Alexis and her Plasma Projector cycled their ammunition into the unfortunate invaders while Jeyne finished them off. The other Knights burnt through their magazines and filled the doorway with holes. “Hey! Careful!” yelled Coves with his back to the wall. This was no victory. The ship lurched to the side. The hooks weren’t for securing it in place. They were for pulling it into Symphony. Derek could see that its bay was open, and they were heading right for it.
The dead soldiers caught his eye however. They bore a different insignia. The Northern Coalition. The dated federation between the Russians and the Chinese, shattered and broken after a devastating ice age. Members either surrendered to the next big superpower or defected to the Paramilitary force USOC. Maybe they didn’t really defect after all. Carter’s story actually meant something. And now once again those bearing the red and white sigils turned on their parent force. After half a century of blending with the enemy it was surprising that they kept their ulterior motives. Either way, Derek felt more or less content with this.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if even the stubbornest of defectors were able to rise up the ranks of USOC and command even the biggest of ships, fleets even.
The incoming fleet of Orbi-Sec and Northern Coalition ships closed in while the Coalition controlled destroyer pulled Lullaby into its jaws.
CHAPTER 22
Delivery
Symphony, Solar System
The cables tugged violently at the vessel, into the dimly lit vehicle bay of the Symphony. The darkness gave way and revealed to the helpless occupants of the Lullaby a bay of forklifts and warning lights. One by one, cargo containers revealed themselves and the extent of their new prison was shown. Catwalks crisscrossed above while even the biggest floodlights shone naught brighter than a bottled candle in the ocean.
Derek watched the specifics of the bay loom ahead and then the heavily armed soldiers marching to surround the landing area. The mechanism from whence the winch came from stood in the distance, pulling them ever so slightly towards it. And as what little lifting the bay offered washed over the Lullaby, Derek could make out more and more silhouettes. Snipers providing overwatch from the offices above and a small army flooding in from the centre lane. All of whom were wearing the same insignia Derek had thought was eradicated long ago, the symbol of a forgotten time in a futile war. Five white stars surrounding the infamous hammer and sickle on a red backdrop. A flag that once inspired both fear and respect. Well once again, it demands more or less just that.
The soldiers’ helmets struck Martin with a debilitating stroke of nostalgic trauma. A built in gas filtration system from the jaw of the helmet eerily conjured memories of the war before as well as ancient horror movies while a shielded cranium protector looked vastly similar to those worn by the Nazis. Eyepieces as dark as the emptiness outside. Their breathing was silent thanks to the heavily implemented stealth technology. Perhaps Martin should have reconsidered continuing the production line of such armour despite it being the only thing the Northern Coalition knew how to operate. It was ugly but damn effective nonetheless. Primitive in technological implentations compared to the light force shielded components of today and true space age alloys. Despite that, the Chinese still perfected stealth technology long before anyone else. A shame it was their only advantage.
A Coalition soldier planted a breaching charge on the outer airlock door, and the Knights inside the doomed vessel readied their weapons. The hangar door closed, and gravity returned fully. The charge detonated and the Knights fired blindly at the door in an attempt to save their leader. Another spherical device popped in. Only this one emitted a blinding light and a deafening boom. The Knights had sensory overwhelm protection built into their helmets (at least those that were wearing them) and mowed down a good few of the invading soldiers. Derek and Martin however were on the floor, still trying to regain their senses and cover themselves from the airlock. Only the airlock shouldn’t be what they worried about. The deafening flash from the grenade still rang through their ears, effectively muting the drilling of the window pane behind them. Under the cover of gunfire and an incapacitated Coves, Northern Coalition forces drilled a horizontal slit across the side window. Tall enough to fit the barrel of a rifle into. Three soldiers stuck their guns in and fired upon the distracted Knights from behind, where their armour was weakest. Jeyne fell first, then Alexis, then the rest.
Martin, still cowering on the ground with Derek started to regain his vision. Soldiers marched in right in front of them. Then suddenly from the right, the cabin door opened and yet another muzzle flash tore through the air. A single loud gunshot. It was the captain. He only managed to fire off a single shell before more NorthCo soldiers came in and replied to his threats. The Co-Pilot surrendered and the soldiers dragged him out, along with the two VIPs.
Martin looked up at his captors, then at a familiar face in the distance. Admiral Yen Cheng, and his son, Max Cheng, the captain of the Symphony. The admiral looked pleased and furious at the same time.
“You were nothing but a warrant officer when I came into the force” said the Admiral. He had a closely cut head of grey hair, dark, worn eyes and the battle hardened stance of a war veteran. Two times for him in particular.
“You mean when the force took you in, when I took you in” replied Coves resentfully. Cheng replied with nothing but a stern stare. Martin continued “Your capture of me will be short lived. This uprising within our ranks will not go unanswered for. Traitors. All of you! We brought you up to here! I brought you to where you are today! This ‘victory’ of yours ends now. You attacked too close to our base. Now prepare to face the entirety of the Geisen Military.” Martin panted, but the Admiral knew he was right. A thousand ships would soon be upon them, and that’s just the first wave.
CHAPTER 23
Ignition
Symphony, Solar System
“Shields!” ordered Cheng. “Prepare to fire engines for the Icarus. Use whatever firepower you can to hold off the fleet. We leave now.” Martin could see Cheng’s dead seriousness even striking into his son. Max ran for the bridge in a hurry.
“That’s where we were going anyway, Cheng. You progress nowhere with this!” yelled the captive CEO.
Yen looked back at Coves, replying “Only this way he won’t be a prisoner there. Besides, they want him safe.”
“They?! I thought you were working with Orbi-Sec, not FOR them! Ha! Yet again you cowards kneel before the higher power! Martin tempted Cheng’s fury too much. The old but able Admiral took one of his soldier’s rifle’s and slammed the stock across Coves’ face with one swift strike. Martin fell to the ground, unconscious.
“I’ve heard too much filth from you” muttered Cheng at the man on the floor. He turned to Derek. “So you’re the VIP. You don’t look very important. And yet Coves would sooner see a thousand ships fall to oblivion in pursuit of you than to lose hold of you. I’ve known that man for the greater half of my life and now I know whatever is on the Icarus is worth uncovering.”
Derek looked up at the man. He would not be considered tall but the respect he commands showed that it more than made up for it. “Tom, Amanda, they’re still being held-”
“Don’t worry. We have a plan for them. Once we lure the majority of their fleet after us, which they will send, we will assault the Geisen base. My men know its workings, its intricacies. Your friends will be safe. Coves and his men wanted only one thing, to get you onto the Icarus and destroy the evidence after forcing you to open the safe room.The one thing I am concerned about is that volatile Operations Commander, Wyatt Nathanial. Thanks to his impulsivity, he’ll send his fastest ships onto us as well as most of the fleet. This is also why the most critical part of this mission is this getaway right now. The temporary commander of Orbi-Sec is Janet Arkin; she leads the hundred ships en route to Geisen. Chorus will divert and strike once the USOC fleet is after us.”
“So it’s just Symphony that will be flying to the Ica
rus?”
“Trust me. It is more than enough” finished the Admiral. The ship shook into motion and shifted forward. It seemed to pick speed up quick. “I had this ship in particular outfitted with the latest interceptor engine and afterburner units as well as Heavy Railgun Cannons mounted to the back. Any speeder that can catch up to us will be obliterated. Come, let’s get you into a seat.” The admiral held out his hand and helped Derek up. He led him down the main corridor and the army of NorthCo soldiers followed. “Destroyers such as these aren’t much in terms of accommodation, but I’m sure you’ll settle here just fine for this trip. Our rooms here are mostly filled since we had to cramp all our forces into two warships. It may be a big vessel, but we are a big army. Soon to be the biggest in the galaxy.” Cheng lead Derek to the barracks. They took up many hallways and probably across many more floors. “Here. 17A has yet to be filled. Last three bunks near the corner. There are rations of food and water in the tray as well as a rifle and sidearm in the footlocker. I trust you know how to shoot?”
Derek nodded. “Marcus.”
“I’ve heard about that gun nut. They told me he bred monkeys for war.”
Derek stepped into the chamber. “Oh yeah? How’d that turn out?”
“They slaughtered each other.” The Admiral turned and left with his company of soldiers. “Enjoy your stay.”
CHAPTER 24
Pursuit
Symphony, Solar System
Admiral Cheng was right. A loud rumble shook the outer hull. Derek could still feel it resonate through the walls. They were being chased, and shot at. More shots rang through. Lighter ones, but not without impact. Shouting and orders came from the halls. There was no chaos however. Just orderly marching. A closer boom rang out and shook the ship with slight forward thrust. Must be the Railgun firing. More of the same followed, and Derek could do nothing but wait. This was still better compared to being out in open battle.
Derek walked over to the almost miniature window. Chorus hovered opposite them, similarly discharging its heavy weapons. Light cannons boomed from the side. Must be more or less an accurate representation of what the Symphony must be doing. The twin destroyers were relatively equal in size but had slightly different weapons and abilities made to match their purpose. Chorus was fitted with dozens of light automatic cannons and an oversized afterburner while symphony had bigger guns but weaker boosters. Search and destroy. The pair seemed to be made for this exact job. And at this moment, the latter of the purposes were being used extensively.
More shots rang through the hull. Derek wanted to see what was going on behind them. Peering through the edge of the window, he saw bright but short lived flashes. These were the explosions of the ships behind. Light chasers in pursuit of a goliath. Flak dinked the hull and a steady line of ballistic fire made shallow dents outside. Derek couldn’t see the enemy well, but he had a full and detailed view of the Chorus. Two heavy automatic target and track cannons moved and fired accordingly. The Symphony probably has four of those.
Outside the door, soldiers marched rapidly and into formation. They carried an assortment of weaponry, now better suited for their specialty. Those that ran towards the bow carried the multitude of guns and explosives while those that ran towards the stern had heavy launchers, specialised plasma and laser technology. Stuff that takes the most out of scientists.
Two guards were situated outside the door, and between them walked an officer dressed in white. “Derek Ragston, I’m Vice Admiral Faye Yeylun. Admiral Chang sent me to personally guard you…” She spoke without energy, the only life in her voice being one of irritation. She was young to be her rank. Early thirties. Derek was just getting used to that fact that everyone else was better than him until he was actually considered important. And even when he became important, everyone else still made him feel small. They controlled him. He was everyone’s puppet. Derek knew that, but then again, he didn’t know much else. Acting on someone else’s orders is better than acting on an uneducated one, one of instinct. A glint of jealousy appeared in his otherwise blank expression.
“You good? Grab your gear and let’s go” said the impatient Vice Admiral. Derek walked over to her, shaking off his trance of coming to terms with himself and his situation. Which, in any case was still damn absurd.
“Yeah, yeah…” replied Derek as he moved towards the footlocker. The latch unlocked with a heavy clink. There was no dust to be seen here at all. It might even sparkle in the sunlight. Enclosed the stainless steel box was a rifle and a handgun. In particular, an ANS Pulse Rifle and a Fourth Generation Falk 19 Semi-Automatic Handgun. Derek became familiar with guns like these back in the armoury of the Orbi-Sec base back on Earth. It must have been sacked and destroyed by now. He trained with the Falk before. And he was damn good with it. The same can’t be said for the pulse rifle but Derek liked trying new things. Derek grabbed the dark coloured vest sitting under the guns. It felt like some sort of hardened plastic and was smooth to the touch, the front and back panels were rigid and were attached to the shoulder pads surrounding the neck hole. He put it on and adjusted the straps. An ammo belt was also present. He swung it over his hip and fastened it.
“Leave the leg armour. There’s plenty of it at the bridge.” Derek nodded and stuffed his belt with Pulse Clips and Handgun Magazines. He holstered the handgun and slung the rifle over his shoulder. In this very moment, he felt just that little bit more powerful. That little bit more badass.
CHAPTER 25
Fleet
Symphony, Solar System
Derek followed the Vice Admiral out the door. They turned left and faced a corridor of elevators. Yeylun pressed a button to their immediate left and the doors opened instantly. Above the steel frame was a sign, lettered in bold “Private” The fingerprint scanning button was a nice touch. The two stepped inside and the doors closed. As soon as they shut, the elevator whirred into motion. Sudden but smooth, and fast. Very fast.
The doors opened without a sound within seconds and there they were. At the bridge. They walked out and turned right. There, Derek saw the full view of the most breathtaking deck. It wasn’t so much the view outside, but the sheer scale of everything on the bridge. Rows and rows of consoles and computers, with their respective technicians and operators. The construction was all dark, smooth and grey. Repetitive, but nonetheless efficient. The pilots, captains and high ranking crew were stationed near the front. Indistinctive chatter came from all across the bridge. The view outside was seen through nine wide panels in a 3x3 formation.
“You like it?” asked the Admiral as he walked up to him. “Only the middle row is of glass. The rest? Screens. Live feed from the lens outside. Maximum protection.” Admiral Cheng seemed a bit less intense at this moment. It was noticeable.
“This place… its indescribable” commented Derek.
“I know. It’s the only place I feel at peace. The closest thing I have to a home.”
The Vice Admiral interrupted “that’s saying something, isn’t it?” Cheng made a face that almost resembled a smile before turning back to his station, gesturing Derek to come with.
“We’re going to be making the jump to hyperspeed soon. Our afterburners are ready to fire. We just need to make sure all the pursuit vessels in their fleet are destroyed. The ship’s cannons and my men are out there right now taking them out. It doesn’t matter how many of the other ships catch up to us. Most aren’t capable of speeds like ours. Certain vessels like the pursuit ships, destroyers and flagships may have similar functions but we got our best engineers on ours. They won’t be catching us.” Cheng walked over to his station. Three monitors were on his console. Each displaying what was probably vital information. He brought up a radar, showing what looked to be fifty enemy ships surrounding the Symphony. Derek looked up and indeed, out the window were USOC ships attacking the front. “Don’t worry. That pathetic light fire of theirs can’t pierce our hull.”
Derek looked back down at
the display. A trail of red was behind the dot of white. Another white dot stood parallel to theirs. The Chorus, only not many red dots plagued that ship. They know which one Derek’s on.
A Captain stood and called to the Admiral “commencing afterburners in one minute!” Cheng nodded then turned back to his displays. After pressing a few keys, all the screens changed to black. But Derek soon realised that this wasn’t the cold blackness of turning a monitor off, but that of space. The stars came into view and there, Derek saw what seemed to be the outside of the ship.
“Those are helmet cam feeds of the demolition soldiers we sent out. They’re just finishing their job. The leftmost screen showed a shaky image of about a dozen soldiers retreating back into their airlocks while the centre monitor showed that all too familiar first person view of some soldier holding an overly big weapon.