Starflake (T'aafhal Legacy Book 3)

by Doug Hoffman

  As the Gunny's armor flared absorbing another bolt, JT's unfroze. He stepped around her and fired a long burst of flechettes at the sniper. Targeting was not an issue, his suit's sensors tracked the plasma bolts back to their origin and IR highlighted the figure of the gunman.

  It took less than a second for the flechettes to arrive. They stitched a line up the Karf's body, starting at its crotch and ending at its bulbous head. Traveling at 4,000 fps the hydrostatic shock of each impact made the alien's body expand like a balloon for an instant. Three flechettes struck the Karf's face and forehead—its skull burst like an overripe melon.

  “Nice shot, JT.”

  “Thanks for the cover, Rosey. Let's wrap this furball up.”

  “Roger that.”

  Keti, Grits, & Brains

  After blowing away a few aliens that were at the bottom of the ramp, the three Marines immediately headed for the main hallway where their recon drones showed a sizable alien force was positioned. Keti stopped at the corner leading into the wide passageway, and the other two stacked up behind her. They checked the video feed from their recon drones in greater detail.

  “It looks like they are setting up some heavy, crew-served weapons,” observed Grits.

  “I think you're right, mate, and those puppies are probably big enough to do some real damage.”

  “So we take them out.” Keti's remark was a statement, not a question.

  “Right you are, luv. Let's swing around in a line and hit them with full automatic 15mm, say a five second burst each.”

  “Works for me, y'all. Ready? I'm moving to your left, Keti.”

  “Right behind you, mate.”

  The three Marines jogged into position, knelt down to steady their aim, and let fly. More than seventy HE rounds pounded the alien position. The Karf were packed in together trying to bring three plasma cannon into battery. They were anticipating a charge down the hallway by the Marines from the plaza, not being taken from behind by enemies they didn't know were there.

  The Karf position disappeared behind a curtain of fire, the exploding warheads a continuous cascade of brilliant yellow furry. Several seconds into the barrage a different kind of detonation joined the fiery maelstrom, this one brilliant blue white. It was quickly joined by two more sending shock waves that buffeted the Marines.

  “Hoowee! You can't beat that with a wet squirrel.”

  “If you mean we kicked their arses you're spot on, mate. We must have detonated the power packs for those plasma cannons.”

  “I think you are both right.” Keti switched comm channels. “Ice Castle, Tseriteli. We have taken out the remaining hostiles in the main corridor, over.”

  Main Plaza

  JT was getting ready to order an assault on the central hallway when bright flashes and a succession of heavy explosions erupted from far down the corridor. Debris and gouts of flame issued from the opening, leaving the Lieutenant and accompanying Marines wondering what just happened. Then Keti's call came in.

  “Ice Castle, Tseriteli, we have taken out the remaining hostiles in the main corridor, over.”

  “Roger that, Tseriteli, your results were a bit overwhelming.”

  “Overwhelming my ass,” the Gunny added. “How about a little heads up before you decide to blow up half a building.”

  “Sorry, Gunny. It was the power packs for the heavy plasma cannon detonating. They were setting up to ambush you.”

  Checking her tactical readout she saw that Tseriteli, Walker, and Davis were about a hundred and fifty meters inside the structure. “You three done good, Keti, I'm just saying keep us informed next time.”

  “Aye, aye, Gunny.”

  “Hey, I don't show Dr. Ogawa or Cmdr. Danner on my tactical display. Does anyone have eyes on?'

  “That's a negative, Gunny. They were in that shop right over there when the firefight started.”

  “Well where the fuck are they? Don't just stand on your dicks, go find them!”

  “Peggy Sue, Ice Castle, do you have telemetry from Ogawa and Danner?”

  “That's a negative, JT. We lost telemetry for them right after the skirmish began. We were waiting for things to settle down before asking about them ourselves.”

  Oh balls! JT thought. Our first firefight and we lose track of two senior officers. That's a pooch screw of epic proportions.

  Chapter 19

  Main Plaza

  “I thought the storefront they went into was open?” JT asked Beau. The PFC was standing helplessly in front of the shuttered jewelery shop.

  “It was open, Sir. Once the battle started I figured that they were safe enough taking cover inside. I never noticed when the door shut. Should I blast it open?”

  “No!” the Gunny shouted. “If they are still in there we don't want to blow 'em to hell and gone.”

  JT thought for a second. “Bosco, where are you? We need your laser down here.”

  “We are at the staircase. Be there shortly.”

  “Even using the laser will be dangerous, Lieutenant,” the Gunny commented. “How thick do you suppose that shutter is?”

  “Not very, why?”

  “Beau, take a run at the door and try to break it down.”

  “Oui, Gunny.” Beau rounded on the closed shopfront, set himself like a sprinter at the start of a race, and ran full tilt at the metal barrier. He was still accelerating when he collided with the door, lowering his left shoulder just prior to impact. The door bowed inward, metal tearing, as the Marine vanished inside the shop.

  “I guess that answers that question,” the Gunny observed as Keti and company jogged up. “You others lend a hand and rip the rest out of the way.”

  “Aye, aye,” Walker replied enthusiastically. He, Keti, and Brains made short work of the remaining metal covering. Inside Beau shouted, “There's nobody in here.”

  “Crap,” JT turned away in frustration just in time to see a bushy tail disappear behind a nearby kiosk. Switching on his external speaker he yelled, “Shanakta-fek! Get your furry ass over here.”

  A pair of red-orange oculars surrounded by black and cinnamon fur peered out from behind the kiosk. Looking around nervously the trader concluded that there was no reasonable chance of escaping. Avoiding fallen chunks of building, dead Karf, and shreds of splagg the Kieshnar-rak-kat-tra scampered to JT's position.

  “I am at your command, oh great warrior. How may I be of service?”

  “Come with me.” JT turned and led the way into the now demolished storefront.

  The interior of the shop was a shambles, more due to Beau's forceful entry than anything else. There was an open space toward the back of the store where counters and display cases had been cleared away. In the center there was an area of bare floor that was surrounded by strange material, like the emergency foam sprayed on a runway before an airplane made a crash landing. Except this foam was as hard as concrete.

  “What is that stuff, Lieutenant?” Grits asked.

  “Not a clue, but I bet it has something with the disappearance of Dr. Ogawa and Cmdr. Danner. What do you know, shorty?” That last directed at Shanakta-fek who was hiding behind JT's armored form.

  “It looks like capture foam, used by the Karf, great sir.”

  “Who the hell are the Karf?”

  “The gray bipeds who attacked you, they are more or less the overlords of the station.”

  “LT, I've got a body!” called Beau from near the back wall of the store. JT and his reluctant local guide moved to Beau's position.

  As they drew near they could see a carcase, covered with short light brown fur, about the size of a hog. It was laying crumpled in the corner, deep slash marks across its neck and body. Red blood congealed in a dark puddle next to the body.

  “What's that thing?”

  “It is a Hoon, sir. They are artisans and shop keepers, this was probably his shop. They are timid and unaggressive by nature.”

  “Did the Karf do this? Kill the shopkeeper?”

  “The wounds
look more like those inflicted by a Hisstow. They are often used by the Karf as muscle. They are long and flexible, covered with fur, and have retractable claws on both their hands and feet.”

  “But the Karf were behind this, and that big thing that started the attack in the plaza?”

  “The splagg, yes most worthy sir. The beast is not intelligent, but they are often used to guard areas of the station the Karf wish no one but themselves to have access to.” The trader had his bushy tail wrapped across his chest and when not speaking burred his nose in its hair.

  “Why are you hiding your face? Are you afraid to be recognized, are we under surveillance?”

  “No, sir, the smell of death both here and on the plaza nauseates me.” He looked up from his furry wrap with big pleading eyes.

  “Sir, it looks like there are drag marks leading to the freight doors back here,” called Brains. “Somebody dragged something heavy out through the rear exit.”

  “Tell me, trader. Do these Karf take prisoners or are our comrades dead?” There was ice water in JT's voice.

  “S-Sir, they often take captives to interrogate. The use of the restraining foam indicates that your companions were taken for such a purpose.”

  “Where? Where are these little gray bastards?”

  “The Karf inhabit parts of several nearby spires and one major spire that they claim exclusively for their kind. They could have taken your friends to any of those locations.”

  “Shit! Well captured is better than dead. Gunny, send some Marines to find out where the drag marks go.”

  “Aye, Sir. Davis, Walker, follow the scuff marks. Tseriteli, go with 'em.”

  “Aye, aye.” The trio exited the rear of the shop on the trail of the kidnapers.

  Karf Habitat

  The new leader of the Karf was apoplectic. Despite the fact that the ambush's failure led directly to its ascension by discrediting the previous leader, the brief battle showed these new aliens to be most formidable warriors. There was no getting around it, the ambush had been a disaster.

  “Bring me the ambush commander, I wish to tear its throat out myself!”

  “The commander died in battle, as your predecessor should have. We lost more than fifty warriors in a matter of minutes. How are you going to overcome these new foes, Leader?” Leader was pronounced with great contempt.

  “We did manage to capture two of the smaller aliens. They are on the way here now,” reported another underling. This prompted outcries by those gathered.

  “Can the aliens track them? Are they leading these unstoppable killing machines to our habitat? Better to kill them now if we can.”

  “Don't be stupid. The aliens are encased in capture foam, which suppresses all electromagnetic radiation. They won't be released from the foam until they are in a safely shielded containment cell.”

  “That's all well and good, but what are you going to do about this threat, Leader?”

  “How can we stop them? How many more are aboard their ship?”

  “We can't stop them. That is the fact of the matter.”

  “No, maybe we can't, but the Others can,” the leader said, quieting the fractious crowd. “Summon the death raptors. At least now we can promise them a worthy foe to fight. Meanwhile, we will interrogate the captives and find out as much as we can about these invaders. Perhaps some weakness can be found. In any case we will have the pleasure of flaying them alive.”

  CIC, Peggy Sue

  “We still haven't located Dr. Ogawa and Cmdr. Danner, Sir. We followed the drag marks from the back of the shop they were taken in. They ended at what looks like a maintenance elevator. We sent recon drones half a klick down the shaft and saw no signs of life.”

  “I copy, Ice Castle. I suggest you bring 2nd squad down to your level and make sure the area is fully secured before attempting a further reconnaissance.”

  “Yes, Sir. When we do find them we will probably need to bring up reinforcements before doing a frontal assault. These little gray bastards are nasty.”

  “Understood. That not withstanding, I want them found, Mr. Taylor. Peggy Sue, out.”

  Cutting the comm link Billy Ray clenched his fists in frustration. “How the hell do you lose two people out from under everyone's noses in the midst of a firefight?”

  Beth realized that the anger in her husband's words were because of frustration and not directed at JT and the Marines personally. They both knew that exploring strange space stations was a risky business. “Many tribal warriors practiced kidnapping during skirmishes, taking captives to interrogate and possibly exchange for ransom or prisoners.”

  “Yer right, Number One, but that doesn't make the situation any easier to swallow—the alien abductors knew what they were doing. The most frustrating thing is that we can't track their location.”

  “So it would seem, Captain. What puzzles me is how they took Bobby and Mizuki without a fight.”

  “Pardon me, Captain, but I may have information regarding the location of Dr. Ogawa.” It was the voice of the ship's computer.

  “You do? Where are they, Peggy Sue, and how are you tracking them?”

  “For some time Dr. Ogawa has been trying to reverse engineer the T'aafhal neutrino based communication technology. So far she has managed to create a signaling device that sends an identifying pulse which I am able to detect using the same circuits that the more sophisticated T'aafhal devices utilize.”

  Billy Ray sighed and looked at the ceiling in frustration. “The location, Peggy Sue, then the explanation if you please.”

  “Of course, Captain. The red light on the holographic projection of the station is the last known location of Dr. Ogawa.”

  On the model starflake that hovered above the main 3D projection display a red dot appeared deep within the core of the station. It was partway between the spire the Marines were in and an adjacent major spire.

  “Damn, they are not even in the same arm of the station. Where are they being taken?”

  “I do not have that information, Captain.

  “You keep saying the location of Dr. Ogawa, are Bobby and Mizuki still together?” asked Beth.

  “I do not know that either, Cmdr. Melaku. I am assuming that the signal marks the location of Dr. Ogawa, since the device was built into her suit. The beacon is a simple signaling device that is incapable of sending anything more complicated than an identifying code. The position is extrapolated from the direction of the signal and where it intersected the station structure.”

  “Can the aliens track the signal?”

  “I find that improbable, given the level of technology they have displayed so far. What is fortunate is that neutrinos will pass through normal matter without hindrance or detection.”

  “So yer saying the abductors don't know that we know where they're taking our people?”

  “That is the most likely scenario, Captain.” The computer paused for a second. “I have just received another pulse, there is no mistake that they are moving.”

  On the model the red point changed position. It was now within the adjacent spire, as though rising from the station hub.

  “Thank you, Peggy Sue. Keep us updated on their progress.” Billy Ray activated the comm. “Chief Morgan, you and your SEALs please armor up and get to the pinnace. I think we have need of your infiltration skills. You will be briefed en route.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir. We are on our way.”

  “Number One, we need a pilot for the pinnace.” Seeing the gleam in her eyes he quickly added, “other than yourself.”

  “Sometimes you just take all the fun out of things. Lt. Hoenig is currently OOD on the bridge, I will send Lt. Palmer. Are you going to let Lt. Taylor know we have a tentative location for Mizuki and Bobby?”

  “Let's get another ping to be sure of the location before we let JT off the hook.” His voice was serious but the smile on his face indicated that the Captain was feeling much relieved to have a fix on the missing officers.

  Mizuki & Bobby, Karf
Spire

  “We are rising, Bobby. We must be in another spire.”

  “Yes. That's both good and bad. Good in that we are probably getting close to our destination.”

  “And bad?”

  “Because we are probably getting close to our destination.”

  “Have you thought of a way to escape containment?” Though Mizuki was a brilliant physicist and an unequaled swordsman, she lacked her husband's intimate knowledge of their other armament.

  “Yeah, I've been giving it some thought. You remember that we specified better shielding against explosive penetrators after the incident on the ant planet?”

  “Hai, PFC Malachi was nearly killed.”

  “Well what we did was upgrade the shielding on both the heavy and light armored suits. The problem is that it takes too much power to maintain impenetrable shields like the ship has or even the shuttles. So we took an idea from old fashioned tank armor. To defeat penetrators they used active armor, basically explosives that disrupted the incoming shaped jet of metal from an anti-armor warhead.”

  “There are explosives on our suits?”

  “No, sweetheart, but we modified the shield generators to create short, localized repulsive pulses when an approaching threat is detected. In tests, they were able to defeat typical anti-armor warheads and don't require nearly the energy drain that continuous shielding would.”

  “That's great, how do we get them to shoot us with anti-armor rounds?”

  Bobby shook his head. “That's not exactly what I had in mind. There is a test mode that can trigger active armor pulses programmatically. I'm thinking that if we make our suits generate a pattern of pulse they should be able to fracture this cement we're stuck in.”

  “You just should have said so, Bobby.”

  “I just did, Mizuki-chan. I have programmed my suit to generate a pattern of pulses over its entire surface, which should set me free. I'll transfer the program to your suit's computer and, when we are ready to break out, we'll trigger them at the same time. The biggest problem is deciding when we make our break.”

  “Victories are won using a timing which the enemy does not expect.”