“Seven freighters, twelve warships, erm, a dozen carriers and an unknown number of, erm, fighters, and still more arriving,” Jako said, but the numbers kept increasing with each moment.
“Have they scanned the StarQuake yet?” Lyla asked, she was on the StarQuake’s bridge.
“Not yet, I suggest we, erm, move, about seventy clicks away from the asteroid to give us a fair chance of avoiding targeting.”
“On it,” Lyla said, “Dack, you want us to wait for you to dock?”
“No, get out of here, I can catch up to you,” Dack said. He’d started the ship's engines, ready to move.
A sudden flash of light caught his eye, it differed from the other lights, this one was a deeper red, like the glint of a ruby.
“What the…” he squinted at the light.
The red light became clearer than the others, revealing itself to be a long shard-like ship of complete blood red. The light coming from its helm…
“Shit,” Dack said, he recognised the ship as the Jackals’ Dreadnaught.
“Dack? You see it?” Lyla shouted.
“Yeah, I do. Get the StarQuake out of here, I’ll follow as soon as I can get away.”
The ships were fast approaching now; it was unlikely Dack would avoid being seen. A pinging noise rang out from the dashboard, it was a hail.
Dack punched a button on the console.
“This is Dack Alacious of the small transport vessel The Bullet Rose, whom am I speaking to?”
“Ah, good evening Mr Alacious, one of the Coyotes I presume,” the voice replied, it was an elderly voice.
“I don’t know what the Coyotes are,” Dack lied.
“Let us not play games Mr Alacious, our paths have crossed several times already. I am Prime Leader of the Syndicate,” he let the words sink in. “I see some of your friends have already begun the journey into the asteroid, I hope they are enlightened by what they find inside.”
Dack panicked, “What do you mean?”
“Did you think you beat us here? We’ve been waiting for your arrival for over a cycle now. The secrets of the asteroid are already ours.”
In the distance the red light of the Dreadnaught seemed to increase in intensity, before splitting off into three separate, smaller lights.
“What do you mean, already yours?” Dack asked, trying to see what the lights were.
“You’ll see,” came the reply, then static as they cut the connection.
Dack squinted at the lights through the window, it only took a second for him to realise, it was four fighters. The Jackals personal fighter crafts.
“shit shit shit,” he cursed as he pulled the seat strap over his shoulders and locked the cross shape over his chest. Flicking a switch on the dashboard, he activated manual control, grabbing the flight sticks in front of him.
The Bullet Rose rocked as the auto-lock disabled and the entire engine system was in Dack’s hands. The ship had four bi-directional engines, one on each corner of its hull, allowing for complete control and maneuverability. Dack tested each engine once, before slamming the joystick forwards to get the Bullet on its way.
The Syndicate Fleet was upon him now, he scanned the surrounding space.
“Jako, Lyla?” He called out, “I don’t think I’ll make it back to the StarQuake, there’s too many.”
“What y’gonna do Dack?” Lyla sounded worried.
“I’m not sure,” he moved the Bullet Rose around the asteroid, looping to put it between him and the fleet.
“Erm, the Jackal fighters have split off,” Jako informed, trying to keep track of all the ships. “Two are coming towards you Dack, and, erm, two and the Dreadnaught are heading for us Lyla,” he explained.
The Jackal’s craft were the fastest in the fleet, compared to the larger, less agile vehicles.
Dack checked his radar and saw the two Jackal ships ping from his long-range scanner into the short-range, they’d be on him within the minute at their current rate.
“Ok, I’m going weapons hot, Lyla I suggest you do the same, but if there’s any sign of major damage then get the hell out of here,” Dack ordered. “Tanner, can you guys hear me down there?”
There was no answer, he didn’t have time to try again. He flipped several switches on the dashboard and heard the whirring as two Plama cannons rose from the ships hull, along with a missile launcher which dropped from the belly of the craft. Flashing a glance at the radar, he knew they were in range.
He increased thrust on the engines and the Bullet Rose arched up and over the asteroid, meeting the fighters head-on. As soon as they were in view, he pulled the triggers on the joysticks, a steady flow of the plasma laser fired out from the two guns and pummeled the first Jackal craft.
Now they were in closer range he could see they were similar in design, sharp edges which shaped into points like needles extended from the hull. The first, which was the smaller of the two, had the word ‘Cinco’ etched on its side. Whilst the second ship had ‘Seis’ on its hull. Dack had heard stories of these Jackals and their piloting abilities. The Seis’ craft had a large onmi-cannon on its roof which Dack could see begin to power up.
As Dack’s plasma guns fired more, the hull of Cinco’s craft began to glow under the heat. As it moved closer, however, Dack could see its own weapon powering up. Two small cycle-guns on its prow, only centimetres apart, were rotating. Once they reached a certain speed, the bullets began to fire. A shower of small projectiles began to pepper the front of the Bullet Rose, the reinforced metal taking the damage, though Dack knew it wouldn’t last long.
He pulled on the joysticks, pulling the Bullet Rose’s nose upwards, and out of the line of fire, but as he did, Seis’ ship fired a shot from its cannon. An Ion Blast pulsed towards the Bullet Rose, as Dack flipped the joysticks to the side. The Bullet Rose spun on its axis, then powered into an evasive maneuver.
The Ion blast caught the edge of the ship, the impact throwing it off course, and into a spin. It threw around Dack in his seat, but the straps held him tight. The spin was increasing. Reaching forward he fought the g-force and flicked on the automatic flight control, before it threw his arms back into the chair.
He waited, as the automatic control kicked in. Compensating for the spin, it fired the engines in alternate blasts to bring it back to a stable flight. Dack needed a moment for his head to stabilize. Checking the radar he saw the Jackals were still surrounding him. He took a deep breath and grabbed the joysticks, ready for round two.
34
Tanner had moved further into the asteroids cave, his helmet’s lights illuminating the way. Behind him Vittoria, and Tylr followed.
The rocks beneath them were solid, with a few loose stones which didn’t cause too much trouble. The cave was thin, and seemed to get narrower as they progressed, so much that they had to move single file, and edge their way through.
“Careful with the suits,” Tanner called back, trying not to scrape his suit on the walls on either side.
“Are we sure this is the way?” Vittoria replied.
“Jako said the scans showed this opening, but he couldn’t see too much into the area.”
They continued further in, listening to the communications from the others outside, until the comms began to crackle from the interference of the rocks.
“Guess we’re on our own in here now,” Vittoria said.
The walls began to open up, before the tunnel ended abruptly. The cavity space was large enough for them all to stand in, the wall ahead was smooth rock, contrasting to the jagged edges around the rest.
“A dead end?” Tanner said, moving his hand over the smooth rock face.
“It looks, wrong,” Tylr said looking around the cavity, “like it’s been carved out rather than a natural space.”
Vittoria had crouched to the ground at the base of the rock face, looking around it she found what she was looking for.
“Guys, shine more light over here,” she called out.
The others moved
over to her, the power of all three headlights illuminating the area. Barely visible were scratches across the floor, arcs moving away from the rock.
“It’s a door?” Tanner puzzled.
“It is,” Vittoria jumped to her feet, and pulled a spherical device from her side pocket of the suit, “this should show up any electronics in the area,” she explained.
She pressed button on the device, and it hovered in the air for a moment, before emitting a small laser beam which ran along the walls of the cavity as it moved around the area. They used it for finding electrical faults, but it was useful for finding hidden panels. After a moment of scanning the walls, the device beeped wildly at a section of wall.
Vittoria pressed her hand on the detected space, a low hissing sound echoed around the cavity as the smooth rock face began to move. Two large doors swung outwards, causing the trio to step away. Behind the doors, the rock all turned into cold metal and iron.
“What the hell?” Tanner stepped forwards, and peered into the doorway. A small airlock style space was before them, but instead of actual airlock doors, a barely visible barrier of light spanned the space.
He raised his hand to test the light-barrier.
“Woah!!” Vittoria shouted, slapping his hand down, “What the hell you doing!”
Tylr shook their head, and picked up a loose rock from the ground, throwing it at the light barrier. On impact it hissed and exploded in a shower of fire and electricity.
Tanner stared horrified.
“Thanks Vit,” he smiled apologetically at the others.
Vittoria had moved over to the side of the light where a small metal panel was embedded in the metal. Pressing a button on it, the first light barrier vanished, leaving only the second on.
“It’s an airlock, but the technology is beyond anything I’ve seen,” she said, stepping into the room. “This is the vessel, it’s disguised as the asteroid.”
“They said the tech was more advanced,” Tanner said as he joined her
Tanner opened a communication channel, “StarQuake, how are things out there? We’ve found an opening to, something, we’re going to explore further.” He waited for a response.
“Hopefully they have things under control out there,” Vittoria said.
“We need to continue with our part of the mission,” Tanner said, though his face didn’t look thrilled to be leaving the others. They all moved into the airlock.
Once they were all inside, Vittoria pressed another button, after studying all the options. The airlock cycled, the sound of air filing the room once the barriers were both up again. Then the second barrier dropped.
“Suit scans say the air is breathable,” Vittoria said, looking at the display on her wrist.
“Ok, wait for my mark,” Tanner gingerly removed his helmet as the other two watched.
He paused, then took a deep breath, and smiled. The other two followed suit, breathing the fresh recycled air.
“The ship must still be active, the airlocks would be a default, but air condition is life support,” Vittoria said
Ahead of them, a light switched on above the doorway, then another, and another. It revealed a long illuminated corridor before them. Looking downwards, the metal flooring was grated, they could see similar gangways spanning several stories downwards. Above was much the same. Along the side of the pathways were small boxes, each suspended in the air, attached only by their fronts to the gangways. Each box had a door on its front.
“What are they?” Tanner asked, stepping up to the first.
“Living quarters?” Vittoria suggested.
Each one was large enough to be a room, but they seemed small compared to the size the ship appeared to be. Tylr walked up to one, pushing at the door.
“Not living quarters,” they said, “prison cells.”
The door swung open, revealing a hard bed, basin and toilet. All the same dull grey colour, sparse and empty.
“This is a prison ship?” Tanner said, glancing at the others, “what does that mean?”
“The Endlings arrived here, on a prison ship?” Vittoria said, “if the life support is still on, do you think there’s anyone still here?”
“We need to find the bridge, figure out what’s going on,” Tanner started moving down the gangway, into the heart of the ship.
Once they had passed the cells, they entered a central hub. Passing a few security doors, all open, they reached the bridge, a closed door blocking their path.
“Is it locked?” Tanner said as Tylr tried the door.
Before Tylr could reply a low rumbling sound emitted from deep inside the ship. The ship began to vibrate.
“Is that…?”
“The engines,” Vittoria nodded at Tanner, “if I had to guess.”
Tylr slammed the door to the bridge open, revealing a large open plan room, with several consoles and seats along its side. Stood in the centre of the room was the Prime Leader, surrounded by three of the Jackals.
“Ah, welcome. You’re just in time for the big reveal,” the Leader smiled at the startled Coyotes.
35
From the Azimuth’s viewing pod, Jako was watching the events unfold from a distance. He watched as the Syndicate Fleet appeared; the ships moving towards the asteroid. He saw the Jackals’ Dreadnaught, and its fighters, appear and approach the StarQuake. Lyla had activated the ship's defences, the Ion Cannons attached to its side unfolded from their resting place, and the cycle guns emerged along the side of the ship. Finally, the one large railgun rose from the top of the ship, so close to the Azimuth, he could touch it.
Using the zoom panel on his viewer, he saw Dack and his dogfight with two Jackals ships begin, though there was nothing he could do to assist from this distance.
“Jako, you ready?” Lyla called.
“As I’ll ever be,” he replied. Although the ship was well equipped for defence, it was rare that it had been in direct combat. Jako preferred to be at a distance from any fight, intel being more his strength.
“Great, let’s give that Dreadnaught a taste o’ our railgun yeah?” Lyla, on the other hand, was always ready for a fight.
Jako watched as the railgun adjusted its targeting, using the co-ordinates he put into the computer. A low hum escalated from its back, as lights lit up along its barrel.
“Three, two, one,” Jako counted down as it powered up.
“FIRE!” Lyla shouted, as a beam shot from the barrel, and into the vastness of space in front of them.
“Follow up with a cycle barrage,” Lyla called out.
Jako flicked a switch on a panel, and the cycle cannons along the StarQuakes side rippled in unison, large projectiles flying out into the space behind the rail gun.
The railgun blast rocked the Dreadnaught, causing it to shift trajectory, then the barrage of cycle shots peppered it.
“Direct hit!” Lyla cheered. The celebration was short lived, as the Dreadnaught fired thrusters and realigned its course. A flash of flames appeared at its rear, as it activated its overdrive, forcing it to speed up exponentially, as it moved towards the StarQuake at a faster pace.
“Oh, crap!”
“I think, erm, they are going to ram us,” it shocked Jako, as he used the viewfinder to zoom onto the Dreadnaught. “Their ship, the front is a bulk of solid metal with spikes,” he relayed the information to Lyla.
“You mean, if they ram us…”
“It’ll impale into the StarQuake with, erm, solid metal.”
“Like a spiked hammer,” Lyla shuddered at the imagery. “Any ideas?”
“Erm,” Jako paused, “I might have one.”
Jako spun in the air, and dove into the main quarters of the Azimuth, searching for something.
“Whatever it is you need t’hurry Jako,” Lyla shouted, watching the Dreadnaught approach.
Lyla triggered the cycle barrage for a second wave, the railgun needed a minute to recharge before it could fire a second shot. The Ion cannons were just about in range, her
finger hovered over the trigger for them, watching the radar.
“Ready,” Jako shouted as he floated back into the command pod of the Azimuth.
“Ready f’what?”
“Erm, brace yourself,” he said.
Lyla barely had time to pull a strap over herself, to pin her to the chair, when the StarQuake shuddered and began to pivot on its back end, like a swinging trapdoor, the front of the ship dropped suddenly.
“What the hell,” Lyla shouted.
The ship spun on the end axis and was facing ninety degrees from its previous position. The Dreadnaught had to slow down to adjust course or it would overshoot the StarQuake.
“That should give us more, erm, time,” Jako said.
“Nice move, how did you do that?” Lyla laughed.
“I redistributed the GravDrive power from the front to the back, and disconnected the, erm, autocorrect of the ship. The StarQuake exhaust port is at the top of the bow, so once the autocorrection was, erm, off, and with the help of the GravDrive it forced the ship to pivot on the back end.”
“Wow,” Lyla, who understood about half of what Jako said, laughed.
The Dreadnaught was just getting into range. Lyla adjusted the targeting and fired the Ion Cannons. They blasted the Dreadnaught on its bow, two massive beams of illuminating the end of the ship.
From around the side of the Dreadnaught, two fighters shot around the beam.
“Jako! Two Elite fighters incoming!” Lyla shouted. The Elites weren’t as skilled as the Jackals but still posed a threat.
“I see them,” Jako shouted, moving across the consoles, he triggered the cycle cannons and began firing towards the fighters. The first fighter took a hit right to the front window which shattered and the fighter spiralled away from the fight. The other two were more lucky, avoiding all other shots.
One of them flew right past the Azimuth, and Jako could see inside the cockpit the mask of death looking at him. He looked back to see the second fighter just, as it fired a missile at the glass dome viewpoint.
The impact was close range and powerful, but the glass remain intact, only a small crack appearing, but lines began to trickle out from the impact point.
The Omega Drive Page 12
