“Mike, before you say anything, it was my idea,” said Williams. “Sergeant Chang did not know anything about it.”
“Know what, sir?” Chang said, his voice barely disguising his anger.
Sheridan looked over at his long-time friend and shook his head.
“I’m sorry,” said Williams.
That was not going to be enough for Sheridan. He said, “Master Sergeant, please take Sergeant Chang with you and inspect all of the troops’ assault rifles and ammunition. I want you to ensure that there are no more illegal modifications out there.”
“Right, sir,” replied Cole.
When they were alone, Sheridan took a deep breath to calm his growing anger. “Harry, what the hell were you thinking? I had the weapons modified for a reason, a damn good reason. What makes you think you know better than me?”
“Mike, I said I’m sorry. It’s just that I thought you were being overly cautious.”
“Overly cautious!” yelled out Sheridan. “God damn it, Harry. Have you ever seen a body after it has been exposed to space?”
“No,” replied Williams, looking away to avoid Sheridan’s scowl.
“Well, I have, and trust me it’s not a pretty sight. I had the weapons’ lethality toned down a bit so we wouldn’t have the outer hull of the Kurgan vessel rupture on us while we are trying to seize it.”
“Sorry, Mike, I guess I screwed up.”
“Harry, you’re lucky that we’re already on our way. Because I would have had you replaced for this breach of orders. Friendship be damned. You have just proven to me that I can’t trust you.”
Williams struggled for words. “Mike, please forgive me. I just thought I was doing the right thing.”
“That’s the problem, you didn’t do the right thing. You should have spoken to me first and all of this could have been avoided.”
Williams came to attention. “You’re right, sir. It won’t happen again.”
Sheridan walked over until he was mere inches from Williams’ face. He looked deep into his friend’s eyes. “I know it won’t, Mister Williams. Dismissed!”
Williams spun about and exited the room.
With a bitter expression on his face, Sheridan sat back down in the captain’s chair. He could not believe what had just happened. He thought he knew his closest friend. Someone in the First Div had taught him bad habits. Sheridan was going to speak with Cole and see who Williams’ original platoon sergeant had been. Perhaps that would explain his rash actions. Sheridan checked his watch. They were still a twenty-four hours away from their rendezvous. He hoped that there would be no more screwups.
Hours later, Sheridan sat on his cot and stared at the steel-gray wall. He knew he should be getting some rest, but after the earlier confrontation with Williams and their imminent arrival at the drop-off point, he was just too worked up to sleep. He was about to leave his room when the door opened and Cole walked in holding two cups of coffee.
“Here, I thought you could use a hot drink,” said Cole handing Sheridan a cup.
“Thanks. If I were to do this over, I think I’d insist on restoring the heat to more sections of the ship.”
Cole sat down on his cot and looked over at Sheridan. “Sir, you really shouldn’t beat yourself up about what happened earlier. I had a few words with Sergeant Chang. He should have picked it up long before I did. It’s his job. I know he’s new to the platoon, but that’s no excuse. He should have known better.”
“Master Sergeant, I’ve known Harry Williams for years. I thought he’d act better than he did. It’s really disappointing to see how he handled himself the first time he is facing combat.”
“Sir, it wasn’t all that long ago that you were as green as Mister Williams. I’d tell you to cut him some slack and let him learn from his mistake, but what you do is up to you.”
Sheridan took a sip of his coffee. Perhaps Cole was right. Perhaps he was too hard on his friend. He was still too pissed to let it go right now. Sheridan decided to wait until the mission was over before deciding what to say to Harry.
There was an unexpected knock at the door.
“Come in,” said Sheridan.
Tartov stepped into the room. His face was white and he was shaking from his head to his toes.
Both men saw the terrified look in Tartov’s eyes and jumped to their feet. “PO, what’s wrong?” asked Cole.
Tartov struggled to find his voice. “Master Sergeant, Technician Second Class James is dead.”
“What do you mean he’s dead?” asked Sheridan.
“Sir, when I went to replace him on the bridge I found him lying slumped over a console he had been working on. It looks like he died of electrocution.”
“Crap,” muttered Sheridan as he picked up his rifle.
They found James’ body lying on the communications console. The acrid smell of burnt flesh and electronics lingered in the air.
“Besides us, have you told anyone about this?” Sheridan asked Tartov.
“No one, sir. I ran to find you the second I realized that James was dead.”
“Is the circuit still live?” Cole asked.
“No. I switched it off myself. It’s safe to touch the body if you want to,” explained Tartov.
Cole reached over and turned James’ body over. He grimaced when he saw that the man’s face and hands were blackened. “What do you think happened?”
“He must have gotten careless and touched the wrong wires,” said Tartov. “These Kurgan vessels aren’t built like ours.”
Sheridan looked down inside the open panel. He could not see any frayed or exposed wires that could have possibly caused an electrical shock. He stepped back and looked over at Tartov. “PO, did you tell him to work on the comms console?”
“No, sir. I left him here to keep an eye on things while I took a couple of hours sleep.”
“Okay then. Here’s what I want you to do. Take a look at the wiring and see if you can find what killed James and then double check the system to make sure that we can still transmit and receive signals.”
“What about James?”
“Master Sergeant Cole and I will see to his body.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Tartov, turning away to avoid looking down at the dead body.
Cole and Sheridan picked up the dead body and moved it out of the bridge. They took it down the cold corridor until they came to an empty room. Together they placed James’ corpse down on a table. “Do you have a flashlight on you?” Sheridan asked his friend.
Cole handed Sheridan his flashlight. “What are you doing, sir?”
Sheridan rolled James’ body over and examined the back of his neck. “I’m no forensic expert but does that bruise on James’ spinal column seem inconsistent with the rest of his injuries?”
“Jesus, you’re right,” said Cole as he stared down at the triangular shaped bruise. “What do you think could have caused that?”
“I’m not sure, but I’m willing to bet that James was murdered and that Tartov is going to discover that our comms system is down.”
Cole shook his head. “Not again.”
“Yeah, looks that way doesn’t it. Someone here is not what he appears to be. There’s no doubt in my mind, Master Sergeant, that we have a Kurgan saboteur onboard.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Double everyone up. No one goes anywhere or does anything without his partner. I also want Tartov and the surviving technician guarded at all times. Without them, this plan is doomed to failure.”
“What if the saboteur decides to try something else?”
“Hopefully, by being paired off with someone, that will deter him from attempting anything else. Come on, let’s wake up Williams and Chang; they need to be brought into the picture.”
“This is gonna get worse before too long,” said Cole. “I can feel it in my bones.”
“Unfortunately, you may be right.”
“This is unbelievable,” said Williams. “Are you positive that
he was murdered, sir?”
Sheridan heard the frosty tone in Williams’ voice. “Mister Williams, I’m as certain as I can be under these circumstances.”
“What are we going to do? Should we turn back?”
Sheridan shook his head. “No, we’ll proceed to the drop-off point and continue with the mission.”
“But there’s a murderer onboard.”
“There’s nothing I can do about that right now. When we get back home, we can quarantine the ship and let the military police conduct their investigation into the murder. Our jump will be ending in the next couple of hours. I want everyone woken up and paired off. No one will do anything alone from now on. I also want the bridge to be restricted to essential personnel only. Master Sergeant Cole and Staff Sergeant Chang can work out a duty roster. The bridge and the ship’s engines are considered to be mission critical. No one gets into either location without my permission.”
“Yes, sir,” replied Williams.
Sheridan looked over at Cole. “I’ll leave you and Sergeant Chang to sort things out. Also, send a couple of men to weld shut the docking bay door.”
“I’m on it,” responded Cole.
“Mister Williams, a word in the hallway,” said Sheridan.
Sheridan led Williams to a quiet corner. The man in front of him seemed so different from the one he had hung out with for four years. “Harry, you had best lose the attitude and fast. I’ve just about had it with you.”
Williams looked away. “Sorry, Mike, I don’t know what’s come over me. I guess the stress is getting to me.”
Sheridan saw the shame in Williams’ eyes. He toned things back. “Harry, if it didn’t, you wouldn’t be human. We’re all different. We all deal with things in our own ways.”
“Yeah, but you look as cool as a mountain glacier.”
“Trust me, on the inside I’m just as scared and worried as you are. I’ve just had a little bit more practice at hiding it than you.”
“I’ll try harder, Mike.”
Sheridan placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Harry, just be yourself. That’s all any of us can do in situations like this. Just realize that you’re going to be frightened, and that it’s okay to feel that way.”
“Thanks, Mike, this means a lot to me.”
Tartov ran down the hallway. “Captain Sheridan, I took a good look at the comms console like you asked me to and you were right. Someone had tampered with it. Whoever they are, they did not do a good job. It was easily fixed.”
“And the rest of the ship’s computer systems?”
“It’s too early to tell. Technician Khafra is checking them right now.”
“Thanks,” said Sheridan. “I think it would be best if you were to head back to the bridge and help Khafra.”
Tartov nodded, turned about, and ran back the way he came.
“This is a nightmare,” said Williams.
Sheridan pursed his lips. “Yes it is and it’s probably about to get a whole lot worse.”
Chapter 26
Tarina and Wendy sat uncomfortably on a pair of hard plastic chairs outside of Colonel Wright’s office. They had been met at the hangar bay by the XO and escorted off the flight deck. They were not even given the chance to change out of their survival suits.
“So which real transport squadron do you think they will send us to?” mused Tarina.
“Probably one on the ass end of space where we can’t get into trouble,” replied Wendy.
The door to Wright’s office opened. The XO waved for the women to step inside. They marched in, came to attention, and saluted Colonel Wright.
Wright returned the compliment and then sat down behind his desk. “Ladies, I was just chatting with the admiral’s staff and they were none too pleased with your actions today. One officer went so far as to question your competencies.”
Tarina could feel her back going up. There was no way anyone was going to disparage her without her saying something in her defense. “Sir, it was a judgment call. If we hadn’t fired when we did, who knows how many people could have been killed if the enemy had been able to launch a strike on the fleet.”
“You do realize that you’re both lucky to be alive?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the women together.
“While you two were cooling your heels out in the hallway, the XO and I went over the feed from your ship’s computer.”
Tarina tensed. She could almost see herself packing her bags and being escorted off the ship.
Wright stood up. “Ladies, as far as I am concerned, you did the right thing and to hell with the fools over on the Colossus.”
Tarina could not believe what she was hearing. “Thanks, sir.”
“I told the commander who questioned your tactics to go screw himself. I doubt I will be on their guest list at the next social call. Ladies, I would have done exactly the same thing as you. The only difference is that I would have been aware that the enemy tends to shoot back when shot at.”
“Yes, sir. We should have anticipated the enemy’s reaction,” said Tarina. “It won’t happen in the future.”
“I know it won’t. Now what I’d like you two to do is have a nice hot shower followed by some food. After that, I want you to go over your mission minute by minute until you have learned all that you can from it. If there’s a tactic, technique, or procedure that we can modify to catch that Kurgan son of a bitch, I want to know about it before you go out again.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed,” said Wright, smiling at his favorite flight team.
“Hop to it, captains,” added the XO.
In the hallway Tarina and Wendy exchanged a look of disbelief. They had gone in expecting to be fired, instead they were on the hunt again.
“Come on, let’s do as we were told before the colonel changes his mind,” proposed Wendy.
They turned to leave when the ship’s alarm sprang to life. A voice came over the speaker system. “Code Red. Incoming medical emergency. Trauma Team One report immediately to the hangar bay. I say again Trauma Team One to the hangar bay.”
Wright and Lieutenant-Colonel Tolinski bolted out of his door. Tarina and Wendy turned and ran with them. At the door leading to the flight deck, a crowd was already standing about.
“Make room,” said Wright tersely. The people parted and let the colonel through.
Wendy and Tarina moved to one side and stood at a long glass window that looked out into the hangar. They could see a jump fighter coming up into the bay.
“Oh God, no,” moaned Wendy when she saw that the ship was barely holding together. The cockpit was smashed. There were several large blast holes in the fuselage.
“Looks like she was jumped by an enemy fighter,” said Tarina. “They’re lucky to be alive.”
“Who is it?” Wendy asked.
“That’s Rose and Gordon’s ship.”
The hangar doors closed beneath the crippled craft. The life support and artificial gravity automatically kicked in. Colonel Wright along with the trauma team were the first through the door. Technicians swarmed the fighter, attempting to pry the damaged cockpit open. A minute later, the medics were able to reach the flight crew.
Wendy and Tarina watched in horror as Rose’s shattered body was removed from the navigator’s seat. Shrapnel from a hit had flown into her midsection almost cutting her in half. The pilot’s face was covered in blood. He looked to be in shock and had to be led by the hand to a waiting stretcher.
Tarina placed a hand on Wendy’s shoulder. “Let’s skip the shower for now. We can grab some sandwiches from the galley and get right to work.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Both women turned and quietly made their way past the crowd of onlookers. They had seen enough death for one day. The only thought on their minds was to find a way to destroy the Kurgan ship lurking somewhere out in space before it could do any more harm to the fleet and their friends.
Chapter 27
“Comin
g out of the jump in three-two-one,” said a voice over the speaker system on the bridge.
The view screen on the captured Kurgan vessel was filled with the light of tens of thousands of stars shining in the depths of space.
“Detaching now,” said the voice. “We’ll be monitoring your communications. Good luck and good hunting.”
Sheridan looked down at the tactical display. Ten seconds later, the tug jumped away. They were on their own. It was time to put their plan into operation. “PO Tartov, please turn on the enemy distress beacon.”
“Aye, sir,” replied Tartov as he pressed a button on the navigator’s console.
“Now what do we do, sir?” asked Technician Khafra.
“We wait,” replied Sheridan.
“For how long, sir?”
“For as long as it takes. That’s how long,” said Cole, putting an end to the nervous technician’s questions.
Sheridan looked over at the tactical display. They were a day’s travel at lightspeed from the Kurgan border. If the enemy picked up the signal and decided to respond, it would still probably be thirty-six to forty-eight hours before a rescue ship arrived. He looked around the room at the apprehensive look on the people sitting at the various duty stations. “Since everything in here is on automation and there’s nothing for us to do, does anyone feel like having some breakfast?”
“Yeah, I could go for a bit of nosh,” replied Cole, rubbing a hand over his stomach. “Anyone else? I’m buying.”
“I’m too scared to eat,” said Tartov.
“Me too,” added Khafra.
“I’m in,” said Staff Sergeant Chang.
Harry Williams shook his head. “I think I’ll pass.”
“Your loss, sir,” said Cole.
Sheridan stood up and stretched out his back. “PO Tartov, come with me for a minute.” Together they walked out of the bridge and stopped in the deserted hallway. Sheridan looked into Tartov’s eyes. “PO, when you left James on the bridge to get a few hours rest, did you see anyone acting suspiciously?”
Tartov shook his head.
Colossus (The Kurgan War Book 2) Page 12