“I���m proud of each and every one of you. Each of us may not be perfect in character, but volunteering for this duty shows what true patriots you all are. We are fighting for the Grid, for our homes and for our people. Our stories may never be told, only we will know what we have accomplished. So today, fight the good fight, give it your all, push the limits of what you can do and take from our enemies what they have been taking from us for a thousand years. Let���s show ���em what we���re made of!”
The orders were handed down and the details of each man���s duties outlined. We would be going in fast and hard and playing for keeps. I boarded the Swift in the Slaughter���s hold, Frig was at the ready. “Sir, I have completed a check and recheck of all systems, the Swift is ready.”
We exited the Slaughter���s cargo dock and took our position in the formation. In an instant the image projection technology was enabled and the 302 ships in our fleet disappeared from view. As throttles were increased and the ships moved forward a visual display showed the effect of the projection on a ship whose speed or direction was changing. Ghost ships appeared and faded from view.
We would move to a location just beyond the Milgari���s sensor range and then set our speeds and trajectories for our final assault. The space covered when masked would take 22 hours. I turned to Frig with a comment, “Well, here we go again, having to wait for the action that we know is coming. This is the part that drives me nuts. We will need sleep before the attack begins, but who can sleep with what we have coming?”
Frig responded, “You just need something to occupy your time Sir. I spend mine reviewing system performance logs. I know that is not for you, but I always find them fascinating.” Frig pointed towards my locker, “Perhaps you can spend the time on your father���s data store. Put the ship���s computer to work at cracking the encryption. There is always that one-in-a-million chance that it will stumble upon the right sequence.”
I replied, “Well great, that will keep the ship���s computer occupied but not me.” Frig sighed, “Well, best of luck to you Sir, if you should need me, I will be reviewing performance logs.” I kicked back in my chair, but I could not get comfortable. I stood and paced the deck in an attempt to come up with something to do; my mind was a blank, only occupied by the coming battle.
I walked back to my locker and retrieved the data store my father had given me when I was ten. I plopped down in my chair while fumbling with the cube in my right hand. I plugged the data store into the universal data connector and brought up a reader / decryption program. After entering several parameters I selected the Run button and then sat back to watch as the counter ticked away attempts at cracking the cypher. After an hour of staring I walked back to the bunkroom for a nap.
I had not slept well the few nights before and the two hour nap turned into a nine hour blissful sleep. I awoke to the touch of Frig���s hand pushing on my shoulder. “Sir, the Colonel is asking for you.” I rolled over slowly and sat on the edge of my bunk. As I walked to my console I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I answered the hail, “What���s up Colonel?” The Colonel frowned as he looked at his screen. “Grange! Looks like you���ve been on an all-night bender. Go splash some cold water on your face and come back when you���re awake.”
After the Colonel disconnected I did as he suggested. The cold water felt good on my skin when followed by a warm towel. I then moved to our kitchenette and proceeded to pour a cup of day-old coffee. The first swig went down hard but good. I could feel the life coming back into my body.
I reconnected to the Colonel, “What do you need Colonel? As you can see I���m a busy guy over here.” The Colonel replied, “Grange. I���m just trying to plan ahead a little here. You and your friend there are targeted at a battleship and three cruisers. After that you were set up as freelance.”
“I know what kind of trouble you can get in from that so I am teaming you up with Jarrod and the Helix to board a cruiser. I want to capture three of their cruisers this go-round to be taken back for remodeling at the base. I want to place 16 of our cannons on one of those barges and see how effective she can be. The Raiders are a nice ship, but we are going to need more firepower if we want to go up against a larger fleet.”
Two other raiders will be assisting on the capture. I know you are familiar with Jarrod���s team so I would like to see you working with them.” It was a well thought out plan by the Colonel. He knew I would find a way into hard combat, so he figured out a way to make it happen in a more controlled environment. Jarrod���s team was well versed at a cruiser assault having participated in the two that had been previously done. It was a plan that I was comfortable with.
The Colonel would be commanding the ground forces down on the planet. The Slaughter was to land just outside the capital city where the largest Milgari garrison was located. The estimate was one of 150,000 Milgari troopers to our 26,000 Marines. We would have our ships to back us up. The Milgari would be fighting on their home turf.
I spoke to the Colonel, “So what do you have planned for yourself Colonel? I know you won���t be sitting in that chair during all of this.” The Colonel leaned forward with a grin. I will be sitting right here until such time as our plans are well underway. I���ll be hitting that garrison with the men of the Slayer and the Slaughter. After the plans are in motion the guy at the top doesn���t have much to do, so I will be helping where I can.”
I nodded in reply, “I thought as much Colonel, I think we were cut out of the same mold. We have loads of energy and determination and not enough brains to stay out of the way. Send your plans for me over and I���ll review them. And Colonel��� don���t get yourself killed either, we need men like you to keep men like me from doing stupid things.” The Colonel nodded and disconnected the comm link.
As we approached the enemy vessels began to show on our sensors. Last minute adjustments were made with new targets assigned. Frig and I were given the opportunity to even the score with a Durian destroyer being present. If all went well we would decelerate just as we fired our ion cannon, crippling the Durian���s engines with a massive negative pulse and her other systems with a negative ion bomb.
On the return run we would take out as many of the ship���s weapons as was possible. If the ship���s big guns could be taken down before their power systems came back online the Helix would move in with a boarding party. If we could come away from the fight with a Durian destroyer in hand, it would be a major coup.
“OK, deceleration in three, two, one���” Frig fired the cannon and released the negative ion bomb at the same instant. The Durian ship was caught off-guard as its systems went dormant. I pulled back hard on the stick and targeted the port cannons. The destroyer had six battle cannons on each side. Frig���s precise shots quickly eliminated their port weapons.
After passing by the destroyer and once again performing a hard turn we came back with shots at the starboard guns. They were obliterated with six quick rumbles from our ion cannon. I then rolled the Swift 90 degrees to bring us around to the front of the vessel. As we charged in the Durian ship suddenly came back to life.
I pressed a button on our image projectors and two new Swifts appeared on the Durian gunner���s screens. A solid miss with his shot sealed his fate. A strong negative ion pulse entered the gunner cabin, incinerating everything within 20 meters. The Durian ship was now without weapons.
I circled back and Frig hit the Durian’s engines with another hard pulse. The Helix then pulled alongside her and the breaching tubes were extended. I made one last roll and Frig eliminated the battle cannons of a Milgari battleship before we turned back towards the Helix. I landed hard in the bay, picked up my AK-47 and headed for the door. “Frig��� take care of my baby for me. I have some Durians who need my attention!” Frig replied as I ran, “That is our baby Sir, and yes I will be right here!”
I stepped ou
t of the cargo door and sprinted towards the breaching hallway. Daniels was waiting for me with his squad. I yelled as I passed them by, “Let���s kick some Durian ass boys!” The Marines quickly followed behind.
The Durian ship was as I had remembered before, black walls with light colored floors and ceilings. With the blackness that came with no power the infrared emitters on our helmets gave an eerie appearance. The first Durian to enter the hallway did so with a hand-light. He was quickly blown in half by three shotgun blasts. The soldiers who had fired rotated to the back to reload.
As we approached the room the first victim had come from, a barrage of green laser blasts impacted the opposite hallway wall. We had to shield ourselves from the shrapnel that was produced by the thin steel walls as they exploded.
Daniels offered guidance, “It looks like they have a powered weapon. Keep that in mind as we move forward. If they have weapons power they may have other surprises waiting for us. Keep your eyes open and your focus tight!”
After the first bulkhead I turned my AK towards the wall and fired. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! The thuds of two bodies could be heard as they fell to the floor. The room was quickly swept and we moved on, Sergeant Daniels leading the way. “Mica, Roebuck, down this hall, two doors on the left sweep and then follow up. Pinnet, hang here as backup!”
We continued to move down the long hallway that ran diagonal to the ship’s length. Four other teams from the Helix were to either side of our location. Heads-up displays within our helmets told of their positions. Two other Raider craft had landed and were assaulting other decks. With luck the Durian destroyer would be cleared in a little more than an hour.
Daniels moved up and poked a small video probe around the corner. It was instantly sheared off by a green laser bolt. Daniels shouted as he pulled a pin and flung a grenade around the corner. “Nade!” Booom! The ensuing explosion rocked the far hallway, but the green laser blasts continued to come. “Parker! Go two doors back and blow a hole in the back wall. See if you can come out behind ‘em. And take Sellers and Grange here with you!”
I turned and followed Parker back to the first room. A string charge was stuck on the wall and we left the room. Booom! “OK, move it! Sellers, get through that hole and shoot anything that moves!” I followed quickly after. My heart was beating like a boxer working out on a speed-bag. It was a feeling that I had enjoyed as a boy, not so much now that I was in battle.
The room was clear, but the hallway beyond was full of Durians. It was immediately evident that they were general ship staff and not trained soldiers. There was no organization; every move was a reaction to stimuli. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak! Boom! Ch-ch Boom! Ch-ch Boom! Ch-ch! The immediate hallway was soon clear.
The laser blasts continued to hold Daniels and the others in place. Parker pulled another grenade and rolled it around the corner towards the laser origination point. “Nade!” Booom! The laser weapon went silent. Daniels split the squad, sending Jackson to join us. We were ordered to proceed down the hallway in front of us, clearing out each room we came to.
We paused at the dead Durian who had been firing the laser. Sellers picked it up from the floor and looked it over. “No power source. It looks like it is pure chemical Sir, a reaction based lasing. Has a replaceable chem pack in the grip.” Sellers tucked the weapon into a zippered pouch on his pant leg.
Parker spoke up, “We have six doors in the section in front of us we need to clear those before we reach the next cross-hall. Jackson. You take point.” Jackson replied, “Yes Sir!” As his big hulking frame began to move down the hall multiple laser blasts exploded through the walls around him. Jackson hit the floor and cut loose with his AK sending a stream of lead into the wall beside him. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! He quickly rolled over and sent another barrage through the opposite wall.
I charged forward and slid up in front of the door. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! I heard a body hit the floor on the other side and I kicked the door open with my boot. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! As soon as I poked my head in the door a Durian dove at me with a knife. He brought the blade down hard and I countered with the butt of my gun. The steel shank stuck into the hardwood stock as we fell backwards into the hall.
Jackson was on top of the situation and the butt of his AK crushed the back of the Durians skull with a quick, powerful pop. As I rolled the blue scaly creature off of me I took note of the insignia on his uniform. It was the second in command on the destroyer. Parker moved up to the next door and rolled in a grenade. The ensuing blast killed two Durians who were lying in wait.
As Jackson finished sweeping the room he stepped back into the hall in front of me. He held out his big hand, “Let���s go Sir. No breaks until the job is done. That���s what���s in our contract!” Jackson smiled as he pulled me to my feet.
Just as with all the Marines I had encountered under the Colonel���s command, these guys were rock solid professionals. They were tough, they were relentless and they were highly trained. Again I took some pride in being the son of a Marine.
When we reached the end of the hallway we were again confronted with laser fire. The laser���s blasts were few and far between, leaving me with the conclusion that lasers were not their primary weapons. The Durians I had encountered years before had standard blasters on their belts or the more powerful blaster rifles that they carried.
Explosions could be heard and felt coming down the cross-hall from Daniels direction. He came over the comm, “Crap Parker! We need support. We have about a dozen soldiers pinning us down. We are stuck in a room opposite from you. Franklin carried our string charges and he���s down in the hall!”
I could tell in Daniels voice that he was desperate. He was in a weak position and outnumbered three to one. Parker quickly rolled two grenades down the cross-hall towards where Daniels aggressors would be coming from. Booom! Booom! The blasts shredded the surrounding area but the Durian assault continued.
I reached into Jackson���s assault pack and pulled out a string charge. I raced into the adjacent room and slapped it up on the wall. Once back into the hall I triggered the explosive charge. Booom! A perfect cutout of the string charge now made a doorway to the next room. I ran through the breach with Jackson close behind. I kicked the door to the room open, surprising two Durians in the hallway. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
The two Durians slumped to the floor and the others behind them turned to scramble for cover. Jackson dove past me and rolled to an upright squatted position in the hall. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Four more Durians fell silent before he turned and dove back towards the room, a laser bolt shearing off his left foot just above the ankle. “Arrrgh! Gaw!”
Even with the intense pain he was in, Jackson was a warrior. He rolled his upper torso back into the hallway and again let out a parade of lead. Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! I reached down and grabbed his other leg, dragging him back into the room just as a slew of laser bolts impacted the floor and doorway where he had just been.
“This is Grange, we have several men down. I count at least three. Daniels squad is pinned in the second section of hallways from the breach. I think we can hold this position, but we need backup for evac!” I patted Jackson on his good leg as I propped him against an interior wall.
“Hang in there man, help should be coming!” Jackson reached out and grabbed my arm. “Thanks for the assist Grange! That wasn���t my best move back there. That laser blast cauterized the wound Sir. It���s clean. Find me something to cover the stump and I am still in this fight.” Jackson winced as I pulled a med pack and gave him a pain injection.
“You cover that breach behind us. Anybody tries to come through that is not one of us��� cut ���em down.” Jackson nodded and rolled over in front of the breach hole, his AK aimed at the door of the room on the other side.
A voice came over the comm, “This is Vicks, we are two sections further in from your position, we are cutting through the cross-hall towards your position now. If you want to j
oin us we should have these pukes in a cross-fire in three, two, one���” Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Booom! Ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! Squad two cleared out the remaining six Durians that had us pinned in the hall.
A medic soon joined our position with Frig as an assistant. “Sir, glad to see you are OK.” I replied, “Yeah, yeah, just get these guys back to the medical bay. And don���t take any lip from Jackson here, he needs that leg looked at ASAP. I think Franklin has bought it, Don���t know about Sawiski.”
Daniels took charge of the combined second and third squads and we were soon back in the fight. The Durians were tough. But their numbers quickly dwindled when three more Raider ships breached the other decks. The battle for the destroyer lasted for five hours before the last two Durians gave up.
Daniels had them on the ship���s bridge. “You two need to start cooperating if you want to live! We are flying this ship out of here and you can either go with us live or we shove you out a lock and watch you bloat up. What do you say fellas? Feel like living��� Barber! Go get me my bugs!”
Chapter 9
I only glanced at the prisoners as I looked over the sleek layout of the bridge. But something stuck in my mind. I had seen one of the two Durians before. It was the Colonel who had reluctantly given me the technology to ferry to Zimmerman. He didn���t recognize me with my new face.
“Well, well, look who we have here. I believe you were a commander when we last met. I don���t think you cared much for Humans back then. I wonder what your opinion is of us now.” The Durian looked at me for several seconds. “I have never laid eyes on you Human. I have no interest in your kind. But you have made a grave mistake by assaulting a ship of the Durian Empire. Our response will be overwhelming.”
I laughed just to get under his scaly skin, “Overwhelming? You mean like we just did to you here? No, I would say you should be the one who is afraid. Defiant is coming for the Durians, and when we find out where it is that you call home, we will be there with a force that is so incredibly powerful that those blue scales on your back will turn yellow with fear.”
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