by Jan Domagala
All the air was forced from Matt’s lungs when his back impacted with the floor followed by the bulk of Apollo slamming into him from above. He knew if he didn’t get out from under the warrior this fight was over.
Matt grabbed one of Apollo’s arms, stretched it out to the side and twisted it around over the clone’s head forcing him off him. Matt followed him and once he was on top he rammed his free elbow into the clone’s stomach. The tables now turned as Matt hit Apollo in the face then pushed himself off to regain his feet.
Apollo sprang to his feet and rushed once more at Matt. This time Matt saw it coming and sidestepped then lashed out with his right arm in a clothesline. His stiff right arm caught the clone across the chest just below the throat stopping the top half of him dead in mid-air whilst the rest of him carried on moving. Apollo’s feet went up in the air and the clone slammed down on the floor, stunned.
Apollo scrambled to his feet but was sent sprawling once more by a kick to the head from Matt’s right foot. As the clone lay on the floor counting stars orbiting his head Matt looked across at Tanya to say, “He wasn’t that good after all.”
His expression changed from a smile to a stern look of disappointment.
“You know the old saying, ‘if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself’,” Tanya said and brought up a pistol and aimed it straight at him.
“Not again!” he thought just as she fired the weapon.
7
I
Col Sec HQ, Nellis Base
When Kurt and Zara returned to the Ready Room Jake and the Wildfire Team were already there.
“What took you so long?” Cooper asked as he pushed himself off the wall where he had been leaning.
Kurt said, “We were reviewing the mission reports,” to which Zara glanced away hiding a smile. Jake caught the hidden gesture as did the others.
Torres said, “Never heard it called that before,” which earned her a stern look from Jake. “Shall we get down to business now that we’re all here?” he said diverting the topic away from Kurt and Zara’s recent romantic escapades.
“Quite,” Sinclair said.
“Wait, where’s Matt, if this is a briefing for the entire Wildfire Initiative, shouldn’t he be here too?” Kurt asked.
“He’s already on a mission,” Sinclair said then waved for everyone to take a seat around the table. The meeting was coming to order.
They all sat down and Sinclair waited for a beat to let them all settle before he began.
“As you all know, Tartaran has been taken control of by the Alliance. What you may not be aware of, and everything I tell you now is Top Secret at the highest level, is that the technology for the serum you have all been given, came from research garnered from that planet.”
Sinclair looked around at all the faces and, with the exception of Jake, there was surprise in all of them, in differing degrees granted, but it was there none the less.
“You don’t look surprised Jake,” Sinclair said pointedly.
The leader of the Wildfire Team glanced around at all the faces gathered and calmly said, “I ran into Doctor Baxter at Nat, I mean Admiral Garvey’s home after our return from Tartaran, and he explained about the research. He and the Admiral were old friends it seems.”
“Doctor Baxter knows the Admiral?” Kurt asked a little confused.
“Doctor Miles Baxter, the father, not the Baxter who treated you Kurt. It seems the son carried on the work of his father,” Sinclair explained.
“He also said that if we didn’t wrest control of Tartaran back from the Alliance it would be a disaster,” Jake added as he remembered the conversation he’d had with Baxter senior.
“Yes I agree, which is the purpose behind this briefing,” Sinclair said bringing it back on topic.
“I have received some intel on the Alliance’s status on the planet Tartaran which makes for interesting reading. For the moment I must keep the source of the said intel a secret as it may jeopardise a source that could be very lucrative in the future and one that needs handling very delicately. Suffice it to say that the intel is legit and can be trusted. It states that General Tillic has less than a week to provide results from his sortie out there or he will be forced to leave and face charges of treason at the most and misappropriation of government funds at the very least.”
“Why don’t we just wait him out then, let him fail then go home with his tail between his legs; job done,” Cooper said hopefully.
“I doubt that would happen Lieutenant because given his time constraints I believe he will go to desperate lengths to provide the results he so obviously promised his government upon the undertaking of the mission. This gives us less than a week to go in and ensure he does not obtain those results,” Sinclair countered. “I cannot stress how important this is. If we fail in this, and given the state that the Alliance is in, there is no doubt in my mind that Tillic would use his success as a springboard to catapult himself into a position of power in the government. I dread to think what he could persuade them into doing on behalf of cementing their position within the galactic community.”
He looked at every face around the table as his words sank in. The enormity of what lay ahead of them was crushing but he could see by the look in their eyes that they would shoulder the burden and do what must be done.
“Okay people, let us get down to details,” he said and for the next few hours he went over what he and his second in command, Colonel Abraham Gemmell, had worked out between them over the past few days.
When they were done and the briefing was over Sinclair wished them luck and dismissed them. They all filed out through the door towards the exit. They headed for the Pulsar’s forward section parked on one of the several landing pads dotted around the huge base. As they neared the craft the door opened and the craft’s AI lowered entry gangway to allow them access.
“Welcome back gentlemen and ladies,” Artie said as they entered the flight deck area of the forward section.
“Artie you can take off as soon as you have clearance and re-join with the rest of the ship,” Jake said.
“May I enquire as to our destination sir?” Artie asked, the soft tone of his simulated voice filling the confines of the flight deck.
“You may, we’re going back to Tartaran, full stealth mode.”
II
Tartaran
The Cronus was the super destroyer built on the same design as the Nemesis, the ship that had attacked Col Sec HQ in New York. It was the first major encounter Col Sec had with OMEGA and was the precursor to many more conflicts. Luckily for Col Sec, the Nemesis had been rushed into battle and had not had the time to be fitted out completely which led to its downfall in the ensuing battle. The Cronus on the other hand was a different story.
MaxCorp supplied both craft around the same time but the Cronus was given the time needed to equip and test it fully before going into active duty. At a little shy of six thousand feet she was the largest ship in any fleet. She had the capability to carry fifty fighters on board and to transport a thousand marines into battle. Pulse cannons were placed fore and aft as well as down the flanks, top and keel giving all round defensive and offensive fire. Missile tubes were also placed fore and aft which held a variety of missiles for most occasions. The triple hull was made up of ablative armour on the outer hull and inside was sectioned off to minimise any damage that should occur. The shield generators powered both primary and secondary shielding which made this starship a force to be reckoned with. Col Sec had nothing to challenge it yet as MaxCorp had offered one to them but had told them it would be at least five years before the prototype would be ready for testing. For the first time probably since the Battle of Tartaran the balance of power had shifted in favour of the Alliance.
Captain Arvin Dankovic was in command and had been the one to bring the Cronus to Tartaran those few weeks ago. He longed to return home to his wife and daughter back on Paradisia and knew that would not be possible until the successful
completion of his present mission. What he feared most was that if he succeeded, he would be stationed here on rotation, which could mean up to a year away from them.
He was a medium-sized man dwarfed by the size of his command; he had jet black hair, a wide forehead and dark foreboding eyes that tended to intimidate with a mere glance. An intense individual, he had a presence that radiated a sense of purpose about everything he did. Since Tillic had initiated the new deadline that sense of purpose had increased to almost unbearable levels, beneath which the crew struggled. Also, since the arrival of Major Solon and his Black Knights to take command of the mission he had begun to worry about the escalation of events.
“I want a convoy of twenty fighters to form a cordon around the survey craft. I want continuous readouts of all sensor readings coming from that planet,” he ordered sternly.
“Major Solon, I want a platoon of your Black Knights to lead the survey craft and gain a foothold on the surface. The moment the survey craft land I want a protective perimeter erected around them. Your target is the abandoned city. I want the perimeter set up around the entrance so that the science officers can gain entry to it safely. Black Knights will accompany them every step of the way. Is that all understood?” he asked finally.
“Major Solon, is there anything you would like to add?”
“No Captain, you seem to have covered everything. I bow to your experience in this matter, after all you have been here longer than I have. Understand this though, General Tillic has placed this mission under my direct command. While we are on your ship, you are in command, but when my men and I are down on the planet’s surface, I am in command, do you understand?”
“Fully Major,” Dankovic said not liking his new orders one bit but being an officer of the line he would obey them.
“Good, I will expect regular updates from your sensors whilst my men are down on the planet. Be assured Captain, we will not fail this time,” Solon said, then with a stiff salute he turned on his heel and left the Ready Room.
As everyone filed out of the room to go about their duties as the time for the mission to proceed loomed closer, Dankovic sat back in his chair and hoped things had not got out of control. The danger levels down on the planet were such that no step could be overlooked, no detail could be forgotten and everything must be checked, checked again and then once more for good measure. Even with the amount of planning that missions like these required, things could still go wrong. There was always that unpredictable element that could not be planned for or expected. He just hoped that when it came, and he was sure it would come, then his men were experienced enough to meet the challenge and control the outcome. Up to this point though, that had not been the case as every mission so far had ended with failure. He just hoped he wasn’t throwing more good men after those who had already died.
He took comfort in the fact that control of this mission had been taken from him so that when things did go wrong it would not be his head on the block after all, but the young Major’s.
8
I
Cordoba
Matt came round and the first thing he noticed was a blinding headache. His head felt like a team of miners were diligently working to rid him of his brain. He looked around by just moving his veiled eyes to see if he recognised where he was, but all he saw was a small room hidden in shadow.
There were figures hidden in the gloom. He couldn’t make out who they were but by the murmur of voices he deduced there were only two, one male and one female.
He kept up the pretence of being unconscious for the time being as he thought it might give him a slight advantage when the time came for him to make his move.
“He’s awake,” the male voice said and in that instant Matt recognised the voice, it was Apollo. He also realised they had been carefully watching his every move.
“Okay you can leave us now,” the female voice said and as Matt sat up he saw the back of Apollo exit the darkened room. Light streamed into the small space he inhabited, chasing away all the shadows for a second and in that moment he realised why the female voice sounded so familiar.
“Hello Tanya,” he said as darkness returned and his eyes readjusted to it.
“I’m thinking you’re probably wondering where you are,” she said, her voice flat and emotionless as she leant against the wall by the only door in the room.
“No, my first thought was why you shot me, but now I’m wondering where are we,” he replied.
“You are exactly where I want you to be and the reason I shot you was simple, to facilitate the first answer,” she said cryptically.
“I can see I’m not going to get much sense out of you then. Your father really did make you in his image didn’t he girl!” Matt said as he got to his feet. “Would it be too much to ask for some light?” he said before she could comment on the earlier jibe.
Lights in the ceiling suddenly came to life throwing everything in the small room into harsh detail. He had been lying on a small, one-person bunk in what could only be described as a closet. There was nothing else in the room, if ‘room’ was indeed the correct term, except the bunk.
He suddenly noticed the background hum that was evident on all starships and he knew, more or less where he was.
“Where are we headed?” he asked.
“You want answers, that was why you came to find me wasn’t it well, I’m taking you to where you’ll find them. Not that it’ll do you any good, but at least you’ll know,” she said finally.
“What’s stopping me from wringing your scrawny little neck, right here, right now?” Matt asked as he took a step towards her, his anger flaring suddenly.
Looking him straight in the eye she calmly brought up a pistol, a Sig P996. “This time the setting won’t be on ‘stun’. Do you really want that, after all the hardship you’ve been through just to get to this point, for it to be torn from your grasp?” she said as she calmly pushed herself off the wall to stand up straight. At her side the door opened from a command given via her NI. She looked at him gauging his reaction and when he stopped and glared at her she said, “I thought not.”
Disdainfully she turned her back on him and walked through the open door, a clear mark of disrespect to his inability to act.
“It won’t always be like this Tanya,” he muttered when the door closed behind her. She had left without telling him what ship they were on or where they were going, which didn’t bother him at all because he hoped he was going where he wanted to. If that were true then he would get what he wanted and when that happened he wanted to be in the room with her just to see the smug look wiped off her face.
He sat down on the bed, he knew without trying that the door would be locked so he decided to wait it out and he may as well get comfortable. He lay back and placed his hands behind his head as he tried to relax.
As he controlled his breathing to bring himself back under control he wondered what the rest of the guys were doing.
II
Tartaran
The Pulsar exited the hyperspace window and came to a full stop.
“Artie full stealth mode now,” Jake said and the AI initiated the massive starship’s stealth shield making it invisible to any sensors.
Kurt and Zara were standing in front of the forward viewscreen looking at the space ahead of them. The viewscreen was set on maximum range so they could see the planet that was their target, Tartaran.
“So that’s it then,” Zara said as her enhanced vision picked out details invisible to normal eyes.
“Yep, don’t get too excited, the place is the closest to Hell I’ve ever come across,” Kurt said.
“I’ve read the reports, was it as bad as you said or did you lay it on a bit thick?” she asked mischievously.
“Look Zara, there’s nothing funny about that place. Everything down there seems engineered to hunt and kill humans. It’s not interesting, it’s not cool or fun, there is just one word to describe it and that’s deadly,” Kurt said.
; “Okay Dad I get your point, take it seriously and I will, I promise,” she said with a wink.
“You two are a good double act,” Cooper said.
Jake said, “Kurt’s right though, that place is the closest any of us has seen to Hell.”
“Right what are we waiting for then, the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can get home,” Torres said.
“Better get suited up,” Kurt said and walked off the bridge. Zara followed him to their quarters where they began to disrobe.
Jake paced the width of the bridge as his anxiety levels went through the roof. He tried to keep it from the rest of the team the best he could, as a leader he had to appear cool and under control at all times.
“Okay Artie take us in but keep it slow. I don’t want our energy signature being picked up on their sensors,” he told the AI.
“It is unlikely that our engines would be picked up by their sensors sir, our stealth shield has been upgraded to ensure just that,” Artie replied.
“I know that but we don’t know how powerful the sensors are on that super destroyer. I don’t want to take any chances here, there’s too much at stake.”
“Understood sir, ahead one quarter,” Artie agreed.
When Kurt and Zara returned to the bridge they were both dressed in full combat gear holding a Rapier battle helmet under their arms.
“Here you are,” Jake said holding out two items to them. The two items resembled wide bracelets, which the two of them fitted onto their wrists. There was a panel on the top with a set of controls. The bracelets were called SUTs or Single Unit Transporters and once activated they allowed the wearer to phase shift through a dimensional gateway from one point to another. The device caused irreparable damage to the wearer at the cellular level and that was why Kurt and Zara would be the only two using them.
“Are you set?” asked Jake. As the leader of the Wildfire Team he was in command of the mission but because of Kurt and Zara’s unique abilities they were the mission specialists. They had a certain amount of autonomy over what they did because of this, but they still referred to Jake for command protocols, it was the old ‘too many cooks’ scenario.