by John Walker
“It’ll be find.”
“If you die here, what happens to the rest of us?”
“You’ll follow the plan and get the hell out of here.” Hoffner gestured. “Not get moving. We’re not debating this in a conflict zone.”
Clea frowned but turned away. She hoped he was right and he had proven to be hard to kill. Still, a commander wasn’t supposed to risk themselves and the mission on such small tasks. Humans did things very different than she was used to…and it continued to show in every situation.
Chapter 13
Lieutenant Damon Johns maneuvered his shuttle between two floating pieces of debris, what he guessed must’ve been crew quarters before the ships blew apart. His scans indicated life forms in a massive chunk of metal and a low emission of energy. He carefully threaded his own craft to the top of the box, deploying powerful magnetics to secure his landing.
Once he made contact, Damon used his thrusters to level out the debris, ensuring it didn’t list and crash into something else. By nudging it away from the rest of the damage, he ensured a moderate amount of safety, enough to be considered reasonable risk management. His crew in the back waited for his signal before sealing their docking ring and preparing to cut.
Damon tapped his communicator, sending a tight beam to see if anyone would respond. The last five people they saved had been unconscious and he had no reason to believe these people would be awake either. However, he got an immediate ping back with one word: help. Good God, I wonder how long they’ve been in there!
He sent the confirmation back to his team, then another communication to those inside steer clear, we have to cut our way in. We’ll get you out in a moment. Do you have injured?
The reply came right away many hurt, stabilized but oxygen levels are running low.
“ETA on getting that open?” Damn called back.
“Less than two minutes,” Lieutenant Sandra Alton called back. “This stuff’s less dense than the others.”
“Good, those people in there are awake and running low on oxygen so let’s make it as fast as possible. Medical, prep up. They do have wounded.”
“What’re we going to do with them?” Sandra asked. “It’s not like we can just pop back to the Behemoth.”
Damon checked the scanners. “They’re on their way back, actually. With this lot, we’re full up anyway. We’ll grab our escort and fly home.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“The flying part’s easy,” Damon replied. “The making it home…that’s up in the air.”
“Good to know,” Sandra grumbled. “One minute.”
Damon kept an eye on their position to compensate for any drift. His computer kept the thrusters going in whatever manner was necessary to avoid collision but a few smaller pieces tapped against his shields. They’d already encountered some potential survivors dead because fast moving debris went right through their life pods.
The shields failed on those things and the passengers were completely helpless. Damon shuddered to think about such a fate, drifting in blackness only to be torn apart by unfeeling metal. Sometimes, the dangers of space really bothered him. Much as he loved serving and flying for the military, he had to fight to keep a positive perspective.
“We’re through,” Sandra announced. “Going in.”
“Be gentle,” Damon called back. “Those people have been through enough.”
“That’s our job, Johns,” Sandra replied. “Just keep us from blowing up and we’ll take care of the rest.”
Damon rolled his eyes but patched into his team’s com link to listen in. The medical crew called out that they were there to help and not to fire. Probably a good idea considering. He figured the enemy wouldn’t bother to board the debris and would’ve destroyed it but caution couldn’t hurt.
He’d never heard of the bad guys taking prisoners.
“We’re here to help,” Sandra’s voice piped through his speaker. “We heard you have wounded.”
“One’s particularly bad,” someone replied. “The rest of us have minor scrapes, bruises and cuts. All stabilized but to ensure survival, we need a real medical bay. Can you help us?”
“Yes,” Sandra replied. “Let’s make sure your critical is okay to move then we’ll board our ship and get out of here. The longer we stay, the better chance this debris will be damaged or worse.”
“He’s right here,” the man replied. “Gil Va’Criz is his name.”
“Hi there, Gil,” Sandra said. “I need to take a look at your injuries so we can get you out of here. Can you tell me what hurts?”
“Everything…” the weak reply must’ve been from Gil. “My…my back…my leg…”
“You look like you were in a firefight,” Sandra said. “Did you guys have borders?”
“He came from the planet,” someone replied. “He claimed to have valuable information to share and was ordered to rendezvous with our battleship…to warn us about a traitor.”
“Traitor!” Gil shouted but he paid for it. A coughing fit overtook him and Damon winced. “There’s a traitor…in the facility…one of our own…”
“Relax, Mister Va’Criz,” Sandra said. “That doesn’t matter right now. What’s important is we get you somewhere safe.” She paused. “Looks like you guys have the blood loss under control. We can move him, carefully, back to the ship.”
“I need to tell you…” Gil muttered. “Who…the…betrayer…”
C’mon then, just say it, Damon thought. I’ll pass it on to command.
“He’s passed out,” Sandra said. “Probably mercifully. Let’s drop the gravity and we’ll be able to bring him up easier. You hear that Damon?”
“Yes,” Damon tapped at his controls. “Ours is off.”
“Can you do the same?” Sandra asked someone Damon couldn’t see. “Also, we need to message command. They need a trauma crew on the hangar deck stat. This guy might not make it too much longer after we get him out of here without immediate attention.”
“Understood.” Damon sent a coded message to the Behemoth, letting them know they not only had a critically injured patient but that the man may know the identity of the traitor. Considering their situation, discovering the backstabber might make it possible to avoid further enemy surprises. He knew they needed a little luck for a change.
God knows the enemy abused their share.
***
Adam turned to Gray. “Captain, I’m receiving a report from medical. One of our search and rescue shuttles is returning with a critically injured man from the surface.”
“Okay?” Gray glanced at him. “What’s the significance?”
“He claims to know who betrayed the alliance.”
Gray stood up, scowling. “Good. That should certainly help our cause. I wonder what else this guy knows…” He motioned toward Agatha. “Get us a coded frequency to the Crystal Font. Tell them what we’ve got incoming. They’ll definitely want to know which of their people sold them out…and quickly.”
“What’re we going to do with the knowledge now?” Adam asked. “It’s a little late to defend against it.”
Gray nodded. “True, but that doesn’t matter. They can still do damage and we don’t necessarily know where they are or if they have any co-conspirators. If there’s a whole faction within the alliance siding with the enemy, then we have a much bigger problem than their fleet heading this way.”
“That’s how it begins, huh?” Adam shook his head. “We have to start suspecting everyone and everything.”
“I’m afraid so.” Gray sighed. “Treason tends to be most effective when you can only find one indication of it. After that, you start seeing suspicion in every shadow. Like Othello, everyone’s against you and no one can be trusted. It rots an organization to the core.”
Adam turned to his tablet for a moment. “They’ll rendezvous with us in less than half an hour. Less if we meet them half way.”
“Tim, set a course to pick that shuttle up,” Gray said. “Reddi
ng, engage when ready. We’re going to have to move that way anyway to take on the other two ships in the system. I doubt they’ll let us pick our people up in peace.”
“Probably won’t be necessary,” Olly said. “If our folks get what they need, they can hop up here and we can jump out without another engagement. So long as we don’t look like we’re trying to grab the plans, the enemy seems content to let their ground forces do the work…and their pilots. Our fighters are still heavily engaged throughout the system.”
“And in need of resupply,” Adam added.
“Let’s get back to being their mobile base then,” Gray said. “And I like your recommendation, Olly. We’ll push them when we have to. Right now, we’ll hang back and see what happens…and help that poor soul recover from his injuries.”
***
Doctor Laura Brand’s medical bays were filled with injured from four different vessels. There were so many people, they took over one of the mess halls and a full barracks to offer additional triage units. Anyone who passed a first aid certification helped them stabilize and comfort the afflicted.
Commander Everly sent her a private message. “Doctor, you’ve got a high value patient about to arrive in desperate need of attention. Can you and a team meet them in the hangar?”
“I’m a little busy, Commander,” Laura replied. “We’ve got a lot of high value patients.”
“Not like this,” he replied. “He has information we need…it may help with our current efforts.”
Laura sighed. “Yes, Max and I will go down there. We’re all I can spare at the moment.”
“That’ll do, Doctor. Thank you.”
Priggish military bastard. Laura tapped her tablet hard and found her assistant, Max. “We have to head to the hangar for a high value injured person. Grab your kit and diagnostics. We’ll be triaging as we move him to a better location.”
“What happened to him?”
“I wasn’t told but assume the worst.” Laura shook her head. “At least we’re doing disaster relief instead of patching up our own soldiers. Better than that last fight, right?”
“I guess we have a better idea of how to take these guys on. The captain learns from his mistakes plus, we’ve got one of the alliance ships to help. The last time, our backup involved some tech crew and a ship no knew how to fly.”
“I didn’t think about that,” Laura replied. They boarded the elevator and took it down to the hangar level then hurried down the hall. “I wonder how long we’ll have to wait.”
A voice blared over the speakers, “incoming search and rescue vessel. ETA, five minutes.”
“Oh…well, there you go I suppose.”
Max smirked. “They read your mind.”
“I really hate coming down here.” Laura motioned to the energy field protecting them from deep space. She looked out at the stars and shivered. “The fact a quarter inch thick atomized field just isn’t enough safety in my opinion.”
“Hey, works better than metal,” Max replied. “No debris can get through it so you know…no one just dies because we get too close to some rocks.”
“You have such a way with words, Max. Thanks…” Laura shook her head. “Just um…try not to cheer me up in the future, okay? I don’t think I can handle it.”
They saw the ship some distance off, the burners offering it a backlight glow. Men and women moved about the deck, repairing ships and carrying equipment here and there. They’d been far enough away from the action to give the techs a breather to catch up. Now that the Behemoth charged back toward danger, everyone would find themselves busier.
“Search and rescue craft landing in twenty seconds,” The tower called out. “Please clear the landing area.”
People moved casually out of the way but Laura didn’t get it. They were too lax in her opinion. A massive space vessel was about to put down in the middle of their area and they didn’t seem to even notice. Sure, they got out of the way but none of them watched as the ship pierced the energy field and began landing procedures.
“This makes me nervous…” Laura muttered.
“Relax, Doc.” Max patted her shoulder. “They do this all the time.”
“When should we…you know…get closer to it?”
Max motioned with his head. “We can make our way there now. Come on.”
They approached as the ship finished it’s docking procedures, the landing gear hissing as the hydraulics accepted the weight. A platform dropped, slapping the ground hard enough to make Laura jump. Her ears rang from the clamor of metal striking metal and she frowned. No wonder so many people complain of hearing problems.
“This place is out of control!”
“It’s not a petting zoo, doc.” Max stopped her from advancing as the medical crew brought down a floating gurney. They saw someone writhing on it, their head moving back and forth as they approached. “I guess that’s who we’re here for.”
“Let’s get up there.”
Laura turned on her medical scanner. “Download your readings to me,” she ordered, taking position near the patient’s head. She began her own diagnosis, running the device over his torso. He’d been shot three times and a good half pound of shrapnel seemed to be lodged in his left side. A broken leg added to his list of injuries and considerable blood loss put him in a bad spot.
“Max, call ahead and find out how much blood we’ve got on hand. He’s going to need a transfusion. I’m sending his type to your scanner.”
“On it, Ma’am.” Max drifted into business mode, no longer giving her a hard time.
“You’ve done a good job stabilizing him,” Laura said, “but he’s got a long way to go. We have to get the shrapnel out, find out if there’s any ordinance still in his body and do a lot of stitching. Sandra, I want you on this. Between the three of us, we can keep this man alive.”
“Ma’am, my team and I are supposed to head back out there.”
“This is a high value patient,” Laura replied. “This takes priority. Besides, there are over two dozen search and rescue crews in operation right now. I think they can afford to sacrifice one.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sandra turned to her team. “I’ll see you back aboard as soon as I can.”
“Negative,” Laura pointed at the rest of her team. “There are plenty of people you can help here. Get down to triage two and pick up the pieces there.”
She divided them up then focused on their patient, getting them aboard the elevator. All the readings they gathered gave her plenty of data to start his treatment plan. Unfortunately, their first order of business involved trauma surgery. Infection already started to spread through some of his wounds, likely as a result of the metal stuck in him.
The scanner estimated an hour of surgery if done at a regular pace. Laura guessed the captain wouldn’t want to wait that long for whatever information the man had, especially if it meant their survival. She began running simulations to find a quicker way to stabilize him without risking his life.
The computer brought back a variety of options, a few within acceptable risk levels. The percentage chance of his death appeared next to each and she opted for the one in the high eighties. Not perfect, and certainly not to her liking but she understood their needs. Now, to make it happen and ply every ounce of skill she possessed to save him.
Back in the medical bay, they hooked him up to an IV and all the systems required to keep him alive. She washed her hands, put on her gloves and prepped herself mentally for the task ahead. Let’s get you through this as quickly as possible, sir. Whatever you’ve been through, you’ve more than earned your chance to live.
Chapter 14
Clea’s chest ached as they approached the reactor, her heart hammering so hard it made her ears ache. Sweat soaked her skin, making the clothes under her armor incredibly uncomfortable. Those around her seemed to be in a similar state as the misery of constant motion worked them over.
Technicians no longer had any more terminals to download from. What they ga
thered was all they’d leave with. Vora complained, stating they were going to lose years of work but Hoffner didn’t care. He didn’t even entertain her comments and shut her down whenever she tried to speak to him.
“He’s a priggish man,” Vora said to Clea. “How do you deal with him?”
“Far more respectfully than you.”
They all came to a halt before massive doors and one of the techs rapidly entered his clearance code to gain access.
Vora turned to address them all. “Beyond these doors lies the reactor core. If you are truly desperate to destroy half this continent, then we’ll have to disengage the failsafes and set the core to blow. Once we’ve initiated the process, it cannot be stopped so I hope you genuinely have a way off the planet and quick. It will be…thirty minutes.”
“Before it blows?” Hoffner asked. “Jesus…”
“Yes, if we’re not out of here in twenty five minutes, there’s a good chance we’ll all be dead. We’ll do the math, but it may ignite the atmosphere which, as I’m sure you understand, will mean the end of all life here.”
“I see.” Hoffner turned to Clea. “Opinion?”
“We don’t have a choice about destroying it all,” Clea replied. “All the data we didn’t get is still in storage banks which can be accessed by anyone with a proper connection. So ultimately, it’s a risk we have to take…regardless of how regrettable.”
“We’re pretty cavalier about a whole planet,” Hoffner said. The door opened and they all filed in. “Can this be jammed shut? Buy us some time?”
“I’ll make it happen, sir.” One of the technicians saluted. “They won’t get through without heavy ordinance.”
“Don’t talk too loudly,” Walsh muttered. “They’ll probably pull some out of their asses.”
“I want three marines to go with a tech and find the passage up. Secure it. The last thing we have time for is a firefight on our way out of this place. The rest of you guard this entrance. Anything starts to happen, you report in. Clea, organize the destruction of the facility. I trust you and Vora can handle it?”
