They quickly made it to the end of the floor, and strangely enough, the elevator appeared right in front of them, fully operational. Inside there were several strange buttons within a panel near to the door. It consisted of a button for each floor, written in a form of roman numerals, although sharper as though each number was a weapon, like a dagger. There was a separate symbol, this was completely alien, none of them could understand it.
Using a process of elimination, they found that this symbol represented the surface, and so they pressed it.
The small elevator whipped them up to the surface at a speed of several hundred miles per hour, yet the occupants felt nothing, just the gentle sensation of the device picking up speed as it left off, together with a gentle deceleration as they closed with the main hatch itself.
They had to climb the few remaining steps to the entrance, and once back out to the howling winds of the surface, it was a struggle to stay on their feet.
Kathryn gingerly touched her wrist comm. as a powerful gust of wind buffeted her. “Jacobs to Copernicus, are you receiving?”
There was no answer.
“We’ll need to get to the shuttle and perform a scan to see if she is still in orbit!” Pryor suggested, shouting over the noise of the intense howling winds.
“Okay let’s go!”
It was only a short walk to where the shuttle was landed, but it felt like a trek battling against the prevailing winds. Strange we haven’t heard back from that corporal yet, Kathryn thought to herself.
They made it to the landing site, and she flipped open a small cover on the shuttle’s fuselage and pressed a control secreted within, slowly a side hatch opened, Kathryn gasped at what she saw, “my God!”
The reason they hadn’t heard back from Corporal Jankov was due to the fact that he was unconscious on the floor of the craft. His entire face horrifically burned, his nose none existent, just a mound of seared flesh, his lips nothing more than a cracked and scorched parody of a mouth. Worst of all his eyes had been completely burned out of their sockets, miraculously though, he was still breathing through that charred mouth of his.
Kathryn immediately rushed into action, tiptoeing past the corporal’s prone body and opened one of the overhead storage lockers onboard, picking out a large med-kit.
Being a fully trained triage nurse, meant Kathryn had experienced all manner of traumatic scenes like this throughout the Krenaran war, silently she cursed that she had to experience one more.
While Kathryn tended to the grievously wounded Jankov, she asked Kalschacht if he could get a message to the Copernicus, a far higher sense of urgency to her voice now that they had wounded; it was now an emergency.
Sergeant Rachthausen quietly helped her with his fallen number two. She was far too busy with her work to notice him much before, but now she realised that Rachthausen was immense. A big, broad, muscular, burly sergeant, although his blue eyes hinted at a gentleness that his quiet nature confirmed, it was slightly odd to find these traits in an E.D. F trooper, normally they were aggressive, go out there and get the job done types. Rachthausen appeared thoughtful, calm and serene however.
She thought that if the sergeant was a little more aggressive and forthright, he would make an excellent commando. Though the only other commando she had met personally was Nikolai Vargev, and the Russian colonel was the sergeants match in both size and strength, and much more aggressive.
Kathryn bandaged the corporal’s face with ‘synth-flesh’ bandages, and tied a strip of cloth over the man’s ruined eye sockets, other than giving Jankov morphine injections, there wasn’t a lot more she could do for him until she got him back to the ship.
“Shuttle alpha-zero-four to Copernicus, are you receiving, over?”
There was a tense pause, and Kalschacht thought for an instant that the Copernicus had indeed been hit.
“Copernicus to shuttle, are you alright down there, that was one hell of an energy surge.”
“It’s good to hear your voice captain, we’re fine, but we have wounded down here, request permission to return to the ship.”
“Granted, but you’ll have to hold out a little while, until we re-enter orbit.”
“Understood Copernicus, just don’t take up an orbit that puts you anywhere near the structure.”
The communication was suddenly cut-off. “Copernicus….Copernicus, are you receiving? Damn I’ve lost contact with them.”
“Keep trying,” Kathryn said as she continued to tend the wounded Jankov.
“Shuttle to Copernicus, do you read, over?” Kalschacht tried again, “Shuttle alpha-zero-four to Copernicus, are you receiving.” He waited for a response, then with a hint of frustration said, “all I’m getting is static.”
“What the heck is going on up there?” Kathryn asked, her own frustration was beginning to show, she was the mission commander and this whole thing was going to hell and a handbasket.
Unbeknownst to those on the planet, a second craft had detected that gigantic energy release. It bore a striking resemblance to a Solarian cruiser, with its crescent shaped hull, however instead of the gleaming silver of Solarian ships, this was dark, almost completely black except for the faintest of light given off by its portholes. It had a raised command structure, like its Solarian counterpart, though not beak-like, this was swept forward, sharp and angular like a snake darting forward to strike at its prey. Along the outward port and starboard sides of its gently curved hull, were a series of blade like fins.
Right now, just like a snake, it was stalking the Copernicus. Its crew had identified the energy signature from the surge as being one of their own.
One of the aliens aboard, turned toward another sat atop a dark, raised, almost throne like command chair. “Ship is rigged for silent approach, one quarter sub-light speed; their communications are still being jammed.”
“Good; very good.” Drax replied to his subordinate, “close to within weapons range, then load dark matter torpedoes in tubes one and two, fire on my command.”
The Copernicus, still on full alert after that near miss from the energy surge was on-course to re-enter orbit with the planet, it had not detected the dark predator sneaking up behind it.
“See if you can isolate the source of the interference,” Akimbe said to Strandzhar, the captain was delighted his science team was still alive. After a surge of that magnitude, he had feared the worst. However, he was also frustrated that his communication link to the shuttle was rudely cut-off.
Strandzhar worked the controls furiously, “It seems the source of the interference is coming from behind us, captain.”
Akimbe stood instantly, wide eyed with horror, “What!”
The alien ship continued to close, “Steady… steady.” Drax whispered as he stared at the image of the Copernicus getting steadily closer.
“We are within firing range, we have target lock.”
Drax silently allowed a couple more seconds to pass by, to be absolutely certain of the kill.
“Fire!” He shouted; fist clenched.
Twin torpedoes immediately shot forth from launchers secreted either side of its angular command hull, and raced toward their target.
The tiny Copernicus had no time to react, as the two warheads slammed home with horrifying force. One tore its primary sub-light engines to pieces in a violent explosion. Flames and shattered debris were flung far out into space. The second smashed headlong into the starboard side of the vessel, blasting a gigantic fiery hole through the hull of the ship.
Onboard the stricken Copernicus, it was carnage, bodies lay bloodied and burned everywhere. Smoke hung like a thick pall in the air choking those that still lived. Flames licked out from half a dozen smashed consoles on the bridge. Delicate wiring hung limp, with only the occasional spark and crackle to give any clue that power still ran through those severed conduits.
Akimbe struggled, dazed, to his feet, a nasty slash to his forehead that bled profusely down the right side of his face. “Status!”
He shouted, half-choking under the intense heat and acrid smoke that filled the bridge.
A young navigation officer, one of the few men left alive managed to make it to an intact computer terminal. “Main engines are destroyed, we have a breach from decks four through eight, fire is spreading through decks five and six!”
“Get to the escape pods, everyone abandon ship!” Akimbe ordered in desperation as he rushed to the only functioning sensory console left intact on his bridge. He had one last duty to perform, and mere seconds to do it in. He quickly performed a computer core dump into a distress beacon, and punched the launch key.
The beacon containing the Copernicus’s computer core records and sensory data shot out from beneath the vessel, and into the inky blackness of deep space.
Akimbe switched the crackling, barely functioning viewer to rear view mode, in order to glimpse his assailant. He could only barely make out its shape against the blackness of space, its dark hull glinted as the light from the Aurigan sun reflected from its numerous surfaces. The monstrosity blotted out the very stars themselves, poised like a great black bat, ready to snuff him out of existence at any moment.
Akimbe sighed, safe in the knowledge that the distress beacon was away, and that the E.D. F would eventually learn of what had transpired here.
That was the last thing Captain Johnatan Akimbe of the Copernicus ever saw.
“Ready laser lances, fire at will, finish that thing!” Drax called out, not hiding the distain in his voice for such an unworthy foe.
The twin wingtip mounted laser lances at either end of the ships main hull, flashed out, bright violet beams instantly blasted the Copernicus apart in an intense fireball. Torn pieces of the ships shattered hull were thrown out in all directions due to the force of the now dissipating explosion. Some of the fragments hurtled through the atmosphere of the planet below, looking like a faint meteor shower blazing across the sky.
A few of those now stranded on the surface spotted the myriad streaks shooting past overhead, witnessing their trails with awe, unaware that they were really witnessing the deaths of their friends and co-workers.
“Contact our other ships nearby; let them know we have found one of the long lost halo worlds,” Drax said with a wide grin.
4. The darkness descends
“Kaeleth, have two units of my elite Kallan warriors form up in the main hangar bay. I want two assault landers ready to launch immediately, you are in command of the ship until I return; see that she remains in one piece.” Drax added with a malevolent grin.
“But sir,” Kaeleth made to protest. A simple wave of the hand had convinced him that his commander had made up his mind, it was useless to try to change it.
With a final nod, Drax left his dark, brooding, ominous command centre and headed straight for the hangar bay. This will be an interesting hunt, he thought to himself, the thought amused him.
Drax gave off the air of a consummate and powerful commander, a brutal disciplinarian, he was not above executing even his own people if they dared challenge him. In fact he had done so once, several years ago, a young second officer began to conjure up thoughts above his station. As commander of his ship Drax could not tolerate that, and so tore open the throat of the upstart on his own bridge, before tossing the body out of the nearest access hatch. It took quite some time to clean the gore afterwards, he recalled.
Drax and his people all shared the same mottled white and grey skin tone, an incredibly pale complexion. They looked remarkably like a shortened version of a Solarian, in that they were tall, and yet dainty, slim and awkward looking.
Although Drax was indeed not as tall as a typical Solarian, being seven feet in height. He was by no means short either, standing over six feet himself. He had large almond shaped eyes similar to Solarians, and predominantly black irises. Solarian eyes tended to give away a hint of calm serenity, his eyes were tinged with a kind of dark malevolence, a wickedness that despite his best efforts, he could not hide.
Making his way over to a small, yet wide hangar bay lined with two rows of assault landers facing each other two to a row, there was a wide aisle in the centre. The dark craft were tiny in comparison to his ship, but looked immense and powerful here. The ship was equipped with four of these in total, together with half a dozen attack shuttles, which he used from time to time to hunt down weaker prey. Seeing as he didn’t really know who this new enemy were, it was more prudent to use the landers.
Twenty of his finest Kallan warriors were stood in two perfectly formed rows ten men to a lander. They held their weapons silently aloft, their barrels pointing to the roof in a traditional Kallan salute as he neared. They were already wearing their black environment suits, and dark battlehelms, only ever reflecting the bright scarlet of their eye lenses. The Kallan were his races finest fighting men, feared across the galaxy for their ability to go unseen, and strike when least expected. They were famed for their brutality, savagery, and above all else for their love of torturing their prey.
Drax addressed the assembled men in his native tongue, “tonight will be a glorious hunt, against a new and unknown prey. We have never encountered this race before, and that makes them dangerous. Below us lies Auriga III, until recently a forgotten world. On this small isolated planet lies the remains of one of our people’s greatest achievements; the mythical eye of the Dracos, a facility capable of producing virtually unlimited energy.”
He paced up and down his men; each warrior’s stare fixed upon him in rapt attention. “A facility built when our people were at the peak of their power, and we, the chosen few shall re-claim it and restore the Dracos to their rightful place once again!”
The Kallan voiced their approval in a loud roar; thrusting their weapons forward in salute.
“Tonight the screams of the dying will fill our ears again!”
There was another wild roar before the men fell out, striding up inclined ramps attached to the underside of the landers. They had no need to strap themselves in for the flight to the surface, all Dracos environment suits were moderately magnetic, allowing them to cling to walls and ceilings in order to launch lethal surprise attacks. Thus in the lander, they sat perfectly still, securely clamped to the metallic seating and walls as the two craft powered up their primary Ion engines, coating the interior of the hangar bay in a bright green light. The hangar bay doors opened revealing a stunning vista of the starlit backdrop of deep space. The two craft gently arose from the floor of the hangar bay, their delicate landing gear slowly retracting inside their elongated bullet shaped fuselages. The ailerons on their angular, sickle like wings pitched the craft anti-clockwise so that they now faced the hangar bay doors themselves. With a deep ‘thoom’ the Ion engine of the craft increased power, and they quickly accelerated out of the hangar bay.
The two craft were not large, although they did share some features with old Earth military jet aircraft. Most notably the bullet shaped fuselages, and small winglets below the fully enclosed cockpit. That and the two huge tail fins which jutted out from the twin bulbous secondary engine pods mounted atop the main fuselage. There the similarity ended, as halfway along the fuselage, it widened noticeably, forming a type of bulge on its underside. This was where the Kallan were gathered, ready to burst forward from the boarding ramp at the front, and attack their prey.
The crafts main Ion engine was lit an intensely bright emerald green as it maneuvered toward the planet, the engine itself was nestled in-between the two giant engine pods. The most curious thing about these craft were their strange, forward swept sickle shaped wings, giving it the appearance of some kind of giant mechanized bat, made all the more appropriate by its dull black coating designed to make it all but invisible during night attacks, the Dracos’s favourite form of attack. At each wingtip, a vicious laser lance was mounted, often used by the pilot to clear a bloody path through the enemy, before offloading the troops contained within. The two small craft dove into the beige coloured atmosphere of Auriga III.
; Kathryn looked up at Kalschacht with a hint of sadness on her normally gentle features, “we have to assume the Copernicus has been destroyed. Night is closing in, and our best shot is back inside the base.”
They carried the prone form of corporal Jankov in a portable stretcher with them.
It was the second night, Kathyn had barely slept all day, the mission should have been wrapped up hours ago, however despite how tired she was, she knew she had to keep going for the sake of the others.
Kalschacht turned to the other scientists, “Quickly, grab whatever we can use from the shuttle, we may only have a matter of a few minutes, if the Copernicus has been destroyed, they may know we are here also.”
The assembled group all began looting the craft, taking food supplies, water purification kits, anything of any use.
Kalschacht worked the communications console one last time, so that it would emit a continuous distress beacon, before the entire science team exited the shuttle and made their way as quickly as they could, toward the main hatch of the facility, carrying the wounded Jankov with them.
As they neared the hatch, on the horizon they could just about make out the faint forms of two black shapes descending towards them.
Rachthausen looked back to see them also, “everyone inside now!”
They barely made it inside the hatch, as the two craft swooped down over their position, intensely bright flashes of violet laser energy shot forth from the Dracos craft’s twin wingtip mounted laser lances, lighting up the whole area, and tore the grounded shuttle apart in a gigantic explosion, debris rained down around the immediate area.
Rachthausen was the last to make it inside, after making sure everyone else was safely within the structure. Then he himself dived underneath and closed the hatch, all he saw as he slammed the hatch shut were the fiery remains of the shuttle, billowing out into the night sky, he cursed to himself silently.
The assault landers both gently touched down nearby the flaming wreckage of the small craft, the boarding ramps quickly opened, their heavy ends slamming into the ground as the Kallan poured out of the craft, all donning their advanced black environment suits. Even Drax had changed into his own suit during the flight to the surface. Rarely did he get the chance to wear one, yet when he did, he savoured every moment.
Eye of the Dracos ec-3 Page 4