The First Dawn (The Sci-Corp War Saga Book 1)

by Justin Alexander

  “I don’t understand it Lone Star, one minute it was clear and now I’ve got movement, and a lot of it,” Kelly uttered not taking her eyes from the screen of the tracker, “It’s weird.”

  “Spit it out Geek,” Denzel replied as also shuffled next to Daniel.

  “I don’t like this by the way,” Mathieu replied as he covered the rear of the corridor with Millie by his side.

  “Come on Geek, you’ve got to talk to us,” Daniel said as he edged back to her, “What have you got?

  “I have never seen anything like it before sir,” She answered, as she shifted to stare at him, “its one hell of a signal, but there’s something off about it.”

  “What, show me?” he asked.

  “It’s like a ghost, which is usually caused by electrical interference, but this one is massive and moving.” Kelly replied as she brought up the screen so that Daniel could see it.

  He wasn’t an expert but he knew how to read the tracker and Kelly was right, he could make out a massive area of movement, which on the screen had the look of a mercury, storm cloud moving across a clear sky, “Killer we got anything?”

  “Nothing Captain,” Denzel answered curtly, his eyes fixed on the bleak hallway.

  “I don’t like this,” Kelly spoke, her voice lowered, her eyes once again locked on the screen of the tracker. “I haven’t seen anything like this before, I know this system like the back of my hand and it’s not a problem with the tracker. It is picking up this movement, somehow or from somewhere.”

  “I know Geek,” Daniel replied, as thoughts crashed within his mind, “Ok hold position.” He keyed his communications system, “Troy, this is Zulu actual, do you copy over?”

  “Zulu actual, this is Troy go ahead,” A voice crackled back over his auditory implant.

  “We have detected a large signal here, we can’t lock down the source, but we have got a lot of movement here. Do we have permission to execute “Redemption” over?” he finished and waited nervously for an answer. Redemption was the code name for the rescue mission, he didn’t know what was waiting within the heart of this ship, yet if someone was still alive he knew he had to help them. Even so he would feel a lot safer when they were back on board the barge, behind like twenty metres of armour plating, cannons, thermo nuclear missiles and several fighter wings.

  The moments seemed to drag but eventually a voice replied, “Roger that Zulu actual, execute “Redemption”, however Troy actual has advised the use of extreme caution, were getting the same reading as you here, over.”

  “Roger that Troy, Zulu actual out.” Daniel answered, before keying his communications system back, “Ok we have our order ladies and gentleman, were going to keep moving towards this signal, see if we can find any survivors, if not, we go after the black box then, were out of here and on our way to some much deserved ice-cold synthetic beers. But for now we have a job to do.” Once he spoke he marched back and joined Denzel and Hollis. “You good?” he asked.

  “No problems Lone Star,” Hollis retorted.

  “You know us, we live for this, creepy derelict ghost ships and unknown movement.” Denzel beamed.

  “Good let’s keep it sharp,” he shifted back towards Kelly, “Your our eyes Geek walk us in.”

  “Roger that Sir,” she added, “We’re clear for the next three hundred metres.”

  “Ok we move, little boy, Doc you two alright back there?” he queried.

  “Yeah were both good Lone Star,” Millie answered for both of them, her voice almost serene and steady, which was one of the many reason he liked her, she could keep it together even when things were getting crazy and before the end of the day they may need that.

  “Ok let’s move,” Daniel said as he began to trek forward along the hallway. They past several other doors but most were locked and appeared to have been sealed shut, for some reason. The chambers they could search appeared to have been ransacked or perhaps just ravaged by the passage of time.

  After several minutes they came to a crossroads, “Which way Geek?” Daniel probed.

  “Right, take the right” Kelly replied, her voice thick with emotion but her gaze never diverting from the tracker.

  “Ok,” Daniel said, “I’m first then Killer and Snowman clear?”

  “Clear,” The answer came in perfect unison this time.

  Daniel marched to the corner and edged around it slowly his weapon held ahead of him. As he eased towards the centre of the passage, Denzel and Hollis moved to flank him. All three of them stood there for a minute, scanning the tunnel ahead of them, armaments and eyes traversing it in unison. It appeared clear, more of the frozen, murky liquescent appeared to paint the walls here, but other than that, there was no sign of life.

  “Ok move up,” Daniel ordered and Kelly, Mathieu and Millie joined them.

  Without another word He set off, his weapon still skimming the immediate area, he could feel the pressure move up and down his back and his gloved finger never strayed from trigger.

  “Lone Star does this corridor look bigger that than the last?” Millie asked hesitantly.

  He took a moment before he answered as he peered around, the walls of the passageway were covered in immense pipes, some of which had split and spewed steam, which created a light haze of water; that was being illuminated by the emergency lights to create an eerie claret mist. “Yeah I think were in one of the main access corridors,” he finally responded. As not for the first time he wished he could activate his own neural implant, yet the cheap model, the marines were given, barely worked at the best of time and never functioned when they had the all atmosphere suits on.

  “Nice,” Hollis muttered, as he stepped through the miasma, the warm droplets of fluid washing over the team’s suit and masks, which made you feel for a moment like you were outside in the midst of a downpour.

  “Come on Snowman you could use a shower,” Mathieu goaded.

  “That’s true man,” Denzel added, there was a brief lift as everyone sniggered.

  “Ok,” Daniel smiled, “We all know Snowman needs to sort his personal hygiene out but let’s keep our minds on the prize here.”

  He lumbered down the access corridor. The emergency lighting illumined more doors, most of which had been corroded shut, computer screens and terminals that appeared to him like something that belonged in a museum and signs of various sorts, advising workers to remember the work and safety ordinance.

  Without even realising he had begun to daydream, to drift away from the present and this dead ship; back to his youth. It was a clear, bright day, above his head the twin suns which lit his home world were high in the sky. He stood in one of the many fields that made up the farm which his family had owned for four generations since the colonies original founding.

  His sister is some distance away, a carrot held tentatively in her tiny hands trying to feed one of the horses. He is angry because he has to babysit her again, he wants to be off with his friends enjoying the summer break, maybe throwing the rugby ball around or playing some holo games, yet like most days he is lumbered with the little brat while his parents work the fields. Times have been tough recently, even though at the time he doesn’t realize it.

  He peers over at his sister, above her the giant animal looms, slowly it lowers its head and its nostrils flare as it smells this strange little visitor, she doesn’t flinch or even show any fear, instead she remain completely still the carrot still clutched in her hands. Eventually when the horse is satisfied that there is no danger, it turns its attention to the offering, slowly it begins to chump down on the vegetable. His sister turns back to him, her face a mask of almost unadulterated delight, a smile so big that now all those years later, it actually brings tears to his eyes. Yet at the time, so caught up in his own life, so oblivious to all that he would soon lose, he doesn’t look at his young charge with love, or understanding, he looks with a child eyes and for the first time he remembers wishing that he was an only child, wishing that his own sister didn’t exi
sts.

  Words brought him back to reality with a jolt; tears stung his cheeks and his heart felt heavy.

  “Hold on,” Hollis said as his torchlight lightened some sort of makeshift barrier, “What is this?”

  “Don’t know,” Denzel replied as he trudged closer. “Looks like some kind of defensive position, they piled desk and filing cabinets up and they welded them together.”

  Millie stepped forward, “A defence against what though, we’ve seen no evidence of a battle, no blood stains, no bodies?”

  “Whatever happened here, we’re too late, I say we just call this quits and get the hell out,” Mathieu pronounced, apprehension clear in his voice.

  “How did I know that little boy would be the first to want to run,” Hollis retorted.

  “It’s not just him this is getting too much,” Denzel murmured.

  Daniel didn’t engage, instead he simply eased past his troops towards the barricade, his thoughts were clouded, images of his sister grin burnt into his soul and he felt the familiar itch call to him once again. He forced himself back to reality, he would have plenty of time, to rage later, for now he still had a job to do. He traced his torch deliberately over the rough surface of the blockade, whoever had made this, had done so quickly, against what he still didn’t know, yet once again a lot of it was covered in the same darkened, icy foulness.

  “I’ve got a gap here sir,” Kelly shouted.

  Daniel moved next to her his beam lit up the jagged hole, “Looks like something tore it open.”

  “Tore it open now you have to be shitting me!” Hollis exclaimed.

  “What the fuck tears apart metal?” Denzel asked, his tone both inquisitive and ingressive as if he was grasping for air as he spoke.

  For an instance stillness reigned and only the sound of each other’s ragged gasps could be heard. Within everyone of them, fears were magnified and made flesh.

  It was Millie who broke the stillness, the first to be able to control her own dread, “We don’t know what did this,”

  Hollis shambled closer and knelt before the gap, “Well I can tell you one thing, no man could do this.”

  “That’s enough Snowman,” Daniel replied, as he laid a gloved hand on Hollis shoulder, “Whatever happened here, we’re still marines and we still have an assignment to complete.”

  “Sir you know me,” Denzel spoke slowly, his words calm and measured now as if he had been able to control his own terror finally. “But this is getting crazy, nothing is alive on this ship.”

  Daniel shifted and fixed his gaze on him, through the curved transparent material his eyes appeared engorged, “That may be true Killer, but we have to make sure, that’s our job, it’s what we do. We’re search and rescue, there’s no place to hot, or to cold, no enemy we can’t overcome, no obstacle that will block our way. Together we fight and never will I leave anyone behind.”

  “Never will I leave anyone behind,” the replies were disjointed.

  “Good” Daniel replied as he edged towards the fissure. He didn’t like this at all, yet he had to control his own fear and doubts. As he hunkered down in front of the torn metal, he couldn’t help but hope that whatever had done this was long gone or long dead.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Josh studied the screen in front of him nervously, it had been several minutes since the make shift barricade had been discovered and already a familiar feeling was beginning to rise in his gut.

  He was twenty eight again and in command of his first ship, the “Waterloo” at the time a brand new E-class Destroyer. He could still remember when he caught sight of her just before her maiden voyage, she was a beautiful craft, a crew of over thirty thousand, twenty flight wings and a reinforced hull that bristled with weapons systems. It was a vessel designed for war, yet its architects and designers had been masters as they had given her a sleek and modern makeup.

  The distress call had appeared initially like so many he had heard before, a transport ship was under attack from privateers, without thinking he had ordered the jump, even now he could remember the adrenaline coursing through his body as he thought of taking that magnificent warship to battle for the first time.

  When they had arrived all they found was the transport craft drifting without power, even then he knew what he should do, but he was too young and dumb, too sure of his own power and intelligence. He had launched his fighters and gone straight towards the stricken vessel.

  To this day he could still feel the force of the detonation as the shockwave rocked the giant Destroyer and then once again the sickly sweetened stench of burnt flesh filled his senses. He wouldn’t know till much later but already he had lost over six thousand men and women. Around him chaos reigned, officers rushed to check control systems, while damage control teams fought to extinguish fires and reactivate the ships systems. They had lost main power and so were unable to activate there jump engines, they were sitting ducks.

  Even then he knew what was happening, before he even saw the outlines of the pirate vessels on the cracked holo screen. It was bold even for them, but the wealth of salvage that could be ripped out of an Earth. Force Warship was perhaps worth the risk. Ten of them appeared encircling his crippled craft and for a moment he had allowed the terror to wash over him, allowed it to encompass him almost completely. Yet then he had grappled with it, forced himself to control it. He had no other options, no way out, no rescue that could reach them in time.

  He could still see the faces around him, caked in soot and gore, sheer horror clear within their glazed eyes. He had no time to wait, he launched all his fighters and attempted to build a protective screen around the Waterloo as he ordered the damage control teams to transfer all available power to the weapon systems. They had told him it was crazy, that they wouldn’t be able to fight the fires or deal with the hull breaches that thousands would die. Yet he had told them simply, that if they didn’t do it they would all be lost. For five hours the battle had raged, he lost ninety percent of his fighters and almost half his crew before the remaining privateers finally gave up and jumped away.

  In his mind he was standing still upon that blackened bridge, caustic smoke still heavy in the air, as the screams of the injured and the dying echoed through not only the room but his soul. It had taken Earth. Force another ten hours to find them, by that point he had lost over sixteen thousand of his crew, it was the single greatest loss of life, outside of war that the fleet had ever suffered.

  They had not blamed him, instead he had received the medals and commendations, been called a hero for saving so many lives. Yet in his heart he knew the truth, the blood of all those that had died was on his hands. He should have realized it was a trap, should have seen the signs and should have been more cautious. He could have scanned the area and done everything his training had told him to do. He had been young and stupid and those under his command had paid the ultimate price. Even now he would wake up his sheets sodden with sweat and the cries of those lost souls still ringing in his ears.

  A voice stirred him from the memory, “Sir,” It was Jasmine.

  He tried to speak but the words caught in his throat, so he champed down on the cigar and took in a yawning breath. “Yes,” eventually he managed to utter.

  “Zulu actual is asking for permission to continue,” She paused for a moment and glanced at the screen, “I have to admit I don’t like this sir.”

  Josh stood up from his command chair, stretching his back as he moved in an attempt to lessen the pain, the one permanent reminder of that harrowing day. “I know,” he observed the barricade and the gap shorn in the metal, “I don’t like it either, I am getting a very bad feeling about all of this.”

  “Do you have an idea what could have done that, maybe it was some kind of explosive?” Jasmine asked, her tone an attempt possibly to persuade herself.

  He grinned coolly, “Maybe,” he knew one thing for certain it wasn’t caused by a blast and Jasmine knew it too. There was no scorching around the steel, no r
esidue, all tell-tale signs of a discharge. “Peter, do we have anything on long range sensors?”

  For a second there was no reply, as Peter studied the screens in front of him earnestly, then when he did speak, his voice was tinged with a condescending tone, “No sir, nothing on scanners and all flight wings report zero contact.”

  Josh clenched his fists as his own anger welled, he would certainly enjoy knocking out his second in command, perhaps even ridding him of a couple of his buckled and overcrowded teeth. Yet he was not sure that he could cope with doing all the paper work again, instead he turned his attention back to the display. “I have a bad feeling about this mission, I have from the very start and anything with this many Sci-corp fingerprints on it can’t be good” he said lowering his voice, to little more than a whisper so that only Jasmine could hear him.

  “You and me both Commander,” she replied with a sly grin.

  “However there’s nothing I can do, the mission parameters are clear and they come straight from the top. You tell those marines though that the first sign of trouble and they are to get out of there. I don’t know what happened on that ship and I don’t think I want to find out, so you make sure that they have an exit cleared and make sure we have some fighters in there tubes in case we need them.” he turned his attention to the Perspex coffins, “Bob?” he asked.

  “Yes commander,” the android replied laconically, his voice still high and sharp.

  “Prepare a bank of missiles for launch.”

  “Yes sir, coordinates for strike?”

  “The Eclipse One”

  “Yes sir, starting to track,” there was a brief pause, “Tracking complete, I am locked onto target, missiles are ready to launch at your order.”

  Before Josh could reply, Peter interjected, arrogance mixed within every word. “Sir you are aware that our orders are clear, the Eclipse One is to be recovered and best speed made for the nearest Sci-corp outpost.”

  Josh didn’t take his eyes from the screen, “I am well aware of the orders Peter and if you have the urge to remind me of them again keep it to yourself.” Without waiting for a reply he turned to Jasmine, “You better prepare a backup team just in case we need them, make it three squads and make sure they are packing some heavy stuff.”