Version Innocent

by Pete Molina

Chapter 54

  The Powel finished its deceleration burn and came sliding towards the Kupier belt object. They had managed to track the unusual ship via its infra red signature. It was difficult as they were used to tracking rocket plumes, but they managed. As soon as the ship stopped its acceleration, Dawson jumped out of his fog bed and ran for the door having the fog column take him to the bridge. When he entered, he found that the Captain had already had the ship activate its mirror shielding. The Captain was staring at the tactical display.

  “Well, what do you make of the mist barrier around the object, Tactical?” She asked the Tactical Officer.

  “The SS system is sure that it’s some type of fog barrier surrounding the object. Maybe to provide simulated gravity on the surface or as some type of shielding system, it doesn’t know,” Tactical replied.

  “Keep your distance, Nav. I don’t want to find out what that stuff will do when it gets a hold of you,” she ordered. “Scan, use the active sensors and try to determine what’s below the surface, and launch two of our mini-probes to circle around the far side of the object so we can get the whole thing in view.”

  Dawson sat down in the chair and watched as two very small probes were launched. He saw the probes appear on the three-dimensional tactical display in yellow with a thin yellow line that showed their intended trajectory, which was well away from the fog layer.

  “Scan, what are you getting?” the Captain asked, keeping her eye on one of the screens that showed imagery from the probes.

  “Nothing on the surface that we can detect,” the Scan officer replied, her eyes closed as she used her implants to assimilate and analyze the data with the help of some of the SS systems. “We are getting some return from the ground penetrating radar. There are definitely caverns or subterranean spaces, but it’s a little garbled from the fog field surrounding the object.”

  “Do you see any kind of entry point, Scan?” Dawson asked. The Captain swiveled her head to glare at him a little for interrupting, but she held her tongue.

  “Yes, I see something that could be a tunnel to the surface,” Scan said, bringing up a shaded red section on the surface of the object in the three-D tactical display.

  “Captain, I’d like to take Lt. Commander Bowman and the launch with the Marines to try and penetrate the surface and get into that subterranean compound,” Dawson said.

  “And how, Agent Dawson, do you propose to penetrate that fog?”

  “That’s your call, Captain, but I have to get down there before they can make an escape.”

  “Very well. Tactical, take a shot at the fog with the lasers and see how it reacts,” the Captain ordered. A ray of laser fire struck at the fog, but the fog became opaque and the laser was harmlessly scattered so that it couldn’t be concentrated at any point.

  “Ineffective,” Tactical informed. “That Fog must have mirrored sides to reflect it like that.”

  “Try the particle beams. See if we can cut through any with them,” she ordered.

  The particle beam did succeed in removing a little of the fog but was mostly ineffective. “It’ll take hours to penetrate like this,” Tactical said after several minutes.

  “I hate to waste antimatter on something like this,” the Captain said.

  The fog field, like an octopus, began to extend a giant tentacle of fog towards the ship. “Nav, back off now. I don’t want that stuff getting a hold.”

  The Powel began to move away from the tentacle, which stopped growing.

  “That was interesting,” the Captain said. “I’m sure it’s designed to grab us and either crush us or hold us, so we can’t let that happen.”

  “What about an EMP weapon, Captain?” Dawson asked. “The fog is an electrical machine. Perhaps an EMP will disable it.”

  The Captain glared at Dawson again, but he could see that it wasn’t anger at him but simply disgust that she hadn’t thought of it first. “Fire an EMP torpedo at this section,” the Captain said, pointing at the section of fog that had extended toward them.

  The Tactical Officer launched the EMP device at the fog and when it got close enough, it detonated.

  “Move us a little closer now, Nav. Let’s see if it’s still going to come after us,” she ordered.

  The Powel moved in slowly. The fog that was near them didn’t respond, but the fog that surrounded the disabled fog section made a reach for them from either side of the dead spot. The Powel backed quickly out of range.

  “I think it worked,” Dawson said hopefully. The ship shuddered.

  “They’re firing lasers and particle cannons. It isn’t penetrating,” the Tactical Officer said. “The shots are coming from the surface here and here.” Small icons appeared on the surface of the object in the tactical display.

  “Return fire,” the Captain commanded.

  “We can’t get through that stuff without antimatter, Captain,” Tactical informed her.

  “Then fire the antimatter particle beam and disable those sites.”

  After several shots the two sites were quiet. The assault had ended.

  “That seemed too easy,” the Captain said.

  “Well, we still have to get through that barrier,” Dawson answered.

  “Fire more EMP charges with a normal explosive charge following to clear a path through that stuff. Don’t stop until you reach that entry point.” A volley of charges in a straight line flew at the fog, detonating first the EMP and then a second explosive charge to make a deeper hole. After a minute of bombardment they’d penetrated all the way to the surface.

  “Get ready to go, Agent Dawson. The Marines should already be waiting on the launch. Good luck,” the Captain said.

  Dawson got up and headed for the exit to the bridge, but the ship shuddered again. This time it wasn’t gentle.

  “We have a hull breach, Captain. They’re using antimatter particle beams.” Red indicators appeared on the Powel’s three dimensional rendering in the tactical display.

  “They’re sweeping, I don’t think they’re trying to break through for a laser. They’re going for the engines and the antimatter storage pod.” There was real worry in the tactical officers voice.

  “Get out of here, Dawson. We’ll take care of this,” the Captain barked. She turned all her attention back to the tactical display. “Fire the antimatter cannons at the source locations.”

  Dawson didn’t want to be on board if the antimatter pod got hit. He had the lift column take him as quickly as possible to the launch. He entered the hatch to find all the Marines suited up and waiting in the cargo section.

  “Lt. Commander Bowman, take us out immediately,” Dawson yelled up the column.

  “Understood,” a voice came down.

  There was a sudden lurch, and then the launch began to move outward from the ship.

  “Stay behind the Powel until she has those antimatter particle cannons disabled.

  “Afirmative,” Lt. Commander Bowman called down.

  Dawson took the lift column up into the cockpit which was manned solely by Lt. Commander Bowman and the SS system that controlled the launch.

  “I’m going to hold a kilometer off,” Bowman said. A small version of the tactical display that had been on the bridge of the Powel floated above them.

  “We’ve got the sites,” the voice of the Tactical officer came over the com-link with the Powel.

  “Damage Report.” The Captain’s voice said.

  “We’ve lost our reaction chamber. They sliced clean into it. We can still maneuver with thrusters but there’s no way we’re going very far. We still have our antimatter pod contained, but the Engineering Deck’s been depressurized. All other weapons systems are still on line but we’re losing power as the engines go,” the Report came from Engineering.

  “They’re firing again,” someone on the bridge of the Powel said.

  “They’ve hit the containment system, Captain,” one of the engineers said, reporting f
rom the Engineering section, probably in his space suit. And Lt. Aster’s gone; the beam sliced him in two as it swept through.”

  “Fire on the position of that antimatter weapon, Tactical,” the Captain bellowed.

  There was a bright flash on the surface of the object, and the assault of the antimatter weapon ceased.

  “We got’em!” Tactical yelled.

  “The fog has closed back in over the damaged sections,” someone reported.

  “Do we still have more EMP charges?” the Captain asked.

  “Yes,” was the response.

  “Fire another EMP and explosive charge volley. Open that hole back up,” she ordered.

  “Bowman, I think we’ve disabled their weapons, but I can’t be sure. I don’t’ know how long we can continue to provide support. You need to go now,” the Captain said over the com link.

  “Understood, Captain,” Bowman said, activating the launch’s engines and taking them towards the hole in the fog field the charges had made before it could close up.

  As they approached the object, they heard the Captain again, but she wasn’t addressing them.

  “Launch the buoy, and try to get that containment device back under control.” Then the com link was gone.

  Apparently the Powel was no longer in contact with them. The launch continued swiftly through the hole of fog towards the surface.

  “Any idea how we can get through that barrier over the tunnel entrance?” Bowman asked.

  “Send the Marines,” Dawson said, opening a com channel to Lt. Madison. “Lt. Madison, I want you EVA, and I need you to open the door for us.”

  “Understood,” was Madison’s short reply.

  The Marines exited the launch and attached themselves to its surface. One of the Marines fired something. Several seconds later a bright flash and an eruption came from the surface, revealing a deep hole. Dawson hoped it would lead them to the facility where Storm 6.7 was hiding. He was so close now, he could feel it.