Then, a sound.
He moved past a broad beam. A pair of legs peeked out from a fallen door. Nicolas used all his strength to remove it.
“Mister Koeman?”
The flattened administrator was breathing, but only just. A gory gash bled out on his forehead and a pool of blood poured from his abdomen.
The clammy-skinned Koeman gingerly sat himself up and Nicolas helped him onto a chair. He groaned catching a glimpse of Bloch’s lifeless body. “Is he—”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.” Nicolas swiveled Koeman’s seat around to keep the ghastly sight away from him. “How are you feeling?”
“Like my guts are falling out.”
Nicolas didn’t want to give him the bad news.
“Is everyone else dead?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“What about your ship?”
Nicolas walked over to the communications console. One of the few in working order. But they wouldn’t be sending a commlink to anyone any time soon. “The comm array has been blown to pieces.” He ran his hands over the controls, trying to reactivate the scanners, but they’d also been knocked out. Just like every other vital system.
“Any luck?” Koeman winced through the agony.
“No.” Nicolas crossed his arms, wondering what the hell had gone on up there. “I’m sure Perera got her out of orbit in time.” He turned to the deteriorating Koeman. “Come on, let’s get you to the infirmary. Where’s the nearest one?”
“One…level…down.”
Nicolas lifted him off the chair ever so gently and put his hand around his waist. They moved for the door and entered the corridor. With no emergency lighting to speak of, their surroundings were pitch black. They continued on, using their hands to guide their way. Under and over beams, between girders and through fallen cables. In their tracks, they stumbled on another pair of bodies.
“Dead?” Koeman asked.
Nicolas took their pulses and nodded. They moved on until they reached the elevator shaft. Like everything else, it was out of commission. Koeman pointed him to the emergency stairwell, and they descended the spirals steps.
More devastation greeted them in the empty infirmary. Nicolas dragged Koeman over to a bed that hadn’t been trashed from the bombardment.
He felt sorry for the administrator; Nicolas wasn’t the person to take care of someone in his condition. What I would give to have Susan here right now. He attempted to activate the medical scanner beside the bed, but it wouldn’t operate. “We’ll need power in here somehow.”
Koeman coughed. A hearty splash of blood spluttered out of his mouth and his eyelids closed.
Nicolas squeezed his hand. “Stay with me!” He grasped him even tighter. “Koeman, can you hear me!”
The administrator’s head nodded ever so slightly.
“Listen to me.” Nicolas touched the man’s sweaty face. “I need to know where Susan went. Where is Doctor Tai?”
Koeman’s eyes fluttered.
“Hey, don’t you die on me. Not yet,” Nicolas demanded. “Where’s Susan?”
Koeman gestured for him to come closer. He pulled Nicolas by the collar with what strength he had left. “She’s down in…”
“Where?”
“Worksite… Fifteen,” Koeman gasped. “That’s where the—” He stopped. His eyes glazed over, and the grip he had on Nicolas relented. The last of his lifeforce disappeared with his head banging onto his pillow.
Nicolas stared down at the bloody body and sighed. He now had no choice but to get to Worksite Fifteen. He regarded Koeman once more and walked to the stairwell beside the elevator and made his way down to the heart of the facility.
He wondered about everything that’d happened.
Who are the attackers?
Why did they attack?
What do they want with Orion V?
Does it have something to do with the package we brought from Earth?
If it did, Nicolas understood whoever had attacked would come down to the surface for it. He just hoped he could find Susan alive before anyone else did.
He came to the end of the staircase and into the sizeable central transport hub. In one section the rocky ceiling had caved in and derailed half a dozen carriages from the track. More bodies littered what had become a war zone. He checked over who he could, but he didn’t find a single soul alive. The aerial attack had been swift and brutal. To kill so many people sheltered so far beneath the surface was a testament to the firepower the ship in orbit wielded.
He walked up to one of the few carriages still on the tracks and took a seat behind the controls. He prodded at the console to see if it had any juice in it. Luckily for him, it lit up.
He’d operated nothing like it before, but figured if he could pilot spacecraft it couldn’t be that difficult. He pressed the lever forward, but the carriage didn’t budge. He studied the console. A red button stared him in the face. He prodded at it, and the carriage lurched forward. He pushed the lever farther to increase speed and peered ahead down the dark tunnel.
I’m coming, Susan.
Nineteen
Cargo Ship Argo
The Argo’s FTL engine disengaged, and the old cargo ship slowed to sub-light speed. Jason’s head spun in circles as the giant globe of Orion V appeared through the bridge’s forward viewport. Even after taking two doses of detoxification tablets he still felt like crap. His body just wasn’t used to them. He always reckoned that if you were going to get drunk, you might as well do it properly.
“Bring us to a full stop,” Tyler said from the captain’s chair.
Kevin toggled at the controls on the helm. “Full stop.”
Jason unbuckled himself from the seat at the rear of the bridge and walked over to Aly at the operations station.
“Are you picking up any communications, Aly?” Tyler asked her, joining Jason’s side.
She shook her head. “Nothing but dead air.”
“Anything on scanners?”
“Clear as well.”
Tyler frowned. “Okay, open a commlink to—”
“No, don’t!” Jason wailed. Everyone on the bridge turned. At the systems station, Althaus stared daggers through him.
“If there is someone out there,” Jason said, “we can’t give away our position.”
Tyler considered for a moment and nodded. “Kevin, start orbital insertion. One-eighth thrust. Nice and steady.” He put a hand on Aly’s shoulder. “Keep your eyes on those scanners.”
As the minutes passed, Orion V got continually larger through the viewport. A beep from operations broke up the silence.
“Whoa,” Aly said, glued to her monitor. “I’m detecting debris. Dead ahead.”
The spinning shapes of scattered, twisted metal appeared before them. The sight was an all too familiar to Jason from his time during the war.
“The Vanguard?” Althaus grumbled.
“Let’s see,” Tyler said. “Kevin, take us slowly through the debris field. Aly, zoom in and see if you can find any markings.”
Jason kept a keen eye on her monitor, but nothing appeared obvious. “Can you determine the makeup of the debris? Quantity and materials? It’s not always possible to identify a vessel from its remains by visual inspection.
Aly nodded and let Jason study the readings. Heavy concentrations of lurinium, a key component of all CDF ship construction were evident throughout. The volume in the field was consistent with that of a cruiser.
Jason frowned. “This was the Vanguard.”
“Hell.” Althaus stood from the systems station and walked to Tyler’s side. “If there’s something out there that did this to a commonwealth cruiser, what could they do to us?”
Jason’s thoughts drifted to the people on the planet. “There’re thousands of workers down there, Althaus.”
“Perhaps not anymore.” Aly pointed at the topographical representation of the surface on her monitor. Something had scorched the facility and its surroundings. “Looks like
aerial bombardment.”
Her console beeped.
“What is it?” Tyler asked.
“Oh god!”
They all turned to the viewport as the Argo moved through the debris field. A dark speck hovered in orbit.
“What the hell is that?” Althaus asked no one in particular.
As the Argo maneuvered closer, the object’s outline became clear. The large black vessel sat above Orion V like a gigantic menacing raven. More terrifying than anything Edgar Allan Poe could have envisioned.
Jason couldn’t take his eyes off it. “Whoever blew up the Vanguard, I’d guess.”
“You may not have listened before, but you should now,” Althaus said. “We have to get out of here unless we want to end up dead.”
“Althaus is right,” Jason added, appalled admitting he agreed with his uncle.
Tyler rushed over to Kevin, grabbing hold of the back of his chair. “Set a course to port and turn us around, one-quarter thrust.”
Kevin plotted the coordinates and moved the Argo off.
Tyler turned to Aly. “Are they in pursuit?”
She shook her head. “They either didn’t pick us up on their scanners, or they’re ignoring us.”
“They saw us. We’re undoubtedly little more than ants to them,” Kevin mused. “An annoyance.”
“I used to like stomping on ants when I was a kid,” Althaus said.
“That’s because you’re an asshole,” Jason retorted.
Althaus was about to say something, but Aly’s console beeped.
“We’ve got activity,” she said. “There’s a smaller ship breaking away from it.”
“A fighter? Are they in pursuit?”
She shook her head at Jason. “No, it’s heading toward the surface.”
“Just to be safe, let’s head to the opposite side of the planet.” Tyler returned to his chair. “If they should change their mind, I don’t want them coming after us.”
With the unidentified ship in the review mirror, Jason pondered. Earth had nothing like that vessel. The Centaurans didn’t either. No one did. “What could be down on the mining world that they’ve gone to all this trouble for? It’s not like decium is a rarity.”
The question lingered around the hushed confines of the Argo’s bridge.
“Aly, I assume you’re still not picking up any communications?” Jason asked.
“Correct. With all the damage down there, it wouldn’t be possible—”
“With all the damage,” Althaus interjected, “there’s not likely to be anyone else alive to rescue.”
“Those mine shafts go fairly deep,” Kevin said. “Someone might have survived.”
Jason walked to Tyler’s side. “We’ve got to go down.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Althaus bellowed. “We don’t know for sure that anyone’s left down there. But we do know the last ship that came along probably pissed them off enough that the debris field was the result. The shipping code instructs us to use reasonable actions in any rescue operation. This is hardly reasonable. It’s too dangerous.”
Jason ignored his uncle. “We have to find out if there are survivors.” He pressed on Tyler’s console to the side of his chair, bringing up a topographical image of the surface. “Check this out.”
Tyler studied the monitor. “They haven’t attacked the entire facility.”
“That’s right. They’ve bombed the living bejesus out of everything but the western region beyond the central hub.”
“That could mean whatever they’re after is down in that part of the facility.”
“It also means there’s a chance there’s someone down there.”
Tyler stared at the viewport, then looked at Jason. “What’s your plan?”
Jason smiled, and Althaus threw his hands up in disgust.
“Whoever these bad guys are, they seem to have gone to a lot of trouble to get as many obstacles out of the way as possible from orbit. If there is something they want to the west of the facility, I will bet they’ll start at the central hub and clear out any survivors from there.” Jason pointed at the main building. “They’ll likely use the underground rail network and sweep westward until they find what they’re after.”
“If we start from the west, we might beat them to whatever they’re searching for and rescue anyone we find along the way.”
“If everything is underground, how can we do that?” Aly asked.
“Here.” Jason zoomed in on the western part of the surface. “When mines of this type are excavated, they drill up and down.”
“Why up?”
“To investigate the strength of the bedrock above to ensure the ceiling doesn’t cave in on them. Once they determine a new worksite is safe, they cap the hole to keep the weather out.”
Kevin swiveled around in his seat. “That leaves us with the problem of getting down there without being discovered.”
Jason paced the bridge. “They didn’t seem to care about us when we approached them.”
“That could change quickly,” Althaus muttered.
“True.” Jason walked over to the operations console and glanced at the scanners. The Argo had entered an opposing orbit to the attacking ship. “If we launch a pod from our location and drop into the atmosphere, we could hug the surface all the way to the landing site.” He pointed once again at the topographical image. “High cliff faces surround the facility. Maybe, just maybe we can fool their scanners enough without being detected.”
“It’s risky,” Kevin said with concern.
Jason knew the man wasn’t on Althaus’s side and would want to save as many lives as possible. But he was a realist and didn’t wish for anyone from the Argo to succumb to the same fate as the crew of the Vanguard.
“You’re right, it is.” Jason stood in front of the viewport and locked eyes with his brother. “The call is yours, Captain.”
Everyone else turned to him expectantly. “We’ll take the Maybelle.” He stood, passing by Althaus who shook his head.
Kevin got up from the helm. “You’ll need a pilot.”
“He’s got one,” Jason told him, putting him back in his seat. “You, take care of the Argo. The Cassidy brothers will take care of business down there.”
“Be careful.”
Aly grabbed Jason by the sleeve and frowned. “What I said about you earlier—”
“Forget about it.” While Jason was still annoyed at her inferences, he understood why she was trying to say it.
“I just—”
“Aly. Seriously. Water under the bridge.”
She put on a brave face. “Good luck. Uh, both of you.”
Jason smiled and followed Tyler through the hatchway. Althaus appeared behind them, approaching their side.
“You’re coming, too?” Jason said, surprised.
“Someone’s got to watch out for your brother and ensure he doesn’t get killed.” Althaus reached the weapons locker near the elevator chute and opened it. He handed Tyler and Jason a rifle each and took one for himself and a sidearm for his belt.
“Just make sure you know who you’re pointing that at before you shoot it,” Jason told him.
“No promises, kid.”
Twenty
Decium Ore Mining Facility - Orion V
The carriage came to a halt at the end of the line and Nicolas put the brakes on. He’d always wanted to be a train driver when he was a child, but now that he’d had a taste of it, he still preferred the thrill of navigating the stars.
He climbed from the carriage and surveyed Worksite Fifteen. The interior walls were solid rock and throughout the cavernous space were sporadic artificial light posts. He stepped toward the heart of the worksite cautiously. Every move he made echoed off the cave walls.
He flicked some sweat from his brow. The climate-control system was either working overtime or he’d tunneled so deep he was actually nearing Hell. He continued on to the elevator shaft and past several large dormant earth-moving machines. The
eerie quiet sent a shiver down his spine. Nicolas trusted Koeman hadn’t got his worksites mixed up. If there was going to be anyone around, he hoped they’d be farther below. On the console of the elevator, it signified the car was at the bottom of the shaft. He prodded at the controls and called it back to the top. After what seemed like an eternity, it arrived.
He stepped into the car, closed the safety rail, and set off. The journey seemed slow, but it was anything but. Nicolas’s stomach stayed behind at the top of the shaft before returning at least thirty meters down. The artificial lighting above disappeared, leaving him in total darkness.
It reminded him of hide and seek he used to play with his cousins as a child. His favorite spot had been his elder brother’s closet. It was always so dark in there. He felt around and stumbled upon a light switch. The elevator car lit up, which allowed him to get a look at the control panel.
Then a hard thud juddered beneath him. He opened the safety rail and stepped out into a confined tunnel. He followed the lights until he reached an opening, and nearly slipped on what appeared to be steps. But he managed to stay upright grabbing hold of the wall.
That’s when he saw it.
His jaw dropped at the shiny sphere sitting in the middle of the grand antechamber.
What is that?
He didn’t get to think about it for long as a pair of Marines approached him with their weapons aimed at his head.
Nicolas put a hand up in defiance. “Stand down!”
The Marines kept their guns raised.
Major Ripken hurried out from the other side of the silver sphere. “You heard the Captain!” he said, ordering his men to drop their arms.
“Nicolas!”
Susan walked out with another man from behind the sphere. He seemed familiar to Nicolas, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.
“You’re alive!” Susan came up to him and the pair hugged. Her tender touch filled him with relief. She let go, and the mystery man approached them.
“I’d like you to meet Professor Javier Petit,” she said.
Now Nicolas knew why he’d looked familiar. Petit was a famed scientist. He’d worked on the Mark IV FTL engine two decades earlier, among other notable projects. “Professor.”
Frontier's Reach: A Space Opera Adventure (Frontiers Book 1) Page 10
