Carbon Life
Page 83
Alenko started to respond, but a burst of static from the system prevented it. “Joker! We need to get down there now!”
“Copy, Major. Almost there.” The Normandy could maneuver faster than the computer could adjust the inertial dampeners; for Traynor, having never been on an advanced warship in battle, it was a totally new – and nauseating – experience. Alenko clamped a hand on her shoulder and said, “I’m going to grab a couple of Marines and go down to the hanger bay. Stay on comms, Specialist. Call me if there’s anything I need to know.”
“Yes, Sir.” Watching the elevator doors close behind the major, Sammy was left to wonder just what the hell the Alliance had gotten her into. ‘No fuckin’ way do I belong on a warship!’ she thought, as she continued to monitor comms chatter while continuously correcting for the electronic jamming emanating from the attackers.
* * *
* SSV HONG KONG II · STANDING OFF FROM THE UTOPIA RELAY *
The Hong Kong II, along with two other frigates, was accompanying the cruiser Tokyo; the modest task force had entered the Exodus System four days ago in response to the waves of batarian ships – mostly civilian freighters and passenger vessels, along with a few damaged military ships – that had started pouring through the relay the previous Wednesday. By the time of their arrival in system, the colonial governor of Eden Prime had persuaded Adhorag Krer’farr, the captain of the Khar'Shan class dreadnought that had been nearly the last ship through the relay, to lead the majority of the batarian vessels to a vector that placed them on the far side of the planet Zion; this was done in the hope that, when the Kite’s Nest attackers inevitably came through the relay, they would quickly move on to Arcturus without spending too much time in the system.
Krer’farr was adamant that he be allowed an opportunity to join with the Alliance fleet in order to have his revenge on the unholy abominations – still not identified as Reapers – that had smashed their way through Harsa; he had pleaded his case with Captain Tyler on the Tokyo, who had diplomatically informed the batarian that fighting alongside Alliance vessels was out of the question, due to differing offensive styles, but… he was welcome to do what he felt he had to, as long as he didn’t endanger human interests in the system or Arcturus.
Near the end of the third shift, Lieutenant Yuán was on the Hong Kong’s bridge as the OOD when the relay’s eezo containment rings began increasing their rotational velocity in preparation of receiving a ship or ships from the originating relay. Calling out instructions to the helmsmen, she made sure the ship was well away from whatever would momentarily be appearing beside the ancient device.
All of her training could not prepare her for what happened next – visions from the black depths of hell, themselves devoid of any color – appeared one after the other, all seemingly cut from the same mold. It only took her a second to react, and in that second the Hong Kong nearly fell victim to the first assault by Reapers in the Exodus Cluster. Xiùlán toggled several controls simultaneously: alarms for Battle Stations, DC Teams and Collision Alert began sounding as she directed the helmsmen to execute an emergency descending turn away from the relay. After activating the controls that summoned the captain, she sent an alert to the Tokyo, followed by an emergency message through the comm buoys to Arcturus, praying as she did so that they weren’t being jammed. She then entered the FTL vector plot that would allow the ship to follow the Tokyo and the other two accompanying frigates well away from the enemy vessels, still coming through the relay and assembling into ranks of various numbers and sizes.
“Sitrep, Lieutenant!” Captain Cody spoke into the comms from the CIC, where he was standing at the projection well for the galaxy map.
Yuán ordered the helmsmen to follow the Tokyo before answering the captain. “Sir, approximately seventy to eighty dreadnaught size machines, all fitting the descriptions of attacking forces relayed to us by Captain Krer’farr, just entered the system. They appeared to be assembling into ranks, waiting for the relay…” here, Yuán momentarily paused as she studied her display. “… waiting for the relay to realign with Arcturus.” Xiùlán went on to tell her captain everything she had done since the relay activated.
“Can we fight them, Lieutenant?”
“Sir, these things appear similar to the geth super-dreadnaught that attacked the Citadel in 2183; it took the entire Navy to destroy that one, and there weren’t a bunch of others firing back in its defense.” Xiùlán transferred the readouts to the CIC, turning the galaxy map into a tactical display for Cody’s benefit. “Ladar paints them all as between 1.8 and 2 Km long. Their kinetic barriers are massive. Based on the information provided by the batarians, we know their firepower is capable of cutting through dreadnaught size ships like a hot knife through butter.” Yuán checked her displays – the Hong Kong had dropped out of FTL at a distance of 4.2 million Km from the relay – which she also relayed to the captain.
Cody appeared to mull over everything he’d just been told. “Lieutenant Yuán, I am ready to relieve you.”
“I am ready to be relieved, Sir.”
Yuán waited as Cody looked over the tactical display; having garnered awareness of their strategic position, he said, “I relieve you, Lieutenant.”
Yuán responded, “I stand relieved, Sir,” before keying her comms on deck one and two and stating, “Attention all hands, Captain Cody has the deck.”
Cody contacted Captain Tyler on the Tokyo to discuss strategy; after a brief conversation, she decided to attempt a bold move. Sending her instructions simultaneously while speaking to her own crew, she said, “Helm, transmit the identity codes of our ships to the relay and instruct it to reposition for Arcturus.”
Yuán was a bit shocked by the strategy until Cody quietly explained via her ear-mounted comm, “First come, first served isn’t the way the relays work, Lieutenant. They always open a space-time corridor that’s only as large as the largest ship making the transit. Since our ships are so much smaller than the Reapers, it stands to reason we’ll get to make the trip to Arcturus before them.” Mouth set in a grim, straight line, he added, “Captain Tyler tasked us with warning the others. I need you to compose and record a warning for Arcturus, Lieutenant – the station, the fleet, everyone. We need to be broadcasting that warning before we arrive in the system – save as many of our ships and people as we can.”
“Aye, Sir.” Yuán moved to an auxiliary terminal to compose and record the message as Captain Cody instructed the helmsmen to head for the relay with all possible speed. As she entered the warning and queued it to transmit, she was thinking of how thankful she was that Sammy was currently on Earth.
* * *
* EPILOGUE · REAPER INVASION OF ARCTURUS, SOL AND APIEN CREST *
Unknown to Xiùlán, Sammy had been fortunate enough to be working on the Normandy when the Reapers came through the relay, there to systematically destroy Arcturus Station, the shipyard and the entire Second Fleet; the majority of the First Fleet at the Charon Relay was destroyed as well. The cruiser Tokyo, along with her accompanying frigates, managed to rejoin the Third Fleet as it made good its escape from Arcturus.
As the pitiless race of machines spread further into the galaxy, system after system went dark as the comm buoys were destroyed. With communications limited to relatively short distances, there were many in what remained of the Navy – not the least of which were Xiùlán on the Hong Kong and Sammy on the Normandy – that had no way of knowing if the other still lived. Their only choice was to continue to do their jobs and hope… pray… to the ancestors or gods of their choice they’d find each other at the end.
As more and more systems fell to the onslaught, those ships that remained, including the Hong Kong II, regrouped and began harassing the Reapers with hit and run tactics designed to do as much damage as possible with the fewest casualties among the Alliance forces. It was the fervent hope of everyone that Rachaél Shepard, reinstated and once again in command of the Normandy, could pull off the miracle of uniting the disp
arate races of the galaxy while an ancient weapon, supposedly of Prothean design, was constructed in secret. The future existence of every space-faring race in the galaxy hung in the balance.
The End