"Who do we have left?" Sindee asked, wiping blood away from her eye.
"The Zackson brothers and us."
Only three ships. And there are still thousands of bots to go.
"Deploy into a star formation. We need to force our way through those bots."
As the three ships pushed forward, the swarm began its attack anew. The crews picked their shots carefully, testing the bots' defences. The en-masse attacks that destroyed most of the fleet had now stopped. The new attacks were purely tactical.
"It appears that the bots have learned from before," Andana said.
"It appears so," Sindee replied, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the screen for any openings. "Hail the PH1."
The bridge audio delivered nothing but pops and crackles.
"Andana?"
Andana approached a crew-mate who twisted and punched the buttons of the console in front of him but still the static remained. He looked up at Andana and gave her a shrug.
"It appears that the bots are interfering with our signal, my lady," the first mate told Sindee.
"Then the need to punch through is even more important than before. On my mark, get all ships ready."
The bots surrounded them, their bodies blocking the way like a swarm of insects on a summer night. They fired again upon Sindee's ship, scoring multiple hits. She held on to her captain's chair as the ship rocked and shuddered.
Where is the opening? Where is the weakness?
The black bodies of the bots made it impossible to distinguish between them and space.
There!
"Fire!"
All three ships concentrated on the spot in front of them as they blasted through the bots' defences. Debris pelted the viewing screen as the ships crushed through the opening they had created.
"PH1, this is The Lady. What is your status? I repeat, what is your status?" Andana said.
The silence on the bridge was only interrupted by the static on the line.
"PH1--"
"What's up, Red Flower?" said a voice through the bridge speakers.
"Red Flower?"
"That's my captain's name for you, isn't it? His darling red flower?" The voice laughed on the other end.
Andana threw her hands in the air and glared back at Sindee. She pushed the crew-mate who operated the holocom controls out of the way and stabbed its button with her finger. "Can I ask who I am speaking to?"
"Sure you can, Red Flower, this is the one, the only, the baddest engineer this side of Tingo and beyond--"
"L! Watch out," another voice said, cutting off the first.
"I know what I'm doing, Kai! Anyway, as I was saying. I'm the... Oh, you've ruined my intro now. Thanks, idiot. Red Flower, you are speaking to the PH1's engineer. How can I be of service?"
"We are taking heavy losses, PH1. Has the package been delivered to the starship?"
Andana looked back at Sindee with a raised eyebrow as the line fell silent.
"Kai, what is she talking about?" L asked.
"How am I meant to know?"
"Do you think she's talking about the Impaler?"
"PH1," Andana said through gritted teeth, "you are still in communication with us."
"Oh shit! Err... Red Flower--"
"My name is not fucking Red Flower! It's Andana, and the ship is called The Lady," Andana said, slamming her hands down on the console.
"Jeez, relax, Red Flower. If you are talking about the Impaler, then yes, it has been delivered and our crew is on board the starship as we speak," L said.
"What is an Impale... You know what, it doesn't matter. We will try--"
Andana was knocked off her feet as another explosion rocked The Lady. Sindee rushed to her side and helped her to her feet.
"We've lost one of the Zackson brothers," Sindee said, checking the consoles as Andana tried to steady herself.
"Shit," Andana said, rushing to another console. "Shields are down to thirty percent. PH1, do you read me? Come in, PH1."
Nothing but static came through the bridge speakers.
"We've lost communication--"
Andana was cut off as a whirlwind tore through the bridge, sucking equipment and bodies through the vacuum the appearance of a large hole in the ship's wall created. Mouths screamed but nothing could be heard, as men were ejected into the black void of space. Sindee made eye contact with one of her crewmen as he clung to the metal console.
His legs were pulled taut behind him and he shook his head. Fear radiated from his eyes as he pleaded silent words in Sindee's direction.
Then he was gone, sucked into space as if he had never existed.
52
"We have a breach in the ship!" Blue said, as he brought up flashing red hologram screens. "Looks like they have branched the shields and are now aboard the ship."
Dre laced his fingers under his chin and said nothing.
"The scanners are broken, so I can't detect how many bodies are on board. It can't be that many, as the ship they boarded us from appears to be small," Blue said, pointing at the screens.
Dre regarded the screens with a disdainful scowl. "How long till the cannon is ready?"
"I don't--"
"You!" Dre pointed to another member of his crew. "What is it you do on this ship?"
"Weapons control."
"Then you should know the answer to the next question. Bear in mind that if you don't, I will kill you. Unlike my blue friend here, you are expendable. Now, how long till the cannon is ready to fire?"
"Ten to fifteen minutes. It is a large weapon and it needs time to--"
The smoking hole that appeared in the weapon controller's head stopped him from saying another word. As he toppled forward on his face and lay lifeless on the floor, as a small pool of blood began to spread from his body, Dre placed his pistol back in his holster and pointed to a new man.
"You are now the new head of weapons control. So the question I ask you is, how long will this cannon take to fire upon my beloved home world?"
"Eight--"
Dre pulled his pistol from his holster.
"Seven--"
He began to raise it towards the speaker.
"Five! Five minutes! It shall be ready in five minutes," said the man, hands waving in the air as sweat poured down his face.
The speaker breathed a sigh of relief as Dre returned his pistol to his holster.
"We still have the problem of the people aboard our ship," Blue said, pointing to the flashing holocom screens. "What do you think--"
"Are you really going to ask me what I think the best course of action is?"
"Well... I--I--"
Dre shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. "There is only one appropriate course of action. There is only one thing that our loved ones desire. That our dead desire... The torture of Phoenix Jones.
"Gather the men together. Stalk our unwanted guest. But leave the main game to me. There are things I must discuss with Mr Jones."
Phoenix, Saoirse and Plowstow moved along the corridors as smoke swirled around their legs. They each wore the all-black combat armour that had become standard amongst the crew. Light, flexible and able to stop most light gunfire, it was a godsend and had saved each of their lives countless times.
Multiple fires had broken out, but the ship's systems had dealt with them as best it could.
Pistols at the ready, Phoenix was bumped in the back as he tried to look around a bend. "Watch where you're going," he hissed, looking at Plowstow over his shoulder.
"I'm giving you supporting cover."
"Don't lie, you dick. You're using me as a protective shield."
"Can't I do both?" Plowstow asked with a shrug.
The corridor ahead of them appeared all clear. In fact, each corridor they passed held little in the way of obstruction, apart from the occasional small fire.
"It's too quiet," Saoirse said from the rear. "I don't like it."
"My thoughts exactly," Phoenix said, looking left to right. T
he endless corridors at either end appeared to stretch for miles.
"What's not to like?" Plowstow said, moving so close to Phoenix that Phoenix could feel the hairs on the back of his neck burn away from the stench of Plowstow's breath. "We're not getting shot at. We're not getting injured. We're not in danger. I hope they've all packed up and hightailed it out of here."
"If only we were so lucky."
The silence troubled Phoenix. There had been wailing sirens and flashing lights when they had first landed, but now... Everything had just gone dead.
He wasn't fooled, though. This was merely the calm before the storm.
Phoenix took a step out into the open and jumped back as gunfire blasted against the far wall. The trio ducked low as more shots from their left forced them back.
"You had to open your big mouth, didn't you?" Plowstow muttered behind Phoenix's back. "Oh no, just once--just once--I would like a mission that didn't involve us getting shot at or blown up."
"What's the plan?" Saoirse asked.
"We're pinned. Fire from the left and right. They appear--" Phoenix ducked low as a plasma bolt charred the wall above his head. "They appear to be moving. You take the right, me and Plowstow will take the left. On my count." Phoenix closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. How had his life ended up like this? Battling alien bad guys on a ship that had the capability to destroy a planet? It sounded like the script to all those sci-fi movies that he hated as a kid.
He took another breath.
Well, if this was that sort of movie, then he had better get in character.
"Come and get some, you fuckers!" Phoenix yelled, leaping from his hiding place and rolling to the side. He came up, pistol ready, and began to fire into the advancing ranks. He took the first two in the face, blowing their heads clean off their shoulders.
Plowstow's assault rifle kicked into life next to him. All black, with stickers of smiley faces that L had plastered all over it, it weighed as much as one of Phoenix's legs and was as long to boot. It caused carnage as it tore into the oncoming ranks, forcing them back.
The screams of the dying bounced from wall to wall as Phoenix and Plowstow continued wrath of destruction.
Phoenix rose to his feet and began to advance forward. Plowstow did likewise, and they mowed down the enemy in front of them.
"Pull back, pull back," one of their opponents yelled as they turned tail and ran.
"Phoenix?" L's voice spoke in his ear.
"I'm a bit busy right now, L."
"Listen, you need to get to the bridge of that ship and press the kill switch for those space bots. Sindee's fleet are all but gone, and the PH1 can't take much more damage--"
"L!" Phoenix said, holding a finger to his ear. "L, can you hear me? L, come in."
Phoenix felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Saoirse's anguished eyes staring into his soul. "What is wrong? Has something happened?"
"We need to get to the bridge--now!"
53
Phoenix, Saoirse and Plowstow made their way along the featureless grey corridors of the starship. Their feet echoed as they hurried to the bridge. Plowstow's laboured breathing played as a backing track to the rhythm of their feet.
"How out of shape are you?" Phoenix said over his shoulder as he peered round a corner. He had to pull his head back as bullets and plasma bolts were sent his way.
"I'm not built for all this running about. I'm built--"
"For sitting on your ass and getting drunk?" Saoirse interrupted.
"No, I'm built for moving heavy objects with my mighty strength."
Phoenix returned fire round the corner as Saoirse prepared a cocktail of explosives. He held out his hand and waited. "When has your lazy ass ever lifted a finger on the ship? Just the other day I asked you to help L and me in the engine room, and you complained that you couldn't because you had a...what was it? A 'long-term sports injury' that troubled you."
"I do--"
Saoirse passed Phoenix the bomb, and he threw it down the hall, ducking down as shouts and the sound of running feet moved in the opposite direction.
The bomb rocked the hallway and washed a wave of humid air over them.
"I do lift things around--"
Phoenix held his finger to his lips, cutting Plowstow off as he closed his eyes and listened. The warm air carried the mixed scent of burnt flesh and hair. It reminded him of pork. It also carried the whimpers of the wounded, but apart from that, the coast sounded clear.
Phoenix waved the crew forward. The bloodstains on the walls painted a picture of those who hadn't escaped in time. Severed limbs scattered over the floor told of the lucky few who had managed to escape with their lives.
They moved past the carnage with only one goal in mind. Phoenix had relayed L's message, even though he'd had second thoughts about telling Saoirse. But he had promised to be open and honest with the crew, no matter what happened, and this was just one of those things that happened in their line of work.
Lights flickered overhead; their wires were exposed and electric current leapt and sparked from them. Scorch marks blackened the walls.
The bridge door was at the end of the corridor. It looked to be five hundred miles away, out of reach; an unattainable destination for tired and battle-weary legs.
Phoenix looked at the other two and gave them both a nod.
He began to jog toward it, and was halfway there when he was pulled back by Saoirse. A plasma sword descended towards him. It missed him by inches and embedded itself into the floor. Men poured out of camouflaged sliding doors that had appeared to be just more walls.
Phoenix couldn't tell how many there were, but the three of them looked to be outnumbered at least four to one.
Bodies pressed against bodies in the tight corridor, which filled with shouts as fists flew. Phoenix tried to bring his pistol up, but in such close quarters, he was just as likely to hit one of his team as he was the enemy.
He head-butted a blue face, as he tucked his pistols away. His foe wobbled on his feet, and Phoenix grabbed him by the back of the neck and rammed him face first into another of his foes. Bone cracked and they both went down in a heap.
"Do not let them make their way to the bridge!" shouted someone in the crowd.
Phoenix ducked as another plasma sword swung for his head, and he smiled when he heard a scream from behind him.
Don't these fools know that using anything more than a knife is suicide for their crewmates in a fight like this?
Phoenix sprang up on his heels and delivered an uppercut that knocked the sword attacker backwards. The swordsman tumbled into one of his crewmates, knocking the man to the ground. They tried to get up but were trampled under the feet of friend and foe alike.
Two more stood in front of Phoenix, guns at the ready, fingers closing in on triggers, but two large green hands placed on either side of their heads slammed their skulls together. They dropped to the floor without a sound.
Phoenix gave Plowstow a nod of thanks before turning at the sound of a war cry from a small circle ahead of them. Two bodies flew over their heads and landed in a heap behind them before men began to run.
They pushed each other out of the way in a hurried attempt not to be the last man left facing whatever threat was coming. They didn't get far; knives flew towards them, embedding themselves in the base of their skulls.
As each one dropped to the floor, all was silent again.
Phoenix looked around him at the bodies littered on the floor. They were pitiful things, half starved and poorly clothed. Each face wore a grinning mask.
Phoenix bent down and reached out to one mask but stopped. He licked his lips as he looked up and met Saoirse's gaze, his fingers inches away from the man's face.
She gave him a slow nod.
Phoenix had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't shake. Had the fight been too easy? Or were their foes just that overmatched that they didn't stand a chance?
They're dead, Phoenix. You have nothin
g to fear from the dead.
Phoenix gripped the mask and pulled it off, only to see red lines snaking across the dead man's face.
Oh, shit!
"Run!"
54
Sindee dropped to the floor as the ship's safety procedures sealed a transparent barrier over the hole on the bridge and the oxygen levels returned to normal. She touched her ribs, wincing as the pain put her teeth on edge. Pulling herself up to a kneeling position, she saw Andana lying face down on the bridge floor.
"Andana?"
"I'm fine, my lady. Just... Just...fuck," her second in command replied.
"Yeah," Sindee said, giving her a hand back to her feet.
Sindee looked around her bridge. Wires hung from the ceiling and more than one console was sparking. The remaining uninjured members of her crew were extinguishing small electrical fires. Some of the crew lay wounded and bleeding on the floor, being patched up by medics, some of whom were bleeding themselves.
Sindee placed a comforting hand on any shoulder she walked past. She nodded to those that looked up to her with frightened eyes and reassuringly squeezed any hand that was lifted up to her.
They had been in battles before, against pirates, smugglers and outlaws. But it had never been this bad. She had never lost so many ships in one fell swoop. She had never lost so many men.
Sindee allowed her feet to carry her till she was staring through the hole that had been created in the bridge of the ship, now sealed with a protective clear barrier.
Black metal shapes flew in the distance. They moved in a wave, like a pack of sentient animals. It was beautiful to behold; their movements were hypnotising. It reminded her of the swaying grass back on Lavera.
Standing on top of those hills, there had been no worries, no problems.
She took another step forward, till she felt herself being pulled back from the hole.
"Careful, my lady," Andana said. "You shouldn't get too close to that hole. The barrier is not strong."
Sindee patted the hand on her shoulder, as the swaying mass turned their attention back on the ship. "We have incoming!" She heard movement behind her as everyone stumbled to their stations.
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