Henderson crouched behind an iron post just in time. Several of his men took hits but their combat suits’ integrity stayed intact.
They were taking damage and he wasn’t sure how much enemy fire they could withstand, but his Marines were all still alive and fighting.
“We can’t let the enemy take that junction,” Sergeant Henderson said to his men. “We need to advance.”
“Yes, Sir,” they replied, almost in unison.
The Hermes troopers started leapfrogging forward. They fired at the enemy, providing cover while each soldier advanced. With many corners and posts, the corridors offered plenty of cover for each soldier.
Henderson’s team continued making a slow, steady advance, while the enemy stood their ground and didn’t seem interested in contesting the junction.
Sergeant Henderson didn’t understand the strategy, nor did he care. If they wanted to stay put it suited him just fine.
Then they charged.
The entire group suddenly jumped from their cover and surged forward, unleashing a tidal wave of energy fire in the process.
Surprised by the sudden change in tactics the Hermes troopers took cover. It took Sergeant Henderson only a few seconds to realize he was going to lose the junction. He had only one option left.
“Charge!”
The humans ran forward, rail guns firing, into the Kemmar stampede. Soldiers fell on both sides in seconds, and they crashed into each other in the middle of the junction.
The battle now turned into a hand to hand melee. The weapons that were so effective from a distance were now nothing more than fancy clubs.
Shots were still fired from both sides, but aiming was almost impossible, and everyone switched to their bladed weapons.
The Hermes troopers used a long, ionized blade that looked very much like a huge bowie knife. Plasma surged from the hilt, enveloping the blade, making it an effective close quarters weapon against the armor of a combat suit.
The Kemmar used a similar weapon, although their blades were shorter, wider and featured hooked prongs which jutted out from the hilt.
All around Sergeant Henderson the battle raged, sparks flying as the blades made contact. With the power and agility of the combat suits the whole bloody encounter looked almost like an acrobatic performance.
The Sergeant dispatched three Kemmar with relative ease when he noticed a group moving away from the battle and heading down one of the adjoining corridors.
The charge had been a distraction. Tying up the Hermes defenders, it allowed a smaller group access to the rest of the ship. It was a good strategy. The smaller group would then attempt to disable the Hermes, so the Kemmar could capture it.
Sergeant Henderson turned and moved to intercept them. As he started to break into pursuit, something crashed into him from behind, knocking him onto the floor.
He rolled and turned in time to see a Kemmar blade striking down at his visor. Lifting his shoulder, he moved to the side barely in time and the blade hit the floor, missing him by mere centimeters.
The arm came up again for another strike. He grabbed it with one hand and tried to stab with his own blade. The Kemmar soldier blocked his attack and grabbed his arm as well. The two wrestled on the ground, struggling for position, vying for the killing blow.
Sergeant Henderson fought from his back with the Kemmar on top of him forcing his blade down with all his weight. He fought the urge to close his eyes as the blade made contact with his visor and the plasma generated white hot sparks in front of his face. The enemy committed to the kill, leaning forward to force as much weight as possible into the thrust.
The movement unbalanced him. A fatal mistake. In one quick and powerful motion Sergeant Henderson drove his hips upward and simultaneously yanked the attacking arm backward, making the Kemmar soldier fall forward.
Following through he shot his legs up and over his head, rolled backward and landed on top of his surprised foe. In one fluid motion his blade came down hard and pierced the Kemmar visor, killing the enemy instantly. He pulled his blade out of the alien skull and got up.
Henderson looked down the corridor, searching for the Kemmar. They were gone.
CHAPTER 31
The Hermes continued taking fire from all directions. Its attempts to evade the other ships rendered useless by the attached Kemmar ship.
Unable to escape, the Hermes stood its ground and tried to slug it out against the overwhelming power of the enemy.
On the bridge sparks sprayed the crew from damaged consoles, their white lines creating eerie fireworks amid the flashing red battle stations light.
The acrid smell of scorched electrical circuits filled the room and several crew members fought back coughing fits, trying to stay focused on their duties.
Jon looked down at the array of displays in front of him. On one he tracked the battles with the boarding parties. On another he received up to the minute damage reports from throughout the ship.
Multiple fires raged on several decks, but surprisingly there were no hull breaches other than the one the boarding party used to enter the ship.
Still it was only a matter of time until the inevitable hull breaches. The Hermes was a powerful ship, but it was not a ship of the line. Built to be fast and agile, it had not been created to stand and trade blows like a battleship. Jon knew she couldn’t take much more of this.
“Commander, any progress with the repairs to the jump system?” Jon said.
“It is partially online,” Wolfe said.
“Are we jump ready?”
“Yes, but with limited range.”
“Helm, initiate jump countdown. Get us the hell out of here.”
Wolfe gave Jon a stunned look. “Can we jump with that ship locked onto us?”
“We’ll soon find out,” Jon said, his eyes practically burning a hole through the viewscreen.
Wolfe opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it.
Jon looked at her like he had heard her silent protest. “We can’t stay here. Especially with that ship locked onto us. We’re sitting ducks. Our only chance is to jump.”
“Yes, Sir,” Wolfe said.
The computer began its countdown while the crew struggled to remain balanced and at their stations.
“Jump complete,” the computer announced.
“Is that ship still locked onto us?” Jon asked.
“Yes, Sir. It looks like the jump system took it along for the ride. All other ships are gone,” Wolfe said.
Jon noticed a comm request coming through from Breeah. Confused, he answered.
“Captain?” Breeah said.
Jon heard the panic in her voice. “Yes, Breeah?”
“Captain, I apologize, I didn’t know who else to contact. It’s Anki. She’s gone!”
“I don’t understand. What do you mean she’s gone?”
“She left our quarters. The battle scared her, and she ran away. I don’t know where she is.”
“Ok calm down. The ship’s systems will be able to locate her. Stay in your quarters and I will get back to you.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Jon tapped a few commands into one of his consoles and the computer located Anki. Jon gasped. A group of Kemmar were closing on her position. He jumped out of his chair and turned to Commander Wolfe.
“You have the bridge, Commander.”
“Sir?”
“Some Kemmar have gotten past our security teams and the little girl we brought on board is in their path. I have to help her.”
“Captain, I can’t let you put yourself at risk. Send someone else.”
“There is no one else. This is my responsibility.”
“At least take the Marines with you.”
Jon looked at the two Marines guarding the entrance to the bridge. “No, I need them guarding the bridge. Until we repel the enemy this bridge stays secure. Nobody in or out until further notice.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jon grabbed his close qu
arters rail gun and rushed out of the bridge. He ran down the corridors at a tremendous rate of speed, easily matching and exceeding any combat suit. The thought of the Kemmar finding Anki before him made him push even harder.
Turning a corner, he spotted Anki. She had squeezed into a crevice in the bulkhead, hiding from a group of Kemmar soldiers at the far end of the corridor.
The Kemmar spotted Jon and he bolted just in time, out of the way of their fire.
Taking cover, he looked over at Anki and motioned for her to stay where she was. He tried to find an escape route, but the corridor was too long. If he tried to get Anki out of there the two of them would be cut down before making it out. He needed a different strategy.
Near Anki’s position was a door he knew led to a storage area. It was their only chance. Lunging out from his position he raced towards the little girl, dodging the enemy’s fire with leaps and rolls.
Anki stared at him with wide, tear filled eyes. She sobbed but didn’t make a sound, not because she had any control, but because she strained to take a breath, gasping for air in panicked heaves.
Reaching her position, Jon scooped her up with one arm, barely breaking stride, and continued through the door to the supply room.
Inside were rows of heavy racks piled high with a diverse range of supplies. Jon ran deep into the large room and crouched behind one of the columns.
Anki was still hyperventilating and not knowing what else to do Jon hugged her close to his chest. He had done the same with his own girls after they had woken from a bad nightmare. It had always helped to calm them down. Already he could feel Anki’s breathing start to slow.
“It’s okay,” he whispered, stroking her hair while she drew sharp breaths. “I’m here now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
Her breathing continued to ease up and her sobs were turning into sniffles.
At the front of the room the door slid open and he heard heavy footsteps. The Kemmar were inside.
He pulled his head back so he could look at Anki. She was regaining control and Jon locked onto her eyes. He put a hand to his lip telling her to stay quiet. He then tried to put her down, but she gripped him tight, shaking her head no. This wasn’t going to be easy.
He had counted five Kemmar, all in combat suits. How could he fight them all off while holding Anki?
He swung her around to his left side, squeezing her against his ribs and looped her arms around his neck. He motioned for her to clasp her hands together and gave them a squeeze so she knew to hold on tight. Looking at her again he nodded, and she nodded back. She was still scared, but she had stopped crying.
Satisfied he focused on the Kemmar, listening to their movements, timing their steps, gauging their distance. Holding onto Anki with his left arm, he raised his weapon with the other.
A Kemmar approached on the right, barely a meter away. He stayed low, poised and ready to strike like a rattlesnake.
The energy weapon appeared first and without hesitation he kicked out, hitting the armored hand dead on. The force of the blow sent the weapon firing away from Jon and Anki, at the same time his own weapon came up point blank with the Kemmar’s visor and fired. The bullets drilled through the visor like a jackhammer, obliterating the alien skull inside.
The sound alerted the other Kemmar and he heard them run to his position, but he was already moving, silently leaping onto one of the storage racks and springing away across the top of the racks like a lemur. He crouched low and waited, ready to pounce.
Anki held on tight, and he felt her little heart pounding violently against his side. Her fear had been replaced by an alertness that impressed him. The two sat unflinching on top of the tall storage rack and waited, but not for long.
Two more Kemmar approached from below. When the first was directly below them Jon dropped from above and slammed two feet into the back of the alien head.
Using the resistance as a springboard he changed direction, turned and fired at the second alien. He aimed for the visor again, identifying it as the weakest point, and sent a burst of armor piercing rounds through it.
The other Kemmar rolled out of the fall, turned and fired. Crimson lightning streaked from the weapon, heading straight for Anki. Jon sprang away and the energy bursts followed.
Another Kemmar emerged and fired, the two energy bursts trapping Jon in a pincer style attack.
Cut off to the left and right Jon ran in the only direction he could. Up. Turning to the nearby wall he ran with such speed that the momentum took him up the wall before gravity could catch him.
The energy fire shifted and the two followed him, but he now had more freedom of movement.
Launching from the wall he landed on the side of a nearby rack and quickly climbed to the top. The Kemmar were caught off guard and slow to react. Jon didn’t want to lose any momentum, so he kept moving and jumped off the far side of the rack. Now he had the column between him and the two Kemmar.
Another Kemmar jumped in front of him and he turned as the third attacker opened up in earnest. Jon returned fire, but was too focused on staying ahead of the enemy bursts to inflict any real damage.
Ahead was another wall and he turned to the right, but was met by more enemy fire. Stopping just in time he turned back in the direction he came and saw the third Kemmar turn and level his weapon at him. Leaping as the weapon fired he landed on top of another rack.
The Kemmar adjusted to his tactics. They now formed a triangle and fired at him from three directions, cutting off each move he tried to make.
Jon jumped from one rack to another desperately trying to stay ahead of the enemy fire, but he knew it was now only a matter of time.
With each jump the Kemmar compensated giving him less and less room to manoeuvre. He had failed, and little Anki would end up paying the price.
Leaping again he landed on another rack only to see a Kemmar pointing his weapon at him. It was over. Even he wasn’t fast enough to get away, and he turned Anki away from the weapon, hoping his body would be enough to shield her from the impact.
He heard weapon fire, but to his astonishment felt nothing. For a split second he wondered if it was possible for the Kemmar to miss at such close range.
Then he recognized the sound and turned to see a Hermes combat suit with sergeant stripes on the shoulders, firing a rail gun at the Kemmar.
Jon didn’t need any more information. Jumping off the rack he ran to cut off the Kemmar soldier positioned to his right, while the one to his left moved to help his comrade.
He stalked his prey while it fired wildly, trying in vain to determine his location. But it was too late and Jon came down on top of it, slamming it into the ground, and unloading a torrent of weapon fire into its head.
Hearing more rail gun fire behind him he got up and ran back toward the Sergeant. By the time he got there, however, the firing had stopped and Sergeant Henderson stood between the two Kemmar bodies.
Jon smiled, and shifted Anki to his other arm. “What took you so long, Sergeant?”
Sergeant Henderson’s visor retracted and he smiled back at Jon. “There was a traffic jam, Sir.”
CHAPTER 32
Kevin’s Marines scrambled backwards as repeated explosions rocked the corridor. His visor reported some damage to a few combat suits, but thankfully there weren’t any more casualties. They were pinned down, so he called for a battle bot and waited.
Battle bots were extremely effective field units, but they weren’t as versatile on board a starship. Still, Kevin didn’t want to waste valuable time in a drawn-out firefight, and they provided the firepower he needed at the moment.
The battle bot was essentially a small hovercraft with extremely thick armor plating and an array of heavy weapons at its disposal. It could go into a hot zone and withstand enemy fire while pulverizing the enemy’s positions. It was the tip of the spear often needed for a decisive thrust against an entrenched enemy.
The two groups traded fire, locked in a standoff as Kevin
waited for the battle bot to arrive. He watched its progress on his visor and in no time it pulled up behind his team. The troopers moved aside letting the bot glide through. Although smaller than a mech, it was quite large and bulky and practically filled the corridor.
It turned the corner and immediately started taking fire, but it would take more than a few hand-held weapons to get through its heavy armor.
Deploying a plasma cannon the bot fired, and followed up with plasma grenades. The Kemmar combat suits were no match for the bot’s arsenal and they dropped off one by one.
The weapon that drove back Kevin’s men popped up again and fired on the bot. Explosions hammered the armored hovercraft but didn’t stop it, rather it just slowed down. The bot returned fire and pounded the alien weapon with repeated plasma cannon bursts.
The plasma cannon rounds wreaked havoc on the alien armor, hitting it relentlessly until it collapsed. Plasma bursts ripped through the alien machine, incinerating it until it was nothing more than a heap of smouldering scrap metal.
Kevin watched its progress on his visor and gave the order for his men to move out. His team rounded the corner, weapons at the ready, and fell in behind the battle bot.
When it reached the infiltration point Kevin had it lob a bunch of plasma grenades through the hole and into the attached Kemmar ship. The floor plates shuddered from the explosions and flashes of light shot out of the opening with each blast.
When the vessel had been softened up to Kevin’s satisfaction, he and his Marines climbed in. Gunfire echoed from the opening as they dealt with the scant defenders.
The Marines entered a large and cavernous room and again took fire. They shot back and sought cover. Red energy bursts crossed rail gun tracer fire as the two sides battled for position.
Kevin’s heavy Gatling gun proved to be the deciding factor, tilting the scales in favor of the humans.
At the far end of the room was a doorway, and the Kemmar seemed intent on its defense. It likely provided access to the rest of the vessel.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 13