“Alright. We’ve been unlucky, but we can still achieve what we came here to do,” Kopp dragged out his words as he considered the situation, “Let’s see what's inside this hangar.”
The dead grandfather clung lifeless and rigid to the door handle. His eyes stared with a confused terror. Kopp wrenched the hand free and pushed the dead man's body to the dusty floor. He flicked on his night vision goggles. Somehow, he knew that the spacecraft they were looking for would not be here. There were too few guards – even for the weak minded Relathons – and there was nothing here to suggest that a massive, modern weapon of war was being constructed. But they had to be sure. It was still possibly – however unlikely – that there was something lurking in the darkness. As the night vision goggles illuminated the scenethe truth was revealed.
He did not immediately recognise the object in the alpha building, but as his goggles sharpened the image he knew that he was looking at the ancient wreck of a derelict, wooden hulled ocean transport. The disintegrating wreck filled the building almost to the point of overflowing. Kopp realised that some of the large ship had been dismantled in order to fit the decaying carcass into the hangar.
“Name of the Gods,” Kopp breathed, “There aren't any spacecraft being built here.”
“Let me see,” Marr snapped, “That’s impossible!”
They looked together. The old ship was about four hundred metres long and was a shell compared to what it once had been. Kopp could now see that she ship was being reconstructed. New, lighter coloured, sections of material were evident amongst the pock-marked original sections of the hull. There were floodlights situated around the hull on the floor along with other machines that Kopp did not recognise. Everything was turned off besides the gentle hiss coming from water lines that sprayed water onto the ancient hull – presumably to stop the wood from drying out.
“What is this?” Marr whispered.
“It’s a restoration,” Kopp spoke quietly also, “There’s no military action taking place on this site. No spacecraft. No weapons of war.”
Kopp was aware that the dog barking was getting louder. There were voices outside; far away but getting close
“We have to get out of here.”
They left the building together. The dog had appeared, but it was a much smaller creature than Kopp had expected. A starving, brown and white mess of a creature, not even the height of Kopp's knee. It stood in the dim light of a distant streetlamp barking incessantly. Hunn was watching it, fascinated, through the barrel of his energy rifle, but he did not fire.
Kopp shook his head, cursing under his breath. He raised his pistol and killed the dog with a single shot.
“We have to leave now,” he said, “There’s no destroyer being built here. If they are building weapons, they aren't doing it here.”
The Relathon police officer was armed, but he had just returned from a long shift in the centre of the city. He had heard the blood curdling cry of pain and had pulled his boots back on, not even tying the laces. He ran back down the stairs, shouting for his wife to close the door behind him. She didn’t close the door. His name was Laurann Naamifir and he was twenty five years old. He was a good father to his six year old daughter and a target shooting champion in his section of the city’s police force. He was also a very strong distance runner and had completed six marathons to raise funds for the restoration of old sailboats. He ran the quarter mile from his dismal ground floor apartment to the old airship hangars in less than a minute. His handgun was holstered right until he saw the dog collapse to the ground. Then it was in his hand, primed and ready to fire.
He had been in the police force for 7 years. He’d learned to carefully examine a situation before making a decision, taking a course of action. So he paused long enough to see the figure crouched with the strange looking rifle, to notice that the man standing by the Jack Sloane V restoration building’s entrance was wearing a similar outfit – something akin to a black uniform. And, most importantly, he noticed the two bodies lying on the ground by the doorway.
He was ten metres from the first man. He was certain neither man had seen him. As he watched, a third man appeared. He too carried a rifle like the man who was now standing. They were wearing a uniform. He did not recognise it and mistook the dark attire as some kind of co-ordinated criminal hear. But a half second later he changed his mind and realised that these men were soldiers.
Laurann could kill one or two of the men at this range, but he was not confident that he could shoot all three before they returned fire. Once aware of his presence, the situation would change dramatically for the worse.
The man who had been crouched at the entrance to the condemned hangar suddenly sprinted towards his two comrades. Then all three men were together, less than five metres separating them. Laurann realised that this was his best chance at apprehending then all. He was tempted to shoot first before calling a warning. It took all of his willpower to keep from firing, but then a very familiar voice changed everything.
“Laurann? What is it?”
The Enrilean special forces team acted instinctively, diving in three different directions. But Laurann’s trigger finger was quick and he caught one of the men just above his right button, punching through his kidney and upwards through his lung. Hunn collapsed in agony, dropping his rifle.
Laurann’s wife was standing in the middle of the road fifteen metres where her husband crouched behind the heavy steel of a garbage hopper. She was dressed in her purple bathrobe and rubber slippers. He wanted to shout something, but knew there was no time. He couldn’t warn his wife or tell her to get out of the way. He wanted to shoot both of the men who were pointing guns at his beloved, but there was no time.
Soomina seemed to partially vaporise in front of his eyes. Her eyes popped in their sockets as her skin from her shoulders upwards was fried instantly and noisily and with the most horrific sounds Laurann would never forget. He cried out in horror, unable to take his eyes from his wife as her skin caught fire from the energy discharged from the alien weapon. He'd heard of the energy weapons used by the Enrilean Empire and knew, immediately, that these men were Enrileans. Soomina fell to her knees, still screaming. The skin was melting from her exposed face and shoulders. Her hair was on fire. As she collapsed her cries subsided and he realised, with some relief, that she was dead.
His hands shook and he felt his eyes filling with water. But he killed Lieutenant Commander Marr with his second, deadly accurate burst of fire. Despite the shaking of his hands he fired a consistent, tight grouping of bullets that landed right in the centre of the man’s chest, piercing through the light armour of his dark and disguised Enrilean commando uniform. The Enrilean twisted to the right as he collapsed, already dead before his face slammed hard into the ground.
Laurann flinched. He felt a numbness at the side of his head as a bullet tore his ear from his head. Another punched right through his jaw. He felt only a mild stinging in his jaw as he started to target the alien who had fired at him. Shock had slowed his movements to a fraction of what they should have been. The Enrilean commando shot him three times in the heart, killing him instantly.
Kopp lowered his weapon. He swore loudly, gritting his teeth. Another dog was barking, somewhere far away. More voices were shouting, not so far away. Kopp realised that the gunfire had broken the night more effectively than alarm bells. Five distinct shots, smashing into the dreams and nightmares of every Relathon in the vicinity. The mission was a shambles. All there was left to do was escape, he thought.
Kopp radioed the transport ship as he started to run towards it. He sprinted into the darkness. There wasn't the time to do anything about Marr or Hunn. Their weapons and equipment would prove incriminating, Kopp thought. He wondered if Jaxx would be able to blast the area before they made it back into space. Behind, the barking was getting louder. Large dogs, he realised, and more than one. During training, he'd been warned about dogs used by the Relathon police forces. He pushed on into the dark
ness; Breathing, stumbling and almost falling over his own feet. His shoulder slammed into a low wall, invisible in the darkness, and he dropped his handgun. He located it after a split second of frantic scrabbling in the darkness. Then he tripped over his rifle, and picked that up too. The leather shoulder strap had torn. He carried both weapons to the end of the delta hangar, over the low wooden fence at the end of the road and into the darkness. He didn't realise that blood was streaming from his face and shoulder. The Relathon policeman had scored a few hits before he had died.
Hazer Jaxx was waiting. He’d heard the screaming, the gunfire. He was out of the shuttle, flanked by three security officers. Their weapons stayed aimed at Kopp as the injured Commando appeared. Jaxx lowered his own weapon, recognising Kopp.
“What in the name of the Gods happened? Where are...”
“Marr and Hunn are dead,” Kopp gasped, “There are no destroyers being built here. The radio broadcasts we intercepted told the truth about what was going on here. There are no spacecraft. Sir, we need to sanitise the area before we...”
“I'm aware of that, damn it,” Jaxx snapped, “What a blasted mess this has become.”
Jaxx looked past Kopp, back towards the city. He could see shadows moving beside the tall, old buildings. People had followed him as he'd left. There were voices in the distance. Shouts. Dogs were barking. The bloody Relathon loved their dogs. They allowed them into their homes, adorned them with ornate collars and waistcoats. He'd heard rumours that some Relathon even allowed the creatures into their beds. Jaxx thought that the whole idea was repulsive. But the larger dogs used by the police were dangerous. The smaller dogs found in domestic homes were just... ridiculous.
The shuttle was lifting off the ground even as the door closed behind Commander Kopp. Jaxx pulled him in, realising for the first time that the solider had been injured. He stared at Kopp's face, trying to gauge the extent of his comrade's injuries. But he decided that there were more urgent matters to attend to.
“We'll drop an incendiary device as he overfly the primary,” Jaxx hissed, “That'll destroy any evidence that we were here.”
Kopp nodded soberly and quietly, his eyes not quite meeting Jaxx's. It was difficult leaning across to the intercom. The shuttle was banking sharply to the left, its engine whining noisily. The G forces subsided in a moment and Jaxx reached the intercom. He toggled it to the on position.
“We've got to sanitise the primary!” he shouted, “The ground team was compromised. Hunn and Marr are dead. Their bodies and equipment are still at the primary,” he paused for a moment, “Make a low pass and put down three incendiaries.”
There was hardly a pause before the shuttle pilot replied.
“Affirmative, sir. We're on our way.”
Jaxx released the intercom. He looked to Kopp again, cursing the man with his cold demeanour.
“How badly were you hurt?” Jaxx gestured towards Kopp's face, holding onto the support rails tightly with his left hand. The shuttle veered sharply to the right, heading towards the massive tin buildings. The engine continued to scream, but not so loudly.
“You’re bleeding to death,” Jaxx gruffed. Kopp had turned white. He was losing blood, “Patch yourself up before you add yet another disgrace to the day’s…”
The shuttle lurched violently to the left. Jaxx almost broke his middle finger as the G force tried to pull his body away from the support. Kopp, too weak to hold tight, rolled across the floor. His head slammed into the sharp edge of the equipment locker.
“You damned fool!” Jaxx grunted, fighting the strain of the shuttle’s movements. He turned towards the closed cockpit door and shouted at the pilot, “What’s going on?”
The shuttle started to level off. Jaxx was pushed backwards now, his back against the rear wall of the transport. The speaker system buzzed to life. The co-pilot spoke quickly, his voice filled with anxiety. Jaxx knew immediately that something was seriously wrong.
“I'm taking evasive manoeuvres, Captain. There’s some kind of defence system on the mountain. We’ve lost communications and the navigation systems are... scrambled.”
Jaxx struggled forward. He realised that Kopp was not moving. His eyes stared blankly into the air as thick red blood oozed from the massive gash on his head. The cockpit door slid open a third of the way. The co-pilot pushed his head and shoulders through the gap. There was a moment of distraction as Lieutenant Quoo took in the chaotic scene in the shuttle’s troop section. His stare followed the thick line of blood from the doorway to the left side of the compartment where Kopp’s twisted body lay. Then he looked towards the captain.
“There’s a defence system on the mountain,” Quoo said, “We’re making an attack run, trying to disable it, sir.”
Jaxx shoved the teenager back through the door. He pulled himself into the cockpit and, on seeing through the large dome window, drew a deep breath of surprise. The shuttle was not heading upwards as he’d thought. The nose was down. The lights of the city were on the right, but there was only darkness to the left. It was the alien mountain, Jaxx realised. A massive dark mass with a solitary, light blinking weakly at the summit.
Jaxx got into in the co-pilot seat to the left of his old friend, Karr Deloua. Quoo moved aside swiftly, disappearing into the back of the shuttle.
“Karr what’s going on? Why are you making an attack run at the mountain? Why the fucking…” his statement trailed off as he surveyed the shuttle’s navigation controls. The on-board sensors were showing readings that were wildly incorrect. The thermal sensor showed the mountain as a white hot ball of fire one moment and then an icicle in the next. None of the sensory information seemed made sense. Jaxx glanced at his old friend, wondering how he was managing to keep the shuttle airborne. He swiftly returned his gaze to the weapons systems and the manual targeting system.
The shuttle vibrated as Karr fired the side mounted bullet guns. Jaxx scanned Karr’s face for a split second. Karr’s normally intense and focussed features were distressed. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Jaxx could feel his concentration like a scream that filled the cockpit.
Jaxx’s head snapped to the left, his eyes searching the darkness for a target. He couldn't see anything. He made a quizzing expression when Karr looked at him.
“I don’t know what it is,” Karr answered the unspoken question, “Something on the mountainside. It hit us as soon as we took off. The sensors are gone and the targeting system is out. Its scrambled the controls so badly I’m struggling to keep us in the air, let alone get us back to the RagSpur. Communications are out – otherwise I'd tell Ragspur to blast the top off this damned mountain.”
Jaxx nodded. Five thousand miles above them, the lightly armed stealth warship Ragspur was waiting in orbit. Its weapons systems would have been able to pulverise the mountaintop without too much effort. Perhaps if they gained altitude contact could be made with the ship. But Karr didn't seem to be having much luck in getting the shuttle more than a few hundred metres from the ground.
There was another flash of light from the mountainside - another green beam of light lancing out towards the shuttle. Jaxx ducked automatically as the light briefly illuminated the cockpit. An alarm wailed immediately. The proximity alert. But the alarm was false. Karr flicked it off even as another alarm sounded, then another. Even the attitude control was reading wrong, showing the shuttle as inverted.
Karr fired another fifty round burst towards the source of the green light. The shuttle lurched violently, its nose tipping upwards towards the sky. Jaxx watched Karr struggle with the controls and the little bug shaped transporter levelled off again. He thought about taking the controls – it was very difficult not to – but he knew that Karr was the better pilot.
“Get us out of here,” Jaxx snapped, his voice breaking, “Forget the guns. We’re blind and helpless – a sitting duck. We have to get out of here.”
“Damn it, Haze, what do you think I'm trying to do? I can’t get altitude. Whatever that weapon i
s, it’s doing something to the power cells. Every time it hits us I’m losing more control.”
The green laser appeared again, flashing in front of the cockpit as Karr expertly weaved the ship around to avoid it. Jaxx saw a pulse of blue energy ride the laser beam towards the shuttle. It missed by a few metres.
“Karr!” he said, “Keep the ship moving. Get the nose down. I’m taking control of the guns.”
“Thank you,” Karr shook his head, “Glad you’re back, Haze.”
The shuttle engines complained noisily. The attitude thrusters were malfunctioning, sending blasts of energy in many different directions at the same time. Only Commander Karr’s expertise and flight experience was keeping the shuttle from spinning out of control. But the pilot was fighting to keep his composure. Jaxx fiddled uselessly with the weapon targeting systems, but they refused to make sense. He switched the targeting system off completely, and even that was a struggle.
The green laser beamed right into the cockpit for a moment, then it was gone as Karr cut the engine power completely. The shuttle dropped ten metres like a stone. It stopped falling abruptly, spinning out of control to starboard as Karr turned the power back on. For a moment, Karr looked about to crash the ship into the side of the mountain. But the portside thruster responded in time, firing at one hundred and thirty percent power for a full second and righting the ship. Another blue energy pulse flashed past the shuttle, headed into space.
The shuttle was less than twenty metres from the small building that was built into and out of the hard rock of the mountain’s eastern summit. For the first time, Jaxx could see the source of the strange new weapon. In the dim light it was difficult to make out the shape exactly, but it appeared like a large glass ball mounted on top of a shiny black metallic plinth. He fired both cannons simultaneously, the flare from the overheating barrels lighting up the night sky.
Beyond the Starport Adventure (Bullet Book 1) Page 6