Rika Triumphant

by M. D. Cooper

Shoshin grunted.

  The team resumed their mad dash through the ship until they came to a broad concourse that ran down the center of the vessel.

  It was thirty meters wide, and at least two kilometers long. They stood on a catwalk, seven meters above the deck, with the overhead a broad arch, fifteen meters over their heads.

  The center of the concourse was occupied by four maglev tracks, a stopped train occupying one of them.

  Two of squad three’s fireteams were hunkered down next to the train, trading fire with a group of heavily armored Niets with CFT and grav shields on the far side of the concourse. Squad three’s other fireteam was working their way down the concourse, toward a staircase that led down to the engineering bay one deck below.

  Squad three’s firing angles were terrible, with the maglev tracks giving the Niets plenty of cover. One-two, on the other hand, had a clear view of the enemy, who had not yet spotted them, thanks to an EM flare that Karen had thrown moments ago.

  Crunch signaled for Kelly and Shoshin to spread out. When each member of one-two was a dozen meters from the next, they opened fire on the Niets.

  Kelly let her electron beam fire on max power, burning away CFT shields, and shorting out grav generators with the bolts of lightning that arced out as she raked it across the enemy line.

  Shoshin followed after with his chaingun, filling the air with HE shells that tore through the Niets.

  Crunch fired two missiles at a cluster of Niets that had taken cover behind a low bulwark alongside the tracks. Plas and steel flew into the air, exposing the enemy to Shoshin’s guns.

  Below, the elements of squad three that were behind the train rose up and rushed the remaining Niets, cutting them down as the enemy attempted to flee.

  Karen sent, as she directed two of her fireteams to take the stairs down on the far side of the tracks, while she led her team down the stairs on the near side.

  Crunch said with a coarse laugh.

  Karen shot back.

 

 

 

  Kelly looked around the concourse for a location with good cover, and her eyes were drawn to the arches that supported the ceiling. she gestured at the nearest arch.

  Crunch replied.

  Niki announced over the combat net.

  Kelly said to the team as she swung up onto a strut and shimmied up to the overhead arch.

 

  Shoshin said.

  Kelly rolled her eyes at the man, then realized he couldn’t see it through her helmet, so she sent him an image of her rolling her eyes at him over the Link.

  he replied.

 

  STEALING STARSHIPS

  STELLAR DATE: 05.01.8949 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: The Fury Lance

  REGION: Within Armens, Hercules System, Septhian Alliance

  Niki announced as Rika leant over the railing and fired at the entrance on the level below, aiding the two RRs down there in stemming the never-ending flow of Niets.

 

 

 

  Rika got a mental image of Niki shaking her head.

  she asked.

 

  Rika considered her options. Fighting through over seven hundred Niets wasn’t impossible, but it would be a brutal slog.

 

 

  Rika didn’t answer. Instead she turned to Sergeant Aaron, who was reloading in the shaft’s doorway.

  “Sergeant, there are seven hundred Nietzschean soldiers out of cryo now. If you were them, what would your main goal be?”

  Aaron laughed. “Escape pods. Think they can break free of Armens’ gravity well?”

  “Seriously, Sergeant.”

  “They need helm control. They’re all going to head for engineering.”

  That was Rika’s summation, as well.

  “We need to stop that from happening. If they mass, they could take us.”

  “Then we should go for the bridge and draw some of their force along with us,” Aaron suggested.

  Rika nodded. “I like where your head’s at, Sergeant.”

  He fired around the corner and laughed. “Me too.”

 

Rika said before detaching the hard-Link cable from the console.

 

 

 

  Rika called the platoon sergeant.

 

 

 

 

 

  Rika stepped aside as the two RRs on the lower level jumped back up before replying.

  Sergeant Kristian added.

 

 

 

 

  Rika groaned and closed the connection. She surveyed squad one’s status. Kelly, Crunch, and Shoshin were still absent, covering the entrance to engineering, hopefully with backup before long.

  Fireteam one had arrived a minute earlier, and other than a few disabled limbs and minor flesh wounds, squad one was ready to roll.

  Rika announced.

 

  The mechs surged forward, alternating suppressive fire with heavy weapons bursts that cut through the enemy’s ranks. Corridor by corridor, one threat-laden intersection after another, they cleared a path toward the bridge.

  There were several pitched fights in open spaces where the Niets were able to mass and bring superior firepower to bear, but the enemy seemed ill equipped to deal with mechs that could jump a dozen meters in the air and land behind their lin
es.

  After seven minutes, squad one had made it far enough forward that Rika was ready to let the Niets know what she was doing.

  “Nietzschean scumbags, this is Captain Rika of the Marauders,” she announced over the 1MC. “We’d like to thank you for hosting us today, and dying so easily. We have engine control and we have helm, but there’s still a lot of you pesky bastards aboard. So I figure it’s best to work from the top down.

  “Ship’s logs show captain as a Commander Kiers. Well, Commander, hope to see you soon. Keep your seat on the bridge warm for me.”

  Niki commented.

 

 

  “I liked it,” Aaron grunted as he checked a room on the squad’s right.

 

 

  Rika peered up a ladder and fired on a shape above before sidestepping to avoid return fire.

 

  Rika set a two second fuse and tossed a grenade up the ladder shaft.

  Flames shot down behind her as she moved to the head of the group. Just seven-hundred meters of ship to go, and she’d get to see if Niki’s idea would work.

  * * * * *

  Kelly called down to the fireteam.

  She sighted down the concourse, watching the group of Niets advance along the maglev track. There were ten of them; two in heavy armor, three in lighter armor, and five in nothing but cloth uniforms.

  Idiots all have death wishes.

  The heavies were in front, protecting the others, and Kelly considered her options. She only had two DPU rounds, just over sixty projectiles for her GNR, and enough charge for two electron beam shots—if she kept the bursts short—plus a cluster of ‘nades, and over a dozen mags for her JE-87.

  Second squad better get here soon.

  She selected her best option and fired a DPU round at the maglev rail beside the advancing Niets. The uranium rod shattered against the track and sprayed shrapnel into the unarmored enemies.

  The heavies stopped and looked back. Kelly watched Crunch peek out from behind a vertical column and fire on the backs of the Niets. Kelly added to his attack, and the two heavies fell.

  They made short work of the rest.

  Kelly asked.

  The sound of Shoshin’s chaingun came from her left, and she turned to see him firing on a group further aft that was well entrenched behind a derailed train.

 

 

  Shoshin suggested.

  Kelly asked.

  Crunch laughed.

  Kelly replied.

  Shoshin gave a single laugh.

  Kelly spotted something down the concourse, near the end, and cycled her vision, zooming in. It looked as though there was some sort of smoke or fog gathering.

  Then she magnified further.

 

  Crunch called out.

 

  Kelly tried to count the number of drones, but there were so many and they were moving so fast that she couldn’t manage. There had to be over a hundred, though—maybe more.

  Crunch fired on the leading wave.

  Kelly didn’t reply, but started taking aim at the drones with her GNR, lobbing her projectile rounds.

 

  Crunch ordered, and Kelly obliged by dropping down to the train car below and sliding behind it.

  Shoshin was firing on the drones with his chaingun, and Kelly set the timer on a ‘nade and chucked it at the incoming bots.

  It exploded midair, taking out two of the drones, but that was just a scratch.

  CJ said as she crouched next to Kelly and fired a missile at the drones.

 

 

  Kelly didn’t have time to be relieved, as the drones opened fire on the Marauders, laying down a withering blanket of beams and kinetics.

  The maglev rail beside Kelly was torn to shreds, and to her left, one of the support columns buckled and collapsed. She looked up and watched the arch she had been perched on moments earlier pull free of the overhead and fall toward her.

  Shit! I’m not dying again!

  * * * * *

  The Fury Lance had two doors to its bridge, both emptying out onto a broad foyer, which was strewn with the bodies of over two-dozen dead Niets.

  Rika looked to her right, where Aaron helped Kim sit up so he could apply biofoam to a hole in her stomach while she kept repeating that she was ok, she could still fight.

  “Of course you can, Private. Once we put your insides back where they belong, I expect you to pull a trigger just like the rest of us.”

  “Put it in my hand, Sarge, I got it,” Kim grunted out between rasping gasps.

  Rika clenched her jaw and stepped over a fallen Niet on her way to the bridge. She slammed a fist into the starboard door and called out over the 1MC.

  “Better get in your escape pods. We’re coming in, and we’re gonna grind you to pieces. You’re no match for the Marauders.”

  “Rika’s Marauders!” someone called out wearily from behind her.

  Rika looked back at her Marauders and nodded before turning back to the bridge. “Surrender, or prepare to meet your maker…or find your star, or whatever you fucks believe in.”

  Niki announced.

 

 

  No response came from within the bridge.

 

 

  Rika piggybacked on Niki’s visuals from the ship’s internal cameras.

 

  “Last chance to surrender! We don’t kill hostages.”

  No one on the bridge moved, which was impressive in and of itself.

  Not that their bravado would buy them any mercy.

  Rika nodded to Ben and Whispers to take the door down.

  she advised.

  Acknowledgements lit up on her HUD, and Rika calmed her breathing. This was it. Take the bridge, force the surrender of everyone aboard, win the day.

  Ben and Al were out of explosives, but two pairs of mech-fingers prised the door open, and then heaved the two halves back, tearing them right out of the frame. Four mechs flooded through the opening, laying down pulse fire and fists. Aaron and another four followed, and five seconds later, the ‘all clear’ came.

  Rika walked onto the bridge and sa
w that two of the crew were dead, several were down, and Commander Kiers was writhing in Kerry’s grasp, his feet a dozen centimeters off the floor.

  “Commander Kiers,” Rika said in greeting. “I’ve been looking forward to this for…oh, about half an hour, now.”

  “Fucking mech-meat. You’ll never take the Fury Lance!”

  Rika glanced at the mechs around her as they secured the command crew. “Does he know something we don’t?”

  Ben shrugged. “Doubtful. We could still kill him.”

  “Our drones wiped out the rest of your force. It’s just you, now,” Commander Kiers raged.

  “You mean the drones you sent down the concourse to take back engineering?” Rika asked.

  The commander nodded, but his expression changed to one of worry.

  “Yeah, our AI got control of them just in the nick of time. It was a close call. Then she used them to cut your troops to ribbons. Thanks for giving us what we needed to wrap this up quickly.”

  Kiers yelled something unintelligible and began to struggle again.

  Rika shook her head. “Restrain him and toss him in the corner over there. I want him to watch while we seize or destroy his fleet.”

  Niki called out.

  Rika complied, then turned to the holotank at the front of the bridge. It was only displaying the crest of the Nietzschean military, but she found it hard to believe that the commander hadn’t been trying to communicate with his other ships after his own came under attack. She hit the ‘recall command’ sequence, and the last scan data appeared before her.

  Rika nearly crowed with delight.

  Three of the destroyers were already breaking out of the clouds, and two cruisers were hot on their tail. One cruiser was falling deeper into Armens, but two Marauder dropships were visible, flying away from it.

  The other ships—four cruisers and one destroyer—were still holding their course, but this data was a minute old.

  Niki called out triumphantly.

  The holotank flickered, and now two more cruisers were rising out of the clouds, while the final destroyer began to fall. Rika felt her breath catch—it was the ship Chase was on.