She took in a deep breath before turning around. Nobel was still at his place in the very back, his eyes closed and fully jacked in with Black. Carb stood with Murdock and Wendt, Copenhaver standing astride the SV-52.
“Black Company,” she bellowed in a hoarse shout she didn’t even know she could make. “Form up!”
The four marines snapped to attention, arms at their sides, eyes staring straight ahead. “Time to ride the Gs. Get settled in your couches. You have one minute. Move it!”
The four marines walked in pairs out of the cargo bay. Kali stared after them for a moment before falling in behind them.
*****
Kali peeled herself off the acceleration couch. The last burn felt short to her. She checked her chronometer and she was right. Four minutes short. She wasn’t really sure what that meant.
“Well, Corporal,” Wendt said. “I haven’t really had the chance to say welcome back.”
She smiled. “We’ve all been a little busy,” she said. “How are you holding up?”
“Doing fine.” He jerked a thumb at Murdock. “Busy keeping his sorry ass alive.”
“Hey!” Murdock said.
Wendt shrugged. “Sounds about right, doesn’t it?”
Murdock raised a finger to protest, paused, and slowly lowered it. He fetched a deep sigh. “No comment.”
Kali laughed. “Let’s hope you don’t need to—”
“Command crew to the briefing room,” Taulbee’s voice said over the general comms.
Wendt stared up at the speaker hidden somewhere in the overhead. “Ah,” he said. He slowly lowered his eyes to meet hers, his face set in a grin. “The joys of command.”
“Shut up. You kids behave.”
Kali made her way from the crew area to the bridge level. She should have felt nervous. Hell, her heart should be jack-hammering away in her chest, and her stomach clenched in knots, but instead, she felt nothing. It was just another task in the seemingly longest day of her life.
Once she made it to the briefing room, she knocked on the door. “Enter and at ease,” Dunn’s voice said through the door’s speaker. She opened the door, closed it behind, and walked to the table. Dunn gestured to a chair without breaking his stare with the hologram floating in midair.
“Welcome, Corporal.”
“Thank you, sir,” she said.
Taulbee glanced at her and nodded to the place next to him. She took the hint and walked past him. Nobel grinned at her but said nothing.
“We cut the burn short because of a transmission we received from Mickey.” Three circles appeared on the holographic map. The triangle in the center was S&R Black. Two of the circles were behind the ship, the third in front. He pointed at the map. “Those two in our wake are separate walls of the creatures. They’re still on our tail, although we’ve gained quite a lot of ground.”
Dunn flicked his eyes to the pulsing circle far in front of them. “That is Dickerson’s escape pod.”
Kali nearly asked a question and bit her lip instead. Fortunately, Taulbee did it for her.
“Sir, does Mickey have any intel on the pod? Life signs? Power?”
Dunn glanced at him. “Yes and no. Its thrusters are continuing to fire on schedule, so it obviously still has both fuel and power. As to life signs? Your guess is as good as anyone’s.”
Taulbee nodded. “So the bad guys are still coming at us and we’re going to have to stop accelerating to capture the escape pod.”
“That’s the long and the short of it, yes,” Dunn said. He made eye contact with Nobel. “How are we on fuel?”
“Fine, for now, sir,” Nobel said. “Reactors are doing okay. As long as we continue the short burst thrusts, I don’t foresee any issues.”
“Good,” Dunn said. “Taulbee? How do you want to do this?”
“I think we keep braking to match Dickerson’s speed,” Taulbee said. “After we catch up with him, I’ll take the SV-52 and retrieve him. Shouldn’t take long. Once we’re underway again, we can launch the sled.”
Launch the sled. The sled. Yes, they still had to launch the sled. They had to get it flying to Pluto, regardless of what else they did. In that respect, wasn’t Dickerson secondary? No, she thought. He’s not. But in the scope of the mission, he is. She swallowed hard.
Dunn nodded to himself. “Corporal?”
She stiffened. She hadn’t exactly expected him to ask her anything. “Aye, sir?”
“You have anything to add?”
She felt as though he could see every thought inside her head. “May I ask a question, sir?”
Dunn blinked. “Of course you may.”
She swung her head to look at Nobel. “Lieutenant? Do we have to fire the sled straight at Pluto, or can we send it on a different trajectory?”
Nobel absently scratched at the wrap around his ribs as he considered the question. A few seconds later, he began to grin. “Yes, Corporal. We have enough control to program a different flight path. At least to a certain degree.”
She looked back at the captain. “Sir? If we send the sled off on a wider flight path, we can ensure the creatures will give up chasing us and go after the sled. That will leave us more space and time to retrieve Dickerson.”
Dunn pursed his lips and returned his stare to the hologram. She thought he was going to tell her she was being silly, but smiled instead. “Black? Calculate potential paths for the sled.”
“Yes, Captain.”
A series of arcs appeared, each beginning at S&R Black’s position and ending at Pluto. Black then erased the arcs that would put Dickerson in obvious danger. The remaining three courses took the sled on approaches that would bring the sled in on Pluto’s far side. The sled would peel off from their present position, execute multiple attitude burns to gain lateral space, and even more attitude burns once it closed on Pluto.
“Which of these three is the optimum?” Dunn asked.
The arc in the middle of the three possibles pulsed. “This one,” Black said, “shows the least probability of failure. The widest arc is the safest. However, it is also the most likely to fail due to the sled’s limited fuel supply.”
“What’s the probability of success on the optimum arc?” Taulbee asked.
“85%,” Black said. “That estimate, of course, does not include the very slim chance of the creatures catching up with the sled.”
“Void wept,” Nobel muttered.
Kali understood what he meant. If the creatures caught up with the sled, there was no telling what they would do. Or, more importantly, what the beacon would do. They would certainly lose any chance of controlling the vehicle, let alone where it landed. Or if it landed.
“This arc doesn’t really buy us too much distance,” Taulbee said. He glanced at Kalimura. “But it should give us enough.”
“Let’s be clear about this,” Dunn said. “We’re talking about delaying a rescue, essentially leaving Dickerson in his pod longer than we have to, in order to guarantee we can actually save him.”
Kali nodded. “I think so, sir.”
Dunn’s smile grew. “Taulbee?”
“Aye, sir. I think we should go with this.”
“Any objections?” Dunn asked Nobel.
The engineer slowly shook his head. “I think the sled can handle it. Just means Black and I will have to keep a closer eye on it. I think we’re good.”
“Black?”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Find us the best launch point on our way to pick up Dickerson. Sooner rather than later.”
“Yes, Captain,” Black said. She paused for a moment. “The best launch window will open in fifteen minutes.”
“Good. Taulbee? I want a plan of attack for the sled in my block in five minutes.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Let’s get this right, people. Dismissed.”
Kali raised her hand to salute, but stopped short. None of the officers did, so she felt confused. Dunn looked at her with a knowing smile. “Salutes, Corpora
l, are a protocol we don’t observe with the command crew. Not while on a mission.”
“Oh,” she said dumbly. “Of course, sir.”
Taulbee beckoned her. “Let’s get to the cargo bay, Kalimura. We have some work to do.”
*****
Block to block was the most efficient way to manufacture and disseminate tactical plans. While walking to the cargo bay from the briefing room, she and Taulbee had an entire conversation regarding load outs, assignments, and tactics. By the time the two reached the bay, Taulbee had already transmitted the plans to Dunn’s block. The captain sent an acknowledgment to both of them in return: it was a go.
Kali had already sent block messages commanding her squad to be in the cargo bay and ready to go. As she and Taulbee stepped into the cargo bay, the four marines stood at parade rest, still dressed in their combat suits.
“Officer on deck!” Kali yelled.
The four marines stiffened, eyes straight ahead.
Taulbee chuckled. “At ease,” he said. He glanced at Kali. “Your show, Corporal.”
“Aye, sir.” She walked forward a few paces and glanced at each of her charges. “Slight change in plans, marines. We’re going to launch the sled before we go after Dickerson.” Before the four non-rates had a chance to ask questions, or protest, she continued speaking. “Wendt? You, Murdock, and Carb are my squad. Copenhaver? You’re with the LT.”
“So what’s the plan?” Carb asked.
Kali grinned. “We will do a bounce and tether maneuver to the back of the ship and the sled. The SV-52 will provide cover fire and emergency ops if necessary. Wendt? Who’s a better shot? You or Murdock?”
Wendt scoffed. It was the only answer Kali needed. Murdock looked hurt, but didn’t protest.
“Carb? You and Murdock will handle the sled. Wendt and I will provide cover fire as well as handle the emergency tether lines.” She nodded at Carb. “You have any objections?”
“No, Corporal,” Carb said. “I’ll keep the little tyke safe.”
“Hey!” Murdock said.
Taulbee turned slightly to hide a grin. Kali fought to keep her face stony—it was damned difficult.
“So get yourselves ready. Wendt? You and I are carrying as much tritium as we can. Full mags. Fuck the other stuff.”
“Aye, Corporal.”
“Carb? Murdock? Same load, but don’t plan on using your rifles unless it’s absolutely necessary. The last thing we need is for one of you to accidentally hit the sled or the beacon.”
Murdock raised a hand. “Corporal?”
“What is it, Private?”
He swallowed hard. “What do we do if the beacon goes off again?”
She traded an uneasy glance with Taulbee. “We do whatever we have to do to succeed,” she said. “Any other questions?”
Murdock shook his head. The young private’s face had drained of color. He looked more terrified than she’d ever seen him.
“Let me be clear,” Kali said. “We fuck this up, we lose Dickerson. We fuck this up, we might lose Black. If we really fuck this up, we might lose Sol System altogether.” The cargo bay went dead silent. She checked her chronometer. “We have 10 minutes before the ship reaches the launch window. We have two minutes after that to get the sled launched. We’re in space in two minutes. Make it happen, people. Get to it.”
The strained silence instantly disappeared. Copenhaver trotted to the SV-52, removed the fueling cables, and began a pre-flight check. Taulbee joined her, obviously pleased by her initiative.
Kali grabbed her helmet and a rifle from the rack. She stashed several magazines in her pouch and checked the ammo count in the rifle. When they finished loading up, the last of the tritium mags were exhausted. Her four marines, plus Taulbee and Copenhaver’s weapons, were flush with the tritium ammo. Once they ran out, they were done. They’d be down to regular explosive flechettes and shock rounds.
Kali stood next to Carb. “You really okay with this?” she asked in a low voice.
Carb nodded. “I don’t like how long we’re going to make Dickerson wait.” She traded a glance with Kali. “If you say it’s for a good reason, though, that’s good enough for me.”
“It is,” Kali said. “This will buy us more time. Hopefully, it will make picking him up even easier.”
Carb made a noise that might have been a mirthless laugh or a curse. “Easy? On this mission. That would be a first.”
“Keep an eye on Murdock. He’s looking a little squirrely.”
“Aye, Boss.” Carb patted her pouch, her gloved fingers counting the stashed magazines. “I’ll keep him out of trouble.”
“Just keep him from freezing,” Kali said.
“Will do, Boss.”
“Wendt!” Kali called. “You ready or what?”
“Aye, Boss.” The large marine had already locked his rifle to his back and was checking Murdock’s suit and load. “Ready when you are.”
“Outstanding,” Kali said. “We’ll go out the personnel airlock. Make sure you’re tethered. We’ll mag-lock along the starboard hull until we reach aft. Once we get there, Wendt and I will take up position to provide cover fire, tether support, and assistance if needed. Carb? You and Murdock will follow the tow lines down to the sled. Release it and follow Black’s instructions as far as its orientation. Once that happens, we’ll pull you back. Understood?” The three marines bellowed affirmatives. Kali smiled. “Let’s do it.”
*****
They had a little more than four minutes to reach the aft before S&R Black entered the launch window. Kali, bringing up the rear of the formation of four marines, was already frustrated. Murdock, second behind Carb, was holding up the line with his clumsy technique. She made a mental note to get permission from Gunny to beat his ass when they returned to Trident Station.
If Gunny is conscious, let alone alive, she thought. The image of him lying in the autodoc filled her mind, the normally powerful and strong-looking marine rendered helpless. With one eye covered in a patch while the other remained closed to the world outside, he might as well have been trapped in the void. Kali suddenly wanted to be back there in the infirmary, to be around if something happened.
Won’t matter if you fuck this up. The voice was her own, and yet sounded like Gunny all at the same time. Kali grinned.
“Murdock? Move your fucking ass before I kick it off the hull,” she growled into the mic.
“Yes, Boss!” Murdock yelled back.
And he did. His clumsy steps were still aggravating to watch, but at least he was stumbling faster. Yup. He was in for a lot of hell when they returned to Trident Station. She might make him walk around the whole goddamned exterior.
A check of her chronometer told her a minute had already passed, but at least they were finally nearing the aft. Wendt, as large as he was, blocked out much of her view. Instead of trying to catch a peek over his shoulder, she added his helmet feed to her HUD and scanned her side of space looking for movement, but there was none.
The SV-52 glided 10 meters away as it slowly maneuvered to cover her squad. “I have you in sight, Corporal,” Taulbee said.
“Copy, sir,” she said.
“You have two and a half minutes until the launch window opens,” Black said. “Mark.”
“You heard her,” Kali said. “Move it.” She switched to Carb’s cam and watched as the hump of S&R Black’s engine array came into view. “Carb? Descend and head for the belly. We’ll follow.”
“Copy, Boss,” Carb said. Her cam feed panned to the left before reorienting on the edge of the ship’s hull. Carb took four steps before halting. “Shit. Corporal?”
A line of silvery liquid curled in a semi-circle centimeters from Carb’s boot. The acid eventually drizzled down and out of sight. “Squad. A starfish left its calling card.” She flipped through her cam feeds, looking for signs of movement. Apart from the SV-52 finally reaching its position, nothing moved.
“It may have been from before,” Carb said. “No telling how l
ong this shit has been here.”
“Cut the chatter. Carb? Mark it on your HUD and keep going.”
“Copy, Boss,” she said. After shuffling a step further from the substance, she continued walking to the ship’s belly.
“Kalimura to Taulbee.”
“Go ahead.”
“Sir? We found acid near the engine array.”
“Copy,” the lieutenant said.
Kali continued watching her steps, giving herself plenty of space between her and Wendt, while occasionally glancing at the SV-52’s position. The support craft appeared to be dropping below the ship very slowly.
Carb reached the intersection and followed the gentle curve to the ship’s keel. Even with her rifle in her hands, the weapon raised nearly to shoulder height, her fluid steps held the cam view steady.
“At the acid,” Wendt said nervously.
“Copy,” Kali said. “Carb?”
“So far so good, Boss.”
“Okay, let Wendt and I get into position before you start your approach to the net tether.”
“Copy, Boss,” Murdock and Carb said at the same time.
Kali fought the flood of gooseflesh that crawled up her arms and over her back. If that was a new trail, they had at least one hostile in the area. At least one. She thought they had been clear of the creatures before they blasted Mira, but there was no telling what had attached itself to the hull before they finished the job. Hell, the moment Taulbee docked, the damned things had been out there.
Hitched a ride, she thought sourly. “Squad,” she said firmly, but slowly. “Multiple bogies likely. Keep your heads on a swivel.”
Their voices came back cold and matter-of-fact. Everyone copied, everyone knew what to do. She just hoped they could execute when the time came.
*****
The SV-52 slowly dipped below the hull-line. Taulbee held his breath as they finally descended far enough for the cams to provide a view of the keel, the bottom hull appearing to lengthen and narrow during his perspective shift. The ‘52’s lights finally provided detail once it chased away the shadows and phantom shapes. He shivered as he realized the detail faded near the midships as if the light itself were being eaten.
Derelict: Destruction (Derelict Saga Book 3) Page 38
