by Jan Domagala
“Get in,” he boomed above the noise of the pulse rifles.
Zara climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine whilst Kurt opened fire with the Remm M25 that was still strapped around his back. He lay down a suppressing fire whilst Zara got the Champion going. As he heard her rev up the engine, he jumped in. The door slammed shut as she careered the ATV down the driveway in a stream of flying gravel. The ATV fishtailed under the immense potential of its power unit being supplied to the wheels, but Zara soon had it under control.
She hit the street sliding into a turn to point the vehicle away from the safe house.
“I’ll contact Sinclair, let him know we’re blown,” Kurt commented from the front passenger seat.
“We’re not out of the woods just yet,” Zara told him indicating the rear view mirror with a nod of her head.
Kurt turned around in his seat just as plasma bolts struck the rear of the ATV.
“They’re persistent, I’ll give them that,” Kurt declared.
As Zara drove the ATV Kurt accessed the front panel beneath the dash. A HUD flashed onto the windscreen showing targeting for the weapons on board. He fired two mini missiles from the rear pods, one from each side.
The mini Hellfires soon closed the gap with the following vehicles as the first missile struck the front of the nearest ATV. The resulting explosion lifted the vehicle high into the air as the front end was totally destroyed, then flipped it over to land on its roof.
Glass and metal erupted laterally across the asphalt as the vehicle concertinaed on impact with the ground. The second vehicle veered around the crashed vehicle but was met by the second Hellfire. This explosion blew the front side of the ATV off sending it spinning across the road.
“You certainly don’t take any prisoners,” Zara commented as she saw the destruction behind them.
“Them or us,” Kurt replied coldly.
A third vehicle came rushing through the melee of mangled vehicles to close up on them.
Plasma bolts struck the rear of the Champion with such force Zara had to strain to keep it in a straight line.
“What’s with these guys, why are they so persistent?” Kurt moaned.
“Shall I pull over so you can ask them?” Zara asked.
Kurt gave her a glance that told her what he thought of that suggestion.
“Head further into the city, let’s see just how determined they are,” he counter proposed.
She took the next turn and sped out onto a wide three-lane carriageway. Traffic was busy and she zipped in and out of lanes dodging other vehicles. The pursuing ATV kept pace as best it could.
A line of traffic up ahead blocked the lane they were in and Zara had to slow down, as the other lanes were full as well. This gave the other vehicle the chance it had been waiting for during the pursuit.
It came alongside them and Kurt was suddenly face to face with the driver of the other vehicle. He saw him operate the window control enabling him to reach out his gun hand towards him across the space between them.
“Do something Zara, I don’t like the look of this,” he told her without taking his eyes off the sneering driver.
“Where do you want me to go, there’s vehicles all over the place?” she argued.
“He has a gun and he’s about to shoot,” he added calmly.
“Well why didn’t you say?” she chided him.
Zara slammed on the brakes bringing the Champion almost to a halt. The other ATV suddenly found them alongside nothing as the Champion fell behind.
Zara steered the ATV around the other side of the pursuing vehicle and as she came around the rear, she allowed the front bumper of the Champion to kiss the rear of the other ATV. The manoeuvre sent the unsuspecting vehicle into a spin, which sent it across the three lanes clipping other vehicles as it went. A pile up involving several vehicles quickly ensued, which opened up a lane across from them.
Zara stamped hard on the accelerator and zoomed down the open lane.
“Looks like we made it,” Kurt breathed and relaxed a little when he saw the empty road behind them. No one else, so far, was following them.
Zara quietly drove on for a while before saying, “It’s beginning to look like it.”
Kurt accessed an encoded comm channel and called General Sinclair. “Sir, we ran into a bit of a problem,” he began when the call was connected.
“Go ahead,” Sinclair invited him.
“We were attacked by a well-armed, well trained military unit at the safe house. Somehow they must’ve hacked the security system so we never knew they were coming ’til it was almost too late,” Kurt informed him.
“Get to Jacksonville Spaceport; I’ll have the Silver Dart waiting for you. I’ll contact the local Constabulary to go over and check out the damage. Hopefully we can learn who is behind this from the bodies,” Sinclair said.
“You’re assuming we left bodies then?” Kurt argued.
“When have you ever not left a trail of bodies when you go into action?” countered Sinclair.
“I’ll concede that point,” Kurt agreed grudgingly.
“Have you any idea who they were?” Sinclair asked.
“All I know is they were military trained and they came at us hard.”
Kurt heard Sinclair sigh as he formulated his thoughts.
“Get back to HQ as fast as you can. I’ll gather as much intel from the Constabulary as I can and we’ll then have a better understanding of the situation,” he said.
Kurt looked at Zara, “You heard the man.”
Zara smiled, “Yes boss.”
6
12.30 s.e.t.
Thomas Patten stormed onto the foredeck of the yacht followed by three of his best men. They were all large, well-muscled, military trained and carried pistols in shoulder harnesses beneath their tailored jackets.
“What’s the meaning of this?” he shouted when he saw the man seated on the lounger. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out, or did you think I’d let it go?” he added as he stopped in front of him. His three minders stood in a phalanx behind him.
Visjic slowly looked up from the pad he was reading into the angry eyes of his former supplier.
“Either option makes you out to be stupid Goran,” Patten fumed.
“There is a third option, one where I am not at all stupid,” he countered.
“And that is?”
“One where I don’t care.”
Patten took a step back as he studied the squat man. He looked at him, really looked this time. He took in every detail about the man looking for something, anything that would give him a clue as to who this man really was.
What struck him first was his air of supreme self-confidence; here was a man who knew his capabilities and deficiencies. He also noticed his broad, squat, muscular frame and realised that what he had mistaken for blubber was in fact muscle.
His skin was leathery too, almost like an animal’s hide, thick and tough.
“So you just thought you’d come in and take over my operation, is that it?” Patten asked feeling he had a better appreciation of the man.
Moving in a slow, methodical manner, Visjic stood giving Patten a better view. Patten towered over him, standing at least six inches above his head.
“Something like that, yes. What do you intend on doing about it?”
Patten took a step back and his minders closed in in front of him.
“I’ll show you,” he grinned.
The three minders were huge compared to Visjic, each one at least a foot taller and equally as broad. They made to grab him but the smaller man moved like lightning compared to the huge lumbering behemoths.
He delivered a series of jackhammer blows to the first giant’s head smashing his face in, then turned to the other two and lashed out with a snap kick to the side of a knee shattering it. The recipient went down like a tree being felled; massive arms flailing as he tried to keep upright. The last minder received a blow to the groin, which doubled him over
only to have his head grabbed by two powerful hands before having his neck snapped viciously. He was dead before he hit the floor. Visjic looked at Patten, his expression neutral as he spoke, “You were saying?”
“N-now let’s not do anything stupid,” Patten stammered.
“I leave the stupidity to you Patten. Did you really think you could come in here and bully me? You have no idea who I am or what I’m capable of, do you?”
Patten shook his head, anything to stave off the inevitable.
“Have you ever heard of the planet Osiris?”
Patten nodded.
“Osiris is a heavy gravity planet. It was rumoured that the Alliance had a colony there populated by several generations of soldiers. It’s also rumoured that the Thule Society had invested its vast wealth from the past to re-build the Master Race like it tried once before in twentieth century Earth, but it’s just a legend,” he explained and then his face drained of all colour.
“It is no legend,” Visjic agreed.
Patten knew his fate then. Visjic had revealed a secret about himself and he would not allow this man to leave his yacht with that knowledge.
Visjic moved with the speed and grace of a big cat. Before Patten knew what was happening he was looking at the back of the room. His head had been turned around one hundred and eighty degrees so fast his neck had snapped.
As the light dimmed from his eyes, the last thing that registered on his consciousness was the floor rising up to meet him.
Patten was dead before he hit the floor.
7
12.30 s.e.t.
Zara drove the Champion into the car park of the Jacksonville Spaceport and pulled up in one of the bays in the ‘Private’ section.
The Silver Dart was parked on the runway a little way from where they had arrived. Security had identified them the moment they drove through the gates and had allowed them access to the ‘Private’ section.
She stood staring at the sleek lines of the shuttle based on the Cessna design of super jets, except that this was an updated edition of those prestigious planes and was fitted with a FTL Drive.
“I never forget how amazing these shuttles look. Not many people are lucky enough to travel in something as elegant as these,” she ruminated as Kurt came to stand beside her.
“Let’s get aboard, we’ll discuss how lucky we are once we’re in the air and moving back to Earth,” he urged. He placed a hand gently on her elbow to guide her toward the craft. With a nod of her head she smiled and they both walked quickly to their ride.
Once inside the sleek shuttle they sat in the plush leatherine passenger seats. The flight attendant stood in the space between the hatch and the pilot’s cabin. “Once you’re strapped in, we’ll take off,” she told them with a smile.
Harnesses strapped the two passengers in their seats while the Flight Attendant closed the ramp and hatch. A light in the cabin informed the pilot that they were secure and take off could begin.
Within moments of Kurt and Zara arriving at the spaceport they were airborne.
“I wonder who those guys were and what they wanted with us?” Zara queried looking at Kurt, the concern etched deeply across her normally smooth brow.
“We have to consider the fact they know about us and want our abilities,” Kurt offered.
“If that’s the case, this is not over.”
“It may never be. We’ll know more when we get back to HQ. Sinclair said he would gather all the intel he could about the incident, so let’s see what he comes up with.”
“Whoever they were we know something about them. They’re well trained, organised, well funded and determined. Put all that together and you have one credible threat.”
“I agree, it’s a threat we have to put to rest as soon as we can before any more people get hurt, or worse.”
“Well, there’s nothing we can do at the moment, not until we get back to HQ at least,” Kurt admitted.
Zara sat back, laid her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. “I don’t know about you but I’m gonna grab some shut eye while we can. I’ve got a feeling that when we land we’d best be ready to hit the ground runnin’,” she breathed.
Kurt watched her chest rise and fall as her breathing slowed. Within a few seconds, she was asleep.
“Good idea,” he agreed and he did the same.
8
19.40 s.e.t.
Col Sec Headquarters was incorporated inside Nellis Base; the previous base in Area 15 in Nevada had been destroyed during an attack by the terrorist group known as OMEGA.
The base had expanded to incorporate all the new equipment, personnel and vehicles. Colonial Security was an amalgamation of all the Armed Forces of Earth; all the militaries joined into one massive organisation. There were still a few subdivisions such as Fleet, which handled the starship fleet, Intelligence Division which was basically what the title suggested, all the intelligence networks the planet had previously rolled into one unit, and Infantry. Recon Delta was the Special Forces of Col Sec made up from soldiers from every section. Anyone could apply to become a member as long as they had been in active service for at least two years, and had a minimum of three years left to serve. It only had a pass rate of around five per cent.
General Sinclair was in his fifties although it was hard to tell exactly how old he was. Still ramrod stiff, he was lean and fit with dark hair that receded from a high forehead into a sharp widow’s peak. A man of few expressions it was said he would make the perfect poker player. He was Head of Operations for Recon Delta and the Head of Intelligence Division. He had recently developed the Wildfire Initiative, a group to handle the worst-case scenarios; a group based around Kurt Stryder.
Kurt and Zara walked into Command and Control where they saw the general standing in the middle of the large room. They had arrived at a safe distance to Earth so that the gravity well of the hyperspace window was not affected by the gravity from Earth. It took longer to travel to Earth from their entry point to normal space than it had taken from Celeron.
“I hope you’re both well rested from your recent adventures,” Sinclair enquired as he saw them enter.
“Some,” Kurt answered then asked, “What have you learned sir?”
“In my Ready Room,” Sinclair replied, his normal stoic expression slipping slightly. Kurt saw worry lines across his brow briefly and a hard set to his jaw, he knew something was wrong. He glanced at Zara and the look in her eyes told him she had spotted it too.
“This does not look good,” he told her as the trio left the C and C.
Inside the Ready Room Sinclair went to the head of the large table and lowered himself into the chair indicating for the others to do the same.
“What’s happened sir?” Zara asked as she bent forward in her seat to lean on the table with her elbows.
“What did the Constabulary find at the safe house sir?” Kurt asked getting to the point.
Sinclair looked at them both then said, “Nothing, they found nothing. There were no bodies, no traces of anything, even the security feed had been wiped clean.”
Kurt said, “I said they were good.”
Zara sat back, looked at Kurt before speaking, “This smacks of not just military training but of Covert Ops training. To pull this off in the time they had, to the degree they did, displays years of experience in the field. We’re looking at something like the Alliance here.”
Sinclair shook his head in dismissal. “After the recent events over Tartaran I doubt they would try something like this,” he argued.
“I agree sir, not overtly, but we’re talking a serious covert operation here, one that took planning and funding and years of experience to pull it off so smoothly,” Kurt countered.
Sinclair looked at him, his eyes narrowing, “Are you suggesting another black op like the one General Solon was running on Toldax?” he asked
“All I’m suggesting, sir, is that we shouldn’t rule it out,” Kurt replied.
Sinclair s
at back and thought about it.
“I must say, the thought had occurred to me too,” he admitted thoughtfully.
“What about the car chase, surely there were video cameras along the roads, didn’t they pick anything up?” Zara asked
Sinclair blanched at this question, for the first time in Kurt’s experience the general looked slightly embarrassed.
“That is something I should have thought of, thank you Zara. In my defence I have been rather preoccupied with the details of the upcoming security summit on Canto to give my full attention to this. I apologise for my error,” he said.
“No need sir, we all make mistakes,” Zara told him.
“That is certainly true but if I make a mistake people generally die and that is just not acceptable,” he argued.
Kurt and Zara shared a glance that said neither of them had seen the general this stressed before.
“When is this summit?” Zara asked.
“It takes place in two days’ time. All the security chiefs from over fifty worlds will be in attendance so I have to ensure the venue is safe and secure. It would not do to have an incident at a security conference,” Sinclair confided.
Kurt smiled at the irony and asked, “What do you want us to do, sir?”
Sinclair looked thoughtful for a second then came to a decision. “I want you and Zara to head up my security detail when I leave for Canto tomorrow. You can hand the investigation of this incident over to Matt. He can chase up any video feed from the cameras along that stretch of road you were chased on and take it from there. Your best place is looking after the security of this summit. I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to try and pull something off there.”
“Copy that sir. What shall we do in the meantime?” Kurt asked.
“Head on over to Canto and check out the venue. Colonel De Boer is already there with a detail from ‘C’ Battalion acting as security. With over fifty delegates arriving in the next few hours we cannot take any chances,” Sinclair instructed him.
“Copy that, sir,” Kurt answered.
“So much for that nice quiet break we were promised,” Zara whispered as they both turned and left the Ready Room.