“They’ve hit the Azimuth!” Jako shouted, floating down to the connection to the StarQuake. It was always open, allowing Jako to move into the ship whenever he needed.
“Get out of there!” Lyla shouted back, still pummelling the oncoming Dreadnaught. It had changed its course and was back on target.
“No, we need the targeting intel!” He shouted. He accessed the door control, and punched in his access code. The door slammed shut, locking him inside.
“I’ve sealed the connection, if the Azimuth is compromised it won’t depressurize the StarQuake,” he explained.
“If the Azimuth is compromised, you’ll die!” Lyla shouted back.
Jako was pulling on his exosuit, and a helmet which was floating next to it. The suit was an air locked system and would allow him time in open space, but not for long.
He floated up to the screen; the cracks were almost surrounding it now.
“The Dreadnaught is nearly at us!” Lyla shouted.
Jako accessed the railgun targeting, spinning it on its axis so that the Dreadnaught was in view, he watched and waited. The fighters were circling round towards the Ion Cannons, trying to get a lock on to disable them. Jako watched them move.
“Any, second, now!” Jako fired, the Railgun took three seconds to power up, just as a fighter rotated into the angle of fire. The shot blasted from the barrel towards the Dreadnaught just as the fighter flew into its path. The railgun blast destroying it instantly before hammering into the Dreadnaught’s hull, directly where the Ion Cannons had been weakening.
The Dreadnaught shuddered from the impact; metal crumpling under the pressure. Although it was a direct hit, the ship still moved forwards and a remaining spike aiming to the side of the StarQuake.
“Shit,” Lyla shouted and began to shut down access to the impact zone sections to reduce the depressurization of the ship.
The last remaining fighter was still moving around the StarQuake. Jako barely had a chance to look through the cracks to see it move into firing range. A flash of a missile launch filled his field of view before the impact destroyed the glass dome. Jako covered his face as the glass exploded inwards and floated around him. He drifted upwards and out into open space as the air pressure inside the dome forced its way out.
“Jako?!” Lyla screamed on the comms as, a warning light lit up on the dashboard in front of her, showing the Azimuth as compromised. Looking up she saw several more of the Syndicate Fleet being to arrive on their position.
She closed her eyes and punched a button on the console.
“This is Lyla Sinclair of the StarQuake to Admiral Jenkins, this is an SOS. We need the SA Fleet here now. I repeat, this is Lyla Sinclair, the Syndicate are here, all of them, you sent us into a goddamn deathtrap!” Her words transmitted just as the Dreadnaught crashed into the StarQuake and impaled itself to its hull. The sound of metal crumping and the ship shuddering rocked Lyla, and she said a prayer to whatever gods were listening.
36
The Prime Leader stood in front of Tanner, Vittoria, and Tylr. Two Elites trained their weapons at them.
“Have you realised what this place is?” He asked, typing on a panel in front of him.
“A prison ship,” Tylr said.
“Correct. Now, why would the Endlings have arrived here, on a prison ship?”
“Enlighten us,” Tanner said, tiring of the theatrics. He’d checked his communication device was still active, hoping the others could hear their situation.
“Oh, I’ll do better than that, I’ll show you,” The Prime Leader swiped a hand over a light beam that was emitting from the panel he’d been using.
In the space between them, a hologramatic figure appeared. Full colour, but not completely solid, the figure of a man was rushing around, tapping on consoles the hologram didn’t show.
“Is this recording?” He shouted, staring out towards the Coyotes. “My name is Lieutenant Hixon Chambers, I am the last surviving crewmember of the Prison Ship, Axiom,” an explosion off screen threw Hixon to the side, his face now bleeding.
“Some kind of weapon hit the Axiom, I don’t know if it was an attack or a spatial anomaly, regardless it damaged our NavCom and engines. It opened a wormhole, and knocked us off course. The ship couldn’t handle the damage and has been falling apart since the jump. We are a long way from home, and I don’t know if this message will even reach anyone. All fifteen of the crew are dead, caught in the explosions. Most of the prison population are also dead, the prison areas were the first parts of the ship where shield integrity failed. Only nine are alive, they were in solitary confinement areas. Against my better judgement, I will release them so we can try to repair the ship, and get back home, it’s my only choice.” The hologram vanished.
The Prime Leader looked over at the Coyotes as they heard the information. Tanner looked at the others, his eyes wide.
“How can this be true?” Vittoria spoke first.
“It makes sense doesn’t it? Why else would they not have tried to return home?” The Prime Leader smiled.
“What happened to Hixon?” Tylr asked.
The Prime Leader started another broadcast. Hixon reappeared on the screen. This time he was covered in blood, crouched on his knees.
“I was wrong, the inmates don’t want to return home. We’ve found life in this system and they plan on conquering this primitive galaxy. They are going to kill me if I…”
Suddenly another figure came into view standing behind Hixon.
“Tut, tut, tut, little worm crawled away,” the figure said, before crouching over and slamming a fist into Hixons’ jaw causing holographic blood to fly towards the Coyotes. The face of the figure was now in full view, it was Wyx, the green toad-like Endling.
The Coyotes couldn’t take their eyes off the scene unfolding before them, whilst the Prime Leader watched in pleasure at their shock.
“And all this time, you thought the Syndicate were the criminals,” he laughed.
“How long have you known about this?” Tanner asked, trying to organise his thoughts.
“Long enough, let’s just say one of the Endlings got homesick,” as he spoke, Shai walked in. Her normal ceremonial robes replaced now with a combat suit comprising a leather vest.
“Good Evening, Coyotes,” she said, her normal, graceful, flowing voice now more like the cascade of a waterfall, sharp and crisp.
“So it’s all true?” Vittoria was struggling to believe the information.
“Oh, it’s true,” Shai replied. “When we saw how low-tech this system was, we knew we could take over. We had the chance at a brand new life, where we could be rulers, almost God-like, so we took it. You all followed us so easily. Unfortunately, Hixon got away and hid the ship, so we didn’t have all the access to technology we’d have liked.”
“So why now? Why have us find the ship?” Tanner asked.
“Hixon hid the ship which was fine as we didn’t want anyone knowing we were here, anyway. It couldn’t last though, your technology has advanced considerably, and now, with the Omega Energy fueling the Syndicate army, I believe that we can return to our home, and take control.”
“So you built yourself an army here, so you can go back and start a war?” Tylr shook her head.
“I’ve become tired of this system, but my colleagues weren’t as keen on the idea, so I had to nudge them into my way of thinking. The attack on Ganymede was simply a way to push them into action. Oh, and the Orbital Strike, if it’s any consolation, I ordered it to stop you from getting hold of the Book, you got too damn close for my liking.”
Tanners eyes flashed anger.
“It’s time,” An Elite relayed the information which had just come to him over his headset.
“Excellent,” the Prime Leader smiled.
“Come with us, you won’t want to miss this,” Shai motioned for the Coyotes to stand. “We’ve about to activate the Omega Drive for the first time in decades.”
The Elites kept their weapons on
the Coyotes as they all walked down towards the engine room.
“What happened to Hixon?” Tylr asked as they walked.
“After he escaped and hid the ship, he vanished. We all assumed he died on the ship somewhere,” Shai laughed.
The engine room was at the heart of the ship, two massive coils stood side by side, each the size of a small house. A walkway ran around the top of them and a control room was stationed above, with a clear view of both the coils. The first coil was already on, blue light flickering across the coils which were glowing red as the Coyotes’ were made to stand at the centre of the walkway, above the two generators.
“The Alpha Engine is operational,” Dos said, from the control room. He was seated, as his damaged ankle was still healing.
“Excellent, start up the Omega Engine,” Shai said.
Below them the second coil began to hum into life, white sparks emitting from its centre.
37
Dack had been dogfighting around the asteroid with the two Jackals for several minutes. Neither side able get a good hit on the other. In the background he could hear the vague conversation from Tanner and the Prime Leader. He didn’t have time to comprehend the information coming through, his concentration more focused on avoiding in the cycle-fire from the Jackals.
Dack maneuvered his ship around the asteroid, flipping the engines just as he broke the line of sight with the Jackals behind him. Now, facing the asteroid, he waited for the Jackals to emerge from behind it. Instead, the asteroid began to shake, the dull brown rocks were vibrating, the speed increasing.
“Tanner? What’s going on down there?”
No answer.
“Lyla, Jako, you seeing this?”
No answer.
Dack didn’t have time to think about the silence, as the two Jackal craft emerged, guns blazing. This time he was ready, he fired a barrage of missiles, targeting each craft, then plunged the Bullet Rose in a downward arc, as close to the asteroid as he dared. The missiles were just a distraction as he opened the engines into full power. As the Bullet Rose followed the asteroid in a full circle, allowing him to come up behind the two Jackal ships. Firing the missiles had forced them to slow and use countermeasures, meaning as Dack approached behind them, they were no more than sitting ducks.
He flicked the Plasma beams on and fired with full power onto Cinco. He targeted his last four missiles and launched them at Seis. The firework display in front of the Bullet Rose lit up the space before him. Cinco’s craft began to emit smoke from its engines and pulled away from the fight. Whilst Seis moved down towards asteroid.
What’s he doing? Dack asked himself, then looked at the asteroid itself.
It was still shaking, but now the rocks had began to drift away from it, like a dog shaking water from its fur. Beneath the rocks a metallic surface was becoming visible. It was smooth and clean once the rocks had dislodged, covered in several reinforced metal, and Dack thought he could see the shape of mounted weapons scattered across its hull.
Dack slowly came to realise the truth.
It’s a damn ship!
He refocused on Seis, who had moved towards the ship; it was heading to a section which began to open, a hanger.
Dack sprung to action, flicking the flight sticks forwards, powering towards the hanger.
“Coyotes’ can anyone hear me?” He shouted as he approached the hanger. Now the threat of the fighters had gone, he could try to assess the situations. No response came. He checked the long range scanner, the StarQuake was still at its last location.
“StarQuake come in, do you read?” He tried again.
“Dack…” A fragmented voice garbled through the speaker.
“Lyla is that you? What’s going on?”
“Jackal…. fleet…. too much firepower….requested back-up…” Lyla’s voice stuttered through the communicator.
“Ok, hold on Lyla, if you can, jump away from here. The entire Syndicate army is amassing, we don’t have a chance in combat.”
A flash of energy electrified the entire ship ahead of Dack, spreading like veins across its hull. Every remnant of rock was thrown off in the shock, Dack rolled the Bullet Rose to avoid a large rock hurtling towards the ship. The uncovered ship below was in view, it had a graceful oval structure, but the abundance of weapons broke the style, giving it a hostile appearance. Seis had just entered the hanger, as Dack neared the square of light.
“Dack!” A shout burst through the comms, “We need assistance down here NOW,” it was Vittoria’s voice.
“Vit? What’s going on?”
“Just get down here!”
“Lyla, can you jump away?”
“I… I can’t, Jako is outside the ship,” Lyla shouted back at him.
“What do you mean, outside the ship?”
“The hulls’ been breached Dack, the Azimuth is broken and Jako is out there!”
Dack hesitated, he was unsure what he should do, head to help Lyla and Jako, or go down to Vittoria, Tanner and Tylr.
He looked down at the scanners, he could see the Syndicate fleet was approaching the StarQuake, multiple hostiles were closing in on them, there’s no way he would reach them first. He closed his eyes, hoping Lyla and Jako could find a way to survive, then thrust the Bullet Rose down towards the ship below.
The Jackal fighter had just disappeared into the white glow of the hanger as Dack altered course to a direct approach. The lights from the hanger blinding his vision the more he got closer. He looked up, past the ship and towards the StarQuakes location, worried for what was happening there.
“Lyla? Jako?” He shouted as his heart skipped a beat, but there was no response, the comms had gone dead, as he had entered the threshold of the alien vessel.
38
Lyla had left the bridge of the StarQuake. Grabbing a cycle-rifle she headed towards the impact site of the Dreadnaught. Jako wasn’t replying to comms. She hoped he was still alive and could find his way back into the ship, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it now. The Jackals would board the ship from the impact point. The Dreadnaught was infamous for its aggressive means of boarding other vessels. By impaling itself into the hull, a hatch then opened from the front of the impact point, allowing entry.
Lyla punched buttons on doors as she marched through, sealing off sections of the ship as she went. The four-inch thick doors dropped from the ceiling with a heavy slam. She did this, partially to help prevent any loss of pressure of the ship, and partially to help keep the ship locked down from the intruders.
A sound in front echoed out. Pausing, she took cover behind a bulkhead, rifle raised. The noises became voices, though she couldn’t make out the words themselves. Closer and louder. She took a breath, as a Jackal stepped into her line of view. Then another. Tres and Cuatro.
She leveled her rifle, aiming at the head of Cuatro, preparing to fire. Adrenaline pumped, she forced herself to pause. She couldn’t take them both out fast enough without risking the other getting the better of her. Instead, she moved behind them, waiting until they had passed a certain point, before smashing the lockdown button. Another massive metal shutter dropped, trapping the Jackals between two sections of the ship. A small window in the door allowed her to see them spin on the spot, and charge the door, the skull-like masks glaring through the glass at her. She knew they could figure a way out of the section before long. The codes on the doors weren’t the most secure, but until then, she had more time. She flipped the Jackals a finger, and headed towards the impact site.
The damage was severe, yet clean, where the nose of the Dreadnaught had ripped the metal into an almost perfect cone. A force field extended slightly from the nose and sealed the hole. A hatch where the two Jackals had come from was still open, and Lyla moved closer to it and peered inside. A dark red light was the only illumination inside, showing a long tunnel, which ran into the ship.
“Jako? Dack? Anyone?” She called out through the comms, hoping someone was listening.
&nb
sp; No-one replied, but a shudder from the StarQuake told her that the attacks were still coming. She knew the StarQuake would not be safe for long; it had already taken too much damage. This in mind, she climbed into the hatch of the Dreadnaught, burying the fear of what she might find inside.
*
Drifting in space wasn’t much different from drifting in the Azimuth, Jako thought, as he watched the StarQuake move away from him. The explosion of glass, and the expulsion of oxygen in the observation orb had propelled him outwards, in the sea of glass. He was glad to see that the exosuit was still airtight and intact. The helmet was also holding, though the gauge in its display showed he only had five minutes of air left before he would suffocate. its internal oxygen was used to fuel his small airjets, it wasn’t designed for long term EVA use.
He looked around him, taking in the view, despite his situation. The StarQuake was a beautiful ship, though the burn marks and damage was horrifying from the outside. In the distance he saw the Jackal fighter circling round to join the fleet which had now arrived. The entire Syndicate fleet. There was little hope now.
An alarm brought Jako back to his situation, four minutes of oxygen left.
He checked his charge on his exosuit and began to fire the small air jet which were attached, each blast reduced his oxygen tank, but it also allowed him to control his drift. Using short, sharp, blasts he changed his trajectory towards the StarQuake, though he wasn’t aiming for the damaged Azimuth. Instead, he headed for the railgun, knowing it had a manual entry point at its side for maintenance and repair.
He hit the deck with a thud; it had only taken thirty seconds, but his display read only one minute of air supply left. He had to move fast.
Using the handrails along the ship's hull, he pulled himself towards the hatch just under the hilt of the railgun. It had a spiral eye shutter, activated by a lever at its side. He pulled, it resisted for a second, before it activated and slid open.
Thirty seconds left.
The Omega Drive Page 13
