When the corridor doors opened and Marines came flooding into the hanger, Weems said, "Guess we'd better get our ships preflighted, Syd."
"Sure thing, Jerry. Catch you on the planet."
As Syd did a walk-around with the MAT's mechanic, Marine's began lining up near the starboard hatch. For this trip, she would have a full load of forty Marines that included eight four-man fire teams, four corporals, and four sergeants. Lieutenant Kennedy was the platoon CO on Syd's ship. A similar number of Marines were lining up near the MAT that Weems would pilot. She saw Kelly MacDonald checking her people over in preparation for boarding the ship.
As soon as her exterior check was complete, Sydnee went aboard and stowed her gear in the pilot's locker on the flight deck, then began running through her checklist. She finished at about the time she heard Marines piling into the MAT, and she was sitting there trying to relax when Kennedy entered the flight deck and dropped into the co-pilot seat.
"All buttoned up, Syd. We can move out whenever you're set."
"Okay, Rett."
From the corner of her eye, she saw him react slightly to the use if his nickname, but he didn't correct her or say anything else.
After receiving taxi clearance from the hanger controller, Sydnee proceeded through the methodical steps necessary to join the MAT piloted by Lieutenant Weems. His ship was already outside the Perry, waiting a thousand meters off the starboard hull.
"Watch Commander, MAT-Two is in position near MAT-One and everything is go," Sydnee reported as she aligned her craft with that of Weems.
"Understood, MAT-Two," she heard Lidden say. "The rebels probably know we're here since we believe they have the portable communications and DeTect equipment that would have been stored on the destroyer. We're currently over the opposite side of the planet from their camp, so it's doubtful they could have seen you deploy from the ship. You will approach the planet in a stealthy manner according to the flight instructions we've just downloaded to your nav computer and set down in the designated clearing. The Marine officers have received their briefing instructions and are in command once the ship is down. MAT-One will be the lead ship into the LZ."
"MAT-One, acknowledged."
"MAT-Two, acknowledged."
"MAT-One to MAT-Two, engage Sub-Light-1 on zero. Five, four, three, two, one, zero."
Sydnee had already entered the speed and only had to push the engage button to start the ship moving. She felt a slight lurch before the inertial gravitative compensators kicked in, then all was smooth. Glancing down at her DeTect screen, she saw that MAT-One hadn't moved.
"MAT-Two to MAT-One. You did give the order to engage Sub-Light, didn't you?"
"MAT-One is experiencing a problem with its Sub-Light engine." She heard Weems say. "Disengage and standby."
MAT-Two was already halfway to the planet when she disengaged the Sub-Light engine and continued to move forward ballistically. She told Kennedy why she had disengaged the Sub-Light drive while she waited for new instructions.
Chapter Twelve
~ Feb. 18th, 2285 ~
Sydnee listened as MAT-One reported the engine problem and was ordered to return to the Perry. She wondered how long the delay would be, but it was unavoidable. They certainly didn't want to take on a camp full of well-armed rebel fighters with only one platoon. She reversed the engines to halt the ballistic flight and they floated in place.
"Do you want to make an announcement to your people, Rett?" Sydnee asked Lt. Kennedy.
"I suppose I should. They'll be wondering what's going on." Kennedy took the cabin mike and explained the delay very succinctly.
Thirty minutes later, Captain Lidden called MAT-Two.
"Mat-Two, we have a change of plans. Mat-One will not be spaceworthy for at least a full day, and possibly two, due to control issues with its Sub-Light engines. The mission is being modified rather than scrubbed. Lt. Kennedy's platoon will now perform recon activities so we have better intelligence when the other MAT is ready to head down to the planet. We've downloaded new data to your nav computer and to Lt. Kennedy's briefing computer. The new landing zone is a small clearing approximately five kilometers from the rebel camp. After you land, the Marines will deploy and carry out their new objectives. Lidden out."
Sydnee glanced over at Kennedy without a word.
"You heard the man," he said. "Punch it. I'll alert my people."
Sydnee glanced at the image on the nav screen and then engaged the Sub-Light engines.
Twenty-three minutes later, the MAT touched down in the clearing identified on the nav screen. She had come in at treetop level for the last twenty kilometers, using just the oh-gee engine for altitude and thrusters for yaw, pitch, and roll. MATs were a lot more stable with a bit of speed from the Sub-Light engines, but quiet was more important for this mission, so she'd elected to fight the tendency of the small ship to wobble for that entire twenty kilometers.
Sydnee spent several seconds flipping switches as the MAT settled into the tall grass of the clearing, then looked at Kennedy. "It's your show now, Rett."
Kennedy nodded, stood, and left the flight deck. His people were already on their feet and eager to hit the ground running as soon as he gave the word.
"Listen up," Kennedy said as he entered the rear cabin area. "This is not the assault we had prepared for. At present, this is strictly a recon mission. We'll assemble outside the craft and I want all noncoms to gather for a briefing. We're five klicks from the enemy camp, but they might have patrols out, so the rest of you will remain alert and quiet until your sergeants brief you. I want the scouts to fan out for one-half klick and report any sightings of the enemy. Now move out— quietly."
A camera mounted in the rear of the cabin area allowed Sydnee to view and hear Kennedy's instructions from her seat on the flight deck. As the Marines stealthily moved down the ramp and assembled in small groups instead of bounding down the ramp in one or two steps and racing away, she had to smile. Marines almost never did anything quietly— it was totally inconsistent with their training. From almost the first minute they arrived at boot camp, a DI was putting his or her face an inch from the new recruit's and yelling with all the force their lungs could generate. It does tend to get one's attention.
With the rear cabin vacated, Sydnee flipped the switch that would retract the ramp and seal the hatch. Being on a hostile planet, there was always the danger that a wild animal could enter the ship when no one was looking, not to mention enemy combatants. After adjusting the filtration system to step up the special misting process that would kill all insects that had entered the ship while the hatches were open, she leaned back to await whatever orders would follow. There was little chance she would be ordered out on recon patrol since her only 'jungle' training had been in the Marine's combat range aboard ship, and that wasn't even part of her official record. As for snakes, she'd never even seen one that wasn't secured in a glass-enclosed display area at a zoo or in a vid.
To keep her mind occupied, she called up the data about the planet Diabolisto that she had downloaded into the MAT's computer before they left the Perry. There was the usual planetary geological data and environment info, and that was followed by weather statistics and patterns. She wasn't interested in the entire planet so she narrowed the scope to just the land mass the rebels had chosen for their base.
After an hour of reading or listening as the computer read to her about the planet, Sydnee knew far more about Diabolisto than she cared to know. It was a miserable little planet with little to recommend it as a place you'd ever want to visit if you didn't have to. There were hundreds of snake, amphibian, and insect species, and even flora with poisonous bites, barbs, or stings that ranged from painful to deadly. The jungle on this landmass was home to carnivores as large as water buffalo and herbivores as large as dinosaurs. The database said that the herbivores would try to avoid contact, but if they felt threatened, they might try to stomp whatever was in their way.
"Great," Sydnee said.
"Even the ones not trying to eat you will kill you if they get a chance. And this is supposed to be the safest landmass on the planet."
Tired of listening, she downloaded a copy of the file to her helmet's data storage and then shut the computer off. She had just closed her eyes when she heard a soft chime and then, "Lieutenant Marcola?" in her left ear.
"Marcola," she said as she touched her ring.
"This is Kennedy. We're setting up a CP under the tree cover. Open the lower hatch so we have access to our equipment, supplies, and ordnance. "
Sydnee flipped the switch that would open the large storage area in the belly of the MAT and said, "Opening."
"Kennedy out."
"Marcola out."
Seventy minutes later, Sydnee heard, "Marcola," in her ear and responded in the usual manner.
"This is Kennedy. Join us in the CP."
"Acknowledged. Marcola out."
After having read about all the dangerous life forms on the planet, Sydnee wasn't leaving the MAT without all her weapons and without her armor sealed. When she stepped through the airlock, the only way to distinguish her from the Marines who had gone before her was by the insignia on her helmet. After disembarking, she resealed the MAT using the exterior keypad, then walked to the CP. She knew where it was because she had watched the Marines on a vid monitor as they carried equipment into the jungle.
"It's about time," Kennedy said when she arrived in the CP, which was just a large tent with insect screening for wall panels. A sprayer was emitting a light odorless mist that killed insects on contact. At the rate the insects were entering the tent and dropping, the bugs were going to be ankle deep if they were here more than a few days. A com station occupied one corner, and several tables filled with electronic equipment took up the rest of the space.
"I had to get suited up before I left the MAT. Was it urgent? You didn't say it was urgent."
"The Perry has left orbit."
"What?" Sydnee said in surprise. "When? Why?"
"Another Clidepp destroyer entered the solar system. Captain Lidden hailed the other ship and they turned tail and fled while building their FTL. The Captain called to see if we were okay before they left to pursue. I told him we were fine and that they should go."
"What? Why wasn't I contacted by the Captain?"
"When we're in space, Lieutenant, you are in command," Kennedy said with an edge to his voice. "When we dock with another ship or land on a planet, I'm in charge. It was my decision to make, and I made it. The Perry will return shortly. Once the other ship achieves FTL, the Perry hasn't a chance of stopping her."
"So that's the basis for your decision— that the Perry will return because he can't catch a Clidepp destroyer? Well, I have news for you. If the Perry can't stop the destroyer, the Captain will follow it until they cross the border. We could be here for days or even weeks."
"We have adequate emergency food rations for thirty days. We'll be fine."
"Unless the rebels learn where we are."
"They're not going to learn where we…"
Kennedy's statement was cut short as the ground suddenly shook violently. The CP tent leaned drunkenly for a couple of seconds, and then one side drooped.
"Incoming," someone yelled, and the entire camp dropped to the ground.
Everyone listened for any sound that might offer a clue as to where the enemy mortar emplacement was located, but no more rounds landed.
"Com," Kennedy finally said, "Check with the perimeter scouts and see if they have the enemy spotted."
"All scouts are reporting that no rebels have been sighted."
"Then where did that mortar round come from and where did it land?"
"My ship," Sydnee yelled suddenly and jumped to her feet. The violent shaking had loosened the already soft dirt where the tent stakes had been driven into the ground, so as she pushed the tent flap aside, that end of the tent collapsed. She was already through, but Kennedy wasn't so lucky. The horizontal bar supporting that end of the tent dropped just as he reached it. It caught him in the midsection, felling his body in the doorway. He wasn't injured because he was wearing his armor, but he became tangled in tent material as more of the tent collapsed on top of him.
Sydnee was the first to reach the clearing and the first to see that the MAT was no longer where she had left it. She just stood there for several seconds staring at the hole where it had rested just minutes ago. Marines began to arrive and likewise stare at the huge crater. Kennedy, finally able to untangle himself from the tent material, arrived as well.
"Where is it?" Kennedy asked.
"See that hole?" Sydnee said, pointing. "That's where it was sitting. Now it's down there. It wasn't a mortar round. It was a sinkhole opening up. It swallowed the MAT. You can still see a piece of it sticking through the dirt that collapsed on top of it from the side walls."
"A sinkhole? Well that was a pretty dumb place to park."
Sydnee's face reflected incredulity as she looked at Kennedy, so it was probably good she had her helmet on and he couldn't see it. Her helmet was projecting a still image of her face on the front plate.
"I didn't pick this clearing, Lieutenant," Sydnee said. "If you remember, we were ordered to proceed to this exact location."
"Yeah, well, what now? How do we get it out?"
"The hull is Dakinium-sheathed so I doubt the ship is damaged in any way. If I was still inside, I could use the oh-gee engine to simply fly it out. But it doesn't operate by remote control."
"So? How?"
"If the Perry was still here, they could send down a tug and lift it out. So we either wait until they get back, or we dig it out ourselves."
"Dig it out?"
"Yeah, while we pray that the sidewalls don't keep collapsing and that the sinkhole doesn't get deeper or fill with water."
"I think we'll just wait until the Perry gets back and can send down a tug."
"While we hope that we don't need the protection of the MAT? This planet is not exactly a garden spot."
"You surely don't think we're going to dig that out without the proper earth-moving equipment."
"We don't have to dig out the entire ship. We only need to clear one of the two hatchways so I can get inside. Then I can fly it out. The dirt around it and on top won't even slow it down."
"I'll take it under advisement. Right now we have orders to perform recon activities. Once that's done, if the Perry hasn't returned, we'll see what we can do here. It's fortunate we emptied the cargo belly completely so we have all our equipment, supplies, and ordnance."
Sydnee grimaced because there was nothing more to say. The mission was all Kennedy had on his mind and all he was going to think about until it was completed. Sydnee could only think about having a way to evacuate in case something went seriously wrong. But as Kennedy had said, he was in command once they were down on the planet, and it was his call.
* * *
"Clidepp destroyer, this is Captain Lidden of the GSC destroyer Perry. I order you to heave to or face the consequences."
It was the third time Lidden had ordered the rebel-controlled ship to stop in the three hours since the chase had begun. The third warning seemed to have no more effect than the other two.
Lidden hated leaving a platoon of his Marines back on the planet, but he couldn't afford to let the stolen destroyer get away. His call to Kennedy was just a formality. He knew the young lieutenant wouldn't object to the Perry leaving in pursuit of the rebels. Marcola was another matter. Lidden knew she would voice her opposition to being left on the planet without support from the Perry, so he didn't give her a chance. Technically, she was under the command of Kennedy, so Lidden couldn't be criticized for not contacting her.
"Enough of this. Helm, cut across her bow."
"Aye, Captain."
The Perry, as old and slow as he was, was still faster than all the military ships the Clidepp Empire possessed. The Perry helmsman made a wide swing to larboard, then plotted a course that would
take it directly across the rebel ship's bow. In the wet navy days, the move had been referred to as 'crossing the T.' The ship performing the move could then bring substantially greater firepower to bear against the other ship, an advantage that had disappeared when missiles appeared on ships. The move in this case wasn't to attack the slower ship, but merely to create a situation where the ship's ACS, or anti-collision system, automatically shut down the ship's FTL drive. The helmsman performed the move perfectly, but the rebel ship continued on in FTL as before.
"Damn," Lidden said, "they must have disabled their ACS when they saw us move to larboard. Helmsman, have you performed the required hours in the simulator to remain certified for an envelope merge?"
"Yes, sir. I practice it regularly, as required," Lieutenant Bronson said.
"Good, because it looks like we're going to need it."
Weapons were useless when traveling FTL. A laser beam appeared to stop as it emerged from the envelope because, in an instant, the ship had already passed well beyond that point. Torpedoes, their electronic brains already scrambled from passing through a temporal field, fell away too fast to see. An envelope merge was the only way to stop a ship traveling FTL if that ship's ACS had been deactivated, but it was the most dangerous maneuver a spaceship could perform.
When two temporal envelopes touched, they coalesced into one, allowing laser array beams to travel from one ship to the other without passing through normal space. Torpedoes could likewise be fired at the other ship while both were in a single DATFA envelope, but it wasn't wise to have a torpedo detonate while you were in such close proximity, so only lasers were used. The danger in the maneuver came if the lead ship lost its envelope as a result of the attack and suddenly found itself at a dead stop in n-space and the second ships failed to cancel its envelope quickly enough. The resulting collision at faster-than-light speeds might destroy any trace of both ships. The tactical officer and helmsman of the pursuing ship must work together in perfect harmony to destroy the temporal envelope generator of the lead ship and halt the pursuit ship instantly.
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