“You have offered my people safe passage out of the system on the condition that we help you find a missing soldier. How exactly do you suggest we go about finding them?”
“By doing nothing”, replied Major Clark.
“Nothing?”
“Yes Chief Saskill, the most likely course of action for Sergeant Williams to take will be to find some way off this planet,” explained Clark.
“And there are only two ways for him to do that. Either he’ll try and steal one of your fighters in the launch bay, or contact my ship and have them pick him up. While the later is the most obvious and easiest choice, I’m not sure the Sergeant is aware of it. That makes it likely he will come here, which would probably result in a good number of your people dying. Hopefully my presence here will stop that from happening.”
The shengyet next to Saskill stirred.
“You think one human is a match for this entire camp?” He snarled.
“Ordinarily not, but Williams is a member of the Invictus Legion,” replied Clark calmly.
The shengyet’s retort was stifled by Saskill's raised hand.
“Calm yourself Karss, the Major is not being disrespectful, she is simply being honest.”
Karss snorted.
“Shun and Slius were two of my best warriors and they both died. Any man who could do that, would be a serious threat to us,” Saskill continued.
“What, Slius is dead?” Anna blurted out.
A somber expression crossed Saskill’s face.
“Yes”, he said sadly.
Anna’s insides flared with hatred. Slius was dead, someone she had grown up with. Anna remembered him when they were children. How when she and John had first met the other shengyet children, no one had wanted to come anywhere near the two humans. No one wanted to play with or even talk to them, none except Slius. He alone had come over to talk to the two humans huddled together in a corner.
Anna knew that Sergeant Williams’ safe return was the shengyet's best chance of getting out of the system alive. But the thought of helping Slius’ killer was repugnant. Anna suddenly noticed her eyes reddening. Saskill was looking at her, concern etched over his face. Slowly he reached across the table and put his hand on hers.
Kars let out a hiss of disgust. Saskill leaped to his feet snarling at him, John close behind. Anna saw a glint of metal as Karss drew a small dagger from his belt. She cried out, but at that moment a blur of movement came out of one of the room’s shadowy corners. Karss didn’t even have time to turn around before the thing was on him. There was a blur of motion and Karss crumpled to the floor. Where Karss had been standing a moment before, there now stood a man. He had dark brown hair and eyes. He was about normal height and build. The man looked perfectly ordinary and yet a strange sense of foreboding seemed to emanate from him. He turned to face Major Clark and snapped a salute that Clark returned.
“Sergeant Williams, it’s good to see you again,” said Clark.
No one said anything for a few seconds, finally Saskill spoke.
“I see you weren't exaggerating Major,” he said dryly.
“This human is obviously a gifted killer.”
Sergeant Williams didn’t respond to this comment, he was still staring at Major Clark.
“Yes,” replied Clark.
“How long have you been here Williams?” She asked turning back to the Sergeant.
“I arrived here about half an hour before you did Major, incidentally,” he continued addressing Saskill.
“I incapacitated one of your technicians, he’s behind one of the crates in the fighter bay.”
“Tired of killing were you?” Anna snapped.
Williams looked at her as if just noticing she was there. A flicker of emotion crossed his face.
“It wasn't necessary,” he replied.
A surge of anger coursed through Anna, her had jerked toward the side arm on her belt. Williams sprang forward and the next thing she knew her left arm was pinned behind her back. A small knife pressed against her throat.
Saskill snarled with rage but Major Clark stepped in front of him.
“Everyone calm down!” She shouted.
“Sergeant Williams, release the Commander.”
Anna felt the knife move away and her arm was released.
“What was that for?” Saskill snarled.
“She was going for her weapon,” replied Williams.
“Look we’re all on the same side here,” interjected Clark.
“Oh we are, are we?” Saskill demanded.
“Now that you have your missing soldier, what's to stop you from simply leaving us here?”
“I am true to my word Chief,” replied Clark.
“I said I would get you and your people out of here and I will do just that.”
Saskill gave Major Clark a calculating look.
“You are a strange human Major,” he said finally.
Major Clark didn't respond, instead she tapped a button on her wrist pad.
“Lieutenant Graham this is Major Clark, come in please.”
“This is Graham, it's good to hear from you Major,” the voice crackled out of the data pad's tiny speaker.
“Lieutenant ready the Twilight for takeoff, we’ll be returning shortly.”
“Yes well that might be a bit easier said than done Major.”
“Why is that?” Asked Major Clark sharply.
“The entire Eridanus Five task force left the system about ten minutes ago and now I’ve got about ten incoming Capital ships. They're on a vector coming straight for this planet,” Graham informed her.
“Can you tell what type they are?”
“Negative Major, they’re at the very edge of sensor range but whatever they are, they’re big and moving fast.”
“All right Lieutenant,” said Clark.
“I want you to get the Twilight prepared for takeoff and boost as much power to the sensors as you can. I want to know the second you have an id on those ships.”
“Understood Major, Graham out.”
“I would advise you to make similar preparations Chief Saskill,” said Clark.
“You think these incoming ships have hostile intentions?” Saskill asked.
“I’m not sure but there’s no point in taking that chance, do you have transports to get your people off planet?”
“Yes but not all of them have Dimension drives and the ones that do are very rudimentary, they won’t be able to bring the other ships along through the vortex,” Saskill explained.
“No matter,” said Clark.
“Once they’re in orbit the Twilight can open a dimension portal and you can follow her through.”
“Very well, we shall meet your ship in orbit. I will have one of our fighters take you back, it will be much faster than the vehicles we took on the way here.”
“Thank you.”
As they made their way back to the launch bay, Sergeant Williams suddenly spoke up.
“Chief Saskill,” he said.
“I feel I should inform you that there are three canisters of Tritium wired to your launch bay.”
Saskill stopped so abruptly that Anna nearly walked into him.
“What?!” He exclaimed.
“Before Major Clark arrived I had been planning to steal one of your fighters and blow up the launch bay so you couldn’t’t follow me,” Williams explained.
“I see,” said Saskill.
“It appears you could have simply waited in orbit for your Sergeant to make contact Major,” he said turning to Clark.
“Yes it does seem that way, doesn’t it,” replied Major Clark, the corners of her mouth twitching.
Five minutes later Anna, Major Clark and Sergeant Williams were crammed into the rear of a shengyet fighter's cockpit. John sat at the controls, guiding the craft over the planet's desolate landscape. The tiny data pad on Major Clark's wrist beeped. Clark tapped the speaker button.
“Clark here, go ahead.”
“Major,” it was
Lieutenant Graham.
“I have IDs on those incoming ships.”
“Excellent Lieutenant, so who are they?”
Graham seemed to hesitate for a moment, then answered.
“They're Imperial ships Major.”
There was a shocked silence in the fighter's tiny cockpit. This news made no sense at all. Why in the universe would the Imperial fleet pull out the Eridanus Five task force, only to send in more ships shortly afterward. Major Clark however, had apparently been expecting this.
“I thought they might be,” she replied.
“What type and how many?”
The com was silent again for a moment.
“Six Destroyers, three Carriers and...well I could be wrong, they're still pretty far away.”
“Spit it out Lieutenant.”
“It's the Emperor’s Fist Major.”
Clearly, Major Clark hadn't been expecting this.
“What?!” She exclaimed.
“Well that's what the sensors are telling me Major. Like I said earlier, they're still far enough out that I could be mistaken.”
“No Lieutenant I don't think you are,” replied Clark grimly.
John turned away from the controls for a second to gaze at the three stunned people behind him.
“Why do I get the feeling that this Emperor’s Fist thing is a problem?” He asked the room at large.
Numbly, Anna answered.
“The Emperor’s Fist is one of the Empire's Dreadnoughts,” she explained.
“They're the most massive warships in the Imperial fleet and only guard the most important worlds or installations. There are only five of them in the entire Imperial fleet.”
John let out a hissing shengyet curse.
“Yeah I guess that qualifies as bad.”
Major Clark was not listening to the conversation; she was already tapping buttons on her data pad.
“Saskill, this is Clark. Can you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“There's a sizable Imperial fleet headed this way, I'm not sure yet but I think they're here to stop me. Once they have done so, they will undoubtedly finish off your people.”
“How sizable is this fleet?” Asked Saskill.
“So far my ship's sensors have identified six Destroyers three Carriers and a Dreadnaught.”
Saskill let out the same curse John had used a moment earlier.
“I will evacuate my people as fast as I can.”
“Very well, meet my ship at the coordinates I’m sending you,” replied Clark and switched off the com.
She pressed a few buttons and re-established contact with the Twilight.
“Lieutenant Graham, take off now and plot a course out of the system, I don’t care where. Warm up the ship’s Dimension drive, prepare to guide us and the rest of the shengyet fleet through.”
“Yes Major.”
“John,” said Clark turning to him.
“I suggest you get us off this planet as fast as possible.”
“Then hang on,” cried John.
A second later they were thrown into the very back of the cockpit by the fighter’s sudden acceleration. With thrusters blazing, the fighter screamed upward. In orbit above them they could see the rest of the shengyet fleet grouped around the Twilight, all driving hard away from the planet.
“Major,” John yelled over the noise of the stressed engines.
“The Imperial fleet is only one million kilometers away and closing fast,” he said, nodding at the sensor display to his right.
His three passengers stared at the display. Anna could see the Destroyers out front. They looked similar to frigates, except they had a raised second deck sitting atop the first one. They were followed by the two Carriers. Wider than the destroyers, they had downward sloping angular doors that covered massive launch bays. Behind them loomed the gargantuan shape of the Dreadnought. It had roughly the same shape as the destroyers, but with five decks. Rectangular blocks sitting one atop the other, each one progressively shorter than the one beneath it. It was ten times the size of the carriers, which were already enormous ships. Along the sides of the ship, she could see its six massive type five ion projector turrets. Each of them was almost as large as an entire frigate. As Anna watched, the Carriers' angular launch bays opened, spewing out a swarm of fighters.
Graham’s voice crackled through the data pad.
“We’ve got incoming Major, those fighters will be on us in about thirty seconds.”
“All right Lieutenant, is the Dimension drive ready?” Asked Clark.
“Yes Major, but you’re not close enough to follow us in.”
“Never mind us, just get that vortex open.”
“He’s right you know,” said Anna.
“Shengyet fighters don't have artificial gravity generators to counter acceleration. If they open the vortex now we’ll never get there before it collapses.”
“I know,” replied Clark.
“Get out of the pilot’s seat,” she added.
“What?” Asked John incredulously.
“Just do it.”
John obviously thought now was not the time to argue, because he left his seat.
“Take the helm Sergeant,” said Clark.
Williams moved forward and sat himself down.
“There’s only one way we can make it to the Twilight in time. You’re familiar enough with this ship to do it?”
“Yes Major, all of you brace yourselves.”
Flicking off the acceleration safeties, Andrew cranked up the reactor as high as it would go. With a horrible groan the fighter shot forward. Major Clark, Anna and John were flattened against the rear of the cockpit. The incredible g-forces pulling blood to their extremities and causing them to pass out. Andrew was barely still conscious, ahead he could see a blur of white swirling light. Grunting with the effort, he reached out and hit the braking thrusters.
Chapter 10
Lieutenant Ajala Bahl shouted above the rumbling that filled the Archangel drop pod.
“Drop in five minutes, get strapped in!”
The pod’s deck shook as dozens of armored feet raced towards the drop harnesses. The pod had two decks, an upper one for carrying troops and a lower deck that held vehicles and supplies. Andrew ran to one of the harnesses affixed to the upper deck’s walls. He threw a glance to his right and spotted Bahl running beside him.
“Move it Corporal,” she said, glancing over at him.
Andrew reached his harness and turned around, exposing his armored back. It had been specially adapted to fit Invictus Legion Assault armor. Two metal arms lowered themselves onto his shoulders. Two more arms wrapped themselves around his waist and then lifted him a meter off the deck. All around him, armored figures were rising into the air.
Andrew turned to his right.
“Something about this feels wrong Lieutenant,” he shouted.
Bahl turned her armored head towards him.
“Just sending the drop ships straight in and not even doing a sensor scan first. I know Colonel Clyde wants to hit them hard and fast, but who knows what the shengyet might have waiting in that asteroid field.”
“Relax Corporal,” replied Bahl.
“Let the ship jockeys worry about that and just stay focused on your job.”
“What’s the matter Williams?” A voice called from his left.
Andrew turned to see the helmet and faceplate of the Legionnaire dissolve. I revealed a young woman’s face with short, spiky red hair and a scar running down her right cheek.
“Scared of the big bad shengyet?” She asked with a grin.
“Don’t worry, just stay behind me and I’ll keep you safe.”
“No thanks Collins,” Andrew shot back.
“The way you shoot, being behind you is just plain dangerous.”
Private Collins snorted.
“Just because you got the highest shooting scores during our last training session.”
“Not just the highest score,” A
ndrew interrupted her.
“I believe it was the highest score ever recorded on that course.”
Collins rolled her eyes.
“You’re never going to let us forget about that, are you?”
“Sour grapes, Private.”
“Cut the chatter you two,” interrupted Bahl.
“Collins, get your helmet back on and both of you get ready.”
Andrew ran a diagnostic on his armor and made sure the nanites in his brain stem had a good link to the control mechanisms. A voice came over his helmet’s com system, it was their drop ship’s tactical officer.
“One minute to pod release, stand by.”
A counter appeared on his heads up display, showing the seconds ticking down.
Suddenly, a massive shockwave rocked the pod. The groans and creaks of stressed metal could be heard even over the now blaring alarms. Lieutenant Bahl spoke over the cohort’s private com.
“I’m unable to hail any of the ships in the fleet, anyone else have any luck?”
A chorus of negatives answered her question.
“All right,” she said, activating the quick release for her harness and dropping to the deck.
“I’m going to try the pod’s com system, the rest of you just sit tight for now.”
Collins opened a private channel to Andrew.
“You know Corporal, I really hate it when you’re right.”
“Right now that makes two of us.”
“So what do you think happened?” She asked.
“No idea,” Andrew admitted.
“But that felt like an explosion.”
“Yeah but wha-”
Before Collins could finish her sentence, a tremendous screech of stressed metal came from the hull above them. The next instant, they were being thrown about in their harnesses as the pod tumbled through space.
Andrew felt himself being jerked up, down and side to side. The pod’s artificial gravity system was simple and only provided gravitational force in one direction. He felt the arms holding his shoulders give way and the next second the back of his helmet slammed into the hull. Dazed, he groped for the quick release. The pod was still tumbling and with his shoulder supports gone, Andrew felt himself being thrown about worse than ever.
“What are you doing?” He heard Collins shout over the com.
“We’ve got to stabilize our trajectory,” he shouted back.
Imperium: Contact Page 8
