Colossus (The Kurgan War Book 2)

by Richard Turner

  “Did you pass anyone on the way to your quarters?”

  Tartov paused for a moment while he recalled the events. “Yes, sir, I did.”

  “Who?”

  “I saw Sergeant Chang talking to one of his Marines.”

  “Do you know the name of the Marine?”

  “Sorry. No. I haven’t had the time to learn their names.”

  “What did he look like?”

  “It wasn’t a man, it was a woman with very pale skin and short blonde hair.”

  Right away, Sheridan knew who he was talking about. The Marine’s name was Jenner and like Chang she was new to Williams’ platoon. “Did you hear what they were talking about?”

  “No, sir. They were too far away for me to hear a word. The only thing that I can recall is how agitated the sergeant looked.”

  “And Jenner?”

  “She seemed to be listening to what the sergeant had to say. I’m sorry, I wish I could be of more assistance, but that is all I can remember.”

  Sheridan patted Tartov on the arm. “PO, you’ve helped me out a lot. I’d ask that you don’t repeat this conversation to anyone until we RV back with the rest of the fleet.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  “Now, I think it’s time for you to return to the bridge and help Khafra keep this automated bucket of bolts from falling apart.”

  Sheridan stood in the corridor by himself lost in thought. He was beginning to put his suspicions in order. He knew his next step would be to talk with Williams about Chang and Jenner. Deep in thought, he slowly walked back to the bridge. With time slipping away like water through his fingers, Sheridan had to try and identify the killer before he or she struck again.

  “Mike, we had this conversation before leaving, all of the Marines under my command have had the usual screenings done on them,” said Williams.

  “What about Chang and Jenner?” asked Sheridan.

  “According to their files, they were screened as well.”

  “What do you know about their family histories? Are their families from the outer colonies?”

  “Is there a specific reason that you’re interested in these two particular Marines?”

  “I was told that they were seen talking in the hallway near the bridge just before James was killed. Chang was described as looking perturbed, that’s why.”

  The expression on Williams’ face changed. He looked like someone who had been caught keeping a secret. “Mike, I never brought this to your attention because of what happened earlier today between you and I. Staff Sergeant Chang and Private Jenner were having an affair. He’s a married man and when I found out about it, I ordered him to break it off with her or face administrative action. I suspect that this is what was happening when they were seen together.”

  Far from mollifying Sheridan’s suspicions, Williams’ explanation only clouded matters. He would have to start all over again if Chang and Jenner were no longer his prime suspects.

  “You did the right thing,” said Sheridan.

  “Thanks. I know I should have kept you in the loop but was a little gun-shy about telling you.”

  “Don’t be. If you have something you need to tell me, don’t hesitate next time.”

  Cole whistled a tune to himself as he walked down the hallway toward the two officers.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time that Staff Sergeant Chang and I did our usual rounds and inspected the platoon’s equipment,” said Williams.

  “Carry on, Harry,” replied Sheridan.

  Cole stopped by Sheridan and handed him a bag of warmed-up food. “What was that all about, sir?”

  “Just talking to Mister Williams about some of his people.” Sheridan ate a spoonful of oatmeal. It tasted of blueberries.

  “Anyone in particular?” pried Cole.

  “Chang and Jenner. Did you know they were having an affair?”

  Cole chuckled. “Not bloody likely. Sir, Jenner plays for the home team if you catch my drift. From what I’ve seen of her, she’s not interested in anyone in the platoon.”

  Sheridan swore under his breath. Harry Williams was either lying to him or was easily fooled by his people. He was beginning to wonder if it was him or his friend that was being played.

  Cole could see the confusion in Sheridan’s eyes and changed topics. “Sir, I think it would be advisable if we changed into our survival suits and waited in our start positions from now on. The Kurgans could surprise us and jump right beside us before we were ready.”

  Sheridan nodded his head. “Sounds good. Pass the word. Everyone is to report to their duty station and remain there until I give the order to stand down.”

  “Where will you be, sir?”

  “I’ll be on the bridge until we make contact with the Kurgans.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you there.” With that, Cole went to give the orders.

  Sheridan could feel the nervous energy building inside of him. He would have preferred to go into combat with a team of his choosing. However, it was far too late to think like that. If history had taught him anything, it was that you go with the team you have, not the one you want. He knew with Cole by his side that they had a fifty-fifty chance of pulling it off, and he was willing to live with those odds.

  Chapter 28

  Tarina looked up at the holographic projection and watched the computer replay their encounter with the enemy vessel. It was her tenth time studying the mission. The more she watched, the more she realized that she should have waited a couple of seconds before firing. If she could have caught the Kurgan ship as it was deploying its long range fighter, they may have been able to destroy it.

  Wendy walked into the room carrying a couple of bottles of water. She handed one to Tarina before opening hers and taking a long swing. “There’s going to be a memorial service later today for Rose on the flight deck.”

  “When?” asked Tarina aware that they had been working the problem for the past four hours and still seemed no further ahead.

  “Twenty hundred hours. We’ll need to wrap things up in the next hour so we can shower and change into our dress blues for the service.”

  Tarina took a seat. She had a dejected look on her face. “Wendy, the more I go over our encounter with the Kurgan ship the more I believe that I screwed up. We should have waited a few more seconds before launching our missile.”

  “There’s nothing you can do from the past but learn from it,” replied Wendy. “Don’t forget I was there too, and I did nothing to stop you from firing. Instead of dwelling on it, let’s figure out a way to set the conditions in our favor for the next encounter.”

  Tarina pulled the computer keyboard toward her. She quickly brought up an image of the border and then placed two red dots where they had seen the Kurgan ship. “Okay, the enemy will probably be jumping from deep inside Kurgan space to the furthest point it can safely deploy its jump fighter. Which would give it an arc like so,” she explained drawing a line in front of the ships orbiting Illum Prime.

  “We have to assume that our adversary is smart,” said Wendy. “So he’s not likely to use the same place twice. Both times that we saw the Kurgan ship, she was near an asteroid field. I suspect that they were using the millions of asteroids to mask them from long-range detection. So the question becomes, where will they go next?”

  Tarina enhanced the picture. “If we eliminate asteroid fields, what are we left with?”

  “Where could you hide a ship in our space without being detected?” pondered Wendy.

  With her hand, Tarina moved the star map along until she stopped and stepped back. Wendy walked to her side and studied the image floating right in front of their eyes.

  “TD-13309, the gas giant at the furthest edge of our declared space, is the perfect spot to use,” said Tarina. “It has ninety-one moons. Seventy percent of which are large enough to hide several large ships behind. All the enemy would have to do is come out of their jump behind any one of these moons and they could launch their fight
ers without ever being detected. Since the Kugan attack ships are on a one-way trip, the enemy does not have to wait around for their return. Once the ships are deployed, the Kurgans can safely jump back to their space.”

  “I hate to break it to you my friend but there is no way we could cover every possible hiding spot. If the Kurgans decide to use TD-13309, there’s not a lot we can do about it.”

  Tarina smiled. “I agree there’s not a lot we can do about it, but the squadron can. Come on, we’ve got to find Colonel Wright and tell him what we’ve discovered.”

  Chapter 29

  “Sir, wake up,” said Cole, gently shaking Sheridan.

  Sheridan opened his tired eyes and looked around. He had fallen asleep in the captain’s chair. “I must have been more fatigued than I thought.”

  Cole’s voice was serious. “Sir, it’s beginning.”

  Sheridan looked about. He saw Tartov standing by the communications console. A red light was flashing. Sheridan’s heart began to beat faster. The enemy was trying to reach them. He got out of his seat and walked over to the console. He looked down at the flashing indicator light and took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing,” he said before pushing the button.

  A voice spoke over the speaker system. It was Kurgan. Sheridan listened to the entire message before responding.

  “What did you say, sir?” asked Cole.

  “That was the Kurgan patrol ship asking if we need assistance. I responded that we had struck a mine and that we had taken grievous losses. I also said that all of my officers were dead, so he would not question why he was speaking with a Chosen warrior, not a Kurgan officer.”

  “And?”

  “That’s it. They’ll either leave us out here to die, or they might come and rescue us.”

  “Or blow us from the stars to prevent the enemy from taking the ship.”

  “Yes, there is that option.”

  Cole looked over at the tactical monitor. “Sir, how long before someone shows up on our doorstep?”

  “Less than two hours if they dispatch a fast attack frigate.”

  “How many Kurgans are there on one of those ships?” asked Tartov.

  “Fifty-six officers and men,” answered Cole.

  “But that means they outnumber us almost two to one,” said Tartov.

  Sheridan and Cole exchanged a glance. “Not if we take out their life support system first,” said Sheridan.

  “I’m gonna pass the word for the teams to stand by,” said Cole.

  “Okay, let’s do this.” Sheridan shook Cole’s hand, picked up a communications remote and with Tartov following, he made his way to the airlock door. Now all they could do was wait, and that was always the hardest part.

  “Sir, any news?” Cole asked in Sheridan’s headset. “My team and I are sweating to death in these suits.”

  Sheridan keyed his mic to speak. “Sorry, I’ve got nothing. I expected something from the Kurgans by now. Even a message saying adios you’re on your own would be preferable to this.”

  “Sir . . . er, sir, you need to see this,” said Tartov.

  Sheridan turned his head and looked out the viewport. His eyes widened when he saw a Kurgan vessel less than three hundred meters away.

  A voice came over the portable comms unit in Sheridan’s hand. Someone from the ship was calling them. Silence gripped the Marines waiting in the hallway. Everyone stared intently at Sheridan while he listened to the message. He paused for a second before speaking.

  Williams, standing to one side, translated for everyone else. “The Kurgan fast attack frigate has arrived. They are asking us if we still need assistance. Captain Sheridan has told them that we do and that they need to hurry as the ship is falling apart.”

  Gloved hands reached down and flipped the safety switch off their assault rifles. The Marine assault teams shook each other’s hands for luck and then placed their helmets on their heads.

  Sheridan whispered into his mic. “Game on, Master Sergeant, stand by to disembark.”

  The Kurgan vessel carefully brought itself into line with the airlock door on Sheridan’s ship and began to maneuver slowly over to the ship. Sheridan put his helmet on his head and looked over at Tartov, who picked up a control box and pressed a button. Oxygen began to vent into outer space.

  Sheridan placed the comms unit against the glass of his helmet. “In the name of the lord, hurry! Our ship is collapsing.”

  Onboard, the Kurgan frigate alarms rang as they hurried to save their comrades before they died of asphyxiation. The docking port extended from the side of the Kurgan ship. A second later, it mated with the airlock door.

  Over the comms unit Sheridan could hear the Kurgans telling him that help was on the way. He dropped the device and picked up his rifle.

  “Open the door,” ordered Cole.

  In the hangar bay, a door slid open. Cole flew forward and looked out into space. It was time.

  “Follow me,” said Cole as he pressed a button on his maneuver unit and slipped out from underneath their ship. Behind him, six other Marines followed closely. Moving at twenty-five meters a second, it would not take them long to arrive at their target.

  Cole saw the enemy ship first. It was slender and long with a large engine at the rear of the vessel. He quickly spotted the bridge which extended slightly forward at the front of the frigate. Behind it was the ship’s communications array. He did not have to say a word. His people quickly broke into three teams of two. One pair shot toward the back of the ship, intent on crippling the enemy faster-than-light engines. Another detachment went for the comms equipment. The last team, supervised by Cole himself, hovered in space just above a box-like structure halfway down the length of the frigate.

  Pivoting around, he grabbed hold of a metal arm sticking out of the surface of the vessel. He looked over at his comrades and held out his hand. A second later, an explosive charge was given to him. He activated the timer and placed the magnetic bomb onto the hull. Behind him, the two Marines set several other charges. It was done in seconds.

  Cole looked over at his team and pointed back at their ship. Moving as fast as they could, Cole led his people back to the safety of their own ship. Their part in the operation was done.

  Frantic banging from the other side of the iron door told Sheridan that the Kurgans could not open their door. He needed time for Cole’s people to do their job and had earlier welded shut their door so the Kurgans would have to cut their way inside. To hurry the Kurgans along, Sheridan stepped to the door and banged on it a few times to let them know that someone was still alive on the other side.

  He saw the bright sparks from a superheated welding torch begin to cut through the door. The airlock had an inner and outer door to ensure that if one failed that the other would seal and not allow the air inside to escape into the vacuum of space. He stepped back to the inner door and looked at the Marines stacked up on either side of the doorway. On his left was the team he would lead to secure the bridge, while on the right was Staff Sergeant Chang’s group who would guard Tartov while he took control of the frigate’s computers. Slightly back from them all was Harry Williams and four Marines who would wait by the door as a reserve just in case Sheridan needed them.

  He glanced back and saw that the Kurgans were nearly through the door. He pointed at a Marine. The man nodded and dashed forward. He placed an explosive device dead center of the door, activated it, and ran back. Sheridan stepped back and took cover.

  Less than two seconds later, with a mighty roar, the door exploded inwards. Twisted pieces of jagged metal tore to pieces the Kurgans who had been standing near the door. Several others were on their backs writhing in pain.

  “Now!” said Sheridan into his mic as he shot around the corner and ran forward with his rifle snug in his shoulder.

  Outside the frigate, the charges laid by Cole’s team detonated, crippling the enemy craft. Alarms sounded everywhere as the ship lost its precious life support.

  Sheridan was the firs
t man inside the frigate. Through the smoke, he saw a Chosen warrior standing in his way. Sheridan did not hesitate and cut the enemy soldier down. He stepped over the body of a Kurgan officer missing its head and kept going. The floor was slick with blood. Sheridan quickly came to a corridor and stopped. He got down on one knee, peered around the corner, and saw several Chosen frantically pulling at respirators mounted in brackets on the wall. Already the enemy crew was suffering from the lack of oxygen. He stood up, turned the corner, and shot both men. From behind, two Marines moved past Sheridan and took up positions further down the hallway to cover the rest of the team.

  Tartov could barely breathe. He had never been so scared. He thought he was going to hyperventilate and pass out. There were three Marines in front and behind him. Staff Sergeant Chang led the way. They ran into the Kurgan vessel, paying no heed to the dead and dying at their feet.

  “Which way?” Chang asked Tartov.

  Tartov looked up at the signs on the walls. He had become quite proficient in reading and writing the Kurgan language after nearly six months immersed in it. “Straight ahead and then to the right,” he responded. A voice in his head kept repeating—never be good at something you hate doing.

  Chang looked down the hallway. When he did not see any opposition, he broke into a jog.

  Tartov silently cursed anyone and everyone he could think of. He was not a soldier, he was a computer technician. His world was supposed to be safe and warm, not dangerous.

  The team came to the end of the hallway and stopped. Chang dropped to one knee and peered around the corner. He could see three Kurgans lying on the floor dead. With a wave of his hand, he stood up and hurried around the corner and kept on running. They had gone less than twenty meters when a Chosen warrior, wearing a respirator, stepped out of a doorway and opened fire. The Marines scattered for cover. Chang, however, stood where he was for a moment before falling to his knees. With blood rapidly filling his helmet from a hole shot through his neck, Chang dropped to the floor, dead.