by E J Gilmour
**
Aradel and Adrastus were sitting at the table in the living room with the rest of the crew. Michael had called a meeting to discuss the rescue mission. Dog-Two was sitting beside the door, and seemed to be guarding the entrance.
‘In my opinion it would be better for you both to stay on the ship,’ said Ajax, sternly addressing the two colonists.
‘But you won’t be able to find the hidden vault without our help,’ said Adrastus.
Ajax shook his head. ‘All you have to do is direct me to the exact location. This is a combat mission; the last thing we want is non-combatants getting involved. I won’t have time to protect you.’
‘I once worked as a security guard before I became a colonist,’ said Adrastus. ‘I guarded Trade Guild credit terminals on Alasdair 12. I have some basic training.’
Ajax raised an eyebrow. ‘Have you ever fought in a battle before?’
‘Well, no,’ said Adrastus, looking blankly down at the table.
‘That’s exactly my point,’ said Ajax curtly.
‘But we want to go,’ said Aradel.
‘This mission will be very dangerous,’ said Michael. ‘It is unlikely that everyone will make it back to the ship alive. I see your point, Ajax, but I think the more rifles we have on the ground the better off we will be. If you are willing to fight then you are welcome to be on the rescue team.’
**
The Out Drifter lingered on the inner edge of the field.
‘Herman Beta 3 is five minutes away at full power,’ said Sara. ‘It will take us a couple additional minutes to pass through the atmosphere. I will try to put the ship down about two hundred metres from the settlement’s outbuildings. Aradel said there is a rocky hill that we can land behind; it will protect us if there are any alien turret guns. I’m ready to make the dash to the surface. The landing team better be ready for action.’
Michael lifted his wrist-com. ‘Ajax, make sure everyone is ready to disembark. We will be on the surface in less than ten minutes.’
‘…you got it, Cap…’ he replied.
‘All right, Sara. I’m ready when you are.’
Sara nodded and reached forward. She pushed the acceleration lever to full power and the engines rumbled; the ship lurched forward.
‘We are leaving the asteroid belt,’ she said.
Michael watched through the viewing panel as they approached. The planet looked like a small orange dot which was steadily increasing size in the visual field. He cleared his mind and waited. After two minutes a warning light on the control console lit up.
Sara glanced across at him. ‘They know we are coming,’ she said coolly.
For at least another minute nothing changed. Herman Beta 3 now appeared like an orange orb floating in the distance. He could make out mountain ranges and depressions on the surface of the planet. It was a deserted and dry world with little to offer humanity.
‘They’re coming to intercept us,’ she said.
‘How many?’
‘Three alien fighters are taking off from the surface. We should make the atmosphere before they reach us. We will have to fight before we land.’
Michael drew a deep breath. Engaging alien fighters in aerial combat was very risky.
‘Can we make it to the surface?’ he asked.
Sara glanced at him. ‘Don’t worry, Captain. Destroying alien fighters is my speciality,’ she said.
She reached up for the combat visor which was latched to the ceiling. The visor resembled a half helmet which was worn over the front of the face. It connected into the Out Drifter’s main computer and gave Sara the ability to control and monitor all the weapon and defence systems. The visor also showed her a complete structural view of everything surrounding the ship which was augmented over the normal visual field. If an enemy ship was flying to the left or right of the Out Drifter she would see it directly through the wall. Normally the co-pilot would operate the weapons as the main pilot flew the ship, but Sara preferred to do both tasks at once, and she had proven herself in the past.
Michael waited as a feeling of anticipation grew in his chest. A minute passed; the alien fighters became visible in the viewing panel. The ships were flying in an attack formation just above the atmosphere of the planet. They were triangular in shape, with shining silver outer hulls. He knew their main weapon systems were high-powered charged particle cannons.
‘They’re attempting to block our way,’ she said. She veered to the right and flew directly at the alien formation.
‘What are you doing?’ he yelled.
‘Engaging the enemy, Captain,’ she said casually as she brought the ship to full acceleration.
‘Are you crazy?’
Suddenly the visual field lit up as Sara unleashed a torrent of blasts from the 80mm charged particle cannon. The Out Drifter’s two laser guns burst into operation and red beams of light shot across the distance at the rapidly approaching enemy ships. One alien fighter exploded, and the other two were forced to evade the onslaught. They fired back, and Sara heaved the Out Drifter upward to avoid the counterattack. Michael recoiled in his seat. Within a second she sped directly past the two remaining fighters and came close to colliding with one.
Sara laughed. ‘You see; we have a head start; they have to turn around,’ she said as she angled the Out Drifter toward the planet’s upper atmosphere.
Michael watched the radar screen. The two remaining alien fighters were looping around, but Sara’s plan had worked; they were now far out of effective strike range.
The ship began to vibrate as it entered the planet’s atmosphere. Michael held his handrails; usually they would pass through the atmosphere at a much slower rate, but they had little choice if they hoped to outrun the alien fighters. Sara was pushing the ship to the limit, so much so that Michael was unsure whether the outer heat shields could handle such an entry.
‘Easy, easy,’ she said under her breath as the Out Drifter descended toward the orange desert below.
The alien fighters were gaining on them.
‘Sara, look at the radar.’
‘I see them.’
She turned the Out Drifter directly downward and brought the ship into a nose dive. The artificial gravity took a moment to adjust. They were heading for the surface at an extreme speed, and the two alien fighters dived to follow them.
‘What are you doing?’ he gasped.
‘I’m preparing to fight them, Captain.’
‘I don’t think crashing into the surface will help!’
Sara increased the ship’s power. The ground was rapidly approaching. Michael could clearly see rocky hills interspersed with wide sandy desert plains. She slightly angled the ship toward the mountains. There was a deep and lengthy canyon which wound its way through the range. A few seconds later the Out Drifter flew directly through a gap between two mountains. The alien fighters were in hot pursuit. They unleashed a series of charged particle beams, but Sara rolled the ship to the left, avoiding the attack. She then entered the canyon and pulled up at the last possible moment. The momentum was incredible. The Out Drifter sped along the base of the canyon as the alien fighters pursued them.
Sara rocked the ship from left to right to avoid the particle beams. There was a mighty boom and the entire Out Drifter shook. Michael was nearly knocked out of his seat.
‘They hit us!’ he shouted.
‘It’s not bad. The electronic shield absorbed most of the energy.’
The ship whirled to the right; the canyon narrowed and there was a sharp turn ahead. Sara heaved the lateral control lever to the left and the Out Drifter made an abrupt turn as she shut off the rear thrusters. They were out of sight of the alien fighters for only a moment, but it was long enough for Sara to turn fully around to face them. The two fighters appeared an instant later. She unleashed everything the Out Drifter had. The charged particle cannon fired rapidly, the lasers burst into operation, and a series of missiles rocketed away from the ship. A fighter expl
oded. The second alien fighter attempted to maneuver and fire back, but three computer guided missiles turned to follow it, and a moment later it exploded in a blazing flash of green and orange light.
Sara lifted the visor. ‘Now that wasn’t so bad was it?’
‘Well done, Sara,’ he replied as he caught his breath.
‘Let’s hope there aren’t any others. Now for the next part of the mission,’ she said as she accelerated and brought the ship out of the canyon. ‘You better get back there with the others, Captain. I’ll be landing the ship in less than a minute.’
Michael slid out of his seat and dashed back toward the cargo bay where the crew were waiting.
Ajax looked up and shook his head. ‘What was all that about? I thought we were finished.’
‘We should thank, Sara. She dealt with the alien fighters,’ said Michael dryly. ‘Is everyone ready?’
‘We are prepared, Captain,’ said Ivan.
Michael scanned the rescue team. Aradel and Adrastus were both wearing body armour and holding standard plasma rifles. Ajax was decked out with his usual assortment of heavy weapons. Cynthia had two automatic plasma pistols, one attached to each side of her belt. Her main armament was a mini rocket launcher, which required both hands to carry and was able to fire target seeking rockets at a rapid rate. Ivan had his standard plasma rifle. He was also carrying the medical kit. Ethan had a large backpack loaded with all sorts of miscellaneous gear including the quantum code breaker. He was also carrying an advanced and modified plasma rifle which had a grenade launcher attached below the main barrel. Dog-Two was sitting by the exit door and ready for action.
Michael grabbed his charged particle rifle, which had been hanging on a hook beside the door.
‘…We are approaching the landing site, Captain. The colonist settlement is swarming with aliens…’ said Sara over the com.
‘Swarming?’ questioned Michael with a strained expression.
‘…There are thirty to forty aliens in the open. They are taking defensive positions around the settlement. The good news is I can’t see any turret guns at the moment…’
‘Forty aliens,’ said Ajax, shaking his head. ‘This will get really nasty.’
‘…Captain, we are landing in ten seconds; be ready to disembark…’
‘Thank you, Sara.’
‘…Good luck, Captain…’
‘We’re going to need all the luck we can get,’ grumbled Ajax.
‘All right, this is it,’ said Michael.
They moved toward the exit door. The Out Drifter jolted as it landed on the rocky ground. The exit door slid open, and Michael was the first to step out into the dry orange haze of Herman Beta 3. Directly to the right of the ship was a small hill, which was made up of red rock. The colonist settlement was directly on the other side of the hill. The heat was stifling and the air tasted bitter, dry and thin. The oxygen content was low and only just within safety range for humans. Air that was safe to breathe was not always nice to breathe. Furthermore, the planet’s gravity was higher than standard, being rated at 1.07.
‘Let’s go! Follow me!’ commanded Michael as he headed for the cover of the rocks. They followed him across the uneven ground and huddled close to a massive boulder. He glanced back at Adrastus. ‘You know this area better than anyone. Where to from here?’
Adrastus stepped forward to stand beside him. ‘There are various crevices and gaps through these rocks. If we can make it to the other side there is an entrance to a tunnel that follows the underground water generation system. The tunnel was built to be used by service droids. It will take us directly into the subterranean levels beneath the settlement. If we can get to the tunnel we will be able to avoid the alien defences above ground.’
‘The aliens won’t let us in without a fight, with or without a secret tunnel,’ said Ajax.
‘Even so, it may help us enter the settlement,’ said Michael. ‘Adrastus, lead the way.’
Adrastus and Aradel led them into a narrow crevice which cut directly into the hill. The crew followed closely behind as the two colonists pushed forward as quickly as they could. The way was only just wide enough for them to pass through. Within two minutes the crevice widened and opened out on the opposite side of the hill. They gathered behind a jagged rock which hid them from view. Michael peeked over the edge of the rock and he could see the settlement across an arid field of sand. About twenty yards ahead was a metal cylindrical hatch cover. It was the entrance to the water generation system.
Ajax lifted his military binoculars and then let out a groan. ‘This looks bad, Cap. They’ve got some seriously tough defensive positions. If we come out in the open they will fry us.’
‘How many can you see?’
‘The binoculars are saying there are thirty-four targets. They are preparing some heavy-duty mobile artillery guns. They know we’re coming, Cap. They’re just waiting for us to walk into their trap.’
‘Do you think we can make it to the hatch?’
‘Not likely. Their scanners will see us as soon as we break cover,’ said Ajax, shaking his head.
His wrist-com beeped. ‘…Captain. There are two squads of aliens approaching the Out Drifter. They’re taking cover in the rocks and firing on the ship. I can’t effectively target them with the ship’s guns. I have to take off before they damage the ship. Captain, they are going to flank your position…’ Sara’s voice sounded strained.
‘Sara, take off and fire the rockets at the alien defensive positions. Then get out of here and wait for me to give you a position to extract us.’
‘…I’m on it. Taking off now…’
Michael turned to the group. ‘We only have a few seconds to cross to the hatch, so be ready.’
The Out Drifter rose up behind the rocky hill and hovered for a few seconds. Several large blasts of plasma rocketed into the ship from the alien artillery gun. The Out Drifter’s electronic shield system diffused the attack. Sara then unleashed a series of rockets at the alien defensive positions. The team watched as the missiles left trails of smoke in the orange sky and exploded on impact.
‘Now!’ shouted Michael as he sprinted forward.
They dashed around the edge of the rock and ran for the hatch. For a moment Michael thought his plan had worked, but then a ray of plasma shot by, just missing his shoulder, and an instant later many more followed. Adrastus fell in the sand, and Aradel stopped to help him, but it was instantly clear that he was dead. Ajax grabbed Aradel’s wrist and dragged her onward as Michael lifted the hatch door. Cynthia was the first in, followed by Ajax and Aradel. Michael and Ethan fired their rifles at the alien positions. Ivan leapt in after the others; Dog-Two and Ethan followed, and Michael jumped in after them and closed the hatch.
They were standing in a subterranean tunnel, which was dimly lit by tiny service lights. The lights did little to push back the darkness. The tunnel was just large enough to stand in and there was an inch of water beneath their feet.
Aradel moaned in grief and fell to her knees.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Cynthia, placing her hand on Aradel’s shoulder.
‘We have to make a move!’ said Ajax. ‘It won’t take them long to find us.’
Ethan fired a glow flare down the tunnel and the entire way lit up. Ajax and Ivan began walking in the direction of the settlement. Michael was about to follow, but Aradel refused to get up.
Cynthia crouched down beside her. ‘Aradel, we need you to take us to the hidden vault,’ she said gently.
Aradel was stricken with grief and lifted her sorrowful eyes. ‘Adrastus didn’t deserve to die here.’
‘I understand, Aradel, but we have to go before the aliens come for us,’ said Cynthia.
‘I don’t know if I can,’ she replied in little more than a whisper.
‘She shouldn’t have come. This is a combat mission,’ said Ajax harshly.
‘Shut up, Ajax,’ shouted Cynthia. ‘Her uncle just died!’
His eyes narrowed, but
he remained silent.
The hatch above opened. The light of day lit up the tunnel directly around them. They looked up. The face of an alien was staring back at them. Its thin slash for a mouth twisted into a snarl, revealing a sharp set of fangs. Its two dark eyes, which were many times larger than human eyes, widened for a moment. It looked like a deformed and mutated human, with dark grey skin, an enlarged skull without hair, and a thin sinewy neck. Only one thought entered Michael’s mind; it was an aberration of nature.
Dog-Two growled up at the creature. Ajax was the first to react and lifted his rifle. The alien recoiled an instant later and slammed the hatch shut just before Ajax could fire.
Michael watched the hatch for a moment. He felt something wasn’t right. ‘Run!’ he shouted, grabbing Aradel’s arm and dragging her to her feet.
They ran in the direction of the settlement. The tunnel behind them exploded and began to cave in as the aliens bombed it from above.
Ivan was the first to reach the door at the far side as more explosions rang out behind them. He pulled the latch which led directly into a stairwell. They dashed after him as the tunnel completely collapsed. Ethan slammed the door and latched it shut. An instant later the door buckled from the pressure of the cave in on the other side.
‘That cuts off our escape,’ said Ajax flatly.
‘Where to from here?’ asked Michael, looking to Aradel.
‘These stairs lead into the engineering building. We will have to cross an open space to the main life support building. The vault is situated in one of the subterranean levels of the life support building.’
‘We are going to be out in the open with a legion of aliens,’ said Ajax as he lifted a hipflask to his lips.
‘You shouldn’t drink when we’re on a mission,’ snapped Cynthia. ‘The last thing we need is a drunk.’
Ajax shook his head and smirked. ‘This just might be my last drink. I saved this Ludicrous Lava for a special occasion,’ he said as he took another swig.
‘Enough! We have to make a move,’ said Michael. ‘The aliens may think we are dead, but they will want to be sure. We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go.’