Con-Red: Recourse (53 page)

This small victory did not slow the regression of military strength across the army formation.  More and more vehicles were starting to drop away silently.  Colonel Hofens had no choice, but to stop the column
’s progression and try to reel in those lost units.  Just then a video feed opened inside his helmet visor with Hofens on the other end. 

“Lieutenant, I need you and your men to go out and evacuate those stranglers.  We both
know what’s happening,” he paused for a moment as new information was told to him, “better hurry we got a Gamma coming in.”

Knowing they didn’t have a lot of time left to complete the task Dexter quickly relayed his orders and felt the Centaur tilt as it rotated towards one of the stalled IFVs.  The other three vehicles of his platoon moved on to their own targets
in the vicinity.  They all moved quickly to wrap small parts of the multispec netting around themselves so that individual soldiers could get onboard the stationary Centaurs without being effected by the alien mind weapon.  Once inside these protected men and women proceeded to activate each vehicle’s slave mode and linked it with a 2
nd
platoon IFV so that it could be remotely operated.

He was maneuvering the first of the Centaurs back towards the main group of units when four large SAMs arched into the sky from other hidden positions further away.  Silently they all disappeared beyond visual range
before another salvo joined the first seconds later.  There was no reprieve from the action, though, and his sensor display displayed a clear warning just then.  Updated instantly by Crossbow’s LADET through the TacLink it indicated that a wave of enemy missiles were inbound as well. 

Dexter shouted out a warning to make sure everyone in 2
nd
Platoon knew the situation and urged them hurry.  They already had nine vehicles linking up and moving forward under remote control when a flash of a midair explosion was observed in the quickly fading daylight.  To him it seemed to come from the very direction in which the Adino missiles had raced off towards.  It was also at that moment that Dexter saw the setting rays of sunlight glimmer off a number of sleek objects descending through the clear sky.  He could only count five of them, but the aerial defense units had already targeted them.  Without delay multiple energy beams and interceptors raced into the sky to meet them.

The blue lances of deadly energy struck a number of them, causing only one to detonate, however.  Dexter quickly noticed that these missiles were different than the previous ones that had come up against.  Each one seemed to have protective force fields and as they missile interceptors got close they all began to quickly separate and corkscrew through the air.  Their every moved seemed to be erratic and he watched only two of the interceptors actually
strike an intended target.  The rest missed completely, but began to turn back in order to try again.

More particle beam fire joined the first as the warheads descended on the Federation military units and other precious interceptors launched into the air.  To Dexter they were already too late.  The enemy weapons were closing in fast and growing larger on his display, making him wonder what sort of warheads these new missiles had and how many more people would perish today.  Then suddenly, less than fifteen meters from the ground, each of the four remaining projectiles
exploded in midair and Dexter watched a teal colored shield appear around the entire military formation for the first time.  When the explosions from the missiles faded the field vanished completely.

He was completely speechless to this unexpected event when another astonishing vision presented itself to him.  From three hills surrounding the entire force streams of solid white light
erupted and shot off to somewhere in the western horizon.  Zooming in closer on one of those locations Dexter saw nothing at first.  It seemed as if the beams were simply materializing out of thin air.  Finally, though, he started to see groups of shimmering humanoids.  Each seemed to be covered in adaptive camouflage and holding some sort of object over their shoulder.  It was from these shoulder mounted contraptions that the beams were emanating.

Without warning the lances of light simply shut off and those once visible beings disappeared once more.  Seconds after voice of distressed soldiers began to pour into Dexter’s TacLink.  The same men and women that had been placed into stasis by the enemy were now fully awake and wondering what had happened.
  There was no time for Dexter to say anything because Colonel Hofens came on the line and ordered his presence at his own command vehicle.

There was no time delay so Dexter ordered the rest of his platoon to carry on and
proceeded to the colonel’s location with just his own vehicle.  It didn’t take long to weave through the traffic of all the other tanks and IFVs before he finally reached Benjamin’s location.  The colonel was already standing outside his vehicle close the very forward edge of the army formation.  Dexter also noticed Captain Angela Resinek standing beside him along with a number of the other company commanders.  Coming to halt, the lieutenant opened the Centaur’s side hatch and jumped out.  As he ran towards the group already standing among the tall grass Dexter finally visualized two other people standing in front of them.  They were wearing armored suits he hadn’t seen before and carried weapons attached to them that he didn’t recognize either.  It only when a soft breeze caused the purplish grass leaves to sway that he caught a hint of the air rippling in various places around the meeting group.  He instantly realized that other individual soldiers were standing in a semi-circle around them.  These were probably the same camouflages warriors he had seen moments before firing at the unseen enemy craft.

“Colonel Hofens, welcome to Mirjian Peak.  I’m Captain Dultan Notaleni, RedSky Private Security
.  We were sent to greet you and help get your men inside,” Dexter heard the unknown man say as he paused beside Captain Resinek, “I suggest we hurry, the enemy be in orbit over this area soon.”

“Captain, we all appreciate your help.  Do you have room for of us at the Peak?” Colonel Hofens quickly replied, gesturing to the large formation behind him.

Without pause Dultan stepped aside as the ground a couple hundred meters in front of them split open.  Massive grass covered and well camouflaged blastdoors parted open to reveal a large ramp leading to a deep cavern below.  From this distance Dexter could see soft white light shine out of the newly opened entrance, inviting them inside.

“There should be more than enough room for each of your vehicles and all of the personnel you brought with you.  Now please hurry, we only have ten m
inutes before the enemy arrives,” Captain Notaleni insisted.

Benjamin turned towards the rest of the commanders and Dexter after the Captain’s warning, “alright you heard him!  Let’s get everyo
ne below ground on the double.”

Dexter was about to turn and run in order to carry out the order when Colonel Hofens turned to him directly, “good job with detected the captain’s men.  Once we get below and settled, I want you at the staff meeti
ng.  I might have a job for you and 2
nd
Platoon.”

‘Yessir!” was all he could say to that request, but deep inside he smiled to himself.  His platoon would be thrilled to hear that they were handpicked for a mission
.  Dexter jogged back to his Centaur just as the first group of army vehicles began to move towards the large entrance leading into the Peak.

The whole deck reverberated under his feet as Xander Wietzhausen jogged through one of the cavernous rear cargo holds onboard the
Rayonnant Trésor
.  The large heavy freighter had three other such holds as well as two smaller ones along its centerline.  Xander was amazed that so much available space could be filled almost to capacity with cargo containers.  Their last stop had emptied a third of the vessel, but even with so many goods offloaded the ship still felt crowded with stacks upon stacks of large containers.  Having read the manifest and schedule previously he knew that at their next port most of the cargo would be removed.  How different the entire ship would look with all of the holds empty, Xander thought to himself as he continued down one of the corridors in between two rows of metallic cargo cases.  That emptiness would only be transient as these same holds would be refilled within the next day with new goods bound for the Federation.

After two days of being locked up inside the freighter Xander was starting to get a little stir crazy.  His professionalism never faltered, but he really wondered how the naval personnel handled the problem.  He figured that some people were simply better suited for certain jobs than others.  All Xander could really do was try to he himself busy.  At the moment he was taking his daily jog around the ship while waiting for the attack he knew was approaching against the freighter. 

He had of course been right about Mr. Chornie and how the man would react to his proposition.  It didn’t take long after their meeting at the café for Xander to receive a message from the man informing him that his offer was acceptable.  One condition was that Xander had to complete the first mission without any complications.  He looked forward to finding out what they wanted from him and slightly surprised when he was met by his ‘handler’ the very next day outside apartment building.  The man introduced himself as Li before telling Xander that he had to make sure that a certain package went onboard the freighter
Rayonnant Trésor
with no questions asked. 

This package was waiting for him at customs on Port Telius.  Xander took the next shuttle to the orbital trade harbor once he had informed his superiors that he had a tip about a security breach and a bomb threat.  A man of his position was allowed to do what he felt was right for a job so no one really questioned him running the operation by himself.  Onboard the station he quickly found the large freighter and the three meter long box being held for him in
customs.  A quick scan and visual inspection of its contents revealed it to be a pulse bomb.  With that he instantly knew what it would be used for and how the pirates kept on attacking the convoys. 

There was also a note included with the container that simple said, ‘rear cargo hold, aft’.  It was an instruction to him on where to
have the bomb placed.  For the good of his investigation he would have to comply with the order, but he would also accompany the bomb aboard the ship to see what happened.  Knowing the technical capability of the weapon he had a good idea of what it would do and guessed that once it went off the pirates would start their raid on the vessel.  With a greater cause in mind Xander approved the package through customs and followed it onboard the
Tésor. 

He had
a quick talk with the captain about overseeing the entire cargo run without mentioning the package at all.  Captain Yukatso welcoming him with open arms, happily accepting the additional security.  Even though the ship was carrying mostly manufacturing equipment and other durable goods, there was still a chance of attack again it with the recent increase in pirate activity throughout the Federation.  The
Tésor’s
route took it from Federation space to the Coalition planet of Juwala before ending up back in the Federation in the neighboring Libra sector.  Being in the intelligence field Xander knew that the CIW had experienced a great period of economic prosperity in the previous decade throughout most of its planets.  This quickly translated into an increase in exports as well as imports to and from the United Planets Federation. 

This prosperity brought with it an increase in cargo traffic.  That traffic in turn translated into more lucrative targets for pirate organizations and they moved into the surrounding sectors like vultures. 
For the most part the UPF navy and Coalition Authority had been able to keep the majority of trade safe from attack.  Together they sought out these groups of bandits and slowly forced them out of the areas.  Some slipped through, however, and were still harassing the shipping that traveled along these routes.

Now here he was onboard this freighter
hoping to actually get attacked.  As he approached the rear of the expansive hold Xander noticed the pair of massive mechanical loaders sitting there clamped to the deck.  They were collapsed onto themselves for storage.  Surrounding them were crates of other heavy equipment for use in industrial factories.  When he was close enough to hear the ship’s power plant and engines Xander slowed down.  Looking around he quickly located the box that held the bomb inside it, sitting in the same place he had placed it in before.  He began to walk towards it for what seemed like the hundredth time when it started to hum.  The pulse wave fired out from its center so quickly that even Xander’s enhanced reflexes weren’t enough to allow him to even flinch in time.

One moment he was walking forward and the next his body was being lifted into the air.  He was instantly tossed back against the nearby metallic cargo containers, feeling his spine slam against the hard boxes as pain shot through him.  For a split second Xander felt as if he was being held up against the container by the invisible field before crumpling to the ground.  Every hair on his body stood on end as the electrical field coursed through his body, causing each muscle to spasm.  It was then that his eyes finally fluttered closed and his mind emptied of all thought.

A loud explosion resounding through the cargo bay finally brought Xander back from the depth of unconsciousness.  He blinked himself awake slowly started to pull himself together
, reflexively reaching down to his thigh to detach the P-51 pistol holstered there.  As this training taught him Xander ran through what he could remember and reminded himself where he was and what he was being.  These thoughts brought him back to his mission and he felt his mind begin to think more clearly.  A transparent health display appeared within his vision, telling his instantly that there was only minor bruising along his spine and hip.  As soon as he straightened himself and regained his baring Xander’s ears began to pick up the sound of heavy feet moving hastily through the cargo hold.

With each passing second the feet got closer and closer.  Their pattern told Xander that they were looking for something or simply being thorough in securing the area. 
The bay’s acoustics were good enough for his internal sensors to triangulate each footfall’s location.  After a few seconds a map of the hold appeared in his vision and showed the location of each approaching object.  It showed that there were five people moving in his direction through the maze of cargo containers.  He straightened himself and raised his arms, along with the pistol held in his hand, high above his head just as a pair of persons dressed completely in steel gray armor came around the corner.  Each one had a large emblem of what looked like the head of a bird of prey with its beak open and fire emanating from all around it to form an almost complete circle of fire around the head.  Xander instantly recognized it as the ‘Coat of Arms’, if you will, for the Phoenix Legion.

“Drop it!” screamed out one of the pirate sol
diers and pointed his rifle at him.

“Don’t move!” the other ordered at almost the exact moment
. 

Xander had no intention of getting shot so he held still and did as he was told.  He leaned down and placed his weapon
on the deck before straightening up again with his hands raised.  His implants were also scanning the ship’s communications system for any signs of distress calls or other signals.  They picked up a standard activated emergency beacon, mostly likely automatically activated by the loss of power.  The scan also detected a series of other transmissions that weren’t from the ship, but instead coming to and from the two pirates standing in front of him.  He instructed his implants to break into these encrypted signals while he stood there waiting.

“My name is Xander Grissom and I’m the man that allowed you to capture this ship.  I wish to speak with your commander,” Xander expressed calmly.  His map display indicating that three other soldiers were now converging to his location from different direction.

He turned his head to the side and saw two more armored figures approaching him.  They were covering him all angles and greatly limiting his routes of escape.  This told him that they definitely knew what they were doing.  Probably former military or at least trained by instructors that had served.  For a pirate group they were heavy armed with modern weapons and armor, matching closely with what the intel files said about the group.

“Guys, I’m here to help you out, can you please lower those rifles you got pointed at me?” Xander said again a little louder with a smile.  At that moment his decryption software came through and si
lently hacked into the pirates communications.

“What the heck is he talking about?” one of the men questioned.

“He was saying something about allowing us to capture the ship, sir.  I’m not what he means.  He wants to talk to Captain Ziana I think,” another soldier answered.

“We don’t have time for this.  The engineers are getting ready to blow those rear doors.  We have to clear these decks and get the hell out.”

“Sir!  I found something here,” called out a woman’s voice and Xander turned his head the other way to see that one of the pirate’s had stumbled upon the bomb case, “it was laying on this crate.  Appears to be an electronic device of some kind.”

“Looks like components belonging to a bomb,” countered the soldier that had told him to put his arms up before.

“What’s a bomb doing in a cargo hold?  Is it active?”

“Negative sir, doesn’t look active at the moment.”

One of the soldiers from behind Xander stepped forward and poked his chest, “do you know what that is?” he demanded in a metallic voice with his external speaker active.

“Perhaps,” Xander replied with a shrug, “I’ll hold my words until I get to speak with your superiors. All I can say is that it’s of no threat to you at the moment.”

He saw the twitch in the man’s body even through the armor and knew what was coming before it even happened.  His reflexes could have helped, but he needed this to happen for the further advancement of his mission.  When the butt of the commander’s rifle smashed into the back of his head Xander’s only thought was that sometimes he really hated his job.  A second later his legs gave out and he crumpled forward on the hard deck plating, unconscious once more.