“I count six defenders on both sides of that doorway,” Kevin said to his team. “Team A and B, advance on the doorway. The rest of us will lay down covering fire.”
“Yes, Sir,” the Marines replied.
“Move out,” Kevin said, and then stepped out himself and opened fire on the doorway.
The other Marines fired with him and the Kemmar defenders had no choice but to fall back.
Team A and B advanced quickly, stopping briefly whenever they found cover, until they reached the Kemmar positions.
They charged the defenders and Kevin watched his men take fire on his HUD. An alert appeared when Private Schledohrn’s vitals flatlined.
“Damn it!” Kevin cursed. Schledohrn was a great Marine and true to form he led the charge on the Kemmar taking the brunt of their fire. His sacrifice allowed the other Marines to overwhelm the enemy positions and kill the rest of the defenders.
“Position secured,” Private Daniels said.
“Hold position,” Kevin said, and the rest of the security team advanced.
The doorway gave access to a network of corridors and hatches. The rest of the ship seemed to follow a highly compartmentalized design. Kevin knew they needed to find and secure the bridge first.
Hermes scans provided a layout of the Kemmar vessel which now displayed on his HUD, giving him the most direct approach to the bridge.
“We take the bridge first. I don’t want to get bogged down in any room to room firefights. You should all have the route on your HUDs. We move fast and we hit hard. Let’s move out.”
The troopers moved quickly through the ship, encountering scant resistance. The walls were covered in odd markings and there were what looked like computer interfaces built into the bulkheads every twenty meters or so.
Kevin knew they were being monitored and wondered why they didn’t encounter heavier resistance.
He got his answer when they neared the bridge. The corridor was heavily armed and concealed turrets sprang out of the walls and ceiling, unleashing an electrical storm of energy weapon fire.
Kevin cursed as two of his Marines disappeared from his display, dying almost instantly under the onslaught.
Several others sustained heavy damage to their combat suits before finding cover.
While he had hoped to take the bridge without any more casualties, he knew it wouldn’t be likely. He was surprised they managed to make it this far without encountering any other surprises.
This ship must have been primarily a boarding vessel. Other than the boarding parties there may be a few aliens running the bridge, but nothing more. He hoped the turrets confirmed his theory. All they had to do was disable the turrets and then take the bridge.
His team kept firing on the weapons, but the speed in which they returned fire made progress slow. Still, it would only be a matter of time until they could storm the bridge. Suddenly, without warning, the ship started vibrating.
Kevin’s comm link came to life. “Chief St. Clair, do you read,” Commander Wolfe said.
“Yes, Commander. What’s going on?”
“The Kemmar ship is breaking contact with the Hermes. How close are you to taking the bridge?”
“There are several automated weapons blocking our way. Once we secure the corridor, we can launch an assault on the bridge.”
“We can’t allow them to escape. We’ll try to take out their engines. You and your men may want to secure yourselves while we open fire.”
Kevin felt his stomach hollow out and contract as he and his team braced themselves for the upcoming explosions.
Outside, the Kemmar ship raced away. While the Hermes had taken heavy damage, it still had enough power to deal with the solitary alien ship.
The two vessels traded fire, the Kemmar firing back at the Hermes in what looked like a random pattern, and the Hermes in close pursuit focused its fire on the Kemmar engines.
Not wanting to destroy the ship, it avoided using missiles and concentrated its energy weapons on the target.
By controlling the intensity of the beam, they were able to eventually disable the engines, leaving the offending ship hopelessly adrift. The Hermes focused its fire on the enemy weapon systems, disabling its ability to fire back.
Inside the ship everything paused while Kevin’s Marines were bounced around by the battle. The Marines held on to whatever they could and their armored suits protected them from any injuries.
“Don’t these assholes have inertial dampeners?” Private Daniels said, holding on to a bulkhead while his legs whipped around.
“We’ll install some after we take the bridge,” Kevin said.
Kevin felt particularly claustrophobic trapped in the alien ship. The Hermes may have been only trying to disable the vessel, but inside it felt like everything was going to break apart at any moment. He felt a massive concussion and all movement stopped.
“The ship has been disabled, Chief,” Wolfe said.
“Thank you, Commander. I presume you’ll stop banging us around in here now?”
“Yes, Chief. You are good to go.”
Kevin looked back towards the turrets and scowled. “Ok Marines, let’s take those guns out.”
The Marines took up positions again and opened fire on the Kemmar defenses. Bit by bit they advanced down the corridor until they reached a sealed door blocking entrance to the bridge. Kevin had Daniels rig the door with explosives and the team took cover.
The explosion produced a tangled mess of contorted metal and sharp strips jutting out at abnormal angles. The opening, however, was large enough for the Marines to step through, their combat suits protecting them against any cuts or punctures from the metal.
“Nice and easy,” Kevin said. “I don’t want to lose anybody else because of some alien surprise.”
Slowly the Marines entered the bridge and took up positions to secure the perimeter. Inside they found three Kemmar lying on the floor, presumably dead. Not wearing combat suits, this was the first opportunity Kevin had to see a Kemmar.
They were bipeds and had a torso that was disproportionately longer than their legs. Their bodies were covered in orange hair. The same hair covered their heads and faces, as well. Their heads were broad and round, and they had wide slits for eyes. A small nose seemed disproportionate compared to the large cheeks covering most of the face.
Kevin nudged one with his Gatling gun, but it didn’t move. He pushed at its face and revealed several rows of sharp teeth. They were obviously carnivores.
“Damn those things are ugly,” Daniels said.
“Bridge secured,” Kevin said over his comm link.
“Acknowledged,” Wolfe said. “Awaiting feed from enemy systems.”
Kevin signaled to Chen to initiate a takeover of the enemy computer systems. Chen stepped up to the one of the consoles and his suit produced a hexagonal object which Chen then placed on the console. The object proceeded to access the enemy systems.
Utilizing the power of the Hermes AI, it initiated a series of brute force attacks against the enemy computer defenses.
The Kemmar systems were no match for the Hermes AI, and it obliterated security measure after security measure, overwhelming the Kemmar systems until it had gained complete control.
“Enemy system takeover complete,” Chen said. “Initiating feed.”
The entire Kemmar database was then transmitted to the Hermes systems. The Hermes took control of all systems aboard the Kemmar ship, and detailed schematics were transmitted to the Marines.
They waited while the flood of intelligence flowed across space to the Hermes. The updated combat suit display now showed the entire ship, but no other signs of life other than Kevin’s team.
Still Kevin ordered his men to split up and search the ship while they waited for the transfer to finish.
With the Hermes AI having taken over the Kemmar systems, any built-in defenses fell under the AI’s control and were no longer a threat. The troopers fanned out across the ship securing each r
oom as they went.
When the transfer was finally complete the Hermes sent over a shuttle to retrieve the Marines. Several engineers were also on board, their job to examine the technology and see if they could salvage anything worthwhile.
Having jumped away from the battle, the Hermes was no longer under any immediate threat and could take time to conduct repairs and determine its next course of action.
CHAPTER 33
Breeah entered the sick bay in a panic. She had run all the way from her quarters and her forehead glistened with sweat.
The Captain had told her that he found Anki, but Breeah didn’t understand why she had been brought to the sick bay. Was she injured?
The Captain said Anki was fine, but she didn’t trust the translating device they used. It could have made a mistake. She had already lost so much, she couldn’t lose Anki too.
She paced back and forth, biting on her fingernails, waiting for someone to come and tell her what was going on. If she didn’t see someone soon, she would search the entire sick bay for her daughter and damn anybody who did not like it.
Moments later a door opened, and Doctor Ellerbeck walked out with the Captain holding her little girl. Anki smiled, but Breeah could see that she had been crying and had been through a terrifying ordeal. She rushed over to Anki who shot out her arms for her mother.
Jon handed the child to Breeah, who took her into her arms and squeezed her tight, loosening her grip only enough so that she could smother her with kisses. Anki wrapped her tiny arms around her mother’s neck and was soon giggling as Breeah’s kisses tickled her. The giggles brought a smile to Breeah’s face and the tension dissipated as she relaxed.
Doctor Ellerbeck gave Breeah a reassuring smile.
“Anki is fine. She has been through a bit of a scare, but she is uninjured. She should get some rest though and avoid wandering through the ship again.”
Breeah pulled Anki out so she could look at her. “You’d better not do that again, child.”
Anki shook her head quickly from side to side and Breeah pulled her in for another squeeze.
Anki rested her head on Breeah’s shoulder and Breeah proceeded to sway from side to side, rocking the little girl in her arms. Then she looked at Jon. “I don’t know how to thank you, Captain.”
“It was nothing. I’m happy to help.”
Jon looked back at them and his normally severe face softened. His eyes took on a faraway look, as if lost in memories. She saw a gentle side to him that she hadn’t noticed before. Hidden deep behind his hard, threatening features existed a kindness the outside world rarely saw.
Anki pushed against her mother’s shoulders so she could look at her. “Nothing?” she said, eyes wide and bright, her whole face lighting up. “He fought five Kemmar soldiers and won! It was amazing.”
Jon frowned. “Your daughter exaggerates.”
Breeah didn’t think so. This was a powerful man. She thought he could probably fight twice as many Kemmar and still win. There was something about him. She had never seen a man like this before.
In her colony there had been large, powerful men, her own husband included. Yet this man seemed to transcend all of that. It wasn’t just his size. He had a presence. A confidence. And a severity that left little question about his capabilities. She knew he was unrivaled among men.
“Again, I thank you, Captain. I am in your debt.” And she truly meant it. This man ordered the deaths of her friends and husband, and yet she felt obligated to him rather than resentful.
The dead were gone. Only the living mattered. It was her own fool of a husband who had initiated the battle. All he saw was a two on one encounter that he was sure he could win. He only saw plunder, and everyone died for his greed.
Yet this man saved them and offered them refuge. And he put his people at risk against the Kemmar to save her people. People he did not know.
“Come now, enough of that. I’m sure you’re exhausted after the day’s events. Let me walk you and Anki to your quarters.”
Thankfully, the battle had ended. She hoped they had seen the last of the Kemmar for a while.
Walking back to their quarters she continued to think of her husband. He had been a decent provider and never raised a hand to her or Anki. She would miss him for that. But there had never been love between them.
Reivers were practical, and their marriage had been no different. Arranged by their fathers long before, the idea was that love would eventually bloom between the two. Yet it never did. And now that he was gone it was time to be practical again. Time to think of Anki and the future.
“Captain, you must forget my people.”
Jon gave her a perplexed look. “I don’t understand.”
“You must not return, Captain. You must not fight the Kemmar again.”
“But surely you don’t mean that. The Kemmar will kill them when they find them.”
“Then they will die. Reivers are raised to accept death, Captain. It is a possible outcome of every raid.”
“I’m sorry Breeah, they’re humans. I can’t just leave them.”
“We are humans as well, Captain. As are the rest of your crew. The Kemmar have learned of the gate. More warships will come. You fought well against the battleship and almost won, but if you return you will be destroyed.”
“But they’re your people…”
“I must think of Anki now. I almost lost her today. I cannot risk losing her again. Captain, you have shown yourself to be an honorable man. You must not feel guilt for the lives of those on our ships. You were defending your ship. There is no shame in that.”
“I do feel guilty, but it’s more than that. Aliens have held the power of life and death over humanity for far too long.”
“That is your history, Captain. My people live free. We always have. My people will find a way to survive, and it will not be under the Kemmar boot. Like them, you need to ensure that your people survive. Consider my words, Captain.”
“I’ll consider them.”
They approached Breeah’s quarters and the door slid open. Anki hugged Jon and ran inside. He smiled.
Breeah looked up at him and nodded. “Thank you again for saving Anki, Captain. I am in your debt.” She then surprised herself by hugging the Captain.
When she stepped back, she saw that he was smiling. She felt her cheeks flush and quickly turned and followed Anki into her quarters.
CHAPTER 34
“The Captain’s actions are irrational,” said Kinos, the Diakan security advisor. “He would sacrifice his ship and crew over a human colony he had no idea existed a few days ago.”
“Yes, his actions were reckless. I am afraid he is considering engaging the Kemmar yet again,” Tallos said.
The other Diakans seated at the table tilted their heads backwards repeatedly and made sharp sucking sounds in protest.
Tallos could see they were all agitated. The Captain had concerned him from the moment they first met. He thought too much of his abilities and too little of Diakus. Were his abilities not the result of the symbiont? His arrogance prevented him from acknowledging the Diakan contributions to his success.
“The Hermes had the advantage of surprise,” Kinos said. “That advantage is now lost. The Kemmar are resourceful. They have learned of the gate and crossed through successfully. They have seen the Hermes use its jump system and will have connected the technology to the gate. Engaging the Kemmar again poses an unacceptable security risk. The Kemmar will not seek to destroy the Hermes now. They will seek to capture it for its technology. That presents a significant threat to Diakus.”
“Yes, their failed attempt to board, rather than destroy the Hermes indicates that this is their strategy.” Tallos looked to Matos, the medical advisor. “What of the symbiont? Can we assert control of the Captain through it?”
“The symbiont will not allow any harm to come to the Captain. You must understand, the symbiont knows it cannot be removed. It knows that removal means death. Its primary loy
alty is now to the Captain and his continued survival,” Matos said.
“Then it is no longer a loyal subject of Diakus?”
“It cannot return to Diakus. It cannot be removed and transplanted into a Diakan host. It is a strategic being. As such, it has adjusted its priorities.”
“Then it must be considered a threat. It has served its purpose until now, and the Captain was chosen due to the belief that it could be relied upon to control the Captain. If this is no longer the case, then both the Captain and the symbiont have become expendable.”
“Are you suggesting the Captain be terminated?” Kinos asked.
“I believe the time has come to take command of this vessel. The Admiral has given us the authority to do so if the mission is threatened. The Captain has become a clear danger to this mission.”
“I do not believe we should terminate the Captain,” Kinos said.
“Why is that?”
“The humans will not accept it. They believe in their system of justice and would require the Captain to be court marshaled. We would need to arrest him and hold him until he could face judgment from his superiors.”
“If he is not terminated, he will remain a threat for the remainder of this mission.”
“We cannot hold the ship if the humans rise against us. I believe they will do so if we terminate the Captain.”
“And imprisoning him will be seen as compliant with their justice system?”
“Yes, it is how they would handle an insubordinate member of the crew.”
“Then is it agreed? The Captain is to be relieved of his command?”
“Agreed,” the Diakans said.
“There is still the problem of resistance. The Captain will not relinquish command willingly. Arresting him will be a challenge, especially if members of the crew assist him.”
“Security Chief St. Clair will likely be a problem. He is friends with the Captain and the Marines will follow him if he stands against us,” Kinos said.
“Yes, we will have to remove him from his command, otherwise he would be an unacceptable threat. Any senior officer can compromise this mission, yet we cannot move against all of them. The humans may not like our actions, but once our authority is revealed they will be compelled to obey our orders.”
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 14