Resist the Red Battlenaut (18 page)

 

*****

 

 

For the next five hours, Scott watched carefully for any sign of the Reds in the vicinity of Oberon...and saw none. The planet drew closer, the
Samuel Nicholas
and Rightful ship drifted brokenly, but no Red vessels appeared nearby. If the Reds were still around, they were so well hidden that even Scott with his Red spotting abilities could see no trace of them.

He had a feeling that could change very soon, though. The
Sun Tzu
was only a few thousand meters away from the wrecks and closing fast. When she got in good and close, the time would be perfect for a Red sneak attack.

"Take us in on thrusters, Lieutenant," said Perseid. "One quarter speed, nice and easy."

"Aye, sir," said Fong, playing his bank of holo controls like a virtuoso on a grand piano. "One quarter thrust."

"All hands to battle stations," added Perseid. "Condition Red."

"All hands to battle stations," repeated Rexis, announcing it over the shipwide P.A. "Condition Red."

The
Sun Tzu
's approach slowed. The wrecked ships, framed against the orange-yellow backdrop of Oberon, grew larger at a slower rate.

"Red activity?" Perseid asked the question without taking his eyes off the forward view.

"Nothing at this time," said Scott.

"They could be hiding behind one of the derelicts," said Fong. "Or behind the planet, for that matter."

"Very true," said Perseid. "Keep monitoring all likely avenues of approach."

As the drifting ships expanded, the tension on the Command Deck ratcheted up like a reactor building toward critical. There wasn't any of the usual chatter or noise--just silence as everyone watched and waited. Scott imagined the whole ship was probably the same way, though he hadn't left the bridge in over five hours.

"Life signs?" said Perseid.

Khalil was manning the science station from an antigrav harness hovering near Scott. "One life sign in proximity to the
Sam Nicholas
." He worked the holo controls some more and nodded. "It's coming from a lifepod, sir."

"What about the Rightful ship?" said Perseid.

Khalil worked for a moment. "No life signs," he said finally.

Perseid cleared his throat. "And what's the standard crew complement of the
Sam Nicholas
?"

"Two hundred and eighty-five," said Rexis.

Everyone was quiet as the implications settled in. Then, in a hushed voice, Khalil spoke for all of them. "One survivor out of two hundred and eighty-five."

"Unless some of them got away," said Perseid. "Scan for life signs on the planet's surface."

"Scanning," said Khalil.

"Meanwhile, let's bring in that lifepod," said Perseid. "Get a retrieval team out there ASAP."

"Already on the way," said Rexis.

"Still no sign of the Reds," offered Scott.

"Other than the demolished warships in orbit." Perseid folded his arms over his chest and shook his head slowly. "The bastards must have some kind of
firepower
."

"Retrieval team has eyes on the lifepod," said Rexis. "They report minor damage to the exterior, but life support does not seem to have been compromised."

"Good news from the planet's surface, too," said Khalil. "Multiple life signs detected. Fifty-nine signals, all told."

Scott's heart beat faster. Maybe Bern had survived after all and escaped to the planet's surface.

"I'm picking up weapons fire down there, too," said Khalil. "Looks like a firefight in progress."

Perseid nodded and unfolded his arms. He paused a moment, gazing at the view of the shattered ships and the planet's giant disk...and then he spoke. "Prepare drop ships for launch. Alpha and Beta Squads, report to launch bay for immediate departure. That includes you, Corporal." He looked at Scott.

Scott nodded. "Aye, sir."

"We're going down," said Perseid. "In force."

"'We?'" said Rexis.

"'We' but not you," said Perseid. "You're in command of the
Sun Tzu
until I get back."

Rexis frowned. "Do you really think that's a good..."

"No argument." Perseid chopped his hand through the air, cutting her off. "If what I suspect is true, there's no way I'm
not
leading this expedition." He headed for the door, waving for Scott to follow. "But first, we're going to talk to that survivor."

 

*****

 

By the time Scott and Perseid reached the landing bay, the retrieval team's skiff had returned. The lifepod they'd recovered lay on the deck in front of their boxy little craft, encircled by crewmen in red jumpsuits.

As the crewmen parted to let Perseid through, Scott saw Chief Azimuth and Doctor Beauchamp working on the pod. Azimuth was prying with his big silver wrench at a clamp bolt near the base of the pod, while Beauchamp was busy running a diagnostic wand over the hull.

"His vitals are strong," Beauchamp said when Perseid approached. "Elevated, but you would expect that after the kind of stress he must have been through."

Perseid touched the skin of the pod. "How long until we get this thing open?"

"Ask Mr. Celebrity!" Azimuth pulled hard on his wrench, grunting and scowling with the effort. When he let up the pressure, the bolt hadn't moved a centimeter. "The longer he stands over there like a lazy
ass
instead of
helping
me, the longer this stays sealed!"

Scott wanted to punch him in the face, but instead he went over and took hold of the wrench. Together, the two of them cranked the wrench back harder than ever...and the bolt moved half a turn before locking up again.

"Come on!" snapped Azimuth. "Put your
back
into it! Grandma Hellcat can't help you with
this
one!"

Scott's temper flared, and he poured it into his effort. This time, the bolt turned all the way, and the clamp came loose with a loud
crack
.

"There!" said Azimuth. "See what you can accomplish when you stop waiting for
Granny
to come to your rescue?"

Resisting the temptation to take a swing at him, Scott pulled the clamp free, releasing the lid. As the lid swung upward, the man inside the pod shot to a sitting position.

Breathing hard, gripping the sides of the pod, he gaped at Scott--his uniform, specifically. "Semper fi!" Relief flooded his face. "Thank God!"

"That's right." Scott saw the survivor was wearing a Commonwealth Marine uniform, too. "Semper fi."

"What's your name, Marine?" said Perseid.

The man in the pod looked like he was in his early-to-mid twenties. His round face was smudged with grease and blood, and the brown stubble on his scalp had been singed black on one side. "Sergeant Pylo Brahma of the
Samuel Nicholas
, sir." Brahma saluted as Beauchamp pushed in and waved her diagnostic wand over him. "May I ask what ship this is?"

"The
Sun Tzu
." Perseid stepped closer and bent down to fix Brahma in an urgent stare. "Now tell me, what was the
Sam Nicholas
doing out here with a Rightful warship?"

"That's top secret, sir." Brahma squared his jaw, then frowned and slumped. "Though I guess it doesn't matter much now."

Perseid looked at Beauchamp, who finished checking the readings from her wand, then nodded and stepped away. "Get to it, Sergeant," said Perseid. "We don't have much time."

"Secret peace talks with the Rightfuls," said Brahma. "That's why we were here. High-level talks to end the Civil War."

"I had a hunch." Perseid glanced at Scott, then returned his gaze to Brahma. "Who was aboard, Sergeant? What Commonwealth dignitaries were present?"

"The Undersecretary of State, Trellor Gulack," said Brahma. "Defense Minister Byron Clay. And the Marine Corps Commandant." Brahma lowered his eyes. "Commandant Bernice Chalice."

Suddenly, time crashed to a halt for Scott. His stomach twisted in a painful knot, and his heart seemed to stop beating.

He understood why Bern hadn't been taking his calls. He knew where she'd been all this time when he'd been trying in vain to reach her. It made perfect sense, now.

There was just one thing he didn't know, and the thought of it froze his blood. There was one question he needed to ask, and he was afraid to hear the answer.

Maybe it was just as well that Perseid did the asking. "Where are they, Sergeant? What happened to the dignitaries?"

"Gulack and Clay died in the ambush," said Brahma. "The ambush by
invisible
ships."

Though Scott dreaded hearing the rest of the story, he couldn't help jumping in. "What about the Commandant?"

"I don't know." Brahma shook his head wearily. "I don't know if she's alive or dead."

Time continued to stand still for Scott as Brahma's words echoed through his head. He felt the pressure of eyes on him and looked around--saw stoic grimness from Perseid, supportive concern from Beauchamp, and mortified guilt from Azimuth, who moments ago had referred to Bern as "Grandma Hellcat" and made fun of Scott for waiting for "Granny" to come to his rescue.

Meanwhile, Brahma kept talking. "These
ghosts
who attacked us, they ripped through our defenses like a chain saw through
tissue paper
and boarded the
Sam Nicholas
. The Rightful ship, the
Augustus
, didn't fare any better. None of us could
see
or
detect
them. It was a
bloodbath
."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Scott said it a little too harshly. "What happened to Commandant Chalice?"

"A squad of Marines put her in a drop ship and got the hell off the
Sam Nicholas
. I was part of the rear guard action that helped them get away." Brahma shrugged. "I don't know what happened to them after that."

"They must be on the planet's surface," said Perseid. "That explains the lifeforms."

"And the weapons fire," said Scott. "We need to get down there
now
."

"You'll be flying into a
death trap
," said Brahma. "The
ghosts
will tear you to
shreds
! I'm
telling
you, they're completely
undetectable
!"

"Not anymore," said Perseid. "We're ready for them."

"You mean you
know
about these things?" Brahma's eyes flew wide open. "What the hell
are
they?"

"The enemy," said Perseid. "The
real
enemy. The reason we're out here."

"
Enough
." Scott's moment of stopped time ended with a roar of blood in his ears. Adrenaline blazed through his body in a fiery surge, and his heart hammered like a hypercharged solo by an out-of-control drummer in a band. He was seized by the overwhelming urge to race to the surface of Oberon and open fire on the Reds, blasting away indiscriminately until every last one of them lay dead and smoking in the sun. "We need to
go
. We need to get
down
there."

Perseid clapped him on the shoulder. "Agreed." When their eyes met, it was crystal clear that they were on the same page.

Without another word, Perseid marched clear of the crowd around the lifepod and broke into a run. Scott did the same, propelled by the continued flow of adrenaline in his bloodstream...and visions of Bern in his mind.

He could see her as he ran, under fire by the Reds, firing back but hopelessly outnumbered and pinned down. It was only a matter of time until they pressed all the way in and trapped her in a crossfire of slugs, lasers, and missiles.

It was only a matter of time until she died, with her grandson so close yet so terribly far away.

Galvanized, Scott ran faster down the corridor, passing Perseid on his way.

 

*****

 

The drop ships were loaded, fueled, and ready by the time Scott and Perseid charged into the launch bay. Crew members ran and shouted in all directions, making final preparations for departure.

It was all just static to Scott. He was focused only on getting to the surface of Oberon, leaping into his armor, and saving Bern.

Storming through the chaos, he stopped a running crewman in red coveralls and asked where they'd loaded his Battlenaut. The crewman pointed at one of the drop ships and darted away, intent on his duties.

Scott was just about to bolt toward the ship that held his gear when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Whirling, he expected to see Perseid--and found himself staring down at Azimuth instead.

As always, the blustering engineer looked like a devil, complete with arched eyebrows, crooked nose, and dark hair drawn to a point on his forehead. But for once, he also managed to look half contrite. "Sorry for what I said about your grandma," he said. "I was just trying to goad you into cranking that bolt."

Scott looked around nervously. "I have to go..."

"She's a wonderful woman, that Bern." Azimuth nodded sincerely and squeezed Scott's shoulder. "Good luck bringin' her back."

"Thanks." Scott broke free of Azimuth and headed for the drop ship. The clock in his head was ticking loudly, counting down the seconds that remained until he could get to his grandmother.

Perseid met him at the base of the gangplank, and they rushed into the drop ship together. As soon as they were inside, the gangplank rose to meet the rest of the hull and clanged shut.

"We'll get her," Perseid told him as they strapped themselves into side-by-side flight couches. "We
have
to. She's the
Commandant
, for flux sake."

Scott cinched his last strap with a hard yank. "Those bastards are dead. Every last one of them. Don't even try to stop me."

"Why would I do that?" Perseid said with a smirk. "We'll kill the sons of bitches
together
."

With that, the engines roared to life, and the drop ship hurtled from the launch bay into open space.