You’re in position for launch, Nyx said. Stand by.
“How does this work?” Alex asked.
The launch area will seal off, then the outer bay doors will open like a big air lock. There’s a magnet barrier that protects the launch bay from hard vacuum. Once the ship lowers that shielding, you will be pushed out by the launching arms behind you.
“All right, sounds simple enough,” Alex said.
“Valkyrie team,” Chief Landry’s voice sounded strange through the battle suit’s internal speakers, “you should have the coordinates to the drop ship. The other vessels are all well clear. You should have easy access to the target.”
“Copy that,” Alex said.
The outer doors began to slide apart, revealing space and the brilliant white planet beyond. It was Alex’s first look at Carthage Prime.
“Looks cold,” Ash said.
“Like a giant ice ball,” Sly said. “Maybe staying here wasn’t such a bad choice, after all.”
“Let’s stay focused,” Alex said. “Lives are on the line.”
“Roger that,” Ash said.
“Copy,” Newt replied.
They’re lowering the magnetic shield, Nyx said.
“Valkyrie team, prepare for launch,” Chief Landry said. “Make us proud.”
Alex’s mouth felt dry, and his body felt trembly and weak. He was going into space, and if things didn’t work out, he might not ever return. He felt sweat on his forehead and wished that he could reach his face to wipe it away, but the suit was closed tight around him. There was a sudden lurch, the carrier ship disappeared behind him, and Alex was free in outer space. Drifting in zero-gravity had never seemed frightening before, but now Alex felt small, and the Valkyrie battle suit seemed insubstantial around him.
You okay, Alex?
Nyx’s voice, even though it sounded to Alex like his own, shook him out of the fog of fear.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Alex said.
He imagined the Valkyrie, with its extendable rescue arms folded up tight on either side, thrusting slightly on the starboard bow. Compressed air shot from a tiny nozzle and began to turn the boxy battle suit. That tiny bit of control over his movements gave Alex a surge of confidence.
“All right, team,” Alex said. “Time to show what we can do.”
“Hell yeah,” Sly said.
“No problem,” Ash said.
“Lead the way, Ace,” Newt said.
Alex had his Valkyrie turned and moving steadily toward the drop ship. It was the only other vessel besides the hulking carrier in sight. Alex couldn’t help but look at the massive ship as he flew past her. The sunlight reflecting from the icy world to his right illuminated the CDF carrier Republic so that Alex could see the dull grey metal, the painted lettering on her sides, and the large doors to the launching bays. Lights were positioned on the exterior of the ship, and there were even windows on certain areas.
Forty kilometers, Nyx said. You’ll need to begin slowing down soon.
“Roger that,” Alex said as he began to feather the bow thrusters.
“Oh, man, there’s a huge part of the hull missing,” Newt said as they approached the drop ship.
“Are we sure anyone survived?” Sly asked.
Chief Landry’s voice sounded distant over the Valkyrie’s internal communications system. “We have confirmation that Charlie Company is alive. They’re locked down in the drop ship’s cargo bay.”
“Will we be able to remove the docking clamps?” Ash asked.
“We can do that remotely,” Chief Landry said. “But once we do, they’ll all be floating free inside.”
“How many are in there, Chief?”
“Nine Destroyers and three Interceptors,” Landry replied, his voice laced with a thin stream of static.
Alex, bring your MBS to stop beside the drop ship, Nyx said. I’ll walk you through the process from there.
“Got it, Nyx,” Alex said, before switching to the company channel. “Ash, Sly, Newt, hang back a little. Let me get in position before you move in.”
“Roger that, team leader,” Ash said.
You’re one kilometer out, Alex. Try to reach a full stop about fifteen meters from the drop ship.
“Without crashing?” Alex said in a weak attempt at humor.
That would be best, Nyx replied.
Chapter 14
Alex was drifting toward the drop ship, which was much larger up close than it appeared from a distance. It was spinning like a football as it drifted sideways toward Carthage Prime.
“I’m in position,” Alex said.
Right, good job. Now, I’ve activated the recovery line on your left side. You want to aim it just like a weapon, then extend it.
“Extend the recovery arm?”
No, not the arm. It’s too fragile for this maneuver. Extend the line. There’s a magnet on the end, which I’ll power on when it gets close to the drop ship’s hull.
“Okay,” Alex said. “Just point and shoot.”
This will be your anchor point, Nyx explained. You need to connect it the drop ship’s hull near the rent in the hull. Can you do that?
“Sure,” Alex said, trying his best to stay positive.
The mission was scary in some respects. Being in a battle suit and hovering in space was frightening in many respects. But Alex was able to put that fear aside and focus on the task at hand. His main concern was messing up. It didn’t take a physicist to see that connecting to a spinning ship was going to be dangerous.
Now, once we connect to the drop ship, I’ll reel you in while you focus on staying in line with the recovery cable. If you don’t, the motion of the ship will get it tangled and you could damage the Valkyrie suit.
“That sounds bad,” Alex said.
It’s not good.
“Steady, Alex,” Ash said. “You’ve got this.”
“You better hope so, Ash. You’re next,” Alex replied.
He let the ship spin all the way around twice. The drop ships were simple vessels: a rectangular cargo hold built on top of two engines with a triangular cab for the pilots up front. The large windows were reflective, and Alex was grateful that he couldn’t see inside. He didn’t know for certain what exposure to hard vacuum would do to a human body, and he wasn’t in a hurry to find out.
The hole in the ship’s hull looked like something inside had exploded. The damaged engine was obviously the culprit. One of the two was blackened with the metal mounts twisted or ripped off. The hole included half of the faulty engine and a large portion of the port side wall of the cargo bay.
Alex let the magnet sneak closer and closer to the target. When it was just a meter away from the drop ship, Nyx took over.
Powering on the electromagnet now.
Alex hit his thrusters. He had to maneuver in an arc to keep pace with the drop ship’s spin. He was far from perfect, but he managed to stay close enough that the line didn’t tangle, and Nyx pulled him onto the hull.
“Contact,” he said. “Hold is secure.”
Can you see into the ship?
Alex had to let out a little slack on the recovery line, but he was then able to lean his starboard side toward the hole in the ship’s hull.
“Yeah,” Alex said.
The interior was dark, and there was debris floating around. He could just make out the nearest MBS.
“Good work, Evans,” Chief Landry said. “Hold that position.”
We’ve got a good visual, Nyx said. Ashton’s controller should be able to guide her into place now.
“Good luck, Ash,” Alex said.
“Ha, I’ll make this look easy,” Ash said.
She wasn’t kidding. Alex could only see her when the drop ship rotated toward her, but she eased in, smoothly and gracefully, extended her recovery line, and made contact with the ship on the far side of the hull breech from Alex.
“Contact,” Ash said.
“What about us?” Sly asked.
“Once the Republic
releases the docking clamps, we’ll pull them out,” Alex said.
“And throw them to you,” Ash said, with a mischievous chuckle.
“What?” Newt asked.
“We’ll pull them out and push them toward you,” Alex said. “You’ll catch them with your recovery lines and secure them to your battle suit. We all have to carry three.”
“Republic Valkyrie team is in place,” Ash said. “You can release the docking clamps.”
“Roger that, Valkyrie team,” a voice said.
Alex didn’t recognize the voice but assumed it came from one of the officers on the carrier ship. The docking clamp released with a loud thunk that vibrated through the ship. Alex saw the mechanized battle suits slowly rise up from the deck of the drop ship.
No time to waste. The longer they’re in there, the more likely they’ll bump into something that might damage them or make the drop ship unstable.
“Roger that,” Alex said, raising his right arm and extending the recovery line. “Extending the cable into the ship. Ash, we better do this one at a time so we don’t cause an accident.”
“I agree,” Ash said. “I’m standing by.”
There was no sound in space, and Alex couldn’t feel the magnet recovery line, but something in his mind sensed the electromagnet connecting to one of the battle suits.
I’ve got contact. Reel it back in, Alex.
He did as instructed, and the first battle suit was brought out of the drop ship. Making contact with the hull was impossible to avoid, but Alex felt confident that the Destroyer armor was strong enough to take it. He extracted the MBS slowly, and once it was completely outside the drop ship, he pushed it out toward Newt.
“Releasing the first MBS,” Alex said. “It’s heading your way, Newt.”
“I see it,” Newt replied.
“It’s like playing catch in the park,” Sly added.
Ash was busy pulling out the next MBS from the drop ship, so Alex watched Newt extend a retrieval line. The magnetic end snapped onto the drifting MBS, and Newt began using his thrusters to arrest the movement of the rescued operator.
“One down,” Alex said.
“Here’s the second,” Ash said as she nudged an AT Interceptor toward Sly.
The first six rescues were easy. Newt and Sly caught them, secured them to the recovery lines that were part of the Valkyrie, then began the journey back to the Republic. Ash separated from the drop ship and caught the next three, then waited for Alex. He pulled the last three MBS’s from the drop ship and sent them drifting in the direction of the Republic.
“You sure you can catch them?” Ash asked.
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Alex said.
We’ve got this, Nyx assured him.
The drop ship was left behind, venting debris and slowly being pulled down toward Carthage Prime. It was a little sad to see the ship abandoned, but Alex knew it was a total loss. He gave his thrusters a nudge and started after the drifting ships.
Excellent work on the drop ship, Nyx said. Your team has adapted to the Valkyries quite well.
“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Alex said as he approached the first MBS. “I’m extending the recovery line.”
Copy. Preparing to engage the electromagnet.
Alex felt the connection as the magnet snapped onto the Destroyer. It was odd to see the thickly armored battle suit, with tank treads and bulky weapons, drifting helplessly through space. He was drifting in the same direction as the MBS, only faster. He gave his stern thrusters another boost as he began reeling the battle suit in.
“Retracting the recovery line,” Alex said.
Once it’s close, use the other line to secure it to your suit. The closer you keep them to you, the better off you’ll be—just don’t block the thrust nozzles.
“Yeah, that’s good advice,” Alex said, feeling a prickly sensation along his back at the thought of losing control with three MBS’s attached to his Valkyrie suit.
It didn’t take long to gather the three drifting refugees, and Ash stayed close, offering encouragement. When he looked up, Sly and Newt were little more than tiny dots between his position and the big carrier ship. It made him feel small and lost in the vastness of space. The planet seemed impossibly large, and even though he knew it wasn’t true, he felt like it was pulling him down.
How are you doing, Alex?
“This is different,” he admitted. “No simulation even comes close.”
He had to restrain himself from engaging the thrusters and sending himself hurtling toward the Republic.
You’re doing great. Your team is saving lives.
“Not exactly what we trained for, but I’ll take it,” Alex said. “Can you show me the distance to the carrier?”
Sending it now.
Alex didn’t have to wait. In the lower righthand side of his vision, the distance to the carrier ship appeared in kilometers. He could see the numbers counting down, and it gave him a small sliver of reassurance. It also helped not to look at the planet. The icy, white surface seemed to shimmer and beckon to him.
“Titan team,” Chief Landry said over the com-link. “What’s your status?”
“Newton and Lassiter are approaching the Republic,” Ash said. “Evans and I are in transit back.”
“Roger that,” Landry replied. “Once you’re all together, we’ll open the hangar doors and lead you back inside.”
It didn’t take long. The rescued MBS’s altered Alex’s mass, but Nyx gave him plenty of warning. He slowed his approach and came to a safe stop a few meters away from Newt and Sly. Ashton kept pace and matched his deceleration perfectly.
“Took you guys long enough,” Sly said.
“We did all the heavy lifting,” Ash said.
“Titan team on-station and ready for access,” Alex informed Chief Landry over the com-link.
A set of double doors began sliding apart. Yellow light from within the huge ship spilled out and looked so inviting that Alex couldn’t help but grin with excitement.
Your first mission is nearly complete.
“Yeah, don’t jinx it,” Alex said.
Ashton’s voice came over the speakers in the Valkyrie as clear as if she were standing beside him.
“Permission to come aboard?” she said.
“Granted,” Chief Landry said. “Good work, Titan team.”
“Let’s go one at a time,” Alex said. “And spread out. We don’t want any accidents now.”
“I’ll go first,” Newt suggested.
Alex watched as Newt flew into the ship. Crossing the threshold into artificial gravity was tricky, but he managed it without too much trouble.
Careful as you come in, Nyx said. Technicians and medical personnel are standing by.
“Thanks, Nyx,” Alex said as he flew into the hangar.
He made a safe landing, setting the MBS’s he was towing down first, then bringing his Valkyrie down on the deck as the hangar doors closed behind him.
Stand by. Let the technicians come in and hook onto your suit.
“No problem,” Alex said. He could feel the tension of the mission draining from him. He wanted food and a shower, then maybe he could feel normal again.
“These bulky suits aren’t so bad,” Sly said over the company channel of their com-link. “A few guns wouldn’t hurt, though.”
“I didn’t join the CDF to be a glorified tow truck,” Ash replied.
“We saved lives,” Alex said. “That’s something to be proud of.”
“And we did it with style,” Sly said.
“I can’t get over Carthage,” Newt said. “I’ve never seen a planet like that.”
“You mean from orbit,” Ash said, “with nothing but a battle suit between you and hard vacuum?”
“Yeah, that’s different,” Alex said. “I felt like it was pulling me down.”
That’s called vertigo, Alex. Every pilot experiences it as some point. You did well not to panic.
“I felt it t
oo,” Sly said.
“It doesn’t look too inviting,” Ash said. “I mean, it’s beautiful from space, but it looks cold on the surface.”
“Maybe being held back on the ship wasn’t such a bad thing,” Alex said.
He had no idea how true that statement was.
Chapter 15
When Alex climbed from the Valkyrie, he saw the operators his team had rescued. They were lined up on a bench just inside the hangar, where technicians were seeing to their battle suits. A group of medical personnel were checking their vitals and making sure the group was okay.
Alex climbed down and was surprised when the technician, a sergeant, saluted him.
“Good job, Private,” the sergeant said.
Alex snapped to attention and returned the salute. “Thank you, Sergeant.”
Ash, Newt, and Sly joined Alex as they headed for the door. They walked past the group of rescued operators. They looked shaken and frightened, but healthy enough. Alex didn’t recognize them, not even enough to say he’d seen them in passing. Most were older, mainly corporals and sergeants. At the end of the row, a man with gray stubble on the sides of his head and a shiny bald spot on top stood up and blocked their exit. It was a master sergeant with deep wrinkles around his squinting eyes.
“You’re the fliers that pulled us out of that drop ship?” the master sergeant said.
“Yes, Master Sergeant,” Alex replied.
“We’re Romeo Company. We owe you our lives,” the bald man said. “The least I can do is buy you all a drink at the Enlisted Club.”
He thrust out a hand, and Alex shook it. The rest of his team followed suit. There were looks of gratitude on the faces of Romeo Company’s eleven other members.
“We’d be happy to accept, but we’re not allowed,” Alex said.
The master sergeant nodded. “Well, thanks then. We owe you.”
“We were just doing our job,” Newt said.
The door swished opened beside them, and Chief Landry stepped in.
“Officer on deck,” the master sergeant shouted.
“As you were,” Landry said. “I see you’ve met our Titan team, Master Sergeant Brooks.”
“Yes, sir. It’s an honor,” Brooks said. “We’d like to show our appreciation.”
“You’ll get your chance,” Landry said. “Captain Chastain is insisting that your company get a full physical eval. But that shouldn’t take long.”
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