Rihan looked across as Warner came marching in with the Master-at-Arms and Trooper Long following. Believe it or not they were in step. Warner had his pistol drawn and by his side. He took a few paces to Kiralenko’s terminal and raised his pistol. “Mr Kiralenko you are under arrest. Master-at-Arms restrain him.”
Kiralenko looked completely surprised. But so did everyone else in the command centre. First the XO is yelling out and now this. Kiralenko offered no resistance. He was too shocked for that. Without any further ado, Warner directed “Everyone back to their posts. Master of Arms escort the prisoner and follow me.”
They began marching out when Rihan called out “Watch officer the ship is yours”. She jumped up and jogged to catch up with Warner. They took the elevator down to the crew deck and proceeded to Kiralenko’s room.
Kiralenko couldn’t work out what Rapperberg was doing in his room. He knew this wasn’t a joke. That was obvious. His mind was racing. Then it dawned on him that they must think he was a traitor or something. “Sir I don’t know what’s going on” he bleated out.
“But you did when you sent that signal just a while ago. Didn’t you?”
“What signal? I haven’t sent anything. Honestly.”
“And I suppose you’ve never seen this before either?” Warner stepped aside and pointed to the communicator lying on the desk.”
“I’ve never seen that before. It’s not mine” pleaded Kiralenko. “No. I’m being setup. Don’t you see that?”
The thought did cross Warner’s mind but in the absence of any other evidence he felt he had no choice but to lock him up. “Master of Arms, secure Mr Kiralenko in the brig. He is to see no one and no one is to see him till I say so. Is that understood?”
“Understood Sir” and Meadows and Long marched out the prisoner.
Rihan looked at Warner. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know for sure. He could be right about being setup or he could be a very good actor. I’m going to have to grill him and see if he breaks.”
Gunter chimed in “for what it’s worth, Sir, he genuinely looked shit scared.”
“But wouldn’t you if you’d just been sprung” challenged Warner.
“I suppose so.”
“I don’t trust him. Sometimes the obvious IS the truth” said Rihan.
“But why?” questioned Warner. “We need to find that out.”
No one spoke for a while. Then Rihan said “Do you still want me to call off the op?”
Warner pondered that for a bit. Then he hailed Bellard “Any signs of enemy activity?”
“No Sir. Bravo team is down and oscar mike. The shuttle will be docking for the second lift in 10 minutes.”
Assuming Kiralenko was Archangel then his primary objective for this op was already achieved. He was in the brig. He now had an opportunity to secure his secondary, the destruction of the enemy radar. The trillion dollar question was whether the early warning that Archangel had given was enough for the enemy to react in time. He would have expected to have detected a warp from the enemy corvettes.
“Are the enemy corvettes on the deck here?”
“No Sir. Unless they are shielded.”
“No reports of warping in this or nearby systems?”
“No Sir we would alert you straight away.”
Warner knew that but just wanted to double check. So far so good. He decided that on balance there was still a good chance of hitting the radar station before the enemy could react. “Proceed with the second lift.”
“Roger that”.
Turning to Rihan he said “I need to have a heart to heart with Mr Kiralenko. Can you advise Sgt Jindal that they are right to go and impress on them the need for speed. Leave her with a message for Chase ‘Archangel apprehended’.”
“Will do.” She turned and ran to the elevator.
“Are you sure about him being Archangel, Sir. I’m not convinced” said Rapperberg.
“We’ll see Chief. We’ll see. Thanks for all your efforts”
“My pleasure, Sir. I’ve quite enjoyed all the excitement. Nice change from engines.” He gave Warner a big smile.
Chapter 24. Hermes 1800, 25 April.
Warner came out of the brig mentally exhausted. He had been putting Kiralenko through the third degree for over an hour now. He was tired, drained and ready for a rest. He left his subordinate in a similar condition. He had been tempted at one point to just beat the crap out of him. But he knew better.
The enemy probably had some hold over him. Who knows he may have some girl in the Alliance systems. After all they used to be our systems and he had been posted to this sector for five years now. Warner had made too many mistakes in the past himself, and in his special ops days he had seen others fall into similar traps.
No, what he needed now was a rest.
But first he needed to check in with Rihan. “Rihan, SITREP?”
“Both teams are on the way to the objective. Everything’s on schedule. No sign of enemy activity. All looks good.”
“Thanks.”
“How did it go with Kiralenko?”
“I’m none the wiser as to why he did it. He still says he’s innocent.”
“Yeh and I’m the fairy godmother!”
“Now that would be a good look”. Somehow he managed to raise enough energy for a weak joke. But really he needed a rest. So he didn’t give her a chance to respond. “I’m just going to rest in my cabin for a minute. I’ll meet you in the mess for a bite to eat in an hour. How about that?”
She could hear the fatigue in his voice. “Fine. I’ll be there.”
When he walked into his cabin, he undid his sidearm and went and washed his face. That helped. His mind was still churning. He had doubts about Kiralenko. It just sounded too easy and too implausible. But if not him, then who? There was something he was still missing. What was it?
He sat down to contemplate. The deep breaths in and out were followed by him posing the question. Then the void and this time he again saw Kiralenko when he was the watch officer coming out of warp over Kaster. What struck him was his focus, nay his earnestness to get it right. Was this a traitor?
More deep breaths and there again was that image of Pug staring at him in deep thought. What was he doing then? Oh yes, he was contemplating the risks to his marines. Or was he? What if he was contemplating the risks to himself and how he was going to escape the encroaching net? Shit, he just remembered that Pug had used the comms room in Shangri La straight after that meeting, ostensibly to update plans. Crikey he could have tipped them off then. And they’ve had over a day’s warning.
There was a banging on his door that finally penetrated his state. He struggled to his feet. It was Rihan. He opened the door. She was extremely agitated and blurted out “It’s Pug. Pug’s Archangel.” Warner tried to agree but he couldn’t get a word in.
“Listen…” and she went on to describe how Pug was holding up the departure of the warthog. “Don’t you see? He would have had the opportunity to send the signal and plant the communicator in Kiralenko’s room. He then secures himself a ticket off the ship back to his buddies on Alpha Phi.”
“He was in the planning for Josker, Tindel and this one” she continued. He knew we knew there was a traitor on board and that his days were numbered if he stayed here. Kiralenko couldn’t have known that we knew about the traitor on board and he had bugger all to do with Tindel or this op.”
Warner waited patiently. Her faced was flushed and it reminded him of their love making. He loved that fire in her belly, that passion. When she finally took a breath he said “I know Pug is the real Archangel”.
She had expected to be challenged and he had just taken the wind out of her sails.
“We need to warn Chase” she said.
That refocused Warner’s thoughts. Yes Chase, who under his advice was looking to Pug for guidance, was now in real peril.
“Aubrey” he hailed the watch officer.
“Yes Sir”
“SITREP please.”
“Both teams are maintaining comms blackout. Last report was when Charlie hit the ground. Blue Tracker indicated they are on schedule with Bravo being one hour out from the forming up place. Charlie will be there in two. No enemy activity and no warps reported Sir.”
“Have Whiskey 1 RTB (return to base), active cloak and don’t spare the horses. I’m coming to the command centre have the Master at Arms there and have him bring Mr Kiralenko. And Aubrey, tell him to undo his restraints.”
“Do you mean he’s not a traitor Sir?”
“Yes, but there’s no time for that. Get onto it.”
Rihan could see that Warner already had a plan and when he reached for his backpack and kit she knew he would be leading the cavalry. “I’ll come too.”
“No, I need you here. I expect those corvettes to be taking off soon. You will have to deal with them.”
“What corvettes?”
“The ones sitting on the planet below, all nice and shielded, just waiting for our marines to be engaged.”
The penny was dropping for Rihan now. “But we won’t be able to warp away without abandoning our troops.”
“Exactly! Come on, there’s no time to lose.”
Rihan found it hard to keep up with him as he strode down the corridor. “But you’ll never be able to march that far before the start of the attack?”
“I know. That’s why we need to drop straight in.”
“You can’t do that. You won’t make it.”
“Yes we will.”
Chapter 25. Hermes 1830, 25 April.
Warner strode into the command centre like a man possessed. He had a pulse rifle in one hand, his backpack strung over his shoulder. His mind was processing at a million miles an hour. The expression on his face said ‘don’t fuck with me’. The Master at Arms was just arriving with Kiralenko, who now looked bewildered. He wasn’t sure that having his restraints removed was a good thing or a bad thing and when he saw the look on Warner’s face he bet on it being a bad thing.
All eyes were on Warner. “Mr Kiralenko I owe you an apology but there is no time for long winded speeches. Would you like to kick the butt of the real traitor?”
Kiralenko was trying to take it all in. His exhausted mind was playing catch-up. He’d been through hell these last few hours. As he realised that not only was he free but he was being given a chance to lash out at the injustice he had undergone, his blood soon rose. “Yes Sir I would.”
“Good, get your kit and meet me in the loading dock. Go now!”
Kiralenko didn’t even reply. He was gone.
“Master at Arms”
“Yes Sir”
“How many marines do you have still left on board?”
“Six including myself”
“Keep one with you here and send the rest down to the dock immediately. Have them armed to the teeth. We’ll be shooting for bear! Go now.”
“Ms Bellard prepare for a space battle. I expect three enemy corvettes to be launched from the planet within the next 30 minutes. It will be up to you to defeat them. Until such time as those corvettes have been destroyed you will not support any ground action. Is that understood?”
“Yes Sir.”
“Everyone listen up. Our troops below are in peril. You up here will soon be in peril. If every person stays focused and does their duty we will prevail.” Turning to Rihan he said “XO the ship is yours.”
He could see the tears running down her cheek. He dropped his gear, walked straight to her, took her face between his hands and kissed her. He turned, picked up his gear and headed for the elevator.
Aubrey Bellard had thought she’d seen it all but this took the cake. She could see that her XO was in no state to marshal the troops, so she started barking orders. The last words Warner heard as he entered the elevator were “arm all missiles for ship to ship engagement”.
Chapter 26. Hermes 1840, 25 April.
As he entered the dock, he could see Kiralenko handling some heavy weapons through the shuttle hatch. Crew were refuelling the shuttle. Standing near the shuttle was Sgt Sue Chalker, all kitted out for battle. She had a power assisted brace on her left leg and was holding onto a sniper’s rifle.
As he got closer he was shaking his head at her. But she looked every bit as determined as he was. He spoke first. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“To kick some traitor’s butt Sir.”
“This is not about revenge Sargent”
“I know Sir, it’s about saving our friends.”
Warner could see in her expression that she meant it. The venom was gone replaced by a steely determination. He looked down at the brace. “You can’t run in that, can you?”
“No Sir, but it won’t prevent me from offering fire support and I’m a mean shot with this. Besides it doesn’t look like you can be all that choosy.” For the first time in their encounter, Sue Chalker smiled.
“OK you’re in” and then he hailed his watch officer “Aubrey, tell the Doc that Chalker’s with me.”
Aubrey stood there in the middle of the command centre shaking her head in disbelief. “Right Sir. You’re clear to go as soon as you’re ready. And Sir, good luck.”
He plonked his gear down on his seat behind the pilot. Parinya had her headset on. He tapped her shoulders and she turned around. Warner asked “How much longer with the fuel?”
“About another ten minutes, Sir”
“Do you have enough now to get us down and back?”
“Yes but we won’t be able to cloak on the return leg.”
Warner pondered that for a second. “Give them two minutes more while I brief you and then we go.”
Parinya now knew that things must be really critical. She barked out a few instructions then quickly turned back to Warner.
“I need you to get us on the deck as fast as you can.”
He had the portable console up. It was displaying the forming up place (FUP) and objective (OBJ). He pointed to a spot a hundred metres from the FUP and said “drop us there”.
She looked up at him in horror. “We’ll be shot down before we reach it.” Pointing to a hill overlooking the radar station complex, she said “they have a battery there”.
“I know. But they won’t be expecting this and we’ll go in cloaked”
“Yes but as soon as we open the hatch to unload they will target us. We’ll be sitting ducks.”
“Arm your missiles for ground attack. Fire them at the battery just prior to dismount. Rake their position with the 30mil and withdraw back to here” said Warner pointing a location three kilometres away.
Parinya looked at Warner intently. He was asking her, all of them to take a huge risk.
Warner could see the fear on her face. He knew he was asking a lot but he also knew that there was no other way if he was to save the rest of the force. He was asking nine people to risk their lives to save twenty. But there was more at stake than just their lives. With the radar station intact the battery could effectively engage the Hermes. In conjunction with the corvettes they had a fair chance of destroying her. They had to take it out.
“If we don’t take out that battery no one goes home. There is no other way.”
Parinya knew he was right. But she felt the knot in her stomach tightening. He was staring into her eyes. They were resolved but they were also pleading with her. Finally she responded “Yes Sir, I see. Better strap in.”
Relief washed over Warner, then gratitude. He touched Parinya on the shoulder and whispered “thank you”. She gave a simple nod in response, turned and gave the order for the fuel line to be withdrawn. The ground crew scurried away behind the blast shelters. The outside door opened. Parinya fired up the engines and they blasted out into the night.
Chapter 27. Whiskey 1 1850, 25 April.
If the previous bullet run had been hairy, this was going to be the bullet run from hell. Parinya immediately engaged active cloak. They would need it engaged the whole way. There woul
d not be enough fuel to engage it for the return flight, so they had better make sure the battery was down and those corvettes dealt with.
Parinya then locked in the dismount location, vectored to the right angle and engaged full thrusters. The force of the blast and the Gs being sustained would have tested the strength of a gorilla. The primates in the back were really feeling it. Warner tried to look around to see how the others were doing, but it was useless. He could only assume they were suffering as much as he was. He prayed Sue’s leg was OK, but he heard no scream from her.
The craft hurtled towards the planet at max speed. They would have to slow down before hitting the atmosphere, but Parinya’s instructions were ‘as soon as possible’ and so she was going to get the best bang for her fuel buck by going all out now where there was no air resistance.
Warner didn’t know how much longer he could take this. The pressure in his sinuses, around his skull, on his chest, gut and groin were crushing him. He felt like screaming but no one else was. They would be waiting for him. So he would wait for them.
At last Parinya started to ease out of the dive and decelerate in preparation for entering the atmosphere. It was coming up fast. Warner took a huge breath in, exhaled and then another trying to slow down his exhale. The pressure eased, the thumping in his head abated and finally he turned around. The others were heaving too.
But with the easing up of physical pressure came the psychological pressure of knowing that they were now only a few minutes from dismount. Warner opened the intercom channel.
“We are going in hot near the FUP. Our immediate objective is a battery on a hill overlooking the radar station. It will be about 1 click away. We have to cover that ground asap and take out the battery. If that battery is not destroyed we don’t go home, no one goes home.”
“We will form up in line and fire and move onto the objective. Sgt Chalker you will be on the right with Trooper Grimshaw. Once you get within range, deploy and let them have it. Mr Kiralenko you will be in charge of Group 1 on the left along with Cpl Chang and Trooper Phillips. I will be in charge of Group 2 in the centre. Trooper Weiss you’re with me.”
The Awakening: Book 1 of Warner's World Page 14
