“Roger that. Let’s go hunting.”
* * * * *
The multi-limbed creature looked up from his monitors and spoke to the darkness.
“Check.”
* * * * *
DJ was weak from loss of blood but the med-kit he carried with him for just such an occasion had probably saved his life. Kaitlyn had listened carefully to all his instructions and applied clotting agents and bandages where needed and even administered the heavy-duty pain-killers he had. He wasn’t one-hundred percent but he was mobile and with Kaitlyn’s help and a lot of luck, they made it topside.
The elevator she had picked had been an express lift and let them out near the control tower for the airstrip. From there it was just a short walk out, which was good since DJ’s energy was fading fast. However, what they found stopped them in their tracks.
Over two dozen SIS officers and nearly the same number of factory guards were posted up on top and behind numerous vehicles which were parked in such a way to flank a particular entrance to the factory. It was an ambush.
Even as DJ silently debated the ramifications and options, he spied Jax in the Red Falcon armor flanked by the two SWAT officers and surrounded by the pirates. They all had their weapons drawn but they were watching each other and unaware that they were walking into a trap.
DJ glanced at his daughter. His goal had been to rescue her and get her out safely. They could easily board on one of the nearby ships and just slip away into the darkness. No one would ever know. They would be free and she would be safe. He glanced back at the ex-pirate and knew what he had to do…he had to help.
Marines never leave a man behind.
DJ had to smile when Kaitlyn said, “We gonna help or just watch?”
“It’ll be dangerous.”
“And your point? You didn’t teach me to shoot just to plink targets.”
“That’s my girl.” He nodded toward some crates nearby. “Let’s use those for cover.”
Kaitlyn guided her father to the crates. Once he was set, she pulled out her spare magazines and placed them in easy reach. “Good to go.”
DJ reached out and kissed her forehead. “Have I told you how much I love you lately?”
“Nope…but I know. Now, let’s kick some butt.”
“Roger that, Squirt. You work right to left and I’ll do the opposite.”
“Gotcha.”
DJ raised his Graver Mk7 and pointed it at his target and squeezed the trigger.
* * * * *
Spike was just thinking that this had been too easy when all Hell broke loose.
The whole group had just stepped into the open when they heard gunfire off to their right. Everyone turned to look in plenty of time to witness several SIS officers fall over dead.
Someone yelled, “Ambush!”
Spike saw Mörder whirl around faster than he would’ve believed possible as the other ambushers popped out of cover. Even as they began firing, Mörder was on the move. Shooting as he ran, the pirate king attacked.
As some of the enemy fire pinged off the tarmac next to them, Spike and Sponge Bob fell into old habits; backing up next to each other, they squatted down and began their own assault.
* * * * *
When the gunfire erupted to his right, Jagger Jax knew that it had to be Kassinger’s men trying to rescue him. Truth be told, he’d been expecting it the whole trip to the surface but hadn’t seen any other options.
Once the battle began, it was total chaos.
Kassinger’s men had the numbers and the superior positions but the pirates were hard men. Used to fighting overwhelming odds and losing battles. The ambushers first assault had been designed to be devastating but something or someone had disrupted that and now the pirates were fighting back.
Jax noted a missile warning flashing on his HUD. The suit’s AI showed it’s predicted and intended targets; the small knot of pirates five feet ahead of him. Unfortunately, Venus was in that group. Without thinking or considering the risk, Jax dropped the Sheriff and launched himself forward. All sorts of alarms were going off in his helmet as he roughly tackled the redheaded pirate.
She rolled to her knees and pointed both her guns at him. Her eyes were afire with anger until she saw what was left of the three pirates she had been standing next to mere seconds earlier; boots, blood and bits of charred flesh. Immediately, her anger dissipated and a mischievous grin came over her face. “Thanks.”
Jax pushed himself up and pulled his out his blasters. “That’s one.”
Before Venus could ask what he meant by that, a red and black starship buzzed the flight deck.
Its distinctive dual oscillating engines and twin boom, the dual rear fuselage where the tail planes and vertical stabilizers were mounted, marked it as a Kestrel Mk3. Ignoring the stray gun fire that came its way, the Kestrel wheeled in place and landed gracefully fifty meters away. None of the pirates paid the ship any attention, at least not until a second Red Falcon stepped off and began firing indiscriminately at whoever crossed his path or was stupid enough to shoot at him. That was enough for the pirates. Those that were still standing made a run for their ships. Anyone not fast enough got left behind.
The newcomer spied Jax and yelled, “Imposter!”
And the battle between the two was joined in earnest.
* * * * *
When DJ saw the faux Falcon step out of the black and red Kestrel, his heart fell into his stomach. The only good thing about his arrival was that it convinced the majority of the pirates to flee. The SIS and factory guards were slowly being whittled down. As a matter of fact, all the thugs were down on the side closest to them.
DJ turned and looked at his daughter. “Katilyn, I need you to stay here and stay safe.”
“Why? Where are you going?”
“I have to help Jax. He’s only in this mess because of me.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “Okay. Let’s go.”
“No. I want you safe.”
“Listen here Dad, where you go…I go. Besides, do you really think you could stop me or even make it to Jax without my help?”
DJ grinned. “Good point. Let’s go, Squirt.”
With her help, they made it to the side of a yard dog, the nickname given to aircraft tractors. They were only about thirty feet away from the pinned down companions. Even as they watched, Jax got knocked back by a missile barrage from the faux Falcon. The blast had been big enough, that DJ was unsure if Jax was still alive after that hit. Sure the CSA armor was tough but he didn’t know if it was resilient enough to resist that much damage.
DJ was impressed with the two SWAT officers when they shifted their positions until they were in front of their downed companion, giving him cover from the faux Falcon. He was doubly surprised when the redhead stepped in between and blocked the aggressor’s shot.
“Stand aside wench. This is between the imposter and I.”
Venus shook her head. “Not so fast asshole, this guy just saved my life. I’m not too keen on owing anyone anything.”
Mörder stepped out from behind a nearby truck. He was covered in blood and carried two gleaming powered gladii, both were still dripping blood. “I want to know how there are two of you?”
When DJ saw the twin swords that were identical to his liberated pair, alarms went off in his head. Seeing the animalistic grace which with he moved and DJ knew that this pirate was a Praetorian. And that meant trouble, big trouble.
The faux Falcon pointed at Jax. “This bastard has stolen my likeness and has been passing himself off as me. I want his head.”
Before DJ could stop himself, he stepped out from behind cover. “No!”
Everyone whirled his direction.
“What,” asked the faux Falcon.
“He is not the Red Falcon, I am.”
Mörder asked, “Who in the Hell are you?”
“Staff Sergeant Scott DeJarnette, retired, of course.”
The faux Falcon pointed his gun at DJ then back at Jax. “You
’re saying that you’re the one who stole my identity. Then who’s that?”
Jax struggled to one knee and with his left arm, the only one working at the moment, reached up and pulled off his helmet.
But it was the redhead who said, “Jagger Jax!” She rushed to his side and gave him a big hug. “That’s why you saved me.”
“Hiya Hurricane, you’re looking good.”
Mörder roared, “Jagger Jax! What did I tell you the last time I saw you?”
With Venus’s help, Jax stood up. “That you would kill me where I stand. Well, I’m standing. Come and get me.”
Mörder grinned. It was an evil grin. “I’m glad you remember. I will carve it on your tombstone.”
“Enough!” shouted the faux Falcon. “He’s mine. He’s guilty just by wearing the armor. He dies and then, the other one dies. Honor demands it.”
A loud voice from overhead caused everyone to pause. “You have no honor!”
* * * * *
Virginia absentmindedly chewed her lower lip when she noticed three waves of blips on the radar, all inbound and heading right towards them. The dreadnaught’s AI had not been initialized and it was beyond their ability to get it working. That meant anything they wanted to do on the ship, they had to do the old fashion way…manually. Without the AI to act as a buffer and interpreter between the HUD and the sensors, they had no way of translating the IFF signals given out by the incoming ships.
All navigational systems work on data. One of the easiest and most reliable data is gleaned from the electromagnetic field given off by a starship’s engines. This field can be identified and tracked by a device called the IFF or Identify Friend or Foe transponder. But just because the sensors could detect the IFF signals, without the computer to translate they were just numbers on the screen.
Only moments ago, they witnessed a lone ship come in fast and hard before landing on the tarmac. Now, they could see a dozen ships taking off from the same airstrip. The question was, who had landed and who was escaping. Now they had nearly thirty ships converging on their position.
Alex sat calmly in the command chair for only a moment longer before moving to the helmsman station. “Lieutenant, disengage the dampeners, blow all moorings and standby for launch.”
“Aye, aye sir.” Without hesitation, Virginia did as directed and moved to the weapons console. “Plasma cannons online and charging. They will be available in one point three minutes.”
Alex looked over his shoulder at her. He could see the fear on her face but she was ready to follow orders and to do her duty, even if that meant they had to scuttle the ship. After what they had learned, they couldn’t let it fall into the hands of pirates. He had tried several times to raise the nearby Dragon pilots but to no avail. Something was blocking their transmissions and now, there were three separate waves of inbound ships. Well, if they wanted the Horus they could only have her over his dead body.
“Lieutenant, once we clear the factory, lock your cannons on any ship that gets within ten thousand meters.”
“Aye sir.”
“If they break the five thousand mark, you have full weapons release authority. Do you understand?”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
Now that was settled, Alex turned his mind back on flying the ship. It had been nearly seven years since he’d flown a ship and nothing near this size or advanced. Right now he wasn’t using anything but maneuvering jets which was still touchy.
They had just cleared the highest part of the factory and got their first look at the ongoing battle on the airstrip. If Alex didn’t know better, he could swear that he saw two bounty hunters in red armor blasting at each other. All around them were explosions and blaster fire. It looked like a mini-war.
Their radio crackled for a second before a man’s deep voice came over the speakers. “Unidentified warship at sector twenty-two thirty-one by seventy-eight, please identify yourself and state your intentions.”
Alex nearly leapt to the command chair. “This is Commander Alexander Cline of the UNCF Dreadnaught Horus and our intentions are simple, no one is getting this vessel. Approach at your peril.”
A slight chuckle came over the speaker. “No offense but you look a little rough around the edges.”
“True but she is fully functional and battle ready. I must implore you not to try our resolve,” responded Alex.
Another snort. “Try your resolve? Not in this lifetime. I just wanted to know if you are intending on shooting at my friends down on the tarmac.”
Alex looked over at Virginia who shook her head. According to her readings, the closest ships were still three minutes out. Alex keyed his mic again. “Identify yourself stranger.”
“Negative. You’ll know in a minute or two. By the way, just in case you’re not as functional as you’re stating only the ships to your starboard side are hostile. That would be the JDL trying to jump on Kassinger while he’s occupied but they wouldn’t be opposed to raiding and boarding a ship like yours. The other two groups are friendlies.”
“Thank you but why can’t you identify yourself?”
A different, very feminine voice answered. “I’m sorry sir but the Captain is no longer available.”
* * * * *
Everyone still alive on the tarmac paused in their battle and glanced up as the largest ship built by the Terrans crested the roof of the factory. Even though there were numerous holes in her hull where she wasn’t completed, the Horus was still impressive. She was two hundred plus feet in the air and still, she was gigantic.
The bow’s shape was reminiscent of an arrowhead and had to be twenty stories tall. The rest of the ship was blocked behind the bulk of the factory but in the dark skies of the far side of Titan, the Horus seemed overly large and ominous. Just as everyone was coming to terms with the huge warship hovering overhead, four searchlights blinked on and the ugliest ship ever built by the Terrans appeared out of thin air as the Nemesis uncloaked.
Seconds later, the cargo bay door in the front of the ship, below and in between the three ‘heads’ that gave the Cerberus class warships its name, opened up and bathed the underside of the ship in a red light. A figure in black and silver armor stepped out and fell the hundred or so feet to land on the airstrip with a big thud in between the faux Falcon and his intended targets.
Iaido looked over his shoulder at his friend. “You okay there, Marine?”
DJ grinned. “I am now. What took you so long?”
Iaido gestured toward the Horus. “Traffic.”
Mörder pointed one of his bloody swords at the newcomer. “Who in the Hell do you think you are? Personally, I’m not impressed by your fancy armor or your ugly ship.”
Iaido turned his attention to the pirate. The grinning skull which appeared to float on his opaque mask seemed to mock the pirate king as he talked. “You would know me as Achilles.”
Iaido looked at the false Falcon. “And you know me as the Spartan. You both have this one chance to depart. These people are now under my protection.”
The faux Falcon pointed at DJ and Jax. “They stole my identity.”
“No, Nichols…you stole mine.”
“What did you call me?”
“John Nichols; you were a buck-sergeant with the One-Five until you were dishonorably discharged for disobeying a direct order from your superiors which lead to the death of twenty-five men.”
“No one calls me that anyone. That was another life. I’m the Red Falcon now and these two are thieves.”
Iaido shook his head. “No, the Red Falcon was my cover identity many, many years ago. And I have the original files to prove it. Your Galactic charter, if you actually have one, is a forgery since I never gave you permission to use it. I did however, pass on all rights and documents to DJ and he has passed it on to Jagger Jax. So…as of now, he’s the real Red Falcon.”
Nichols growled. “Over my dead body.”
Iaido sighed. “If that is your wish but I implore you to reconsider.” He point
ed to the left. The flashing lights of a dozen sheriff skimmers could be seen in the distance. “It’s over. The authorities are here.”
Mörder stepped forward. “No, they aren’t here yet and even if they were, they couldn’t stop me. I’m going to kill you and he can kill the others. That way we’re all happy.”
“Cousin, you don’t have to walk this path. Your father is dead. You don’t have to follow him.”
With an evil grin, both Mörder and Nichols attacked.
Iaido became a blur of motion.
John Nichols, the faux Falcon, raised his gun at DJ and fired.
But Iaido was already moving to intercept. Using the legendary Blade of the Elements for his first strike, the ancient katana cut right through his blaster even as it was firing; it was enough to deflect the shot clear of his friend.
Iaido’s second strike was with his powered energy sword. This blade was an exact replica of a traditional katana but there were several differences. The weaponsmith had used a rare metal known as orichalcum which could only be mined from asteroids. Using a blend of modern science and ancient techniques, they folded the metal over one thousand times during the forging process. This act, in conjunction with the extremely high tensile strength of the metal, made the sword nearly unbreakable. Then, the engineers got a hold of the weapon and added a mini anti-matter generator in the hilt which caused the sword to vibrate at over five hundred mega-hertz per second; which allowed the weapon to slice through just about any man-made object. Secondly, this caused the lighting effect which ran up and down his blade. Since the current carried nearly two hundred amperes of electricity, the arcs and sparks could also kill an average human.
This was the blade which Iaido slid through Nichols’ gut. It cut right through the false Red Falcon armor as if he hadn’t been wearing anything. However, Iaido didn’t pause. His last attack on Nichols was fatal and he knew it. He only had seconds to close the gap between himself and Mörder.
The pirate-king hadn’t been idle in the five seconds it took Spartan to kill the faux Falcon. Mörder easily leapt the twenty feet separating them and slashed with his powered gladii which has the same cutting force as Iaido’s longer blade. It was only a combination of luck, the tensile strength of the Red Falcon armor and the redheaded pirate’s quick actions which prevented him from killing Jax with the first blow.
The Last Spartan 2: DJ's Mission Page 22