I replied, “Either help me or get out of the way Lieutenant. That’s an order.”
I stepped into the alcove that had a small portal window to the outside. The shuttle is not here Lieutenant. This is a dead end.”
Aaron replied, “Just give it a minute Sir. When you opened that door it was given the order to come to this bay from wherever it was. We are going to have to get you into this maintenance suit Sir.”
I replied, “That thing? How am I supposed to fight from that? I’m going to look like I’m wearing a fat suit!”
Aaron shook his head. “It will be difficult to move around when you are in gravity Sir, but out there, you won’t believe the freedom and protection it offers. Those Dakar blasters, they will be worthless against this suit. It will dissipate those ion bolts before they can do any damage.”
I looked at Aaron with an inquisitive expression. “How do you know so much about this bay?”
Aaron replied, “Before I joined the Marines I had dreams of being stationed in one of these guns. I studied up until about half way through my senior year in high school Sir.”
I asked, “What happened? Why the Marines instead?”
Aaron replied, “We took a class career tour about two months before I graduated. When we got to the bay I was all excited. The controls were cool, the simulation of a live fire, that was a thrill. But then I looked around at the soldiers who were stationed there. Not a smile on a single face. As it turns out Sir, it’s one of the most monotonous assignments you can have. Turnover from the Gun Corps is high, and with good reason. After practicing in the simulator for several weeks you know all you will ever know.”
I replied, “So, you joined the Marines for all the adventure?”
Aaron replied, “Well, I guess so Sir.”
I smiled as I responded, “And look where you ended up; right in the gun bay where all the action is!”
Aaron smiled and responded, “Well Sir, you joined the Messenger Service and ended up in the same place.”
Aaron flipped the last latch on the maintenance suit before picking up the helmet.
I replied, “Guess we both lucked out Aaron. While I would love to go back and reverse a few of the backwards decisions I’ve made over time, I’d have to say, given everything that is going on, that I would still want to be right where I am.”
Aaron replied as he lowered and latched the helmet, “Me too Sir, me too.”
Aaron was right. The big maintenance suit was cumbersome to maneuver in gravity. I clumsily stepped into the airlock as the shuttle pulled up outside. Seconds later I was free of gravity’s burden and moved about the shuttle with ease.
I got on the comm, “You were right about this suit Aaron, feels like I’m in a bubble, but at the same time I can bend and twist to reach anything as I normally would.”
Aaron replied, “You might want to strap in or hang on Sir, those shuttles move fast on those tracks.”
Before I had the chance to grab a handle the shuttle began to accelerate. I looked out the port window as I was pressed against the back wall. The Dakar ships were beginning to move.
In an instant, a heavy beam of ions shot from the great gun’s cannons. In that same instant the Dakar vessels exploded as their shields failed against the superior weapon. My shuttle ride to the next gun port was quickly over.
I held tight to a handle on the back wall as the shuttle rapidly decelerated. When the door opened I stepped out into the airlock and the door closed behind me. I could hear the rush of air as an atmosphere soon surrounded me. When the airlock button mechanism went from red to green I pressed the button.
Sshhp!
The door opened into the maintenance alcove. As I stepped out of the airlock the Dakar inside the gun bay made their fatal mistake. They opened the blast door.
As the door slowly swung open, ion bolts impacted the heavy maintenance suit. Each bolt of energy was easily dissipated. As I raised my AK I began to smile. I moved clumsily forward as I squeezed the trigger.
Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
The four Dakar in the bay were dead. The gun was ours.
I got on the comm, “Aaron. I have the bay. They opened the door for me. The suit worked just as you described. I would be tempted to wear it out into the hallways, but it’s almost impossible to move. Besides, I would bet those Durian lasers would cut it to pieces.”
Aaron replied, “They do have a high heat tolerance Sir. But I wouldn’t want to be the one to test it out.”
I replied, “So, how do I get out of this thing?”
Aaron responded, “You don’t Sir. It requires assistance to put it on and to take it off. Make sure those other blast doors are secure and then head back this way Sir. I’ll get you out once you get back.”
I replied, “I didn’t know this was a one way ticket Aaron or I would have let you do it. I’ll be back as quick as I can. Be ready to get me out of this thing.”
I checked the blast doors on the gun bay console. Each of the doors showed a green symbol meaning the doors were sealed and locked. Ten minutes passed before I was again standing in the maintenance airlock of the first gun. When the button mechanism turned green I moved out of the airlock and into the alcove. Aaron quickly removed the suit.
Aaron spoke, “I talked with Frig Sir. He has that transport coming out of the Wallace port. We have eight full squads counting us, ready to assault the Mako-7 port. The transport has a universal maintenance port adapter that we can use to board it. It will dock with the shuttle and we just have to pass through it to the shuttle.”
I replied, “Do we have to put the suit on? I only see two of them.”
Arron replied, “No Sir. Since the transport has standard atmosphere like the airlock we can pass through as we are.”
The transport docked, we moved aboard and then began the short hop to Mako-7. The Dakar soldiers occupying the port had not engaged the ingress gravity block. Our transport floated in free and landed gently on the deck. Two dozen Dakar soldiers came out with weapons drawn as their commander hailed us from the control room.
The Commander spoke, “Transport, identify yourself!”
I pressed the comm and replied, “Help! We need assistance, we have wounded for our ships that were just attacked out there. This is Captain Stark of the Dakar ship Gopher. Please help!”
The Dakar commander began to yell at his troops to prepare to assist. Weapons were stowed and the Dakar medics emerged with their medical bags. The door to the transport opened slowly and two TIGs rolled out.
Pop! Pop!
The transport door slid silently into the side of the small ship. Frost was the first to emerge, she was all smiles.
Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
Frost yelled out as she stepped out onto the deck and continued to shoot. “You want wounded? I’ll give you wounded!”
Ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
Our squads poured out of the transport onto the deck. The Dakar were caught completely off-guard. In less than three minutes we had possession of the control room and were spreading our love throughout the rest of the port. Ten minutes later the last of the Dakar occupiers was dead and the port was ours, the giant blast doors secured from inside.
I raised the Colonel on the comm. “Colonel, we have Mako-7. If you have anyone assigned to take her I would suggest re-routing them to elsewhere. How’s your progress going otherwise?”
The Colonel replied, “We now have control of 23 ports plus the two you have taken.”
I replied, “That’s 20 to go then. If we can button these up the Durians, Dakar and Prassi will only have Alpha bay as their point of access. That gives us only one point to have to strike to cut off their access to this station entirely.”
The Colonel paused.
Boom-ch-ch! Boom-ch-ch!
The Colonel continued, “Sorry about that, had a little cleanup to take care of. We should know in about 15 minutes if we have been successful. I redirected the Admira
ls and their forces towards Alpha. That is likely to be one bloody mess of a battle. I’m expecting the Durian Helgron force to turn back at any time. They have the gravity drive control room, but it is not the prize it once was. I know Frig has been supporting our Evacs, but why don’t you ask him if he has any ideas of how we might start up those drives.”
I replied, “I can do that Colonel. If there has to be someone I am relying on to come up with a solution, it would be him. What do you think our chances are of taking back this station in the meantime? Do you think we can?”
The Colonel replied, “We are going to give it our best Grange. I think sealing this place off is doable. If it weren’t for those Helgrons I would have confidence that we could accomplish that task in a few days. The Dakar and Prassi fighters don’t seem to be very motivated. When invaders lose that edge, occupations generally fail. At least that’s what the archives say. And when it comes to war theory, they have been an accurate source of study.”
We continued our raids on the remaining ports on the Grid’s exterior. Fourteen hours passed before the final port was captured and sealed off. It was time to plan our campaign to retake Alpha bay. It would likely be our hardest fought battle yet. The Colonel and his Gray Ghouls looked forward to the challenge.
Chapter 19
With all of the other ports on the station under our control, we turned our focus towards Alpha bay and the remaining gun bays. If the Durians, Dakar and Prassi wanted to keep their ships parked in the space surrounding the Grid they were going to pay a price. But first, we had the Durian Helgrons to contend with.
I spoke with the Colonel over the comm. “Have we come up with any tactics to at least give them a good fight?”
The Colonel replied, “We aren’t getting close enough for grenades to work. Those battle suits are armored and unless you get a grenade right next to them they seem to shake it off. I’m having Frig send us a contingent of bazookas. They offer more destructive power, so we will have to use them judiciously as we don’t want to severely damage the station. Alpha bay is swarming with civilians on lockdown. We will have to pick our shots.”
I replied, “How about something like the Chlorine we used on the Dakar? Could we use chemicals?”
The Colonel thought for a moment and switched comm channels. “Juphes, send that dead Durian and his suit back through to Frig. I want them to analyze its weak points. Make it a top priority!”
Juphes replied, “Yes Sir.”
The Colonel then returned. “Grange, I’m sending the one Durian suit we have back to Frig and the others. Maybe they can figure out a way to get around its defenses. We need to hurt ‘em if we want to have a chance at taking this station back. Keep your mind open Grange. We could use a little help right now.”
I replied, “I’ll see if we can come up with anything Colonel. In the meantime, I have a nine year old girl that I need to get back to her parents on Wallace. I’m taking two squads with me and leaving the rest at Mako-7. If you find you have use for them then put them to work as they are ready to fight. It’s been my privilege so far to fight alongside them.”
The Colonel thought and responded, “I think the same of all of the men and women who volunteered for this mission. And they think the same of you Grange. Now go do what you gotta do and keep your big head down. We need you now more than ever.”
I thanked the Colonel and turned to Lieutenant Aaron. “You ready for a run back to Emily’s apartment? If we can get her back home we can head back to the gun bay and take the shuttle out.”
Aaron replied, “There are 156 more guns on this station Sir. If we find a method for taking them back that works, we should let the Colonel and the others know ASAP.”
Emily was glad to be heading home. She had killed a Dakar, a feat she would always remember, but she missed her parents and the security that came with being with the ones you love. After reloading our weapons and packs we were on our way.
Frig, with his never ending duties had performed a scan of the area surrounding Emily’s home.
Frig came on the comm. “Sir, there are a company of Dakar regulars between you and your destination. They are holding a hallway that you will need to pass through. The surrounding halls have been sealed. I would suggest that I drop a NIB into a room that is adjacent to their position. When you reach a staging point just beyond, I will set the NIB off on your command. After that I can be of no further help.”
I replied, “Do they have lasers or only blasters.”
Frig was silent for several seconds. “I’m checking now Sir… the scans are inconclusive. Just know that there are 200 soldiers that you will have to fight through.”
I responded as I walked, “Unless they have lasers they are in for a hard time. Were they all Dakar?”
Frig again checked his scans. “Again, the scan data is inconclusive. I can only discern that there are 200 individuals. From the video images that were obtained, they are shown to have blasters. If they have lasers or Durians or Prassi with them, I cannot say as the images we have are not complete.”
I replied, “Thanks Frig. I’m sure you have other demands being made. If I find myself in need I’ll be calling on you.”
Frig replied, “I’m sure you will Sir and I will be here.”
I responded, “Speaking of there… how long have you been there, at your console?”
Frig replied, “It has been 36 hours Sir, but I am fine. You have been on a similar schedule Sir, you may need some rest yourself.”
I shook my head. “I’ve had my catnaps. I know you and you are beginning to push it as always. Is there anyone else there who can run that console?”
Frig replied hesitantly, “I could train someone Sir. Their abilities would be limited. I do not believe I can train someone to resize the wormhole as it takes a complex sequence of actions and precise timing to achieve. They may be limited to opening and sustaining a portal or perhaps moving it to a new location.”
I replied, “Pick someone from your lab and train them up. I want you to get at least four hours sleep out of every 24. At least until we get this situation under control. From what the Colonel says, the Admirals are having an extremely difficult time with the Helgrons. If you are there, do what you can to assist them.”
Frig replied, “I will do my best Sir.”
Our path took us back to Transway-5 on Wallace-20. Emily’s home was on Wallace-18. From the data we had at least 200 Dakar soldiers stood in our way.
As we worked our way down the ramp of the trans-way we encountered two Dakar guards. One of those guards was Feta Lunge. Frost dropped a TIG leaving the two Dakar without weapons.
Pop!
I stepped in front of the others just before they fired. “Wait! Hold your fire!”
Feta stood in place as the other Dakar backed up.
I spoke, “Feta? What are you doing here?”
Feta replied, “When the decision was made to attack Humans I was demoted for having consorted with you. I am now a soldier of the lowest rank in the Dakar army.”
The other Dakar spoke, “What are you doing Lunge! Shut up! These are the enemy!”
Feta continued, “They took away my ship, acting as though I had somehow been disloyal to the Expansion. The Paswari has had her core ripped out and reprogrammed. My friend is no more.”
Again the other Dakar raised his voice. “Lunge! What you are doing is treason!”
With that the Dakar pulled a knife from its sheath and raised it over his head. He was looking directly at Feta.
Pfft!
Frost ended his attempt to silence his fellow soldier with a shot from her AK with its suppressor. The Dakar slumped to the floor.
Feta spoke, “Please. Do me the honor of having been killed in battle. They have taken my Paswari. My family has disowned me. I have nothing to live for Don Grange. My world is empty.”
I placed my hand on Feta’s shoulder.
Frost stepped forward and spo
ke, “Sir!”
I replied, “It’s OK Frost. I know this Dakar.”
I looked at Feta. “He is my friend.”
Feta Lunge slowly raised his eyes. “But I am your enemy Don Grange. My people have betrayed you and taken your home.”
I spoke, “Most of the time we are just pawns in this game of life Feta. We are there for those in charge to play with, to push around and to sacrifice for their interests. But we are sometimes called to rise above that. To take charge and take action that we consider to be just and right. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices to do what’s right for our people.”
I continued, “You once had a people that you cared deeply for. Those people are still there. They don’t want war, your leaders want war. They are ambitious and have no qualms about sacrificing many Dakar in the name of those ambitions. We have many leaders who are often the same, selfish, greedy and power hungry. Those are universal traits. I know you to be a Dakar of honor, one who is proud of his heritage and his accomplishments. Perhaps it’s time you stood up against your corrupt leadership. Start a revolution of your own.”
Feta looked back with a disturbed expression, “If you are asking me to fight against my own people Mr. Grange. I could not do that. I would not do that!”
I replied, “I’m not suggesting that we put one of these weapons in your hand. You have valuable information that we could use. I know you can never regain the Paswari, but what if we could get you another ship, with a new core that you could train? You might have to live an existence outside of the Expansion, but you would be free to go where you wanted, to see what you wanted or to be whoever you wanted to be. Help us get this station back Feta, and I will help you get that ship and a new core to go with it.”
I looked back at my squad, “Jenkins! Take Mr. Lunge here to the back of our team. You stick with him and see that he doesn’t make any rash decisions. I will be walking with the both of you in just a minute. I have some further questions for Mr. Lunge.”
Jenkins escorted Feta Lunge to the back of our formation. Each Marine offered a nasty scowl as he walked past. Feta’s head hung low as he was lost in his indecision.
AMP Rebellion Page 17