REV: Requiem: an epic military sci-fi novel (REV Warriors Part 2 Book 3)

by T. R. Harris

  Out of respect—and not wanting to start an argument—Angus left Ashley to her thoughts. If they made it out of this latest adventure alive, she would take the time to sort out her emotions. But for the moment, she was choosing to suppress them. It would be wise for Angus to do the same.

  However, even with his feelings about Anton put on hold, he still had to deal with the constant cascading he experienced every time David Cross came into view. It was an involuntary reaction to the hatred he felt. It was one thing to have sabotaged the contraceptive supply aboard the Zanzibar that started this whole affair. But to now learn that Cross literally stole the children from them was something beyond the pale. He didn’t care if Anton and Monica understood the reasoning and accepted it. Angus couldn’t. But confronting the Delta REV at this point would be counterproductive. They could use his natural REV abilities, at least until Zac was safe. After that, all bets were off.

  “Everything’s set,” Ashley reported later in the second day after Anton’s arrival. “We can launch anytime you’re ready.”

  “I’ve been ready for a month,” Angus said. He cocked his head at a stern-faced Ashley Hunter. “Are you going to be okay locked up on a ship for seven days with Cross? We need to keep our heads in the game.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she snapped. Then she scowled. “My issue is that you’re so calm about this.”

  “Everything in its time, sweetheart. We have to save Zac first.” Then he smirked. “After that, who knows?”

  Ashley chuckled. “Unless Zac has his way with him first once he learns the truth. We’ve had it bad, but Zac also lost Joanie.”

  “Then it might be wise not to let him know the full truth until we get someplace safe.”

  Ashley nodded. “Probably not a bad idea.” She shrugged. “So, off we go. This will be fun.” Her tone belied her words.

  Captain Reynolds said his goodbyes on the hangar deck before retreating to the control room. He wasn’t anxious to take full command of the fleet; however, he understood the reasoning. The five-person team boarded the bulky buzz ship, and a few moments later, it was drifting in space outside the Taipei, using reaction jets to gain distance before engaging the gravity drive. The generators on the tiny ship were powerful and could affect the course of the carrier if activated too closely.

  Anton was at the controls with Monica at the navigator scope. No one protested their roles; the two super-REVs were the most-qualified. Angus and Ashley were at the rear of the small cockpit, standing in the artificial gravity since there was no additional seating in the room. Sensing he wouldn’t be welcome in the overcrowded compartment, Cross was aft, in the bunkroom he shared with Anton. Ashley and Monica had the other stateroom, while Angus was delegated to crashing wherever he could find a place. As has been mentioned before, buzzards were all engines and nothing much else.

  They moved out at only quarter-pulse. Besides the Taipei, they needed to avoid dozens of other ships in the vicinity with the buzzard’s gravity-well. They had only been gone for twenty minutes when Captain Reynolds came on a screen, his face flush and with crew scrambling behind him.

  “Three motherships approaching!” he reported. “Two from port, one starboard of the fleet track. I’m launching fighters. Angus, you better bolt for clear space. Things are going to get nasty around here.”

  Angus dove for a commlink. “Reynolds, Angus here. Understood. But, we’re not going to run away, not now.”

  “There’s nothing you can do. Even with the guns we placed on the Dart, that won’t do shit.”

  “We’ll see about that. Angus out.” He turned to Monica. “Do you have their course?”

  “Tracking and locked in.”

  Angus sensed she knew what he had in mind. This was what Earth’s fleet was planning to do with the main enemy force once it reached the Grid. It seemed like a good time to test the tactic.

  Monica swiveled her chair around to the newly installed weapons station. Typically, buzz ships didn’t have a weapons station because they didn’t carry weapons. They were strictly for transport, very fast transport. But modifications had been made seeing where this particular buzzard—christened the Dart—was headed.

  “Can you do this?” Ashley asked Monica. “I can help—”

  “I have it, Ms. Hunter,” Monica replied. Angus grinned. Monica had been calling her that for the past two days. Ashley told him it made her feel old. “Calculating intercept for the starboard mothership. I should be able to jump in to within twenty feet of the hull.”

  “Isn’t that cutting it pretty close?” Angus asked.

  “The Seken employ dual-levels defensive shields. The outer one is of a traditional diffusion design. The inner one is more a disruptive shield designed to interrupt shipboard electronics. I need to get within that shield. Anything beyond a hundred feet and our systems will be disrupted.”

  “Got it. Good luck.”

  “What’s going on?” David Cross asked at the doorway to the pilothouse. “I heard a link come through from the fleet.”

  “Seken motherships are attacking the fleet,” Anton reported calmly. “We’re about to initiate a jump.”

  “Good,” Cross said. “We don’t want to get involved in any of that.”

  “We’re about to jump to a Seken warship,” Anton clarified. “Initiate in five seconds.”

  “Oh,” was all Cross could mutter before all hell broke out on the Dart.

  Chapter 14

  The crash was tremendous, shaking the Dart to her core. Equipment sparked, and alarms sounded. The lights went out, to be quickly replaced with red emergency illumination. The three passengers not strapped in were tossed into the starboard bulkhead. Lacerations opened up, and blood trickled from rapidly closing wounds. Everyone aboard the Dart was a REV. That helped them survive.

  Angus quickly shook off the cobwebs from the impact with the bulkhead. “What happened!” he cried into the eerie red light.

  “Dammit!” Monica said. She had to yell to be heard over the creaking and popping of the hull. It was metal on metal, no mistake about it.

  “They didn’t have time to compensate,” Monica said cryptically.

  “What do you mean?” Ashley asked.

  Monica was frantic at the controls, flicking switches and bringing the Dart to a stop, the gravity generators rapidly winding down.

  “The jump singularity was too strong,” she reported. “With origination as close as it was to the hull of the mothership, the course was altered slightly. I was expecting automatic compensators to keep the Seken on a steady course. Instead, it shifted several feet in our direction.” She turned to the stunned faces of the crew. “We didn’t jump to within twenty feet; we collided with the hull, imbedding ourselves about eight feet into it. We’re stuck.”

  “What do we do?” David Cross asked. His tone was calm, although the question did show his lack of combat experience.

  “Well,” Angus began, “since we can’t fire our weapons and we can’t get away, we need to go on the offensive. I’m pretty sure they know something hit them. The Seken will be coming to see what it was.”

  “Offensive?” David asked.

  Angus grinned. “Frankly, I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I first heard about REV boarding parties. I didn’t think I’d get a chance.”

  “You can’t be serious?” Cross stammered. “There are only five of us. How many Seken are aboard one of these things?”

  “We estimate about three hundred,” Ashley answered. Her face was calm, with even a twinkle in her eye. She lived for moments like this.

  “Three hundred! Are you crazy? Monica, get us out of here.”

  “I can’t. The focusing ring compartment has been compromised, and the starboard gravity generator is damaged. Even the chemical engines are offline. I agree with Mr. Price. Our only option is to fight.”

  Anton and Monica were unstrapping, preparing to head after to gear up. The Dart had plenty of weapons and environmental suits aboard, enough to co
ver just about any contingency on Voris. All of that would come in handy now.

  Cross was left alone in the pilothouse while the rest of them ran aft. He followed a second later.

  “The Dart is embedded in the hull,” Monica repeated. “It’s not a complete seal, but there hasn’t been an explosive depressurization. The Seken ship still had an atmosphere at the start of the battle, unlike what the Human fleet does by dumping the atmosphere. I guess they weren’t expecting a direct attack.”

  “They will dump the atmosphere now,” Ashley said. “We need to get into pressure suits before we crack the hatch. Hurry. The clock is ticking.”

  “We need to get to the bridge as soon as possible,” Anton said. “If the ship has a self-destruct, it will be located there.”

  “Self-destruct?” Cross questioned. “Would they?”

  Ashley shook her head. “From what I know of the Seken, they’re pretty hard-headed. That would be a last resort. Right now, they’re confused. The idea of something hitting their ship—and not a missile—will be foreign to them. We need to get going.”

  She was passing handguns to everyone as suits were buttoned up and pressurized.

  Angus was elated, the natural Rev in his system at full activation. He was going on a Run, the first one in a very long time. And it would be within a target-rich environment. He was the first to the exit hatch, raring to go.

  “Anton, keep an eye on Cross, will you?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Angus grinned. That would mortify the senior REV like nothing else. Let the kid watch after the old man.

  But Cross didn’t protest. Instead, he fell in line ahead of Anton, who had taken up the six. Angus activated the hatchway, and the team stormed onto the Seken warship.

  The Dart was planted between two compartments with a bulkhead nearly dissecting the space. The wall had twisted, turning into a mangle metal mess full of dangling conduits and jagged filaments. The deck was at about a twenty-degree angle, but once Angus stepped onto it, everything appeared normal as his sense of balance took over, adapting instantly to the internal gravity of the mothership.

  Six alien bodies were strewn about, killed either by the impact or the rapidly venting atmosphere. The room was a sleeping compartment with the door to an internal passageway ripped off its hinges. Alarms were going off and with an alien form of emergency lighting illuminating both the room and the hallway.

  Angus took the lead. He entered the passageway with a forty-five caliber ballistic pistol in his hand and bullets designed to be used in the vacuum of space. There were more dead Seken here, and about twenty feet down the corridor, an emergency pressure door had closed, sealing those trapped inside to their fate.

  “The door won’t open until the pressure is equalized,” Ashley said from behind Angus.

  “Let’s give them an incentive,” Angus said as he slapped a small magnetic mine on the doorway. “Everyone back in the sleeping compartment.”

  The explosion was felt in the decking and even heard a little in the air that remained. When the team returned to the passageway, they found that the Seken had indeed dumped the atmosphere. A trio of aliens in torn pressure suits lay dead on the deck on the other side of the shattered door, having come to the area to investigate the collision.

  “All right,” Angus said through the comm system in the suits. “This part of the ship is free of atmosphere. The bridge is located at the center of the saucer. Keep moving in that direction. All roads should lead there. And shoot anything that isn’t Human.”

  It didn’t take long for Angus to get his wish. Several teams of investigators were moving through the passageways. The REVs fired with unfailing accuracy, even David Cross. The Seken were caught off guard, thinking a rock had hit the ship rather than a team of REVs. But soon, the word got out, and armed aliens replaced the damage control teams.

  They came to a sealed door with active controls and a viewport. Angus looked through to see that it was an internal airlock. Most ships had them place periodically through the structure so sections could stay pressurize, even in emergencies. There was no code needed, just to punch the open button.

  The team crowded in and a moment later had passed into a corridor still with air.

  “Is it safe?” David Cross asked. In the Grid, that question wasn’t necessary with alien cultures. Everyone was Humanoid. But the Seken were different.

  “It’s close enough,” Ashley said. Throughout her years within the Seken Federation, she’d learned a lot about the enemy. That was her job.

  “Keep the suits on anyway,” Angus ordered.

  Energy weapons erupted from ahead, sending streaks of blue light down the corridor. The team scrambled for cover, but there was none. Both Angus and Ashley were hit, burning holes in their pressure suits.

  “That’s some bloody shite,” he cried out. The bolts reached the skin and charred the flesh, but not enough to impact their Run. And then it hit him. This was a Run, and because of that, they didn’t have time to linger and take out every enemy stronghold, like the one ahead of them. A REV’s job was to burst through the resistance, disrupting defensive lines and sending the enemy scurrying away in a disorganized panic.

  “Everyone, get ready to run!” he commanded. “Don’t bother with anything except what’s right in front of you. We’re going for the bridge, and we won’t stop until we get there. If you run out of ammo, use your arms and hands. After all, we’re REVs. WE are the weapon. Now … let’s go!”

  In the close quarters of a starship, the going wasn’t as fast as could be achieved in other settings. But compared to the running speed of a Seken, the REVs were world-class sprinters. With Angus leading the way, they barreled through groups of Seken, all firing at them as best they could. The Humans took hits, but nothing they couldn’t handle. And as for the Seken, they were a High-Tier civilization, meaning they didn’t rely on physical strength to dominate their environment. Over the generations, they had become thin and frail, relying on intellect rather than brawn. That was their last mistake.

  Angus soon drained his weapons and was too busy to reload. Instead, he lowered shoulders and swung stone-like limbs at the tender aliens. Bones shattered, and bodies were crushed. Angus savored the moment, reliving memories that were vivid only after the fact in his past Runs. This one was being branded on his brain in the moment.

  And then Anton blasted past him, followed quickly by Monica. Angus watched in awe as the pair of super-REVs danced around barricades, blasting through alien bodies and reacting with blinding speed. Angus was fast, but nothing like this. He and the other Delta REV—David Cross—fell behind the pair, followed by the Alpha REV, Ashley. She was content to bring up the rear. There were no Seken giving chase, at least not from behind. Not many were left alive, and those who were weren’t anxious for a replay.

  Anton and Monica slid to stops at a closed door. It was different from the rest, appearing to be more formidable. It had to be the bridge, already sealed and undoubtedly guarded by dozens of Seken inside.

  “The laser punch!” Anton yelled out. Cross stepped up and handed him a foot-long rod. The young REV placed one end against the door and pressed the button. A dull red light flared from the tip and began melting the metal of the door. When the beam punctured the panel, Monica stepped forward and injected a gas cartridge through the hole.

  “They may be in suits,” Ashley said.

  “We’ll find out soon enough,” Monica replied.

  They only gave it a minute before retreating to a side corridor after mines were placed on the door. They were under fire by the time the grenades went off. Angus poked his head around the corner, gazing through a smoky gray haze.

  “We have a breach!” he called out. “I’m going in.”

  He sprinted around the corner and dove headfirst through the opening left by the cockeyed door panel that lay askew, held by only one twisted hinge. He slammed into several pairs of legs, toppling the aliens over him. The floor was covered with Seken
; some knocked out by the gas, others with facemasks they’d managed to put on at the last minute. Angus’s REV body could withstand the effects of the gas.

  Frantic hands began to punch at him, with none doing any damage. Then it was Angus’s turn. He swept his right arm sideways, striking three Seken in a single swipe. The satisfying sound of breaking bones was music to his ears. As were the screams from other Seken as the rest of the team entered.

  Angus climbed to his feet, still swinging rapidly at anything that came close.

  And that’s when he hit Anton across the chin.

  He gasped. “I’m so sorry!”

  “No problem, dad,” Anton said, showing no effect, not even flinching. “Is that the best you can do?” He grinned.

  That’s my boy! Angus thought proudly.

  The battle for the bridge lasted only a minute before the defenders were either dead, unconscious or nursing incapacitating injuries. Cross and Ashley now reloaded their weapons and took up guard positions at the shattered doorway.

  “Can you figure out the controls?” Angus asked Monica as she moved to a control panel.

  “With time.” She spotted a surviving purple-skinned Seken, one that didn’t appear too injured and had a yellow crest on the chest of his uniform. She grabbed him by the fabric and lifted him effortlessly off the deck.

  She spoke to him in a language Angus didn’t know.

  Ashley stepped beside him.

  “Go cover the door. I speak Seken, too. We’ll get control of the ship, trust me.”

  “You speak Seken?”

  “As do I,” said Anton. “It’s not that hard of a language to learn. But I’m sure we can modify a comm unit to make a translator for you. But not right now.”

  Angus did as he was told. He looked at Cross, who gazed back at him with a satisfying smirk. “What can I say; I sure know how to make some really powerful REVs.”