coupled with the fact that the ship was damaged on their way out of the system and he felt the mission could not have gone worse.

  His navigator made it clear they could not make it back to the main base with their damage and adjusted on the fly. They had several safe planets throughout that region of space so it was just a matter of finding one close enough which could repair their damage. Gizan figured he could either interrogate the prisoners or commandeer another ship to get home.

  At least the ships they lost were the ones he considered disposable. Unfortunately, they took several of their people with them. Recruits tended to be easy enough to come by but it would take time to replace them all. The Master might not be pleased with that aspect of what happened but when he had the prisoners in custody, he’d likely forget about it quickly enough.