by John Walker
The gun hit the ground and the man came out with his hands up. “Please…don’t shoot!”
Hitback blew him away, firing once into the man’s head. As the body dropped, Trellan glared at him. He shrugged his shoulders. “What do you want? The guy was a liability. Let’s get this done.”
An argument died on Trellan’s lips and they rushed into the corridor, making the security room. He grabbed one of the bodies and dragged him into the security room before locking the door. Hitback opened his mouth to ask but Trellan pointed at the console. “Do you want to finish this or what? Get on there and take down the security. I’m going to try to get us out of this.”
Trellan stripped the guard and did the same, swapping his garments for the uniform. It was a little tight but would do in a pinch. The boots were a problem and would definitely give him a blister if he had to go too long on them. Providing the reinforcements didn’t know who he was, he’d be able to at least get outside.
There was the matter of the guys stationed in the facility but he had to take a chance if he wanted to get away. Smearing blood on his face, he obscured his features, leaving his weapons on the body. He smashed his tablet and wrist computer, scattering the pieces across the floor.
“We’re in,” Hitback muttered. “And…they’ve got access to the computer up there. Done deal! How’re you going to get us out of here?”
Trellan frowned. “I’m sure they’ll do something for you.” He fired the soldier’s weapon, taking Hitback out with a headshot. He then fell back against the wall and waited for his chance to escape. The bodies of the criminals were in plain view so he hoped the guards wouldn’t burst in shooting.
The door burst open and men stormed in. Trellan immediately gestured. “There are more of them! They said they were going to sabotage the generators! At least five more!”
“Are you sure?” The lead soldier called out. “We didn’t see anyone on scans.”
“They’ve got some kind of strange tech that masks them,” Trellan shook his head. “I don’t know how they did it! Crept all the way in here without detection!”
“Fall out! Get yourself some medical attention! Can you walk?”
“Yes, sir.” Trellan looked down. “Do you want me to go with you? I…I think I can still fight.”
“No, get outside. We’ll debrief you later.”
Trellan felt a moment of excitement as his plan started to work. He followed the men down the hallway and made for the exit as quickly as he felt proper. Sweet freedom was only a few hundred feet away when someone called out. “Jurens! Hey!” He didn’t stop but glanced down at his name tag, cursing. “Stop there for a moment! Are you okay?”
He rasped, trying to fake sounding hurt. “I was told to go outside…”
“Wait up!” The suspicion in the soldier’s voice worried him. “Did you get injured?”
“Um…yes.”
“How?”
Leave me alone, man…I just want out of here.
“Stab wound.”
“Can I see? I can help you.”
“Outside…”
“You sound a little off, buddy. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’ve been stabbed,” Trellan made the hallway and picked up the pace, keeping just ahead of the man. Even with the blood all over him, he wouldn’t fool someone that knew the dead guy. “So no, I’m not really entirely okay.”
“Slow down!”
“I’m bleeding here.” Trellan saw the door and his heart sank. There were dozens of men milling about out there. He didn’t have a chance. They’d catch him for sure. “I just need some air and a medic. I’m following orders here.”
“I am a medic, you idiot. Now come on!”
Trellan reached the door at the same time as the insistent man following him. The guy grabbed his arm, eyes widening. “You’re not Jurens.”
Trellan met his eyes and shook his head. “I’m not.” He pulled him back into the room, just out of sight of the others. He’d probably get caught but he needed to buy another few seconds, just to get out in the open and away from those who might recognize the uniform. Drawing the man close, he covered his mouth and struck him hard on the side of the neck.
The man’s eyes fluttered and he collapsed. Trellan caught him and half carried him outside.
“Help! A little help here! This guy got hit with something!”
A couple medics rushed forward and took him away from Trellan, dragging him toward the shuttle. “Was he shot?”
Trellan shook his head. “I don’t think so. Beaten I think.”
“Thank you, soldier. Are you okay? That’s a lot of blood.”
“I was behind someone when they were shot. Real mess.”
The medic gave him some space and Trellan immediately started for the far side of the building, away from the shuttle and all the soldiers milling about the area. He got within sixty feet of the corner, his heart racing with anticipation. If he could round the corner, he had a good chance of escaping, especially if the soldiers hadn’t sealed off the perimeter yet.
“Hey, soldier!” Trellan knew the voice was directed at him but he pretended not to hear. “I’m speaking to you! Don’t walk away from me! What’s your name? Rank?”
And just like that, he felt his plan fading into failure.
“Name’s Jurens,” Trellan replied. “I’m just checking the perimeter, sir.”
“Jurens?” Trellan heard a weapon cock. “Put your hands up right now and get on your knees.”
“Sir?” Trellan glanced over his shoulder, complying with the first part. “Is there a problem?”
“Aside from the fact you’re not Jurens?” The man glared at him down the site of an assault rifle. “Jurens served under me for three years. You’re definitely not him. Now, get on your knees. Immediately!”
Trellan looked around, considering the possibilities. He could try to run for it but the man had him dead to rights. All he had to do was pull the trigger, no aiming required. Surrender was certainly an option and if he absolutely had to, he could use his immunity code. But when or if he did, that would end his mission completely. He’d no longer have any cover.
Maybe a stint in their prison will help the cause. Might prove my value. Of course, getting caught isn’t really doing me any favors to show I have skills. There must be a way out of this.
Trellan dropped down to his knees, keeping his hands high. He looked around again, noting only one man approached him. He didn’t call for help or backup. As he came closer, his weapon would only become a liability. He should’ve slung the rifle and drawn a side arm but his decision might be the way out of the situation.
“You’re going to hang for this, you animal.” Trellan figured he must’ve been less than five feet away. He counted the man’s footsteps and heard the jingle of handcuffs.
Now he’s carrying that cannon with one hand.
The man’s shadow blocked the sun and Trellan made his move, fading to the side and spinning. His raised hands allowed him to block the gun to the side, but he cursed when the man discharged a round. He grabbed him and snapped his neck, taking the rifle and rising. “Traitor! Be careful everyone! This man just attacked me!”
Trellan doubted anyone bought it and as they started toward him, he contemplating using the rifle or hauling ass. When the shuttle suddenly exploded, the situation was taken from his hands. Bodies flew in every direction, some of them in pieces. The concussion tossed Trellan back several feet and he landed on his back, the wind torn from his lungs.
He gasped, rolling to his side as he fought to breathe. His ears rang but distantly he heard cries of pain. People who hadn’t died in the explosion were torn up, likely dying if not maimed for life. Trellan crawled, dragging himself away from the action. Another ship was coming and if it happened to be the rebels, they wouldn’t be kind to his uniform.
Maybe it’s my extraction. The thought made him chuckle. There was no way the pirates would come down and commit such a blatant and violent ac
t. At best they were on their way out of the system, assuming all hands lost on the surface. They’re mostly right.
“Attention,” a voice blared over a loudspeaker. “We are with the Orion’s Light. We are landing and if anyone fires at us, we will execute you on the spot. Do not come out of the power station. We’ll be taking it over momentarily. Again, do not pretend to be heroes. You will die. This is your one and only warning.”
The fates just blessed me…maybe. Trellan rolled on his back and sat up, staring at the high tech shuttle that set down near the debris of the other ship. He recognized the symbol emblazoned on the side, the cut of the craft and the weapons sticking out of hard points. He’d studied them extensively in preparation for just such an opportunity. If they’ll talk to me…this might have worked out after all.
Providing they don’t shoot me in the face.
Chapter 4
The regular bridge crew reported in and took their positions, preparing for their jump into the combat zone. Each of them received their briefing and knew they’d probably be on duty for an extended period of time. Secondary staff brought them well away from the planet, into deep space where they’d make the jump without risking any smaller craft around them.
Lieutenant Oliver Darnell browsed through the information they had on the culture they were about to visit. Their technology varied little from the kielan variety, mostly through adaptation with their own advances. He paid particular attention to their offensive and defensive capabilities and found notes from Durant.
The engineer remembered his internship when he helped assimilate the novalat technology into their own. After a brief study of their advances, he was able to point out how they’d improved and what to look out for. Prior to involvement with the alliance, they had been a peaceful people, focusing on exploration and science.
This meant their sensor technology was amazing. Olly compared the figures to theirs and found it close enough now that they didn’t have any specific advantage, especially in the civilian sector. However, first contact with them found they’d nearly mastered the art of analysis and shared everything they knew.
Defensively, they fell in line with any other ship in the alliance navy. Their shields and armor came straight off the same assembly line. Weapons mirrored this with only a few changes to take advantage of their tech crew training involving sensors and pinpointing targets. Olly figured Durant’s upgrade to their own AI for the turrets was likely the same thing.
Only the novalat people were able to make necessary corrections with a more efficient computer protocol.
I like what they’ve done and the fact we’ve got all these files in the database makes it a lot easier to anticipate what we’re about to hop into. Olly brought up a list of civilian vessels they might encounter and frowned at the versatility. None of them would be able to stand up to the Behemoth, even if they were outmatched over one hundred to one. This might be easy.
Even thinking it made him curse under his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was jinx the mission through flippancy. He turned his attention to running combat simulations, testing what the computer thought of their chances to penetrate shields and armor, performing disabling blows instead of destroying their opponents.
He shared the data with the rest of the bridge crew through his regular report then turned to the countdown. They’d be jumping shortly but not all the departments checked in yet. Ensign Agatha White on communications tallied those results and sent them to the rest of the crew in her report. When they all flipped over to green, she’d make a general announcement prior to their departure.
Alliance messages indicated they needed to anticipate action the moment they arrived. This meant the Behemoth pilots would have an exciting time with the jump as they were already in their cockpits, prepared to launch at a moment’s notice. Each of their vessels would be locked down, secure to the hangar.
Olly couldn’t imagine being in a tiny box like that through one of the least comfortable experiences aboard the ship. Even with the upgrades that made it vastly more pleasant since their first jump, he didn’t like it. Some of his friends aboard swore they didn’t even notice anymore but he called them out.
His stomach pulled a gymnastic routine every time they hopped to a new sector.
“All departments reported in,” Agatha said. “We’re prepared for departure.”
“Very good,” Gray said. “Double check course and arrival, Ensign Marcus.”
Leonard had likely been staring at the information the entire time they sat there. He answered immediately. “Course laid in and confirmed, sir. We are ready to go.”
“Go ahead, Redding.”
Olly inhaled a deep breath and let it out as the ship began to shimmer and hum. The sound lasted less than a minute before the view screen went blank and they were suddenly somewhere else, light years away. He immediately got on the scanner, swallowing back his nausea and looking for a distraction.
How deep are we in it already?
Scans came back with a lot of debris. They arrived at the site of a fairly recent battle but no action was happening within one hundred thousand kilometers. He did pick up a large force on the verge of engagement nearer the third planet in the system, the home world of the novalat people. He brought it up on the screen.
“We’re not in any immediate danger,” Olly said. “But those guys are about to start something not too far away. You’ll notice on the left, we’ve got some civilian ships mixed in with military craft…stolen I guess?”
“Probably,” Gray said. “Adam, get Revente on the line and tell him to stand down from launch until we give him the signal. We’ll close in and let them jump right into the action.”
“Yes, sir.” Adam started speaking quietly into his com.
Gray continued, “Clea, Agatha, do we have a frequency for our allies here?”
Agatha replied, “yes, sir. I’m ready to transmit.”
“Get them on the line as quickly as possible,” Gray said. “The last thing we need is for them to band together and attack us. I’ve had enough being that invader.”
Olly took down the tactical display so the military commander could fill the screen as Agatha connected. “Please identify yourselves,” the novalat said. His brown hair was flecked with gray and he looked quite human except for the vibrant blue eyes bordering on teal. “You’re transmitting a friend signature but I’ve never seen a ship like yours.”
“This is Captain Gray Atwell of the Behemoth. The alliance sent us to help. We’ll transmit our authorization from them to you. We’d like to get you out of this mess if we can.”
“Your ship’s certainly big enough to make quite the statement. My name is Anthar Dubaris. We’ve been at this a while. I know the alliance has had some troubles but we could’ve used their help weeks ago.”
“We were in the midst of another operation or I’m sure they would’ve sent us sooner,” Gray replied. “Can you give us a rundown on what’s happening? It looks like you’re about to engage in quite the fight.”
“The rebels are relentless,” Dubaris grunted. “They send waves after us, trying to break down our resolve. They’ve managed to send troops down to the surface of our planet, taking out power facilities and occupying some of our remote communities which, unfortunately, provide food for our people. We’re fighting a nasty guerrilla war, I’m afraid.”
“What’re your rules of engagement?” Gray asked. “Are you destroying these vessels?”
“They’ve been leaving us no choice. We don’t want to be killing those we have worked with and live beside but their tactics have been absolutely ruthless.”
“Understood.” Gray turned to Redding. “Get us into position to help with this battle. Maybe a little show of our force will help settle some of this situation.”
The ship began to rumble as Redding complied. Dubaris’s expression softened. “Thank you for your assistance, Captain.”
“Do the rebels have access to one man fighters?” Gray
asked. “We’re prepared to launch our squadrons to attack but could just turn to bombers if they don’t.”
“Some of our best pilots are on the wrong side of this fight, I’m afraid.” Dubaris shook his head. “I’ll send you the schematics for our vessels. They’re quick, small and maneuverable but still pack a pretty nasty punch. I hope your people are quite good behind a stick because they’ll definitely have their work cut out for them.”
“I think they’re up to the challenge.” Gray nodded to Adam though Olly didn’t know what the signal meant. “We’re going to keep you on the line but mute for a moment. Please let us know if there’s anything you need before we arrive. I see the ETA for us to be engaged as less than five minutes.”
“Thank you again, Captain. Please hurry. I’m praying your presence will prevent at least this battle from happening.”
Clea came close and leaned over Olly’s console, speaking softly. “I want you to start performing broad sensor sweeps of the area. There’s a chance the Orion’s Light may be present here still and I want to find out long before they cause trouble.”
Olly looked at her with wide eyes. “Ma’am? Why would they be here? This is a civil matter, isn’t it? I did some reading earlier and the analysts believe we’re dealing with workers who haven’t been paid fair wages. They’re talking about civilians unhappy with work conditions.”
“Someone stirred these people up and gave them the idea that a violent solution would get them what they want.” Clea patted his shoulder. “Just perform the sweeps and send me the report right away if you discover anything out of the ordinary. I assume they’ll be automated so you can continue your regular duties?”
Olly nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I’m on it right now.” As she left, he felt a growing sense of alarm. Prior to jumping into the area, he didn’t like the idea of getting involved in the fight but he didn’t worry about it. Now, with the terrorist group involved, the ante had been effectively raised. If they now had two sides to contend with, then this was going to be a rough mission after all.
