Tarina hurried to turn all of her craft’s power back on. “Wendy, can you hear me?”
“Yes,” her voice betrayed her fear. “Did you see the size of that thing?”
“I sure did and I sure as hell didn’t like the look of the missile it was carrying either.”
“Return coordinates are confirmed,” announced Wendy. “Drop the damn satellite and let’s get out of here.”
“Detaching the satellite, now,” said Tarina.
“I’m getting a signal. It’s operational.”
“Jumping in five-four-three-two-one.”
Chapter 20
Michael Sheridan was restless. He could not sleep and decided that rather than lay there and stare up at the roof that he would go for a walk through the ship’s corridors. His mind was going over every possible scenario they could face when the Kurgan rescue vessel docked. Most possibilities ended badly. He did not have much time once he and his team boarded the ship to seize the information contained inside the data banks of the ship’s computers.
“Excuse me, sir,” said a crewman to Sheridan as he pushed a cart loaded with supplies down the corridor.
Sheridan had not realized that he was walking down the middle of the hallway and stepped aside. He turned and looked out a nearby window. Spread out as far as he could see was the Sixth Fleet. In orbit right above Illum Prime’s capital was the fighter carrier Saratoga. Sheridan took some comfort at the sight of the massive vessel keeping watch over the rest of the fleet. He was about to turn and carry on his way when he saw a strange-looking craft appear between Colossus and Saratoga. Sheridan was far from an expert on enemy vessel recognition, but he knew that the ship was not friendly. A second later, the fighter swung about and flew straight for the Saratoga.
Alarms sounded throughout Colossus. Over the speakers, a voice said, “General Quarters, all hands to General Quarters. Enemy vessel sighted.”
Crewmen and women seem to emerge from everywhere as they ran to their duty stations. Sheridan stood where he was, his eyes were glued to the enemy craft as it flew straight for the center of the fighter carrier. Several point defense batteries opened up, but it was too little, too late. The enemy ship closed with the Saratoga before its missile batteries could lock on to the target.
Sheridan felt impotent and useless as the Kurgan jump fighter struck the Saratoga amidships and exploded. A brilliant white light seemed to engulf the carrier blocking it from view. A couple of seconds later, the light diminished and was replaced by dozens of secondary explosions that ran all along the side of the stricken vessel. From where he was standing, Sheridan could see that the damage was catastrophic. There were just under four thousand people on board a carrier. He closed his eyes, knowing that the casualty list from the attack would be horrendous.
Sheridan sat in the back of the briefing room. The mood inside was tense. Right after the attack, Captain Killam had repositioned the fleet. Although still in orbit near Illum Prime, the distance between the fleet’s vessels had increased dramatically. A couple of missile cruisers no longer needed to support the ground battle on the planet’s surface were stationed near the three remaining operational carriers to protect them. The news coming back from the Saratoga was not good. The crew losses exceeded twelve hundred dead and wounded. The damage to the ship was extensive. It would require several months in a spaceport before it could rejoin the fleet.
Everyone stood when Admiral Sheridan entered the room. “Please take a seat,” said the admiral.
Captain Killam brought up a holographic image of the Saratoga and confirmed the rumors circulating through the crew. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is apparent the Kurgans have a jump fighter of their own and by all accounts we were not the only fleet to be hit. I have received information from the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Fleets that they were also struck. Their losses, thankfully, were less than ours. Still the fact remains that as long as we remain stationary in orbit supporting our ground forces, we are vulnerable to enemy attack.”
The captain of the Kiev interrupted, “Admiral, we must further disperse the fleet. The longer we stay here, the greater the chance that we will be hit again.”
Admiral Sheridan shook his head. “We cannot abandon the forces still fighting on Illum Prime, and I won’t leave the medical and supply frigates in orbit alone and vulnerable to enemy attack. We are as dispersed as we are going to be. Increased surveillance and improved crew-readiness drill are what will prevent another catastrophe.”
Killam spoke. “One of our own jump fighters saw the enemy vessel up close. The crew is being debriefed as we speak. The one thing we do know is that the enemy fighters seem to have a similar range of our own ships. Therefore, a search has already begun to find and destroy this threat to the fleet.”
Sheridan knew that Tarina had been flying a mission. He wondered if she was the one who had stumbled across the enemy.
Killam brought up an image of the cockpit of the enemy vessel. “Until today, we thought that only true Kurgans piloted their ships. However, if you take a good look at this picture you can clearly see a human sitting behind the controls of that craft. It would appear that Chosen warriors are now being trained to pilot Kurgan fighters on suicide missions.”
“One thing is for certain,” said Admiral Sheridan, “the odds have just changed for the next engagement. Instead of a two to one superiority over the enemy, we have been reduced to a three to two advantage. The odds are still on our side, but we can’t allow any more damage to the fleet before the enemy is brought to battle.”
The room went silent. The euphoria of the victory over the Kurgan Fleet only a few weeks ago had evaporated.
Admiral Sheridan stood up. “Folks, this is far from the end of the world. Be vigilant and we will persevere.” With that, he turned and left the room. Michael hurried from his chair and followed his father out into the hallway.
“It was Tarina who bumped into the enemy vessel,” said Admiral Sheridan to his son.
“I was wondering about that. I take it she and her navigator are safely back onboard their ship?”
“Yes. How are your preparations going?”
“Good, I guess. There’s still a million things that can go wrong but at least we have the nucleus of a plan.”
“I’ll keep out of your hair until you’re ready to deploy. The last thing you need is an admiral poking his nose around while you’re working. Just let Captain Killam know when you intend to depart and I will come over and speak to your team myself.”
“I’ll do that, Dad.”
“Well, if you will excuse me, Michael, I have a ton of paperwork to do. Admiral Oshiro is planning a visit, and I want everything to be to his usual high standards when he arrives.”
“Good night, Dad,” said Sheridan. He stood in the corridor and watched his father walk away. He felt a tinge of regret in his heart. They had never been this close in their lives. He hoped that when the dust settled their growing bond would continue. His mother was another story. Their relationship could not be more toxic. He, however, decided to not dwell on things like that, not now, when so much was at stake. Sheridan walked back to his quarters, his mind firmly back on the coming mission and the challenges that lay ahead.
Chapter 21
After a quick check on how the repairs were going on the Kurgan ship, Sheridan and Cole flew back over to the Colossus to meet Harry Williams and the incoming Marines.
The shuttle with the new arrivals docked on Colossus’ starboard side. They were met by a petty officer, who led them to the ship’s gymnasium that would serve as their temporary home for a couple of days. They barely had time to place their equipment down when Sheridan and Cole walked in.
Williams spotted his friend and called out, “Officer on deck.” The Marines with him came straight to attention.
Williams came to attention and saluted Sheridan. “Good afternoon, sir, First Lieutenant Harry Williams reporting for duty.”
Sheridan returned the compliment. “Have yo
ur men stand at ease, Mister Williams.”
“At ease, Marines.”
Sheridan moved in front of the platoon. “Okay, people, listen up. All of this parade square crap can be saved for another day. Saluting and jumping to attention ends right now. You’re now on the frontline of the war. Quiet professionalism is what is required from you from now on.”
Sheridan looked at Cole. “Master Sergeant, please see to our new arrivals while Mister Williams and I have a chat.”
“Will do, sir,” replied Cole.
Sheridan dropped his gruff façade. He took Williams by the arm and led him to the far side of the room. “My God, Harry, you’re a sight for sore eyes. How the hell did you end up out here?”
“The First Div is not what I expected. It’s all pomp and circumstance. Would you believe that I did not once deploy past Pluto? Can you believe it . . . Pluto? I was going out of my mind with boredom. So when they asked for volunteers who could speak some Kurgan, I jumped at the opportunity to come out here. I did not know until yesterday that I would be working for you.”
Sheridan smiled. “I may outrank you. However, our relationship on this assignment will be more collaborative.”
A puzzled look grew on Williams’ face. “Mike, how come we’re on the Colossus? I thought we were heading down to the planet as battlefield replacements.”
Sheridan shook his head. “Harry, I can’t get into all the details right now. All you need to know is that before too long you’ll be in the thick of it and wishing that you were back with the First Div.”
“I doubt that.”
Sheridan’s tone turned serious. “Have all of your Marines had enhanced background checks done on them?”
“Enhanced, no. Just the usual checks. Why?”
Sheridan smiled. “Just curious. That’s all.”
“Mike, almost all of the Marines here were in my old platoon. Aside from Staff Sergeant Chang and Private Jenner, both of whom were brought in as last minute replacements, I’ve known all of these people for more than six months. If you’re worried that one of them could be a Kurgan infiltrator, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I will personally vouch for all of the people under my command.”
“It’s okay, Harry, that won’t be necessary. I trust you to know your people. Have you had lunch yet?”
“No.”
“Come on then, have Staff Sergeant Chang round up your platoon and follow us to the mess hall.”
An hour later, with their assault rifles in hand, the Marines formed up for inspection. Sheridan and Williams stood off to one side while Cole and Chang inspected the assault teams’ weapons and ammunition. After each Marine was checked, a weapons technician took their rifle and adjusted the rifles rate of fire to three round bursts only. The armorer then decreased the muzzle velocity of the ammunition. When he was done, he placed a key in the side of the weapon and locked in the new changes, so the Marines could not change them if they wanted to.
Williams leaned over. “Mike, I don’t get it. Why are you making the M5s less lethal?”
“Don’t worry, they’ll still do the job. I just don’t want any nasty surprises when we go into action.”
“Can you at least tell me what we’re getting ourselves into?’
“No. Sorry, Harry, but you’ll know when I tell everyone else.”
“Whatever it is, it must be important.”
“Let’s just say our chances of pulling this off and getting home in one piece are somewhere between slim and nil.”
“Jumping in three-two-one,” announced Tarina as she reached down and activated the jump engine. In an instant, the space around their ship turned black as they sped to their next destination near an asteroid belt in the Goliath system.
Wendy said, “You remember what I said about being bored?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I take it back. Flying around the galaxy with a Mark Four anti-ship missile strapped underneath our ship is not my idea of having fun.”
“Someone’s got to find that enemy transport vessel. Might as well be us.”
“The odds of us jumping right next to the same enemy ship has to be several billion to one.”
“I know but Colonel Wright made it clear that everything else was to be put on the backburner until we destroy that Kurgan ship.”
“I guess so.”
Every available fighter from their squadron was deployed in a large arc far forward of the Sixth Fleet. On a rotating basis, the ships would jump to predesignated coordinates and wait for a few hours floating in space, hoping that the Kurgan transport vessel would reappear. So far, the line of satellites deployed along the Kurgan border had not turned up a single sign of the enemy. If they were out there, they were running silent. Rumors of infiltrators sending signals to the enemy had spread like wildfire, which added to the growing unease and tension within the fleet.
Wendy busied herself checking and double-checking her calculations. She was never wrong, but that never stopped her from verifying her work.
Tarina sat behind the controls of her fighter and drummed her fingers on her legs. During transit, there was precious little for her to do. The ship’s flight computer controlled their faster-than-light journey. Her thoughts turned to Michael. She had not seen or heard from him in a couple of days. She knew that his silence meant that something was coming up. She just hoped that she could see him one more time before he left.
Eighty-three minutes into their jump, the faster-than-light engine disengaged. Tarina took over the controls of her ship.
“Anything on the scope?” asked Tarina.
“Nothing,” replied Wendy. “I’m waiting for the data from the satellites on the border to download.”
Tarina looked out of the cockpit glass and selected a large boulder floating nearby as a good place to hide behind while they did their patrol.
“Nothing from the satellites, either,” reported Wendy. “As far as I can tell we’re the only vessel for millions of kilometers.”
“Okay, I guess we had best make the best of it,” said Tarina as she engaged the ship’s thrusters and placed them behind the floating piece of debris.
Wendy brought up the timer on her navigational computer and pressed start. The clock began to count down from six hours. She rolled her head around and cracked the bones in her neck. “I hope everyone is having as much fun as we are.”
“I’m sure they are.” Tarina reached over and pressed the power button. “Powering down all non-essential systems. No point in giving ourselves away when we don’t need to.”
“Amen to that.”
“Now the fun begins,” said Tarina not really meaning it. She knew that the hardest part would be in keeping alert. Sitting still for hours on end staring out into space dulled the senses. Still it was their job and she did not intend to let her friends down. Not when so many lives were riding on their finding and destroying the enemy ship before it could launch another crippling strike on the fleet.
Chapter 22
Master Sergeant Cole impatiently waited for the artificial gravity to be restored in the airlock. He had selected six Marines from Williams’ platoon to be part of his team when they stormed the Kurgan rescue ship. He had been putting them through zero-gravity drills for nearly two days straight. He wanted them to be able to exit their vessel and maneuver over to the Kurgan ship in under ten seconds flat. So far, they had failed every time.
The light in the airlock changed from red to white.
Cole felt the gravity kick in. The second the airlock’s inner door opened, he stormed inside and removed his spacesuit’s helmet. The added weight of the maneuver unit on his back did not slow him down one bit. He waited until his people were all inside and had removed their helmets.
“Okay, people that was the worst one so far,” said Cole. Like him, their faces were covered in sweat. The spacesuit had an air-conditioned unit built into it, but it was never good enough. Anyone working in a spacesuit for any period of time soon found themselves
sweating.
“Master Sergeant, if we knew what we were going to do, it might help us visualize the problem,” said Lance Corporal Sedlar.
She was right. Cole desperately wanted to tell his people what their part in the plan was. However, Sheridan had been adamant that for security reasons, no one could be told until they were already on their way to the rendezvous.
“Lance Corporal, we have been over this before. For now you will just have to go with what I have told you.”
“Master Sergeant, I don’t want to sound like a whiner,” said a young Marine with blond hair, “but you’ve told us nothing to go with. I’m having a hard time trying to meet your expectations when I have no clue what I’m doing.”
“Marines, all you need to know is that when I say go, that you follow me out that airlock door and over to the shuttlecraft floating fifty meters away. Now, take a drink of water and put your helmets back on. We’re going to do this again, and if it’s not up to spec, we’ll keep doing it until I feel that you can handle yourselves in a zero-gravity combat situation.” His voice told them that it was going to be a very long day indeed.
Harry Williams dropped to one knee and looked over his weapons’ sights. He was wearing a survival suit. Lighter than a spacesuit, the self-contained outfit still protected the wearer from a sudden loss of oxygen. Its oxygen tank however was only good for twelve hours versus the forty-eight hours of life support in a spacesuit.
Williams looked over at the closest Marine and pointed at the closed door blocking their way further inside the enemy ship. The Marine nodded his head and ran over to the door. He tried the universal key he had with him but found that it would not fit the manual lock.
“Step back. Blast team, forward,” ordered Williams.
The Marine moved back from the door and took a position covering two Marines who had dashed forward and placed explosive charges on either side of the doorway. “Fire in the hole!” yelled out one of the Marines as he activated the timer on the demolitions.
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