“If we hit the atmosphere tumbling like this, the whole pod will come apart.”
His hands found the quick release and he dropped. The next second he was sliding across the deck as the pod continued to tumble. In the center of the upper deck was a staircase that led down to the deck below. Andrew tried to aim for the railing that protruded from the top of the stairs. I was difficult, he was picking up speed as he slid and there was no real way of steering. Spreading out his arms and legs, he tried to make himself go left a little, that would put him on a direct collision course with the railing. It worked and the next instant he slammed into it, denting the metal bars. He managed to grab hold of the railing with his right hand and clung on for dear life.
Andrew reached out with his left hand and started pulling himself along the railing. He worked his way down to the landing that marked the halfway point of the staircase. Below him he could see the equipment crates and vehicles stored on the lower deck. Two light reconnaissance vehicles were parked off to one side. The straps connecting them to the deck were still intact. However, a number of the equipment crates that filled the center of the deck, had broken loose. Two of them had cracked open, their contents now scattered everywhere.
Past the crates stood a command console with a large view screen. Andrew pulled himself over the railing and dropped from the landing onto the deck below. He landed on one of the crates, but was immediately thrown off as the pod bucked beneath him. He crawled across the deck, trying his best not be thrown around too much. Andrew also kept an eye on the crates, if another one broke loose, or if an already loose crate slid into him. Well his armor could take the impact, but that didn’t mean it was something he was keen on experiencing.
He was almost to the console, when movement to his left caught his eye. Andrew turned to see an armored figure wedged between two crates. The figure’s faceplate dissolved to reveal Lieutenant Bahl.
“Corporal, can you hear me?” She shouted.
“My radio’s damaged.”
Andrew deactivated his own faceplate.
“Lieutenant,” he called back.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine Corporal, just stuck.”
“Hang on ma’am,” said Andrew, making his way towards her.
“Never mind me Williams, just get over to that console and get us level.
“On it Lieutenant.”
Andrew crawled to the base of the console. Grabbing hold of it with one hand, he pulled himself upright and planted his boots on the deck. The pod was still tumbling like crazy and he was constantly being jerked in different directions. He managed to hit the activation switch on the console and the view screen popped on.
Telemetry data showed the pod’s chaotic descent towards the planet. They had almost reached the upper atmosphere, he would have to hurry. Rapidly typing commands, he tried to straighten out their flight path. The upper section of the pod had been damaged when it tore loose from the drop ship. Luckily none of the thrusters, or other critical systems had been affected. Slowly, the pod’s tumbling eased and he managed to get it descending at a proper angle for atmospheric entry. Not a moment too soon, thin wisps of the planet’s atmosphere were already rushing over the hull.
Andrew keyed in the pod’s automatic landing sequence and rushed back to where Bahl lay trapped. Just as he reached her, he heard the clanging of boots coming down the stairs. He looked up to see Collins running towards them.
“The Lieutenant’s trapped,” Andrew said over the com.
Collins ran over to them and grabbed the edge of one of the crates. Andrew grabbed the edge of the one opposite and they pulled.
Slowly, they slid apart and Lieutenant Bahl was able to crawl out from between them.
“Thank you, both of you,” she said.
Andrew and Collins nodded, then Collins asked.
“So what now Lieutenant?”
Dahl walked over to the control console and began typing commands.
“I still can’t raise any of the ships from the task force,” she said.
“Well we’re on an entry vector that’ll put us reasonably close to our original landing zone,” said Andrew.
Bahl peered at the data on the screen.
“Alright,” she said.
“We’ll worry about everything else once we’re on the ground, get back into your harnesses.”
“My harness was damaged,” Andrew informed her.
“I’ll be alright down here,” he assured her.
“I can probably find something to anchor myself to the hull.”
Lieutenant Bahl shook her head.
“With all the loose cargo down here, it’s just too dangerous.”
“He can share my harness,” said Collins.
Andrew and Dahl both turned to look at her.
“There’s no way of fitting you both in there,” said Bahl.
“We’ll just have to grab hold of one another,” explained Collins.
“We can lock our armor’s articulation points, that should provide a pretty firm grip.”
“With both of us, that’s going to be a lot more weight than what the harness was designed for,” Andrew warned.
“Look, we don’t have time to argue,” said Collins, glancing at the view screen.
Dahl hesitated, then she nodded.
“All right Collins, if you’re sure about this?”
“Yes, I am, now let’s get a move on.”
They raced back up the stairs and across the upper deck. Andrew and Collins skidded to a halt in front of her harness and she turned to face him.
“Ready?”
Andrew hesitated.
“Quit trying to be noble,” she said impatiently.
“I’m just not sure this’ll work,” he replied.
“Only one way to find out,” said Collins, activating her harness.
The arms came down, gripping her by the shoulders and around the waist. Andrew moved towards her and they wrapped their arms around each other.
“Comfortable?” She asked.
“Ask me that again in ten minutes,” Andrew replied.
He couldn’t see her face, but he was sure Collins was grinning.
“Don’t worry Corporal, I told you I’d keep you safe.”
“You’re never going to let me forget about this, are you?”
“What, that I had to hold onto your heavy ass all the way through a drop? No I think you’re going to be hearing about this one until the day you die.”
“Let’s hope that’s not today,” said Andrew.
Collins wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her armor.
“Just to make sure you don’t go anywhere.”
Andrew locked his armor as well.
“I like you too Private,” he said dryly.
Collins made a dismissive noise.
“Keep it up and I’ll drop you.”
The drop pod rattled and shook in the rapidly thickening atmosphere. Andrew glanced up at the harness holding him and Collins. It creaked and groaned under the strain. A message from the pod’s autopilot flashed across his HUD. Twenty seconds until the landing thrusters kicked in.
“You ready?” He asked Collins.
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied in a tight voice.
“Collins, in case I don’t get a chance to say this later.”
“You can thank me when we’re down.”
Another warning flashed across Andrew’s HUD. Landing thrusters in; three, two, one. A thunderous roar filled the pod as the thrusters engaged, the harness groaned and bent slightly. The pod shook violently as the thrusters did battle with its downward momentum. Then, with a bone shaking crash, the pod slammed into the ground.
There was a terrible screech as the harness was ripped from the hull. Andrew and Collins were slammed down with such force that it dented the deck plating. Tiny white lights popped in and out of Andrew’s field of vision and he tasted blood.
He unlocked his armor, Collins doi
ng the same and they staggered to their feet. Their face plates dissolved and they looked at each other. Collins had a cut over her left eye and she spat out a mouth full of blood.
“You all right?” Andrew asked her.
She nodded.
“You?”
Andrew gingerly felt his forehead.
“I’ll live and Collins, thank you.”
Lieutenant Bahl hit the quick release on her harness and ran over to them.
“You two good to go?” She asked.
“Yes ma’am,” they said in unison.
Bahl nodded, then turned to face the rest of the cohort.
“All right people,” she called.
“We’ve got no idea what’s waiting for us out there, so grab your gear and be ready for anything.”
There was a rumbling of armored boots as the cohort made its way down to the lower deck, Andrew and Collins falling in line with the rest. On the lower deck, several sections of the hull had detached and folded down to form ramps. Beyond, they could see smoldering vegetation left by the heat of the landing thrusters. Smoke hung in the air, obscuring their view. The lower deck was even more a mess than it had been. Another crate had broken loose and there were more pieces of equipment strewn about than ever before.
A box of grenades had collided with the control console. Fortunately, none of them had detonated, but a section of the console had been ripped open. Wires and electronic components dangled limply, Bahl stooped to examine the damage.
“Console’s toast,” she announced.
“That means if we want any of the sensors or automated ground defenses on the pod to work, we’ll have to activate them manually. Williams, Collins, Smith, Duval. You’re on recon, get those scout vehicles deployed and have a look around. My radio’s still not working, so report to Sergeant McBride.”
“Yes ma’am,” the four of them replied.
The scout vehicles were small, two person repulser craft. They were short, stubby craft, with a light metal frame covering the two seats. On top of the frame sat a small flattened dome that housed the sensor array and communications gear. They could cover large areas of ground quickly, without drawing much attention. The two craft were lined up with two of the openings in the hull. Smith and Duval got in one of the scouts, which left the other for Andrew and Collins. Private Collins clambered into the driver’s seat, Andrew jumping into the sensor operator’s station next to her. She flicked on the vehicle, it rose a meter into the air and started down the ramp.
Collins piloted the craft through the swirling columns of smoke that still encircled the drop pod. Andrew activated the scout’s sensor system.
“I’m getting some strange readings,” he said, examining the readouts being set to his armor’s HUD.
“Like what?” Asked Collins.
Up ahead, the smoke parted and revealed a large field filled with green and red vegetation. Beyond it, they could see a forest made of reddish brown trees with long, thin trunks and dark red leaves.
Just beyond the tree line, the sensors were picking up life signs, lots of them.
“There are life signs in the trees over there,” said Andrew.
“Shengyet?” Asked Collins.
“I’m not sure, I think so.”
“How many?”
Andrew was about to answer her when the sensors sent warning messages flashing across his HUD.
“We’ve got incoming!” He snapped.
“Where?”
A small plume of smoke emanated from the edge of the forest and began rapidly moving towards them.
“There!” Said Andrew, pointing at it.
“Incoming missile, get us out of here!”
Collins wrenched at the scout’s controls and they spun around, Andrew hailed Sergeant McBride.
“Sergeant, we have enemy contact, sending you sensor readings now.”
“That missile’s gaining on us,” said Collins glancing over her shoulder.
“This thing have any countermeasures?”
“Yeah,” Andrew replied, flicking a switch.
“Laser anti-missile system, I just hope it wasn’t damaged in the crash.”
The missile closed on its target, it was now only a few dozen meters away. A small hatch opened on top of the scout’s sensor dome. A red pulse laser flashed from the opening, striking the incoming threat. The missile shattered into pieces that slammed into the ground and pinged off their armor. Three more smoke plumes appeared over the forest, racing towards them. Collins pushed the accelerator to maximum.
“We’ve got missiles on our tail, coming in hot,” Andrew spoke into his com.
“Copy that,” came McBride’s reply.
Most of the smoke around the pod had cleared by now and they could see the other members of their Cohort readying its defenses. Legionnaires raced around the perimeter, driving poles into the ground at five meter intervals. The poles flattened and stretched towards one another, forming thin walls just under two meters high.
As they approached, pulse lasers shot from emitters halfway up the pyramid shaped pod. The missiles chasing them disintegrated and Collins brought the scout vehicle to a halt. Sergeant McBride came running down one of the ramps leading to the pod’s interior.
“Take the vehicle round back,” he said.
“We’ve got a small gate set up there.”
Collins turned the scout and they raced around the perimeter. On the other side, a section of wall was contracting. They moved through it and up a ramp back into the pod.
Inside, it looked a lot better than after the crash. The contents of the ruptured crates had been collected and sorted into neat piles or stacks. Off to one side, stood a row of crates. Four legionaries heaved another in line with the rest. A fifth legionnaire walked along the row, opening them. Over by the pod’s control console, stood Lieutenant Bahl and Sergeant McBride.
“It’s no use,” McBride was saying.
“The console’s totally smashed, even if we had a week to fix it.”
“We definitely don’t have that long,” Collins interrupted, getting off the scout and hurrying over to them.
Bahl and McBride looked up, Andrew got off the scout and hurried after her.
“Did you manage to get any more information on what we’re facing out there?” Bahl asked.
Andrew shook his head.
“No ma’am, but given their trigger happy attitude, I’m sure we’ll find out very soon.”
At that moment Smith and Duval came hurtling into the pod. Their armor was covered in dirt and scorch marks.
“We’ve got incoming!” Smith called.
“Shengyet, thousands of them.”
“They hit us with about five missiles, all at once,” said Duval.
“The anti missile system took out most of them, but one got through. We managed to jump clear, but the scout got blown to bits.”
“Then we saw them,” said Smith.
“Thousands of shengyet coming out of the tree line, their coming straight for us Lieutenant.”
Bahl glanced at McBride, who nodded.
“All legionaries fall back to the pod immediately,” he said over the com.
“We’ve got hostiles incoming, grab weapons and ammo.”
The Cohort hurriedly lined up by the row of crates. Moving past them in a single file line, they grabbed rifles, ammunition, power packs and grenades. They lined up and stood at attention, facing Lieutenant Bahl.
“There’s no time for speeches,” Bahl shouted.
“Get out there and hold the line, terra victa!”
“Terra victa!” They shouted the old battle cry.
With a clanging of armored boots, the Cohort rushed out of the pod. Andrew and Collins stood next to each other behind the wall, weapons at the ready. In the distance, they could see the horde of shengyet. A living carpet of dull green and grey surged towards them, a piercing shengyet battle cry rent the air.
“Look on the bright side,” said Collins.
“With this many shengyet, even I can’t miss.”
Andrew’s eyes snapped open. A shengyet face hovered above him, he rolled to the side and fell off the stretcher he’d been lying on. Scrambling to his feet, he brought up his hands into a combat stance.
“Calm yourself,” said the shengyet.
Andrew looked around, he spotted Major Clark lying on a stretcher next to two other people. Right, the fleet that had chased them out of Eridanus Five system, the vortex. Slowly, he lowered his hands.
Chapter 11
“They're coming around Lieutenant Graham,” a voice spoke from somewhere above Anna.
Splotchy patches of light winked through her half closed eyes. Her head was spinning and it was a moment before she could remember why she was lying here, wherever here was.
“At last,” said another voice she knew well.
It was Saskill's voice, Saskill...the shengyet fighter, the incoming Imperial ships. Suddenly Anna sat bolt upright and promptly regretted it, her still spinning head screamed in protest. Blinking her eyes rapidly and resisting the urge to be sick, she looked around the room.
She was in the Twilight's briefing room, lying on a stretcher with bio-monitors next to it. To her left were two more beds on which Major Clark and John were now stirring. Next to her stretcher stood Saskill, his face full of relief to see her awake. Behind him on a chair sat Sergeant Williams. He was speaking into the com unit built into the wall next to him.
“That's excellent news Williams,” Lieutenant Graham's voice came over the com.
“What happened?” Asked Major Clark, now gingerly pushing herself into a sitting position.
“I managed to get us into the dimension vortex just before I passed out,” said Williams.
“Once you were inside the vortex, we sent out another fighter to dock with yours and towed it into the Twilight’s hangar bay,” Saskill explained.
“How long were we out?” Asked John.
“Two hours”, replied Saskill.
“Did all the other ships make it?” Inquired Anna.
“Yes, they did.”
Major Clark got to her feet and staggered toward the com unit on the wall. She tripped over her own feet and nearly fell. Saskill moved forward and grasped her under one arm, guiding her into the chair next to Williams.
Imperium: Contact Page 9
