“That was before, wasn’t it,” Will said.
“Yes,” his brother said pulling him away. “We’ll always remember them that way.”
Boyd was then sitting in a crowd, looking down at the marines’ graduation parade. His brother marched alongside his platoon in his lieutenant’s uniform.
Boyd cheered wildly, proud of his brother.
Then his brother looked up at him. But he was no longer marching, he was kneeling in the dirt of a Faction settlement. His uniform tattered and dirty from battle. Dirt and blood on his neck.
A pulse pistol. Thresh holding it. Her hands quivering. And behind her, smirking and cajoling, was Kitzov. Urging. Encouraging.
“Shoot him,” Kitzov said. He looked at Boyd. “She shot your brother. Who is to blame?”
Boyd looked at his brother. Daniel was smiling up at Boyd. Calm and friendly. His brother had looked after him and had studied to get into the officer training program. He had done everything for his little brother. All Boyd could do now was avenge his brother’s death and bring the killer to justice. It was the entire reason he had joined the marines and worked so hard to get into the elite Blue Stars.
A flash from the pulse pistol in Thresh’s hand filled Boyd’s eyes.
Just as quickly as the visions had started, they faded away. He was lying on the deck of the med bay, Thresh and Doc Cronin kneeling over him. Cronin was flashing a light in his eyes.
“He took a knock on the head,” Thresh said.
“He’s coming around,” Cronin said.
“What happened, Doc?” Boyd propped himself up, his head swimming.
“You took a knock on the head from some falling equipment,” Cronin said. “It was only a warning shot. A pretty heavy warning. Knocked our forward deflection shield down to fifty prevent. We have found a Faction raider. Or they found us, more like. They want to talk to our commander.” Cronin attached a med pack to Boyd’s head and then pulled him to his feet.
The med pack settled into place and instantly Boyd felt better. The spinning stopped immediately. The pain was gone, and the sickness was subsiding. He climbed to his feet using Cronin and Thresh for support.
Thresh smiled at him. “You ok? You have got a thick skull, haven’t you?”
Boyd adjusted his jacket. He looked into Thresh’s eyes. He saw no malice there, only joy that he was safe. But he could not take away the image of the pulse pistol aimed at his brother.
He wanted to believe she was innocent—to believe it and move past the pain. But he couldn’t
“Let’s go meet this pirate,” Boyd said.
5
Boyd looked across the command deck to the main holostage. The image of a Faction raider holding position directly in front of the Resolute filled the image. Boyd walked to the holostage and tapped the control console, activating the communication channel being sent from the Faction ship.
The pirate, a Faction captain, appeared on the holostage as a full size holoimage. He was clearly a veteran, with short grey hair, a scar over one eye that cut his eyebrow in two, and thick grey stubble covering a firm jaw. His jacket had a sharp military look about it, while most Faction captains were more casual in their appearance. He wore a gun belt and a low-slung holster containing a pulse pistol. His arms were folded across his chest.
“Captain. You detected our signal?” Boyd said. “Do you know the location of Kitzov? I need to contact him as a matter of extreme urgency.”
“Your attempts at deception are wasted on me, Union. You think that old Faction signal will let you trick your way past my defenses.”
“It’s no trick,” Boyd said.
The Faction captain ignored Boyd.
“This region is claimed by the Faction. The Union has no rights in the Sphere. Leave or I will destroy you.”
Boyd felt a sharp pain in his head.
Hemel stood up at the flight console and called out.
“The Sphere is still part of the Scorpio system. Last time I checked the Union was the authority here, not you Faction pirate.”
Boyd turned and gave Hemel a disapproving look. Then turned back to the holoimage of the pirate.
“You have fired on us,” Boyd said. “An act of aggression against a Union ship. Any other Faction captain would have finished the job by now.”
“I have target lock,” Doc Cronin said from the weapons console. “All batteries report ready to fire.”
Boyd shot Cronin a look that told him to keep quiet. Then he looked back to the pirate.
“It is not a standard Faction move to fire warning shots, not unless you are attacking a freighter and want its cargo intact. I don’t think you’d be firing warning shots at a Union vessel. I think you would be pouring everything you had into us, not waiting patiently for us to talk. I think the only reason my ship’s hull is not glowing white hot from kinetic hail impacts is because,” Boyd paused for the briefest of moments, “I don’t think you have anything to shoot.”
“You will leave this sector or be destroyed,” the pirate said.
“I’m not leaving. And as my colleague rightly said, this is all Union territory. A Blue Star ship has every right to be here.”
“The Union is over,” the pirate said. “The Skarak have invaded the system. Thousands of ships. The Union will be finished in a week.”
Boyd was stunned at the news coming from this pirate. Was an invasion underway? Was the Skarak invasion here? Had he run out of time?
Boyd tried to cover his surprise at the news. “If the Union is over it’s the end for the Faction too.”
“How so?” The pirate spoke without any hint of emotion. “With the Union gone the Faction will be free at last.”
“Rubbish.” Boyd’s head throbbed. “The Skarak are not just fighting the Union. They want to destroy all life in this system. If you hold out in the Sphere you may be safe for a time, hidden away at the edge of the light. You will survive for maybe a few months more, a few years perhaps, but the Skarak want to dominate the system, and they want all human life to end. They will come for you too. I have seen what they do to Union and Faction people. It is not pretty. Your fate will be the same as the Union.”
The pirate shook his head, dismissing Boyd’s words as nonsense. “The Faction can hide, and we can fight. We are not weak like the Union.”
“Oh, please, spare me the patriotic nonsense,” Boyd raised his voice a touch but the throbbing in his head stopped him from shouting. “I have seen the Faction from the inside. I know your best kit is just stolen or reverse engineered Union kit. You don’t stand a chance against the Skarak.”
"I will live longer than you, Union scum.”
Boyd closed his eyes. This argument was getting him nowhere. He felt his head spin.
“Captain,” Boyd began. “I think we have gotten off on the wrong foot here. I am looking for Faction ships, not to destroy them, but to join with them. I am Boyd. Sergeant Will Boyd. I’m looking for Kitzov. I need to speak with him.”
“Boyd?” the pirate said the name as if he had a distant recollection. Then he remembered. “The traitor. You were on Poledri’s crew. I knew Poledri. Good pirate. Good man. What makes you think I’ll help you?”
“Because I’m going to help you first. I already know you are out of ordinance or you would be firing at me, not talking. And I have a strong suspicion that your drive systems are down.”
Boyd saw a flicker of concern rush across the pirate’s face and he knew he’d guessed right.
“This is a Blue Star ship, and you, as a clearly experienced Faction captain, will know a Blue Star ship when you see one. And you will know that the Blue Star’s stated purpose is to hunt Faction pirates and drag their captains back to Terra for a public hanging. If you had finished shooting you would now be running, using the asteroids of the Sphere to evade and hopefully escape. But here you are, sitting in a face off with a clearly more powerful Union ship. I think you are dead in the void. Out of ordnance, out of drive power, out of options and o
ut of time. I’ve got you on a plate, Captain.”
“I’ll die before you take my ship,” the captain said without a flicker of doubt in his voice.
“Lucky for you, I don’t want your ship. I need to speak to Kitzov, which means I need your help. Maybe we can help you get your drive working. Can I send a team over to assist you?”
“You are not setting foot on my ship with a squad of Blue Star marines. Do you think I am a fool? Forget it.”
Boyd looked over to Thresh and called her toward him, bringing her in to the view of the Faction captain.
“This is Enke Thresh, Faction engineer.”
Thresh waved. “Hi.”
“Thresh?” the pirate said. “Enke Thresh. I know you. You are one of Kitzov’s favorites. What are you doing on a Union ship?”
“Long story,” Thresh said.
“One I’d be happy to tell you in person, Captain,” Boyd said. “Let me and Thresh board your ship and we’ll get your systems up and running, get you underway. Then, in return, you can help us find Kitzov. Two ships working together will be able to find him much more quickly. I have information on the Skarak that Union fleet command needs to hear. And I think if we work together was can defeat the Skarak and bring peace to the Scorpio system.”
“I don’t trust you, Blue Star. Not one bit.”
“Or I can blow you out of the void right now. What’s it to be? I help you and then you help me, or I destroy you and try and find Kitzov myself.”
“Let me come aboard,” Thresh said. Her light tone was calming and persuasive. “I know the systems of a raider inside and out.”
The pirate nodded slowly. “Just you two. No marines.”
“Agreed,” Boyd said.
“It is not agreed,” Hemel said. “You can’t go over there alone. They will kill you the moment you step on board.”
“I agree,” Cronin said. “You are in command of the Resolute. You must stay here.”
“No, gentlemen. I am going.” He addressed the captain of the faction ship. “I’m Sergeant Boyd. And what is your name, sir?”
“Kessler. Captain Kessler of the Phantom Zero.”
“I will be coming aboard fully suited and armed. I’ll traverse across and board your ship through the main docking port.”
“Agreed,” the captain said. “It’s already open. I’ll expect you right away. If you could bring a few spare core shunt coils, that would be useful.”
Thresh looked at Boyd. “Do you have any?”
Boyd shrugged and looked at Hemel. Hemel folded his arms and looked straight ahead.
“Do we have any?” Boyd said, his head throbbing as he spoke. “Tell me, that is an order.”
Hemel shifted in the pilot seat. “We have spares in supplies,” he said reluctantly. “The Faction raider has the same core configuration as a Union freighter and we use the core shunt coils for our stability field secondary generator.”
“Copy that, Captain Kessler,” Boyd said. “I’ll bring replacement core shunt coils. How many do you need, sir?”
Kessler didn’t even pause. “A dozen. Kessler out.”
The image vanished.
“A dozen? He is taking you for a fool.” Hemel said.
“He is panicking,” Boyd said.
“It didn’t look like panic to me,” Cronin said.
“No, he is proud. Brave. But he is prepared to accept our help.”
“You can’t go over there without backup,” Cronin said. “He will take you prisoner the moment you enter his ship.”
“I don’t think so. He’ll be outnumbered two to one.” Thresh said.
Hemel looked confused.
“Main docking bay already open,” Boyd said. “Think about it. Why? And why was he alone on his flight deck?”
Hemel shrugged.
“Something tells me he’s had a run in with the Skarak already.”
Boyd and Thresh suited up and were in the marine deck in moments. Boyd slipped a pulse pistol into his hip holster. A Blue Star marine handed him a container with the core shunt coils.
“If he does anything, we’ll make him pay,” the marine handing the supplies said.
“He looks like an intelligent man to me. He’s not going to try anything. We’re his only hope.”
As Boyd stepped out of the marine deck into the void, he hoped his instincts were correct.
As he traversed, his suit thrusters pushing him forward, he checked the pistol on his hip. He moved in toward the Phantom Zero docking bay and could see it was already open and completely empty, every last fleck of dust had been blown out. The interior doors were also open, showing Boyd the corridors of the Faction ship. He knew the inside of a Faction raider from his time as an undercover operative aboard the Odium Fist. It was where he had met Thresh and fallen in love with her.
She was looking beyond the Phantom Zero, away into the void. She raised her hand slowly and pointed.
“Look, Will. Zoom in and look about three kilometers to the rear of the Zero.”
Boyd looked and focused with his helmet display. He saw a loose collection of objects tumbling away. As he zoomed in further, he could see they were bodies, a small cluster of about thirty, approximately the standard crew size of a Faction raider.
Boyd looked even more closely, zooming in to the maximum range his helmets enhanced view would allow. The bodies were falling away from the Zero, tumbling as they went. Most were ridged but a few were writhing, their arms and legs flailing, as if trying to walk or crawl.
“Skarak flesh drones,” Thresh said. “The Skarak got into their heads. He got them off his ship.”
“Along with everyone else,” Boyd said.
“You would do the same,” Thresh said.
Boyd thought for a moment. Would he? Then he knew that to hesitate was to fail. Right now he had the luxury of second guessing, third guessing, and weighing up a thousand options and alternatives. If the Skarak flesh drones were running riot on his ship, threatening to destroy it, he would have no time to weigh up the options, he would have only seconds to act, if that.
As he prepared to touch down on the open docking bay, he was grateful he didn’t have to make the decision.
The outer doors closed behind him. A holoimage of the captain appeared on Boyd’s wrist mounted holostage.
“The coils need to be installed in the drive room. Then I can get the power back to environmental controls and interior systems. I can’t let you onto the flight deck until you do that. Not without blasting me out into space along with the rest of my crew.”
Boyd and Thresh walked to the drive room. The small raider drive room was open. The shunt casing was pulled away and coils were missing. A second section of coils were burned out.
Thresh pointed.
“Sabotage right there,” she pointed at the missing coils. “And that is how he took back control,” she pointed at the burned out coils. “An overload in the shunt opened all doors except the flight deck, venting the entire ship to the void. Clever trick. I don’t think I would have thought of that.”
Boyd pulled burned out coils from their housing and slipped fresh coils in place. In a matter of moments, the shunt was flowing again and lights began to blink on. The drive room door powered up and slid shut.
Boyd jumped, fearing he’d been trapped by the pirate.
Thresh smiled at him. She tapped the door control panel and it slid open.
“Just a system reset.” She grinned. “Not nervous, are you? When was the last time you were on a Faction raider?”
“The Odium Fist,” Boyd said.
Thresh smiled and pulled off her helmet as the environmental controls filled the ship with fresh atmosphere.
“Fun times,” she said.
Boyd pulled off his helmet.
“Sure. Let’s go meet the captain. Maybe we’ve got more fun times ahead.”
Boyd walked along the corridors to the flight deck. The Phantom Zero had an identical layout to the Odium Fist, and it almost felt fam
iliar, but every ship had its own quirks, its own unique fingerprint. A hatch grating here, or a panel cover there. It was enough of a difference for Boyd to know for sure he was in someone else’s territory.
As he arrived at the flight deck security door he paused.
“Do we knock?” he said turning to Thresh.
The door slid open with a hiss and rush of air as the pressure rebalanced between the flight deck and the rest of the ship. Captain Kessler was standing there, hands at his side, a pulse pistol in one hand.
“Permission to come aboard, sir,” Boyd said. He moved his hand over the butt of his pulse pistol in its hip holster.
Kessler slipped his pistol into its holster.
“Granted. Come in, sergeant. I think you will want to see this.”
Boyd stepped into the flight deck. He noticed Kessler was keeping his eyes on him and the pulse pistol at all times. He walked Boyd over to the main holostage. It took Boyd a few moments to understand what he was looking at. The image on the holostage showed thousands of Skarak ships pouring into the Scorpio system.
“We need to work quickly,” Boyd said.
6
Admiral Tal Selby stepped into the command center of the Eminence. The command center sat deep inside the massive spherical ship. A ship the size of a small moon with the firepower of a dozen or more cruisers. The Eminence and her sister ships, Titan and Goliath, were hugely powerful battleships, but they also carried squadrons of fighter blades, the fast and deadly fleet fighters. The crushing hammer blows of the carriers own weapons coupled with the surgical strike ability of the fighter blade squadrons made the carriers formidable and deadly.
The huge holo-display in the middle of the command center showed every ship of the Union fleet. A big wing was forming. Never before in the entire history of the Scorpio system had the entire fleet been assembled for one battle. But this was a fight for the very survival of the Scorpio system. All ships were tasked with repelling the Skarak invasion. All other priorities had been rescinded.
The ships of the fleet were moving through the Belt, the band of asteroids between the orbits of Supra and Extremis. The fleet moved slowly, picking its way through the densely packed asteroids and maintaining its formation. Sporadic encounters with small groups of Skarak fighters did nothing to slow the fleet’s advance. The Skarak fighters were no match for the carrier fleet, but the fighters were not here to slow the fleet; they were merely an observation detail. Every encounter with a fighter meant the Skarak were being updated on the fleet’s progress.
Blue Star Marine Boxed Set Page 64
