Valentin jerked to a stop just before he plowed into me. What’s wrong? he asked.
I let out a shaky breath. He was okay. He wasn’t crushed. Anger roared in after the relief, whiting everything out. What were you thinking? You could’ve died!
It wasn’t that close, he said, his tone infuriatingly calm.
I bit my tongue before I said something unforgivable. This was why I hadn’t wanted him on the ship. I should still be sprinting for the next door, but I’d stopped to check on him. He was a distraction that I couldn’t ignore, and my failure would cost us our lives.
As if he could read my mind, he said, Samara, trust me to take care of myself. I may not be as good as you, but I’ve been a soldier for most of my life. I will follow your lead. I won’t take unnecessary risks. Stop worrying about me and start using me. We are on the same team.
If only it was that easy, I grumbled. But I turned and started for the next door.
Valentin fell in behind me. Trust me, I know, he murmured.
Rather than heading straight for the bridge, I turned off and took the longer route. It was a risk, but if Adams was locking down the ship one zone at a time, he might not expect us to take a detour. We passed two more groups of unarmored soldiers and made it through the third door before our luck ran out.
Soldiers, Valentin warned. At least six.
Before I could ask for more details, a side door farther down the corridor slid open, and the first soldier stepped out. They were in Quint combat armor. Turning on thermal overlays wasn’t standard procedure, but Adams had to suspect that we were in Kos armor. It could go either way on whether the soldier would see us or not.
The question was answered when they started to bring their gun up. I beat them to it and put two rounds into their visor. Today I had equipped armor-piercing rounds, though using them on a spaceship carried some risk. The rounds punched through the visor and the soldier fell, dead.
I didn’t have time for regret because the remaining five soldiers poured out of the room. They were too close for a grenade, and the corridor we were in offered minimal cover, but a cross corridor between us and them at least gave us a place to hide, if we could get there.
Go left. Get to the corner, I told Valentin as I dashed to the right. I kept moving forward, shooting as I went. It was clear the soldiers hadn’t expected to be attacked here. By the time they rallied, we had taken out half of their number and made it to the corner.
Alarms started blaring. If Adams hadn’t known we were in Kos armor, he did now.
I squatted down and quickly peeked around the corner. Across the hall, Valentin did the same. The three remaining soldiers had retreated back into the room, but the door remained open. If they were smart, they would stay put until backup arrived.
I waited a moment, but none of them appeared in the doorway. Maybe they were smart, which was bad for us. I could toss a grenade inside, but I’d rather see exactly what I was blowing up before I made a mistake that ejected us all into space.
“Drop your weapons and come out with your hands up, and I won’t kill you,” I shouted, my voice amplified by my armor. I wasn’t sure what I would do with them since I didn’t have an electroshock pistol, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
The soldiers remained silent.
If they were relying on thermal imaging, then they would see me as a red blob and aim for center mass, where my armor was thickest. Of course, if they had armor-piercing rounds, then taking shots to center mass was a good way to get dead.
Decisions, decisions.
I had almost decided to move forward and take the risk when the tip of a pistol appeared around the corner, followed by a soldier’s head. So much for surrendering. Valentin and I both landed shots, and the soldier collapsed.
I moved forward, my rifle up. Valentin shadowed me.
A pair of empty hands appeared around the edge of the doorway. “Don’t shoot!” a male voice shouted.
“Keep your hands up and come out. What about the other soldier?”
“She’s surrendering, too.”
The first soldier edged around the door only to freeze when he realized how close we were. I kept my rifle trained on him even though he probably couldn’t see it in his thermal view. “Come out and keep your hands up.”
He stepped over his fallen teammate and moved to the middle of the hall.
“Next, the same way,” I called.
Two more empty hands appeared and then another soldier crept into the hall.
Well, now what the fuck was I supposed to do?
“Take off your helmets, slowly.” When they hesitated, I said, “My rounds will punch straight through your armor. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead. Don’t do anything stupid and you’ll live.”
But I still needed this to be quick. I linked Valentin. Watch them.
After he acknowledged the order, I peeked into the room. There were no remaining soldiers inside, so perhaps these two really were trying to surrender. The room had been converted into an auxiliary armory, likely for the soldiers working around the bridge.
A quick scan didn’t turn up any explosives, but I found an electroshock pistol on the wall. It would hurt like hell, but they would survive it, and it would put them down long enough for us to escape.
I returned to the hallway. A blond man and dark-haired woman waited, their expressions nervous. Without their helmets, they couldn’t track us.
“Back up,” I said. “There are more behind us, and we need you away from the dead. You also want to be away from the door.”
They gulped but backed up.
“I will tell the others to restrain you. You won’t be hurt as long as you don’t attack. But they will expect a trap, so be very careful how you act. Understand?”
Imogen and the others weren’t actually coming this way because they were taking the faster route, but I needed these soldiers to be concerned about getting up and moving around once the stun rounds wore off.
When the soldiers nodded, I shot them. The stun rounds shorted out their armor in addition to locking their muscles, and they fell with grunts of pain.
I tossed all of the fallen weapons into the room and then pulled out a small grenade designed for use on ships. It shouldn’t do much more than make the armory unusable, assuming Implacable had decent automatic fire suppression tech and there wasn’t a fuel line on the other side of the wall.
If not, then I hoped these two knew where the closest manual extinguishers were. I activated the grenade and tossed it into the room so the explosion would be focused away from the doorway. Then I attached the electroshock pistol to my armor and sprinted for the next door.
A few seconds later, the grenade went off and another host of alarms started, but we hadn’t been hurtled into space, so I chalked it up as a win.
As expected, the next heavy lockdown door was closed. This was the last door between us and the bridge. We still had a few hallways to go, but after this door, Adams couldn’t lock us out except for the bridge door itself.
Imogen, how close are you to the last door?
Two minutes.
We couldn’t afford to wait that long. Adams might not have had this route protected because the visible soldiers were taking the other route, but with our little stunt a few minutes ago, he’d be working to fix that.
And if the soldiers we’d just left had linked out before they’d surrendered, then Adams would know there were only two of us—the perfect number to use as hostages.
We didn’t have time to circle all the way back to the other group. The only way was forward. We’re going now. Good luck.
You, too. See you at the bridge. Stay alive so I can yell at you.
Will do, I said with a smile.
I slung my small pack around to the front of my body and carefully retrieved one of the shaped charges I carried. The explosive was incredibly stable and wouldn’t detonate accidentally, but I always took extra care—I liked all of my fingers exactly wher
e they were, thanks.
Valentin watched the corridor while I applied the charge to the door. I set the timer for ten seconds and then activated it.
It was time to see if the gods of luck were on our side.
Chapter Nineteen
Valentin and I retreated a few meters in the precious seconds before the charge exploded. The shape of the explosion was designed to send all potential shrapnel in the direction of the blast, but the extra distance would help our armor protect us just in case something went wrong.
My helmet automatically muffled the sound of the explosion, but I still felt the vibration. The heavy door wasn’t completely gone, but it had a large gap in the middle, big enough for us to fit through even in armor.
If there was any sort of hull breech in the zones we’d crossed, then Implacable would be fucked without these doors, but that was the risk Adams had taken when he’d used them to slow us down.
The other group is a couple of minutes behind us at the other door, I told Valentin. We need to move quickly.
The local links have gone completely silent. Be careful.
I will be.
I hugged the wall as I approached the door. The heat and smoke from the explosion made it difficult to see what—or who—waited on the other side. At the door, I crouched down and peeked around the edge of the gap.
And very nearly got a plasma pulse to the face for my effort.
I jerked back with a curse.
My quick glance had revealed at least four soldiers in Kos armor, but it could easily be more thanks to the overlapping red thermals barely visible behind some kind of cover.
“Samara Rani, surrender or we will destroy the station,” a female voice called. “You have five seconds to decide.”
They are threatening the station, I sent across the main group link.
I will handle it, Sawya said. But hurry.
“Why don’t you surrender and then I won’t have to kill you?” I shouted back.
I didn’t expect a response, and I didn’t get one. They had the superior position and they knew it. I had two explosive grenades left. I’d hoped to save them for closer to the bridge, but we wouldn’t get to the bridge if I didn’t make a path through the soldiers.
Blowing up something I couldn’t see wasn’t my favorite option, but I would have to take the risk.
I activated a grenade and sent it sailing through the door in a high arc. The armor covering my forearm deflected a glancing plasma pulse, proving that these soldiers were of a higher caliber than those we’d been fighting so far. Maybe we were closing in on Adams’s personal troops.
The soldiers shouted as they caught sight of the grenade, but it was too late. As soon as the flash from the explosion faded, I ducked through the door, Valentin behind me.
The grenade had flown true. Five soldiers were on the ground behind a barrier of composite shields. The blast had punched through their armor, disabling the active camouflage and taking them out of the fight. One red blob remained, but it wasn’t moving. I couldn’t risk them sneaking up behind us, so I aimed for center mass and put three rounds in a small grouping.
The soldier flickered into view, slumped on the floor.
I was no stranger to death, but it never got any easier, especially not when these soldiers were dying for an asshole like Adams who thought nothing of throwing their lives away.
Over the link, Imogen warned me that they were blowing their door. I swapped in a fresh magazine and edged down the hallway toward the bridge. Once Imogen and the rest made it through the door, we’d be in the same zone, but we were both closer to Implacable’s bridge than to each other.
I heard the explosion in the distance, and over the link, Imogen cursed. It feels like half the ship is waiting for us.
Do you need help?
No, stay back. We’re going to have to blast our way through.
We’ll head to the bridge. Meet us there when you’re free.
She either agreed or was too busy to respond. Ari’s group was also taking heavy fire near the evacuation ships, which meant Adams was attempting to secure a way out. If he’d already abandoned the bridge then all of this was going to be for nothing, but at least he wouldn’t get past Ari.
Our path to the bridge was eerily empty. We could hear distant explosions and rifle fire from where Imogen’s team still fought, but there were no soldiers on this side of the ship. Adams was practically rolling out a red carpet for us. It had to be a trap, but one I would be happy to turn back on him.
The bridge could be approached from three directions. The bridge doorway was in the middle a long corridor that stretched across the ship from port to starboard. If Imogen and the rest of the team took the most direct route, they would be coming down that hallway from the starboard side. The port side led to parts of the ship that hadn’t been locked down yet, so enemy soldiers would likely approach from that direction.
A second corridor led straight out from the bridge, allowing a head-on approach. That was the closest option for us. It was also potentially the riskiest, but wasting time going around brought its own risk.
I stopped at the last intersection before I had to commit to a direction. Do you hear anything? I asked Valentin.
No. Adams has to know we’re close, and he’s inviting us to come closer. Any idea what he has planned?
No. I still wished I could see Valentin’s face. This would be so much easier if I could read his expression. I don’t suppose you’ll wait here?
Not unless you do. His tone told me that he wouldn’t budge.
Fine. We’re taking the main hallway. If we get to the bridge door, I’ll set up one of your active camouflage pucks before we blow it open. If we run into trouble, we’ll fall back and wait for Imogen and Luka to catch up to us. Sound good?
Yes. Be careful. I’ve got your back.
You, too. Let me know if you sense anyone.
I will try, he promised.
I crept forward, and turned down the main hall leading to Implacable’s bridge. This corridor wasn’t divided into sections, so I could see the bridge door in the distance.
The passageway looked clear all the way to the bridge, but a half-dozen side doors were closed. Based on the blueprint, these were likely quarters and amenities for the ship’s officers. That didn’t mean that they couldn’t be full of soldiers right now, though.
But despite my worries, no one jumped us as we moved through the hall. I would actually feel better if someone tried it, because the closer we got to the bridge, the worse my sense of foreboding became. Adams wouldn’t let us get this close without some sort of last-ditch plan.
I don’t like this, I told Valentin.
I agree. He should be throwing the entire ship at us.
Valentin was right. Destroyers usually carried enough crew for three full shifts, which meant that two-thirds of the soldiers should be available to fight our invasion—and that was before pulling any soldiers from their duty assignment, which Adams would absolutely do to save his own sorry ass.
So where was everyone?
The bridge was the likely answer, at least for some of them. Adams’s personal troops would certainly be nearby, and he would want as many bodies as possible between him and danger.
I kept moving forward, my senses on high alert. I slid up beside the next side door. It refused to open, but I wasn’t sure if that was because it was locked or because the sensor couldn’t detect me while I was camouflaged in Kos armor. These doors weren’t reinforced, so I could probably kick one down if we needed emergency cover, but it would take a few seconds and then we’d be trapped.
We’re finally clear of the last door, Imogen said. But we’re down four people.
Luka?
He’s okay, Imogen said. He’s too stubborn to get shot. We’re approximately five minutes out.
When I relayed the information to Valentin, he asked, Are we going to wait for them?
That was the question. Waiting would be the safer option, but i
f Adams wasn’t on the bridge, then it gave him another five minutes to escape.
Let’s get into position and then we’ll wait before we blow the door, I said at last. Once we could see down the other corridor, we could at least warn Imogen and the rest if they were walking into an ambush.
I kept my rifle up as I swept down the passageway, but we made it to the corner without any resistance. I took the right side while Valentin moved to the left. A quick peek revealed the other hallway was empty in both directions, but I could only see for a few meters. Unlike the main passageway, this hall was divided with section doors. They weren’t as heavy as the lockdown doors, so even if they were locked shut, they wouldn’t stop Imogen’s group.
I can’t sense anything past the bridge door, Valentin said. They may be blocking links.
If they were blocking links, then as soon as we stepped inside, we’d be cut off from the rest of our teams. That solidified my decision to wait for Imogen to arrive before blowing the door.
Give me a camouflage puck, I said. We’re too exposed here.
Valentin handed me one of the small devices, and I activated it before setting it on the floor facing back the way we’d come. If anyone came down the main hallway, they would see themselves reflected rather than us. It wouldn’t stop plasma pulses, but it would make us harder to hit.
If Adams didn’t know we were here, he would as soon as I moved away. Our armor might not show up on the ship’s cameras, but the puck certainly would once it was outside of the armor’s camouflage radius. And it wouldn’t exactly take a genius to figure out that the puck hadn’t placed itself.
I was still standing over the puck when a distant explosion rocked the ship hard enough that I felt the vibration through my boots. It seemed to come from our right, on the starboard side of the ship. Imogen, was that you?
She did not respond. The link seemed to be connected, but only silence came from her end. Was she unconscious?
The Queen’s Triumph (Rogue Queen) Page 15
