Tanner said, "No worries, Sarge. Don't think that will work a second time."
"Just keep them in place," I said. "Xurpok can handle this."
For twenty minutes the hallway was held. That all changed as a new rush of fighters flooded in at the other end. Word came from Collins, they were under a rush as well. I dove across the hall, pulling Mendez to her feet and tossing her out into the hall and toward the corner. When I dashed out after, it was with the trigger of my plasma rifle being squeezed as rapidly as I could manage. The barrel began to heat as round after round exited the tip.
Mendez was again on the floor, firing at a pace that was equal to mine. Only the occasional laser pulse made it to our end of the hall as body after body exploded as the plasma entering their systems rapidly expanded. The onrush was slowed, but only by the fact the bodies were impeding the progress of those behind them.
When the rush reached ten meters we fell back to the next turn. Tanner and Collins were just coming around the corner at their end. I again grabbed Mendez and pulled back.
"Come on!" I yelled. "We hold them at the bridge!"
Sammy came over the comm. "I've been monitoring the surge. The Fracker is again connected to the pipe on the end of this deck. If you can make it here, the door is open."
I signaled the others to fall back to the pipe. We turned the final corner as the hallway coming to the bridge filled with Herzek fighters. I was the last through the pipe, closing the hatch only a moment before the first laser blasts struck our bonded-on hatch.
A hole was burned through, causing a rapid out-gassing of air followed by a hatch seal that failed. The temporary metal door blew out into space as we pulled away. One after another Herzek fighter was pulled into the vacuum before an inner bulkhead automatically closed and sealed off the leak. I plopped back in a chair as the Fracker headed for the docking bay.
Chapter 7
* * *
When we landed in the bay, the remaining merc crews were finishing up the termination of Herzeks as I had requested. There had been a massive surge of unarmed fighters coming forward, but a relentless barrage of plasma bolts had pushed them back before the bay could be taken.
I opened a comm to station command. "General Tachnen. What's your status?"
"We've managed to thwart two charges now, but we've lost a lot of Marines. Not certain how much longer we can hold out. Can you send help?"
I turned to Sammy, "How many bios are on the warship?"
"Scan says fourteen. And I'm showing one up on the bridge."
I opened a comm. "Xurpok? Are you there?"
"I am."
"The ship is clear."
"I am fatigued."
Tanner said, "We should be going up."
"What? Why?"
"You people can drive her while I use that laser to take out those shuttles. If one makes it aboard we'll have to fight for her all over again."
"Excellent suggestion. Xurpok, stay there at the bridge. We're gonna need your translation skills to fly this ship."
The Malfy continued to hold the shuttles at bay as we hustled up the stairs to the bridge.
When we reached the top deck, Tanner turned. "I'll get the laser set to fire. And Xurpok, I may be asking you a few questions."
"I will come with you to explain. Sergeant, I will join you on the bridge momentarily."
The tutorial on the laser was done and over in five minutes. Two shuttles, out of ten, had been destroyed before Xurpok reached the bridge. The ship's drives were brought online and engaged. Three minutes later the last of the Herzek shuttles had been destroyed, along with the thousands of fighters they held.
With the ship under our control and the shuttles gone, our attention was turned toward the docking bays of the station. We parked the warship, boarded the Fracker, and were soon making our way into and out of the lower docking bay of the station's central spine. Sixteen flights of stairs were climbed before we reached the first of the Herzek fighters.
Xurpok sprinted past, diving into their gathering as they looked the other way. Chaos, mayhem, and death were the last things those Herzek fighters experienced. A dozen were dead before I could fire a shot.
The next two hours were spent climbing the stairs of the spine and killing invaders. Xurpok moved as though he were a machine. Deck after deck saw the same result, parts of bodies flying as whole bodies exploded from plasma rounds. It was a hideous sight, and somewhat gratifying, knowing they had attacked our space without provocation.
When we reached the final deck, Xurpok collapsed. He had done all he could. And what he had done had been enough. The Herzek had come away from the ring in an attempt to defend their position. Only— the Marines had not stayed put. They instead charged after, exacting a heavy toll on our foe as they went. When the last of the Herzek fell to our weapons, I let out a sigh of relief.
We had taken back the station with a handful of merc ships. It was an outcome I did not think possible when we had our first view of the Herzek ship. But through cooperation, and because we had what I began to consider a superweapon, we had been victorious. And the civilian population of Cygni Station had remained largely alive. Aside from a large part of the Marine force stationed there, only a handful of unfortunate civilian workers had lost their lives in the spine.
Six days passed before the first of the other merc ships jumped into Cygni space. Before the day was out another two hundred had shown up. It was a poor-man's fleet, but a fleet that had answered the call of duty— with the first to arrive having held their own.
General Tachnen handed command of the merc fleet over to me. I was reluctant to accept the position but reasoned it wouldn't hurt to get my name out and known among the other mercs. Respect was a most important factor in the merc community, and the Fracker and her crew had just earned our share.
I could only believe the war with the Herzek was just beginning. They now knew of our space, enough so that they had sent a powerful warship to try to take one of our colonies. Nothing told me this would be a one-time event. We would have to be better prepared.
Three weeks were spent patrolling the space in and around Cygni Station before our military fleet arrived. The Maxan advance had been stalled and pushed back, but not without the loss of one third of our ships. We were not ready for a war on two fronts and against two separate enemies.
The flight back to Alday Port would be long. Even though it was little more than a continuous series of wormhole jumps, the time seemed to drag on forever. I sat in the lounge with the others. Xurpok seemed in a better mood.
Tanner said, "So, the Herzek, I bet that was satisfying."
Xurpok nodded. "It was. Fighting your Maxans was much less so."
"First of all they are not our Maxans, but yeah, I could see that. Kind of creepy little buggers too. Almost insect-like. And I don't get why either species is so eager to die."
Mendez said, "You step next to an ant hill they don't quit attacking until you're out of range. I'd say it's normal animal behavior."
"Yeah, but we aren't animals. We're supposed to be smart, to think and to evaluate. Both of those species are smart enough to conquer space flight. Why can't they figure out how to live in peace?"
Collins chuckled. "I never figured you for a peace-nik."
"And you figured right. But I'm messed up that way. I like this stuff. Most people don't. Xurpok, what were your people like?"
"Very much like you Humans. Most good. Some bad. We had those who were brilliant and yet at the same time social pariahs. And those who were gifted in the social graces only they were greedy or selfish. Some would steal in order to possess what you possessed, while others would steal to feed their families."
Mendez huffed. "Great. Just what we need. More Humans."
We arrived back at port only to be hurried into a debrief. Congratulations were plentiful, and even though we had won a great victory and captured a new enemy ship, our pay was held at the negotiated rate. I told Tanner to remind me to add
in a bonus clause next time.
We returned to the Fracker to find Xurpok livid with anger. During our time at Cygni, the admiralty had authorized a search of Xurpok's ship. His brother, Bardok had been discovered and awakened. As a consequence of being kept in stasis while so much had been going on, Bardok had insisted on joining the CDF military. After a full accounting of what Xurpok had done against the Herzek, Command was all too eager to offer him a commission.
And as a result of his prolonged stasis, Bardok had no interest in discussing any of the current events with his brother.
I sat beside Xurpok in the lounge. "We couldn't have foreseen this."
"It is my fault, Sergeant. You advised me to wake him. I chose to wait."
"Is he as intelligent as you?"
"He is."
"Then he has made his own decision. Over time he will learn to forgive and forget. Let's just hope the admiralty treats him like the asset he is. They have a tendency to sometimes throw whatever they have at a situation without fully evaluating the consequences. The mercs live with those decisions on a daily basis."
Tanner joined us. "Hey, just be happy he's alive. That gives you time to convince him we're the team he wants to work with."
Collins sat down next. "Don't buy what he's peddling, Xurpok. He only wants you on this team because he thinks it somehow makes him look better."
Tanner scowled. "Shouldn't you be off shaving your eyebrows or something? We're trying to have a serious discussion here."
I had to chuckle to myself at the thought of Tanner and Collins as they continued with their endless back and forth of not-so-great puns. At one time, I had considered them the best squad members a sergeant could want. Those thoughts remained true on many fronts. I then glanced over at Xurpok. He was a fighter's fighter. Agile, fearless, fast, reasonable, powerful, and smart... beyond what any sergeant could ever hope for.
~~~~~
Mintaka Melee
(THE SQUAD Novelette 5)
Chapter 1
* * *
During the Maxan assault at Bellatrix, our military had managed to capture four warships without the use of merc crews. Four was an unusually high number to be captured. My sources at the fleet were either tight-lipped or they just didn't know as to why. I had to wonder if Xurpok's brother Bardok had been used while we were away. Xurpok wondered the same.
After our successful recapture of Cygni Station, I made use of goodwill to ask if we could see the log files of the captured ships. Permission was granted only after asking just the right authorities. The logs were studied for mention of the Corbo and we were thrilled to find a reference to a transport, filled with Corbo people, being taken to an outpost at Mintaka for study.
It had been one hundred sixteen years since the Corbo's capture, making it virtually impossible for any to still be alive, but there was always the possibility of descendants. It gave Xurpok a tiny bit of hope, and we were more than willing to support him in a search. But there was one major problem. The Mintaka outpost was a big unknown.
Was it still there? Had it grown in size? Would we be able to get in close enough in the Fracker to find out if any Corbo were being kept there? All were questions we were eager to have answers to, so we began planning for a mission.
I made my way to a dining hall to buy lunch for Tumbe Bradley. He and the crew of the Malfeasance had been a huge help at Cygni. We loaded our meals on a tray and took a table by the giant glass wall that looked out on the space docks. It also offered a great view of battleship row. Thirty-eight of our top-of-the-line ships sat parked as CDF command mulled over their options. The last Maxan attack had been costly for both sides and neither seemed eager to get right back into it.
Tumbe sat across from me with a smile. "Xavier. I was wondering if you were ever going to pay your debt."
"I always pay my debts, Tumbe. That's something you can count on. But the real reason I asked you here today was to gather information on those light cannons you have on the Malfy. How did you come by those?"
Tumbe leaned in. "Please. If we are to talk of this, call them something else. There are always those willing to sell information. And while most of the brass know of my... banjos, so long as it's not public knowledge, they are willing to turn a blind eye."
I nodded. "OK. So where were these 'banjos' acquired?"
"From the music store of course." Tumbe grinned for several seconds over his attempt at being witty, before realizing the pun hadn't worked. "They were off a decommissioned fighter. A few credits spread around saw to it they were not removed before the fighter was sold for salvage. They were expensive, but worth it. More than once they have saved our lives. And I would rather be alive, pay a fine, and have them confiscated than be dead, scattered as debris floating forever in the cold, blackness of space."
Tanner and Collins joined us with Mendez just behind.
Tanner asked, "So what are we discussing?"
I replied, "Banjos."
Tanner frowned and tilted his head to one side. "Hmm. That would not have been my guess— ever."
Collins asked as Mendez sat at the table as well. "I would have said this discussion is about the bang-bang on somebody's woosh-woosh."
Mendez scowled. "Woosh-woosh? What are you like six years old?"
Tanner chuckled. "Six? You're being generous this morning."
I leaned in with a stern look. "This is business. If the three of you want to sit here you need to be quiet. Try listening for once. Maybe you'll learn something."
Tumbe went on to describe how he had acquired the cannons and from whom. He also said it had been many years, and he knew for a fact that most of his contacts of the time had moved on. He was, however, able to give us the names of an engineering firm that liked to dabble in such matters. If we were able to find weapons, they would be willing to integrate them into the Fracker... for a price.
Two hours had passed before we went our separate ways. I moved on to make contact with the engineering firm. They were reluctant to speak of the venture at first but warmed to the idea as discussions of transferring credits began. A base price of twenty thousand credits was settled upon for an initial design. Specifics would most certainly send that cost higher.
With the engineering in line and available, our focus turned toward acquiring cannons of our own. We had returned to the warehouse and were sitting around in a small lounge we had put together for ourselves. After days out snooping around in the underworld, we had come back with no leads.
During our quest we were made aware of the dangers of searching for illegal arms. There had been a recent crackdown on black-market weapons by CDF security forces. While it was rumored there were still weapons to be had, the usual dealers were not interested in discussing such. If we wanted a cannon or two, we would have to acquire them on our own.
Tanner said, "Why not just go out and take down another Warmonger? They use a similar weapon. Why couldn't we integrate one or more of those?"
Mendez shook her head. "They use a different power system. Unless these engineers can figure that out too, getting our hands on a Maxan cannon would be useless."
Tanner shrugged. "May cost more credits, but if we acquire the weapon for free it comes out as a wash. And it's not looking like we're gonna get one anywhere else."
I said, "I have to believe Mr. Tanner is right on this one. Our best bet is to go out and take it from one of the Maxan ships."
Xurpok replied, "Are you proposing we do this before a mission to Mintaka?"
I nodded. "Absolutely before then. You are a remarkable asset when we get aboard a ship, but we first have to get to it. Our armor is sufficient, but if another vessel shows while we are piped, it would not be good for Sammy, nor for us if we decide we have to leave. We need to have the ability to fight should it be called for."
"This effort will take months."
"It will. But a raid out to Mintaka is not an immediate need. The events in the logs with your people happened over one hundred years ago.
A few months now won't make a difference."
"Did you not say I own the Fracker?"
"Among the people in this room, yes. But legally, no. As a non-citizen you don't have the right to own and operate a ship in CDF space. That's why we're partners. You need us and we need you. And we're more than willing to risk our lives out at Mintaka for your sake, but not unnecessarily so."
Xurpok backed down from his stand, apologizing for his outburst. No one saw need for an apology given the situation. Being a team meant we listened to others who had beefs. Xurpok was eager to get back to his hunt. We were eager to do so with the proper equipment.
Chapter 2
* * *
A run was made out to Maxan space. A week was spent jumping from system to system before an encounter was made. A Warstalker was parked in orbit over a planet. Sammy jumped us away and then back in again as close as was possible. A forty-second run saw a dozen heavy laser pulses digging into our new armor.
"Twenty seconds to breach."
It was the signal from Sammy we were waiting for after already having suited up. A tube was extended and a new hatch bonded to the side of the warship. I was the first through the pipe but was quickly passed by Xurpok as he hurried by. Again, as each time before, a contingent of Maxan soldiers lay scattered across the halls as we struggled to keep up with the Corbo Tornado.
As we reached the third hallway, a flash of black tore around the corner and sprinted past our position. Before we could react, a pair of repeater bolts bounced off the far wall and raced down the corridor after Xurpok. Collins turned and hurried after, far too slow to change the situation in any meaningful way. Two thuds could be heard before a near shadow zipped by, going back around the corner from where he had begun.
Collins was soon up behind us. "He had the tag off and was coming back before I could get to him, Sarge."
I glanced back toward the corner. "Good. So long as he can detect he's been hit he has a good chance of outrunning those."
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