"Go ahead, Sam. I hope it's good news."
"Dispatch drone has contacted the fleet. We have a reply. Investigate the hostage situation and report."
There was no room for doubt now that Jack had orders from the fleet. Whether the Devex was telling him the truth or it was some elaborate ruse, Jack's next move was clear. He would investigate the fifty thousand hostages and report back to the fleet.
Speaking now to the Devex, he was able to be confident and clear in his objectives. It made everything much simpler.
"Where are the hostages?"
“I will lead you there. Follow my lead vessel. The humans and their transport are hidden on a planet on the edge of Skalidion space. Your ship must use full power. Are you ready to follow me?"
Sending orders to his squadron to make ready for new heading, Jack replied, "Ready now."
The Devex raider in front of Jack's tac boat turned in an instant and powered away, leaping to top speed in a moment. Jack activated his tac boat’s drive and followed the raider with orders to his squadron to fall in behind.
As the tac boat moved off after the raider, Jack checked the holostage and the position of the other Devex ships. They fell in behind Jack's tac boat squadron.
A private channel from Sam Torent opened, and Jack knew what his old friend was going to say.
"We’ve got three raiders with their blasters right on our tails. Let me drop back and get some guns on their rear."
"Negative, Sam. If they wanted to attack us, they could have done it by now. For all we know, their claims might be genuine. We hold formation. Keep an active scanner on the raiders behind us. If you see any hint that they are powering up their blasters, break formation and get ready to fight."
The channel closed without reply, but Jack knew he could rely on Sam. He focused his active scanners on the Devex ship in front. The raider was operating at close to its top speed. Jack had flown a Devex raider himself, so he knew their capabilities only too well. The raider was much quicker than a tac boat, but it did not have the maneuverability, the firepower, or the sensing capabilities that Jack had at his disposal. If this was a trick, the Devex would pay heavy price for their attempted deception.
A communication alert flashed on the flight deck. A message from the fleet transferred via the dispatch drone had been received. Jack sent the message to the holostage and the holoimage flickered to life. He recognized the black uniform of the Fleet Intelligence agent before the image cleared up enough for Jack to see that it was Agent Reyes, his old friend Sarah.
The message was brief, but even through the cold, detached tones of the intel agent, Jack could detect the friendly warmth of his friend.
"Major Forge, we have confirmed a civilian transport has been lost. It dropped from formation several days ago. The last we heard from the captain was that he was in orbit above a planet on the edge of Skalidion space. Engine repairs were expected to take several days. We expected the transport to rejoin the fleet but have had no communication from the captain. We believe this is the transport your Devex contact is referring to.
"Fleet Intelligence has dispatched a destroyer to your location and will track you to the lost transport. You can expect support but do what you can until help arrives.
"Good luck, Jack. I'll see you when you return."
Jack sat back in the chair. What could a handful of Marines do to protect fifty thousand civilians? Even a full battalion of fully equipped Marines would struggle to assist that many. Jack had fought against the odds before, and won, but sooner or later, his luck would run out. The only way to maintain his luck was to plan carefully and do his best.
A star up ahead grew as the caravan moved in closer. The tac boat reported the gravity well of the massive red supergiant, and Commander Scherer piloted the boat into a stellar orbit, following the lead Devex.
Jack directed his active sensors toward the inner system, searching for signs of the civilian transport. The active sensors detected a signal on the surface of a large, green, terrestrial planet shrouded by a thickly clouded atmosphere. The signal was unmistakable. Jack had found the missing civilian transport.
Life signs from the transport were barely detectable. The Devex had previously used Dox vapor to incapacitate passengers aboard civilian transports. Jack guessed the weak life signs he was detecting were the fifty thousand civilians all asleep, having succumbed to the vapor.
Commander Scherer altered course to follow the raider. He turned to Jack.
"Altering course, Major. Looks like the Devex are heading to that green planet."
Pointing at the active sensor report on the flight deck, Jack nodded. "That's where the people are, so that's where we are heading. Instruct all tac boats to follow the lead raider."
Sitting back and watching the planet grow larger on the holostage, Jack could not help but be suspicious of the Devex. He had fought them too many times to just accept that they now wanted to help him. He had been moments away from being converted into one of the Devex warriors. He found it difficult to trust them.
The tac boat plunged into the upper atmosphere of the terrestrial planet, the orange glow from the red supergiant scattering in the thick, high clouds that swirled into vast circular patterns.
Dropping below the upper atmosphere, another cloud layer appeared—a diffuse green like a rippling carpet across the sky. The tac boat burned its way down to the green clouds. The raider punched through the cloud layer and vanished from sight, which made Jack’s suspicions intensify.
He thought back to the Skalidions that had captured his Marines on the dust planet. Maybe a handful of Marines were to be added to the fifty thousand civilians being gifted to the Skalidions.
The tac boat cut through the clouds, which immediately cleared to a green haze.
Below him, the surface was wet, covered in thick dark green and purple flora, and dotted with bodies of black water. The water was little more than shallow ponds, but they covered most of the surface, broken only by dense clumps of the colorful foliage.
And in one black lake, half submerged and surrounded by thick foliage, Jack saw the upper hull of the vast civilian transport.
The lead Devex opened a communication channel to Jack's boat. It was virtually motionless on the holostage. Its dark gray armor and dark gray helmet with the black eye-slit stared back at Jack.
"Here are your people. You will save them now."
"I have orders to protect the people." Jack stared at the holoimage of the Devex warrior. Curiosity overcame him. He could contain himself no longer. "Why?" Jack asked, leaning closer to the holostage. "Why are you helping me?"
The Devex remained motionless. The holoimage flickered slightly, giving some illusion of movement. The warrior spoke in the same cold tone. "Not all Devex hate humans. Not all Devex want to help the Skalidion."
It was all the information Jack felt he was going to get. "Thank you for your assistance, Devex," Jack said. "We will take it from here."
"The Devex will be here soon. You are too few to protect these people. You will be killed or captured and delivered to the Skalidion."
"I have my orders. I will protect these people as best I can."
"I will assist you. I will be your ally. My Devex warriors will stand alongside you, Jack Forge."
Jack sat back in his chair. This was unbelievable. The Devex that he had fought for so long were now offering to stand at his side and fight against their own people to save this shipload of human civilians.
"The lead raider has touched down, Major." Commander Scherer held the tac boat five hundred meters above the surface, almost grazing the tops of the tallest trees growing out of the dark swamp below.
"Inform all tac boats to conceal themselves a kilometer away from the transport."
Jack looked at the holoimage of the Devex warrior. He could not work out if this warrior was lying to him or not, but either way, he did not trust him to stand at his side during a battle.
The active sensors informed
Jack of a change in the civilian craft’s energy profile. The main reactor was active, but energy was being fed to the main drive. The civilian transport was making ready to lift off.
The Devex warrior on Jack's holostage spoke suddenly.
"Devex warriors are aboard your civilian craft, Jack Forge. I detect a dozen Devex warriors within the central command center. They are attempting to return to Skalidion space. Our arrival has made them act."
"All tac boats. New orders. Set down on the upper hull of the civilian transport. Gain access to the craft. We will attempt to gain control of the command deck. Forge out."
Jack canceled the channel to the Devex. He placed a holoimage of the civilian transport on the stage, showing the power readings across the ship. The main drive was in its final stages of activation. The maneuvering thrusters were coming online. The ship was only minutes away from attempting to take off from the dark waters of the swampy surface.
Jack's tac boat touched down. Climbing out of his seat, Jack could see his three Marines armed and waiting at the boarding ramp that was already partially open. Commander Scherer was out of his seat and hot on Jack's heels. Jack stopped and turned to Commander Scherer.
"Remain on the tac boat, Commander. Inform all pilots to keep their boats ready." Jack opened a channel to the rest of the Marines. "Gain entry by whatever means you can. Converge on the command deck. If this ship gets off the planet, we might never save these people. Move out, and I will see you on the command deck. Forge out."
Jack grabbed his pulse rifle and walked swiftly down the boarding ramp onto the upper hull of the civilian transport. A maintenance access port lay just a few meters away, and Jack's Marines were already attempting to open it.
Jack received the communication from the Devex. He fed it through to his wrist-mounted holostage and saw a Devex warrior appeared on his wrist.
"The Devex on the command deck know you are coming. They have posted four warriors to protect the entrance. I will try to disrupt them."
Jack's crew pulled open the access hatch, and the first Marine dropped into the civilian transport. Jack watched the next two Marines drop before stepping to the edge himself. Looking back along the length of the transport, he saw the drive assembly hidden in the green mist flaring to life, churning the mist into tight eddies.
Dropping into the dark of the civilian transport below, Jack's enhanced data view showed him the corridor and the direction he needed to take to get to the command deck quickly.
The three Marines ahead of him moved low and fast. Then the corridor lit up with the rapid stream of the white energy bullets from a Devex blaster.
As one Marine was struck and the stream of white raked the corridor, Jack pressed himself to the smooth, curved wall for cover and brought up his pulse rifle to return fire.
4
Pulse rifle fire lit up the dark corridor, silhouetting Jack's squad. From the darkness beyond, streams of the Devex energy bullets came pouring past them. A second Marine took a bullet to the right shoulder, his pulse rifle snatched from his grip. He fell squirming in agony, pressing himself to the corner of the corridor, scurrying back and seeking cover.
"Take that wounded man," Jack said, pointing at the first fallen Marine. The Marine wounded in the right shoulder grabbed the fallen Marine with his left hand and dragged himself and his Marine brother back around the curve of the corridor and into cover.
The stream of Devex fire slammed into the walls, creating superheated spots of molten white composite. In the flickering light of the weapons fire, Jack saw the corridor smoke and vaporize under the Devex onslaught.
"Maintain the fire," Jack called to the Marine on the other side of the corridor. Jack's enhanced data view showed him the readings from the other Marine. Heth was in a heightened state of anxiety, his pulse racing, but his pulse rifle was steady, and he laid down a withering hail of fire.
Moving toward the streams of energy was the last thing Jack wanted to do, but it was the only thing he could do. With his rifle to his shoulder, he moved forward, firing steadily at the Devex warriors hidden in the darkness.
Communication from the rest of the Marines came through to Jack's communicator. All Marines had entered the civilian transport within a few hundred meters of the command deck section.
The transport’s command deck was a self-contained unit at the front of the craft, with a single corridor leading into the secure area. A hallway lay at a right-angle to the command deck access corridor. Jack was moving along that one now, coming toward the deck from the right with Marines rushing up behind him in support.
Reaching the intersection, Jack risked a look down to the command deck. Jack saw a flash of a Devex warrior’s rapid-fire blaster before darting back into cover. He broke cover and fired straight along the hallway.
A Devex warrior had his head snapped back by Jack’s pulse rifle round, its blaster falling from its grip. The three-meter-tall Devex warrior was out of the fight. But next to it stood another, its weapon busy pouring white energy down the long corridor.
Unclipping a grenade from his tactical suit waistband, Jack took a knee and set the detonation protocols to deliver a low-yield explosion with a maximum EM flash output.
"All Marines activate flash shielding on your faceplates. Now." And with his order still echoing in his ears, Jack tossed the grenade around the corner and into the darkness. "Heavy fire." Jack broke cover and let loose a rapid-fire burst from his pulse rifle into the darkness. Marine Heth on Jack's right moved across the open end of the corridor to the other side, his pulse rifle firing into the dark as he moved.
The flash from the grenade lit up the corridor in a seething white burst that washed all color from the scene. Only the flash shielding on his helmet’s faceplate saved Jack’s sight from being completely overwhelmed.
The Devex warrior, now lit by the lingering flash, was turning its head away from the sudden brightness. Its blaster was still aimed along the corridor and firing, although the aim was off and bullets raked the ceiling. Jack took careful aim and delivered a series of pulse rounds to the warrior’s chest. The pulse rounds glowed orange on the Devex exo-armor, lighting up and lingering as the flash from the grenade faded, returning the corridor to darkness with only the glowing orange points on the Devex warrior’s chest as any sign of light.
"Move up, Marines,” Jack said to those that had finally caught up with him in the corridor. They paused for only a moment before running into the darkness, Jack close behind.
After only a dozen meters, the corridor was again filled with the deadly white energy as another pair of Devex warriors opened fire. The Marine in front of Jack was thrown off his feet as Devex bullets slammed into him. Jack kept running, leaping over the fallen Marine. As he landed, he fired from the hip, spraying pulse rounds to the far end of the corridor. The Marines on Jack's left also opened fire. The flashes of pulse rounds and Devex energy bullets flickered in the dark.
The return fire from the Devex subsided. A fourth Marine fell in next to Jack and added his pulse rifle fire to the attack. Jack brought his rifle to a shoulder and advanced steadily.
The outline of the corridor mapped out on Jack's enhanced data view showed him the closed blast doors to the command deck a few meters ahead. Lying in front of the door were four fallen Devex warriors.
Rushing to the door with Marines on either side of him, Jack checked the activation panel. It was deactivated, so Jack fired up his electron bayonet and prepared to cut his way through. He found a join at the center of the door where the two sides of the blast door met. He pressed his bayonet into the gap, and the blade slid in easily. He moved up and down the seam, the blade cutting through the locking catches.
Jack deactivated the bayonet and pressed his fingers into the seam, pulling on the door. A Marine grabbed the other side and pulled as well, but it did not move. Out of the darkness, the last Marines came running. Jack turned and saw Sam Torent, and he called Sam over with a wave of his arm.
"Ge
t up here, Commander Torent, and see if you can pull this door open for me."
Sam slung his rifle over his shoulder and stepped up to the door. He unclipped the gauntlet of his right arm, pressing the fingers of his Mech hand into the gap. The fingers slid into the tiny gap between the two panels, and Sam pulled.
The door slid open a fraction. Immediately, the flashing of Devex blaster fire from inside came pouring toward the narrow gap. Several white energy bullets made their way through the space and into the corridor, streaking past Sam Torent's hand and helmet.
"Put some fire into that command deck," Jack said, pointing toward the gap that Sam was slowly pulling open.
A Marine took a knee, jammed the muzzle of his pulse rifle through the door and fired. A second Marine, holding his pulse rifle high above his head, jammed the business end of his weapon into the gap. Sustained fire poured in, but still, the Devex were defending the command deck.
Jack stood opposite Sam and gripped the right side of the two-panel door. He squeezed his fingers into the gap that Sam had opened. With the fingertips of both hands into the gap, Jack activated the suit’s maneuvering thruster on his wrist and added their power to his own. The door jerked open.
The two Marines firing through the central gap were now fully exposed to the Devex fire and took several white energy bullets, knocking them both off their feet, their pulse rifles falling uselessly to the corridor deck. Jack stopped pulling, leaving a one-meter gap between the two sides of the door and a vital piece of cover on either side.
"Grenades." Jack pulled a grenade off his waistband. The remaining Marines following Jack's command. Jack nodded, and four grenades were tossed into the command deck. Taking cover behind the partially open door, the Marines counted down to the blast.
The explosions burst through the narrow opening like a cannon blast from the muzzle of an old gun. Jack moved into the command deck the instant the blast subsided, firing his pulse rifle.
The command deck was large and oval with a similar layout to the Scorpio’s command deck that Jack knew so well. Just inside the doors was the high command chair. The chair looked down onto the deck with its various systems, arranged in two semicircles on either side. At the far side of the command deck sat the large main holostage.
Betrayal (Jack Forge, Lost Marine Book 6) Page 3
