‘During the war, and in the few years after, there were times when we fought the Martians and there were choices we were forced to make. They were relentless in their advance and we were always falling back and trying to repel them, fighting with whatever we could get our hands on whilst they just kept on coming. Our side’s leaders just seemed to be flailing about in the face of superior tactics and troops. We lost entire squads of good troopers in futile gestures of resistance, lost because we had to choose between expending scarce resources to try and extract them, or concentrate those resources on what we had left to protect and desperately hope they could make it back on their own. Scarce few actually did. There were villages, towns and cities we had to pull back from, the inhabitants abandoned to the advancing Martian forces because we simply could not hold the line, being sacrificed for the ‘greater good’. I heard people bandying that term about to justify their decisions, to ease their conscience about the souls we abandoned. Now here I am all these years later, faced with a choice and once again the option to sacrifice some in order to save a large group seems to be the one on the table with no alternative.’
Ezri did not offer any counter to this statement, as it was a rare moment when Maddox recounted events in the war. He had lived through it and there were obvious mental scars from his experiences, but his day to day manner was to keep these private and buried deep down. She simply watched as the look of resignation on his face turned to determination as he returned his full attention to the present and the situation at hand.
‘We stop it here and may have a chance to help Praia, we do nothing and it spreads so everyone suffers. I get the picture. So you were saying you were going to try and piggyback on that data stream up to the cruiser?’
‘Yes Captain,’ Ezri replied quite satisfied that he had seemingly fought off his demons to rise to action.
‘So whilst you’re busy uploading and trying to interfere on the ship, my role is to cause disruption and try to distract the AI’s attention long enough for your efforts to succeed?’
‘Yes Captain. It is not without a great deal of risk to yourself, however if I am to have any chance at success I do need the AI to be attending to matters elsewhere and not keenly maintaining observation on the cruisers systems.’
Maddox glanced about quickly towards the now closed pressure door as there was a resounding crash from the small chamber which had been Marcus’ office, denoting the Sentinel which was sent in pursuit of the Captain had indeed made an effort to breach the temporary blockade provided by the hatchway. Even though Maddox was well aware the thing in pursuit of him had been a pressing issue during his time conversing with Ezri and trying to determine a course of action, now it seemed that the situation was keenly pressing.
‘Sounds like my friend back there is making annoying progress.’ He muttered before turning his attention to the screen beside him. ‘Right then, I’ll run interference and you get up to that ship and cause issues on board which will then grab the AI’s attention. Get in, create problems then get out, no heroics or undue risks, understand?’
Ezri nodded confirmation back at him from the screen before dissipating from the display and leaving Maddox alone in the operations centre to contemplate the risk she was about to take to her very existence. So far she had eluded the AI within the environment of the colony’s computer core, but these acts may bring her into direct conflict with it and he had no idea how strong the AI would prove to be even though he had faith in her abilities, she was presently on it’s turf.
‘Right then Captain,’ Maddox muttered casting a wary glance towards the door which separated the small chamber from the operations room. ‘She’s doing her part, now you have to do yours and hopefully we’ll be able to work this mess out. Come on. Move yourself!’
Commanding himself into action, Maddox activated the console and after a few moments brought up a general schematic floor plan of the colony, scanning it quickly and choosing the correct hatch through which to exit the operations centre in order to reach the main loading bay of the colony. If he could make his way outside and then onto the Martian ship he could try and put the engines out of action, but that would be a mute point if the pursuing Sentinel caught up with him. His wary glance back at the pressure door gave him the impetus to get moving, as it would not take much for the Sentinel to get through.
Turning to his chosen exit route he began to jog along the corridor towards his goal.
22 One Small Step Ahead
Maddox jogged along the empty corridor towards the hatch which led to the airlock within the loading area of the colony, his goal to board the Martian patrol ship and disable its engines and whatever system he was able to physically by whatever means presented itself and then… well the plan was still under development. The point would be that the computer AI would focus upon the mayhem he was causing, leaving Ezri free to disable the ship at a control level.
Arriving at the large hatchway which led into the loading area of the colony, he paused as his hand reached up for the door controls. The AI had departed prior to his stint in the pod and as yet had not returned from the Martian ship, even though it must have been informed by now of him running loose within the colony itself. He had to wonder just how clever the AI actually was. Whether it was biding it’s time until striking against him, or if he was not worth the bother to expend the effort currently.
Maybe it saw him as little or no threat to it’s scheme?
Obviously as his efforts progressed, that calculated assumption would alter and then action may be taken to deal with him but no matter how he tried to second guess the computer’s intentions, it did not change the fact that there was a deadly killing machine following him and even though he had made a conscious effort to close each door on his route to the loading area he knew for certain that it would overcome these progressively until there were no more barriers between them. Even though this thought concerned him greatly, he had no option but to traverse the distance across the moon’s surface to the waiting Martian ship landed nearby. That was the biggest risk as presented itself presently. That was where the thing might catch up with him. Under those circumstances he was exceptionally vulnerable as he would be wearing protective gear and any damage to that flimsy protection when compared to the nice secure rock and steel pressure door environment of the colony, would see him off nicely in the cold airless environment of space.
Punching the control panel, he watched as the large metal door pivoted open towards him on large hinges and then stepped around it and into the large chamber beyond only pausing to tap the control panel on the inside door pillar to close and secure the door, watching for a moment as it swung shut and the wheel in it’s centre spun to drive the locking pins into the securing door frame. If nothing else, the large door provided him with a definite barrier between him and any pursuit.
Turning about he looked along the right-hand wall to the tall lockers which were situated there, moving over and opening the nearest one to retrieve a full body EVA suit which hung within. Retrieving it and beginning to pull it on, he pondered for a moment on the functionality of the protective equipment, realising that the only vessel that knew of visiting this location since the colony ship arrived was the Martian patrol ship. Not only that, but these suits were quite obviously taken from the colony ship itself as they bore the vessel’s emblem on the left breast and were the right size for a fully grown adult. The children in the AI’s care may have been swamped by them, although boys like Marcus were roughly the right size albeit rather skinny.
Attaching the laser pistol he had procured from the body in the narrow cavern to the belt clip on the EVA suit, he continued to wriggle the EVA suit up and over his shoulders, sliding his arms into it also and beginning to secure the seal running up the front.
He had to content himself with the thought that these suits were probably maintained as the AI would have denoted these as possible requirements if colonists had to attend to actual damage to the exterior of the bui
ldings. In any case, it was a bit late now to worry about as he finished sealing the suit and reached into the locker to a shelf at the top for the suit’s helmet, then almost unconsciously glanced back to the large sealed inner door as he pulled the helmet from the shelf.
Even though he had been fully expecting his pursuer to be hot on his heels and probably catch up when they were on the outside, the sight of the Sentinel at the observation window present in the top half of the large pressure door almost took him by surprise and instinct overtook rational thought as he darted across the room and stabbed at the control panel to open the outer airlock chamber door, grabbing an air tank from the shelves situated nearby as he stepped within, hurriedly closing the hatch behind him and starting the depressurising cycle.
The Sentinel had quite obviously spotted his flight into the airlock chamber and was operating the control to gain access to the equipment room but this very brief interlude had bought him a few moments of precious time to allow the inner door of the airlock to seal properly and begin the cycle, but now he was in the airlock and there was only the inner door between the two of them as he observed the thing through the window in the airlock hatch.
The large door separating the equipment room from the outer corridor swung open, allowing the Sentinel access and it quite purposefully strode over to the airlock, testing the controls repeatedly as it tried to over-ride the system, but to no avail. Once it seemed to process that fact, it turned the singular eye adorning its head to regard him from the other side of the window, bearing an ominous calm about it, just waiting there regarding him.
It would wait.
The cycle would complete, reset and then it would follow. Both Maddox and the Sentinel knew that fact for certain.
Maddox also knew that it was probably also sending an update to the AI on his own progress, so decided not to linger within the airlock chamber to wait for it’s calculated response. He slipped the helmet over his head as the air was becoming much too thin for his liking and made the seal between it and the EVA suit, reaching down for the air tank to glance at the reading on the side which displayed the level of charge it had. He had a nervous moment as his mind raced through the possibility that the tanks were not maintained and empty but to his sheer amazement and relief, the air tank was charged and he hefted it up, sliding his arms through the straps to support it on his back, then quickly attached the connecting hose to the waiting receptacle on the right side of the EVA suit. With the connection made, the air tank began to provide air into the suit and gave him a little more hope that his present course of action would not be as short lived as he had feared.
Moving to the outer door, he waited for a moment for the entire depressurising cycle to complete before keying the door to open, half expecting the computer to have over-ridden the command and begin pressurising again.
To his unbridled joy, the large outer door swung open on large robust hinges outward to present him with a clear view of the rough rocky undulation of the moon’s surface and he could see the Martian patrol cruiser sitting on the ground not too far from his present position. Stepping forward he exited the airlock bay and out onto the surface of the moon, taking a few more steps to be clear of the large outer door as it swung closed in his wake.
No doubt the system was now re-pressurising to release the inner door and allow his mechanical pursuer another step towards it’s quarry.
Maddox knew the computer AI was busy trying to crack the Martian ship’s computer security, possibly why there was just the Sentinel in pursuit and it had not interfered with him directly.
Maybe it did not even consider him important.
Whatever the reason for his extended bout of freedom in the light of so many opposing factors to his continued survival, he knew that he had to increase his potential threat to the computer’s success, causing it to take a personal interest in his endeavours and subsequent apprehension, or termination. The best way he believed he could achieve this lay before him in the shape of the patrol craft and acts of deliberate sabotage.
Determined to stay ahead of the Sentinel and create as much mayhem as he could to allow Ezri the freedom she needed to interfere with the ship’s systems, Maddox pressed on and made his way across the rocky surface towards the ship but was only half way across the clearing to the vessel when he glanced backwards to the airlock to see his pursuers progress, only to be greeted by the sight of the Sentinel exiting the airlock outer door and beginning to make steady progress across the rocky surface towards him.
Even if he were a minor inconvenience presently, the pursuit by the Sentinel was a most efficient solution and the simple fact remained that the mechanical menace had no reservations about withholding it’s fire out here in this environment.
Lifting it’s arm on which the laser cannon it bore was mounted, it began firing lance after lance of energy after it’s target, causing Maddox to swerve and dodge to avoid becoming it’s latest victim.
23 Almost There
Despite his best efforts, it was quite clear to any sentient being who glanced upon the situation that Captain Maddox was outpaced and would be short of the ship by the time the Sentinel reached him. He was having to veer around eruptions of dust and clouds of debris caused by blasts of energy landing all about him, but with each blast they were steadily growing closer to his erratic path.
The pistol he had strapped to his belt would possibly afford him a few good shots against the Sentinel, but it would soon overtake and overpower him easily unless he managed to score a lucky strike against it.
Ezri had wanted him to draw attention, and that’s exactly what had happened but from the wrong source. The thing which was now bearing down on him was acting autonomously and the chances were that the AI was as focused on it’s task as before without even a moment’s distraction.
Realising the futility of running, Maddox drew the pistol and swung about, bringing it to bear upon the rapidly advancing drone as he squeezed the trigger and let loose a volley of shots against his foe, watching keenly as they struck across the upper torso and over it’s shoulder off into the distance. So much for the quick draw lucky shot routine.
As if in response, the Sentinel slowed it’s approach and lifted it’s own weapon towards him, then unleashed a torrent of blasts but as Maddox dived to the ground, he sensed something was quite amiss in this affair. Raising his head and shoulders so that he could see why he had not been blasted into nothingness by the machine, it struck him that it was not so much firing at him now but above where he had stood.
Maddox rolled onto his side to gain a view of the new target the Sentinel had chosen and was filled with sheer amazement and disbelief as he saw the outline of his own ship appear above the Martian vessel, her path of descent being slightly erratic but beginning to level out slightly as lances of energy shot forth from the turret mounted under her nose, impacting upon the moon surface and amidst churned up dust and debris, carving a trench towards and then through the rather stubbornly unmoving Sentinel.
She dipped low and then swooped upwards away from the floor just in time to avoid collision, but her course was dogged by streaks of energy being fired from weaponry atop the colony buildings. Her course in ascent almost as erratic as it was in descent as she increased thrust to push her upwards once more towards the stars but her hull was being repeatedly pummelled by the blasts of energy.
There was a fleeting moment of joy at the sight of his old ship but as she ascended he was grabbed with sincere concern for both his ship and Maia, who he assumed was piloting her in this fortuitous rescue attempt. With haste he focused upon the wrist control on his EVA suit, opening his helmet’s comm. channel and adjusting to the frequency of his ship.
‘Get clear!’ He shouted as more energy blasts visibly rocked his ship as she began to turn about. ‘Take her out of range of that weaponry!’
‘Maddox?’ Maia’s surprised and relieved voice replied over the speakers in his helmet. ‘I was worried I’d hit you in that run, did
I get the robot at least?’
Maddox glanced quickly over to where the Sentinel had once stood defiantly, with only metallic debris remaining as evidence of it’s attempt at standing toe to toe with ship mounted weaponry.
‘Yes, you got it and half the blasted moon!’ he shouted back in a moment of unguarded glee, but a few more blasts from the vicinity of the colony buildings made the situation serious once more.
‘I saw you on the scope making a run for it, then that thing chasing you down. Got most of this crate patched up enough to get her off the deck, so thought we’d head over there and lend a little hand,’ she quickly said although some of her words were a little obscured by what Maddox could only attribute to small explosions on the flight deck.
‘Okay you did great, now get the Erstwhile clear before that gun emplacement takes you both down once and for all!.’
‘What about you?’ Maia shouted back and Maddox could clearly hear the warning alarms in the background. The Erstwhile was a tough old bird, but when subjected to repeated assault as Maddox was now witnessing from an external viewpoint, there was a limit and those alarms meant she had reached it. Dark smoke was beginning to plume in her wake as her tolerances were pushed beyond the limit.
‘Get the ship clear, Ezri and I are trying to take down the ship down here but if we fail and it reaches orbit you can be my backup plan, okay? However you do it, do not let that ship leave this moon in one piece! Now get clear!’
‘Okay Captain I’ll …..’
A hiss of static broke off the communications as Maddox stared up intently at his ship, smoke now most definitely emitting from near her aft quarters and she was obviously in trouble as her engines emitted an erratic whine..
Watching as she continued to struggle he was pleased when the repeated blasts of laser fire in her wake from the weaponry mounted atop the colony structure ceased.
Children Of Earth (Tales from the 23rd Century Book 1) Page 21