Welcome To The Wolfpack

by Toby Neighbors

  “You think they’re going to wash the shuttle?” Wilson asked.

  “More along the lines of fumigating,” Chavez said.

  “Dealing with us will be their first priority,” Dean said. “I don’t think letting us run loose in their starship is something they want to do.”

  “So we need a plan,” Harper said. “What do we do, come out guns blazing?”

  “Like the guards did on Rome Three,” Tallgrass said. “They didn’t make it, but at least they dealt some damage before we took them down.”

  “They’ve attached,” Owens reported. “Speed is increasing.”

  “If we do nothing,” Dean explained, “they have the advantage. We don’t know who or what we’re dealing with.”

  “We snuffed three of those four legged bastards,” Adkins said.

  “But where those the aliens?” Dean asked. “Do they all look like that? And those creatures didn’t have weapons or armor. There’s little chance of us getting so lucky a second time.”

  “Not to mention that ship is so big there could be millions of those things on board,” Chavez said. “You gotta learn to think this shit through, Adkins.”

  “I thought grunts like us weren’t suppose to think, Staff Sergeant,” Pimrey said.

  “There’s no hope for you corporal,” Chavez said.

  “Speed is increasing exponentially,” Lieutenant Owens reported. “Whatever you’ve got planned, better make it quick.”

  The controls for the shuttle weren’t in a separate cockpit. The shuttle had two benches with web slings that could be adjusted depending on how big the occupant was. Owens and Burnett were at the front of the shuttle, on opposite benches. Each one had a small set of touch screen controls that folded out of the bulkhead and extended in front of their seats.

  “They’re in control of the shuttle?” Dean asked.

  “They’re pulling it like tug boats,” Burnett said.

  “But you still have control of say, the hatch?”

  Everyone in the shuttle looked at him. Dean didn’t shy away from his idea. He was certain that once they got to the alien ship, it was only a matter of time before his entire platoon was slaughtered. They hadn’t come looking for a fight, but they had drawn first blood and he was certain whoever was on the giant, beak shaped ship would want retribution.

  His platoon were in battle armor, which was made to withstand harsh environments, including hard vacuum. The two Operators, Owens and Burnett, were in more traditional space suits. They were bulky and thick, more insulation than armor.

  “How well can you move around in those things?” Dean asked.

  “What do you have in mind?” Owens asked.

  “I think you know.”

  “EVA?”

  “Those tug-vessels are pulling us to the mothership, but if we can get to the far end of the ship yards we should be able to get aboard the space station through the hanger bay.”

  “We don’t have any type of thrusters,” Owens said. “We’ll be adrift.”

  “I think we can accommodate you,” Dean replied. “But we can’t take all this gear. Empty all the food bags except one, and fill them with ammo. Sling extra rifles and everyone carries something.”

  “You still haven’t explained how we’re going to get from the shuttle to the space station,” Burnett pointed out.

  “We’ll use Ghost’s jet pack,” Dean said. “We’ll bail out when we pass by the space station, then find a way in.”

  “You Recon guys are insane,” Burnett said.

  “Just another day in OWFR,” Chavez bragged.

  “We need a tether,” Owens suggested. “I don’t want to get separated and end up drifting off into deep space.

  “I’m working on that,” Dean replied. “You keep up with our progress.”

  “I’d say you’ve got less than ten minutes,” Owens said. “This shuttle doesn’t have much in the way of a plot. It’s made to be operated from a full command station on board an orbital ship.”

  “Just do the best you can,” Dean replied.

  The platoon was busy, digging through the ammo carts without making the contents float out in zero gravity. The extra rations were stowed in the overhead lockers, and the canvas bags filled with ammunition. Everyone would carry something. Dean had two spare utility rifles attached to his armor via the electromagnets built into his suit. He slung Chancy’s ammo pack on his back, and hooked the bag of medical supplies across his chest.

  The platoon was going in armed to the teeth, but it took a while to figure out how to keep them all together. Each of the spare rifles had a kevlar sling, in many ways it was a redundant safety measure, but the straps served as excellent tethers once they were removed from the rifles.

  “Almost there,” Owens said.

  “Can you pop open the hatch about a quarter of the way?” Dean asked.

  “I’m on it,” Burnett volunteered.

  “The tether doesn’t give us much slack,” Dean told his platoon. “We go out together. Ghost leads the way. Don’t get too close to his jets, and Sergeant don’t launch us with too much momentum.”

  “I can hit the target Captain,” Ghost said. “Can’t make any promises about how fast we’ll be moving. This is my first time using the jets in hard vacuum.”

  “Alright, we’ll deal. We don’t have any choices. We get to the space station, then we make our way to the hanger. Watch out for each other. You all know what is at stake here. There’s no one left to pick us up if we bounce off the space station and go floating away. And with the tether linking us all together, one mistake could end up costing the entire platoon our lives.”

  “We won’t let you down, Captain,” Chavez said.

  “It’s time,” Owens announced.

  The hatch popped open and depressurized quickly. Anything loose in the shuttle was sucked out, and then the platoon gathered around Owen’s and Burnett, who were in the middle of the tether line. Ghost was at one end, Dean at the other.

  “Go!” Chavez said.

  The HA Specialists jumped with Ghost, followed quickly by Chavez, Harper, Owens, and Burnett. Dean and Tallgrass came last, using their legs to propel them up and out of the open hatch. Drifting free in space was absolutely terrifying, with no way for Dean to control his movements. Ghost activated his jet pack, using short, controlled bursts to get the platoon moving in the right direction. It seemed like they were drifting, but they were moving toward the space station. Dean kept an eye on the teardrop shaped vessels, hoping they continued on toward the giant alien ship. If they noticed the passengers bailing out of the shuttle they made no move to stop them. Dean felt a slight feeling of relief that they weren’t pursued, but then he had to turn all his attention to the space station which was looming up in front of them. There was no way to know how fast they were approaching the station, or if they would actually be able to catch onto the massive space craft. It was daring plan, but as they flew towards the ship yards, like arrows streaking toward a giant target, Dean couldn’t help but wonder if it was a huge mistake.

  Chapter 39

  They were moving too fast, that much became obvious when they flew past one of the big wheel sections of the space station. Dean thought that his platoon’s armor would most likely keep them safe, but not the two Operators who had courageously joined them.

  “Captain, should I try to slow us down?” Ghost said.

  “If you can, Sergeant,” Dean replied. “We’ve only got one shot at this.”

  Ghost fired his jet pack, slowing his momentum as the others sailed past him. It only took a few seconds for the entire line to reverse so that Dean was sailing toward the space station pulling the rest of the platoon after him. He had the fuel supply on Ghost’s jet pack on the view screen of his TCU. He could see they had already spent half of the pack’s power.

  “That’s enough, Ghost,” Dean said.

  “We’re in a spin, Captain. I don’t think we’ve slowed down sufficiently.”

  “Save your
resources, Sergeant. You don’t have enough thrust left to stop our momentum.”

  “You won’t be able to hang on when you hit at his speed,” Lieutenant Owens said.

  “I might just surprise you,” Dean replied.

  There wasn’t enough time to argue. Dean was headed for the central shaft that connected the six wheel sections of the space station, but he knew he was going too fast to grab onto the structure without bouncing off.

  “Oh no,” Tallgrass said.

  “Ghost,” Dean ordered. “I’m going over the top, use you pack to get to the bottom.”

  The long line of people, connected by kevlar straps, was slowly rotating and when Ghost hit his thrusters that spin accelerated. Dean and Tallgrass barely brushed the surface of the space station, but Harper collided with it. Chavez groaned as he hit and bounced back, but the line of people was bending around the central shaft. Owens and Burnett swung around the bottom side, jerking Chavez back and then the HA Specialists rotated up and around, the momentum growing as the line curled around the shaft of the space station.

  Each impact was bone jarring, but their armor kept them safe. Owens and Burnett didn’t have vital readings in their space suits but they were both complaining so Dean knew they were alive and conscious. He and Tallgrass were pulled back around. When Dean hit the station the second time, he managed to grab hold of an exterior pipe, then activated electromagnets in the knee pads of his armor, securing himself to the space station.

  It took a few minutes before everyone was secure on the station, but then Chavez spoke up with the best news Dean had heard since they came out of hyperspace.

  “Captain, you are not going to believe this,” he said.

  “What is it, Staff Sergeant.”

  “I landed next to a maintenance hatch,” he said. “We don’t have to climb down the hangar to get in.”

  “Will the HA guys fit?”

  “One at a time,” Chavez said. “It will take a while, but we can do it.”

  “Outstanding, Staff Sergeant. You have permission to untether once you get the hatch unsealed.”

  Every part of a space station was constructed with emergencies in mind, so no lock or security code was required to get the hatch open. It had a simple wheel mechanism that unlocked the hatch. The hard vacuum of space pulled the heavy door open. Inside was an emergency pressurization chamber. Chavez unhooked his latch from Owens and Harper, then pulled himself inside the small room. The hatch was heavy but a simple lever pulled it closed. Another wheel fastened the hatch tight against the rubberized gasket and resealed the room. Once it was secure, the chamber filled with air until it was pressurized, and then the door on the interior slid open.

  “I’m in, Captain,” Chavez said.

  “Any sign of the workers or aliens?”

  “Negative. Not a soul in sight.”

  “Alright, let’s get Owens and Burnett into the station,” Dean ordered.

  Harper opened the maintenance hatch and then helped the two Operators into the pressurization chamber. Dean sent Adkins in next, ensuring that the big HA troopers could actually fit through the opening and into the chamber.

  The process took time, but eventually only Ghost and Dean were left outside the station. The Sniper’s jet pact was at less than twenty percent, but it had done the job they needed it to do.

  “That was some scary shit,” Ghost said on a private channel so that only Dean could hear him.

  “You did fine, Sergeant,” Dean replied as they waited for their turn to get inside the station.

  “You got a plan once we get inside?”

  “Search for survivors. Find out as much as we can about whoever is controlling that giant ship.”

  “And don’t get killed right? I mean, we survived the EVA, might as well live to tell about it.”

  “Absolutely Sergeant,” Dean said. “We take no chances.”

  They opened the hatch and climbed down into the pressurization chamber. It was a tight squeeze with Dean’s packs and Ghost’s bag of extra ammunition, but they managed it. Inside the central shaft the corridor was wide enough for four people to walk side by side.

  “Where to, Captain?” Chavez asked.

  “First we get into one of the wheels,” Dean said. “We need to search for survivors.”

  There was no gravity in the shaft, and although they could have used the electro magnets in the boots of their armor to walk in a semi-normal fashion, it was much easier to float their way through the shaft. When they reached the nearest tunnel that led up to the wheel section, Dean left their extra weapons and ammo to be guarded by Chavez and Carter. Owens and Burnett stayed as well. They had armed themselves with spare weapons, but didn’t have targeting systems in their space suits, and even just holding a rifle correctly was difficult in the bulky outfits.

  “I’m reading oxygen in the station atmosphere,” Dean told Lieutenant Owens. “The network is still running. Life support is good, but I’d feel better if you left your suits on for now.”

  “I concur, Captain,” Owens said.

  “Alright, the rest of us will go up and check the wheel. If I’m not mistake we’re on the next to last section before the hanger. It’s housing and storage. It won’t take long to find out if there’s anyone inside.”

  “They aren’t spinning,” Chavez said. “No gravity.”

  “That shouldn’t slow us down,” Dean replied. “Let’s move people.”

  They went up the long spoke that led to the actual living space on the wheel section and through the hatch. The space was different from any space facility Dean had every visited. There was carpet on the floor, which seemed oddly out of place on a space station. The walls were paneled with fabric covered foam, which gave the facility a soft appearance, while at the same time absorbed sound.

  “Fancy digs,” Adkins said.

  “EsDef should take a few pointers,” Pimrey agreed.

  “Can that chatter,” Dean said. “I want Encaps. Everyone on high alert. Ghost you’re to my right. Tallgrass join the group to my left. Harper, send MSV’s in both directions.”

  “They can’t open the doors to inspect the rooms,” she said.

  “No, but at least we’ll know if anyone is moving in the main corridor,” Dean said.

  They waited for several minutes while the tiny wheeled drones traveled the loop. The station seemed deserted. When they MSV’s returned they split up, checking every room. Most of the rooms were locked, requiring access codes which Dean didn’t have. But they were almost always clearly labeled and the Recon platoon knocked on every door, announcing their presence as they searched for anyone from the ship yards.

  “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home, Staff Sergeant,” Dean said on a private channel to his second in command.

  “All quiet down here too,” Chavez said. “Too damn quiet.”

  “We’re moving to the next section. Take the supplies and follow us. I don’t want to be separated by too much distance.”

  “Yes, sir. We’re on our way.”

  The next section of the space station was much like the first, only the carpet and wall coverings were different colors. There was no one left in the space station, and nothing seemed out of place. The platoon descended back down into the central shaft and floated to the massive hanger that Dean thought of as the tail end of the Space station.

  “Nothing,” Harper said. “No signs of struggle. No bodies, no blood. Its as if they just disappeared.”

  “They took the bodies,” Tallgrass said.

  “Why would they take the bodies?” Adkins said.

  “Maybe they didn’t want the corpses rotting in their new digs,” Pimrey said.

  “You have a twisted mind, my friend,” D’Vris exclaimed.

  “This shit is freaking me out a little,” Wilson said.

  “Pull it together, platoon,” Dean said as he studied the neatly arranged ships and drones in the hanger. There were large tugs, essentially engines with grappling lines, not unlike the t
eardrop shaped vessels that had attacked the Charlemagne and pulled their shuttle toward the massive, alien ship. Only the tugs were drones, there was no compartment for a passenger or pilot. There were maintenance skiffs, and even utility drones that could perform a wide range of tasks, from taking photos to cleaning the exterior of the space station. Against one wall were two large passenger shuttles, with square windows of thick glass which expensive and rarely used on space vessels. Dean guessed the shuttles were used to ferry people out to look at their newly constructed stations, or even to cruise the system on a sight seeing jaunt.

  “It looks like everything is intact,” Owens said.

  “Let’s head back the other direction,” Dean said.

  “Perhaps they took the workers hostage,” Harper said. “They took the ships. Maybe that’s how they operate.”

  “It’s possible,” Ghost said. “Most cultures have a history of taking hostages in battle to be slaves.”

  “Or as sacrifices,” Tallgrass said. “Maybe food.”

  “Oh my God!” Pimrey declared. “That is sick, just sick.”

  “Why?” Tallgrass asked. “Humans raise animals for food.”

  “Not intelligent animals,” Kliner pointed out.

  “Because we are the only highly intelligent species on our planet,” Tallgrass said. “But pigs are very intelligent. So are horses.”

  “We don’t eat horses,” Adkins pointed out.

  “We have in the past,” Tallgrass said. “Dolphins are intelligent, so are dogs. Both are highly prized delicacies in certain cultures. And cannibalism was practiced until the mid-twenty first century by tribes on nearly every continent.”

  “I cannot believe we are having this conversation,” D’Vris said.

  They checked the dinning and recreation section of the space station and found it just as deserted as the others, but in the control section they finally found evidence of conflict. There were no bodies, but there was blood and what looked like bullet holes in various walls, mainly in the central corridor.

  “Looks like a fight of some kind,” Harper said.

  “They didn’t have access to many firearms,” Dean pointed out. “This is a civilian station, not a military space base.”