by Jason Kent
"Please don't call me that," Kate sighed. "It's Kate. Just Kate."
"Right, Cupcake."
Kate leaned through the door and took a look at Dagger's ship. Dagger's vessel squatted in the hanger, its utilitarian bulk quite unlike the sleeker SUMC designs Kate knew so well. Two massive engine mounts hugged the top of the ship, framing either side of the cargo bay. Pressure lines and tanks were secured to the hull in what appeared to be a haphazard manner but, in truth, probably represented additions completed at different times during the vessel's apparently long lifetime. Rust, scrapes, and spares of every color obscured the original paint job.
One spot under the cockpit window sported a fresh splash of paint and a carefully scripted name spelled out in standard.
"Blade Redeemed," Kate read aloud. She shook her head and shouted after their new pilot. "It's a Tallinn ship!"
"What'd you expect on a Tallinn station, in Tallinn territory?" Dagger shot back. She stooped under the belly of the ship and yanked out thick power cables. The pilot crab-walked with practiced precision over to a braided pressure line and spun a shutoff valve. She leaned back and kicked the quick-release lever on the line's collar. The heavy connector fell to the docking bay deck with a clang. Dagger got out from under the ship, slapped a few maintenance panels shut and sprinted for the lowered cargo ramp at the aft end of the ship.
Sparrow stopped beside Kate. "This our ride?"
"Apparently," Kate replied. She ducked when a string of bullets ricocheted into the door alcove where she still huddled. She grabbed the link sprite and pushed toward the docking ramp. "Better in there than out here."
"Maybe," Sparrow replied and eyed the oil-streaked hull.
A whoosh filled the air then an explosion ripped through the hall. Kate was thrown down to the corridor's scorched plates.
"RPG!" Ross shouted.
Kate knew enough about military hardware to identify the rocket-propelled grenade herself. Strong arms gripped her under the shoulder and Kate was yanked from the middle of the corridor. She managed to twist around and pull her legs into a niche between two large pipes which ran from floor to ceiling. Merrick squatted next to her. "Okay?"
Kate nodded. Merrick's voice sounded like it was coming from a really long way off. She hoped the ringing in her ears would stop soon. She patted herself. Still in one piece.
Satisfied with Kate's response and the lack of blood anywhere, the sniper turned back to the corridor. He fired a moment later. Kate barely heard the rifle's report.
The corridor was packed on both ends with destroyed mechs and dead troopers. Reinforcements arrived and took up firing positions behind their fallen comrades and wrecked machines.
Georges, Garrett, and Ross were in the doorway which led to the hanger and Dagger's ship.
Merrick studied the situation. He caught Georges' gaze and shook his head.
Kate pressed up against Merrick as bullets ripped into the walls all around the relative protection of their position. She shouted, "What are we supposed to do now?"
Merrick's gaze swept the corridor. A sign caught his attention. Might be a dead end. Then again, he thought, could be just what he and Kate needed. He crowded closer to the wall as a shot dug a long furrow into the metal plating just above his head. He took a deep breath and stated, "Looks like we take a chance."
To Georges, he pointed to the red-striped outline a few meters further down the corridor.
Georges nodded and held up three fingers.
Kate watched the interchange and saw Ross waving at her. She pointed at herself.
Ross nodded and slipped his spare rifle off his back.
Kate shook her head back and forth.
Georges counted down with his hand. Three... two...one...
Georges and Garrett opened up with everything at their disposal. Georges fired with pistols in both hands. Garrett sent bolt after bolt from his cross-bow down into the massed troopers. Neither could miss.
"CATCH!" Ross shouted.
Kate eyed the marine just in time to see the rifle as it sailed across the bullet-ridden corridor.
"Tral," Kate grunted. She caught the assault weapon in her open arms and clutched it to her chest.
Ross, his task complete, added the fire power of his rifle to the renewed defense.
"This way." Merrick took Kate's hand and pulled her along the wall and away from their protective cover. Their sudden appearance in the open attracted a dramatic increase in the rate of fire from the mechs and armored troopers. Ross, Garrett and Georges did what they could to suppress the fire.
Merrick pressed Kate against the wall, using his body as a shield. He could feel the rush of air at the back of his neck as rounds flew past them. Merrick wryly thought the bullets were an acceptable price to pay in order to feel the beating of Kate's heart.
As their eyes met, Kate asked, "This part of the plan?"
"Of course," Merrick said. He slid around Kate until he could reach the lever next to the doorway. Merrick slung his rifle across his back in a smooth motion then grasped the long handle with both hands. Before he could move the switch a fresh round of bullets tore into the decking at his feet.
"Tral!" Kate shouted as she pressed further into the alcove.
"Cover me," Merrick said calmly. He nodded at the assault rifle in Kate's hands.
Kate looked down at the weapon then back to Merrick. Merrick inclined his head down the corridor where a mech inched around a corner.
"Now would be good," the sniper encouraged.
"Right," Kate breathed. She brought the rifle up her shoulder and braced the barrel against the alcove wall. She took a deep breath and repeated, "Right."
As Kate fired her first burst of rounds, Merrick took a firm grip and pulled down on the lever. The combined action forced him back out into the corridor, exposed to the fire of the mechs at both ends. Merrick was aware of two things all at once. First, he desperately wanted to make this lever work since it appeared to offer their only way out. Second, Kate was a terrible shot.
Keenly aware Kate's life and perhaps the very future of humanity hung on a razor's edge, Merrick tried the lever again, pulling with all his might. Tral! Would it hurt for the maintenance guys to use a little WD-40? The lever would not budge. He looked over at Kate just as she glanced back his way. Her glowing eyes met his.
Forget mankind, Merrick thought. Do it for her. He turned back to the lever and pulled with all the strength he could muster. It proved enough. The aged switch locked open and the pressure seal of the hatch between Kate and Merrick broke. The door ground open.
"Get in!" Merrick shouted. He slid the long gun off his back in one smooth motion and took aim at the mech Kate seemed to be unable to stop. The sniper took one shot. The mech crumpled to the deck.
Kate let her rifle slump in her grip and looked back at Merrick, disgusted.
"Are you kidding me?" she gasped.
Merrick gave Kate a half grin and jerked his thumb at the now-open hatch. "In!" He swung and repeated his single shot trick in the other direction. He turned to enter the hatch and found Kate's head poking out.
"Seriously, why did you guys give me a gun?"
"I love watching you work," Merrick remarked. A sound drew his attention back to the corridor. He crouched and spun in one smooth motion. His weapon tracked an armored trooper charging down the hall. Merrick pulled the trigger. The trooper crumpled to the ground in a heap of hissing hydraulic motors and venting steam.
Merrick caught sight of two more troopers rounding the corner to take their comrade's place. As they brought their chain guns to bear on him, he decided it was time for a tactical retreat. His rifle leading the way, he dove through the hatch. Kate fell backwards in a sprawl on the deck with Merrick on top of her.
"Sorry," he grunted and rolled off so he could reach the control console mounted at the side of the doorway. This switch resisted his efforts as much as its brother on the other side of the wall. Merrick ignored the bullets which found the
ir way inside the emergency hatch and pulled.
"Move!" Merrick's shout was directed at both Kate and the stubborn switch.
The switch activated and the hatch sealed with a thud. Merrick was getting to his knees and offered Kate his hand as armored fists began pounding the hatch. He looked around, desperate to find some way to lock the door. His eyes landed on a panel on the opposite side of the hatch from the switch. The mechanical control panel was a hole in the wall with wires and dripping hydraulic lines hanging out.
Merrick turned to find Kate holding a jumbled mass of electro-mechanical components.
"Figured we should lock the door," Kate said with a grin, "permanently."
"Nice," Merrick replied. A smile spread across his face. He looked back at the hatch. The pounding on the far side increased in ferocity. "Very nice."
Kate tossed the door controls aside and took Merrick's hand in hers. "Shall we?"
"We just need..." Merrick began.
The deck shook violently and the air was filled with a deep rumbling sound.
Kate and Merrick were thrown against the wall and managed to stay upright only by hanging tight to each other.
"What was that?" Kate asked.
"Hopefully the others departing," Merrick replied. He studied the short corridor ahead of them. It curved to the left about twenty meters away from the hatch. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Kate hissed.
"Escape pod," Merrick replied.
Kate stopped. "How will we meet back up with the others?"
"Didn't get that far," Merrick admitted.
She smacked him in the arm. "That is not a plan!"
Merrick snagged Kate's wrist in mid-air as she started to hit him again. He pulled her close and kissed her. When he let go of her, Kate hit his shoulder again.
"What was that for?" Kate asked. "Luck?"
"Something like that."
Kate seized Merrick's face in her hands and planted a long kiss on his lips.
"What was that for?" Merrick asked, a little breathless, when Kate released her grip.
"Luck," Kate smiled. "We're going to need it."
Merrick did not argue. He knew she was right. He took Kate's hand and pulled her down the corridor to the line of pod entrances marked ahead of them.
Sparrow waited at the top of the ramp for the others to fall back inside the door. Ross spent a long minute trying to figure out how to seal the pressure hatch.
"Leave it!" Georges shouted as he rushed past Ross.
"No time!" Sparrow added. She figured whatever Kate did to get the hatch open was going to keep it open permanently. "Hurry!"
An increased rate of fire from the corridor convinced Ross of the same thing. He shouted to Garrett, "Move it, sir!"
Garret took one final, carefully-aimed shot and sprinted for the Blade. Ross followed. He fired through the open door every few steps in order to discourage pursuit as long as possible.
"Sergeant Ross!" Sparrow shouted when she saw something bounce through the door.
The marine did not stop. Instead he dove headfirst up the ramp and rolled into the cargo bay. Ross kicked his legs out and caught Sparrow by the knees.
Sparrow fell awkwardly into the cargo bay. She was struggling to get up when Ross rolled on top of her. An explosion rocked their ship.
He levered himself up and looked Sparrow in the eyes. He mumbled, "Sorry."
"Anytime," Sparrow breathed. She tried to catch her breath; knocked out of her when the marine landed on her. To save her life, she realized. "Anytime," she repeated softly.
Several more grenades rolled into the docking bay.
"Door!" Ross shouted, "How do we close the stupid door!"
"On the wall!" Garrett shouted over his shoulder at Ross. He and Georges had found shelter behind the crates stacked in the cargo hold. Now, both sprinted forward into the ship. Both men were obviously in search of the bridge.
Ross and Sparrow ducked again as the grenades went off outside the ship.
Sparrow looked back at Ross as he ran his hands over the pressure readouts, levers, and knobs which passed for a control panel on the Blade. Despite their lack on electronic interface, Sparrow thought she knew what to do. She struggled to her feet, elbowed Ross aside and took over the controls. Closing the door was a simple matter of reducing the pressure in the hydraulic cylinders controlling the cargo bay ramp and then throwing the release switch. The large hydraulic pistons hissed as they pulled the heavy steel door upward. Sparrow staggered, as violent vibrations wracked the ship when Dagger started up the engines.
Ross got how the door worked now. He threw the large switch open. The door shuddered as it stopped closing and reversed its action. Ross stopped it again. A half meter of open space remained between the clamshell door sections.
"Need to be able to fire back until they get those engines warmed up," Ross called out in way of explanation.
"Right," Sparrow shouted and left the defense of the loading bay to Ross.
"Better look for a seat!" Dagger's voice called out over the intercom. "I can guarantee this is not going to be pretty."
Sparrow staggered forward down the tight corridor threading more or less down the center of the Blade. She lost her footing as Dagger revved the engines again and caused the entire vessel to rattle. She reached the tiny bridge and threw herself into the chair behind Dagger. Garrett planted himself in the co-pilot seat and Georges was trying to find the straps for the chair opposite from Sparrow.
"Kind of rough out there," Garrett remarked. "Maybe I should drive." He laid his hands on an oversized steering column inlaid with a wooden grip.
Dagger produced a knife from her vest and jammed it neatly between the marine pilot's fingers.
"Of course you've got a lot more experience with this class of ships," Garrett declared. He carefully pulled his hand away from the control column and flexed his fingers.
"What about Merrick and Kate?" Sparrow asked breathlessly. "We need to get them in here!"
"We'll catch up with them in a moment," Georges said.
Bullets rapped against the cockpit windows.
Sparrow screeched and cringed. When nothing shattered she looked up in time to see another flurry of rounds bounce off the windows and frame. She noticed Dagger and Garrett did not flinch.
"This stuff's rated for micro-meteors," Dagger explained. She did not look up from warming up the Blade's systems. "Nothing they've got out there can put a dent in it."
"Merrick and Kate won't last another minute out there!" Sparrow protested.
"They hitched a ride," Georges replied.
Sparrow thought for a moment. Her eyes went wide as she worked out what actually happened out in the corridor.
"Those escape pods have not been serviced since the Tallinn got here!" Sparrow exclaimed. "The logs popped up when I was trying to find a way into the hanger."
"Then let's hope the last Fleet maintenance crew did their job correctly," Georges stated.
Sparrow sagged in her seat. There was no reason the pods should not work. They were designed to sit for long periods of time, unattended. She sighed and focused on the local EM network. Kate and Merrick were on their own for now. She needed to attend to Blade's problems, she realized.
"Go!" Ross shouted from the rear of the ship. "We got more visitors!"
"This docking bay is locked down!" Sparrow shouted and pointed over Dagger's shoulder at the large heavy door separating the Blade from open space.
Dagger swatted Sparrow's arm away. "Won't be for long."
"I have weapon's control up," Garrett announced. When Dagger glared at him, he added, "What? You can't fly and shoot at the same time. Do you want to do everything yourself?"
"I could."
More bullets hit the cockpit. A string of shots rattled from the back of the ship, distinct against the noise of the Blade finally hitting a steady thrum. Ross, Sparrow thought, protecting them as long as he could. Buying them a few seconds more.
&nb
sp; "Accurately?" Garrett pressed.
Another exchange of fire ended with the report of Ross' heavy rifle then a brief absence of gunfire from the Tallinns.
"Fine," Dagger growled. "First target is right there." She pointed at the huge airlock out the side window.
"But the corridor hatch is still open," Garrett noted. "We'll depressurize this entire quadrant of the station."
"Not my problem," Dagger said smoothly. She cinched her shoulder straps and laid her right hand on the throttles. She called over her shoulder to Georges, "Have your man button up back there!"
"Time to go!" Georges shouted back through the Blades' main corridor.
Sparrow heard the renewed whine of the rear ramp closing. It was soon drowned out by the pulsing of the engines as Dagger pushed the power-throttles forward, feeding fuel to the waiting propulsion system. Retros fired and the Blade rose into the air, rocking from the engine blast bouncing off the rear wall.
"Now, Flyboy!" Dagger ordered, "I need a door!"
"On it," Garrett replied. He took a moment to find the right switch. Sparrow jumped when a missile streaked out from under the Blade. It flew the fifty meters to the door and exploded.
"Tral!" Ross shouted from his spot at the doorway.
Dagger shot a look at the marine and ordered, "Seat! Now!"
Ross crammed himself into a jump seat behind Sparrow.
Sparrow grabbed the arm rests of her seat and hung on tight. The explosive blast wave hit the Blade and tossed the ship back toward the docking bay bulkhead. Dagger pushed the thruster controls to the stops and charged into the expanding fireball.
"Traltraltral!" Sparrow heard herself saying as she curled up into her seat. She pulled her legs up and turned her head aside, half expecting the cockpit windows to shatter and explode inward. When they were not dead a moment later, Sparrow peeked and saw they were passing through the rapidly dissipating debris field outside the docking bay. She felt a momentary kick in acceleration.
"That would be what was left of the air in the bay and the corridor," Garrett noted.
Dagger threw the Blade into a tight turn so they were heading along the underside of Transom Station. "Next time just use the chain gun, genius. The back-pressure nearly killed the engines."
