by Chris Fox
Edward dropped into the room, and a moment later the outer door slid closed.
"It will begin pressurizing in a minute," Lena said. Sure enough, they heard the telltale hiss of oxygen filling the room.
"That's interesting," Hannan said. "I wasn't sure these things needed oxygen. The fact that they do is good. It's going to be hard enough to fight our way to the bridge without wearing these bulky suits."
"I can open the airlock door any time," Lena said, turning back to the group.
"Before you do, I have a question," Nolan said. He considered how best to ask it. "You said you've wired the VI to your comm system, right?"
"Yes, it's linked in. Any of us could talk to it, though right now it can't respond verbally," Lena explained. She cocked her head inside the EVA suit. "Why do you ask?"
"You said that the VI had a complete record of what it calls the final war," Nolan said. "That includes data about all the Void Wraith units they encountered, right?"
"It does," Lena said. She smiled. "I think I see where you're going with this."
"Excellent thinking, human," Fizgig said. Was she actually purring? "Lena, use this VI to share the tactical schematics over the comm. Commander, the visors inside the suits can be used independently, yes?"
"That's right," Nolan said, nodding. "If we keep the visors on after we remove the suits we'll be able to tell friend from foe, and our HUDs will show all the tactical data available in that VI."
"I'll take every advantage we can get," Hannan said. She reached up and popped the catch on her helmet, then tugged it off and dropped it on the floor. "Edwards, Izzy, let's get changed."
"Are we sure changing in the airlock is a good idea?" Izzy asked, making no move to remove her suit.
"Do as the human asks," Fizgig commanded. She removed her own helmet, and began working on the rest of the suit.
Nolan did the same, and less than two minutes later the floor of the airlock was littered with pieces of their EVA suits. He took a deep breath and turned to his makeshift squad. "Hannan and Izzy, you're first through the door. Fizgig and Edwards, you'll be bringing up the rear. I'll stay in the middle with Lena. Let's move."
Lena was now carrying the cube in one hand, and had a tablet in the other. She tapped the tablet, and the airlock door slid open.
Chapter 57- Captain
Dryker rose from the console, wiping the sweat from his eyes. It mixed with soot from the smoke, leaving an oily residue on his skin. "Okay, that will do it. In about six minutes the Johnston is going to tear itself apart from the inside."
"A noble sacrifice," Khar said, nodding. He'd set his rifle down and was now carrying Juliard. The comm tech had twisted her ankle during her landing, but was otherwise unharmed.
"Sacrifice?" Juliard asked, her voice rising half an octave. "Captain, are we going down with the ship?"
"Hell no," Dryker said, looking at Juliard like she was crazy. "I don't know about you, but I plan to live."
"How will we do that?" Khar asked, raising a bushy brown eyebrow.
"Your ship," Dryker said, starting up the barrel of the gauss rifle. "We can follow the barrel until we hit C junction, then take that to the tube where you boarded the Johnston."
Khar's eyes widened, then he began to laugh. It was the oddest sound Dryker had ever heard--part rumbling laugh, part purr. "Ah, you continue to surprise me, human. Lead on, and perhaps we'll survive the day."
Dryker took the lead, moving at a fast walk. Both hands were wrapped around his TM-601, and he was ready to gun down anything that appeared. The weapon was heavier than he'd remembered, and his back was already beginning to hurt. He was too old for this shit.
Several tense minutes passed before they reached the C junction. Surprisingly, the hatch was open. Dryker approached it cautiously, pausing to listen next to the hatch. Nothing. He turned to Khar. "Can you hear anything beyond?"
"No, all sounds of combat have stopped. Not a good sign. They'll be hunting for us," Khar replied, shaking his head. Juliard had buried her face against his armor. She'd begun weeping, probably from the pain. They needed to find a medkit.
Dryker stepped through the hatch, moving swiftly up the corridor. The walls were scorched, dented, and in some places ruptured by explosions or gunfire. It tore at him to see what a mess his vessel had become.
The Johnston wasn't a new ship. She wasn't a battleship. She was an aging destroyer. But she'd served proudly, and...damn it, she was his ship. Seeing her die, knowing he'd signed the death warrant, was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to face.
"Khar, how will your people react when we arrive?" Dryker asked, pausing at another T intersection. He peered down both sides, but saw no movement.
"They will allow us to board," Khar said. His breathing had grown ragged, and his movement had slowed. "After that, I do not know. They may imprison you. I am the second officer, and our first officer will need to decide."
Dryker nodded, then started up the next corridor. They were paralleling the outer hull of the ship, which was one of the first areas the Judicators had cleared. Perhaps that was why they hadn't met any resistance.
"How much further?" Khar asked, pausing to lean against the corridor wall.
"Not much. About a hundred meters," Dryker said. "One more push."
He started up the corridor, thankful that Khar moved to follow him. He knew the Tigris was exhausted, but they didn't have time to rest. Every moment they remained on the Johnston was one moment closer to death. He checked the clock on his comm. Two minutes until detonation.
Dryker redoubled his pace, moving at a near trot as he crossed the last twenty meters. He stopped next to the airlock, which was still coupled to the Tigris vessel. The outer airlock door was open, so he stepped inside. The inner door was also open, though the matching Tigris door that formed the seal was still closed.
"Can you open this?" he asked, setting his M-601 against the wall. It was doubtful the Tigris would let him keep it anyway.
"I can," Khar said. Gently, he handed Juliard to Dryker, then moved to the Tigris panel.
"How are you holding up, lieutenant?" Dryker asked, careful not to jostle Juliard too much.
"My ankle is throbbing, but the arm is the worst," she replied through gritted teeth. "Don't worry about me, though. Just get us off this ship."
A sudden scream sounded in the distance, not more than a hundred meters away. It was abruptly cut off.
"Hurry this up, Khar," Dryker said.
"I have it," the cat said, and a loud purr thrummed through the airlock. The bronze Tigris door slid open, and they found themselves staring at a half-dozen rifles leveled in their direction. Khar stepped boldly forward, growling at the Tigris soldiers. "Stand down. Once we are through close the door. Metaza, I have need of you. You will take the wounded human to our medical bay and sees that she receives treatment."
"Yes, mighty Khar," a tiger-striped cat said. It moved to the captain, giving a slight bob of its head. "Allow me to relieve you of this burden."
Dryker reluctantly handed Juliard over, meeting her gaze. "It will be okay, lieutenant. You're going to get the treatment you need."
"Come, Dryker," Khar said, starting up the wide, bronze corridor. "I will take you to the bridge, where we can meet with my superior."
Chapter 58- Alpha Judicator
Nolan sprinted low and fast down the Void Wraith corridor, struggling to keep up with Lena. Tigris were natural runners, and it had been a long time since Nolan went through PT. Hannan didn't seem to have any trouble keeping up with Izzy, and the pair were leapfrogging up the corridor ahead of them. Fizgig and Edwards brought up the rear, and each time Nolan glanced back he found Fizgig slowing to allow Edwards to keep up.
"Commander," Hannan called from up ahead. She'd stopped next to one of the wide, arched doorways that separated the Void Wraith corridors. They seemed vaguely Egyptian, though Nolan realized that was just his brain trying to find a comfortable comparison.
"What i
s it?" Nolan said, struggling to slow his breathing as he came to a stop next to the petite Marine. Izzy had taken shelter on the other side of the doorway, and was scanning the room within.
"Take a look," Hannan said, nodding at the doorway.
Nolan bent forward enough to see within the room. Wide stairs descended into a large chamber. The ceiling was at least thirty feet tall, and the walls were lined with giant pods. Each pod had a thick cable leading into the floor, and there was a small window on the front of each. He couldn't see inside the pod from here, and had no idea what they might be used for.
"Lena, what do you think?" he asked, quietly.
"No idea," she said, shrugging. "There's nothing in the VI's memory about this. They never made it inside a Void Wraith vessel, as the vessels self-destruct just like the Judicators."
"Well that would have been good to know before we decided to try to take one," Edwards said, rather sourly.
"Stow it," Hannan said. There was a hint of warning in her tone.
"Movement," Fizgig said, her voice just above a whisper.
A massive figure stepped into view below. It resembled the Judicators, but was taller and broader, and bristling with armaments. Nolan's HUD blinked, then began to display information. According to the data scrolling across his screen, this was an Alpha Judicator. It was apparently a cybernetic life form, and had the armaments and armor to take down heavy mechanized units.
"Fall back," he whispered. Everyone shuffled back a few steps, moving out of sight of the doorway. He turned to Lena. "Can you find us another way to the bridge?"
"I'm afraid not," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not even sure this is the right way. We're going off guesswork based on the outside of the vessel. The Primos never made it to the bridge. We could try to make it around another way, but we'd be largely blind. I have no idea what we'd encounter."
"Okay, so we have to destroy this thing," Nolan said. He looked Hannan in the eye. "I need you to deliver me a dead Alpha Judicator."
"I'm not sure we have the ordinance for that, sir," Hannan said, going a little pale.
"Sarge is right, sir," Edwards said, holding up his assault rifle. "I had to leave the 601 behind. This pop gun isn't going to do shit to that monster."
"You're not going to be using your rifle," Nolan said. He glanced around the corner into the room below, then ducked back into the corridor. "Lena, those cables are conducting electricity, right?"
"Yes, I'm almost positive of it," Lena affirmed.
"Almost positive will have to do," Nolan said. He turned to Fizgig. "You, Izzy, Hannan and Edwards are going to distract that thing. We'll wait for it to walk back to the other side of the room, then flank it. Our crossfire probably won't do much to slow it down, but all we're trying to do is distract it."
"We can do that," Fizgig said, impassively. Her tail swished behind her. "How do you plan to defeat this enemy?"
"I'll tear one of those cables out of the floor. When the Alpha passes my position, I'll dart out and plant the conduit against the Judicator," Nolan explained. He glanced at Hannan. "Can you keep this thing occupied until I get into position?"
"Can do, sir," Hannan asked, squaring her shoulders.
"Your plan could definitely work," Lena interjected. "We know that bullets disrupt the cloaking field. That field covers the entire outside of the unit, so I'm betting it's highly conductive. If it is, the conduit might overload the Alpha's systems."
"I do not believe we have any other choice," Fizgig said. She looked to Nolan. "The command is yours, of course."
"This is as good a plan as we're likely to get," Nolan replied grimly. "Okay, Hannan, this is your show. Give me a window to get to that cable."
Chapter 59- Larva
Kathryn awoke with a start and gazed wildly around the room. She was not in her quarters; this room's flat metal walls were completely unfamiliar. She began to thrash, but found herself restrained. Thick metal bands pinned her head, forearms, wrists, and ankles to the kind of chair that gave dentists a bad name.
"Calm down," she said, forcing herself to take several long, deep breaths. What was the last thing she remembered? She'd gone to bed in her quarters, after seeding both the Quantum Network and Quantum Lite with stories about Nolan and the Johnston.
Someone must have broken into her quarters, drugged her, and then brought her to a secure facility. It was textbook OFI, designed to put an interrogation subject off balance. Placing them in an unfamiliar situation outside of their control sapped a subject's willpower, which made them easier to break.
The first method of fighting that was logic. She needed to figure out where she was, who'd taken her, and what they wanted. That meant gathering as much information as possible. She took some time to look at the room she was in. A metal table sat next to her, with an array of wicked-looking torture tools arrayed prominently. A single high-illumination light shone on her from above like a spotlight. That would partially blind her, allowing her interrogators to stand in the shadows.
Kathryn closed her eyes and listened. In the distance she heard voices. One of them was raised in anger, and she focused on that one. She could make out faint words, one of which she recognized immediately. Ghantan. That dropped so many pieces into place. She'd already suspected that Admiral Mendez was behind this, though she hadn't wanted to believe he was capable of it. Did he think she knew something about the Johnston that he could use?
"Dispatch the seventh. Make sure only loyal ships are sent," Mendez's voice boomed. She knew her father well enough to know that his tone meant he was close to panic. The admiral always went on the offensive when angry. "They're to wipe out the Johnston, and make sure there are no witnesses. No one leaves that system alive, am I clear? If word gets out now, it could ruin everything. It's too soon. We are not ready for war."
Footsteps sounded outside the room, stopping just on the other side of what she guessed must be the door. A sharp hiss confirmed her suspicions, and footsteps sounded inside the room. There was only a single pair, and she knew exactly to whom they belonged.
"Good morning, Admiral," Kathryn said cheerfully. "It sounds like things aren't going very well. Maybe because someone leaked information about your little coup all over the Quantum Network."
The footsteps approached until she could see a shadowed figure standing at the edge of the light. The admiral's bearded face was silhouetted by the light, giving him an even more sinister cast. She couldn't quite make out his eyes, but she could see the too-white teeth when he smiled.
"Ahh, Kathryn. I've suspected your true loyalties for some time, but that last little stunt was a bridge too far," the admiral pulled a metal stool next to her chair, then sat. He picked up a scalpel from the tray of tools. "Your flippant attitude is admirable. That's the product of OFI training, and I'd expect nothing less. I have no doubt it would take weeks to break you, if I used traditional techniques."
Kathryn considered quickly. This verbal sparring match would be short, and represented her only real chance to get information. After this the torture would begin in earnest, and she'd be in too much pain to learn anything of use.
"So why bother breaking me?" she said, turning her head as much as the restraints would allow. "You could have just poisoned me in my sleep. A heart attack, like poor Admiral Kelley."
"It's not sentimentality, I assure you. Our relationship has nothing to do with you still breathing," Mendez said. He leaned closer, until she could smell the tang of tobacco on his breath. "You're alive because your incredible ingenuity has allowed you to accomplish something no one else in the admiralty has. To date, our little plot has gone completely undetected. We've been operating for nearly a year without a whisper of our activities reaching the wrong ears. Then you come along, tossing wrenches into some of our best plans."
"I'd think that would be more reason to kill me," Kathryn shot back.
"That would be a waste," Mendez said, eyeing her with an unreadable mix of emotions. "I'd much rather convert
you to our cause, Lieutenant Commander."
Lieutenant Commander. Not Kate. Not daughter.
"And how is it you plan to do that?" Kathryn said, raising an eyebrow. "I'll never work for you, not to subvert our government. You have to know that."
"Of course you will," the admiral said, giving a booming laugh.
Kathryn knew this stage of the interrogation was ending, so she asked the most important question she could think of. "Why are you doing all this? You were a hero in the Tigris war. A patriot, through and through. What changed you so dramatically, and how did I miss it?"
"You'll understand our motives soon enough," the admiral said. He reached into the pockets of his uniform jacket, and withdrew two objects. The first Kathryn recognized. It was a hypo-stim, designed to inject any number of chemicals into a subject. The second was a small clear vial, but she couldn't make out the contents. "First, I need to ensure your loyalty. And I assure you, you will be loyal."
The admiral held up the clear vial, just a few inches from her face. Something green and slimy lay inside, a two-inch slug of a species she wasn't familiar with. It pressed against the glass, writhing as it attempted to get closer to her. "This is a Gorthian larva. It has several unique properties. The first is its ability to rewrite genetic material. It can modify both RNA and DNA, changing the host body to suit its needs. In the case of sentient species, that means rewriting your neurological pathways to fit desired patterns."
Kathryn could only stare in horror. If the admiral was on the level, this thing would quite literally brainwash her. That explained so much--why trusted members of every major race were serving the Void Wraith.
"Its next ability is the one I find most intriguing," the Admiral said, holding the vial up for his own inspection. "The larva acts as a quantum transmitter. It can both send and receive information, allowing the masters to orchestrate their grand design."
