I replied, “What is it Maria?”
Rodriguez pointed. “Everything on that wall and down this center isle has flammable decals Sir. If we have to fight this is not such a good place to do it.”
The lab was lined with chemicals containers, many of which were flammable. If the Dakar forces were to discover us, they would have the ability to burn us out.
I replied, “Those soldiers will be here in a few minutes. Let’s just get into those store rooms first. Maybe we can think of a way to make use of something in here. Anyone know chems?”
A voice came over the comm. “I studied Chemical Engineering before joining the service Sir. This is York Sir.”
Frost replied as we moved into the first store room with eight of our 20 squads. “Yorkie! You can’t possibly be here. Where are you?”
York replied, “I’m sitting in a room. The doc is attempting to attach a mechanical leg to me as we speak. Frig was kind enough to patch me into a direct channel through the portal. I’m here as long as he keeps that open for us. I’ve been listening in where I could. I know Chemicals, so if you can sit tight until those troops pass, I’ll see if I can figure out a good way make use of them.”
I replied, “York! Glad to hear you are OK, err… making progress. I can send the inventory list of what was last reported in the lab if you need it.”
York replied, “Already got it Sir, looking it over now.”
Several minutes passed before we heard the sound of Dakar boots in the hallway. Low voices could be heard as they marched past the open lab door. We stood, quiet and listening as the handle on the store room door jiggled. Frost held it firmly on the other side. When the sounds of Dakar had moved on we emerged from the store room.
Frig came on the comm. “Sir, York and I might have a use for some of those chemicals. I did a quick analysis of the atmosphere on the Dakar home-world that you gave your speeches on Sir. The atmosphere contains a low amount of chlorides. From the minimal medical information we have obtained on the Dakar we found they have an issue with Chlorine. While Chlorine gas is fatal to us in sufficient quantity it is far worse for the Dakar in smaller amounts.”
I replied, “How can we make use of that?”
Frig continued, “We are going to make Chlorine gas Sir. It is deadly to the Dakar. Take a flask, add ten milliliters of hydrochloric acid. Drop in a 1 gram pellet of Manganese Dioxide and seal the flask. The flask, when broken, will release the Chlorine gas. The quantity released will be unpleasant to us, while being deadly to them.”
I replied, “So, we just throw it?”
Frig replied, “Yes Sir. I will have Jeb look into adding a solution to our grenades. It would have immediate stopping power and keep the area clear of Dakar for a number of minutes until it adequately dissipates. It would prove a much more effective weapon, but I suspect it will take time for that to be designed into our current grenades.”
I directed several of my team to get started on our Chlorine grenades as the others watched the hallway for Dakar.
I spoke, “Just make a dozen of those and let’s get moving. We need to secure that port for the Colonel.”
As the last of the flasks was being corked and sealed, word came over the comm, the Colonel and his column we under attack. The Dakar were attempting to move in behind him, cutting off any escape.
I again got on the comm, “Frig, can you check the air system in this sector? Is there any way we could send the Colonel a gift in the way of Chlorine gas for those Dakar in front of his position?”
Frig replied, “That is an excellent suggestion Sir. I will analyze and have a recommendation shortly. Hold your position in the lab as we may need further access to those chemical supplies.”
Several minutes passed before Frig came on the comm. “Sir, I have plotted a course from your position to the main air trunk for the Wallace section. This is an outlet trunk so there will be no further scrubbing or filtration of the air before delivery. I will need you to open the trunk. There should be an access panel. Place a tub that is sufficient in size to hold four liters of hydrochloric acid.”
You will not be able to safely combine the pellets on that scale. If you search shelf 16, third from the top you will find blocks of a dissolvable wax. Take one of those blocks and heat it up in the tub you wish to use. When the wax has turned to its liquid state, remove it from the heat and add the Manganese pellets. It should harden before you reach the air trunk. Place the tub in the duct, add the acid and close up the access panel. The wax will dissolve, blend with the acid and release the Chlorine gas.”
I replied, “So, is this going to kill all the Dakar?”
York answered, “It will probably kill some of them. But it will definitely clear them out of Wallace. This should give the Colonel a huge advantage as the Dakar will likely be in chaos trying to save themselves.”
I responded, “Frig, did I ever tell you I love you man! You always seem to have an answer and usually it is an answer that I like.”
I turned to the others in the lab, “Get ready to chlorinate the Dakar people. We have a section to take control of!”
Several minutes passed before we were carrying the tub of waxy pellets towards the main air trunk. As we round a corner we came face to face with four Dakar soldiers. Both sides were startled as the encounter was not expected.
Rodriguez quickly dropped a NIB as Frost and I opened fire. Two of the Dakar managed a single bolt from their blasters before the AK rounds took them down.
Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
Pzzt! Pzzt!
The bolts both struck Mendez in the chest, exploding his insides outward in a horrid display of blood and gore, the concussion knocked me to the ground.
The NIB detonated as the two remaining Dakar raised their weapons. The triggers were pulled but no bolts of energy emerged.
Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
The encounter was quickly over. Mendez was gone. I winced in pain as I looked down at my right forearm. A rib from Mendez’ exploding chest had penetrated my battle suit and lodged itself squarely between my radius and ulna. Our squad medic immediately got to work.
The medic spoke, “I’ve seen a lot of combat Sir, but this is a first. And I am not sure how, but it looks like it missed the major arteries and veins; went right through.”
I pushed the medic aside as I stood. “It’s going to have to wait then Bellows. We need to get this Chlorine into that system. You can work on getting that bone out of me once we get there.”
As we continued forward to the air trunk, Bellows attempted to bandage my damaged arm. The blood loss was minimal. Bellows was told to stand back.
I spoke, “Frost, use that mirror before rounding corners. We lost Mendez because we were sloppy. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
Frost replied as she looked back, “Awe. I’m touched Sir! Would you miss me?”
I shifted my AK to my right hand, pointed to my eyes and then down the hallway. Frost got the message and turned back to her duties. We soon found ourselves in front of the maintenance door to the air trunk.
Frost checked the door and turned. “Looks like its locked Sir. You want I should open it?”
I nodded. Frost took three steps back and charged the door, raising her boot at the last second.
Bam!
Frost fell backwards, grimacing as she rolled over on the floor. “Gar! That freakin’ hurt!”
The maintenance door had a large dent in it just below the handle. It had held under the strain of Frost’s boot.
I spoke as I stepped in front of it. “Must be getting old Frost. Can’t even kick down a door. It’s a good thing York wasn’t here to witness that spectacle.”
York came on the comm. “Oh, I saw it Sir. Hahahaha! I just had to catch my breath from laughing. Maria had me patched in through her video feed. If I had leg’s Sir, I’d kick that door in for you! Hahahaha!”
Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
I raised my boot and kicked at the door even with t
he doorknob. The thin plate steel of the door gave way around the bullet holes. The door swung open. The air duct lay before us.
I spoke, “Get that access panel open and let’s get the Colonel some assistance.”
Rodriguez worked the latches as I stepped up to assist. Before she could raise her hand to stop me I pulled hard on the handle release. The air duct behind the panel was pressurized. I was blown backwards, striking the back of my head against the inside wall. Several minutes passed before I came too.
Bellows was standing over me. “Good, glad to see you are with us Sir. I took the liberty to pull that rib from your arm. The holes are closing OK, but they are going to leave some nasty scars. Just rest here for a few minutes and we should have you ready to rumble again Sir.
I grabbed Bellows by the arm. “The Chlorine? Did we get the Chlorine in there?”
Bellows took my hand and placed it by my side. “The Chlorine is away Sir. And unless you want me poking you full of extra holes I would not be grabbing my arm again. Just give me another minute to finish up and you can have at it.”
Frost stepped up and spoke, “Good thing you have a thick skull Sir. The way you hit that wall I thought you were going to be leaking brains everywhere. Glad to see it was just a knockout. Oh, and while you were out Sir, I kept your blood flowing by massaging your butt cheek Sir. Hahahaha!”
When Bellows had completed his stitching I attempted to stand. I was shaky on my feet and required a hand. After feeling the lump on the back of my head I stepped slowly out into the hallway.
I spoke, “Let’s get going people. We have a port to shut down.”
Frig came on the comm. “Sir, glad to see you are up and moving. I routed your new path to Transway-3. You should be receiving it on your arm momentarily. Just before the last turn I selected a store room, W348. You will find extra supplies in there should you need them Sir.”
The Colonel came on the comm, “Grange! Nice work with the Chlorine! We are once again moving forward. The Dakar all seem to be running for their lives in agony. You might have to watch your back as some may be headed back your way.”
I replied, “Glad to hear it and thanks for the warning Colonel. We’ll pick up the pace a bit until we get to our objective. How’s the air your way?”
The Colonel replied, “It’s not much worse than a strong bleach smell, but it smells like fresh air to me! We should be able to make our current objective in about ten minutes. Will let you know what’s next after that.”
I replied, “Roger that Colonel. Just let us know if you need anything else.”
We arrived at W348 without incident. I gave the teams an opportunity to rest. We had lost one of our own in Mendez, but war saw to it that there was no time to grieve. Half of the squads were soon sitting, chewing on fresh Omega root. I shook my head in disgust.
Chapter 16
We restocked our ammo with the supplies Frig had left for us and then returned to the mission at hand. The ramp down Wallace-25 on Transway-3 was unguarded. We slowly moved our squads out into the hallway.
Frost was on point. “Sir, the main corridor to the port is just up ahead. Is there an alternate route we can take to get in there? I don’t fancy just walking in through that main door.”
I got on the comm. “Frig. Can you find us another way into that port? Something less traveled than the main entrance?”
Frig replied, “Bringing up the schematics now Sir. I believe there are two fire doors on your level with access, but we will have to disable the alarms before they can be accessed.”
I replied, “There aren’t any walls we can cut through or access panels or such? Or could we use a TIG to knock out power while we move through?”
Frig was quiet for a moment and then replied, “I’m sorry Sir. The walls surrounding that port are of extreme thickness for obvious reasons. And there are no access panels. I could not be certain that the TIG would do what you need. It will knock out the power, but you may set off the alarm when that power returns even if that door has been closed.”
“I will raise the Colonel’s team on the station and see if they have access to the computer systems in that section. Perhaps they can disable it for us. In the meantime, I would suggest you move down the hallway across from your position to the right. At the end you will find a door that leads into an office area. It should be large enough to house your team until a decision is made.”
I replied, “Let us know when you know something. Until then we will use the time to study the port schematics. If you could provide us with a latest scan of the area it would be appreciated.”
Frig replied, “Will do Sir. Stand by.”
Once in the abandoned office space, I called together my squad leaders to review the port layout. Harin Abouye was a 58 year old veteran with 40 years of prior service in the Grid Marines.
Harin spoke, “There are 35 of these type ports on the Grid Sir. Most have a similar configuration. Docking bays here and here. Ingress is at a 35 degree angle here and egress at a 45 degree angle there. This section is for loading and unloading of big cargo and this one for people and standard packages. The warehouses drop down into the two levels below.”
I replied, “Did you ever work this port Harin, you sound knowledgeable.”
Harin replied, “No Sir. But I did work a sister ore port on Joy-18. It is essentially the same layout with a few alterations. Since we can’t change the overall structure of this station, we have to use what was already here. As it turns out, it was an efficient design.”
Commander Jack Lightfoot spoke, “The design also offers us some advantages Sir. We only need to hold the ingress port-way to control the port. Ships can only come in through there and not the other way. Automated gravity buffers keep ships from entering through the exit. If we take that entryway we control this port.”
The results from a partial scan of the Wallace-18 port came in from Frig. We soon had a plan in place to take back the port from the Dakar who held it.
I spoke, “Commander Lightfoot, “You and Major Higgins will be closing off the entryway. Take Finch and Breslin with you. Kerris, take your squad to this position and take out the Dakar stationed there. From the number there and the looks of it on the schematics, I would say they are using this for their bunk area. If we can coordinate our attacks it should make your mission doable with a single squad.”
I continued, “Moler, Fachetti and Aaron, you will hit and hold the ingress control room. That leaves Lincoln and me as backups. We will take positions here and here. If any of you hit stiff resistance call one of us in.”
The Colonel came on the comm. “Grange. I’ve been following your planning on the share. You will have to take that entrance first and fight your internal port battles afterward. That entryway has blast doors that you will need to close and secure. You won’t be able to hold off the Dakar in this section, but those blast doors will. Get them closed and work out the rest from there.”
I replied, “We were planning an all-at-once strategy Colonel. I think we can wrap it all up with a single sweeping charge.”
The Colonel replied, “That’s not going to happen Grange, you have several thousand Dakar regulars that are headed your way. That port has the promise of fresh air since it is on a separate system. They are going to want it. Take that door now and get it shut!”
I turned to the others. “You heard the Colonel. Let’s just rush that door and fight our way through it. The scan shows about 150 troops camped out around it. We are going to have to cover a hundred meters of open space before we get there. This will not be easy.”
Major Chance Moler replied, “Sir, I have an idea and I will gladly volunteer for it. I will walk down the hall to the door and release a TIG. The rest of you can then rush the door.”
I replied, “With that combat suit they won’t let you get close enough to use a TIG. That’s a suicide mission Major. We need something else.”
Moler replied, “Well what if I
walk down there naked? It might be so much of a distraction that they wonder what it is that crazy human is doing.”
Frost replied, “I like the way you think Major! But what if they have laser pistols? You wouldn’t last a second out there.”
The Major replied, “I don’t see as we have a choice. We either risk one individual, me, or we all take our chances against those blasters. Frankly, I think my way is less risky for us all.”
I replied, “OK Major, we give it a shot. We will wait around the corner until we hear a pop from that TIG. And thanks for your dedication Major. It takes monster courage to volunteer for something like this.”
The Major began to strip off his combat suit. “I’ve had my moments of shame Sir. If this works it wipes the slate clean for me.”
We moved up to the corner by the main corridor. The Major, with TIG in hand began to sing. His voice was hideous and his tone worse than a drunk at a New Year’s celebration. The major rounded the corner, swaying back and forth as he slowly walked towards the contingent of Dakar soldiers.
The Dakar looked at each other curiously before the Dakar commander barked out an order, “Halt! Don’t come any closer!”
The Major continued to sing as he moved towards the entranceway.
The Dakar commander repeated his statement. “Halt!”
Twenty blaster rifles were raised and aimed at the Major. At forty meters the Dakar commander fired a warning shot. Sparks flew off the wall as a low level bolt impacted just beside the Major.
The Major came to a stop for only a moment. He then began to swing his arms as he twirled and once again sang. The Dakar watched on in fascination. At 20 meters the Major swirled and released the TIG. For two seconds it skated on the corridor floor before sliding up to the Dakar.
Pop!
The Major turned and ran in our direction as the Dakar tried in vain to fire their blasters.
Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak!
The Dakar began to scatter. As the Major sprinted in our direction the laser fire began. The third bolt cut deep into the Major’s side just as we advance past him. Two grenades rolled up to the Dakar soldiers.
AMP Rebellion Page 14