by REM
Nate nodded. He motioned his head toward Hoss, then the door.
Hoss blasted the panel and kicked it in.
Josh was on the left side of the wide entrance with Nate, the others were on the right.
Thoot! Thoot, thoot! Beams flashed out from inside the room.
The pilots took turns peeking into the doorway and returning fire.
“This just couldn’t be easy, could it?” Josh uttered.
Hoss pulled a face as if to say, Not a chance.
Nate and Reena fired into the room. When they drew back, Maya discharged a shot. More enemy lasers flared out from the room.
“Going to try for the one by the computers,” said Josh. He stepped partially in front of the doorway and squeezed off a couple shots.
Thoot! “Aah!” Josh staggered back out of the enemy’s line of sight and tumbled to the floor, clutching his abdomen with both hands. He grunted feverishly while squirming in pain.
The pilots glanced at their fallen comrade.
“Josh, are you all right?!” Maya shouted.
Josh was still gritting his teeth, unable to answer.
Hoss fired a shot into the room.
Maya did the same before turning for Josh.
Thoot! Maya cried out from a shot striking her ribcage and fell rearward to the floor on the right side of the doorway.
Josh looked over at her and was grimacing, even though his pain had started to subside. The vest he was wearing mitigated most of the blast, but the point of impact burned intensely. “Maya…” he said.
“Fuckin’ shit,” Hoss blurted, rushing to her side.
Josh moved his hands to push up. “Watch out!” he shouted.
Two Mercens crept in from the main strip.
Josh fired a shot and struck one in the neck. Hoss blasted the other.
“Is she okay?” asked Josh impatiently.
Hoss was inspecting her upper body with his hand. “Didn’t penetrate her vest.”
Maya cried out in agony.
Stings like a bitch though, thought Josh. He looked at Nate and Reena peeking around and firing shots into the side room. Counter fire whisked out from the doorway.
“There’s two left!” said Nate.
Josh moved back over to Nate’s side.
Reena fired a shot that struck one in the head. “One now,” she said.
“Okay, cover me. I’ll get him,” said Josh. Before anyone could object, he slid into the doorway, fired a shot, and rushed into the room at a slant. Lasers zipped past his head, then by his thigh, forcing him to duck even lower.
Nate and Reena fired into the room. Their shots impelled the Mercen shooter to jerk back behind cover.
Josh darted past machines to the far end of the room. There he dove into a roll and fired three shots into the remaining Mercen’s body. He scanned the area with his gun pointed. “Clear!” he shouted.
Nate and Reena stepped slowly into the room. “Anything of significance in here?”
Josh was still looking around when he said, “Doesn’t seem like it.”
The three of them did a quick search before moving back into the circular room to check on Hoss and Maya.
“How we doing?” asked Nate.
Maya was sitting up with Hoss still crouched at her side. “I’m fine,” she said.
Josh and Reena knelt down to check her out.
The pilots held their position for roughly three minutes, after which the elevator opened in the circular room and the four Creston marines rushed out from it.
“Evacuate the premises!” said Bor, leading the way down the wide strip.
Two of the marines picked up the one who’d been killed earlier.
Ka-boom! Boom! The mountain shook from the exploding detonators the marines had set before coming up in the elevator.
Josh and his fellow soldiers raced out from the cave.
“Get to your ships and escort us out of here!” said Bor.
“Yes, sir,” said Nate, motioning the pilots to do what they were told.
The Creston battleship blasted off. Josh and his crewmates surrounded it in protect formation.
“There’s an armada of Mercen craft on radar!” a 1st squadron pilot transmitted.
“We fight that and there’s going to be massive casualties!” Ace transmitted.
“You don’t have to,” said Nate. “Drop mission is complete. We’re airborne with the marines.”
“All fighters pull back!” Tomlin transmitted.
Get out of there! thought Josh. He and the drop squad continued to hightail it for Creston territory. Midway through the Cosmolis they were joined by the 1st squadron along with the rest of the 3rd. Mercen craft were still in pursuit.
“They’re still coming!” Maya transmitted.
“Just keep going,” Tomlin responded. “They won’t catch us.”
After a couple hundred miles the enemy fighters faded off radar.
Chapter 8
The 3rd squadron was spread out in the unit three lounge waiting for Ace to return from a debriefing. When the squad leader walked in, everyone came together near the center of the room.
“So, what’s the word?” asked Reena.
Ace glanced at her, then at the others. “Captain Tichi has assumed command of the M.N. Rampage. Our attack on Zint has stymied Mercen terra-mining—but the force cannon wasn’t in the mountain.”
Heads shook. Some of the pilots’ faces appeared dejected.
Ace continued, “The general consensus amongst the officers is that the Mercen probably won’t try for an immediate retaliation, though most feel certain a counterstrike is not far off. That being said, the M.N. Rampage has been placed on high alert. The warning extends to any pilots flying out into the Cosmolis.”
Ace paused and looked the group over with a grim expression. “The Mercens claim to have an armed force cannon already deployed, and state they’ve more than enough terra-fume to wipe out Creston. Our intel team believes these claims to be true. The Mercens’ weapon of mass destruction is already in play.”
“Gracious…” said Maya.
Josh felt his heart drop as if he were sinking into the floor. He peeked up at the dreaded looks on many of his friends’ faces.
“Then we have to strike now!” said Ven. “All-out war is the only way. Or everybody dies.”
“The officers had me leave before discussing Creston actions, but a decision of that scale would have to come from home command. From what I grasped, most officers believe locating the force cannon to be a better option than all-out war.”
“That’s some dumb shit, mate. It’s going to be way too late. We don’t have time for that. They’ll destroy the whole planet,” said Ven.
Josh could tell from his fellow pilots’ faces that all but Ven were confused about which defense option would be best. Damnit, there’s no good solution. All-out war might result in just as many killed if the Mercen fire their force cannon at Creston. If we were to look at the greatest chance to try and save lives, it would have to be attempting to locate the force cannon. But how the hell do we go about that?
“There’ll be two additional reserve pilots going out tonight. That being said, Stinnet is looking for volunteers from both squadrons, to patrol a few P.M. hours before the nightly reservists go out. If not they’ll just randomly select pilots. I went ahead and volunteered. Does anyone else want to fly?” said Ace.
Kyle raised a hand. “I’ll go.”
Ace smiled at his younger crewmate and looked around.
“I’ll go,” said Tor.
“All right! That should be enough,” said Ace. He slapped a hand on Tor’s shoulder when the pilot arrived at his side.
Kyle tapped fists with Tor.
Josh was happy to see his old buddy had been accepted so welcomingly since arriving on the Rampage, and had turned out to be quite the team player.
“Everyone else is free for the evening. Have fun,” said Ace. “Good job out there today.”
Once th
e three volunteers had departed, Nate and Reena convinced everyone to head to the bar located a floor up on the north wing. Josh felt a drink was just what he needed.
“Two-drink limit is in effect,” said Nate, as their group walked into the pub. He and Reena got to talking on their stools right away.
Hoss and Maya coupled up for some alone time.
“Guess it’s you and me,” said Josh, smirking at Jill. He extended a hand to a small booth and asked, “Can I buy you a drink?”
Jill smiled and said, “Sure, I’d like that.” She took a seat.
“What’ll it be?”
“I’ll have a Thor.”
A Thor? thought Josh. The name reminded him of a popular movie. “You got it! I’ll have one of those too,” he said, without a clue of what he’d be drinking.
Josh walked to the main counter and ordered the round. While waiting, he turned and saw Ven over at an air hockey table with the rowdiest crewmembers in the place. Definitely not ironic, he thought.
After grabbing the drinks, Josh headed back to Jill and sat down at the table. It was the first instant he’d taken notice of the taller-than-usual mugs. About twice the size of a regular beer. When he glanced up Jill was grinning.
She could tell what he was thinking and said, “One of these should hit the two-drink limit.”
Josh smirked. “Yeah,” he said, nodding. “So what’d you think of that mission earlier?”
“It was one of the scariest moments of my life,” said Jill, with complete seriousness. “That marked shadow fighter was close to shooting me down if Kyle didn’t cut him off.” She stared at Josh.
Josh could feel her terror by the way she was wringing her mug handle.
Jill broke her gaze and took a sip from her glass. “That kid is something else, by the way.”
“Yeah, he is. I’m better though.”
Jill laughed and took another sip.
“Bet you never expected to be in these kind of fights so soon after being deployed,” said Josh.
“Oh, I expected it. I just didn’t expect to ever be stationed anywhere near the Void Zone.”
“Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to be smart, huh? You know, there’s an old saying: ‘Sometimes the smartest person in the room is the one who acts the dumbest.’”
“Hmm, I wish I would’ve known that.”
Josh gulped from his Thor, and took a moment to admire its taste. This drink could force a teen into puberty; put some hair on his chest. What the hell is she doing ordering this? “Well, your flying is solid, but out here it pays to know a few tricks, stuff you wouldn’t learn at an academy. I could teach you a few.”
Jill swallowed and said, “That’s right, you’re the natural.”
Don’t stroke my ego or anything, thought Josh. “So they say.”
“Sure, I’d love to see what you’ve got sometime. I’m transferring off this ship first chance I get. I just have to make it three months before I can put in my request.”
Three months is like a lifetime out here. “Just stay close to me and the vets. You keep smart and you’ll make it. Just don’t do anything I would do; or would’ve done, I should say. I’d like to think my mentality has improved quite a bit.” He smiled.
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” said Jill.
Josh looked into her eyes with a somewhat furrowed brow.
Jill tittered gamely.
They talked for a lengthy duration until the others from the 3rd squadron arrived at their table.
“We’re heading out,” said Reena.
Josh caught Maya smiling as if she thought he and Jill were working on something.
“I’m ready. How about you?” said Jill, to Josh.
“Yeah. It’s about that time.”
Their group had made it through the exit when Nate said, “Reena and I are going to the café for coffee and a snack. Anyone else feel like coming?”
Coffee after drinking… never understood that, thought Josh.
“I could do for a sandwich or something,” said Hoss.
“Anyone else?” asked Reena.
Josh, Jill, and Ven shook their heads.
“I’m going to head back to the unit with the others,” said Maya.
“Okay, see you guys later,” said Reena.
The three vets moseyed away in the opposite direction.
Partway to the third unit, Maya stopped to say, “Forgot I need to stop by the currency room. Josh, you want to go with me?”
Josh looked at her for a moment. “Sure, I’ll go.”
They split off from Ven and Jill and went to the currency department. After that they stopped by the computer room. The entire trip took them about fifteen minutes.
When Josh and Maya entered the third unit, both heard bickering from down one of the inside halls.
“I told you, I’m not interested. Please let me pass,” Josh heard Jill say.
“Calm down. Relax a bit, sweetheart. I just want to talk with you for a minute,” said Ven.
“I’m done talking. I already told you—I’m not interested!”
“Give me a chance. It’ll be good, I promise.”
“No!”
Josh glanced at Maya and both hurried toward the left hall.
Sure enough, the two rookies were standing about a third of the way in, Jill trying to push past Ven, who was blocking her path.
“That’s enough! Let her pass,” Josh shouted.
“Get the hell out of her way!” yelled Maya.
Ven stepped to the side. As soon as he did, Jill rushed out of the hall. Josh could tell she was upset and embarrassed.
Maya frowned at Ven and jogged after Jill.
Josh charged over to Ven and slammed him against the wall with both hands gripping his shirt. “You ever hem Jill up or disrespect her again like that, I will personally kick your ass from here to Creston. I don’t give a shit what Clint told either of us. You got that?!” Josh’s face was scrunched up like an angry dog’s.
Ven stared heatedly for a second before screwing up his face and breaking the hold.
The pilots kept eyeing each other.
Ven walked away keeping his focus on Josh. “No, it’d be you getting your ass kicked, mate. I didn’t even harm the broad. Ask her, mate.”
Josh could hear his own heavy breaths. He watched Ven go into his room, and then went to go check up on Jill and Maya. Maya cut him off before he could make it to the bathroom where Jill was hiding. “Is she all right?” he asked.
“She’s fine, Josh,” said Maya in a low tone. “She’s just a little embarrassed and upset. She wants to be alone for a moment.”
Josh nodded. “This is the last straw. We’ve got to report Ven’s behavior.”
“I’m sure everyone will find out, Josh. But just like always, I don’t think anything’s going to happen to him. Ven never touched her, he only blocked her path, which I doubt is serious enough for significant repercussions. They’ll pass it off as Ven was just showing his interest and getting rejected. I hate to say it, but he’s pro at staying in the gray area with his actions.”
Josh pumped his fist toward the ground. “That son of a bitch. I really don’t like that guy, Maya.”
She shook her head. “Me neither.”
When the other pilots arrived back at the unit, things were pretty much status quo, and remained that way throughout everyone retiring for the night.
***
The following morning the 3rd squadron got a pleasant surprise. Officer Rolly woke the unit up and have everyone meet up in the lounge. The pilots fell into a straight line, but Rolly was quick to say, “At ease, everyone.”
“It’s so good to see you,” Reena blurted. She walked over and gave Rolly a hug.
The other two women followed suit.
The guys crowded around. They either patted Rolly’s shoulder, or offered their hand for a shake.
When Rolly smiled, Josh could sense the emotions oozing from the officer, even though Rolly didn’t go overboard
in showing his feelings. Must’ve been hell being a Mercen prisoner, he thought.
“Did the Mercens torture you or cause you any serious harm?” asked Kyle. It was the type of question the adults didn’t have the courage to ask.
A few of the pilots glanced at Kyle and then back to Rolly.
The officer’s face became serious when answering, “They beat me up a bit the first night, but after that nothing too major. I have Commander Clint to thank for that. My safety was due to his aggressive negotiations.”
The pilots’ moods soured a bit at Commander Clint’s name.
“Every day I was in captivity they threatened to eat me. Thank God that didn’t happen.”
Josh remembered the sound of Smokey’s voice when he and Dazzler were carrying him from the cell. “They ate my toes, young buck.”
“Thank you all for your care,” said Rolly, dipping his head solemnly. “But we need to get down to business. The new Creston cruiser has arrived to our side of the southern Void and will be taking over patrols in that region. As all of you already know, there’s a Mercen force cannon armed with enough terra-fume to wipe out Creston on the loose. We’re guessing it’s still in the process of deployment, since the Mercens haven’t wasted our home planet yet, and we’ve seen no reason why they would delay in doing such a thing. This means we need to find it—and fast. An attack could be imminent.”
Josh could see the fear and determination in his crewmates’ eyes.
“Today, the entire Creston fleet, ranging from here to our home planet, will be assisting in operation ‘defense-web’. All of you will be flying out in different directions for thousands of miles—tens of thousands. Our goal is to cover as much space as we can by the end of the day. With the entire fleet involved, we’re hoping we might get lucky and locate the Mercen weapon of mass destruction. Tech of this caliber will most likely be heavily guarded, so do not attack if you spot it. Just assist with tracking until we can coordinate an overwhelming assault.”
“Will we be crossing over into Mercen space, sir?” asked Ace.
“No. Enemy space is being investigated by our intelligence team. Our efforts will span from here toward Creston.”
“Will the 1st squadron be participating in this operation too?” asked Nate.