by John Walker
“When it turns back to blue, you’re going to see two squares at the bottom. The one on the left will be flashing. That’s what you want to hit.” Avania paused. “Essentially, you’re confirming that you want to put the shields into maintenance mode.”
“I’m tricking it into thinking we’re going to fix it?” Dex smirked. “I get it. That’s why we were able to do it from this control panel?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered which panel you did it from. This one was near you so that’s why we went with it.” Avania paused. “We won’t have a lot of time when you do that before they try to restore the shields. I’m thinking you’re not interested in standing there trying to counter them so when you hit the button, get everyone ready to leave.”
“That’s easier said than done!” Dex cursed. “Damn it, Avania!”
“Do what you can.”
The two squares appeared. Dex hovered his hand over the flashing one. “Attention, all units. We’re about to be on a tight time limit. Get your hostages to the rally point and start the bomb countdowns. I’ve got an easier idea about how to get these people out of here than trying to dock the Seeker. Load them on a shuttle and I’ll meet you there shortly.”
Dex hit the button, turning to dart away. He stopped abruptly, staring at an alien aiming a pistol at him. Sneaky bastard! The helmet hid the thing’s features but he imagined an expression of fury, eyes burrowing into his. There was no way he could get his rifle up to take the thing out before it pulled the trigger.
A quick draw of his pistol might’ve been possible but even that motion would take longer than the twitch of a finger. They stood there for a good five seconds. What’s this thing waiting for? The ground trembled, far worse than before. The alien stumbled forward, his weapon buzzing as a beam lanced out.
Searing pain danced along Dex’s leg as the beam grazed him just above the knee. He fell to the right, drawing his pistol as he went down. Two shots caught the alien in the hip and a third got him in the stomach. When Dex landed, he fired again, getting his target in the chest. As it flopped on its back, he crawled to his feet and limped toward the hallway.
The wound on his leg had been instantly cauterized but every step sent a shock of pain along his nerves. I don’t have time for this! Dex pushed himself, doing his best to ignore every agonizing step. They would be off the ship soon enough but before he could enjoy that taste of freedom, he had to get back to the others.
A task that seemed easier said than done.
***
Micky Chilton woke up to the sounds of gunfire erupting around him. A strange buzzing made his skin crawl, like thousands of bees raging in half second intervals. Blue lights flashed here and there. He didn’t dare sit up but rather took in his surroundings with only his eyes, listening intently to the chaos.
Metal walls and ceilings surrounded him. He was lying on a hard surface and as he scraped his fingers over it, he noted it was some kind of rough rubber. Focus began to return to him, a sense of what happened before he woke up. He’d been in his fighter, attacking the strange alien shuttle when it shot him from behind.
I thought I was dead. The thought made him realize they must’ve captured him. That’s how they grabbed the first round of hostages. Holy shit, I’m in space! Turning to his left, he saw a strangely clad man holding an odd pistol. The weapon turned out to be the source of the buzzing as it belched a blue beam from the tip.
Oh my God, that’s an alien. More gunshots went off, the familiar sound of an assault rifle. He’d trained with those but just then, he was unarmed. Is this a rescue attempt? Have our people come to save us? He was having a hard time remembering the full extent of the operation he’d been involved in but it didn’t matter just then.
I have to help somehow!
Micky tested himself, flexing his arms and legs. Everything worked. He wasn’t hurt. Getting into the fight made him nervous if only for the fact there were so many unknowns. However, if he didn’t stand up, he should remain out of the line of fire. A plan came to him, something that could help without endangering himself.
He rolled off the platform, slamming his body into the thing’s legs. It stumbled but didn’t fall. Micky grabbed hold of its ankles and yanked hard, making the alien topple to the ground. It landed on its back, losing the pistol as its hand slammed into the ground and bounced.
Micky rolled on top of it and beat it in the chest several times. It struggled to grab his throat and he leaned back, gripping it by the hand and wrenching hard to the left. He felt the break, heard the thing scream in pain before rough hands grabbed him from behind. Struggling, he threw his elbows out and tried to kick backward.
“Relax!” Someone shouted. “I’m a marine! Slow down, Tex. We’re here to help!”
The marine let him go and he stumbled away, staring wide eyed at the man. His savior wore an environmental suit and carried a rifle. He turned it on the injured alien and executed him. “We have to get the hell out of here, buddy. It’s just me and Gordon over there on this particular one. Help us rouse these people.”
“How?” Micky asked.
“Slapping seems to work best.” The marine shrugged. “I’m Denton. What’s your name?”
“Captain Micky Chilton of the—”
“Dude, save the formalities,” Denton interrupted. “Just get these people up. We’re on a time limit. Nukes are armed and we’re trying to get the hell out of here. If you don’t want to find out what five big ass bombs do to an alien facility first hand, you’ll want to move. Hey, grab one of their weapons too. You can help.”
Micky turned to look at the various people lying on what appeared to be a conveyer belt. It fed into a large device with something glowing yellow inside. Chains hung over it, like what he’d seen at a butcher’s shop when he was a kid. Were they planning on cooking us or something? Christ in heaven, this is insane!
The marines were slapping people, rousing them from their slumber. Micky did the same, helping through the first few moments of disorientation. “It’s okay,” he said. “You’re going to be fine. Just get up. Marines have come to help us. Can you walk? We really need to get moving.”
Micky grabbed one of the weapons as the last of his people got to their feet. He wondered if any of his other flight made it onboard. Were they dead? The marines wouldn’t know. There were too many operations for a couple guys to be privy to the status of one fight in Germany.
“You guys all ready?” Denton shouted.
The people replied, though not nearly so enthusiastically. Micky felt their fear, saw the terror in their eyes. Many of these people hadn’t been fighting the enemy when they were taken. They simply had the bad luck to be caught. At least they’re free now. Micky waited for Denton to lead the way.
“Follow me, everyone! We’re getting you out of here but move your asses! This is not a place you want to be left behind! Believe me!”
Micky did. Still, he took up the rear, watching their backs with his new weapon. It felt insanely light in his hand, practically like a toy. He’d seen it in action though didn’t know how devastating the beams could be. He wanted to try it but discharging the thin might panic the other people.
I hope I don’t need this thing. Micky admired his surroundings, the smooth metal walls and ceiling, the matching floor and the darkness of the corridor both ahead of them and behind. The sterility of it gave him the creeps, the fact they were about to do something terrible to a bunch of unconscious people would likely haunt his dreams.
If these men hadn’t arrived, I really would’ve died in that aircraft. The sobering thought made Micky grimace. He’d been in several near misses in his life as a pilot but never one so horrifying as whatever he found himself in on that spaceship. The menace of the aliens made a lot more sense to him as he hustled down the hallway.
And the absolute need to destroy their ship became quite clear as well.
Chapter 13
Another blast slammed into the Leviathan, cutting through one of the
main thrusters. It immediately went offline. The view screen flickered but remained on, showing their target and the many shield sections that throbbed red. They were on the verge of dropping if only they could continue to fire their weapons.
“Bank hard right,” Warren ordered, “give them another target to shoot at.”
“Unnecessary,” Avania said. “And … prepare for a glow.”
The enemy shields turned white, increasing in brightness until Warren had to look away. Five seconds later, the light was gone and when he looked back at the ship, nothing flashed on the surface. The shields must’ve been down completely, all sections, not just those they’d been damaging for the last several moments.
“You did it?” Warren asked. “Dex was able to get them down?”
“They’re in maintenance mode,” Avania replied. “That buys us a little time but they must get off that ship pretty much now … before they turn it back on.”
Warren turned to Madeline. “Get the Seeker on the horn and have them head in for pick up.”
“I think Lieutenant Pollard has a better idea,” Avania said. “At least, he said something about that on the com.”
Warren tapped into the marine channel. “Dex, what’s going on? We’re about to send the Seeker in to pick you guys up.”
“I think we can steal another shuttle,” Dex said. “That would be easier than trying to dock our ship on short notice, don’t you think?”
“Who’s going to pilot it?” Warren asked. “Avania brought it out the first time.”
“When we’re on board and away from this thing, we’ll meet up with the Seeker then.”
“That’s wise,” Avania added, “because once the collector ship is down, the shuttles might lose navigation.”
“If you think that’ll work, Dex. Get those people out of there any way you can. We’ll coordinate with the Seeker to ensure they’re ready to help.” Warren tapped the arm of his chair. Something didn’t feel right. “Do they still have offensive capabilities? Or are all their weapons based on those shields?”
“They may have installed turrets,” Avania said. “Such equipment is not standard to these vessels but you never know how paranoid the average captain will get. Most places they visit don’t try to stop them. In some sectors, there’s even a fine for obstructing their duties. A couple systems leave people in designated areas, like sacrifices.”
“A fine?” Victoria blurted out. “You must be joking! A fine for defending your own people? Please tell me that’s not real.”
“I assure you, it is.” Avania sighed. “These ships travel under the flag of royal protection … a hotly sought-after commodity and privilege for these mercenary animals. My explanation does not, in anyway justify them. I’m simply telling you the facts. I would love to see them all put out of business and thrown into prison.”
“Captain,” Madeline said, “there’s something interfering with communications again. A massive signal … like a power surge or … or deliberate noise. I can’t tell which.”
“Avania?” Warren asked.
“I’m looking.” Avania spun in her chair suddenly. “They are preparing to wormhole out.”
“Wait, what?” Victoria looked at Warren. “I didn’t think they could just … do that. And if they could, why haven’t they already?”
“They were still collecting goods, remember?” Warren frowned. “What do we do about this? We have to stop them?”
“Target the upper part of the sphere.” Avania gestured to the screen. “Hit them hard. Open the hull. It will force them to cancel, even if it’s only temporarily, while they get a safety precaution in place.”
“Target it,” Warren said. “Fire when ready. But why is this going to work?”
“Because going into a wormhole with a hull breach is practically suicide,” Avania replied. “Especially in larger ships. If they can seal it quickly, they can still escape but they won’t go until they’ve got a physical obstruction barring the hole.” The cannons discharged, peppering the enemy hull. “We have to buy time for those people get out.”
“Madeline,” Warren said, “can you reach Dex?”
“I’m trying, sir.”
“Repeat a message to him. Let him know what’s about to happen. Tell them to hurry.”
Nicolas fired again, this time causing a blue-yellow bulb to burst from the hull of the ship. “Direct hit, both salvos! Look at that! Breach!”
“Good work,” Avania said. “Let’s hope that will buy enough time and that they don’t manage to get their shields back online. Though I suppose that won’t matter if they steal a shuttle. This is going to be very close, captain. If you have divinity in your culture, you may wish to consult it … or them.”
Warren shook his head. “I don’t think we need to rely on luck here. As long as they hurry, we should be good to go.”
The ship shook violently and safety straps kept Warren from being tossed out of his seat. He grunted from the shock of it, the pain of nylon biting into his flesh. “Report!” He coughed several times after shouting. His chest burned and as he looked around, he saw the others didn’t fare much better. “What the hell was that?”
“We’ve been hit with a laser blast,” Avania said. “It seems they do have turrets after all. Nicolas, if you wouldn’t mind targeting the coordinates I sent your terminal, you should be able to take them out. As far as our damage is concerned, the concussion seems to have caused a breach outside of engineering.”
“Is everyone okay?” Victoria asked.
Madeline answered, “medical bay has a number of casualties. There are some people cut off from the rest of the ship in that section. One of them … had a malfunction with their environmental suit. They’re gone, sir.” She drew a deep breath. “I’m waiting for a tally of the dead. But there are at least six. Likely more.”
“Damn it!” Warren slapped the arm of his chair. “Take out those turrets, Nicolas. Fire!”
“I am sir,” Nicolas replied, “I needed to divert some power but we’re letting them go now.” The weapons let off their familiar grind as the projectiles were hurled toward their destination. Another blast flew toward them, causing another massive tremor throughout the Leviathan.
Lights flickered and stayed out. The bridge was lit by the glow of consoles and the view screen. Smoke poured out of a panel to the right. Avania unfastened her harness and hurried over, disengaging the safety clips to pull the metal section off. She winced, withdrawing once them grabbing it again.
That thing must be scorching hot! Warren popped the belts off of his chair and rushed over to help her. When he pressed his fingers against it, he withdrew swiftly from the searing heat. Gritting his teeth, he helped her pop it free. A fire licked the wires and he grabbed the emergency fire extinguisher, blasting the flames with it.
Avania returned to her post as the weapons started grinding again. “We’re losing power!” Nicolas shouted. “That’s the last volley I’ll get off without help from engineering.”
“Do what you can,” Warren said. He returned to his chair and clicked on the com. “Delgado, do you read me?”
“I’m a little busy!” Delgado shouted back. “We’ve got a real mess down here!”
“How bad is it?”
Delgado shouted indistinctly for a moment before responding. “Systems are going down all over the ship. It ain’t pretty but we’re doing what we can. Generators are holding, artificial gravity is okay and life support too but we’re struggling with power relays. Several sections of the ship are dark but we’re working on it.”
“Can we get back to Earth like this?”
“Only one engine’s operational,” Delgado replied. “And we can’t analyze the other but a massive chunk is missing. I guess to answer your question, yes, but it won’t be a fast trip. I need to get back to this. Some of my men are trapped and we’re trying to get them out through maintenance passages. Delgado out!”
“Shit.” Warren turned to Madeline. “Were you able to ge
t through to Dex?”
“Still working on it, sir. The interference is lifting though so I imagine I’ll be through in a moment.”
“Good.” Warren clenched his fist. “Those turrets down, Nicolas?”
“Yes, sir. Unless they’ve got more, we should be good.”
“Pull us back. I want to have some reaction room in case they decide to do something insane like ram us.”
“Which is a possibility,” Avania said. “They have no reason not to at this point.”
“You’re full of great information,” Warren muttered. “Full speed, get us out of here.”
***
Micky nearly ran into the person he was following when the line abruptly stopped. A crowd milled about a large case and two marines were ushering people into a room. They shouted in an attempt to make them hurry but some seemed dazed, stumbling into the chamber while others anxiously tried to push their way in.
He hurried to the front of the crowd, tripping on someone’s legs just as he approached the marines. One of them lifted his weapon and aimed it at him for half a moment before shaking his head and turning away. Everyone was on edge, especially the soldiers who came to get them.
I can’t blame them. Micky looked down at the person he’d tripped on and gasped. They had to be dead. Half their face and chest were melted. Someone put its arms over its chest. He swallowed hard, fighting back an urge to be sick. That’s what those beams do to people. Dear God in heaven.
“You ready?” The voice made Micky jump. “We’re boarding this shuttle to get the hell out of here, you ready to go or do you want to stay?”
“I’m ready,” Micky nodded, moving into the room. “How … how’s this thing going to leave?”
“I have no idea. I’m waiting for the LT to come back. He’s been on one of these things when they’ve flown before so I guess we’ll find out soon. Hang tight.” The marine dashed off, leaving him amongst the crowd. The area was packed full though there was just enough room to mill about.
