by Ryk Brown
“Don’t jinx us, Chief,” Lieutenant Latfee insisted. “The battle has just begun.”
“As long as we keep jumping around the perimeter of the battle, we’re golden,” the chief declared enthusiastically. “Hey, Commander, is there any way we can make this a permanent gig?”
“Sorry, Chief,” the commander replied.
“Nothing personal, chief,” Sergeant Adamek said, “I know I’m the new guy, here, but do you always talk this much?”
“He does,” Lieutenant Latfee groaned. “Sometimes more.”
“Nervous habit,” the chief told the sergeant.
“How’s that strike package, Sergeant?” the commander asked.
“Ready to launch,” the sergeant assured him.
“Great. Launch point is coming up in one minute.”
Josh’s eyes widened. “Uh-oh.”
Loki glanced outside, spotting the same four Dusahn soldiers that Josh had noticed, cautiously approaching their shuttle with weapons held ready. “We have a problem, here, Captain,” he called over comms.
Nathan and the four Ghatazhak dressed as Dusahn soldiers broke out of the corridor onto the catwalk. Nathan glanced down at the hangar bay below, spotting the four Dusahn soldiers advancing on the shuttle. He immediately took aim and opened fire, taking all four men down with only four shots, each landing perfectly in the back of their necks, where their body armor was the least effective.
Corporal Elken looked over at Nathan, shocked. “Nice shots, Captain.”
Nathan did not react, instead continuing toward the hangar control room at the end of the catwalk.
“Wait!” Corporal Elken warned, knowing that taking out the four soldiers below would alert those in the control room of their approach.
Nathan ran along the catwalk toward the control room, paying no heed to the corporal’s warning cry. “Grenade!” he hollered back at the corporal as he fired into the windows of the control room ahead of him.
The windows blew open, and the corporal tossed his grenade into the room as they approached. The device detonated a few seconds later, sending two of the occupants flying through the shattered windows, falling onto the hangar deck below.
In one smooth motion, Nathan fired at the door, blowing it open. Three shots rang out from inside the smoke-filled control room, which Nathan deftly dodged with shocking speed and precision. Again, the corporal was surprised by the captain’s actions.
Nathan charged into the smoke-filled room. He fired once to his left, killing an armed guard, and then raised his left hand to block the butt of a rifle being swung toward his face. He twisted his arm around the butt, grabbing the middle of the weapon, stripping it from its owner and tossing it aside. At the same moment, he felt a blow against his gun hand, knocking his sidearm from his grip. His right hand dropped to his opponent’s side, instinctively grabbing the Dusahn soldier’s sidearm as he ducked under the man’s blow. He slid past the man, pushing him to the side as he passed, then spun around and shot him square in the face, killing him instantly.
By then, Corporal Elken was also in the control room, taking care of the other combatant in the still-smoky room.
Nathan immediately went to the control console, bypassing the automated traffic control system and releasing their shuttle back to its own manual controls. “You’re clear!” he called over comms. “Move to position two!”
“One our way!” Loki replied.
Corporal Elken and the other three Ghatazhak stood in the back of the control room, looking at the five dead bodies on the floor. “Maybe you want to leave a few for us next time?” he suggested to Nathan.
“Sorry,” he told the corporal as he activated the transfer airlock’s inner doors. “I guess I got carried away.”
Gil Roselle deftly adjusted the flight control stick of his Cobra gunship as he brought it out of a hard, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. As he rolled the ship level, his copilot’s fingers danced over the center pedestal, quickly setting up the next attack jump.
“You set, Bobby?” Gil called over comms.
“I’ll go high, you go low,” Robert replied from Striker One.
“Three seconds,” Gil replied as he checked his final course and speed.
The Dusahn cruiser maneuvered into position to the port side of the Takaran spaceport, preparing to defend the world’s only orbital facility. Dusahn octo fighters chased Gunyoki in all directions, attempting to thwart their attacks on the cruiser so the massive vessel could concentrate its weapons on larger enemy targets.
Suddenly, two Cobra gunships appeared less than five hundred meters to port of the vessel, heading directly for it. Both gunships opened fire, sending waves of plasma torpedoes into the cruiser’s midship, port shields. The cruiser’s shields flashed red-orange as it tried to absorb and disperse the massive amounts of energy it was being subjected to with each passing second. As the impacts continued, the enemy vessel’s shield glowed brighter and brighter. One by one, emitters on the middle of the ship’s port side began overloading, sending sparks flying in all directions. But the shields held, and the two Cobra gunships slipped past, above and below, disappearing as the enemy guns continued to pound the gunships’ shields until the very moment they jumped away.
“We are outta here!” Josh declared as he eased his lift control forward, causing the stolen Dusahn cargo shuttle to rise up off the deck. A twist of the flight control stick caused the ship to yaw around one hundred and eighty degrees while it hovered. As it came around to face the opening inner doors of the transfer airlock, he eased the control stick forward ever so slightly, causing the ship to move through the parting doors and into the airlock tunnel itself.
Once through, the inner doors automatically closed and the airlock tunnel began to depressurize.
Loki’s eyes widened at the sight of the outer doors as they began to part down the middle. “They aren’t opening fast enough. You need to slow down!”
“We’re fine,” Josh dismissed.
“No, we’re not!” Loki insisted, bracing himself for impact.
Josh pushed his control stick to the right, causing the ship to roll onto its right side, passing between the airlock doors with only centimeters to spare on either side. “Told ya.”
“Why couldn’t you just tell me you were going to do that, instead of scaring the hell out of me…yet again?” Loki wondered.
Josh laughed. “And miss the expression on your face?”
“You realize our lives are at risk here, right?”
“Yeah…that’s what makes it fun!”
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again,” Loki mumbled as he checked the tracer for Jessica’s signal, “there’s something wrong with you.”
“It’s part of my charm,” Josh joked. “Where’s she at?”
“Twelve degrees to port, six hundred and fifty meters,” Loki replied.
“Jess, you ready to go?” Josh called over comms.
“It’s about time,” Jessica replied.
“Captain, we’re moving in for the first pickup,” Loki reported. “We’ll be at the cargo bay in two minutes.”
“Warehouse Three is secure,” General Telles reported. “We are loading all four packages onto transport, now.”
“Team Three, report,” Nathan called over comms.
Energy weapons fire ricocheted off the wall to their right as all six Ghatazhak charged down the corridor, firing ahead of them as they ran. Incoming fire slammed into their personal shields, causing them to flash a brilliant yellow with each impact.
“Team Three is meeting heavy resistance,” Commander Kellen reported as he slipped in behind a vertical support beam, as cover, to give his personal shield a few moments rest to recharge.
“Transport is two minutes out,” Nathan warned. “Can you make it?”
“We’ll take it in ninety seconds,” the commander replied confidently. “Ghatazhak!” he yelled back at his team. “Forward!” he added, stepping back out into the incoming strea
ms of weapons fire, once again allowing his personal shield to take the impacts as he continued forward, returning fire as he progressed.
“Cruiser Two’s midship port shields are down to twenty percent!” Robert reported over comms. “If you swarm them, they’ll fail and you can take her apart!”
“I thought you were going to make another pass to finish her off!” Vol replied.
“We’ve got too many octos on our tail!” Robert insisted. “We’re jumping clear to shake them. We’ll be back in forty seconds!”
“That’s a fucking eternity!” Tariq exclaimed from Shenza Two.
“They aren’t as maneuverable as we are,” Vol reminded his wingman. “It takes time for them to come about. Isa, how many Gunyoki are within comms range at the moment?”
“Six!” Isa replied. “Wait…make that eight!”
“Shenza leader to all Gunyoki,” Vol called over comms. “Target Cruiser Two, port midship. Hit it with everything you’ve got!”
“We have about a minute before reinforcements arrive,” General Telles warned over comms. “What is your position?”
Nathan ran up to the corner of the intersection, peering around at the crossing corridor to ensure it was clear before continuing. “We’ve got one more security checkpoint to go through at the junction between sections fourteen and fifteen. If you’ve dealt with the checkpoint between fifteen and the cargo bay, then we’ll be clear all the way to you after this one.”
“You must hurry,” General Telles urged. “Our shuttle is landing now. Once Dusahn troops arrive, it will take them very little time to figure out what we are up to.”
“If we are not there by the time you are loaded, depart without us!” Nathan instructed as they ran down the next corridor.
“We will hold as long as possible,” General Telles insisted.
“Negative!” Nathan barked. “You must get those ZPEDs to the Aurora! This place is loaded with transports! We can find alternate transportation if we have to!”
“Understood,” General Telles agreed.
“Are you sure about that?” Corporal Elken wondered as they rounded the next corner.
“It’s a big base,” Nathan replied. “There’s got to be more jump shuttles around somewhere, right?”
“We’re at the third strike point,” Aiden announced. He glanced at the comms display next to him. “Still no abort message.”
“This battle is approaching ten minutes,” Chief Mando said from the systems console of Orochi Three. “No battle lasts ten minutes.”
“Yeah, that’s what worries me,” Aiden replied. “What’s the next strike package, Ali?”
“Ours is the orbital spaceport over Takara,” Ali replied from the missile control console. “One has the propellant plant on Jistan Seven, Two has the comm-drone transmission array on Cardona, and Four has surface-to-orbit plasma cannons around Answari.”
“Jesus, all this for a diversion?” Ledge exclaimed. “Why can’t we just target their ships?”
“Their ships are moving, Ledge,” Aiden replied. “Without position relays, there’s no way we’d hit them, and no one’s going to be scared of a bunch of jump missiles missing their targets over and over again.”
“Those plasma cannons are within the city,” Ledge reminded him. “There could be collateral damage.”
“Not our call, Ledge,” Aiden insisted. “We just push the buttons we’re told to push, remember?”
“It just doesn’t seem as easy as I thought,” Ledge admitted.
“What are you complaining about?” Ali wondered. “I’m the one pushing the launch button.”
“This is war, people,” Chief Mando snapped. “We do what we can to prevent collateral damage, but it happens. That’s why people try to avoid war in the first place.”
“That’s enough, all of you!” Aiden barked. “One minute to the third launch point. Are you ready, Ali?”
“I’m ready.”
“I can’t get an angle!” Ambros called from Shenza Eleven. “I’ve got too many guns on…”
Vol’s helmet comms crackled loudly.
“Eleven is hit! Ambros is dead stick! He’s headed… Oh, God!”
“Ambros!” Vol yelled over comms.
“I just lost Shenza Eleven’s transponder!” Isa reported from the back seat of Shenza One.
“Did he jump?” Vol wondered. “Did anyone see Ambros jump?”
“Negative,” Jenna reported from Shenza Nine. “His right engine was hit…he spun into the cruiser’s port, forward shields.”
“I can’t find Manzur!” Damus said. “Has anyone seen Shenza Eight?”
“I saw him jump out a few seconds ago,” another Gunyoki pilot reported. “He had two octos on him, and they jumped immediately after him.”
“Jesus,” Vol exclaimed. “We can’t take down this cruiser,” he admitted. “Between the cruiser’s point-defense and all these damned octos, we can’t even get close!”
“Someone shake these fuckers off my six!” another pilot begged.
“Shenza Leader to all Gunyoki,” Vol barked. “Jump to rally point lima five. We’ll regroup and choose another target.”
Robert pressed the jump button on his flight control stick, and a moment later the Dusahn cruiser appeared before him, less than a kilometer away. “Shit! It’s still here!”
“Strike package three is twenty seconds away!” Sasha warned.
Robert glanced at his tactical display, noting that Striker Two had also jumped in. “Gil! We have to bring this bitch down, now, before the missiles come!” he said as he pressed his firing button.
Waves of plasma torpedoes streaked forth from under their noses, slamming into the Dusahn cruiser’s weakened, port, midship shields. Within seconds, the shield completely collapsed, and the plasma torpedoes tore the ship open. The explosions caused a chain reaction, and the cruiser’s remaining shields began to blow, as well.
“Five seconds to missiles!” Sasha warned.
“Clear out, Gil!”
“I’m already gone!” Gil replied from Striker Two.
Four blue-white flashes of light washed over Striker One’s cockpit as jump missiles appeared less than five hundred meters from the orbital spaceport over Takara. Five seconds later, the missiles impacted the target, blowing it apart in yellow-white explosions.
Robert pitched his gunship upward, getting a clear jump line, and pressed his jump button just in the nick of time.
The Dusahn cargo shuttle jerked to a stop less than a meter away from the four antigravity carts containing the large, zero-point energy devices that General Telles and his team had taken from the warehouse on Rama.
The side cargo door slid open, revealing Jessica and Specialist Samudio, both of them still wearing the majority of their EVA gear.
“You boys need a ride?” Jessica asked, smiling.
“We must get these loaded quickly,” General Telles insisted. “We have little time.”
“Where is Nathan?” Jessica asked as she activated the loading grappler, causing it to swing out from the cargo bay.
“He should be here momentarily,” General Telles replied.
“Nathan, Jess,” Jessica called over comms. “Tick tock, Skipper.”
“Stop nagging,” Nathan replied, energy weapons fire sounding in the background.
“Now is not the time to be dancing with the locals,” Jessica scolded.
“Tell them that,” Nathan replied.
“You need backup?”
“Negative!” Nathan barked. “Just get those ZPEDs loaded and get ready to liftoff!”
“Not without you, boss,” Jessica insisted.
“General!” Nathan barked.
General Telles looked at Jessica.
“Not without Nathan,” she stated emphatically, looking him in the eyes.
* * *
Explosions shook the Dusahn command center in the heart of Answari, the capital of Takara.
“My, God!” one of the Dusahn commanders excla
imed. “They’re targeting our surface defenses with jump missiles!”
“Steady, Commander,” General Hesson urged.
“We have lost the Mor-Ganzen!” another commander announced.
Lord Dusahn stood quietly, observing the battle, his eyes darting from view screen to view screen as data streamed in from all ships and sensor arrays throughout the Takar system. “Why are they not targeting our battleships?” he wondered more to himself than to others.
“Perhaps they realize that they cannot defeat them with gunships and fighters,” General Hesson suggested.
“They seem to have plenty of jump missiles to lob our way,” Lord Dusahn observed. “Why not use them against our greatest assets, instead of such lesser targets?” Lord Dusahn noticed an icon on the map of the Pentaurus cluster that suddenly switched from green to flashing red. “What is that?”
General Hesson looked at the flashing icon. “The Tico system.” The general snapped his fingers to get the attention of one of his aides, pointing to the icon. “Why is the Tico system showing an alert?”
“What is there?” Lord Dusahn inquired.
“Nothing of interest,” the general replied. “Only a factory that produces the zero-point devices that power most of the newer Takaran ships.”
“We have lost contact with the facility on Rama in the Tico system,” General Hesson’s aide reported.
“That is what they are after,” Lord Dusahn realized.
“But ZPED technology is already known and in common usage by the Alliance,” General Hesson pointed out to his leader.
“The Aurora was badly damaged, was it not?” Lord Dusahn postulated.
“We do not have current intelligence on the Aurora’s status…”
“She is powered by antimatter reactors, not ZPEDs,” Lord Dusahn continued. “If those reactors became unstable…” He looked at the General. “Has the Aurora left the orbit of Rakuen since we last attacked her?”
“Not to my knowledge, my lord,” General Hesson replied, “but again, we have no recent…”