Ghost Soldiers (14 page)

Captain Delatorre looked stunned.

"We're firing on our own ship?"

Five-Seven nodded quickly.

The Chief Engineer, another Thegn that looked like a carbon copy of Five-Seven signalled to them both.

"Gunnery has lost control of the primary weapon control computer. They are overloading our systems."

Captain Delatorre knew he was losing control of his ship, and that the derelict was the source of his woe. He pointed to the mainscreen.

"Activate conventional engines. Take us away from here, now!"

Most of the senior officers were busy communicating with their crews via the multi-channel intercom system, and as each second passed, more bad news arrived. The engines finally activated, and the ship began to slowly increase in velocity.

"What about our Interstellar Drive?"

Five-Seven acknowledged the Captain and spoke with both of his senior engineers before answering.

"The control system is infected. Activating the system would be risky. One incorrect setting, and the space-time Rift could tear the ship apart."

A shape entered the deck and advanced upon them. It was Khan. As he moved inside, two of the lights went dark, and one of the diagnostic displays went completely red. A shape began to form, much like that of a face.

"There’s something in the computers. The enemy is taking our ship," said Khan.

His voice was hard, firm, and even angry. Just a few more steps and he was between the two of them.

"You know what you have to do. Purge the computers, now!"

Captain Delatorre nodded to Five-Seven.

"Do it! Activate the Purge System, or we'll lose the ship and everybody on board!"

The Thegn moved to his system and grabbed the intercom. Even as he did so, another batch of turrets turned on the ship, blazing away with long streams of energy. Though well protected, the turrets were still able to damage a multitude of systems and open up a number of breaches in the hull. Explosions covered the dorsal superstructure as they worked their way through the layered armour and into the innards of the ship.

A bright flash off to the right vaporised a computer unit, sending two Thegns stumbling backwards with bloodied hands and arms. More explosions followed even as Five-Seven shouted through the intercom.

"Now!" Khan roared.

He took another step, lifted his hands, and then everything went dark. A low-pitched pulse ripped through the ship as the emergency purge system activated. It was a new device, and something championed by Spartan from the start of the IAB experiment. His concerns over the power and technology of the new ships and weapons had been the motivation for the system. The device was hardwired through the ship, and could be triggered to wipe all computer and control systems. They could then be restarted with their base installations that were kept on solid-state hardware. The system was also designed to defend against electronic attacks, or to render the ship impossible to command if successfully boarded.

"Done," said Five-Seven.

It was impossible to see the device in action, yet every living thing on the vessel felt the electromagnetic pulse sweep through the vessel like a sonic boom. As the wave passed over the systems, it knocked them out, one by one. Everything cut from power systems, to weapons, engines, gravity, and life-support. The purge occurred just as the last of the turrets struck the structure of the ship. The resulting combination of shut down systems and gunfire sent shudders and vibrations throughout the vessel.

Like many of the fail-safes, the overload protection for the capacitors was mandatory. Rather than suffering a fatal overload, they were designed to cast out the energy into space. It was the only way to save the ship from a cataclysmic build-up that would be powerful enough to split the ship in two. Blue sparks flashed around the outer hull as one of the forward gun battery's capacitors vented and then shutdown, just before it could unleash another volley.

"Watch out!"

This time Khan’s voice was unamplified, yet spread across this part of the ship with ease. Some of the flashes of energy rippled through the interior, setting off a series of chain reactions that blasted computers and electrocuted more than a dozen personnel. Khan felt a shudder through his armour, but the current did little more than give him a jolt as it passed by. All of the internal systems in his armour were offline, either from the pulse of the purge system, or from the additional electrical disruption of the capacitor overload.

Typical.

Khan hit the mechanical release, and the front of his armoured helmet hissed open. Unlike the close-fitting PDS armour of the Marines, the JAS armour was bulky and rather crude in its appearance. The helmet had the look of a medieval jousting helm, but sunken low into the torso. There was nothing but darkness on the ship, not even the emergency systems coming back online.

"What happened?"

A Thegn called out in the darkness, "The purge wiped our control system, but the build-up from the main guns overloaded the master control system. We will need to reinstall our command system from the solid-state backups."

Khan muttered.

"I know that. Why is nothing back on, though? The secondary backup systems are designed to operate without assistance from the computer."

On cue, a handful of the dull red emergency lights flickered on, and then a single engineering display activated. It took time for the system to warm up, and as it did so, the light from the display became brighter until it was the single most powerful light source on the deck.

"There, that's better."

Gravity remained off, along with all the other computer-controlled systems. Five-Seven and two of his Thegn officers pulled themselves to the unit and crowded around the display. They seemed to take to the zero gravity with ease, like birds to flight, much to Khan's annoyance. He moved much more slowly, not before crashing into two seats and breaking a console.

"Well, what's going on?"

Five-Seven shook his head.

"We were too late. The aft turrets must have damaged the coolant system on the phased fusion plant."

Captain Delatorre was now with them, and at the same time a number of additional systems started up in their safe, un-networked state.

"If the coolant is gone, won't the fusion plant be a problem?"

The Thegn engineering officer nodded and spoke into the intercom. A moment later he turned back to them.

"The system is already overloaded. Our crew are sealing the aft compartments and moving back through the ship. The powerplant is going to go critical."

Five-Seven, Captain Delatorre, and Khan said the same thing simultaneously.

"When?"

 
A few movements of the Thegn's hands changed the display to a status indicator. It provided a simple overview of the ship's basic statistics. Everything was there, from the internal gravity to air quality, temperature, residual power, and radiation. The Thegn pointed to the bar that was increasing in strength at the top.

"Less than an hour, and when it goes, the blast will destroy the ship."

Khan shook his head.

"Not if we dump the core."

Five-Seven and the Captain both stared at him.

"Dump the core!"

The Captain’s voice implied incredulity.

"Without the core we have no way of powering the ship for more than a few days, or day, perhaps less. No core, no interstellar drive."

"Less," said Five-Seven, "The blast from the capacitor overload wiped out most of our stored energy. We have fifteen hours, sixteen at the most. Every minute it runs gives us more air, and more time."

* * *

The strength of his opponent was incredible. Spartan could see his own arm distorting under the pressure, yet still he refused to back down. To his left a Grunt spun about and began screaming as though in the middle of some terrifying nightmare. It lifted it hands to its face and then disappeared off inside the gloom of the ship, running like a malfunctioning robot.

What's going on?

Spartan activated his networked communication system and then spotted more shapes off into the distance. At first he felt relaxed, and then realised they were not more Grunts, but something else. The imagery provided by the Grunt's own sensors was flawed, and he found himself cursing his reliance on technology rather than his own eyes.

"All squads converge on my signal! We're being surrounded. If it moves, shoot it!"

He then altered the channel to communicate with those on the ship. Bizarrely, he was actually just speaking with them from one part of the ship to the other, but to him and his current reality, he was aboard the derelict. The massive creature that had him pinned began to shift. Shapes detached from its body and threw themselves at the Grunts. He kicked out hard and fell to the ground, finally released from the vice-like grip of his tormentor.

"Khan. The operation has failed. Unknown enemy..."

More of the small shapes came into view. Four stopped and turned to face him. A gentle glow from where their faces should be, marked out a single eye on each of them. Then they began to move.

I don't think so.

Spartan dropped down to one knee and squeezed the trigger. The carbine kicked back, once, twice, three times, and then stopped. Steam vented from the sides before he realised the coolant unit built into the power cell had breached its capacity. Without looking down, he released the cylinder, pulled a second one from the harness on his armour, and clipped it back into the unit. The unit hissed until followed by a green indicator.

Better.

He lifted the muzzle to find the two remaining things in front of him. The first shot blasted a hole in its face, and the shape quickly coalesced into a mechanical warrior, not dissimilar to himself. Then the second leapt at him, knocking both to the ground. Pinned to the floor, Spartan swung his remaining free arm and grabbed at his foe. He grunted as he struck the creature twice with his carbine, like a wild man swinging a club.

...cannot see it.

"Khan, send the recall!"

The audio crackled, and his vision blurred. A few messages came back, but it was hard to tell exactly what was happening. Spartan's vision vanished, only to return for a brief moment. He could see the large enemy creature was back, and it had grabbed him once again. This time it pulled him in close as though examining him with interest. Control of his right arm went, returning for a moment, and then in front of him was the monster’s arm.

Oh...great!

Even that short moment of time had given his opponent the edge, and it used the opportunity with speed and savagery. Spartan could do nothing as it snapped his left arm at the elbow and struck him in the chest with the back of its limb. The only time the illusion of reality was broken was when he felt himself flying through the air. His chest should have been numbed with the strike, but it did little more than to register a heavy impact.

Here it comes.

Spartan braced his body for impact, but nothing happened. He watched the shape of his enemy, while Thegns staggered about in brutal close quarter combat. They used their firearms where possible, but once too close, or when grabbed by the enemy, they resorted to the same techniques that had been used for millennia; punches, kicks, locks, and breaks, and every time they failed. His vision cut again to nothing but stillness. His forward view flickered intermittently, and then he could feel that he had lost control of his legs.

Damn it, the suit must be dead.

Spartan leaned to the right and found another Grunt knocked to its back with a blurred shape on top of it. A Grunt struck it in the side. Spartan twisted his limbs to grab his remaining weapon, his sidearm. It wasn't easy, but he managed to get the shape in his sight by partially breaking his own forearm.

Now!

Spartan held down the trigger and unleashed a long burst from the small weapon. At this range the hardened slugs struck both the enemy and the Grunt. Flashes marked the impacts, and he almost yelled as the enemy staggered backwards.

Yes!

His excitement was short lived because his vision vanished before he could see what had happened. Everything vanished, from sound and vision, to touch and even the communications system. His body felt cold and lifeless.