Yeylun commented “Staff Sergeant… Blane here is holding one of our new additions. The XN-33 MSAM. Pure anti-aircraft plasma weaponry. I’ve been training to hold one of those properly and lemme tell you, it’s not the weight you gotta worry about in space. Models like this can leave plasma discharge. We’ve had dozens of burns in EVA suits because of this, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t blow the shit out of a fighter craft.”
Derek turned strangely to the Vice Admiral. It seems like her place is on the bridge too. Or with weapons.
The third screen’s entertainment was the soldier looking down at his wrist. A timer showed on the display. 18 Seconds.
“My men know that in situations like these, deadlines have to be met. We leave with or without them. One life is not worth that of a fleet.
Derek watched as the third man climbed the ladder down into the airlock and the hatch closed. He had just enough time to unhook his tether before the final countdown initiated. 3… 2… 1…
Derek felt the ship move noticeable faster, but at a smooth acceleration. He saw the fleet in pursuit inching further and further away except for a handful that were getting closer and closer. The rest of the pursuit vessels. “we shouldn’t be wasting ammunition at this point. At this speed we found that the mines are more effective…”
Admiral Cheng could not be more right. The screens changed and showed camera feeds from the rear of the ship. “Oh I love this part” commented the Vice Admiral as she cozied up between them. Derek watched as a black spherical device was ‘shot’ out. It gave off a faint glint of red light before fading into the distance. A massive explosion occurred in the following second, and more spheres followed as well as more explosions.
“The mines use a proximity detection and prediction system. It allows them to detonate at the exact moment.” Admiral Cheng seemed really into this as well. Perhaps everyone on the Symphony is a gun nut. More explosions occurred and the numbers of the pursuing ships dwindled as they faded out of view into the black. The Symphony was gaining speed massively. And for a split second the bridge was silent. Then the crew started to cheer and congratulate, in a contained manner. “This is a small victory for us Derek. We’ll be at the Icarus soon. And whatever’s behind that door will make both of our lives better.”
Derek didn’t know why, but Cheng’s statement made him feel just that little bit uneasy. But he thought to himself “I have no time to question. This is the way.”
Cheng continued “Now there is little in our path. Once we arrive at the Icarus, there is no doubt USOC will catch up too. They’ll be there soon enough, along with an old friend of mine. That hot-headed fucking Wyatt. Under his command, Geisen will be ours to take, but him and his flagship will assault us here.
“His Flagship?”
“The Matador. The second largest ship USOC has ever commissioned. Larger than the Chorus and Symphony combined along with all that firepower. Second only to Coves’ ‘Reckoning’, which thankfully won’t be in use.” This didn’t make Derek feel any easier.
CHAPTER 26
Arrival
Symphony, Near Uranus, Solar System
Hours pass at breakneck speed, and yet the stars never seem to move. Uranus becomes a living giant as it fills up the window panes. In the distance, a miniature collection of grey dots comes into view. “You see those dots, Derek?” asked the Admiral. “That’s the USOC Ship Graveyard, where they keep the skeletons of the ships they’ve salvaged. We should be thankful they didn’t just slingshot your father’s ship into the sun. We’re expecting resistance.”
Admiral Cheng patted Derek on the shoulder before moving to the centre of the room. “Start targeting all the USOC personnel you see as they come into view, as well as all active ships they control. Avoid damage to the Icarus.”
The crew moved about quickly and soon on the nine displays, holographic crosshairs appeared. Tiny red markers, tracking targets hundreds of miles away. The Symphony advanced, inching closer into the gaunt green gaze of the gas giant. Despite being far from its pull, the ship graveyard just seems to be swallowed by the sheer mass of the planet.
“Our long range cannons have targeted and are tracking one-hundred and seven USOC personnel” shouted one of the captains. He continued “So far they can be eliminated in forty seconds with our current weaponry. I am seeing two active ships with light weaponry. Our railguns can take care of those.”
Admiral Cheng nodded, effectively giving the order to fire. The ship seemed to vibrate more than usual as the weapons were unleashed. The Symphony drew closer to the under attack graveyard. There were quick flashes of bright yellow in the distance as Cheng’s ship closed the gap. “Slow it down” he ordered as elements of the graveyard popped more and more into view. Shards of debris and EVA suits started to fly at the ship, and then there was the blood. The blood of one hundred and seven people. It floated as orbs towards the screen, but disappeared as soon as it got close.
“The glass panels and much of our bow has a shield in front of it. It ‘disintegrates’ light flak, and of course liquids. Admiral Cheng was unfazed by the sheer destruction, if anything he was happy about it.
A body with a massive hole right through its torso loomed towards the glass. Before it could collide, it burst into flame and not even ashes were left in its wake. More bodies followed, blood staining the inside of their helmets completely red. All of them were effectively cremated by the shield. Yeylun smirked “keeps the cleaning bill low” beside a petrified Derek.
“We have arrived!” announced the Admiral. “We planned for this, men. Now let’s get our men out there and secure this place!”
“Aye, Sir!” yelled various members of the crew before they scattered and started to command. The Symphony slowed down to a snail’s pace in front of the once familiar derelict ship. The Icarus. It stood still around half a mile away, surrounded by other destroyed wrecks. Many of which had a faded Orbi-Sec logo on it.
“Wyatt’s fleet will be here soon. Let’s get a move on” ordered the Admiral. He then turned to the captains. “Remember what we planned. As soon as our men are deployed, turn this ship around and give them hell!”
“Aye, Sir!” they once again shouted. Admiral Cheng and his company moved out. “We’ll take the airlock on this level. Let's go. He and the Vice Admiral led Derek back to the elevators, only this time walking past them, towards the back. Sure enough, there were many airlocks around the side.
The Admiral put his hand on Yeylun’s shoulder. “You’re in charge now.” And she nodded. “Alright Derek, you know how to put on an EVA Suit, right?” Derek nodded while the Vice Admiral walked back to the bridge. “Good. Do it quick. My men are waiting outside.” Derek caught a glimpse outside the port windows. Sure enough, he saw at least twenty NorthCo soldiers armed and ready.
CHAPTER 27
Insertion
Symphony, USOC Ship Graveyard, Solar System
The air flew outside in an instant as the hatch was opened. Derek in his EVA Suit slowly stepped out. Several white lights shone from his suit which bore the once intimidating red and white insignia. Admiral Cheng floated outside along with Derek into the company of NorthCo soldiers. For a second there, Derek thought they were going to form a Phalanx shield around him. Admiral Cheng grabbed Derek’s wrist and pointed at his glove, speaking “the thruster buttons are on your index finger” through the helmet radio. Derek looked down at his glove. Several techy looking buttons and function seemed to be built into the glove. A red button with ‘THRUSTER’ labelled underneath it was positioned on the right side of his index finger. He looked up and the soldiers started boosting away. The Admiral nodded and followed them. Derek pressed the button with his thumb and off he went. Upwards.
“You got to face flat, towards the Icarus” said the Admiral. “The thrusters thrust downwards.” Derek nodded as his helmet filled with the moisture of his breath. He pressed the button once again and caught up to the Admiral in
no time. Thrusting forward, he tilted his head upwards to see the old wreck of a ship looming ahead of him. It looked completely different. A once shining angel in the skies reduced to the smoulder of debris he saw. The image he once had of the Icarus was probably overly exaggerated, and now he got to see the fabled ship at its lowest.
As Derek and his escort closed the gap to the ship, he realised that it was not as big as he once thought it was. The 25th century ship was barely the size of the Symphony. It may not have the polish it did decades ago but at the time it seemed bigger than Earth. The Icarus was about as long as the Symphony but fell short in terms of height.
“We’re almost there, Derek. That door is waiting for you. No more worry about triggering failsafes, traps or bombs. The last thing your father would hurt is you.” The Admiral’s squad caught up with the rest of the men. Half a thousand soldiers floated around the Icarus in squads. There was more gunfire. Told not to target the Icarus, NorthCo soldiers had to finish USOC soldiers guarding the ship at close range with their rifles. Five hundred NorthCo soldiers overwhelmed the security detail effortlessly and a path was soon cleared. Admiral Cheng and his men inserted into the ship through a large hole in the hull. The Icarus was still gigantic. And when Derek finally peered inside, he saw nothing but blacks and greys replacing what used to be white and silver. Dust and debris floated aimlessly around.
“Try not to cut yourself. These suits aren’t cheap” said the Admiral, looking around. “The room should be at the centre of the bridge.”
“Admiral” asked Derek “What do you know of the traitor? Back with Orbi-Sec, Carter told me of a man who tipped off USOC about my father’s location before the… incident.”
The Admiral paused and looked back at Derek. “You don’t know yet? I would have thought they told you already. It’s the same man that’s coming for us right now. It was that bastard Wyatt. He used to be a lieutenant there by your father’s side. But I suppose USOC had a better offer for him. He’s the worst of the worst. The dirtiest scum there is, but he’s a dangerously strong fighter and an even better commander. Which is why we need to hurry.” Derek stopped to catch his breath, and then he felt a hint of anger burn inside him. Wyatt wronged him, and his father. But it was out of his control.
Cheng’s wrist display flashed. He pressed it and started talking, presumably with another commander. “Good. Tell your men to push forward. Clean that base out. Okay. Godspeed, Commander.” The Admiral turned back to face Derek. “That was Commander Arkin. She and her one hundred ships, with the help of Chorus have destroyed Geisen’s defences and are now boarding it. Our ships have surrounded their precious base and it’ll soon be ours. With Geisen down, it’ll only be their headquarters on each planet we have to worry about. None of them come close to Geisen’s defences, except for Earths’ and perhaps Mars’. This is a stroke of luck, Derek. For once, everything is going our way.” Derek didn’t seem as ecstatic.
They carried on throughout the ruined carcass of the ship, floating past kitchens, barracks and the all too familiar lounge area. NorthCo soldiers took point ahead, eliminating any threats around them. “There it is, Derek” commented the Admiral as he looked up at a steel sign. ‘PRIVATE SAFE ROOM”
CHAPTER 28
The Room
Icarus, USOC Ship Graveyard, Solar System
Ice covered the heavy steel doorway. “My men will have this melted in no time” said the Admiral. “We’ll restore localised power to this area with a generator. NorthCo soldiers surrounded Derek and the Admiral, forming a circle of protection. The men got to work on the ice with complex plasma torches while an engineer set up a heat cube; a device that generates and regulates the temperature for a small area.
“You’re going to be thankful it is there when you open the door. I’m sorry but I’m afraid for this next part, you’ll have to take off one of your EVA Suit’s gloves. It will be cold, and it’s going to feel bad, but we have pressure regulators set up around here. They don’t have a long range but you don’t need to go far.” Derek nodded numbly at Admiral Cheng’s words.
Liquid droplets floated back and hit Derek’s helmet. The ice was melting away easily at the hands of the torch. The generator was set up to the right of the door and the engineer was playing around with the wires beneath the floor panels. Suddenly, the door’s display and scanner lit up, followed by all the lights and electronics in a ten metre radius.
Admiral Cheng’s wristpad blinked again. He answered the call but this time, it wasn’t good news. “Do everything you can” he replied before ending the call. Turning towards Derek yet again, he said “Wyatt has found us. The Matador has been spotted travelling towards us. Our time runs short. I’ll help you with the glove.” Derek nodded subtly as Cheng pressed the glove release and unscrewed it. Derek felt the cold immediately on his fingers. “Go to the scanner. Now.” Derek hurried to it. The device was rather self-explanatory. A shallow groove was carved out into the panel in the shape of a hand. Derek placed his there. He felt a prick in his index finger as he saw the display light up with details of his identity, DNA and heart rate. He saw his name appear on the display then suddenly, a light flashed in front of his eye. It scanned his head top to bottom within a fraction of a second. Derek felt like he’d just stared at the sun. The display lit up yet again, only this time with the single word ‘APPROVED’. And for the first time since meeting him, Derek saw Admiral Cheng smile. Truly smile. He laughed “that is it! The hard part is over now, Derek” he said as he put Derek’s glove back on. “Now the room only expects one of us to go in, it only expects you to go in. If we do, which it will find out, I don’t know what will happen.” He pointed into the unlocked room. “You see that grey trunk at the back? Bring that out along with anything of interest you find.” Cheng’s smile wasn’t fading, but the opposite expression started to arise on Derek’s face. But he had come this far. And he didn’t want to disappoint. Derek entered the modestly lit room. Various photos of him and his father were framed on shelves on either side. One particular photo stuck out to him. One of him with his father and presumably his mother. Out in a forest somewhere, having a picnic. That was a long time ago, but the photos were worth keeping. Derek took a few of them from their frames and slotted them into his suit’s pockets. Small wooden desks sat at either side of the small room, attached to the wall most likely. He opened the drawers and found various documents. If anything was supposed to prove his father’s innocence, this would be it. So then what was in the trunk? Regardless, Derek grabbed hold of it and pulled it out with him.
Cheng’s satisfied smile seemed to become increasingly evil by the second but Derek didn’t care. He just wanted this to be over. This whole ordeal was beyond what he thought he was capable of and he couldn’t take it. Derek pushed the trunk to Cheng. He didn’t know how much it weighed, but he could assume it wasn’t photos and documents. All those were already in his pockets.
“Cheng” he spoke through the radio. The Admiral looked up at Derek. “Whatever’s in that trunk won’t clear my father’s name, will it?” The Admiral looked back with a solemn face.
“No, it won’t” he replied. “I am sorry for misleading you, but I hope you have found closure with whatever else was in that room.”
“So what’s in the box then? You at least owe to know that.”
“In the box are plans, instructions and a journal of your father’s lightning bomb. The one he struck Earth with. A nuclear weapon small enough to be undetected by Anti-Aircraft lasers, and fast enough to evade everything else. Whoever holds the recipe will be the dominant military force. Wyatt brought it all down, and he will try to do so again soon. I am truly sorry, Derek, but a device with a speed of potentially Mach 40,000 is truly remarkable. I am assuming much of the contents of the box will revolve around the rail mechanism used to launch the bomb, rather than the device itself. The one on this ship was unfortunately destroyed. By your father, when he found out USOC was closing in. I’m afraid
we don’t have much time. We need to leave before Wyatt reaches us.” Derek looked out through the sockets of what used to be windows and saw a multitude of bright flashes in the distance. Cheng was looking as well. “The Matador has reached us. The bull fights the bear. We need to move.” Derek couldn’t argue with that. The Admiral handed the container to two of his men before making his way back out where they came.
Using their thrusters, Derek, The Admiral and his men reached halfway to the exit before projectiles rained in through the weakened hull. The soldiers took point at the window holes and returned fire while Derek struggled with his ANS Pulse Rifle. The Admiral pulled out his QNZ-989, the pinnacle of Chinese handgun engineering. It looked like a revolver out of an action movie. But despite that, it didn’t look like they were doing so well in terms of the battle.
The Symphony lit up, and a bright light, brighter than anything Derek had ever seen pulsed in the distance, like a miniature sun. The destroyer blew apart in a bright flash and in its wake stood the Matador. Derek saw that they were doomed as soon as the light died down. The Matador was far away still, and Derek was more worried about the incoming debris, flung out by the explosion of a nuclear reactor. Millions of shards of steel and hardened alloys were being hurled straight at the Icarus. Thousands of people just lost their lives, and more will follow.