by G J Ogden
“Oh, I’ll see it,” Sterling replied. He was conscious of time, along with the danger of fighting a Sa’Nerran one-on-one, but he wanted to learn more about the Titan. “I’ll see that ship burn in space when our fleets destroy it, along with the rest of your armada.”
Garbled laughter filled Sterling’s mind, making him feel sick to his stomach. The alien then tore a metal leg from a table to its rear and raised it.
“Your fleet will become our fleet,” the warrior said in Sterling’s mind. “You cannot stop us. It is already too late.”
The alien swung at Sterling, but he dodged then raked the serrated blade down across the side of the creature’s face. Hot blood splashed onto the alien’s unique attire and its hisses grew frantic. Then came the realization that Sterling could feel the warrior’s pain and anxiety through their link. He believed he had glimpsed the possibility of fear in the yellow eyes of the Sa’Nerran before, but Sterling had never known for certain that the alien species was susceptible to the most crippling of human emotions. Now there was no doubt. The Sa’Nerran he was fighting feared death. More than that, the alien feared him.
The Sa’Nerran scientist swung again with its improvised club, but Sterling deflected the attack with his armored forearm and slashed the blade across the alien’s chest. Again the creature hissed and Sterling felt pain and terror grip it like a bear trap springing shut. The alien attacked again, but Sterling anticipated the swing and ducked inside, opening a gash in the scientist’s neck. This time the creature fell to its knees. The bar dropped from its hand as its long leathery fingers clamped around its throat, desperately trying to stem the blood flowing from the wound. Sterling pulled his arm back, ready to deliver a killing blow, but he withheld the urge. This unique alien was more valuable alive than dead, he realized.
“If you’re lucky, you might survive long enough to see me torch your homeworld,” Sterling spat, muscles still primed and ready to strike. “Until then you’re coming with me. We’re going to slice you open to find out how that brain of yours works. It’s time for you to become the experiment, you alien piece of trash.”
The warrior peered into Sterling’s eyes and for the first time he saw something other than a monster staring up at him. The Sa’Nerra had always had a mystique surrounding them. They were savage, impenetrable and terrifying. Not any longer. Now Sterling did not see a monster, but a pitiable creature, beaten and on its knees. He was more repulsed by the race than ever before and his desire to wipe them out only grew stronger.
“I will not be human experiment,” the creature said, the neural link between it and Sterling growing weaker. “My work is done. Your species…will… die…”
Suddenly, the alien reached out and snatched the half-moon blade that Sterling still carried on his armor. Sterling adjusted his stance, preparing to defend against the alien’s strike, but instead of attacking, the warrior plunged the blade into its own throat. There was a shrill waspish hiss and the words in Sterling’s mind became garbled and incoherent. However, even though the words were lost, Sterling could still feel the Sa’Nerran through their unique link, and he could feel it dying.
“Damn you,” Sterling spat, as the warrior’s yellow, egg-shaped eyes became glassier and more distant.
Sterling concentrated on the link, trying to push through the fog and haze to reach the alien’s mind one last time. Anything he could glean from it could still be useful, he realized. However, all he could feel was the alien’s terror rising to a peak, like an orchestral crescendo. Then then link was suddenly severed and the alien fell to the deck, dead. Sterling cursed and stared down at the body as blood pooled around his boots. He was angry at himself for allowing the alien to take its own life, but also lifted by the certainty that the warrior race was fallible. They felt. They feared. And that meant they could be beaten.
Chapter 27
I hope he’s worth it
The door was suddenly smashed open, snapping Sterling’s focus away from the dead Sa’Nerran and back into the moment. He spun around, blade in hand, ready to fight off another alien. However, instead of a warrior he was confronted by Lieutenant Shade. Blood coated the officer’s face and armor from head to toe, as if someone had thrown a pot of red paint over her.
“Captain, are you okay?” his weapons officer asked, hurrying inside and sweeping the room with her rifle. The question contained no emotion – it was merely a request for information, delivered plainly and without sentiment.
“I’m fine, Lieutenant,” Sterling replied, with matching coolness. He then hooked the bloodied blade onto his armor and recovered his pistol from the deck. “Have you found Colicos yet?”
“Yes, Captain, but there’s a problem,” Shade answered, aiming the barrel of her rifle at the Sa’Nerran and kicking its boots to make doubly sure it was dead.
Sterling peered over Shade’s shoulder and saw that Commander Banks was not with her. If anyone would have been able to break down the door it was her. His first-officer’s absence explained the delay in reaching him.
“Where’s Commander Banks?” Sterling asked, as Shade moved back outside.
“Colicos has her, sir,” Shade replied, hustling out of view. “I’ll take you to them.”
Sterling cursed as he hurried after his weapons officer, moving back into the central area of the station’s third level. Shade’s commandoes were covering the stairwells and upper levels, but two more of the Invictus’ soldiers lay dead on the ground. However, the counter-assault by the Sa’Nerra appeared to have stopped. The sound of plasma blasts was absent, giving the station a suddenly more alien aura. Sterling was not used to being in enemy terrain without the accompanying soundtrack of weapons fire.
Lieutenant Shade stopped outside a room and waited for Sterling to catch up. Two commandoes were already inside, weapons raised, as if they were part of a firing squad. A knot tightened in his gut as he advanced closer and stepped through the door. Then he realized why Commander Banks had not come to his aid. She was being held hostage by James Colicos. However, instead of there being a gun pressed to her head there was a neural control weapon instead.
“Stop right there!” Colicos blurted out. The disgraced scientist’s voice trembled, as did the man’s eyes. Colicos moved further behind Commander Banks, using her as a shield. “Don’t come any closer!”
Sterling cast his eyes over to his first officer, but she appeared frozen, as if her body were paralyzed. Despite this, Sterling could see in her eyes that she was still conscious and fully aware of everything that was going on around her.
“Make any sudden moves and your officer is dead,” Colicos added, staring at Sterling with terrified eyes.
“You’re making a big mistake, Doctor Colicos,” Sterling said. Sterling had tried to contain his anger, but the implied threat was not lost on the genius.
“Don’t try to intimidate me, Captain, I’m in control here, so do as I say!” Colicos yelled. “In five minutes, this lovely young lady’s brain will be mush. So let’s not dally, shall we?”
Sterling observed the scientist’s trembling hands and twitchy, frantic movements. Colicos would have been well-spoken, had it not been for his flustered squawks. It was clear to Sterling that the scientist was so on edge that even the slightest push would send him over. Realizing something other than force was required, he waved for the commandoes to lower their weapons, then turned to Lieutenant Shade.
“How did this happen?” Sterling asked, keeping his voice as calm and as level as he was able to manage. “Banks could tear this guy in half.”
Colicos had the build of a fashion model – lithe and tall. Despite being over sixty years old, the scientist looked even younger in person than he had done in the images Sterling had seen.
“He was playing possum, Captain,” Shade replied, glowering at Colicos as she answered the question. “He was on the floor, pretending to be injured. Commander Banks moved over to check on him then he slapped that thing on her before anyone knew what had happ
ened.”
Sterling nodded then turned back to Colicos, keeping the pistol in his hand held at his side.
“I’m afraid you’ve picked the wrong captain to play these sorts of games with, doctor,” Sterling began, taking a respectful tone despite wanting to tear the scientist’s head off. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
“I know who you are, Captain,” Colicos replied, insulted that Sterling would suggest possessing any knowledge that the scientist lacked. “I see the silver stripe. You’re Griffin’s little troupe, aren’t you?” Then the scientist became visibly angry. “That witch even stole my ideas!” he bellowed. “The Omega Taskforce was my suggestion. You only exist because of me!”
“If you know who we are then you know that holding my officer hostage won’t get you what you want,” Sterling replied. “One way or another, you’re coming with me, Doctor Colicos. The only difference is how much of you ends up on my ship, after my officers and I have finished with you.”
Sterling then slowly raised the pistol, but instead of aiming it at the fraction of Colicos’ head that he could see, he aimed it at Commander Banks instead. Sterling locked eyes with his first officer, and though she was paralyzed, he knew she understood that he was serious. Suddenly, images of Ariel Gunn flashed into his mind and Sterling felt sick. His aim wavered for a moment, but he bit down hard on the inside of his lip, drawing blood. Focusing on the pain, he pushed the image of Gunn deeper, feeling the queasiness in his belly ease further from his conscious thoughts as the memory slipped away.
“Don’t try to threaten me,” Colicos hit back. The scientist appeared not to have noticed Sterling’s momentary lapse. “You came all this way to find me, which means you won’t kill me now.” He then snorted and harumphed like a restaurant critic who had just been served an overdone steak. “You can’t outsmart me, Captain, so don’t even try.”
“You’re right, I won’t kill you,” Sterling replied, still aiming his weapon at Banks. “But if you force me to kill my first officer, you’ll discover first-hand just how cold and callous an Omega Captain can be.” Sterling then nodded toward Lieutenant Shade, who had been silently glowering at the scientist the whole time he had been speaking. “To begin with, I’ll have the Lieutenant here peel off your fingernails, one by one. Then we’ll start on your toenails. Then your teeth.”
Colicos laughed. “Yes, yes, I get the picture, my dear Captain,” he replied, scornfully. Then his expression hardened like granite. “You’re bluffing. And now you have only two minutes until she’s dead.”
Colicos’ animated style of talking had caused part of his body to appear from behind the shield of Commander Banks. His left hand was now peeking out from behind his first officer’s thigh. Sterling seized the opportunity, swiftly adjusted his aim and fired. The blast tore past Banks’ leg, burning her flesh but also blasting Colicos’ hand clean off. The scientist screamed then staggered away from Banks, clutching his freshly mutilated limb to his body. Seeing an opportunity to subdue him further, Shade took a step toward Colicos, but Sterling held out his hand to stop her.
“That’s five fewer fingernails to pull out, doc,” Sterling said, as the scientist sobbed in agony. “I’ll just break five whole toes off you instead. Then if you still aren’t compliant, we’ll start on your feet, then your legs below the knees.” Sterling then approached Colicos and leant in closer, bringing his hate-filled eyes level with the scientist. “Understand this, Doctor,” he spat. “I don’t need you whole. I only need your mind. The rest of you is surplus meat.”
“Alright, alright!” Colicos yelled, dropping to his knees. He reached his one remaining, trembling hand into the pocket of his overall and removed a control device. Moments later, the neural control weapon on Banks’ head deactivated. Banks fell to one knee and wearily tore the device away from her head.
“There, it’s done!” Colicos yelled, tears flowing down his face.
Sterling holstered his pistol then looked over to his first officer. He knew better than to rush to her aid and so did Shade. Banks’ pride would not stand for it.
“Are you okay, Commander Banks?” Sterling asked, calmly and professionally. Inside, however, his blood was boiling. Colicos had forced him to come within seconds of shooting her.
“I will be soon,” replied Banks, through gritted teeth.
The first officer of the Invictus then rose to her full height and stormed over to Colicos, who cowered from her like a frightened mouse. Grabbing a clump of the scientist’s overalls, she hauled him up then hammered the back of the man’s head against the wall. The scientist fell like a butchered carcass, knocked out cold.
“Now, I’m better,” Banks said. She then glanced down at the burned patch on her pants and sighed. “Apart from needing a change of clothes.”
Ordinarily, Sterling would have found her darkly humorous response amusing. However, on this occasion the close call had left him numb. He was still too angry to laugh.
“Take him,” Sterling said, directing the order to the two commands in the room.
A neural link formed in Sterling’s mind and Commander Graves appeared in his thoughts.
“Captain, the Sa’Nerran Light Cruisers will be within weapons range of the station in ten minutes,” Graves began with his usual, smooth delivery. “I would recommend returning to the ship as soon as possible.”
“Understood, we’re on our way back now,” Sterling replied. Then Sterling had a thought. “How are you with prostheses, Commander Graves?”
“I have some direct experience, but I’ve always been curious to do more, Captain,” Graves replied, showing more interest in the question than usual. “Is one of the crew in need of a replacement limb?”
Sterling glared at Colicos, who was now being strapped to a battlefield stretcher by the two commandoes.
“Not one of the crew,” Sterling answered. “Let’s just call him an unwanted but important guest.”
“Very well, Captain, I will make preparations once you return,” Graves said. “It will be function over form, however. Our medical facility lacks the equipment necessary to fabricate a visually appealing prosthetic.”
“So long as this asshole can still use a computer console, I don’t give a damn what it looks like,” Sterling replied. He then tapped his neural interface to close the link.
“I hope he’s worth it,” said Commander Banks, stepping to Sterling’s side.
Sterling sighed then watched the commandoes carry Colicos out. “So do I,” he replied. “But, if he’s not, I’ll kill the bastard myself.”
Chapter 28
A necessary evil
Sterling stepped onto the bridge of the Invictus, closely followed by Commander Banks and Lieutenant Shade. All three officers still wore their scarred and blood-stained combat armor. Adrenalin was surging through his body, dulling the aches and pains of combat. However, Sterling knew that his injuries would make themselves known soon, providing they survived long enough to escape from Sa’Nerran space.
“Captain on the bridge,” Commander Graves announced. He acknowledged his captain and stepped down from the command platform.
“Your patient is under guard in the med bay,” Sterling said, sliding his hands into their usual place on his console. “Don’t worry about too much pain relief. I want the asshole to suffer.”
“Understood, Captain,” replied Commander Graves.
There was a twinkle in the medical officer’s eyes that suggested the opportunity to inflict and witness pain appealed to him. Sterling momentarily wondered whether he should back down on his request. Then he remembered how Colicos had almost forced him to shoot Mercedes Banks and changed his mind. Instead, he just watched Graves exit the bridge in an unhurried, processional manner that was more akin to an undertaker than a Fleet officer or doctor.
Sterling turned back to his console to update himself on the status of the ship. His engineer, who was absent from the bridge, had done her usual excellent job of patching up the Invictus
. However, they were still far from one hundred percent.
“Captain, I’ve located several apertures in the system,” Ensign Keller said, appearing eager to report his findings. The helmsman had already detached the Invictus from the Sa’Nerran space station, ready for their return journey to Fleet space. “The stable apertures are all several hours away at maximum speed. However, with the head start the enemy cruisers have on us, we won’t be able to outrun them before we surge.”
“Understood, Ensign,” Sterling replied. He noted that his ensign was unusually calm, which he hoped suggested that these distant apertures were not the only options Keller had uncovered. “What about disused apertures, like the unstable one we travelled through to reach Sa’Nerran space?” Sterling added.
“I’ve located three, sir,” Keller replied, obligingly. The ensign’s fingers flashed across his console and the data appeared on Sterling’s screen. “One is close to this planet and from the readings I’ve gathered it’s deep,” Keller continued. “I believe I could vector a surge close to the Fleet side of the void, just beyond Thrace Colony. That would then mean only one hop back into calmer waters, sir.”
“And I suppose such a long surge isn’t without complications, Ensign?” Sterling asked.
Keller was about to answer when the door swooshed open and Lieutenant Razor entered the bridge. Her uniform was covered in dirt and dust and an assortment of tools were attached to her belt. She enabled her engineering stations at the rear of the bridge then stood tall, hands pressed to the small of her back.
“I think Lieutenant Razor is better placed to answer that, sir,” Keller replied. It was an impressive way to dodge what was clearly an awkward question to answer.
Sterling turned to his engineer, who looked like she’d been exploring the crawlspaces in the ship again, then awaited her analysis.