Oakes opened his mouth to say something and then thought better of it. Gunny knew how he felt. Bad enough to just now hear that Kalimura’s squad was alive, but knowing the Trio had been holding back intel was simply too much to grasp. Gunny’s stomach churned with acid. If the AIs had given them that info, Niro might still be alive. Maybe. But if the Trio had the full schematics, they probably knew even more. His face felt furnace hot. He tamped down the roiling rage and clamped his hands together, the knuckles turning white.
“So here’s the plan,” Dunn said. “That KBO is still coming. We have to get Mira and Black out of its way. That means the harness is still priority one.”
Gunny stiffened in his chair. Taulbee glanced at him, eyes soft and face expressionless. “I want our marines back too, Gunny. And the moment we are underway, we’re going to go get them.”
He simply nodded in response. There wasn’t much else to say. As much as he hated it, Dunn was right. They had to get both ships to safety before they could start rescue operations.
Dunn waited a beat before continuing. “Taulbee tells me the repairs needed to the SV-52 are pretty significant. The skiff will be ready long before the support vehicle, but we need both to do the job. I’m not sending anyone out there without some serious fire power to back them up.”
“Sir?” Gunny said, mouth set in a grim line. “Please tell me you have more party favors like the ones Copenhaver used on that, that thing.”
Dunn nodded with the ghost of a smile. “In addition to sending us the schematics, the Trio somehow managed to smuggle aboard some weapons for us.”
“How did they manage that, sir?” Gunny asked.
“Pretty simple,” Dunn said. “Quirinus added them to our mission manifest. Without SF Gov’s knowledge.”
Gunny blinked. “Sir?”
Dunn shrugged. “I don’t have an answer as to why, Gunny. I only know what the Trio has told me.”
“Aye, sir,” Gunny said. “I guess that flechette magazine you were using is one of them?”
“One of many,” Dunn said. “We have enough rounds for all the marines. We’ll have to use them very judiciously, because once they’re gone, we’re left with our normal loads. And those don’t seem to work too well.”
“Oh, they work, sir,” Taulbee said. “Just not against whatever the hell that thing was.”
“The starfish?” Oakes asked. He shivered. “I’m glad I only watched that thing on the feed. You think we’re going to see another one?”
Taulbee nodded. “Remember all the liquid on Mira’s hull? It comes from those starfish things.”
“Oh, good,” Oakes said. “What, are they shitting it out?”
“Worse,” Taulbee said. “I think they use it to break apart the pinecones. Doesn’t appear to affect Atmo-steel though.”
“Bullshit,” Oakes said. “I’m betting that stuff is what’s making Mira’s deck plates crumble. I’ve never seen Atmo disintegrate into its constituent layers.” He shook his head. “If that stuff gets on our ship, it’s going to start doing the same thing.”
Dunn frowned. “You don’t know that for sure, do you?”
“Of course not, sir,” Oakes said. “But I bet Black agrees with me.”
The captain pursed his lips and then raised his eyes to the speaker. “Black? Do you think he’s correct?”
“Yes, Captain,” the AI said. “Although the damage done to Mira’s hull would require a substantial amount of the material. With the exception of what you call ‘pinecones,’ we haven’t seen a large number of the predator type.”
Large number, Gunny thought with disgust. Just one of the creatures had managed to significantly damage the SV-52. Another nearly killed Nobel and the captain. Who knows what it would have done if it had decided to start munching on the ship.
“Gunny?” Dunn said.
He looked up and suddenly realized the others were staring at him. He fought a blush and thought he succeeded. “Sorry, sir. Did I miss something?”
Dunn waved the comment away. “Don’t apologize. What do you think about Black’s assessment? You’re the only one here that’s spent any time on the hull.”
The memory of Niro dissolving before his eyes popped into his mind. The stuff had literally eaten him from the feet up before they managed to pull him out. By then, it was too late. The marine had died from exposure and shock before they even had a chance of saving him.
“Well, sir,” he said, “there are entire portions of deck plating that have a significant amount of the substance. It doesn’t seem to freeze.” He shrugged with his eyes. “The good news is that it doesn’t spread like liquid, even if it seems to act like it.”
“What about the harness?” Oakes asked. “How close is that stuff to the lines?”
“The last line we placed was in a field of those pinecone things.” He pointed at the model. “Unless those animals decide to go on a buffet tour, and spread that acid shit all over the place, we should be fine.” He paused for a beat. “But I think until we have a final check we should consider that a possibility, sir.”
Dunn nodded. “Okay. Here’s what I want. Taulbee? Gunny? Get the repairs going. We need both the skiff and the ‘52 space worthy as quickly as possible. Don’t skimp on the armor either. Coordinate with Nobel and Black.” Oakes glanced at the captain. “Don’t worry, Oakes. We’ll try not to bother him too much. But I’m sure he’d be beyond angry if we didn’t.”
“Probably right, sir,” Oakes agreed.
“I also want every flechette rifle we have loaded with the new rounds. Taulbee? I’ve got some toys for the skiff cannon as well as the ‘52.” Dunn bared his teeth. “We’ll clear those fuckers from our sky if they get in the way.”
Taulbee smiled. “I like the sound of that, sir.”
Dunn pointed at Oakes. “You and I are going to spend a little time on astrogation and force calculations. I want to make sure that big bitch out there doesn’t fall apart when we start the tow.”
“Aye, sir,” Oakes said.
Dunn locked eyes with each member of the command crew. “No mistakes, people. We make mistakes, nobody goes home. And we die here.”
“Aye, sir,” the group said.
Dunn slapped the table. “Get to it.” Gunny stood immediately and saluted. The other officers followed suit. Dunn returned it. “Dismissed. Oakes, you’re with me.” Dunn and the pilot headed for the door and left the briefing room.
“Gunny?” Taulbee said.
“Yes, sir?”
The younger man’s eyes glittered with something akin to violence. “Let’s get this done so we can get our people.”
Gunny growled low in his throat. “Yes, sir. Let’s get it done.”
Chapter Fifty
The good news was that without gravity, they didn’t have to crawl. The bad news was the tunnel’s cramped quarters. Kali took point with Carb and Elliott in the middle. As before, Dickerson guarded their rear. The tunnel was no more than 1.5 meters wide and just as tall. It was nearly impossible to move quickly through it without smacking her helmet against the ceiling or bumping her shoulders into the wall. She knew if one of those things caught them in here, they were dead. There was nowhere to flee.
After the first ten meters, another shaft led down to the personnel deck. She paused at its edge, her light shining down to check for pinecones or other threats. Nothing. The hatch below was sealed. “Halt,” she called. Through her rear cam feed, she saw Carb mag-lock herself to the wall. “I’m going to check this shaft. If it’s clear, we can get back down onto the personnel decks.”
“And if it’s not?” Dickerson asked.
“Well,” she said, “we keep going until we find one that is.”
“Be careful, Corporal,” Dickerson said. “Those things can jet too.”
“Yeah,” she said, remembering all too well how fast the creature had moved in z-g when it finally wanted to. “I’ll make sure to fire as soon as I see something twitch.”
“Wouldn’t
do that,” Carb said. “We don’t have that many rounds.”
Carb was right. They’d scavenged the skiff before leaving the shuttle bay, but the squad hadn’t been outfitted for a real fight. They’d been loaded up with the bare regulation minimums. After they exhausted their ammo supply, they would be at everything’s mercy.
Kali said nothing as she climbed down the short shaft. She mag-locked a glove to the side of the shaft and kicked at the manual release. It resisted. She kicked it again and the hatch slowly swung upward. Her lights caught the sight of dozens of shadows floating in the corridor below. Pinecones. She kicked the hatch again and it closed just as one of the creatures started to rise to the ceiling.
She paused for a moment and stared down at the maintenance hatch. Her hands shook and her heart hammered. We’re never getting out of here, a voice said in her mind. You’re going to die here, just like everyone else who stepped foot on this ship. Head lowered, eyes closed, a single tear of stress and fear rolled down her cheek.
“Corporal?” Dickerson’s voice broke through the fugue.
Kali sniffed and then wished she could wipe her face. She muted her mic and cleared her throat. She needed to get her shit together. The squad needed her. They needed a leader who wasn’t going to fall apart. She clenched her fists until her knuckles ached, and reactivated the mic. “No joy,” she said in a level tone. “We’ll try the next one.”
“Pinecones?” Dickerson asked. “Or worse?”
“Just pinecones,” Kali said as she pulled herself back up to the maintenance tunnel. After reorienting herself, she floated to the other side of the shaft to continue forward. “We’ll just have to hope the next isn’t so cluttered.”
“How many were there, Boss?” Carb asked.
“Enough,” Kali said.
No one spoke. She continued floating down the tunnel, her suit lights scanning the sides. A few pipes ran the length of the tunnel. One red, one blue, one green. The red was most likely electrical, the blue water, and the green? What the hell was green? Waste?
The squad continued floating through the tunnel in silence. She wished Carb and Dickerson would start their squabbling again. Hearing the sound of her own breathing, the ever-present terrified voice of her own thoughts, and the thump of her heart only made her more nervous. She was on the verge of a full panic attack.
Focus, she said to herself. Focus and you’ll get everyone out of this alive.
Mira. How had the ship become so infested with these things? How had the pinecones and the strange, multi-armed creatures that fed on them, entered the ship? What were the pinecones feeding on? And more importantly, what else was on the ship they hadn’t seen yet?
The main bridge had held no answers, just more questions. Every pitch-black corridor and hallway provided more evidence of whatever had happened, but no explanations. What she wouldn’t have given to have the time to raid the personnel staterooms, especially of the command crew. With her luck, the answers were sitting on someone’s personal holo recorder or block backup. She grunted. Had they already walked by the answers? Or were they locked in some other corridor yet to be searched?
Mira was a huge vessel. Kilometers of corridors, slip-points, tunnels, and who knew what else. The answers could be anywhere. But she was betting the auxiliary bridge would tell them all they needed to know. Assuming, of course, it too hadn’t been destroyed.
Most large military ships had two bridges. The main bridge was used for every day flight control, navigation, and as the communications hub. If it was destroyed by enemy fire, solar object impacts, or other phenomenon, the auxiliary bridge could be used by the survivors to control the ship. AI resources, storage, processors, and etc., were stored throughout the ship in nodes. This allowed a ship AI to continue to function even if the majority of its sentient-giving equipment had been destroyed. The auxiliary bridge, usually placed deep in the bowels of the ship and more protected than its main counterpart, often held the majority of the AI’s nodes.
If they could just get there, she might even have a shot at bringing up Mira’s computer systems. Not the full AI. With as much damage as Mira had suffered, that was a pipe dream. Besides, without the engines online, it would be impossible to have enough power to bring the sentient artificial intelligence back to life. But with some luck, and enough generators, they might be able to at least activate and access damage reports, system reports, and the holo-logs.
If. If. If. The word annoyed her. It kept appearing at the beginning of every thought. Kali ground her teeth, told herself to stop thinking, and start moving. The next shaft was no more than two meters away. She shined her lights at it and frowned.
The edges of the shaft had what looked like scorch marks. The internal monologue that had distracted her disappeared in a flash. Scorch marks. From what? She lifted her head and examined the sides of the tunnel. Yes. There were more marks on the Atmo-steel, dark discolorations made by explosives, fire, or maybe even the acid those creatures produced. No, not that last. The acid would still be here. Wouldn’t it?
“Hold up,” she said. Kali slowed her approach to the shaft edge and peered down into the darkness. Her helmet lights shined through and hit the corridor. The emergency hatch was open, its metal scarred and twisted. Something had definitely exploded with enough power to both damage the hatch and send fire up the shaft and into the tunnel. The deck below looked as though it had been smudged with black and gray paint.
“Okay,” Kali said, “the hatch down below is open. I’m going to check the corridor.”
“Aye, Corporal,” Dickerson said. “Carb? Take Elliott past the shaft edge. I want to be able to give cover fire or assistance if necessary.”
“Copy,” Carb said.
Kali rolled her eyes. She should have thought of that. Shaking off a flush of embarrassment, she used her mag-gloves to descend into the shaft head first. As soon as she reached a slow and controllable approach, she locked her hands around the flechette rifle, keeping the barrel pointed directly beneath her. One meter. Two. She reached the hatch opening and put a hand out to stop her descent.
All she had to do was poke her head through the opening and watch her camera feeds. She’d have a nearly 360° view of the corridor, but only the areas directly in front of her helmet would be illuminated. She’d have to spin her body in a circle to cover the entire area.
She braced herself, put out a hand to pull her body through the hole, and stopped. The image of one of those creatures slashing out an arm from the darkness and decapitating her filled her mind. Goose pimples rose on her skin and she vibrated with fear. Get a grip, girl, she heard her father’s voice say. Yeah. Get a grip.
Kali pulled herself through just enough for the camera feeds to show her the corridor. In front of her was the bulkhead wall, its surface pockmarked with dents. Long, deep scratches had penetrated the Atmo-steel. She stared in wonder for a moment, unable to believe something living had done that to the metal.
Using her fingers on the hatch edge, she slowly spun her body. Without gravity or another force to stop the spin, she was able to immediately put the hand back on the rifle. As she rotated, her helmet lights illuminated more than just the wall. The corridor, as dark as all the others, seemed clear. At least to the right side. She waited while her body continued its rotation, showed her the opposite wall, and then slowly revealed the corridor’s left side.
Something floated in the shadows. It was smaller than a pinecone and much much smaller than the acid creatures. She tried to enhance the focus on the cam, but it was simply too dark to show much. Not for the first time, she wished Mira had a temperature above absolute zero. At least then the infrared and blue spectrums would enable more detail.
She paused for a beat, allowing the spin to continue. She rotated in a circle three times before finally deciding the corridor was safe enough. They’d still have to be careful.
“Looks clear,” she said. “I’m going all the way through. Dickerson?”
“Got your s
ix, Corporal,” he said.
“Carb? Get ready to get down here,” Kali said.
“Aye, Boss.”
“Here we go.” She stopped her spin and pulled herself all the way through the hatch. Floating upside down, she narrowed the suit lights’ focus to thin beams. The shadows around the object she’d seen floating retreated. The light bounced off something and she flinched. A woman’s severed head floated near the ceiling.
Doing her best to ignore the grisly discovery, she flipped over and descended to the deck. She ran the lights over the rest of the corridor, but saw nothing in either direction. “Dickerson? Carb? We’re clear.”
Kali moved aside as the others came down. She checked the schematics. They were still off course, but not nearly as much as she’d feared. The auxiliary bridge was four decks below and thirty meters aft. All they had to do was reach the slip-point.
“Oh, boy,” Dickerson breathed. He’d just seen the remains floating near the ceiling. “If I didn’t know better, and I sure as shit don’t, I’d say someone ripped that head off.”
Carb groaned. “I’m getting tired of saying this, but I’ll say it again. What the fuck happened here?”
Dickerson locked himself to the deck and took a few steps down the corridor in the direction of the severed head. His lights changed focus and he whistled. “I’d say this unlucky lady ain’t the only one who got the special treatment.”
Kali looked over in his direction. His lights had found several more shapes in the darkness. More faces locked in frozen screams. Five all together. Five more of Mira’s crew that had met a grisly end. Kali remembered the image of the words scrawled in the medical bay. “HUMANKIND’S END!” Had the entire crew lost their minds?
“The good news is we’re not going in that direction,” Kali said. “The next slip-point is down this corridor, past a T-junction, and on the port side. Four decks down, people. Just four more decks and we’re there.”
Derelict: Tomb (Derelict Saga Book 2) Page 31
