by Wilson Harp
Alex might be my lucky charm, thought Kyle, but K-man is my block of C-4.
“Colonel, we have a problem I think. Dandelion.” Cowboy’s voice was stressed and tight.
Kyle froze as he heard the code word. He quickly switched his com unit to the private channel he and Cowboy had agreed to at the beginning of the mission. Placing the earpiece in his right ear, he brought his left hand up to cover his mouth and switched his com to private.
“What is it?”
“A second vessel has entered the area and there is…”
“Yeah, what?” Kyle was more shaken that Cowboy was so out of his normally controlled manner than anything else.
“The second ship was firing on the vessel that you are on right now. At least I think so. There was a blue… wave, that washed over a part of the ship you are on and it… dissolved.”
“What? Are you sure? We didn’t feel a thing.”
“Yeah, neither did we, but, Colonel…”
“Yeah? What?”
“There was no explosion or ripping away of anything, the ship just… melted wherever the blue touched.”
Kyle was stunned. He knew that Cowboy wouldn’t be joking about something like this, but it seemed unreal.
“Crap! Colonel, the second ship has flown into the now open structure of the vessel we are docked to. I have ordered Richards to get that hatch repaired now. I think your vessel is being boarded Martin, get the Ambassador out of there!”
Kyle immediately turned his com back to the standard channel.
“Marines!” He shouted “Boarding action in process, get the Ambassador out of there.”
“Colonel, moving now,” came the calm voice of Ramirez at the same time that the Ambassador cut in.
“Colonel, what is going on?”
“Ambassador, we have confirmation of a vessel attacking and landing on the Hedali ship.”
“Ramirez, let me go, Colonel, this is too important--”
The Ambassadors complaint was cut off by several guttural screams and several loud sounds that were, for lack of a better term, alien to Kyle.
“We’re moving Colonel. We have intruders in our area. Kitch push forward.”
Kyle unholstered his sidearm and looked at K-man.
“We have hostiles incoming; none leave that corridor alive, Kiskaliski.”
“Understood Colonel.”
K-man brought his rifle to ready position while Greene went prone on the other side of the doorway.
“Jennings, keep an eye on that hatch door. As soon as Richards gives the green light, we are heading back onto the Fletcher. Donovan, are you on the line?”
“Yeah Colonel, we are hot down here. As soon as Cowboy gives me the go code, we will make the jump.”
“Colonel, we have three guests with us. Just letting you know. Twenty seconds out.”
“Roger Kitch. Cowboy, we need room for three more, will that be a problem?”
“No Colonel, we can accommodate.”
“Good. Ramirez, how is it?”
“Hot Colonel. I’m tailgating the party, but there is a lot of damage back here. It’s a mess. How far out Kitch?”
“Two rooms, you should hear us by now.”
K-man had his hand by his ear when Kyle looked over.
“We hear you. Marines! Ready!”
At that moment, Kitch came around the corner of the corridor in a dead run. Sweat was pouring off of her face, but she looked in control. Stuart was being dragged along by Anderson. Boone was basically pushing a Hedali and Ambassador Thomas before him. Two more Hedali were running in front of Carter who was keeping pace while managing to keep filming behind him.
A low thumping enveloped the area four times in quick succession as Carter paused at the back end of the corridor. Kyle moved away from the entrance of the small room to allow Kitch and the others to take cover when he felt a blast of air.
“We’re open Colonel!” Jennings shouted.
“Everybody onto the Shuttle! Move!” Kyle ordered.
As the humans and their Hedali refugees moved past him, he heard the staccato of an automatic rifle. Kyle whipped back to see Ramirez tearing down the corridor. As his second foot hit the floor of the corridor, a shorter figure leaned around the corner pointing a black object at Ramirez. There were two thumps and two blue waves in rapid succession; the pulses they had felt earlier were the weapons of these aliens. Kyle’s heart leaped into his throat as he watched the waves hit Alex in the middle of his back.
“I’m hit!” Ramirez yelled as he threw himself into the small room.
Several of the unknown assailants starting charging down the corridor. One pointed at Martin standing in the doorway.
“Clear!” Kyle shouted as he dove to the floor.
K-man emptied his magazine in less than 2 seconds. The brass was starting to ring on the floor when Kyle came to a stop.
He looked up to see Greene and Ramirez going through the hatch to the Fletcher. Carter was quickly backing towards the hatch, filming the entire time.
Beside Kyle was a Hedali who had fallen as he entered the room. He grabbed him and pushed him towards the hatch while swinging around to make sure the room was clear.
“K-man, let’s go.”
K-Man stood and started towards the hatchway when Kyle saw another alien stick his head into the corridor and look down towards them.
As if by a sixth sense, K-Man pulled his .45, turned and fired all in one swift motion. The alien’s head exploded in a brownish splash.
Kyle heard what he took to be a gasp from the Hedali he was holding up as Kiskaliski ran by them and through the hatch.
Moving forward, Kyle pulled his new companion through the hatch, down the tunnel and into the Fletcher. He heard the hatch behind him seal shut, and heard Richards give the all clear.
“Go Donovan!” said Cowboy, and Kyle saw the Hedali ship swim quickly away from the hatch window.
Chapter 5
Kyle would have slumped against any wall available if he was able. The best he could accomplish was to float listlessly in the space around the hatchway. He still had his hand on the Hedali he had helped climb aboard and, realizing that might be insulting, motioned to one of the other Hedali to come over and help.
As the other Hedali, Kyle thought it might be Lon, came and escorted his shaken companion to another area of the crew compartment, Kyle glanced back through the window of the hatch. Jupiter had swung away from where he was looking, but he could make out the edge of it slowly getting smaller.
“Are you sure? Nothing hurts?” Jennings was examining Alex’s back.
“No, I’m not hurt. I feel fine,” growled Ramirez.
It was obvious to Kyle that Alex must have been repeating himself. It was one of the few things to make Alex frustrated; answering the same question over and over.
“If he says he is fine, then he’s fine Jennings,” Kyle said as he floated over to where they were. “What happened, Alex? I saw you get hit.”
“I did get hit, sir. Clear as day, it felt hot and there was a little pressure to it. But I’m fine.” Ramirez was calming down a bit, but the adrenalin was still coursing through his veins.
“Ok Alex, but I want you to let me know if you so much as get a hang nail before we get home.”
“Yes sir.”
Kyle decided that he needed to take control again. He plugged his com unit into the shuttle’s intercom system.
“Let’s evaluate what has happened and what happens next. We were apparently ambushed by an enemy force, but we were able to extricate ourselves from it successfully. We were also able to save several of our Hedali friends in the process. What I need now is an accurate rundown of our situation. Donovan, is the torpedo ok?”
“Yes sir, we are functioning at 100%”
“Good. Cowboy, how is the Shuttle?” Kyle asked the shuttle Commander.
“Richards, status report.” Cowboy tossed the question to his chief engineer.
“Fletcher is fine
, sir, we got the hatch sealed completely before we got under way. Systems all look good, nothing out of the ordinary,” Richards reported.
“Good, thank you. Ambassador Thomas, what are we looking at diplomatically?” Kyle asked.
Ambassador Thomas looked up at Kyle stunned. He was clearly in shock at what had happened.
“Mister Ambassador, what’s the diplomatic situation?”
This seemed to finally bring the Ambassador around.
“I don’t know, Colonel. I think the first thing we need to do is see to the needs of the Hedali. Since we rescued their representative, and I have the treaty tablet in my hand, I think we can still seal this accord.”
Kyle looked at what appeared to be a tablet computer in the Ambassador’s hands. White and sleek looking, it was strangely familiar. Almost like the new Apple iDesk. That would explain a lot.
“Ok, Richards, see if you can find some thermal space suits for our guests. Cowboy, is there any way we can raise the temperature for them?”
“I think we can close off one of the lab rooms and open those heating vents to full. If we close off the vents in the other labs, we might be able to get it to 100º or so,” Cowboy replied.
“With the thermal suits, I think they will be ok. Chilly, but ok,” Richards added.
The three Hedali had been frantically talking together during this time. Finally one of them made his way over the crew gathered around Kyle.
“Colonel, Ambassador, may I speak?” the Hedali asked.
Ambassador Thomas took control. “Yes Lon, please. What is it you need to say?”
“We are rather cold on your vessel, did I hear you say that you were going to try and help us stay warm?”
“Yes, we will.”
“Good, we are fine for a few more hours, but the sooner we can get warm, the better it will be for us.”
“Of course, we will make every effort to be quick in meeting your needs.”
“Thank you.”
Lon paused for a second, just long enough that Kyle thought he sensed an uneasiness as to what he would say next.
“Our Ambassador, Firtulm, has a few… how would you explain? Elements of confusion regarding what happened back on our vessel. May I ask the Colonel and that Marine”, he pointed at K-Man, “a few questions.”
Ambassador Thomas cut his eyes to Kyle, and seeing him nod, quickly said “Of course, Lon, they would be happy to answer your questions.”
“Thank you.” Lon turned back to Firtulm, the Hedali that Kyle had dragged aboard the Fletcher, and spoke for a few seconds more.
K-man maneuvered over to where Kyle and Ambassador Thomas were and waited with them.
“Just answer the questions as simply and as honestly as you can. If you have any hesitancy, it might appear as if we are hiding something,” the Ambassador whispered.
“What if we need to hide something?” asked K-man in the same low whisper.
Kyle stared at him until he looked towards his feet.
“What did your mother teach you, Sergeant? If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. The same here, if you can’t say the truth, then keep your mouth shut and let me talk. You suck at lying.”
To an outsider, it would have seemed humorous, but both Kyle and Kiskaliski knew that this was a direct order from Colonel to Sergeant.
Lon turned to face them.
“Colonel Martin, may I ask about the condition of the Marine who was shot?”
“He’s doing well, thank you for your concern.”
“I am not concerned Colonel Martin, I am frightened. He should not be well. He should not be.”
Kyle carefully considered what to say next.
“I don’t understand why that should scare you. Should you not be happy that he survived?”
“Yes and no. He was hit by a tilsoc, a very advanced weapon. It should have dissipated his form immediately. Instead, he is very much there. When Firtulm saw the enemy fire on your Marine, he felt great fear that a human would be lost at his meeting. But when he saw your Marine run by him, he felt great fear that this meeting would be the end of his career. The weapon he was hit with should have… no… it must have destroyed him. And yet it did not.”
Kyle could clearly sense the nervousness and fear in Lon.
“It will be fine, Lon, maybe Ramirez will feel some effects later; maybe he just caught a portion of it.”
Lon shut his eyes and bobbed up and down a little.
“No Colonel Martin, you don’t understand. If even a portion of the wave were to touch him or you or the ship, 192 kilograms of material would have been dissipated. That is simply the way the physics of the weapon works.”
Kyle was stunned. He suddenly felt very sympathetic for the Hedali, as they had witnessed the truly impossible in their mind. Kyle believed in miracles and Divine intervention. He had seen enough of them in combat; and he knew that to see something truly impossible was very upsetting, even if it ended with a good result.
“Ok Lon, let’s look into that later. What other questions do you have for us?”
Ambassador Thomas looked at Kyle with an exasperated expression. He didn’t like the abrupt change in the conversation apparently.
“Yes, Colonel Martin, we will discuss that later when more information is available. The next question I have is to this Marine of yours… Kiskaliski?”
“You can call me K-man if that would be easier.”
“Thank you. What did you do to the Otina that were in the corridor?”
“I shot them.”
“With what?”
K-Man held his rifle out to Lon. The Hedali visibly shrank back from it.
“I apologize K-man, I cannot touch a weapon without proper training. What kind of weapon is it?”
“It’s heavily modified fifty caliber sniper rifle.”
“But what kind of weapon?”
K-man looked at Kyle with a puzzled look on his face.
“It’s a projectile weapon, Lon,” Ambassador Thomas offered. “Show him a bullet, Sergeant.”
K-man pulled a magazine from his belt and popped a round out with his thumb.
It floated slowly towards Lon as he stared at it in wonder.
“How is it propelled from the weapon?” he asked in a much quieter voice than before.
K-man took the round in his hand and held it up for Lon to see.
“An explosive charge is set in this brass case, the round itself is secured in front of the explosive. There is a pin that strikes the round inside the weapon. It detonates the explosive and forces the projectile down the barrel of the weapon.”
Lon stared at the round as K-man explained the process. He then turned back to the other Hedali and started speaking frantically. The other Hedali spoke in a brief, halting manner until it was obvious that Lon was describing the weapon that Kiskaliski had used.
They were quiet until he was done. The third Hedali spoke softly to Lon for a few minutes, and Lon then turned back to the humans.
“Did the Otina die instantly when you used your weapon?” he asked K-man.
“I don’t know. If they had been human, they would likely have died before they hit the ground. But I don’t know if their bodies are the same as ours.”
“How do you aim your weapon?”
“I have a digital scope showing where each round will strike when I pull the trigger.”
“The last one you killed, you used a different weapon. Why?”
“I was out of ammunition in my main weapon, so I used a weapon that was ready.”
“And how did you aim that weapon?”
“I didn’t. There wasn’t time. I pointed and fired.”
Lon just stared at him.
“I do not understand your humor, forgive me. I must ask again, how did you aim your second weapon?”
“I didn’t aim it. I am used to firing the weapon, so I pointed it at what I wished to hit, and I was accurate enough to hit my target.”
Lon turned and spok
e to his fellow Hedali for just a few seconds before turning back to the humans.
“We are concerned with what you are telling us. This is rather odd to us. We had no idea that a projectile using a simple explosive could kill that effectively. We are also amazed that you can aim so precisely at such distance without aid of a computer. Yes, we are very concerned.”
Ambassador Thomas looked intently at Lon for a few seconds.
“Lon, we are not familiar with many of your technologies or understanding of science as well. We are looking forward to learning much from the Hedali. Perhaps the Hedali can learn from us as well?”
“Yes, that would appear to be the situation. I must admit, I never thought that we would be learning so much in such a short amount of time. You have impressed us. We look forward to seeing more of your abilities and technologies.”
Richards cleared his throat as he neared the small group. “Excuse me Colonel, we have the suits available for our guests now.”
“Thank you Richards. Lon, we have some suits that will hold your body heat in. We are also warming one of our labs for you now; we hope it will be warm enough for you.”
“Thank you, Colonel.”
“Do you need anything to eat or drink?”
“Maybe. How long will this journey to your planet take.”
“Around ten days, or 240 hours.”
Lon turned back to his people and spoke briefly.
“Thank you Colonel. Yes, we will definitely need food and drink. Several times in fact. Can we contact our people?”
“Of course, Lon,” Kyle said, flipping on his com unit. “Cowboy, can we get a relay ready for the Hedali when we hit another pocket?”
The field that the Torpedo created interfered with communications, but there were regular intervals that seemed to open during a run that allowed for short periods of communication.
“Sure thing, Colonel. We have a pocket coming up in twenty minutes. I’ll try to get the relay set up. We will have another one at 1435.”
“Great, thanks. Lon, we will be able to send a message to the Hedali in just over six hours. In the meantime, what kind of food and drink do you need?”