Planet of the Valkyries

by Callista Hawkes

  The next morning, you stand alongside the seated Captain Madison as you continue ever closer to the unknown territory of the Aurigan Empire.

  “Incoming transmission, Captain.” The communications officer calls across to her. “A distress call!”

  “On screen.” She replies. The view screen fills with a wild-eyed officer, the bridge consoles behind him arcing and sparking, the air thick with smoke. The transmission resolution drops, the picture stuttering.

  “Please…” He pleads before a burst of static drowns out the next few words. “…dead. Just a few of us left… catastrophic failure of… engines offline… situation critical… help… help us, please!” The transmission freezes on the haunted face of the bridge officer.

  “End of transmission.” The communications officer confirms.

  “Do we have a fix on their position?” You ask the navigation officer.

  “Yes, Commander.” She confirms, studying the screen before her. “It’s coming from a freighter, the Zephyr, orbiting a nearby planet.” She swivels on her chair towards you, her eyes widening. “Her orbit is decaying rapidly! I estimate that she’ll burn up in the atmosphere in another six hours.”

  “What’s the Zephyr’s complement?” The Captain asks.

  “Seventeen souls, Captain.” She replies.

  “Goddamn it.” The captain mutters before turning to you. “Thoughts, commander?”

  Suggest you mount a rescue

  You must get the Ambassador to her destination without delay. Ignore the distress call

  “The best form of defence is attack, Captain.” You reply. “I’d recommend we raise our shields and get our weapon systems online.”

  “Raise shields.” She nods. “But standby with weapon systems. We don’t want to appear aggressive if they aren’t hostile.”

  “Shields up.” The helmsman confirms.

  “Captain, she’s closing fast!” The navigator glances over her shoulder at the captain. “Torpedoes inbound!”

  “Shit.” Captain Madison is up out of her seat. “Activate weapon systems and return fire!” The Ranger trembles as the torpedoes explode against the shield. Laser bolts streak through space towards you and again the ship shudders as they find their mark.

  “Weapon systems online.” The helmsman replies. “Returning fire.” Your own laser bolts streak back at your attacker which now fills the screen, her broad curved hull, bristling with laser cannons and torpedo launchers, fires again and again, the Ranger rocking with each hit. Abruptly, your return fire stops.

  “Damage report!” Captain Madison barks.

  “Direct hit to the power relay to the weapon systems.” The helmsman replies, panic creeping into his voice. “Weapon systems are offline and shields are at twenty-three percent and dropping.”

  “Goddamn it.” She mutters before glancing at you. “Any bright ideas?” At that moment, the console next to her explodes in a mass of sparks, flames and smoke, knocking her to the floor.

  “Captain!” You call out, dropping to your knees and rolling her onto her back. She is unconscious with a deep gash just above her right eye. “Get her to the sickbay.” You snap at one of the junior bridge officers as you scramble back to your feet. He nods and as he drags her unceremoniously towards the turbolift, the Ranger trembles again.

  “Shields down!” The helmsman calls out. You brace yourself, knowing the next hit could destroy the entire ship. Nothing.

  “Incoming transmission, Commander.” The communications officer tells you, her voice flat.

  “On screen.” You reply, turning towards the forward view screen.

  “Greetings!” The beaming purple skinned face of a Medusan female fills the screen.

  “Risa.” You murmur, recognising her immediately from wanted posters in every spaceport across the galaxy. The self-styled Pirate Queen has a fearsome but fair reputation.

  “I wish to parley.” She smiles, the yellow snake-like tentacles jutting out of her head which gave her race their name, writhing.

  “I don’t negotiate with pirates.” You reply defiantly.

  “Your weapon systems and shields are down.” Risa replies. “You are defenceless. I’m going to take what I want whether you negotiate or not. If I have to board and take it by force, then we are both liable to suffer losses. If you give me your word as an officer that you will not resist, then we can conclude our business without any loss of life. I’ll give you two minutes to decide.” The transmission is abruptly ended, leaving you gazing at the formidable pirate vessel hovering just off your bow.

  “Still no shields or weapons?” You ask the helmsman.

  “No sir.” He replies. “Damage control reports that the damage is extensive and estimates two days to repair the damage to both. Engines are still operational.”

  “Not much good to us with their ship parked right in front of us.” You reply, before a thought crosses your mind. “Though, maybe she’s right where we want her. Could we survive a collision?”

  “You want us to ram her?!” He blinks. “Sir, we’d suffer as much damage as them!”

  “Our two minutes is almost up, Commander.” The communications officer tells you.

  Ram the pirate ship

  Agree to Risa’s terms

  “Evacuate everyone from the forward sections and seal it off.” You tell the communications officer.

  “The enemy vessel is hailing us.” She replies.

  “Ignore it.” You tell her. “Just get those sections cleared.”

  “Understood Commander.” She replies as you turn to the helmsman.

  “On my mark, engage the engines on full.” You tell him, glancing up at the formidable shape of the green pirate vessel on the screen before you. The helmsman nods and you glance back at the communications officer. A moment later, she swivels in her chair towards you.

  “All forward sections reporting cleared and sealed.” She tells you.

  “Full speed ahead.” You tell the helmsman.

  “Aye, Commander.” He replies. The whole ship lurches forward as the engines are engaged and you grasp the back of the captain’s chair to keep your balance. The pirate vessel grows rapidly, filling the view screen and you see a few of the laser cannons glow as they open fire again. At point blank range, they can only hit the empty forward section.

  “Brace for impact!” The helmsman shouts out. Moments later you are thrown to the floor as the Ranger shakes violently as the two hulls smash together. As you scramble back to your feet, you notice a series of explosions across the pirate vessel. Atmosphere vents into space in plumes from several different locations.

  “Explosive decompressions.” You grin. “Looks like we’ve dealt them a heavy blow.”

  “Sensors detect critical damage to their reactor.” The helmsman tells you. “Estimate it will explode and rip the ship apart in less than an hour.”

  “They’re hailing us, Commander.” The communications officer calls out.

  “On screen.” You reply. The stricken green vessel is replaced by the face of Risa. The pirate queen is a far cry from her cool and confident earlier appearance. Her expression is grim, her red eyes are narrowed and glare malevolently at you, while a cut on the side of her head oozes bluish-grey blood.

  “You stupid son of a bitch.” She growls. “What have you done?”

  Abandon the pirates to their fate

  Board the vessel and capture the pirates

  “I’ve dealt with a threat to the shipping lanes.” You shrug. “Your hubris has been your downfall, Pirate Queen.” You add with a smirk. Risa’s red eyes burn with rage.

  “I’ll see you in hell!” She snarls.

  “Maybe, but you’ll be there long before me.” You nod to the communications officer who cuts the transmission just as Risa opens her mouth to retort.

  “Take us to the nearest outpost.” You tell the helmsman. “We’ve got some repairs to make.”

  Continue

  “Prepare to be boarded.” You tell Risa. “Su
rrender immediately and you and your crew won’t be harmed.”

  “Just imprisoned for the rest of our lives.” She spits bitterly. “I don’t think so.” With that, she cuts the transmission, the view returning to the stricken green vessel.

  “Take us alongside and extend the umbilical docking tube.” You tell the helmsman. “I’ll take a take a team across myself.”

  A few minutes later, you stand before the airlock door with a team of marines, all of you clad in body armour with blasters in hand.

  “I don’t need to remind you that this band of pirates is the scourge of the quadrant.” You tell them. “They’re dangerous and desperate, so be careful. Let’s do a professional job.” The marines nod, each of them looking focused and confident. The airlock door slides open and you step through, walking single file along the narrow transparent umbilical tube stretching between the two vessels. With the depths of space all around you, it makes you feel small and vulnerable and you hurry across, even though a far greater danger awaits you at the far end. As you reach the green airlock door, one of the marines steps forward and accesses a panel next to it, the other marines taking up firing positions. After a moment, the door slides open and a barrage of laser fire erupts from inside, striking the body armour of a couple of the marines who tumble backwards. Several pirates are arrayed across the corridor beyond the airlock door and are armed with blasters and laser rifles. You and the marines answer with fire of your own and your military professionalism swiftly wins the engagement, the pirates are snatched back off their feet as your shots find their marks. Finally the weapons fire dies down and you turn your attention to the wounded.

  “You okay?” You ask them, helping one back to her feet.

  “Yes sir.” She nods. “The armour did its job.” You notice the scorch mark in the thick breastplate. “And you?” You ask the other marine as he scrambles to his feet.

  “Good to go, sir.” He grins, brandishing his blaster. You nod and the marines all file into the ship, stepping over the bodies of the fallen pirates.

  “We’ll separate into two squads.” You tell the marines. “Squad one will take the bridge while squad two will sweep the hold. No telling what these scum are hiding down there.” The marines separate into two equal squads of six and prepare to carry out their orders.

  Go with squad one to the bridge

  Go with squad two to the hold

  While squad one heads towards the bridge, you lead squad two down a staircase to the lower decks and the hold. The more you see of the vessel, the more you are surprised she is still spaceworthy. The corridors are corroded and battered with steel plates roughly welded over the worst areas. Pipes spew what you hope is just steam and there are several areas of darkness where the lighting is out and hasn’t been either repaired or replaced. You move slowly, knowing these areas would be excellent places for the crew to conceal themselves before ambushing you.

  “This is the scourge of the space lanes?!” One of the marines mutters behind you. “What a piece of shit.”

  “It’s the captain and crew that are the scourge.” You growl over your shoulder at him. “That they’ve been so successful in a vessel in this condition only reinforces their threat. Don’t underestimate them, marine.”

  “No, sir.” He replies.

  As you reach the hold, your clear run comes to an end as a barrage of blaster fire lights up the darkness. The hold is full of crates and containers of the pirates’ ill-gotten gains and you all move into cover behind them as pirates fire down from a gantry above.

  “Lay down your weapons and surrender!” You shout out.

  “Fuck you!” Comes the inevitable reply followed by heavy blaster fire around the crate you are using for cover. You glance at your marines and shrug your shoulders.

  “Take ‘em out.” The marines lay down a suppressing fire and their professionalism and accuracy begins to tell. The shouted threats and blaster fire are punctuated with yelps of pain as the defenders fall and the remaining pirates are slowly forced back. As you press your advantage, you notice a door to one side of the hold. It is clearly inoperable and partly open.

  “What do you think about that door over there?” You ask one of the marines, gesturing towards it.

  “A good spot for an ambush, sir.” He replies, glancing warily at it.

  “Keep pressing the advantage.” You tell him. “It’s probably nothing, but I’ll check it out.” The marine nods, before pulling a grenade from his belt.

  “Just in case it isn’t nothing.” He grins, passing it to you before re-joining the rest of his squad as they force the pirates back. You move from cover to cover towards the door, sporadic blaster fire fizzing past you. The door is a heavy blast door and looks like it was once an airlock for large containers back when this vessel was an honest freighter. Listening next to the narrow opening between the doors, you can hear movement within.

  Toss a grenade into the airlock

  Cautiously pull open the door

  Deciding you’re not taking any chances, you activate the grenade, a red light flashing on the top of the narrow cylinder. You toss it through the gap between the doors and take cover. It detonates a moment later, the deck trembling beneath your feet with the concussion. Moments later, the marines regroup on your position.

  “The hold is secure.” One reports. “Squad one has also taken the bridge. Risa and her bridge crew have been eliminated.”

  “Good work.” You reply, peering through the gap between the doors. The interior of the airlock is thick with dust and smoke. If anyone was hiding within, there is no way they could have survived the explosion. Two of the marines step forward and wrench open the doors. Powerful torchlights penetrate the darkness and you can make out what appears to be the twisted remains of a cage at the far end.

  “Might have been the brig.” One of the marines comments as you all step inside, your boots crunching on the scattered debris underfoot.

  “We’ve got a body.” Another comments, stepping into the cage. “Human female, but impossible to positively identify her now.”

  “Shit.” You murmur, seeing the charred corpse lying facedown in the centre of the cage.

  “Probably just a crew member that Risa had thrown in here for drunkenness or violence.” He shrugs.

  “Maybe.” You reply doubtfully as you notice the burnt remnants of what appears to be a teal coloured ball gown around the corpse. Feeling a pang of guilt deep inside you, you turn your attention to your mission. “We’ve done all we can here. Let’s get back to the Ranger before the whole ship disintegrates around us.”

  Twenty minutes later, you stand on the bridge of the Ranger, watching on the forward view screen as the pirate vessel judders as a series of explosions rip through her hull. Moments later, the whole ship explodes in a brilliant flash of light. You barely notice, the image of the mysterious corpse seared into your mind.

  “Lay in a course for the nearest outpost.” You tell the helmsman, trying to turn your attention elsewhere. “We need to make some repairs before we continue our voyage.”

  You watch with satisfaction from the captain’s chair as the Ranger slowly and carefully docks with the spindle shaped Outpost Seven.

  “Hard lock achieved.” The helmsman tells you.

  “Very good.” You reply.

  “Commander.” The communications officer calls out. “Maintenance tells us that the artificial gravity system may be temporarily offline when they implement repairs in four hours’ time.”

  “Noted.” You reply. “Issue a ship-wide warning.”

  “And Ambassador Hathaway has requested your presence in her quarters.” She adds. You sigh. It never rains but it pours.

  Go to Ambassador Hathaway’s quarters

  Decline the invitation

  You proceed through the labyrinthine corridors of the stricken vessel towards the bridge. There is sporadic resistance along the way, but much of the pirate ship has been depressurised by the collision and you conclude that m
ost of the crew are already dead. When you reach the heavy blast doors to the bridge, one of the marines accesses the vessel’s computer system while you and the marines pull on thermal imagining goggles. He holds up his fingers and folds each digit down in turn. Five… four… three… two… one… The heavy blast doors slide open while simultaneously the lights are switched off. You all step inside, picking targets. The bright red-orange silhouettes, skulking behind consoles are picked off quickly and efficiently until just one is left.

  “Wait!” You hear a familiar feminine voice call out, the silhouette raising her hands.

  “Hold your fire.” You call out to the marines. “And get the lights back on.” Moments later, the bridge is once again brightly lit, bodies lying everywhere. Risa stands amid the carnage, her hands still raised and fear in her red eyes. One of the marines steps forward and checks her for weapons.

  “Bridge is secure.” He confirms a moment later.

  “You coward.” You spit. “You could have surrendered when you had the chance and spared your crew. Now you surrender just to save your own worthless hide.”

  “Pirates abhor weakness.” She shrugs. “My crew would have shot me themselves if I had surrendered and fought you to the last man anyway. It was never a real choice.”

  “We ought to execute her right now.” One of the marines snarls, his rifle trained on her.

  “No!” She implores you. “I’ve surrendered! Spare me and I’ll give you important information!”

  “Don’t listen to her, Commander.” The marine tells you. “She’s a murderer several times over. She doesn’t deserve mercy. Give the order and I’ll see that her victims are avenged.”

  Give the order

  Accept Risa’s surrender

  “Stand down, marine.” You reply. “We’re the Galactic Navy, not a lynch mob. Secure the prisoner.”

  “Yes sir.” He replies, reluctantly lowering his rifle. Risa relaxes and breathes a sigh of relief.