Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison 4: Empires at War (Part One)
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“Yes, Captain!” the weapons officer sounded off.
“Commander Izzak, our enemy has made a grave mistake and will learn a hard lesson if they survive it. You will apologize to the crew on this bridge for your error.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Watch, Commander, and learn. Neither the Cjittan nor the Allond will strike the first blow in retaliation against the Khalnalax. A human alone without any support will strike first, for the love of his mate who happens to be the queen. It is that simple.”
****
“What do we do now?” Natalia asked.
“Gimme your pistol, but keep your knife. I’m going out the top hatch, so sit tight and be ready to start the shuttle.”
“I’m not staying here. I’m going with you.”
“Natalia, didn’t we just have this conversation about taking orders? I need you here. I know what you’re thinking, but you’re only partly right. I will always want to keep you safe, but in this case I need to make sure one of us can get us out of here. Look up the com codes for Dakkon’s cruiser and our ship and have them ready.”
“Here, my pistol is fully charged and there are extra ammo and charges in the pouch,” Natalia said, handing it over.
“I’m going to open a channel, but don’t say anything, just listen. I’ll be talking as I work my way through the ship. When I say it’s time to rock and roll, you begin the startup on the shuttle.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Mayhem, death and destruction.”
“The old standby.”
“If it ain’t broke. . .”
“Hey, look at that, the captain is here to greet you personally.”
“See, sometimes things just fall into your lap. There was this girl at a bar once. . .”
“Dad, seriously, go. Do your thing and get back here.”
“Lock the hatch behind me. I’ll see you shortly.”
I laughed and kissed her on her forehead. Stepping through the bulkhead, I reached up and pulled the manual release for the top hatch ladder. I snapped my helmet in place and activated it; I was ready. Some people would take this more seriously, but why? Climbing up a couple of rungs, I pulled the cover open on the small door to get to the manual hatch release. This was a real pain in the ass, but part of the plan. No one likes to be looked down on, and that’s exactly what I was going to do, right before I started shooting. Normally I didn’t like to use this pistol inside a ship for fear of punching a hole in something critical, but this was war, and my role didn’t require any prisoners, except for snacks for Imelda, and I had Natalia’s stunner for that.
The hatch slid back into the roof. I had to twist at an odd angle to get through the opening while wearing two pistols on my waist.
“I hope you people make your manways and hatches for those of us who are a bit larger than normal. I’m gonna want to trade this in for something new,” I said nonchalantly, ignoring the stern looks from below. Standing at my full height, I was looking down on the captain, two Khalnalax crewmen and four of the soldiers/servants, as Imelda called them.
“Remove your weapons,” the captain ordered. I was calculating how many I could get with my first shot. They were in a pyramid formation. At the downward angle, I could shoot the captain through the head. The crewman would get it the shoulder and a beastie in the guts.
I unbuckled my pistol and leaned as if to lay it on the shuttle. With the holster in my hand, I pulled and fired, then dropped on my ass and slid down the side of the shuttle, landing on my feet. Belt and holster in one hand and pistol in the other, I tracked the other crewman and shot him through the back as he ran, wounding another beastie. I could hear the slugs when they hit, ripping through metal. I dropped to one knee after a green laser shot past my head. The manway was clear of bodies and I ran forward into the ship, not caring what I left behind. Although it seemed careless and cocky, it was me against a whole crew. I couldn’t stay in one place and chance getting penned down.
****
Natalia watched. It was only a matter of seconds, but it always seemed like slow motion when she watched her father engaged in battle. She walked through the bulkhead, opening a compartment door in the wall. Inside was a stunner. It wasn’t her preference, but she wanted to hold something that resembled a weapon while she waited. She knew that outside the ship hostiles still milled around.
****
The corridor quickly turned into a dead end. No alarm sounded but it wouldn’t be long. I put the belt on, trading it for the second pistol. Flipping the switch with my thumb, I waited for the ready light while trying to decide if one way was better than the other. Given no indication, I went around the corner I was leaning on and ran down the corridor to the next intersection. I heard feet running in time. I flattened myself against the wall and waited as they came closer and closer. The sound reverberated off the walls until it was almost deafening; they were right on top of me.
What took place next would later be described as evil by some. I turn and opened fire with both pistols into a perfect formation of soldiers, point blank. Four columns felt the hot tungsten ripping through their ranks and bodies. Why they wore no body armor was a mystery to me; not that it would have saved them, mind you, but it just didn’t make sense. The armor would have at least contained the spatter that covered me when the closest bodies blew apart. I moved across the hall in front of them, firing on each row as I stepped. Those in the rear didn’t even raise their weapons. The fear of shooting the soldier in front of them caused them to hesitate, if only for a second, and cost them their lives as the trailing rounds found them when the others fell away. There was no cover, nowhere to go but back. I don’t think the manufacturer of my weapons meant for them to be used against soft tissue. They were meant to be used against heavy armor and mechanized suits.
I heard a sharp intake of breath from Natalia, but she didn’t say a word. Bodies littered the corridor, some obviously still alive. I ran, stepping on and over them as I went, kicking a few that had enough strength to try to stand in my way or grab on. I pushed a few down and kept moving. What genius formed them up in columns and marched them double time down the hall?
The next intersection was much busier and the soldiers were waiting. They were setting up a blockade when they saw me. I wasn’t sure what the material was, so I fired a test round, which went completely through it. Someone went down screaming and the others ran. In the same moment I felt my back heat up and realized I had been shot from behind. I dropped and rolled, bringing a pistol to bear, but my assailant had ducked back around the corner. Lying still and waiting for a brief second, nothing happened so I bolted toward the blockade and the wounded soldier.
I knelt behind the cube he had put in place and waited. Now if my sniper showed, there would be something at my back. I hoped the shit worked better against energy weapons. I was sure it did; most species carried them.
“Which way to the bridge? And don’t give me that ‘I’d rather die than tell you’ crap.” I asked the soldier bleeding all over the corridor.
He answered by raising his rifle, but it was slow and he was already weak from blood loss. I kicked it from his hand.
“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to keep you alive and feed you to my friends. Have you ever met any of the soldiers of the Cjittan army? They are quite effective, which is an added plus—no prisoners to have to take care of.”
I could tell by the fear in his eyes that he at least knew what I was talking about. “Tell me what I want to know and I will make your death swift. Your people have lost but fewer will die if I can stop this ship. Otherwise I will keep killing until every soul on this ship is dead.”
“You just said no prisoners. I do not believe you.”
“There is an Allond warship following right behind. I will turn anyone still alive over to their mercy if you tell me what I want to know.”
He moaned and cried as a pain must have shot up his leg. His look was pure hatred but he spoke. “Follow th
is corridor till it ends and you will find an entrance to the bridge on the right and one on the left. They will be waiting for you and you will die.”
“That was easy now, wasn’t it? I would have found it easily enough, but I wanted to see if you people were any different than others I have fought. You’re not. Inside, you’re all the same; your skin is just red.”
Holstering my pistol, I pulled my knife from its sheath. “Who knows, maybe I will die and maybe I won’t. One thing is for certain.” I pulled the blade across his throat and continued, no need to say anything more.
At the next intersection, I stopped to listen. Hearing nothing ahead of me, I started across when four tentacles tripped me. Two pulled my legs out from under me and I hit the floor hard, but I was cushioned by the two wrapped around my arms, chest and armor. This beastie was a little different than the others I had met. Four of the eight tentacles were extra-long, and while it had my arms and legs bound to my body, it didn’t wrap me up near my wrists. It charged and pulled me at the same time, snapping its maw in anticipation of a midday snack. I elevated the barrel and pulled the trigger. The beast exploded and fell back, dragging me with it. The round went through the ceiling and the hole began to leak some kind of fluid as the ship shuddered. I shook off the lifeless tentacles and continued. Wonderful, more blood and shit all over me. It was beginning to be a norm.
Taking a calming breath and letting it out slowly, I placed my hand on the smooth metal wall. I detected tremors running through the ship. The sound of the soldiers I had left behind reached my ears. They bled and died; their cries and moans echoed, growing louder, but would soon grow silent. I could not discount those I had left alive. I would have to make my way back sooner or later and the advantage of surprise was gone. I had to move fast, but there was no cover, so speed laced with a little caution was in order. I hated T intersections; nothing to do for it now. One quick look and I was rewarded with repeated laser fire. It scorched the walls on both sides of me.
“If you surrender now we will make your death swift. I believe that is what you offered my crewman,” someone yelled. The voice sounded feminine.
“If you surrender now I won’t have to kill all of you, and I hope you’re intelligent enough to know that I will. If you heard my conversation with your crewman, then you’re also able to see what I’ve done so far.”
“As we speak my soldiers have regrouped and we will have you effectively trapped between us.”
“Good to know. Enough talk.” I didn’t usually show off or try to be too flashy, but if what she said was true—and I had no reason not to believe it—I didn’t have any time to look for another way on to the bridge. I took four quick steps backward and dove to the floor. I rolled on my back and arms. The minute my head and shoulders broke the plane of cover, I began firing in both directions and was taking fire in return. They were ready for me. They must have known those blocks they placed in the hall wouldn’t do shit if they had watched my experiment earlier. A soldier sprang up from the floor and put a hand to the wall; the door opened, I turned my head and saw two soldiers crawling across the floor, moving away. A blood smear trailed on the floor behind them.
More laser fire erupted straight in front of me. I would have to call this attack a suicide run. Half a dozen soldiers ran toward me, firing their weapons. I fired twice, once with each pistol, and rolled toward the door the soldier entered. Coming to my feet, I sprinted the distance to the blockade. Three bodies lay on the floor, all dead or soon to be. I looked them over, trying to discern their rank. Two wore gloves and carried rifles, while one didn’t and carried a pistol. That was my guy. I picked up the body just as more laser fire came my way. Holding it as a shield, it took the brunt of the damage until I grabbed its hand and slapped it against the pad on the wall. The door opened and we were greeted by more, taking it from two directions.
Andrea had tried to teach me how to dance when we first met, and later Taz gave me lessons. Holding the wrist of the dead man, I spun on my heel through the door and into a bridge full of scared officers and crew. Spinning my date again, I placed his hand on the panel, shutting the doors. We were only a few feet from the first station and the crewman was getting up to run when the body collided with him, both of them ending in a heap on the floor. Another brave crewman fired and hit me from across the room. I drew my katana and swung in a downward arc, catching the crewman on the floor in the neck. Dragging it slowly away, I moved with fluidity, grace, blood and gore across the floor to the shooter.
“Put it down or I’ll put you down!” I said, making it as menacing as I could. I turned and pointed at the soldier I felt I had talked to outside. “Surrender now and live. You know the alternative. But maybe you need a reminder.” I had recordings of Imelda stored in my helmet. I pushed the com on my arm. The holo sprang to life and began playing.
We were on Trillond, and the Alliance officer who thought he could order me and my crew around had just fired above my head. I turned to face him. Imelda walked down the ramp and leaned over me, biting his head off. She continued to eat him as I stood there, getting covered in blood and shit. I looked much like I did right now, and that fact did not escape the officer in charge.
“You see; I do not make idle threats. She was once the queen of her kind, answering only to the Queen of Cjittan. She is currently one of my queens, and she is hungry! Stop this ship now, or when my ship arrives, I swear I will let her loose on board before the others who might take pity on you.” I inched toward the acting captain. She tried to be brave, looking up at me, but I thought the visual and the smell had gotten to her.
“The Khalnalax do not surrender. Do what you have to do,” she said solemnly.
“How about the rest of you? Do you share her sentiment? Are you ready to die? If you are not, if you would like to walk out of here, raise your hand like this.” I demonstrated and looked around.
“How do we know you will keep your word?” the crewman to the right of the captain asked.
“You’re not already dead, which is a good start. Now, hands up or not? There is no more time.” All hands were up except the captain’s, and my fist hit her jaw before they knew what to think. She went down in a heap on the floor.
“You lock the doors. Whoever is at the helm, shut this ship down except for life support. Who is next in line now that she is incapacitated?” I asked, firing off the questions.
“I am,” the crewman who had been standing next to the captain said. Fear crossed his face now that I had singled him out.
“Make an announcement ship-wide for those still armed to lay down their weapons.”
“Is it time to rock and roll? I’m getting bored in here,” Natalia said, not being able to take any more inaction.
“Yes, get Sash moving and call Captain Dakkon. Tell him this ship is under our control, but it would be nice if he could get here and board as quickly as possible.”
“Acting Captain, is your hold equipped with a force field so that it can be open to space without loss of atmosphere and gravity?”
“It is. Do you wish for me to open the door?”
“That will be better than the Allond blowing a big hole in the ship. All of you, listen up. You will address me as Reaper, so remember that in the future and be thankful. Most who meet the Reaper are not alive to tell of it.”
“Damn, Dad, you’re laying that on thick,” Natalia chuckled in my ear.
I muted my helmet. “Yeah, I’m forging a reputation for us, Daughter. They have no idea, but I think letting a few of them go will help to spread the word in the Khalnalax camp. They are proud and power-hungry. The upper crust won’t believe at first but the soldiers will.”
“Gotta go, Sash is on the horn,” Natalia said, and I had to smile.
“Tell her I said to get her ass moving. Do you have the environmental system up and running?”
“Yes, and Sash says to get her a ship like the Claymore and she will travel wherever you want her to with much more speed.”
“She says she will look at it when she arrives.”
I paused. The former captain groaned and started moving to get up. “Have her restrained before her head clears or I will have to hit her again,” I said out loud, not directing it to anyone but expecting someone to get moving. “Now!” Three jumped to do the deed, with only slight resistance from the detainee.
“Captain, there is a leak coming from the ceiling in a corridor. It should be easy to find. Dispatch a repair crew to fix it as well as a team to collect the dead and treat the wounded. Have them take the dead to the hold. Captain! Look at me. This isn’t over yet for any of you. I’ll promote someone new to the position and you know how I handle demotions.”
“Reaper, may I speak?” the captain asked.
“Please do.”
“This vessel is a support ship for the mining operations on the surface. Most of the crew on board rotate with another squad on the planet surface. While we are all trained in combat, we rarely see any action. These people are not veteran soldiers; they are engineers and laborers, geologists and a few medical personnel. A small group of us are Khalnalax navy crewmembers and we handle the operations of this vessel.”
“And the other two ships in orbit around Kanlost?”
“The same. So far we have been able to scare away most ships entering into this star system with some harsh words and a few torpedoes. Our original captain thought that a shuttle would be an easy target and had no fear of pursuing you.”
I noticed something behind the captain that caught my attention. A crewman was typing away on a console, while all the rest sat and watched to see what would happen with their new captain. I stepped forward and pushed the captain out of the way, placing the blade edge of my katana along the side of the crewman’s neck.
“What are you doing? And don’t lie to me.”