“No Sir,” said Richards.
There was no physical reaction to the comment that Jon could see. No twitch, no tick, no involuntary flexing. Nothing. On the viewscreen the ship seemed like it was gliding through the asteroid field. Swaying from side to side like a leaf falling from a tree it effortlessly swung around each obstacle. Every movement fluid, the Hermes seemed to dance and play with the rocks surrounding her.
Well inside the field now, the Hermes settled into position. They would wait here until the Juttari showed up.
A feeling of serenity washed over Jon. He had never realized how beautiful an asteroid field could be. There was none of the fiery violence of a star, or the desolate emptiness of space. Instead, you were surrounded by quiet floating spheres. Imperfect and captivating in their starkness.
For the first time in weeks he felt himself relax. He sank into his chair and tilted his head back slightly, allowing the contour of his headrest to free his neck. The stress of the last few days slowly dissipated, and his chest loosened. He took a few deep but gentle breaths, and quietly let his diaphragm expand and contract, each exhale unloading fragments of the tension that had been compounding inside him. Secretly he hoped it would be a while before the Juttari arrived.
“Reading weapon signatures!” said Petrovic.
“Location?” said Wolfe.
“All around us.” Petrovic’s face went white. “They’re on the asteroids.”
On the larger asteroids surrounding the Hermes, turrets emerged from deep inside the rocky surface. They swiveled and locked onto the floating ship.
“Weapons hot!”
The turrets opened fire. Violent explosions hammered the ship and the bridge crew struggled to maintain their balance.
“Sound general quarters,” said Jon. “Helm, get us the hell out of here! Tactical, feed weapon signature data to helm for evasive action.”
On the viewscreen the serene landscape from a few moments earlier now erupted into a hellish gauntlet of cannon fire.
Red tracer lines zigzagged across the sky like a celestial spider web. Streams of plasma fire sprayed out from the large asteroids hammering the Hermes and pulverizing any rocks getting in the way.
Unable to return the way they came, Richards plowed deeper into the asteroid field looking for a way out of the rocky labyrinth.
His head jerked from side to side trying to keep track of the multiple information feeds lighting up his console. His hands moved like pistons making split second course corrections to compensate for the constant wave of new threats.
Jon noticed a few beads of sweat appear on his temple, convincing him that the kid was human after all.
Cannon fire continued to pound the ship, the explosions combining with the rapping of rocks against the hull, fraying the nerves of all on board. With each turn a new turret emerged, opening fire on the Hermes as she passed. Could they survive long enough to exit the asteroid field?
“Set rail guns to offensive mode. Auto target all weapon signatures within range. Fire energy weapons at will. Target weapon systems as they appear,” said Jon.
The Hermes rail gun turrets sprayed a barrage of depleted uranium against the firing cannons. Blue energy beams joined in, destroying the deadly turrets one by one.
On the bridge, crew members involuntarily put hands in front of their faces, fooled by the viewscreen into thinking they were going to crash into giant rock after giant rock.
A particularly violent impact rocked the bridge shattering a console and firing sparks into the face of a young Ensign. Jerking backwards, she fell off her chair onto her back and screamed. Her hands shot up to her face, fingers clawing at her eyes trying in vain to stop them from burning. Her body twisted and writhed, her legs kicking out at invisible attackers.
Commander Wolfe raced to the Ensign’s side, calling for medical help as she moved. Reaching the Ensign she crouched down beside her and wrapped her arms around the terrified woman’s shoulders, trying to help soothe her.
It appeared to work and her screams turned into sobs. Her body convulsed with each breath, but she let Wolfe pull her up into a sitting position and leaned into Wolfe’s shoulder.
Hands still fixed on her eyes, she sat there until the medics arrived on the bridge. Wolfe waved them over and they began treating the Ensign. Satisfied with the medics taking control, Wolfe got up and went back to her station.
Jon was still impressed with Ensign Richards. He continued to display the skill that won him so many competitions on Earth. His hands now moved with lightning precision, his shoulders hunched and tight, his chin tucked in, pressing hard against his clavicle. Jon was sure nobody had fired on him when he was racing back home. Still, the kid handled the pressure well.
“Hull breach, deck Gamma,” the computer announced.
“Seal off deck Gamma,” said Commander Wolfe.
“Fires on decks Beta, Kappa, and Theta. Fire suppression systems activated,” said the computer.
They continued to adapt to their situation. On the viewscreen a turret fired off a couple of shots and was immediately destroyed. The Hermes turned and faced more enemy fire which was immediately suppressed.
They began to mitigate the damage. The ship’s AI had quickly analyzed the installations and started predicting their placement. This advantage allowed the Hermes to quickly destroy new turrets, sometimes before they could open fire.
Nonetheless, she still took a serious pounding while trying to escape. The density that made the field a great hiding place now turned it into a maze of horrors, with each turn revealing a new threat.
Much to everyone’s surprise, Richards got them out of the field alive, albeit with heavy damage. The Hermes had a hole in its side from the hull breach, and fires still raged in several sections of the ship. The hull had been pounded and weakened.
“Damage report,” said Jon.
“Five casualties,” said Wolfe. “All a result of the hull breaches on deck Gamma. The deck has been sealed off. There are many injuries, but nothing serious. Mostly contusions and the odd broken bone. Multiple fires have broken out throughout the ship, but suppression systems appear to have them under control. There is some minor damage in engineering, but neither the reactors nor the jump system have been damaged. Weapons systems have not been hit and are operating at one hundred percent.”
“Have engineering pull together a – “
“Contact,” shouted Petrovic. “Two unidentified ships closing fast.”
Jon twisted around in his chair. “On viewscreen.”
The viewscreen’s orientation changed and two starships appeared. They were smaller than the Hermes, each about the size of a frigate. Definitely warships, they lacked any identifiable markings that might link them to a larger fleet. Were they pirates?
“Reading weapons hot,” said Petrovic.
“Switch rail guns to point defense mode. Load all missile tubes,” said Jon.
“Point defense mode online. Missile tubes loaded,” said Wolfe.
“Helm, set course to intercept the bandits.”
“Aye, Sir. Setting course to intercept.”
“Captain, considering the damage we’ve sustained, shouldn’t we try to outrun them? We’re likely faster than they are,” said Tallos.
“We don’t know this region of space. They do. And they probably have friends nearby who may cut off our escape. I’d rather fight two now than more later.”
“But Captain, that conclusion is far from certain.”
“We don’t have the luxury of certainty out here.”
The Hermes raced towards the oncoming warships. As it bridged the gap and came in range both attacking ships fired off a volley of missiles. Twelve in all they streaked toward the Hermes, glowing red like tiny sinister comets.
“Launch countermeasures,” said Jon.
“Countermeasure away,” said Petrovic.
“Target the lead ship. Fire missiles.”
“Missiles away.”
The le
ad ship launched its own countermeasures, but had no point defense capabilities. Its countermeasures were not nearly effective enough and four missiles continued toward their target.
The Hermes missiles were designed to intelligently target critical systems and all four plowed into the rear section of the ship, finding its reactors. The resulting explosion lit up the void and concussive waves rocked the Hermes, but caused no serious damage.
Sporadic cheers broke out on the bridge. The mood was improving now that they could lash out at someone for the damage and loss of life suffered in the asteroid field.
Jon felt the creature’s elation at the kill, and he knew it was not just the creature’s feeling. They shared the emotion and were experiencing it together. Cringing at the thought, he shook it off and focused on the task at hand.
“Sir, second ship is firing energy weapons. They are targeting our engines.”
The second ship let loose a barrage of energy beams that scored direct hits on the Hermes. The bridge crew braced themselves against the force of the impacts.
“Return fire, all weapon systems.”
The Hermes wheeled around to face its attacker, releasing a salvo of missiles and energy weapon fire. The enemy ship launched countermeasures, but it was too close for its drones to have much effect.
Beams of blue sliced through the weak armor plating producing ugly looking hull breaches.
Machinery and personnel alike were sucked through the gashes into the vacuum of space, creating a ghastly floating debris field.
Within seconds the Hermes missiles plowed into the weakened ship and detonated. Multiple explosions ripped through the vessel, amputating large chunks of the ship’s hull. Then the reactor exploded, annihilating the rest of the alien ship.
More cheers broke out on the bridge and Jon almost joined in. It wasn’t the Juttari, but it was still two kills. The Hermes had proven herself again. She was certainly growing on him.
“Sir, Engineering is reporting damage to some of our propulsion systems. FTL is still operational, but our jump system is offline. Repair crews are on route, but it will take some time to repair,” said Wolfe.
"How much time?”
“At least a day, Sir.”
“Sir, ship’s sensors are picking up a small vessel, likely a lifeboat from the destroyed ship,” said Petrovic.
“Sir, we could be in this region of space for a while. The survivors could provide some valuable intelligence,” said Wolfe.
“Agreed. Retrieve the lifeboat and bring it into hanger bay 1. Seal off the hanger bay and deploy a full security detail. Assume all occupants are hostile.”
“Yes, Sir.”
CHAPTER 16
Underneath the Hermes a door opened, and cylindrical drones flew out and raced toward the lifeboat.
The drones swarmed the tiny craft, hovering only a few feet from its hull. Once in position, the drones fastened themselves to the vessel and reversed their thrusters in unison, halting the lifeboat’s forward momentum.
A brief tug of war ensued as the lifeboat tried in vain to break free from its captors. The robotic swarm then changed direction and forced its prey back to the Hermes.
In the hanger bay a security detail led by Chief St. Clair awaited the craft’s arrival. Not taking any chances, St. Clair deployed two Hercules Class battle mechs. The giant war machines stood at opposite ends of the hanger bay.
Standing ten feet tall, the mechanical beasts were a sight to behold. Shaped like a human, they had two giant arms and legs, but looked like someone forgot the head. Instead, a small mound was perched on the shoulders, hiding an array of sensors.
The pilot sat in the cockpit, behind the heavily armored chest, controlling the battle mech’s every move. The powerful arms had access to a formidable array of weaponry and currently deployed a pair of wicked looking Gatling guns. If necessary, the mech could swap out the Gatling guns for missile launchers and energy weapons.
For defense it had its own built in counter measures and could even switch its Gatling guns to point defense mode. Heavy ballistic armor protected it from most projectiles that managed to get through its defensive systems.
Engineered for multi-theater warfare, the mech could project force on land, in the air, or in space. A mech was a one-man army, so the two mechs deployed on the hanger bay were insurance against anything on board the captured lifeboat.
Complementing the mechs was a squad of Marines and the Diakan security advisor, Kinos, wearing full combat suits.
Much smaller than the mechs, the combat suits were essentially powered exoskeletons surrounded by heavy armor plating.
Like the mechs, the combat suits were self-contained with their own life support systems and could keep their occupants alive in the most hostile conditions, including space.
Once inside the combat suit a Marine moved normally but was augmented with superior speed and strength. Each suit had its own power source and all suits and mechs were interlinked over their own military grade network.
The strength of the combat suits allowed each Marine to carry huge, vicious looking weapons, which in this case were predominantly energy weapons.
Kevin was the exception, carrying his own personal Gatling gun. He didn’t know what to expect in the lifeboat, but he sure as hell was going to be ready for it.
The drones entered the hanger bay with the lifeboat in tow. They set the vessel down on a pad and metal arms came up from the floor and secured it in place. The Marines pointed their weapons at the lifeboat.
Several tense minutes passed with no activity. Then, with no warning, the vessel’s hatch slid open and a small ramp dropped to the ground.
“Hold your fire,” said Kevin, placing the doorway between his cross-hairs. He wondered what type of monstrosity would climb out of that door.
What he saw next stunned him. The first thing to emerge from the open hatch was a woman.
A human woman.
She wore a brown jumpsuit and looked like she was in her mid-thirties. Her eyes were wide and a horrified look spread across her face as she surveyed the military machinery surrounding her.
She held her arms up, palms open to show she was unarmed, all the while shaking her head no, presumably pleading for the soldiers not to shoot her.
There was more movement behind her and the Marines shifted their weapons from the woman back to the doorway, making the woman wave her arms frantically, yelling something unintelligible.
“Hold your fire,” Kevin repeated.
A small hand emerged from the doorway and gripped the side of the vessel. Slowly, furtively, a small face peeked out from behind the wall at the Marines. There was a high-pitched scream and the face disappeared.
The woman faced the doorway, arms still up, and now spoke calmly to the person inside. With a bit of coaxing from the woman the little face emerged again and finally walked out of the vessel.
A little girl.
Kevin couldn’t believe his eyes. The woman and girl were both unarmed and didn’t seem to pose a threat, but he still needed to clear the vessel. He gestured to the woman to take the girl and move off to the side.
The woman hesitated and the Diakan charged at her and the girl, energy weapon at the ready. The woman screamed and fell backward, arms squeezed around the girl.
“Kinos, stand down,” Kevin shouted.
The Diakan had reached the woman and pointed his energy weapon at her head. He was motioning for her to move to the far wall. The woman was still screaming but seemed to understand and rushed the girl to the wall.
“Kinos, back your ass up!”
The Diakan slowly moved backwards, his weapon still pointing at the woman’s head. Kevin then ordered two Marines to clear the lifeboat.
The Marines rushed to the vessel and flanked the doorway. One Marine entered the vessel while the other covered him. After a brief search the Marine came back out and signaled that the vessel was clear.
Kevin looked back at the woman and the girl and op
ened a comm link with Jon.
“Sir, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Kevin said.
Jon had watched the entire scene unfold on the bridge and was practically speechless himself.
“Yes, I am,” Jon said.
“What do you want me to do with them?” Kevin said.
“Take them to sick bay. I’ll meet you there. I want the Doctor to check them out to make sure they aren’t Chaanisar. Keep them under guard. And be careful, if they are Chaanisar a combat suit may not be enough protection.”
“Yes, Sir. Leave it to me.”
Kevin walked up to Kinos, who was still pointing his weapon at the woman’s head. “The next time you pull a stunt like that I will lock you up for the rest of the mission. Am I understood?”
“Yes, Security Chief, you are understood.”
Kevin glared at the Diakan for a few seconds and then ordered three of his Marines to accompany him.
He couldn’t understand what the woman was saying, but he did his best to make her understand his intentions. She seemed to be a quick study and used nods and hand signals to tell Kevin that they would follow.
The four Marines escorted them out of the hangar bay and through a long corridor to the sick bay. Kevin studied the woman and child closely, looking for anything remotely resembling a threat.
The woman had her arm around the little girl’s shoulders and held her close, trying to comfort her. The little girl had not stopped trembling since she emerged from the lifeboat and buried her face deep in the woman’s side.
From the looks of things Kevin assumed that the woman was the girl’s mother. A DNA test would let them know for sure. What the hell were humans doing out here anyway?
CHAPTER 17
Engineering was a frantic mix of shouting and clanging as crews scrambled to make repairs. The air reeked of charred wiring and dry chemical fire extinguisher. Adjacent to one of the main reactors, Chief Engineer Singh stooped over the main jump system array with Diakan Engineering Advisor Boufos watching.
“The primary relay has been damaged,” said Boufos.
Chief Engineer Singh stopped working for a moment, struggling to contain his composure. The Diakan had been following him around since they left the station and persistently interfered with his work. He ignored it up until now, but the stress of battle and emergency repairs was pushing him to the boiling point.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 8