by Will Crudge
“Neither has the Crimson, thankfully.” David nodded. “Back when this layered system was standard on all UAHC vessels, the Crimson were our allies. They never had to face a ship like this... and perhaps they still won’t.”
“Well, we’ll see!” Kara slapped David on the back. “If we can unite humanity against… whatever those fuckers are… maybe we can forge a sustained peace between us.”
Kelley huffed. “Humans will always be humans. War is part of who we are. Sooner or later, some future generation will fuck it all up!”
“Maybe so.” Kara frowned. “But if we don’t unite now, then there will be no future generations to fight each other. It’s our job to give humanity a chance to evolve for the better.”
Kelley just nodded. Kara sensed that the battle-hardened Soldier didn’t have a positive outlook on things. She also claimed to be an atheist, but Kara had heard her shouting to God on many occasions… with Jefe’s help of course.
“Why are you smiling?” Kelley asked. Kara was lost in thought, and realized she had been grinning.
“Nothing… it’s nothing.” Kara shook her head, but couldn’t manage to stop smirking.
“No! What is it, colonel?” Kelley insisted.
“It’s just… perhaps you and Jefe should try to be a little quieter when you’re – on shift together – is all.” Kara replied with a wink. The CIC erupted with laughter, and Kelley just shrugged her shoulders. All eyes shot back over to Jefe, and the young Soldier’s dark complexion flushed bright red.
“I’d hate to break up this bonding moment, ladies and gents…” James chimed in. “We’re now fully within the docking bay. Cradles are latching now.”
“Very well, James.” David replied. “Get our atmosphere equalized and extend the gangway.”
“Yes, Sir.” James nodded, and then turned back around to his controls. Kara couldn’t help but smile once more. The former pirate had gone from lowly scum, to hero, and then to a full-fledged member of her crew. His spacefaring skills were unorthodox, but highly effective. She was happy to have someone on her crew that could look at things in shades of grey. Thinking outside of the box is what they needed to survive the unknown, she supposed.
“Cradle is fully latched, atmospherics equalized, and gangway is fully extended, Sir.” James reported.
“Excellent, Pirate-McPirate-Face!” David jibed. “Now try not to get Captain Ives pregnant while we are off-ship!” Now all eyes were darting back and forth between James and Ives. The two had become the most unlikely couple aboard the ship, but their affections were adorable.
“Can’t sneak a baby through the front door when you come in through the back!” Ives retorted. The entire crew were shocked by her blunt response. Her seemingly unshakeable professionalism was well established by now, so the off-color statement made it that much more hilarious.
***
The sloop’s gangway sloped downward before Kara and David as they stepped out of the main airlock. The polished metallic ramp extended down to the deck of the cavernous docking bay within the massive battle carrier. Dozens of Mark-8 fighters were arranged at angles, and in orderly rows on either side of the bay. Flight crews were diligently running tests, and attaching fuel lines to the fighters, but many had stopped to watch the UAHC Foehammer’s two senior officers walk down to the deck below.
Brigadier General Cooper and four others were waiting at the base of the ramp. Each one of them were wearing Air Force dress uniforms, and Kara figured they must have been Cooper’s ‘handlers’. The fabric of their uniforms were light grey, and the jackets had double rows of silver buttons down the front. White shirts with charcoal grey neckties rounded out the crisp facade.
“Welcome, Kara!” General Cooper greeted. Kara was taken back by his use of her first name. But she shrugged it off, and reminded herself that the Air Force had an entirely different culture than the rest of the UAHC Fleet forces. In peace time, they were more paramilitary than anything else. Perhaps, she figured, they would have to make cultural adjustments during their newly found wartime status.
“It’s an honor to be aboard, Sir!” Kara replied with smile. As she got within about six paces from the General, she rendered a proper salute, and held it in place until the senior officer reciprocated. David followed suit, and they both dropped their hands when the General gave them one of his own.
General Cooper nodded to a female officer that stood nearby, and she handed him a small black box. “There’s no sense in waiting any longer, don’t you think?” Cooper asked Kara. She nodded in response.
They both placed their hands on the small box and their individual tokens began to link directly into it. Once the digital tokens were accepted, a small screen appeared on the top of the box. It had a standard key entry icon, and they each manually keyed their tokens into it.
A moment later a holographic display projected from the screen and created an image of a hyper gate. The gate was of standard design, but didn’t seem to have the standard protective shielding around either side of it. Kara wondered if it was something else entirely. Every hyper gate she’d ever encountered had a cylindrical energy shield that attached at one end, and formed a tube-like taxiway for vessels to traverse. Otherwise, any ripple of gravitational energy could cause the gate’s integrity to fluctuate, or even collapse.
Then an audio message began to crackle in her consciousness. The voice was monotone, and conspicuously artificial.
[Your mission… This hyper gate is well hidden. The coordinates will be transferred to both of your neural interfaces when this message concludes. The Foehammer is to enter the gate, and into the galactic core. The Star Fury will guard the gate until the Foehammer returns.
The Foehammer will follow the NAV beacons that will appear in core space. There will be a structure for docking. There you will take on the VIP, known as Keltec. He is a non-human biological entity, and he is familiar with the non-human threat we’re about to face. Get him onboard, return to human controlled space, and bring him to the designated rendezvous point. End of message.]
Kara’s eyes went wide, and she shared a look of concern with General Cooper. She glanced back over to David, but he appeared to be more confused than anything else.
“What is it?” David nodded towards the image. Kara realized that he couldn’t see the hyper gate, or hear the message. It must have been encrypted for just her and Cooper.
“We are about to do something pretty strange.” Kara said plainly. She didn’t know what she was allowed to share with her crew, but she decided she would brief them when they were back underway.
“Sounds fun.” David said with little emotion. General Cooper only nodded and smiled.
“Well General, I think the Foehammer needs to get moving.” She asserted.
“I concur.” Cooper said as he extended a handshake to Kara. Then David received one a moment later. Nothing else was said. Kara turned and walked up the ramp with David in tow. The pair stopped at the top of the ramp, and turned to give one more farewell. Kara gave the General a wave of her hand, and he returned the gesture.
“Well, David,” Kara said plainly. “You’re not going to believe what we have to do, but it will be a tale for the ages.”
David’s eyes flared in excitement. Kara could tell the seasoned Soldier would up for anything. He just gestured for her to enter the ship first, and Kara slipped inside without another word.
Now I have to figure out how to explain this to the crew! She thought to herself.
***
The mighty tiger, Napo, followed Kara into the galley. The footfalls of his gigantic paws made an ominous slapping sound as they pounded the deck below. Kara kept her eyes forward as she walked, as she reached one hand back towards Napo. He extended his neck as he walked and nuzzled her hand. He and Kara had become very close during their short voyage, and it seemed to cement Elizabeth’s integration into the crew as well. Since the Zodiac’s mental link was deeply established with his paired War Master, any bonds e
ither of them would forge would be shared to a degree.
Of course Kara just seemed to like Napo. They shared similar tastes in music, art, and cinema. They would talk for hours and crack jokes. Lately, Elizabeth would join in, and the three would crack jokes while blowing off steam. Kara couldn’t help but notice how quickly she was drawn to - and bonded with - their kind. Ever since she and Darius had become a couple, Kara noticed she was developing a latent tendency to forge relationships. It was as if she could see people for what they truly were… and with little effort.
By the time they had reached the galley, they found the rest of the crew there waiting. Kara smiled in her own mind when she noticed that Griff was sitting with James, and David was sitting with the FISTER’s. They’re melding as one! She thought to herself.
“Listen up, Wrecking Crew!” Kara said with authority. “Our mission is simple in nature, but with a complex twist…” Kara paused to lock eyes with every crewmember before continuing. She wanted to make sure her crew were all focused on her. Repeating herself was not her favorite thing to do… especially when she was about to say some very odd things. “We have to enter a hyper gate, travel outside of human controlled space, pick up a non-human biological entity, and deliver him safely to the main fleet.”
The silence in the galley was so palpable that Kara supposed she could have heard a pin drop. Wide eyes and dropped jaws abound. “I’ve inputted the coordinates and guidance instructions into the ship’s NAV already. Turns out that someone… or some-thing… has built a stand-alone hyper gate on the edge of the Faust System. What it’s doing there is anybody’s All I know, is that we’ll be going through it, following a set of beacons, and making our pickup. The Star Fury will make sure nobody follows us in, and that nobody follows us out.”
Ives raised her hand. Kara nodded in acknowledgement, and gestured for the Captain to speak. “How are we supposed to catch up with the fleet?”
Kara didn’t know any more than what the message had said. But she tried to answer the question with confidence just the same. “We have a designated point in space we’ll need to make it to when we make it back out of the gate. That’s all the info I have for now. Aside from the name of our VIP, I’ve told you all I can.”
“What’s the name?” Griff asked.
“Keltec.” Kara answered.
Griff just shrugged his shoulders. “I hope he can’t eat human food. After all, the crap the XT-80 kicks out is barely suitable for livestock.”
“Maybe so, Griff.” Kara nodded. “I don’t know what race he is, what he eats, or if we can even communicate with him. To be honest, I’m not even sure if he is even a ‘he’ at all. Some known NBE’s have either multiple genders, or none at all. I’m just using ‘he’ until I know otherwise.”
“What’s our ETA on this super-mysterious hyper gate, Ma’am?” James asked.
“We’re extremely close.” Kara said. “You’ll need to get to the helm and pull up the NAV data.”
“Heading there now.” James replied, as he stood up and headed down the corridor towards the fore section of the ship.
“Captain Ives,” Kara said. Ives perked up immediately. “I want you to pick a landing team. We have no idea what to expect, so extreme caution is the word of the day.”
“Understood, Ma’am. Normally I would lead the charge personally, but I think the FISTER’s have the toughest hardware available.” Ives replied.
Kara nodded. “Very well, Captain. The FISTER’s are yours. Anyone else?”
Ives glanced over at David, Kelley, and Jefe, then turned back to Kara. “It couldn’t hurt to have these fine folks suited up and ready to respond as well.”
“I’m giving you full discretion to hand-pick your team. It should be me out there as well.” Kara said.
“Negative, Ma’am!” David chimed in. “No offense, Colonel… but I don’t want our CO in a vulnerable spot. The ground team’s first instinct is to protect their leadership whether you like it or not. Human shields rarely survive for more than a few seconds when shots break out.”
Kara fought back the urge to scorn him. She’d been in close combat on more than one occasion, so she was far from a coward. But she also considered his point of view. Being your own combatant is one thing, but leading people in combat is an entirely different skill set. A skill set that must be honed by years of training and experience. Perhaps, she thought, he had a valid point. “Alright, Captain. I’ll stay onboard. But I’ll be in the cockpit of the Skull-Crusher if things get hairy.”
David nodded. “Excellent idea, Ma’am.” Kara sensed that he wasn’t being sarcastic with his statement. UAHC Soldiers held back their sarcasm for after their missions were completed… Usually.
“I have one question.” Steve chimed in.
“Yes, Steve.” Kara responded. She almost dreaded what he may say next, but decided to give him a fair shake.
“Why is this hyper gate covered in alien markings?” Steve asked.
“What are you talking about?” Kara asked.
“Come up to the CIC. You need to see this shit!” He replied in his usual irreverent tone.
Aggressors
Location: Unknown
Date Time: Unknown
System: Unknown
“This moon is too dusty!” Darius spat as he wiped a layer of fine dust from his visor with his glove. Shadow didn’t say a word in response. He was too focused on the enemy off in the distance. The crater they were in was a natural fighting position, but offered little in terms of cover from incoming fire.
Neither of them planned on staying-put long enough to dig up a protective berm of soil anyway. Darius checked his HUD, and saw that Jep and Growl were in a similar crater about one hundred meters off to their right flank. Zeff and Condor, along with Killjoy, were about fifty meters to their rear, and closing fast.
Darius looked behind, and could see them bounding forward in rapid succession. Each would bound forward for about ten to twenty meters, and then would drop to a prone firing position, while the other would stand up and bound forward in-turn. It was a text book maneuver which meant that they could continue to move forward in succession while always having someone prepared to lay down suppressive fire.
“Commandos are fanning out.” Shadow reported. Darius turned his attention back towards the enemy positions. They were approximately five hundred meters to their twelve o’clock, and were at least at Company strength.
“Classic flanking maneuver.” Darius huffed. “I was hoping they would have more of an imagination than that! It’s not like we’re dealing with the rank and file, here. Crimson Agents aren’t technically military, so why are they acting like a bunch of conscripts?”
“You know that you don’t have to think out loud, don’t you?” Shadow laughed. “You and I have been sharing every other thought for weeks now!”
“It’s a good thing Sheba hasn’t been listening in to all of it!” Darius smiled.
“Listening to all of what?!” Sheba’s voice came out of nowhere.
“See! Now you’ve got me in trouble!” Shadow scowled jokingly.
“I swear! It’s like I have two hard-headed husbands!” Sheba scoffed. Darius had no idea she was so close to them. She never appeared on his HUD, and Shadow’s close proximity had clouded the usual sense of presence she gave off in his mind. I’ll have to figure out how to keep them both in my awareness at all times. I can’t deny her desire to fight along-side her husband, so I’ll need to adapt. Darius thought to himself, but he made sure the thought stayed within his own mind.
Zeff and Condor both landed heavy-footed within the crater a moment later. Killjoy’s half-ton hulking form was ironically more graceful than his human companions, as he slid right into the crater in a single fluid motion.
“Status?” Zeff asked as he wiped the fine moon dust off of his multi-function rifle.
“Company sized element of commandos. Looks like they’re fanning out into three separate skirmish lines.” Darius replied wi
thout taking his eyes off of the enemy formation ahead of their position.
“They must be feigning standard tactics to keep our eyes focus on them.” Condor asserted. Darius had thought the same, but had since then second guessed himself.
“I thought of that too, but I didn’t give them enough credit.” Darius shook his head. He was slightly disappointed in himself for not trusting his instincts.
“No worries, Fleet Marshal.” Condor said with a curt nod. “Your gifts may be unique, but like all of our kind, they must be honed with focus and training.”
“Well, these guys could use some focus and training too!” Zeff chimed in. He watched in disgust, as the so-called spec ops commandos fumbled around on the battlefield before them. “They’re not maneuvering with anymore grace than a bunch of infantry drones!”
“You bat-shit-crazy-genius!” Sam chimed in.
“What?” Zeff replied incredulously.
“If you hadn’t mentioned it, then I wouldn’t have thought to scan for it!” Sam exclaimed with excitement.
“I’m not following, Sam.” Darius interjected.
“They are drones!” Sam replied. “They’re mocked up like commandos, but they are still limited to standard infantry tactics. That’s why they’re behaving like conscripts.”
Darius shrugged his shoulders. “Looks like we were right the first time, Condor!” The War Master just nodded with a humble smile. But there was no time to revel in their shared feat of mental agility.
An energy pulse struck Killjoy on his left temple, and knocked his gigantic head to the right. The massive cat let out a roar in protest, and Condor had to shake his own head as well. Darius recognized that Condor had felt the impact, as well. He also sensed that they were both about to have a surge of adrenaline.
“Commandos! Platoon size… right flank!” Zeff shouted. Shadow let out a roar, and he lunged out into the open, but in the opposite direction of where the shot had come from. Darius recognized that it was the best move possible.
