MCU-9 stepped off the lift.
“Well? Are you going to support me or not?”
“Affirmative,” Nine said. “Your plan has a high probability of success. Please proceed,” Nine said.
Lea glared at Nine. “Thank you.” She sat down in the captain’s chair. “Stations, report.”
“Weapons ready,” Sarah said behind the weapons station.
“Communications ready,” Bill said.
“Helm ready,” Liz said.
Lea punched the communication panel on the arm of her chair. “Engineering, this is the captain.”
“Jake here, ma’am.”
“Status?”
“We’re ready as we can be.”
“I thought all the repairs were complete?” Lea demanded.
“They are, sort of,” Jake said. “The shields are not up to full strength, but you said that there would be no ship-to-ship engagements.”
“No, not this time.” Lea stared at the monitor on the front bulkhead. The massive alien ship stood silently, attached to the space station like a piglet latched onto its mother’s teat. Two platoons and Force Recon team, in theory, should be able to take that ship with a skeleton crew aboard, right? She never went by the book; why would the aliens? Cain always said to assume the enemy is just as smart and capable as you are, until you’re proven otherwise. Should this one be any different? No. Her stomach twisted into a tight knot. Lea tapped the communication panel again. “Colonel McKenna, this is the captain.”
“This is Raptor Six, actually,” Cain replied.
Call sign? He hadn’t used one in a long time. Cain must be enjoying this. “You’ve got a green light on your mission. You may disembark when you’re ready.”
“Roger, Raptor Six, out.”
Lea stared at the alien ship. Good luck, my love. Come back to me.
Cain leaned forward in the copilot’s seat. The black marine shuttle shook as it flew out from the launch bay. The other two shuttles were just off their wing, a nearly textbook flying formation. If Cain’s marines were one thing, it was efficient. He had Kyle to thank for that.
Sergeant Morris, a huge marine who barely fit into the pilot seat, looked over at Cain. “When do I come back for you, sir?”
“You don’t, unless we get into trouble. I want you to stay out of sight, but close enough to evac us if we need it. Got it?”
“Roger, sir.”
Cain tapped the communications panel. “Dwaine, you read me?”
“Raptor Six, this is Foxtrot Actual,” Dwaine said over the comm system.
“Take the lead and breach a hole into that ship.” Cain tapped a few more controls on the communication panel. “All shuttles, activate dampening field alpha. Out.” Cain flipped the comm system off and looked at the marines in the back. “Five minutes.”
“Five minutes,” they chanted back.
Cain nodded.
“Sir, are you sure that the dampening field will keep us stealth against their scanners?” Sergeant Morris asked.
“No, but it’s the only thing we’ve got. No worries. Just stick to the plan and everything will be fine. We’ve done hundreds of these,” Cain said.
Sergeant Morris nodded. “Aye, sir.”
“Raptor Six, this is Foxtrot Actual.”
“Go ahead, Foxtrot Actual,” Cain replied.
“We’ve established soft lock and are starting to cut now. Out.”
“MOC, this is Raptor Six, we’re cutting through,” Cain said.
“Roger that,” Kyle said over the comm system.
Cain’s heart beat faster. Come on, kid. Hurry up, he thought. He tweaked the scanner controls. On the small screen in front of him appeared Dwaine’s shuttle, attached to the alien ship. “Get us closer, Sergeant.”
“Aye, sir. Moving in.”
“I’m leaving the welding team with you. When they finish sealing the hole we cut into the hull, I want you to break away,” Cain said.
“Aye, sir.”
“Raptor Six, this Foxtrot Actual, we’re through,” Dwaine said.
“Roger that. Get your team inside. Golf Actual, you copy?” Cain asked.
“Read you, Raptor Six,” Lieutenant Stacy Jones said.
“You’re next. As soon as Dwaine’s shuttle moves away, get your marines onboard.”
“Yes, sir. Golf Actual, out.”
Cain’s eyes were glued to the tiny screen. As soon as Dwaine’s shuttle moved away, Stacy’s shuttle moved in. So far, so good. “Sergeant, move us closer.”
Sergeant Morris nodded. The dark shuttle moved in close to Stacy’s shuttle.
Cain could almost reach out and touch the other ship.
“Raptor Six, this is Golf Actual. We’re in,” Stacy said.
“Roger. Out.”
As soon as Stacy’s shuttle moved off Cain said, “Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Cain moved to the back with his particle beam pistol on his hip. Twelve marines were in full body armor with their plasma rifles hanging from their shoulders. He smiled. There was nothing he liked better than leading his marines to victory. It was better than sex. “Get ready, Marines.”
“We’ve achieved soft dock!” Sergeant Morris yelled towards the back.
“Roger.” Cain motioned to Staff Sergeant Al Burns. “Let’s go.”
He nodded. “Watch out.” Al hit a button and a ladder extended from the floor to the hatch in the ceiling. “Alpha Team, let’s go.”
Cain watched the marine climb the ladder and pop open the hatch. Good job, kid. One by one, the marines climbed aboard. Cain sighed as he climbed the ladder. Was he getting a little old for this? Naw!
The air on the ship was no different than the air on the Renault. Cain motioned to the soft hatch. “Burns, seal the soft hatch and let’s go.”
“Aye, sir.”
Cain tapped the communicator on his wrist. “Morris, you read me?”
“Loud and clear,” Sergeant Morris replied.
“Once the weld is complete, get out of here.”
“I won’t be a second longer than I have to be. Out.”
Cain drew his pistol. They entered a metal corridor that had steel grating for flooring and plain, gray walls. The lights flickered, as if there was a power problem. Cain tapped his communicator. “Foxtrot Actual, where are you?”
“We proceeded stern and went up a deck,” Dwaine said.
“Any resistance?”
“Haven’t seen anyone yet. Out.”
“Golf Actual, you read me?”
“Roger, we headed towards the stern and are proceeding to the lower decks. We’ve encountered no crew. Out,” Stacy said.
A ship this size with only thirty people on it? Hell, they’d be lucky to find the crew at all. He pointed down the corridor behind them. “We’re going that way.”
“Aye, sir,” Burns said. He moved in front with the point man. Each step was careful and silent.
“Break, break, break. Raptor Six, this is the captain,” Lea said over the shuttle comm.
Cain covered the speaker with his hand, trying to keep the noise down. “This is not a good time to chat.”
“The crew is coming back. They must know you’re there. You’ve got to get out. Now!”
“Morris, are you still in soft lock?” Cain asked.
“No, sir. The weld is complete and we’re already heading back to the Renault,” Morris said.
“I told you to stay close! Where the hell are you going?”
Burns tapped Cain on the shoulder. “Sir, your voice.”
Cain nodded. “Too late. We’ll complete our mission as planned.”
“Cain, you can’t!” Lea pleaded.
“I can’t get my people out in time. Besides, if they know we’re here, they’d just blow apart the shuttles as we left. No, this is our safest bet. Out.” Cain set his jaw. “Move out.”
Burns nodded.
They navigated down and left and right in the seemingly endless maze of corridors.<
br />
“How big is this ship?” Burns asked.
“Same size as the Renault.” Cain stared ahead at the double doors. “This deep in the ship … could it be engineering?”
“Only one way to find out.” Burns stacked on the left side of the door. Each marine was up against the other with their rifles at the ready.
Cain too fell in at the end of the stack. He squeezed the upper arm of the marine in front of him. The signal was repeated until it reached Burns. Cain’s breath become shallow. His heart beat faster and faster.
Burns tapped the controls above him and the doors slid open. He rushed in and button-hooked to the right, covering his sector with the particle beam rifle. The marine after him went left and right and left again.
Hugging the wall, Cain moved inside. The roar of the dark-matter engine filled the room. The huge turbine was in the center, and it must have been at least two stories high. Along the walls and the engine itself were rows of control consoles. Exactly like the Renault. Then he saw them. The “alien” crew just stared at them. Not some green-eyed monster with tentacles coming out of his rear end, but they looked like—
Burns lowered his weapon. “You’re … you’re human!”
The people blinked. “What did you think we were?” one of them shouted.
Cain stepped back. They’re not aliens. How could GIS get something this big so wrong? What else haven’t they been told? Were they even on the right ship?
A grating alarm sounded. Red flashing lights illuminated Engineering and the corridor. “Intruder alert,” a female computer-simulated voice said over the speakers. “Intruder alert. All personnel, remain at your stations. Intruder alert.”
“Quickly, round them up,” Cain ordered. He should have left as soon as Lea told him about the crew coming back. He had to tell her that the aliens they were hunting were not aliens at all. Pirates? No, no way. The equipment seemed to be military grade, not to mention the ship. Did the outer planets rebel against Earth?
“Sir, what are your orders?” Burns asked.
“Take up defensive positions near the engine. They won’t risk hitting the dark matter core. It’s our only chance.” Cain took cover behind a console a few feet away from the engine. “Foxtrot Actual, this is Raptor Six, come in. Do you read me?” Nothing. “Golf Actual, this is Raptor Six, do you read me? Someone answer me, damn it!” They were gone. What had he done?
Feet running on metal grates echoed down the corridor.
“They’re coming!” Burns shouted.
As soon as a guard popped her head around the corner, a marine blasted a hole right through her forehead. The beam cauterized the wound, preventing her brain from spilling out onto the floor.
“Don’t shoot at them!” someone from the hallway yelled out. “You’ll hit the engine!”
Cain helplessly watched as eight small round objects rolled into Engineering.
“Grenades!” Burns yelled as he hit the deck.
Cain just stared at them. They couldn’t be explosive, not this close to the dark matter core. No, not a chance. His eyes widened as white, smoke-like gas poured out of them. “Gas!” He put his hand over his mouth. They didn’t bring chemical protective gear. He began to cough. His head began to spin. His marines slumped to the ground, one by one. It can’t be poisonous, Cain thought. Their engineers are going down, too. He dropped his weapon as he fell to the floor.
A tall figure with brown hair and hazel eyes stared down at him. The man wore a mask over his nose and mouth. His huge frame would intimidate most people. He aimed his plasma rifle at Cain’s head. “What are you doing on my ship?”
Cain blinked, trying to focus. “Who are you?”
“I’m Jarak Zeger and this is my ship.” He smiled. “Welcome to the battle cruiser Courage.”
“The Courage?”
Jarak slammed the butt of his rifle into Cain’s left cheek.
Cain slipped into darkness.
“Get us out of here!” Lea screamed.
“Releasing docking clamps,” Liz said, as if ignoring the panic is Lea’s voice.
Lea tapped the control panel on her chair. “Kyle, get up here. We’re in trouble.”
“On my way. Out,” Kyle said.
“Sarah, what are they doing?”
“They’re pulling out of the space station,” Sarah replied.
“What are you doing?” Nine asked.
Lea ignored Nine. “Liz?”
“We’re clear.”
“Go after them. Now!”
The Renault veered right, towards the Courage. Jarak’s ship began to pull away from the Renault.
Lea slammed the communication controls on her chair. “Jake, we need more power!”
“You told me no ship-to-ship fighting.” Jake sighed. “I’ll do my best. Out.”
“Sarah, can you target their engines?”
She shook her head. “They have their dampening field up again. But,” Sarah said as she tapped a few controls. “I know where they were. Got it.”
Lea jumped up. She had to stop the ship from taking her husband. She wouldn’t lose him this way. She couldn’t. “Plasma cannons, fire.”
A blue beam streaked across space, slamming into the Courage’s right engine.
“A direct hit,” Sarah said. “They’re turning about. Should I fire?”
Lea paused. If Sarah fired again, they could destroy the alien ship, but she’d lose Cain. No, she wouldn’t do it. “Try again for their engines, disable them, only.”
“We’ve got to get behind them,” Sarah said.
Liz slid her finger along the touchscreen controls. “I’m working on it.”
Lea’s eyes widened as twin beams from the Courage slammed into the Renault. Consoles exploded. The bridge shook, knocking everyone down.
“We’ve lost engines!” Liz yelled.
Sarah sighed. “Weapons are out, too.”
Lea watched the Courage turn away and disappear into the stars.
“Why didn’t they destroy us?” Nine asked. “That would have been the logical thing to do.”
Lea’s head fell to the floor. Tears poured down her cheeks. “I won’t lose him!” She leaped up, pushing Liz out of the way.
“What are you doing?” Nine asked.
“I’m bypassing the safeties. We can catch a ship on a single engine.”
Liz put her hand on Lea’s shoulder. “Ma’am, our engines are down.”
Tears rolled down Lea’s face. “No, I will catch them.” She slammed her fist into the navigation console over and over again. “Work, damn you! I won’t lose him!” She slammed her head into the console and fell to the floor. “Fucking thing! Arg!”
“The captain is not fit for duty, in accordance with Fleet Regulation 32C,” Nine said. “I’m relieving you of command.”
“The hell you are,” Kyle said as he pushed Nine aside. “Keep your mouth shut or I’ll introduce you to the airlock. Got it?”
Nine said nothing.
“Good.” Kyle knelt down next to Lea. “It’ll be all right.” Lea’s red cheeks and puffy eyes broke his heart. “We’ll get him back. I promise.”
Lea wiped her face with her sleeve. “Bill, call David back up here. I am reinstating him. I need him.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Kyle helped Lea to her feet. “Let’s move you to your quarters.”
Lea glared at Nine. I will find him. Mission or no mission, my family comes first.
19
Jarak felt pretty good. As the lift doors slid open, he entered the bridge. The three-dimensional view screen was towards the front, with the pilot and navigator. The weapons and science officers were at their stations to the right of the commander’s and XO’s chairs. Along the left bulkhead, the communications and intelligence consoles were fully manned. “Status?”
Farrah’s long, blond hair draped over her black jumpsuit. Her shapely figure rose from the XO’s chair. “We’ve managed to get away from the Renault. The engineering teams are working on fix
ing their engine.”
Jarak slid into his seat. “How did we miss their ship at the space station?” He shook his head. “We’ve got to be more careful next time. Just because the folks out here favor us more than the Earth’s military doesn’t mean that they’ll tell us everything, either. We all need to remember that.”
Jarak glanced over at First Lieutenant Jack Williams. “Get Brigadier General Tippins on the line.”
“Yes, sir,” the tall, athletic man said.
“What are you going to tell the general?” Farrah asked.
“Sir, I’ve got him on the line,” Jack said.
Jarak straightened up. “Put him through.”
The three-dimensional screen flickered from showing the stars to Brigadier General Alan Tippins. His bald head glistened in the artificial light. “Jarak, everything all right? I heard the jump station was attacked.”
Jarak nodded. “We destroyed all but one of the vessels.”
“What happened to the last ship?”
“We pursued it.”
“You what? Who was guarding the jump station?” Tippins demanded.
“The station does have its own defense, General,” Farrah added.
“I know that, but it’s not enough to fend off an attack.”
“Sir, we found the ship at the Tyrone One Space Station. We’re heading back to the jump station now.”
“Did we have any losses?”
“Some fighters, and one battle cruiser.”
Tippins leaned back into his chair. “Costly battle at that.”
“They lost three,” Jarak said with a smile.
“That’s true.”
“We did manage to get some prisoners,” Jarak said.
Tippins’ eyes lit up. “Oh?”
“Colonel Cain McKenna and some of his marines. It looks like two platoons and the Force Recon team.”
“McKenna, did you say? Cain McKenna?”
“Yes.”
“Hang on.” Tippins tapped the control on his desk, silencing his end of the transmission. He looked away from the camera, as if talking to someone else. He nodded and tapped the controls again. “Just like I thought. He’s the husband of Lea McKenna, the captain of the Renault.”
Jarak grinned. “Oh, really?”
Cyber Invasion (The A.I. Conspiracy Book 1) Page 13