“His name is Carlos Perez, a member of Maric’s Gadson Gang. He has already given up the gang’s base of operations and Maric’s most likely location at this present time.”
“How did you get that out of him?” asked Denver.
“Perez will be given a new identity and will serve a ten-year sentence in the service of the Marine Corps, or any other service of the Alliance as seen fit.”
A number of the officers shook their heads in astonishment. It was essentially a free pass for the criminal and they all knew it.
“I don’t like this either, but the simple fact is we are running out of time and options. Maric has been one step ahead of us the whole way. The state of the colonies is worsening by the day. You’ve all seen the news, protests, riots and talk of coups and anarchy. The people need hope, they need to see that the authorities are capable of getting this mess under control.”
“So what’s the plan?” asked Lin.
“Nothing too subtle, the time for investigative work is over. We aren’t going there to ask questions and make arrests. The Gadson Gang is a highly organised and well-armed outfit that has no problem shooting civilians and police officers. Ganymede is just four hours from our current position. We are going in with everything we have. We begin operation outline and run through in two hours, I suggest you get any rest you can in that time.”
The room was still silent. All were glad that they had finally got some solid information on Maric, but they were all a little more than anxious. Maric had proven a deadly enemy to their ranks, and now they would be hunting him on his own turf.
“Davis, I am promoting you to Sergeant, you’ll take over from Nowak. All section sergeants, meet in my office immediately, Morrison, Wilson, you too.”
Chapter 11
Kaufman sat in his office with the six officers he had requested to be there. He lay back in his chair, they hadn’t even begun their planning yet but he already felt exhausted. Never in his life had he been under such pressure and with so much relying on his actions.
“Ok, I am going to lay it down straight. This is not your average arrest. We aren’t just to knock on their door with a warrant. Maric and his gang will not go down without a fight, so let’s not give them any time to prepare.”
“This is starting to sound like a military strike,” said Lin.
“Yes, which is why our friends Morrison and Wilson are here. When this organisation was founded we knew that we were going to be more than just police, more than detectives. The IBI is an interplanetary paramilitary force. With that in mind, we do whatever we have to.”
“What about the Alliance laws, let alone Europa law, that governs Ganymede? We cannot operate on their soil without the express permission of the Prime Minister and the authority to go in without a warrant,” said Denver.
“Sergeant, I am well aware of the difficulties we face here, but these criminals are still at large because they play the system. Our task is to operate where others fear to tread. This part is not up for discussion, we have the location of Maric and his gang and I intend to bring the full brunt of our forces down on them. If you are unhappy with this course of action, then you may hand in your badge and be relieved of your duties.”
Denver stood up and paced around the room, a startled look upon his face and an uneasy feeling in the room.
“Look, Sergeant, the President needed a team that could go above and beyond to get the job done. I will not sit by and let these gangs continue to run riot through the colonies, robbing and killing from innocent civilians and governments alike. Now I need you on board, can I count on you?”
The Sergeant stopped and thought about the situation, it breached all the principles that he had joined the force to protect, but the cost of failure he had seen in the previous weeks was weighing hard on his mind.
“Sir, I know what you’re doing is for the right reasons, I will support you, but I will not shoot anyone in cold blood.”
“And no one is asking you to, Sergeant. We are going to raid this facility because we have no choice. The gang members each have a choice to either surrender or fight, and that is for them to decide.”
Denver nodded and sat down, he was still uneasy with the situation, but he couldn’t think of any better solution.
“Now, our reports show that the facility is indeed an old colony ship as Perez told us. It’s a Mira class colonisation vessel, well over a hundred years old and long abandoned. The Gadson Gang has made it their home, and it’s a perfect hide out. From the outside it looks like nothing more than the abandoned hulk that it is, but surveillance images show that ninety per cent of the structure is intact and can maintain life. We can’t get any more readings from it at this stage, but they must surely be running their own power source on board the ship, likely using something that they found on it.”
“What about the ships they have been using for the jobs?”
“Another area where the colonisation ship is ideal. They were built to transport hundreds of people and resources to new colonies and contain docks for a number of smaller vessels, allowing the gang to keep all of their vehicles out of view at all times. However, that will also be their downfall. There is only one entrance to the docking bay of the Mira class vessel, meaning we can cut them off at the very beginning.”
“What about escape modules and shuttles?” asked Lin.
“The surveillance images show that the vessel lies on its belly, meaning almost all of the life pods would be unusable. There is a faint possibility that there’s still a shuttle or two on board which use its own docking bays. For this reason, Intrepid will stay manned at all times, it is more than capable of catching an old shuttle like that.”
“How are we getting aboard the ship?” asked Barski.
“All four teams will be equipped with the MILAL suits that we recently acquired. This will allow us to drop from our docking bay and use thrusters to control our decent onto four sectors, as circled here.”
Kaufman showed them an outline of the vessel from blueprints sent by Denton back in their city office.
“Each team will be equipped with explosives, you’ll blast your way in. Once we’ve started descending on the ship our element of surprise will be gone, so we’ll be working against the clock. I want all teams to breach as soon as they land. Denver’s team will stay aboard in reserve and to catch any stragglers, meaning Singh will be at the helm for the duration of the mission.”
“Where are the breach points?” asked Lin.
“The docking bay is the obvious first choice, it’s time for us to identify two other entry zones. Morrison, Wilson, got any ideas?”
A ship that big will always have an escape hatch near the bridge,” said Wilson.
He ran his fingers across the screen displayed on the desk, zooming in on the blue prints. Quickly identifying what he was after.
“There, it’s an obvious place to breach. It’s the tallest point on the vessel and affords good visibility, they’ll almost certainly be using it as a lookout point.”
Kaufman looked over the blue print. The docking bay was in the nose of the ship. The structure had three floors as well as the bridge on its own pronounced structure. The hull of the ship was 140 metres long and 65 metres wide, the typical dimensions of a modern space freighter.
“There,” said Morrison.
“What is it?” asked Kaufman.
“It’s a viewing deck, we can blast straight through it.”
“Right, that’ll work. Now remember this, we have the element of surprise, and we have the finest equipment available to any force in the Solar System. But don’t let any of you forget how dangerous these men are. Perez says they have about thirty fighters, as well as a number of women and children who may or may not be hostile.”
“What are the rules of engagement?” asked Lin.
“If someone is holding a gun, shoot to kill, as they won’t give you a second chance. Take plenty of cuff bands with you, secure everyone you find, hands and feet, w
e cannot risk any surprises.”
“Sir, this could be a blood bath,” said Lin.
“Possibly, but they made this life for themselves, and they still have a chance to live through this. If they lay down their arms and come peacefully then they will receive a fair trial, though I can guarantee that any court would give most of them the death sentence.”
“That is for the courts to decide, Sir, not us.”
“I don’t need to be reminded of our duties, Sergeant. The ROE remains the same, shoot any armed suspects on sight and if in doubt, value your own safety over any of the inhabitants of that base.”
“That’s a hell of a lot of space to cover, its going to take us a good while to clear all the decks,” said Barski.
“That’s true, but once we have detained Maric and any other key players the rest are likely to surrender. Maric is the Gadson Gang, without him they are finished.”
“About Maric, what are our intentions?”
“Same as everyone else, treat as hostile unless unarmed. One way or other, these bastards are going to pay for their crimes, I don’t care whether it’s by our guns or the courts’ rulings. Ok, that about sums it up. I’ll take Barski’s squad through the docking bay. Davis, your squad take the bridge, Lin, the skylights, any more questions?”
The sergeants looked over the blueprints and the single surveillance photograph of what on the outside appeared to be an abandoned vessel. Kaufman could tell that all but the two former soldiers were uneasy with the situation, it was an extreme task for them to undertake, and not without major risks. Despite this, they all knew how vital such a victory would be for the Alliance and its people.
“Ok then, fall out, rendezvous on the observation deck in ninety minutes for the crew briefing.”
* * *
Two and a half hours later Kaufman was pulling on a MILAL suit for the first time and familiarising himself with its configuration. All the field officers of the ship were suiting up in the docking bay. The room was surprisingly quiet as they were all considering the battle they were about to start.
The MILAL suit was an amazing piece of engineering. It only added a small amount of bulk to the wearer but offered an unlimited amount of protection. The suit was partially powered, removing the feeling of its weight from the user, as well as aiding in some actions, increasing jumping distance, running speed and striking power by thirty per cent over the wearer’s natural ability. The suit could also withstand almost any extreme weather conditions, being entirely sealed, with an eight-hour oxygen supply tank and drinking water contained on board.
Kaufman checked over his beloved Hogswell & Simms T141 pistol, it wasn’t suited to the all out battle they were heading for, but would make an ideal backup. He strapped it onto a holster that was built into the tight plate of the armour. He loaded his assault rifle and slipped three spare magazines into the slots allocated for them on the other thigh.
Looking around, Eric was satisfied that he was ready and placed the gun down on the table beside him, sitting next to it. He picked up his Baracoo smoking tube from the desk and lifted it to his lips, sucking back on the mellowing cigarette. The intercom speaker above them cut in, Singh’s voice ringing out around the quiet area.
“ETA five minutes to target.”
“Ok, people, everyone ready?” shouted Kaufman.
The officers nodded and grunted in response, making little more than ambient noise.
“Let’s not forget what we’re doing here. These criminals have plagued the colonies for months. They have killed, robbed and brought untold suffering to civilians across the Solar System. Today we all have the opportunity to bring that to an end. The Gadson Gang is the number one player out there right now, we take it down and we win a huge victory for the civilised people of all the colonies!”
Nobody responded, they were psyching themselves up for the fight to come.
“This is it, seal all interior doors, helmets on!”
Kaufman pulled on his helmet, a close device with thicker armour on top and a thick Perspex visor. The bottom of the helmet was a metal compound flexible fibre that sealed magnetically to the suit and connected automatically to the air and water supply tubes. He stepped up to the doors of the docking bay and hit the large red door switch. The lights in the room faded to red and a siren rang out, warning of the imminent decompression.
Twenty seconds later the large docking doors slid open. They were flying low and fast, just a hundred metres above the surface of Ganymede. The ground had a rippled wave effect, an orange tinge and was of compacted ice. It was yet another inhospitable environment for humans to have to live on. Ganymede was used as a mining colony, only the labourers lived on its surface. Anyone with enough money in the mining industry made sure that they lived on Europa.
It was the ideal location for a crime gang. With all the traffic of the mining crews, transports and freighters they could blend in easily. The location they had chosen, aboard a long abandoned colony ship was nothing short of genius. For all of Kaufman’s admiration of his opponents, he could still do nothing but hate them for the evil they had done.
“Thirty seconds!” said Singh over the intercom.
“You all know what to do, do not hesitate, hit them hard and fast!” said Kaufman through the intercom.
They felt the ship’s forward thrusters kick in as Singh brought the ship to a smooth but quick halt, lowering it in the process. Out of the large docking bay door they could see the colony ship come into view. Parts of the lower hull were impeded in the icy surface, and its thick covering of dirt and dust made it blend in well with the environment.
“Go, go, go!” shouted Kaufman.
He leapt out of the door first, wanting to lead by example. He had never made any kind of jump before. The idea would likely have concerned him if he’d had time to think about it. Eric was so caught up in the mission that his fears were long forgotten. The descent was initially slow due to the low gravity, but velocity quickly increased. He hit the booster switch on the cuff of the MILAL suit. The devices attached to the calves of the armour fired up and immediately cushioned his descent. The computer-controlled devices automatically slowed him to a safe landing speed as came to a soft landing on the icy surface beside the docking doors.
As soon as Kaufman hit the ground he turned and looked up to see the progress of the rest of the team, they had all jumped with seconds of him as he had hoped. Barski and his team members came down beside him immediately, and he watched as the others dropped onto the roof of the structure. Morrison stepped up immediately with a large explosive device and clamped it to the frontal doors of the ship.
The five-man team took ten paces back as the device ignited. The explosion was dulled and relatively unobtrusive in the thin atmosphere of Ganymede, but it punched a hole as large as two men in the doors. Through the blast space they could see red lights flashing, the warning of a breach in the hull. The ship had an active power source just as they had expected.
Kaufman stepped through the entrance they had blasted with Morrison at his side. Three men were lifting weapons to fire the second that they had got through, all wearing sealed suits. They must have had just enough warning to get geared up, likely through some type of proximity sensors. The gang members got the first few shots off from fifty metres away. The shots were wild and struck the hull around them as they continued to advance. A single round bounced of Kaufman’s shoulder but he barely noticed the impact.
Lifting his rifle, Kaufman opened fire with carefully targeted bursts, joined by Morrison and Barski. Bullets riddled the gang members from the high power railgun assault rifles that they carried. There were three ships in the docking bay, one of them in the middle of maintenance work. Kaufman could see that they had just encountered the repair crew, but he didn’t have time to stop and think about it.
Two small explosions rang out throughout the ship. Air was escaping through the breaches, but there was still plenty being pumped through the ship to carry the sou
nds of the detonations.
“Knock out the docking bay motors, I don’t want anyone getting out with these ships,” Kaufman ordered.
Morrison ran to the side of the room where the door mechanisms were and tossed in a small explosive device. As he ran back to the team it ignited and bent and buckled the operating system.
“Good work, keep moving!”
The door ahead of them that led to the rest of the ship had already shut, likely an automatic feature to maintain pressure in the rest of the compartments.
“Morrison, blast through it!”
“No need, Sir, I can override these controls in two seconds.”
He went up to the control panel and ripped it from the wall, quickly pulling out cables and rewiring them. He hit the door entry button and the door worked just as it should, the five agents rushed through into the corridor, the door quickly shutting behind them. The pressure and air were fairly stable now they were again in a contained environment, but none of them would know how long that would last.
Kaufman’s team made it through several corridors without any human contact at all, but it was hardly surprising, they were still in the storage sectors of the vessel. With so few inhabitants, he knew that they would have isolated a fairly small living space for the gang. As they went through the fourth door several gunshots rang out through the ship, but they couldn’t pin point the location, but their teams had begun to make contact.
They didn’t slow down, as doing so would put the other two teams at risk, everyone knew how vital it was to keep driving forwards until their job was done. The old signs in the ship were still up, they were entering an accommodation zone, a likely area to find trouble. The door in front of them opened and they were met with an immediately hail of gunfire from a heavy machine gun. One bullet pierced Morrison’s armour at his flank, the bullet tearing into his side.
The team leapt either side of the corridor into the openings to smaller side halls. Fire continued to pepper their position. It was a mounted weapon, far heavier than anything they could carry or expected to meet.
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