A low sigh, almost a whistle, came from Hunn, and Jack twisted his head just a fraction to look at both him and Wictred when a cough caught his attention.
“Private, eyes front,” whispered Lieutenant Rossen in her icy voice.
The snigger of Hunn was probably too quiet for the Lieutenant to hear, but Jack had no problem at such a short distance. He considered kicking his friend but decided against it.
Sort yourself out, you idiot, he thought, realizing how childish he was being.
The last of the delegation continued away to the right, and the marines were forced to stand in silence and wait for their orders. The officers spoke for what must have been three or four minutes before they moved away. Lieutenant Rossen gave her marines the nod, and the entire squad fell in behind the Helions. The group of two-dozen individuals walked away from the landing deck of the warship and into the main passageway that ran along the spine of the ship. It was the most lavish part and had been designed specifically for this kind of task. Electronic window devices at key points along the wall and ceiling gave the impression they were moving through a glass tunnel running along the ship. Outside, a number of other Alliance ships waited in formation as well as many more alien vessels. The planet of Helios glowed like a hot sun below, and a bright flare from its star was only partially blocked by the electronic filters.
“Wictred,” Jack said under his breath.
“Yeah?” replied his friend, with less effort to hide his voice.
Lieutenant Rossen looked at them but couldn’t identify who might have been speaking. She gave Jack a hard stare and turned back to the Helions in front of them. Wictred grinned at her annoyance.
“Did you see her?” he asked.
Hunn chortled at the question, but Wictred replied.
“How could I not? She looks just like the last five you’ve bedded.”
Thai Qiu-Li heard both the question and Wictred’s answer. She shook her head with mocked irritation. She was well used to Jack and his interest in the ladies. It was one of those things that made him a likable rogue and also a bit of a jerk. Since she’d known him, he’d had relationships with a number of the marines, and they always seemed to ends in a matter of days, sometimes weeks. If the rumors were true, there was also a nurse, but she wondered if that was mere exaggeration on the part of his two oversized friends.
“Jack, you should try thinking with your brain for a change,” she said quietly.
Jack laughed involuntarily and was forced to hide it with a cough. It was mainly surprise rather than embarrassment but still enough to draw the ire of the Lieutenant. He threw a look at Thai Qiu-Li, but she ignored him, and he quickly turned his eyes to the front. Unseen to him, she looked away with disappointment on her face. Wictred spotted her expression, and she scowled as he watched her before turning his eyes back to the front.
“What?” he muttered under his breath. Thai Qiu-Li sighed in exasperation.
The group now reached the halfway point, and the passageway had expanded into a dome type shape with a number of rooms off to the left. Two guards marked the entrance to the CIC, the Combat Information Centre that was the tactical heart of both the ship and the Alliance task force. The guests entered, and the marines moved in right behind them, leaving half of the squad to stay with the guards at the door. They continued on inside and into the bustle of a major warship. Jack had been on plenty of ships in his limited time in the Corps and also when working for his parents’ now defunct company. This ship was the most advanced he’d ever seen, and for a brief moment, his attention was diverted from the alien guests to the banks of screens and dozens of people moving about. The Captain and his senior commander were introducing themselves to the guests, but Jack was far too busy to watch, giving them no more than a glance via his peripheral vision. The three-dimensional mapping projector in the middle of the CIC was certainly impressive and was viewed by many of the officers as they managed the vessel. As well as a five-meter long model of the ship, it showed the surrounded planet and its satellites. Jack spotted movement and recognized the form of his tormentor. Lieutenant Rossen moved in front of the marines and looked at each of them before coming to Jack.
“Private Morato, have you seen something more interesting to you?”
He looked into her eyes but saw nothing but hostility in them. He returned his attention back to the front.
“Sir, no.”
He was tempted to explain that he’d never seen a ship like this one, but he knew the Lieutenant well enough to know that was likely to antagonize her even more. No, it was better for him to simply take it on the chin and keep his mouth shut. That was when he spotted a dozen shapes moving toward the model of their own ship. Until now the ships in orbit had been following a trajectory that kept them all well apart.
What’s going on? Are those our fighters?
Lieutenant Rossen noticed Jack’s eyes had moved elsewhere, but instead of checking, she took a step closer to him and then stumbled. Jack reached out and steadied her, as the great ship vibrated in what he could only assume was some kind of emergency maneuver. A loud thump shook the vessel, and a number of the internal displays went black, as internal camera feeds were lost. What happened next stunned them all. The lighting dropped to red, and emergency sirens started their song through the ship. Jack spotted the XO grab an intercom from the nearest console.
“Battlestations, this is not a drill. All crew to your stations. This is an Alpha Three priority alert! We’re under attack!”
Lieutenant Rossen pushed away from Jack’s hands and balanced herself. The crew, meanwhile, moved into action with great speed and fluidity. More impacts ripped through the ship as something substantial continued striking it like a strong hailstorm. With each impact came further alerts and warnings from the computer systems.
“What’s happening?” asked Wictred, more out of curiosity than concern.
Nobody answered him, but the model of the ship in relation to the planet of Helios made it very clear. They were changing course and moving up into a higher altitude.
“Weapons active, defensive pattern only!” added the XO.
The floor plates of the CIC rattled as the scores of weapon systems opened fire, and the small group of marines could only watch in shocked silence as their ship defended itself. Many of the larger displays showed feeds from the exterior cameras, and cries of surprise came from those watching dark shapes moving around the rear. Lines of projectiles from the point-defense turrets raced out to greet them, but substantial damage had already been caused.
“This is insane. We’re in Helion space,” said Lieutenant Rossen.
Jack shook his head and looked to his friends.
“Somebody should have explained that to them.”
Everybody else was busy watching either their own screens or the massive three-dimensional tactical display, but one thing they all knew, ANS Conqueror was under attack, and it looked like the newest and most powerful ship in the fleet was in serious trouble.
* * *
The sound of the alarm shook Teresa out of her deep sleep and upright on her bed. For the briefest of moments, she’d completely forgotten where she was. Thoughts of a bewildering number of planets, moons, and ships raced through her mind. It was the dull yellow glow coming from the shielded windows that instantly reminded her she was no longer on her ship and in fact on another alien world.
Helios, she thought.
In one swift motion, Teresa slid from the bed and dropped her feet to the floor. The granite type surface felt warm to the touch, nothing at all like what she was used to. There was a faint smell in the air, a dull smell like that of burning ozone, yet she couldn’t place the source. Her uniform was hung up smartly on the wall, and her side arm and belt hung lazily on a chair. To the side of her bed, a small metal box flickered pink and then yellow while emitted a low buzz.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
Teresa moved more weight onto her feet and felt and instant surge of dis
comfort, almost pain through the arches of her feet. She’d already seen her ship’s medical officer, and he’d identified it as plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammatory condition of the connective tissue on the sole of the foot. It was a problem she’d come across in the last year, and though not an issue, it did take a few seconds of stretching her muscles before she could relax her feet. Her body felt old, not that you could tell by looking at her. There were narrow lines on her face, but they were more from being woken in the middle of sleep than for any other reason. She was fit, perhaps fitter than at any other time in her life. Her muscles were taut, and her figure slight, yet strong.
I need more sleep.
The device on the wall flashed again, and she turned and tapped it. The unit flashed a final time and then expanded to the size of almost a meter in both height and width. It was an optical illusion, of course, but it took a few seconds for her mind to comprehend that simple fact; and then she saw the face of General Rivers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
“Major Morato, uh, perhaps you might get dressed?”
Teresa looked down, realizing she was completely naked in front of the screen. She might have blushed, but the expression on the General’s face was one she’d seen before, and it was never good. Her thoughts scattered as she tried to imagine what terrible event had made him contact her. Teresa leaned over, grabbed her blouse, and pulled it over her head. Her long black hair tangled and ruffled, and she moved it into position. It didn’t matter though; she just wanted to know what the General had to say.
“Have you heard the news?” he asked.
Spartan! It was her first thought, but she hated to hope. Instead, she shook her head.
“No, General, what’s going on?”
He nodded quickly as though in a rush to go.
“I see. I heard just a few minutes ago. ANS Conqueror has been attacked by hostile forces.”
“What?”
“It’s true. Check your secpad.”
Teresa jumped from the bed and grabbed the small electronic device from her jacket. Just a few swipes connected her to the military data feed and the public access information. It was all there before her, the ship, the damage, and the distress signals.
“How could this happen? We’re on a mission of peace in Helios. Where was our fighter cover?”
General Rivers turned from the camera, and it took several seconds before he returned. Teresa used that brief moment to grab the rest of her clothes to start getting dressed. A loud bang at the door almost stopped her until she heard the voice.
“Teresa, it’s Gun.”
“Come in!” she called out, dropping back on the bed and pulling her dark color pants up to her waist. Gun ignored her partially clothed state. He’d seen her in more bizarre situations in the past and moved so that he could also be seen on the communication unit. Almost at the same time, General Rivers turned to look back at them.
“Commander, good to see you.”
He then moved in closer so that his head enlarged. It was as if he wanted to share a secret between the three of them. Teresa almost jerked back as a reaction.
“You won’t believe this, actually, maybe you will. Apparently, the Helions decided to keep valuable intelligence to themselves about their political situation.”
“What?” Gun growled.
“Have you heard of the Zathee rebels?”
Gun and Teresa both looked surprised.
“I’ll take that as no, then.”
General Rivers looked over his shoulder before speaking again.
“There are three main ethnic groups and then another known as the Zathee. It seems they’ve been actively supporting a movement to overthrow their government.”
Teresa nodded as if the news somehow made sense.
“So they are the attackers?”
General Rivers shrugged.
“Who knows? A year ago we’d never met a Helion, now we take their word for it. I’m sending a team to meet you. Get your marines ready, and follow them to the Ministry of Justice.”
“Understood,” said Teresa smartly.
She leaned out to switch off the screen when the realization of who was on the ship came to her.
“Jack,” she whispered.
Rivers nodded.
“Yes, his unit is on board. They were conducting a security operation to protect the Ambassador’s delegation aboard the ship. Now they’re losing altitude. We immediately lost contact with them, and our ship higher in orbit confirms they will break the atmosphere in less than ten minutes. We need to be ready.”
“For what?” Gun asked.
“They are coming down fast, and there is nowhere for a ship of her size to land. She’s going to crash, and the casualties will be catastrophic. We need to look after our people and stop this turning against us. Be ready and watch your backs, trust no one.”
With that, the image finally closed, and a series of emergency messages appeared one after the other on her secpad. Gun was already fully dressed, and this time he was carrying his modified L52 Mark II carbine. He reached down to his thigh and pulled on a hardened pouch. From within came a skeletal stock thermal shotgun that he tossed over to Teresa.
“You might need this.”
She checked the ammunition status and cocked the weapon ready. Her boots were already on her feet, and all that remained was her long black overcoat. She grabbed it and lurched for the door.
“Get them all together. I smell a double-cross.”
Gun grinned, an expression she’d seen so many times. Even so, having her old friend alongside once more filled her with confidence. There was nothing they couldn’t do.
“If they want a fight, they’ve come to the right people.”
* * *
The massive warship shuddered once more as it dropped from its holding orbit and toward the planet. Emergency harnesses had activated throughout the CIC, and for those standing, a number of grab handles and straps were all that stood between them and a spinning journey throughout the ship. The Captain and his officers were all busy, and only the XO seemed to have any time for the marines.
“Get our guests to the dorsal evacuation deck,” he said to Lieutenant Rossen.
Without hesitation, she acknowledged his order and marched to the door, grabbing another set of handles as the ship rocked. Jack watched her as she moved. He could see the fear on her face but also in the stiffness of her body language. Jack heard the Captain shouting orders, but most of it was too far away from him to understand. What he did spot though was the situation on the massive three-dimensional model. They were going down, and there were a number of other vessels nearby that seemed to be attacking them. The loud hailer system activated, instantly stopping Lieutenant Rossen in her tracks.
“This is the Captain. We’re under attack by unknown Helion vessels. Primary engines have been disabled, and we’re losing height. Prepare for emergency landing.”
Lieutenant Rossen was out of the door and signaling for the rest of the armored marines to follow. Jack’s squad didn’t hesitate, and as quickly as they had arrived, they were back in the main passageway. The tiny Helion delegation awaited their arrival, and as soon as Wictred was out, the group moved back along the length of the ship. The Helions talked amongst themselves, apart from the two younger females at the rear of the group. As they moved at a fast walk, Jack approached them.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
The one ignored him, but the other, the prettier of the two that had smiled at him upon their arrival, answered in almost perfect English.
“It must be the rebels. I…I don’t know why…”
Hunn heard her words and reached to grab her, but she nimbly avoided his reach and continued walking. He tried again, but Jack grabbed his fist and shook his head.
“Hunn, they’re our guests.”
“Yeah?” he argued indignantly, “Then why are we about to hit the ground?”
Jack tipped his head sideways slightly as he considered hi
s friend’s words.
“You have a point.”
The small group followed the floor lighting up a raised ramp to the next level. Lieutenant Rossen led them from the front with four marines, and Jack’s group of four covering the rear. From his position so far back, Jack couldn’t tell if it was brave leadership or simply her desperation to escape the danger. Either way, they were making fast progress. They moved into an oval shaped chamber around which a dozen small circular doorways extended outward. The Lieutenant stopped and loomed back at them all.
“This is the dorsal evacuation deck. We will use it to escape, if we are able.”
Jack noticed the Helions were moving nervously, perhaps now realizing what danger they were in; all of them, apart from the Ambassador at any rate.
“What?” asked one of the Helions. It was the unfriendly girl that kept ignoring him.
“The Lieutenant is correct,” added Jack before the exasperated Lieutenant could speak.
Jack moved closer, leaving one hand on the wall for grip.
“The trouble is, ships of this design are not supposed to spend time in the atmosphere. They are deep space ships. If we crash through the atmosphere, there will be no safe way to escape.”
He looked at them, a serious expression forming on his tightening forehead.
“We’ll have to ride it out all the way down.”
The Helions became agitated at this news as if they suspected they were being lied to. One of the older members of the group even turned back to return to the core of the ship but was blocked by Wictred. The massive form of the Jötnar demanded both fear and respect from the diminutive Helions. Thai Qiu-Li could see what was happening and stepped nearer to them to help.
Star Crusades Nexus: Book 03 - Heroes of Helios Page 10
