Into the Black: Odyssey One (56 page)

“Ah shit,” Corrin muttered. “You’d better get that cut away, Brian. I’ll secure the rest of the compartment.”

“You got it, Chief,” Brian nodded, then waved behind him. “Bring up the laser cutters!”

“Hey,” Corrin looked around. “What’s this section for anyway?”

“Don’t know Chief. This is eggheads’ country,” Brian glanced back pulling a computer from his pocket. “Let’s see… Deck eight, Habitat B… Looks like the Linguistics lab, Chief.”

“Check with the computer, see if anyone was in here.” Chief Corrin ordered, glaring at a section of the bulkhead that had been decorated with scribbled writings.

Scientists,
she muttered.
If I ever caught one of my boys writing on the fucking walls…

*****

“Fifteen Light seconds, Captain.”

“Thank you, Mr. Waters,” Eric replied, cocking his head slightly toward the Helm. “Daniels, prepare for hard maneuvering and call up attack pattern Nimitz.”

“Nimitz, Aye Sir,” Daniels responded.

“Do we have paint on either of the bandits, Mr. Waters?”

“Yes Sir. Laser return off of the port side bandit is confirmed.”

“Very Good. Have our Laser frequencies adjusted to match.”

“Aye-Aye Captain.”

Eric watched the preparations as they were made, noting with some degree of pleasure that the crew wasn’t fumbling over any of them, nor making any of the fatigue-induced errors that he had been worried about.

This was the end of a marathon battle and while they were no longer fresh, it was obvious that the people he had been assigned were up to the challenges they’d met.

Now they had just one more challenge to surmount.

Or, rather, just two more.

“Laser Control reports adjustments prepared, Captain.”

“Mr. Daniels… Engage Nimitz Maneuvering.”

“Aye Sir. Engaging.”

“Mr. Waters. Fire at Will.”

*****

Admiral Rael Tanner watched the board, eyes watering as he practically refused to blink. The battle being carried out in clean, sterile, three-dimensional graphics in front of him was a riveting as it was utterly pointless.

He had to get word to the Odyssey, just to tell them to run. They didn’t have to do this, to die fighting for a world not their own. Not now, when the Cerekus was here and ready to defend her people.

“Milla!” He snapped, turning quickly.

“Admiral,” she stiffened, her armored form whining as it responded to her body’s demand.

“Contact the Colonel Brinks you mentioned. I wish to speak with him.”

“Yes Sir. One moment,” her eyes unfocused as she looked at something much closer to her then he was.

*****

“Colonel Brinks?” The hesitant voice came softly through the tactical network, catching Brinks attention as the whine-crack of his rifle died down.

He’d just sniped a stray drone that had evaded the main cleanup teams and didn’t see anymore, so he relaxed a bit and swung his weapon up onto his shoulder. “Yes Miss Chans? What is it?”

“The Admiral wishes to speak with you,” she told him.

Brinks wondered briefly why the word ‘Admiral’ translated properly, but Milla’s rank or whatever it was, didn’t seem to. He shrugged it off a second later as none of his concern, for the moment. “Very well.”

An instant later, an image of a very grim man appeared on his HUD and Brinks noted that the man looked like he was fraying on the ragged edge.
Man needs some bunk time in the worst way.

“Admiral” he said out loud, nodding. “Colonel Wilhelm Brinks, at your service.”

“As you have been,” The Admiral replied with a weary smile. “However, just now I wish to be at the service of your Captain Weston.”

“Is there something wrong with the Odyssey?” Brinks asked with a frown.

“Your ship is currently in combat with two Drasin warships and is sustaining damage. I’m afraid that I can’t say how badly she has been hurt, however what disturbs me is that it is no longer needed.”

“Pardon me?” Brinks blinked. If there were two ships, at least, still out there, he didn’t see how it wasn’t needed. One ship had landed enough drones that they’d been hard pressed to cull them back. If two more dropped ground forces, it would be all over, except for the dying.

“Our own Warship, the Cerekus is approaching the battle. If the Odyssey would drop back, she could handle the enemy,” the Admiral replied. “Or, at least, they could engage together. However, the Odyssey does not see her.”

“Can you generate Tachyon particles?”

The Admiral blinked, frowning and Brinks knew that the translator had muffed it. He tried again, “Can you broadcast faster than light particles?”

The Admiral’s face cleared up, and he nodded. “Yes, however, so can the Drasin. And if your Captain thinks that they have reinforcements…”

“He might do something desperate,” Brinks’ lips twisted. “All right, I think I can help you out there.”

“That would be most acceptable,” the Admiral smiled tiredly.

*****

“Archangel Eight, bank hard to port, on my signal.”

The acknowledgment came through a moment later as the Drasin twisted in between them, looking for the sweet shot.

“Now!”

‘Angel eight spun on his axis like a top, her twin reactors flaring as the plane suddenly shot away, in apparent violation of various iterations of Newton’s Laws and Jennifer Samuels tightened her finger on the trigger.

“Archangel Thirteen, Fox Three.”

The Havoc dropped from its internal pylon hesitating that brief instant while it massed a full ‘normal’ amount, then flickered away in an unreal sort of pseudo-motion. It crossed the gap between human and alien in a flash slammed into its target.

The first thing destroyed was the Cee Emm generator and then the fully massed weapon bored right though the enemy fighter at .6c, turning it into an expanding fireball.

“Nice shooting, Cardsharp,” Archangel Eight called. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Paladin,” Jennifer smiled. “But you owe me another hand.”

Paladin chuckled slightly as they brought their fighters back together while looking around the mess of the battleground around them.

“Looks like we’re doing clean up,” Paladin said, tallying up the wrecks around them.

“Yeah,” Jennifer replied, glancing over her shoulder. “But the Odyssey seems to have stepped in it.”

The two fighter pilots checked their HUD’s and noted that the Odyssey and the Alien cruisers seemed to be getting more than a little, too close for comfort.

“Archangels,” Stephanus broke in to the chatter, “Form up on me. We’re going to give the Odyssey a little support.”

*****

“Kick it loose!” Kreuse ordered, slamming his foot down on the smoldering desk that was still jammed in the breach.

The other men found themselves a hand grip and followed suit, finally kicking the mass out of the breach and into the void beyond. For a moment, they all watched as it floated out, away from them, then the Odyssey shifted its course and the desk vanished from sight.

“All right, let’s spec this out,” Brian growled. “And for God’s sake people, check your lines!”

The team did just that before anything else, making sure that all the safety lines were in place, and they began the delicate and dangerous work of crawling out through the thick mesh of armor and insulating materials that made up the outer hull of the NAC Odyssey.

“How bad is it, Brian?” Chief Corrin called from where she was checking the rest of the lab.

“Nasty rupture here,” Came the answer. “The laser strike was pretty small. Most of this was caused by explosive decompression.”

“Great,” Corrin muttered grimly.

“The laser must have weakened the structure,” Brian Kreuse said after a moment. “This isn’t supposed to happen in real life. Looks like some God-damned movie set.”

“Just fix it, Kreuse.”

“I’m on it, Chief.”

Corrin let the man get to his work as she came to a sealed door. The electronics on it was
busted all to hell
and it didn’t register whether there was atmosphere or not on the other side.

“Great,” she muttered, pulling a wrench from her belt.

“What’s that, Chief?”

“Nothing,” she replied, then lay her helmet against the door in question and rapped hard with the wrench three times.

Bang Bang Bang.

Then she waited and repeated the action.

Bang Bang Bang.

Each hit vibrated through her helmet contact, rattling her teeth. Corrin grimaced while turning down the pickups as she waited.

Rap rap rap.

Three soft hits came in response.

“I’ve got a live one in here!” She yelled out. “Get me a portable lock and some evac suits!”

*****

“Pardon me, Admiral,” Captain Tianne pursed her lips as her eyes widened. “But did I hear you correctly? You wish me to what?”

“Send a message to the Odyssey,” Admiral Tanner replied. “We have a code you can use that they should be able to decipher.”

Tianne waved her hand. “Again. Pardon me Admiral, but that is a lunatic idea.”

“Excuse me?” Tanner glared at her.

“The Drasin have not yet detected us. To follow this… idea of yours would be reckless to the point of criminal behavior.”

“Captain Tianne, there are only two Drasin remaining. If you are able to recall the Odyssey from a potentially suicidal confrontation, your two vessels would be able to deal with them, together. Should the Odyssey lose its current battle, you will be forced to deal with the two Drasin, alone. Are you that confident?” Tanner asked mildly.

“Yes,” Tianne growled instantly. “The Cerekus is unprecedented…”

“Not quite, if you’ll recall. Its designs did come from the Central Computer and Central isn’t known for designing warships in its ‘spare time’.”

“Be that as it may,” Tianne growled, “The Cerekus is more than able to deal with two Drasin warships.”

“Good. Then you have no reason not to warn the Odyssey of your arrival,” Tanner told her, “After all, if the Cerekus is as able as you say, what difference will warning make?”

Tianne glared at the screen, mouth opening for another objection.

“This is an order, Captain,” Tanner cut her off. “I want that ship intact.”

There was, of course, only one answer to that.

“Yes Admiral. I will transmit the code,” she said, each word grating on her as it passed her teeth.

*****

“Thermal bloom, Captain!” Waters announced as a section of the threat board was briefly whited-out, by an overload in the infra-red spectrum.

“Analyse,” Eric replied in clipped tones.

“Working on it…”

A moment later the image stabilized and Waters visibly flinched.

“Sorry Sir. We got a hit, but it wasn’t enough. She’s still coming.”

“Very well. Secure from Nimitz.”

“Aye-Aye, Captain,” Daniels responded, adjusting his program. “New Pattern?”

“Evasive. Fractal generation.”

“Aye-Aye, Sir.”

Eric called up more information on his personal board, eyeing the distance grimly.

Fifteen light seconds and still closing.

“Mr. Wat…”

“Captain! Tachyon Surge!”

“Pin it down!” Weston ordered, “Where did it come from!?”

“O… Directly astern, Sir!” Lamont was the first to reply, paling. “It’s coming from…”

“Tachyon Surge!” Waters announced again, “We’ve been pinged again, Captain.”

“What the…,” Weston stiffened again, half twisting in his seat. “That does not make any…”

“Again!”

“What the hell is going on?” Eric Weston thundered, fist striking the edge of his seat.

*****

“Tachyon Surge!”

“I can see that, Lieutenant,” Roberts said mildly, eyeing the screen with a bizarre sort of morbid curiosity.

“Commander, we’re getting pinged all over the place.”

“Same source?”

“Aye Sir.”

“Huh,” Roberts said, not quite believing what he was seeing.

“Sir?”

“Nothing Lieutenant,” Roberts keyed an open channel.

*****

Weston shifted, when the communications network pinged for his attention. He glared at it momentarily, contemplating simply cutting it off. However, Palin aside, those who had access to it were the ones who were supposed to have access to it.

He sighed, slapping the channel open.

“Weston here,” he growled as the return chirp was heard.

“Captain,” Commander Roberts voice came over the line.

“Commander, I’m a little busy here.”

“I can see that. It’s concerning the new target, Captain.”

“The one with enough power to generate Tachyon pings like we turn on cabin lights?” Eric asked, still growling.

“That would be the one, Captain. The Pings are organized into a code, Captain.”

“Like Morse?” Weston glanced back at the signals, his frown slipping.

“More simple…, and at the same time, complicated, Captain,” Roberts replied. “It’s Ranger ‘Chirp’ Code, Captain. I’m guessing it’s from Colonel Brinks.”

“What’s it mean, Commander?”

“Rangers Lead the Way, Captain,” Roberts replied with a hint of humor in his voice. “That usually means that the cavalry is coming over the hill.”

Eric looked at the plot, now showing one big, honking blimp, coming right up their stern. “Are you certain, Commander?”

“I don’t joke about the Rangers.”

“Very well,” Weston said. “Thank you for the information. Weston Out.”

Eric stared at the plot again and mechanically turned toward Daniels. “Helm… Roll ship. Take us toward that bogey, all flank.”

“Aye-Aye Captain,” Daniels replied. “Preparing to roll.”

Weston keyed open the ship-wide, “All hands. This is the Captain. Prepare for full military acceleration. I say again, prepare for full military acceleration.”

Then he keyed the channel closed and leaned back, letting out a breath. “Rangers lead the way indeed.”

*****

“Goddamn it, you pukes! Pull!” Kreuse yelled at the top of his lungs, grunting as he grabbed a man’s arm and hauled him back inside. “Get those men back in here before we start to…”