Mirov and two others fired into the mechanical soldier, and King stopped to take a well-aimed shot at the second before re-joining the column. A stairway up ahead led to the tower, and CJ hit the steps running. Gunfire rained down from above, and he held up his shield to take the impacts. He carried on until finally he reached a Gueros and shot out its lower legs.
The Gueros hit the ground, and he put another shot right between its eyes. He ran up the second flight and came to a sealed door. He looked to Ross who drew out a charge, placed it on the door, and stepped back. The explosive blew two seconds later, CJ barged into the door and knocked it down as he rolled in.
Gunfire went back and forth. A shot flanked Mirov on the neck, and he went down, but the rest of the enemy were soon on the deck and finished. CJ went onwards to the Morohtan officer who was in charge. He wore no armour nor carried any weapons, and just glared at CJ.
“You will shut off the navigation jammer now!” he ordered.
“No, I will never do any…”
Before he could finish, CJ lifted his rifle and put a bullet into his brain. The officer dropped dead before him and slumped into his Captain’s chair.
“What the hell was that? How are we going to this now?” King shouted at him.
CJ looked around at the controls to try and make some sense of it, when he noticed Mirov on the ground and leaning against the wall beside the door where they had come in.
“See to him!”
She rushed to the Lieutenant’s side as CJ went from console to console. Gunfire rang out as the enemy engaged those now protecting the entrance to the bridge.
“Whatever we are going to do, we need to do it fast,” said Ross.
“I can’t read this!” replied CJ.
“I can,” declared Boron.
CJ looked at him in surprise.
“I don’t even care why, just do something!”
Boron stepped up to the controls.
“Well?”
“I do not know what or where the navigation jamming equipment is.”
“Shit,” snapped CJ.
He rushed to the door as he heard the gunfire intensify. He pulled out a grenade and primed it, launching it down the steps and accompanying it with a burst of fire from his rifle. He was trying to think of what to do next, but was painfully aware that he was making it up as he went along. He went back to the two Lieutenants. King had sealed the wound.
“I’m okay. I’ll be fine,” Mirov insisted.
“What are you going to do?”
CJ shook his head at her as if he had no idea. He dropped the magazine from his rifle and slammed in a new one. He went back to the fight as the Gueros fought their way up the steps. He fired burst after burst. He knew that any one of his unit was likely doing what he was, but he couldn’t think of anything else. He drew back to put in another magazine and found Emily by his side.
“CJ, we have to do something,” she whispered.
He saw the desperation in her eyes. He was about to make some excuse about not knowing what to do, but that wasn’t good enough. The rest of them were waiting on him now. They all looked to him for answers. They had gotten him out of hell, and now he had to do the same for them. He rushed back onto the bridge. Boron was still looking over the controls.
“All right, if you can’t find me the jammer, what can you do?” he demanded.
“I have control of the engines, navigation, and weapons systems from here. Everything but a jammer, Sir.”
“If we can’t stop it, this mission is over,” replied King.
That was when an idea shot into CJ’s head.
“This jammer, what do you think the range will be?”
“Captain Marks believes the power to operate such a thing is massive. It can’t be able to travel far, no more than a few klicks. Why?”
“Because if we can’t stop the jammer, we can get it out of distance.”
“How?”
“Boron, can you open a jump gate?”
“Yes.”
“CJ, what are you doing?”
He ignored her and went back to Boron.
“The jump coordinates the Phoenix is using to deploy at the base, you know them, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then plot a jump, five hundred metres from that location.”
“What?” asked King in disbelief, but her voice was almost entirely drowned out by the sound of automatic gunfire.
“Plot the jump, or we all die here!” CJ yelled.
Boron looked to King for confirmation, but she didn’t know what to say.
“Do it!” CJ screamed.
Boron keyed in a number of things into the console and looked back to CJ one last time, as if to check, but he could see there was no going back. He hit the button to activate the jump, and in a flash they were gone.
Chapter 26
“Navigation is back!” yelled one of the officers.
Marks couldn’t believe it. “My, God, he did it. Begin jump sequence.”
“Sir, the moment we do that, we will give our position away.”
“That doesn’t matter anymore. Just get us to where we need to be!”
“What will we find on the other side?”
Kaner had a worried look on his face. They hadn’t heard or seen anything from CJ and Mirov’s platoon, but they knew the mission had to go on.
“Prepare to jump!” he ordered.
“But CJ?”
“We have no idea where he is or what his status is. All we know is that the mission can go on, and that is all that matters.”
Kaner hated that concept, and yet it was the right course of action.
“Jump in five, four, three, two, one…jump!”
Kaner felt they were leaving their friends behind, but a second later they were gone and out the other side. They emerged beside the station just as planned, but there was one thing they had not counted on, a Morohtan warship right beside them.
“What the hell is that doing here? Ready all weapons, target that vessel, and prepare to fire!”
The weapon systems of the station opened fire on them, but Kaner could tell something wasn’t quite right. He stepped closer to the screen to study the ship, and as he was looking over it, his suspicions were confirmed by another crewmember.
“Sir, the signature.”
“What of it?”
“It’s the same ship Captain CJ went after.”
“What?”
He looked up to the screens in amazement as the engines fired up on the ship, and it soared towards the station.
“What the hell?”
“He didn’t destroy the ship. He stole it,” said Kaner with a smile.
Marks was lost for words as the warship descended towards the hull of the station at full speed. The fire being levied against the Phoenix stopped as all weapon systems were turned on their own vessel as it descended on them.
“He is insane.”
“In the best of ways,” added Kaner.
They noticed something separate from the ship as it closed with the station.
“What is that?” he asked.
One of the crew zoomed in on the object. It was the same transport CJ had left on. It just about got clear as the enemy ship struck nose first into the station. Its sharp nose ploughed deeply into the station. It scraped to a standstill, explosions bursting out from breaches all over the hull. Explosions ripped through the station nearby, and many of the weapon systems stopped firing, the remainder once again targeting the Phoenix.
“Take us in!” Marks ordered.
Their engines fired up, and they quickly headed right into the fire. The structure of the ship creaked as a relentless volley poured into them. Warning lights flashed all over, and multiple breaches opened up, but they passed through under the guns as they drew up to the vast station.
“Phoenix, this is CJ, come in!” a voice called over the comms.
A video feed from CJ’s craft flashed up, with CJ at the centre.
“That’s my world,” replied CJ.
“What can we do?”
“The mission goes on as planned.”
“As planned? This isn’t exactly to plan.”
“It’s close enough. Reality is what happens while you make the best plan in the world. Did the Cholans get out?”
Marks had completely forgotten about them and pointed for his crew to bring up screens beside him. To his amazement they were still there.
“Unbelievable.”
“What?”
“They are still there, and they are still fighting.”
CJ smiled in appreciation of their efforts.
“They knew we were in trouble, and they stayed the course to buy us time.”
“What shall I tell them?”
“Nothing, they will stay in the fight as long as they need to for us to get the job done.”
“And if that means them all dying?”
“If that is the price of victory, then we will have to pay it.”
“These are men and women’s lives we are talking about, CJ.”
“No, these are soldiers’ lives, and this is our job.”
Marks didn’t like it, but CJ was right, even if he didn’t like the simplistic way of going about it.
“I sure hope this is worth it.”
“So do I. Kaner, get your arse down here and give us a hand. We have just one target now, and we have to hit it, or it was all for nothing.”
“On our way!”
“Good luck,” replied CJ dryly before ending the call.
“How long?” Kaner asked.
“We’re five hundred metres out. You’ll be there in no time at all.”
“It’s not fast enough.”
“Are you in a rush to die, Lieutenant?”
“I don’t plan on dying here today.”
“Neither do I.”
Without another word, he rushed off the bridge to join the rest of his unit at the docking corridor.
* * *
“That wasn’t exactly the plan,” said Mirov. He winced in pain but shrugged it off as best he could.
“Nothing has changed. We got here, and we will go on to do it just like we planned.”
“They knew we were coming. We do not have the element of surprise.”
“You think so? You think they expected to have one of their own ships rammed down their throat?”
“That was a nice touch,” replied the Russian.
“I’ve never known a more destructive man as you,” said King.
“No? I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”
That made her smile, and she needed that, some light relief amongst all the stress and tension of situation. She leaned in close to whisper in his ear.
“How do you do it? How do you do all this?”
“Got me, I just make it up,” he replied.
She shook her head as if she didn’t believe him.
“We’re going in. The damage you caused means there is no shortage of entry points!” yelled the pilot.
CJ nodded in gratitude.
“What’s your name?”
“Mair.”
CJ reached forward and patted him on the shoulder.
“Glad to say you’re the best Human pilot I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks!” he yelled.
King shook her head. “How many have you known?”
He only smiled in response.
“Yep, that’s what I thought.”
He looked over to the bomb Ross was lifting up and strapping to his back.
“You think that’ll destroy this station?”
“You ever seen one of these being used?”
CJ shook his head.
“It’ll paint a pretty picture,” he replied in his thick Scots accent.
“Let’s hope so.”
* * *
Kaner felt the impact as they made their landing and waited for the corridor to extend out.
“That’s it. You’re good to go,” said Marks over the comms.
Kaner nodded to his platoon and lifted his rifle. He punched the door release, but as the door swung open, they were met with a hail of gunfire. He ducked back for the cover of the frame as flashes of light rushed past and struck one of his own, knocking them down. Another pulled him to cover. He drew out a grenade and launched it down the corridor.
“Not a good start,” he said to himself.
* * *
“This is it!” Mair shouted.
“Okay, this is what we came here to do. If we do not succeed in planting this bomb, it was all for nothing. And I didn’t come here for nothing. Failure is not an option,” said CJ.
“Ten seconds!”
They once again sealed their helmets. CJ ripped open the lower hatch and watched as they came in to land over a breach in the station. He didn’t say a word and leapt in through the hole. Once again, he dropped through a power field that sealed the air into the station. As he landed, he felt gravity once more and looked at his Mappad. There was breathable oxygen. He slid open his mask and took a breath as he watched the rest of them follow in after him.
“Start the hack,” he said.
“It’s done,” said King.
They heard a few nearby doors seal shut. It was a relief that it even worked as they had hoped.
“Amazing isn’t it, that they need air the same as the rest of us?”
“Every living being does. You wouldn’t want to breathe this stuff for any prolonged period,” said King, looking at her readings.
“I did, and I am still here.”
“But you aren’t quite Human, are you?”
Normally, he didn’t need reminding of it, but in that moment he had completely forgotten that he was not one of them. A call was flashing on his comms. He answered it to find Tamay before him. Her helmet was off, and she was bleeding from a head wound. A Morohtan warrior was pinned to the wall behind her. He wanted to ask how she’d managed it, but he didn’t have the time.
“We thought we had lost you for a little while there,” she said.
“And yet still you stayed?”
“I had faith in you.”
“You look like you’re having a rough time of it.”
She didn’t need to say a word. The answer was all over her face.
“Get yourselves out of there. We have got this now.”
“How long do you need to set the bombs?’
“Ten minutes, with any luck.”
“If we leave now, these ships may reach you before you can get out.”
“Don’t worry about us. You have done enough.”
“No, we are in this until it is done. We will keep them here for another five minutes, longer if we can.”
He knew there was nothing else he could say to persuade her differently.
“Good luck, Captain, and thank you.”
“Get it done, CJ. We have come too far to fail now.”
“I hear you.”
The signal cut out before they could say another word. From the look on King’s face, it was probably bad, but there was nothing more they could do.
“We’ll pay a high price to complete this mission,” said Mirov.
CJ nodded in agreement.
“That is what we were created for, the shit jobs nobody else wants. Regret it yet?”
“This? I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he smiled in response.
But it was clear he would rather be anywhere else.
* * *
Kaner leant around the corner and fired off a few shots. It knocked one of them down, but a hail of gunfire forced him to duck back into cover. As he looked around again, he noticed the worst of the fire was not coming from any soldier, but a fixed and automated gun on a small tracked carriage. It was primitive, yet small and well armoured, with four barrels. It was keeping their heads down.
He was trying to find some answer to the problem. He leant around again and
took another few shots, but could not penetrate its armour. He threw another grenade, but it ignited in front of the shield of its weapon systems and did nothing. He reached over, hit the door release, and waited for the blast door to shut. Finally, it sealed and cut out the sound of gunfire.
“What are you doing?” asked one of his unit.
He looked around the docking bay for some answer when he spotted one of the armed transports on the deck.
“Just get by that switch and wait for my command.”
He rushed to the craft and climbed inside. He jumped into the cockpit, fired up the engines, and manoeuvred the craft to the blast door. It was three times the size of the doorway, and yet the nose and weapon systems attached to it lined up almost perfectly with the frame. He opened a channel on the comms.
“Do it!” he yelled.
The door rose, and a volley of fire struck the nose and cockpit, glancing right off as he took control of the stick and squeezed the trigger. The barrel spooled up, and they ripped into full auto fire. The shots punched through the weapon system’s shield as though it were made of paper. It blew after a dozen shots, but he did not let up. He kept his finger on the trigger and knocked down the six Gueros supporting it, laying into the walls either side to make sure. Finally, he took his finger of the trigger and leant forward to marvel at his work.
“I love my job,” he said with a huge smile on his face.
He backed the craft back and rushed out to join his platoon.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s get on with this!”
Chapter 27
CJ ran on and on. As they passed intersections, they noticed repair drones and crews trying to fight fires and carry out repairs, and yet they ignored the enemy wherever they could. They weren’t here to fight them one on one. Only one thing mattered, the bomb. He had to keep telling himself that as he followed the route on his map. It was a good plan, and now he was starting to think that it might actually work. They had covered a lot of ground when finally they encountered their first squad of Gueros.
Phoenix Odyssey Book 1 (Battle Beyond Earth) Page 20
