by J. W. Kurtz
"Shit!" a frustrated Weston called out.
"What?" Wray asked.
"The plasma torch..."
"Yes???" Chavez prompted.
With a heavy sigh of near complete dejection, while holding the torch in one hand and pointing at the offending tool with her other, "the igniter is electric. It won't light."
"Well yes...that would be a problem I suppose," Wray said. "So if we can't cut them open what are our other options? What other tools do we have?"
"Uh, a couple of prybars and hammers, Captain. Nothing that'll peal those tin cans in a million-years," Weston answered.
"Someone say they needed a light?" boomed the voice of Kyler Bachman from down the corridor.
The heads of Wray, Chavez, and Weston turned to see a grinning Bachman, bathing in the eerie glow of a chem light floating nearby. He was perched, as much as one can perch, on the ruins of a shoulder mounted blaster of one of the frozen Ogres, one hand absently knocking on the armored helmet of the disabled foe, the other...playfully flicking the lighter he used to light his knowingly clichéd victory cigars. "I'll light your torch if you can spot me a real Earth cigar grown and wrapped in the South American Fed...nah just kidding! Get down here. Let's light that fucker up and coax these assholes outta our nice new suits if we can!" And to punctuate his statement he rapped heavily on the visor of the boarder he was harassing.
As the trio of Wray, Chavez, and Weston glided down the corridor to begin their work, Chavez asked, "I wonder how Ayad is dealing with this and if the field or whatever it is extends that far aft?"
The reply from the collection of the Bellerophon defenders, now working on the drifting hulks of the Ogres, was silence.
Chapter 23:
An emergency chem light snapped on illuminating the darkened main engineering space. The chem light was not in the hand of Ayad or Swanson even. Instead, the bringer of light was the very young and yet very capable Chief Engineer of the Belle', James Callo.
"What are you doing on the overhead, Ayad?" Callo casually asked his surprised crewmate.
"Looking for the kit next to the hatch, James," Ayad responded evenly.
"Well, I can tell you, the kit, this kit," Callo said as he gently patted the white and red box with his free hand, "is certainly not on the overhead."
"Yeah, I can see that smart guy. Respect your elders, please. Now, drift one of those lights my way and bring the kit over to Swanson. He took a pretty good burn from a plasma bolt."
"Sure thing...whoa!" Callo reeled back as much as one can real in surprise, which is not at all, when drifting forward following Newton's laws and whatnot. "Um, is he dead?" Callo asked as they drifted by the still form of the lone wolf that had terrorized his engineering spaces with death and destruction.
"Nope," Ayad responded but withholding elaboration for a couple breaths to keep the scare in Callo going, "I think he's good to go in there, and in fact if the lights come back on...he'd be right back in business except this time he'd probably be pissed. Really pissed."
Callo shot a look showing alarm and great concern at Ayad, who was smiling at him, as the two continued to drift to the far end of the compartment with the kit in hand to deliver assistance to the injured Clark Swanson.
Gently the two "landed" alongside their injured colleague. Swanson managed a poor attempt at a smile through a grimacing face. The pain he was fighting was very obvious. The effects of the adrenaline dumb abating fast. Ayad opened the kit gathered by Callo and began to administer aid as best he could.
As Ayad was working to stabilize their colleague, Callo scanned the space of his ravaged engineering compartment. Through his inspection it was hard to ignore the smell of burnt flesh mixed with the acrid odor of melted insulation and vaporized alloys. The compartment was much like Swanson; it was a mess. Callo's eyes were again drawn to the hulking killer migrating quietly in the zero-g through the air of the space. He was very worried that whatever had knocked out the power to...everything, would suddenly reverse itself without warning and they'd once again be faced with the currently disabled killer.
"So what the hell killed the lights and the rest of the power for that matter? These reactors, generators, etc. Even in standby there's a certain amount of power...stuff still runs on backups at least. Everything's...well it's just dead. Electromagnetic pulse, maybe?" a puzzled CHENG Callo asked.
"I don't think it was a tactical EMP. We didn't have any flash-scramblers so it wasn't us. And the boarders surely wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize the clear advantage there were enjoying here. I think it has something to do with what we believe is a Minervan relic. We recovered it from that shuttle we hijacked and secured in the hangar. Not positive but it appears to match the effects to a T. When anything electronic gets within a meter or so of that surprisingly heavy box it just...dies," Ayad explained.
"Well, I hope nothing's damaged by the abrupt shutdown. Artificial grav and lights going down is one thing, like flicking a switch and all, but a lot of systems in standby still require significant coolant to shunt residual thermals as they downstep. That's why it's such a chore to shut the larger systems down completely. Lots of checklists and safeguards in place," Callo interjected.
"Airlock?" Ayad absently asked the young chief engineer, or "CHENG" as he was called, while he continued his field medicine work. Swanson was now safely stabilized and Ayad had just placed the man intentionally into a state of unconsciousness to help deal with the pain. Some nanite infused meds had also been injected but Ayad had doubts as to their effectiveness due the lack of anything electric functioning at the moment. Though they were of course tiny, the nano machines still used electricity to operate their little mechanical bodies.
"Airlock? What about it?" CHENG Callo responded surprised at the change in subject.
"You think we can float that guy to the nearest airlock and flush him out in a bare amount of time? Can the airlock be operated manually you think? Remember, nothing at all electrical will work. Not even the emergency hand tools used to engage and disengage the airlock hatch mechanism. Shit ain't exactly working right now," Ayad said. The last part of his statement delivered with an injection of humor to alleviate some of the trepidation obvious in the young engineer. "I have no idea how long this effect...whatever it is exactly, will be. I suspect Alpha opened the box, which must act as heavy shielding for whatever's inside. We can't communicate with Alpha or the bridge to know what exactly is going on. Long story short the genie could be put back in the bottle so to speak at any moment. We need to assume we are on borrowed time. We need to solve this NOW," Ayad said pointing at the silently floating hulk of the Ogre across the compartment.
"Well, yeah the airlock could be operated manually if we could get to it," the CHENG said before pausing deep in thought for a moment and then continued, "but the two of us towing, pushing, guiding that mass of what...a half ton? That would take awhile. The nearest airlock where he would fit easiest would be in the auxiliary hangar three decks up. Without the service lifts working we'd have to maneuver him up ladders. That would be a real pain in the ass. And without the fast-pipes working...yeah there's no real quick way to do this. What's keeping him from getting out of his suit anyway? I'm unfamiliar with those things, but after this I think I'll be studying up some."
"Those suits, like all fully enclosed heavy armor powered suits," Ayad began, "do allow for emergency shucking of the exoskeleton and armor with mini explosive bolts. But, they require an electrical charge that comes from either the primary power unit of the suit or from backup batteries...and with nothing electrical working at the moment he's a lobster stuck in his shell."
"Oh, just checking. I figured it was something like that. Again, I'm not familiar with powered heavy armor systems. Seems silly to not have a manner in which to emergency exit manually. Poor design. Though I'm happy it's a poor design at the moment," Callo responded with relief evident in his voice. He didn't want to have to worry about the pissed off operator in the suit to suddenly emerge for hand-t
o-hand combat in zero-g.
"Don't give up kid, I mean CHENG. Other ideas? Can we rig a shaped low pressure charge from anything stored close around here? A chemical explosive may ignite since the chem lights appear to function without issue," Ayad asked as he himself racked his brain for a solution, looking about the compartment in the glow of the emergency chem light.
The eyes of CHENG Callo also surveyed the engineering compartment, again. Nothing stood out as immediately useful in regards to building an improvised explosive. He became lost in thought, as the hourglass, with an unknown quantity of sand, counted down. Normally when he was thinking he would look up...out of this habit he looked at the overhead and suddenly he began to grin.
"I think I've got it. I'm not positive it'll work yet because there's a missing piece. I need to know something. Before everything went dark, you and Swanson, I heard two explosions different than anything I've heard during this whole thing. I'm intimately aware of the sounds those heavy plasma bolts make," the CHENG said while thumbing in the direction of the Ogre battlesuit, "when they strike bulkheads, equipment...and people. But there were two explosions there at the end. What were those exactly?" Callo asked.
"That first thing you heard was the improvised explosive devise rigged by our man Swanson here," Ayad responded while gently patting the unconscious man on the head. A gentle pat so as not to disturb him and also so Ayad didn't push himself off into the zero-g of the greater compartment. "That IED was to distract the wolf. The second explosion was the obnoxious blast from that antique rifle I acquired from the shuttle in the main hangar. It was the only weapon I had left at that point. I hoped to...well it was a desperate act. We didn't have a chance really but it was all we had left. I think he was looking to blow the ship. He was blasting every console and control unit he came across on his way here and he was awfully interested in the ripper drive power systems and such. One doesn't destroy the controls that allow a ship to operate if they aim to capture it. Pretty sure this fucker's crazy. I think he was meant to suicide with the ship the whole way. Just before the lights went out he could'a shot me, and I resigned myself to that end, but I think he was going to tear me apart with his powered gauntlets," Ayad stopped for a moment to emphasize, "and that really would have blown."
"So where is that antique gun of yours? It's chemically propelled, right? Does it have any...will it still fire with the effects of this Minervan relic ongoing?" CHENG Callo asked.
"Yeah, pretty sure it'll work. I doubt it'll even dent his armor. It'll most certainly cause a ricochet which we would want to avoid especially in our confined space here. I really think we need to get moving and get 'em to the nearest airlock. That's probably our best option."
"We aren't going to shoot him, Ayad," CHENG Callo said, "we're going to shoot this." Callo pushed off the deck and quickly glided to the overhead where he arrived and patted one of the numerous pipes decorated with bright paint and signs denoting extreme hazard.
"Shoot a pipe of...what is that coolant?" Ayad asked. His voice filled with uncertainty.
"This is super cooled liquid helium," CHENG Callo replied. "Most of these pipes carry coolant to various systems of the ship requiring extreme cooling and heat dissipation, such as the plasma repeater weapon systems and the ripper drive primaries as well as the maintainer drive etcetera. The main storage tanks for the coolant systems are just one compartment over. This compartment, besides being the main center for the ripper drive operation and generator monitoring, is also a nexus for all the super cooled helium that's dispersed throughout the ship. Really, this space is easily the most significant on the Belle'. If he'd started blasting away at the coolant he would have easily crippled or scuttled us even. The reactor and generator system that supplies the ripper drive requires a TREMENDOUS amount of cooling. That main pipe," and Callo pointed to a pipe easily a meter in diameter running along the center of the compartment overhead, essentially splitting the overhead into east and west divisions, "if he'd taken that out, or if you'd struck that with your thunderstick over there, well...the results would have been bad. Very, very bad."
Ayad had a look of what appeared to be uncertainty on his face. It wasn't a look that he wore often.
"So what is your plan exactly? How is the super cooling a solution? We're kinda on the clock here, CHENG."
"Remember when that local regulator hub for the electromagnetic conductors failed up forward awhile back? All the damage that did to the surrounding spaces and decks? It made steel as brittle as glass. We're talking temps measured in Kelvin here not Celsius or Fahrenheit. Those are for pussies. You take your new toy and use it to punch a hole in one of the smaller pipes that say leads to...a secondary weapon system because I think the Boss would be pissed if we took the heavies offline, and this guy is pushed into the jet of pressurized coolant..."
"...instant ice cube," Ayad finished.
"His armor will easily shatter but..." Callo's voice trailed off with a tinge of concern.
"But, what?"
"Well, it'll probably, well no 'probably' about it. If he gets caught in a jet of that stuff it'll instantly kill him," Callo answered.
"I see no problem in that. If it makes you feel better it'll be me pulling the trigger," Ayad said in an attempt to assure the engineer. "This is a quicker and kinder way to erase him from the equation CHENG. If we'd tossed him out the airlock he'd probably survive for hours drifting until he ran out of air. That's a bad way to go."
Callo thought for a moment and then agreed with a curt nod.
"Okay. Okay. Let's do this. So we need to push him into position. You need to hit exactly the right spot. Can you do that? You missed with your first shot, right?"
Ayad looked Callo in the eyes with a blank expression for a moment punctuated by a couple slow blinks.
"Yeah. I missed but I wasn't expecting the kick. I won't miss this time," Ayad then smiled as he made his promise of improved marksmanship. "So then what? He's an ice cube and then we have a jet of pressurized super coolant jetting into the compartment. A compartment you said was rather sensitive. I'm kinda worried about that. Yeah, maybe more than just a little."
"You hit your mark on the pipe I designate and after a quick spray of this stuff I'll engage the manual stops for the pipe over there atop the ladder," Callo was pointing to a bank of valves and levers along a bulkhead near the overhead some 10-meters "up" from their current position. "Oh, and I expect you'll want to brace yourself while firing that weapon in zero-g. You don't want to have to try to recover from a spin or something with jets and globules of coolant overspray floating about the compartment. As soon as you fire you'll want to relocate out the hatch pronto. The compartment will be full of nasty. Okay?"
"Sounds good CHENG. Good plan. I like it," Ayad said. He could tell that the young chief engineer, a brilliant grease monkey, was probably blushing by the compliment. He was still a kid in Ayad's book afterall. "Let's tether Swanson to something near the deck out in the corridor in case the power comes back on and gravity returns. Then we'll push the ice cube in waiting into the position you designate."
"Yeah, good. A question though," Callo started, "just why was a Corp shuttle carrying one of those..antiques in the first place? It's a chemical accelerant slug thrower, with no magnetic acceleration rails, right? I don't think I've ever heard of anyone still using those."
"First off, it was actually carrying two," Ayad answered as he got to work putting the aid kit back together and prepped the unconscious Swanson for the imminent move. "Both appear to be different models but they utilize similar cartridges. There're many questions about that shuttle that we were working to answer. The antique weapons were the least of 'em. We'll have to wait until we get back to the Cove before the Boss sorts it all out. I expect he'll break his own protocols and question the four currently in stasis-sleep on the Osprey. There're just too many questions, irregularities, anomalies for him not to. Thankfully, the couches have enough air in the system to keep people alive for a good while,
even after being completely unplugged from a power source. I hadn't thought about them until now actually...and how this could be impacting them. There's a backup power-supply of course, that'll keep them normally running for days if unplugged from the primary, but I'm betting the stasis-sleep couches aren't operating properly after the EMP or whatever killed the power. But, without accelerated artificial revival, which is power intensive itself, it would take hours for them to wake-up. That's only an issue if the power stays out for long."
Callo, being busy with his own world of engines, generators, and coolant flow, had been unaware that the shuttle they had captured had been anything special or presented any sort of enigma.
"Hey, ummm...sorry about not being part of the fight while you and Swanson and...hell, just about everyone else was trying to stop this bastard," Callo said with an embarrassed and sheepish tone.
"Kid, I mean CHENG, when Swanson and I ran into you in the corridor, remember I'm the one who told you to find a place to hide out. For one, you didn't have a weapon other than that big fucking wrench you always carry. For another, if you got killed, who would fix all the shit that this motherfucker was destroying? You're the best hope of fixing this shit, right? Or am I wrong here?"
The CHENG was quiet for several full breaths. Some of the embarrassment and concern dissipated from his blushing face and shame filled voice, "Okay. Makes sense. I still feel like shit though. When this is over, I'm going to make sure we have some weapons, some heavy weapons even if I have to buy them myself, and store them down here. Prepare to fight the next battle with lessons learned from the last, right? I'll mod some stuff too...I've never really tinkered with blasters, energy canons, and such...you know I think I could do some pretty cool stuff. With my time taken up with power optimization and propulsion, it'll be tough but I'll find the time though I think."
"Good idea. I imagine we'll have plenty of weapons, of a higher-grade, scattered throughout the ship in case something like this happens again. I don't think we ever thought we'd be the ones that were boarded, except maybe by the CDF, but we'd be beyond screwed then because we're in violation of so many trade, commerce, and colonial treaties...yeah, if it came down to a CDF boarding I don't think we'd be trying to fight them at that point because we'd have already lost. It'd be interesting to see what you could do with some modifications on the guns. We'll have to talk about that later though," Ayad said as he redoubled his hasty efforts in preparing for what they were about to attempt.