Star Crusader: Battle Fleet Victorious

by Thomas, Michael G.

  "Everybody find something and hold on!"

  Nate knew the voice. It was Lieutenant Commander Holder, and she sounded close. He lifted his arms and began moving them rapidly, until finally striking something. He had no immediate idea what it was. More lights flickered on, and finally Nate could see around him.

  Where are we?

  They were in a wide passageway with a surprisingly low ceiling. As Nate gripped tightly, he realised he was actually resting his feet on the side wall, and that the odd shape was because everything had shifted ninety degrees.

  "Hold on, we've got another one."

  The ship groaned, that awful sound of tortured metal that echoed through the passages, corridors, and rooms of the mighty vessel. The sound died down, and then changed to a scream of steam or some other gas just as three large plate sections tore from the wall, leaving a metal frame and masses of exposed wiring.

  "Fire!"

  Nate looked off to his right, and then relaxed upon seeing Valdis and Billy just a few metres away. Cassandra was further to the back, helping to apply a dressing to a Byotai technician's face. Behind her was the yellow and orange flame, and even as he watched, it seemed to grow in size and intensity. Nate looked in the opposite direction where the light had vanished, and all he could see was darkness.

  That's the only way out.

  He pointed to the dark area of the passageway and then shouted to the others.

  "Follow me!"

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Imperial Battleship 'Furiosa'

  The sound of Byotai voices filled the bridge of Furiosa. A few groaned in pain from the impacts against furniture and systems, but mostly it was frustration and anger. With the gravity gone, they all drifted about the bridge like flailing fish, occasionally bumping in to each other.

  "Captain Krammer, we need systems back on-line, and fast!" shouted Commander Higgins.

  Nobody answered his call, so he repeated himself, only to smack his head on a wall. He tried to reach out, but was too slow and then drifted off into the bridge again. Luckily, he accidentally caught his foot on a display unit, and with just a second to spare, managed to grab the device. He landed alongside it and was stunned to see it was one of only three units showing any sign of life. All around him, strip lights flickered on slowly, but for some reason the emergency lights pulsed one last time and then fully activated, filling the interior with warm red light that was close to the way it normally looked.

  What happened in here?

  Five or six crew floated past, with at least one trailing bubbles of blood. Commander Higgins pulled himself down to the floor and then tapped a screen. It wasn't his system, but his Byotai security credentials worked enough to gain him access to his previous systems.

  "Commander, report."

  He looked back and found Captain Krammer floating in the centre of the room, while General Honorious lowered to the ground alongside him. One crewman tried to activate a nearby system, but almost everything else was off-line. The General pointed back at him and spoke again. As usual, the translator on his Secpad bracelet did a quick and relatively accurate translation on the fly.

  "Quickly."

  Commander Higgins looked back at the system; now realising he was the only one anywhere near a functional system. He ran his hands over the unit and moved the map of the ship to find the problems. So many systems flashed red that for a few seconds he suspected the entire ship would be written off.

  "General, a low-yield atomic warhead activated on the flank. The weapon caused moderate damage, but it has started multiple fires that are cascading from bow to stern."

  "Show me."

  The two senior officers drifted and stumbled until landing nearby. General Honorius leaned in, but Captain Krammer reached out and touched the unit. Once confirming his security level, it changed the display to one that showed every single deactivated system.

  "Weapons, engines, and armour are off-line. You're correct, Commander. The fires are doing what the enemy ships could not. They are killing my ship. If they are not stopped in the next few minutes, Furiosa will be no more than a burnt out husk. A drifting coffin for our people."

  As the two Byotai looked on bitterly, Commander Higgins moved the diagnostic windows to one side and checked on the known status of the crew. Many were missing, and a good number showed as wounded or incapacitated. He tried to ignore the deceased markers.

  There they are.

  First to pop up was Private Valentine, and then a number of her squad. They were a short distance from the officers' quarters. He then moved away from that group and continued the hunt for the others. Most of the survivors were now huddled in clumps at the heart of the ship, where the sealed compartments would keep them safe for the time being.

  Where are my pilots?

  There was no sign of them from bow to stern, so he pulled back the overhead view so that the entire ship was visible. That was the moment Nate's transponder activated and instantly updated on the computer system. Others then activated as their own data mapped onto Nate's. For a second, he felt relief, knowing Lieutenant Commander Holder, and the mix of Alliance and Byotai pilots were alive and together, but then he spotted the danger around them. All surviving crewmembers were in the secure, secondary hull parts of the ship, but not the pilots.

  No...how can they be there? They must have been blasted out from the lower deck.

  He became frustrated at realising the problem.

  "Who is that?" Krammer asked.

  Commander Higgins swallowed slowly before answering.

  "My pilots, they are in two compartments in from the outer hull, and heading towards the secondary cooling channels here."

  Captain Krammer sighed.

  "The fires have them surrounded, Commander. They cannot escape. If the outer hull breaches again, they will be pulled out."

  Commander Higgins looked to the two senior officers, but neither had anything reassuring to offer him. Another called to them, and as they turned away, he moved his attention back to the system.

  There must be something I can do. There has to be.

  He began moving his fingers over the display, and then loaded up the nearest two routes that they might be able to follow. One moved deep inside the ship, the other headed to one of the many mooring points on the hull.

  "Commander."

  Higgins looked to the right where General Honorious was waiting. He pointed at the centre, near where the pilots were positioned.

  "They have a few minutes, so get them into safety, and quickly."

  "Why minutes? What are you doing?"

  The General shrugged and then began to move away. Commander Higgins placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to stop him. At once a Byotai soldier pulled him off and almost started a fight.

  "General?"

  The old, battle-hardened General exhaled slowly.

  "Secondary compartments will enter lockdown to protect the ammunition, life-support, and power systems."

  Even a cursory glance confirmed this would cause major problems for the pilots. The nearest security block was still a good distance from their current position, and through at least two separate fires. He tapped the system and activated an audio link to Lieutenant Commander Holder.

  "Saffron, are you there?"

  "Commander?"

  * * *

  Lieutenant Commander Holder nodded twice and then answered briefly. With her hand resting on the ceiling, she was able to keep relatively stable for a moment.

  "...okay, so how do we get out?"

  There was a short pause, and she checked to make sure the others were still there, drifting about in the passageway. Her pilots had escaped the worst of the flames, for now, but there was little time to rest. Nate moved towards the front, using his hands to grab into parts of the walls and ceiling and stopping alongside her.

  "What next, Sir?"

  She shook her head and lifted a hand to silence him; completely forgetting there was now nothing to keep her from d
rifting away and into the darkness of the warship.

  "We need to keep moving."

  She extended her arm off to the right.

  "Keep going."

  Nate pulled himself against the wall, and then cast himself off into the open space. With no gravity, they were all forced to make use of the limited zero-g training that they'd received. This was a wider passage, and Nate had to keep lifting his hands to his face to protect him from the floating dust and litter drifting about uncontrollably. He moved alongside the officer and pointed ahead.

  "Sir, do you know where we're going?"

  A yellow glow flickered on and off, showing a vertical shaft thirty metres or so away, much to his surprise. He reached for Secpad, changing his mind as he moved even closer.

  "There's something ahead. Be careful."

  "Yes, Sir."

  Nate kept on moving, though not out of choice. He'd been drifting towards the next bulkhead, but due to the slow rotation of the ship, he'd ended up caught in a path through the passageway. Only parts remained lit, and each area of total blackness looked little different to the frozen void outside the vessel's armoured structure.

  "Listen!" Cassandra called out.

  Nate tried his best, but his heart pounded as he moved further into the blackness. At the same time, a great gout of steam burst into the passage, blocking his path.

  Damn, I need to grab something.

  Something snatched him from the side, and he swung up hard against the hard surface. Light flickered, and he could see a Byotai soldier, fully armoured and hanging onto the side of the passage.

  "Thanks."

  The alien looked at him, but it said nothing and pointed off into the ship. Nate strained his eyes and then gasped. The walls of the passage were moving, and two bent inwards, reducing the size of the open space. The interior shuddered as though something heavy had just smashed into the vessel. Then the sound of tortured metal returned, the scream of twisted girders and bulkheads.

  "Hold on! We've got a problem."

  Nate looked back to his friends and started mentally counting off each of them. At first he thought Matilda and Valdis were missing, but then they appeared, with another wounded or unconscious Byotai in their arms. They floated through the tunnel as if through water.

  "Nate!"

  It was Cassandra, and as he looked at her, a bright white light engulfed the furthermost section of the passage. A blast of heat and gas rushed in towards them, and then they were adrift, accelerating through the innards of the vessel. Nate tried to watch his friends as he tumbled his way, but to no avail. Luckily, they reached a long bend in this particular section, and it provided friction, as well as a means to force them all into one place. More lights came on, followed by the shouting, crackling voice of a Byotai male.

  Billy and Fletcher flew in from behind and crashed into the back of Cassandra. The three tumbled about, coming to a halt at the doorway to a recreation or barrack room. With so much clothing and personal gear floating about, it was difficult to be able to tell. The voice returned, and this time positively growling with anger.

  "What's he saying?" Billy yelled.

  Nate pulled his friend aside and reached out to help bring Valdis a little closer. As the lights flickered, he saw a cut on her lip, but other than that she seemed fine.

  "It is Captain Krammer. He says there is a major fire in engineering."

  "And?"

  Another group crashed around them, and one vanished inside the room while shouting out. Billy tried to grab whoever it was, but they were moving much too fast and vanished from view. One dragged herself around the entrance and into view.

  "Lieutenant Co..."

  "Enough!" said the officer, "Just use my first name. I can't take that anymore."

  "What?" Matilda asked.

  "You heard me."

  They were all too familiar with her first name, but not one of them would ever dare use it. They did when she was not around, but at all other times, it was always her formal title and name. Only those in her own squadron would ever use it, or those more senior officers she knew well. Nate looked to Billy who looked as though he was about to burst out laughing.

  "Saffron?" he said under his breath.

  The Lieutenant Commander heard him and thumped the back of his head gently.

  "Yes, Ensign. Saffron. Keep talking, and you'll get hit again. It's my name, so use it. Now...what the hell is going on in here? Have we been boarded?"

  Valdis shook her head while blood dripped gently down her chin.

  "No, Sir. Definitely not boarded. The message from the Captain was clear."

  As before, the flashing light of distant flames lit up part of the corridor further away.

  "Let's keep moving."

  The group inched their way around the long bend and further inside the massive warship. Then came a sound none of them expected. It started as a muffled tone and then grew in volume. The Captain's voice returned, and this time Valdis looked panicked.

  "They need main power on. So they're restarting the engine system."

  "So?" Nate asked.

  Valdis twisted quickly and lost her position. Nate grabbed her before she could drift away and began pulling her close.

  "Gravity, it's coming on..."

  The young pilots might have been stunned for a second, but not Saffron. The experienced officer twisted about and examined the passage carefully.

  "The floor, where is it?"

  Billy and Cassandra looked left and right, but Matilda pointed to the ceiling.

  "There."

  "Right. Everybody get to the floor, now. Hurry!"

  It was one of the strangest scenes Nate had ever seen as they clambered into position. Without gravity, there was no way of securing them to the floor. Even when Nate hit the surface, he simply bounced off. Valdis came next and bumped into him, sending both crashing to the metal plating as a low hum spread through the ship.

  "Here it comes!" Valdis said.

  Cassandra was still struggling at the wall, and Matilda tried to help, only for Cassandra to slip from her grasp. Nate reached for his tunic and released his belt. He pulled the fabric through hoops and then placed one part in Valdis' hands. He looked away without realising that the material was still not fully in her hand.

  "Hold this for me. I'll get her."

  Nate kicked away from the floor and floated up, while Valdis struggled to catch the material. On he went until reaching her feet. Nate grabbed at the cloth and tugged at her legs. She quickly stopped, and he used his hands to shimmy up her body until he was holding her around the waist.

  "Okay, pull me!"

  A gentle tug was all that was needed to bring them back, and soon their feet were on the ground, while that terrible siren continued its wail. Then came the sound of heavy objects colliding, followed by a strong feeling of nausea.

  Nate's feet anchored on the ground, and then his lungs seemed to force inwards. More and more pressure until finally they were back to normal gravity. Billy staggered to the right and vomited on the deck. More objects clattered around them, like a hailstorm of metal and plastic. The voice blasted for a third time, and was then followed by a rising tone on the speakers.

  "Okay, then," said Saffron, "Now tell me, what was the Captain saying? Are we in trouble?"

  Valdis rubbed at her lip, smearing the blood onto her chin.

  "The fires, they're causing heavy damage. He's going to open up the outer seals to put them out."

  Matilda looked at Valdis and then moved closer.

  "Are you kidding me? He wants to vent the ship, with us inside?"

  Valdis nodded in agreement, without hesitating for a second. A loud bang drowned out their voices, and then a number of jagged cracks tore through the ceiling above their heads.

  "The doors will automatically seal the inner hull section in three minutes. After that, every single remaining section will vent."

  There was nothing but stunned silence for several seconds. Of them all
, the Lieutenant Commander spoke first, and even she sounded nervous as the battleship continued on its slow, tortured journey. Death in the void was still the one thing that terrified all of them, and right now none of them wore their enclosed PDS gear.

  "Okay, so that kind of limits what we can do."

  "Hell, no, I'm not staying here!" said Fletcher. He looked about and then pointed to a sealed side room on the right-hand side. The others were all damaged, but this one looked surprisingly secure. The door was large and showed no signs of damage from the destruction taking place throughout the ship. As he lifted his hands to the controls, Matilda leapt in.

  "No. Wait!"

  Fletcher pushed her, but Nate was soon there, and held onto Fletcher's arm. The young pilot twisted and struggled before finally submitting when Cassandra joined in.

  "What is it?" she asked.

  Matilda shook her hands loose and placed the palms on the door. The skin rested on the metal for a fraction of a second before she jumped back in horror.

  "Hot."

  Nate heard her and right away knew the danger they were in. Even in school he remembered the training films where they'd learnt to avoid putting water on electrical fires, or to play near water. The one that had always stuck in his mind, perhaps because of the stories of his uncle in the war, was about fire. So many men and women had died in the last war, a good number killed by roaring fires that spread quickly through warships. Even as a boy, he'd been taught to look for the tell tale signs of fires. There were the basics of smell and sound, but also the less obvious, such as lack of oxygen, making a person tired and lethargic. The single videostream that stuck in his mind was of the house fire. In the film, the parent moved upstairs and opened a door, only to be engulfed in flames, a horrific thing for a child to see. It had never left his mind.

  "Run! Run now!"

  Matilda was the first to go, and soon the entire group was running down the passage and towards the stern. The emergency lights were mostly on now, bathing the interior in a dull red that made spotting obstructions difficult. Just thinking of those terrible videostreams pushed Nate on until he was moving at a fast jog. The Byotai Captain's voice appeared again over the speakers, but none of them needed to know what he was saying. It was already clear that the ship was tearing itself apart, and they had to keep moving. Even though they were ready for it, the blast as the door tore off nearly fifty metres away was deafening. A great gout of flame entered the place, sending a super-heated wave towards them.