“Security and medical teams to hangar bay alpha,” the intercom called throughout the Ballistae as the two transport ships docked amidst the massive bay. Behind the ships, the large exterior doors closed and sealed and oxygen flooded the chamber. When the vacuum of space had been purged from the bay, the personnel doors leading into the depths of the Destroyer slid open and Terrans rushed into the room. Security forces and medical teams jockeyed for position near the rear doors of each of the transports, ready to receive the wounded soldiers inside. They waited with eager anticipation as the rear hatches of both transports slowly descended, revealing the dark interiors. As the first of the security guards stepped onto the lowered platform of AX-05, a single gunshot rang out and the guard jerked and stood rigid. Slowly, he tumbled backwards and splayed on the cold metal floor of the hangar bay.
From within the darkened transports, revolutionaries flooded out of the two ships, firing into the surprised Terrans as they advanced. The front lines of security guards crumpled under the hail of gunfire. Medical personnel dropped med kits and stretchers and turned to run, only to be mowed down by automatic fire. The floor quickly grew slick with blood. A smaller group of remaining Terrans ran for the doors, attempting to escape into the maze of passages within the Destroyer. In the lead, one of the medics slapped the sensor to open the metal doors. Painfully slowly, the doors cracked open with a hiss, the oxygenated interior of the ship depressurizing to match that of the bay. As the doors slid open, the medic pulled in vain against the door, trying to pry it open. As he slid his head into the widening gap, a bullet caught him in the base of the neck, tearing through his spine and shattering his jaw before coating the far side of the doors with red gore. Slumping in the doorway, the others tried to climb over his body and escape.
Keryn stepped over a nearby body and adjusted her aim toward the second Terran fighting his way through the door. With only one path of escape, the security and medical personnel bunched into a tight group, making it easy to execute them one at a time. Beside her, Adam’s large bore rifle roared, catching a security guard in the chest and tossing his body into the side of their transport ship. As the other revolutionaries slaughtered the guards who stood and fought against the ambush, they turned their attention to the escaping Terrans. Their combined fire tore through those bunched at the door. Keryn could see a few escaping into the outer hallway, but she didn’t bother giving chase. She wanted a few to escape; she had no problem with them sending assault teams against her forces. It made it easier to clear the ship if they all came to her instead of her hunting for them.
As her troops gathered weapons from the dead Terrans, Keryn took a moment to examine the wide bay. The transports had landed unceremoniously in the middle of the bay instead of taking one of the docking alcoves along each wall. Though a number of the alcoves were empty from ships and bombers that had flown to the planet’s surface, more than two dozen fighters towered from their docks, their missile racks and forward rail guns gleaming wickedly in the strong overhead light. Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply the combined smell of the hangar. Scents of oil and sweat assaulted her nostrils, the smells of crew chiefs and mechanics working diligently on ship repairs. Though many found the smells offensive, Keryn had always known that they were an essential part of her ability to fly. To a pilot, the smells of grease and labor were their own brand of pheromone.
“The bay is clear,” Adam said next to her, nudging a Terran body with the tip of his boot.
Keryn opened her eyes and smiled. The Voice knew there was much more fighting to be done and was growing excited. She turned to her gathered forces and started separating them into assault teams of twenty soldiers each. The Destroyer was enormous and it would take too long to clear if they stayed as a whole. Keeping Adam with her, she chose her combatants from the crowd. When the teams were identified, she began sending them into the hallway outside the bay, sending some off to the right toward the front of the ship and some off to the left, heading toward the engines and storage chambers. Though it pained her to do, she sent Alcent and his team to clear the bridge. She wanted that honor herself, but knew that motivation for her soldiers would come only if they saw her doing the same legwork that they were. And, if she was right, most of the resistance wouldn’t be at the bridge. Instead, she led her own team through the door and they set off to the left with a wave and wishes of good luck.
The wide, sterile metal hallways were decorated plainly, with gold and blue colored runners designating the royal colors of the Terran Empire tracing the curves of the walls. Side hallways split off regularly from the maze of passages and Keryn was suddenly aware that she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to find her way back to the hangar after they completed their mission. She couldn’t trace the way they came, but she kept on an undeviating path forward, constantly following the soft hum of the Destroyer’s engines. Occasionally, she paused, straining to decipher the true engine noises from the echoes which reverberated off the metal walls. Often, the ricocheting sound made it seem as though the engines were behind her, but she kept moving forward, not allowing herself or her men to get confused by the disorienting sounds.
Keryn could hear bursts of gunfire coming from ahead and knew that at least a few of her groups had encountered resistance. After passing a few more side passages, which her team now checked cautiously before advancing past, she began passing bodies lying in the hall. Terrans mixed with revolutionaries sprawled both dead and dying along the passage. Without pausing to treat those who fell, Keryn continued advancing toward the engine room. She knew that with the engines in the hands of the Terrans, she stood no chance of getting out of orbit. Quite the opposite, if the Terrans decided that the ship was lost, they could overload the fuel cells charging the massive engines and destroy the entire ship. Alcent would have the glory of taking the bridge and killing the Captain, but Keryn and Adam would do well with the knowledge that they saved everyone on board from certain death.
Their team approached the numerous criss-crossing hallways cautiously, always anticipating a Terran ambush. Because of her caution, the approach to the rear of the ship took far longer than she had anticipated. Eventually, her team came across wide stairs leading up to the decks containing crew living quarters and another set leading down, deeper into the bowels of the ship. Hallways fanned away from the stairs in a star pattern, the stairwell being a focal point for movement through the rear section of the ship. Glancing only quickly up the stairs, knowing that one of her teams should have already begun clearing that direction, Keryn led her team down the staircase. Their boots clicked loudly on the metal stairs as they walked five abreast toward the bottom level of the ship.
The layout of most star ships was deceptive to those who had not spent a lot of time aboard Cruisers and Destroyers. The rear section of the ship had multiple levels above the middle floor, often considered “ground zero”. However, in larger ships, a single floor dominated the space below ground zero. The massive engines that filled the rear of the vessels dominated the void between ground zero and lower floors.
As Keryn led the way down flight after flight of stairs, she knew they were quickly approaching the engine room as the sound turned from a hum to a rumble, one that could be felt through the vibrations running through all the walls. Before long, they would come across the first doorway as they moved toward the engine room. The first door, she knew, would lead to the catwalks above the enormous engines. Further down the stairs, a second, wider set of doors would grant access to the ground floor of the engine room. Unfortunately for her, Keryn’s twenty-man team would have to cover both entrances, which meant dividing her small force even smaller.
Ahead, the stairs intersected a landing, the far side of which held a single metal door and an activation panel. Even through the thick metal, she could feel the vibrations from the engines under her feet. Wordlessly, she split her force, directing Adam to lead the second force to the ground floor while her team entered onto the catwalks. It was a risky maneuver, leaving herself exposed on the grated and narrow walkways, but it was the only way to ensure no Terrans were able to gain a defensive position on her team as they cleared the room. As Keryn stepped toward the door, Adam placed a hand on her arm.
“Be careful in there,” he whispered, his caution unnecessary since his words were mostly drowned out by the rumbling engines. “I want you coming back to me when all this is over.”
Keryn smiled. She longed to kiss him for luck, but knew she needed to maintain the soldier persona and not let herself appear emotional in front of her troops. “I will. Kill Terrans dead, okay?”
“Will do,” he replied as he turned and led his men down the wide stairs. Turning back to her own troops, she moved to the door and paused. She wanted to give Adam a couple minutes to reach the bottom floor before she entered to ensure any Terrans inside would have two forces to engage instead of ganging up on hers alone. She knew the ship was running on a skeleton crew, proven time and again by the minimal resistance they encountered on the way here, but she didn’t want to become lackadaisical and cause her soldiers to be slaughtered.
After doing a mental count, Keryn activated the control panel beside the door and crouched defensively as the doors slid open. She was quickly overwhelmed as the rumbling engines transformed into a deafening roar as the doors opened. Though she had felt the vibrations through the metal doors, they had been holding back the tidal wave of noise emitted by the massive engines. And massive they were, Keryn realized as she moved cautiously through the doorway. Narrow metal catwalks extended like a spider’s web above the twin engines, both of which dominated the already enormous engine room. Standing nearly sixty feet in diameter each, both engines rested in cradles that allowed mechanics to work on all sides of the engine simultaneously, including underneath the gargantuan machines. Heat rolled from front vents on the engines and the entire room reeked of burning fuel. Normally, permanent crews used masks and carried hearing protection in order to survive extended periods of time inside the rooms. Keryn quickly understood why as she started feeling lightheaded as her the sight of the engines, the deafening sound, the stifling heat, and the pungent smell assaulted senses again. Glancing through the grated floor, vertigo threatened to overwhelm her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see an Avalon watching her, concerned. Though she could see her unease reflected on his face, Keryn took strength from the sight of her troops standing supportively behind her. Sequestering her dizziness, she stood tall and stepped onto the closest catwalk.
Keryn glanced around the darkened room. Many of the lights seemed to be shut down, letting her know that someone within the room expected her team. She peered into the shadowy catwalks, searching for shooters amongst the juts and twists of the metal floors as the walkways bent around the curves of the large engines. Knowing someone was there made her cautious, but she was still unable to see anything threatening. Looking over the railing, she saw Adam’s team come through the lower doors, spreading out quickly across the open floor. On either side of the engines stood a pair of rear rail guns. Though a battery of plasma missile launchers protected the ship’s flank, the explosives couldn’t be stored in such a volatile room. Instead, the heavy, magnetized metal slugs were used to defend the engines from pursuing enemies. From her vantage point, no Terran soldiers guarded the engines, the weapon positions, or the heavy non-metallic alloy loaders that were used to carry the heavy slugs to the awaiting rails. The engine room looked deserted.
Giving directions to her team, they spread out along the catwalks, segregating her already small team into two man fire teams in order to blanket the entire upper walkways. Keryn’s fear remained. Even if a Terran fired at her team from within the room, the noisy engines would drown out the weapon’s report. Without hearing the shot, she had no way to know if other members of her team were in danger.
She and the Avalon moved slowly across the outer catwalk, scanning the dark nooks for movement or glints off metallic rifles. However, after covering nearly half the engine room, they still failed to encounter any resistance.
They’re here, the Voice whispered. I can sense them in the air. Don’t get complacent. Be ready for anything.
Knowing that enemies were inside the room did not prepare her when they chose to attack. As she and the Avalon approached the stairwell on the far side of the engine room, the Avalon staggered, his blood pouring from a gunshot wound in his chest. Stumbling backward, his legs struck the railing and he tumbled over. Lacking the strength to spread his wings to break his fall, he plummeted over sixty feet to the ground below. Dropping into a crouch, Keryn scanned the room and watched in horror as Terrans flooded out from their hidden alcoves all around the room. Even with the engines roaring, she could hear the sound of exchanging gunfire.
A Terran stepped onto the platform near the stairs that led down to the ground floor and opened fire on her position. Already crouched, Keryn sprung from the catwalk as a round grazed her shoulder, landing gracefully on top of the machinery nearby. The Terran paused, not eager to shoot at the massive engine, and Keryn used the opening to fire two shots into his chest, dropping him on the spot. Turning, she sprinted across the engine, weaving between its metallic outcroppings, and fired into the Terran forces spreading across the upper catwalks. Below, she could hear more gunfire and knew that Adam was similarly engaged. Using a metal box on top of the engine as a spring board, Keryn vaulted over a nearby railing, slamming the butt of her pistol into the face of a Terran sniper. She smiled maliciously as she felt the bones shatter under the strike. As the sniper dropped his rifle and lurched backward, horrified and clutching his face, Keryn chose not to waste a bullet and, instead, kicked the Terran squarely in the chest. The Terran tumbled over the railing and slammed into the curve of the second engine. Bouncing, the Terran went limp halfway through his fall as he struck a metal beam.
Perusing the catwalks, Keryn fired a few more shots into the gathering Terrans. Though the element of surprise had worked in their favor, she quickly realized there was only a small group of Terrans guarding the upper catwalks. Nearly half of her forces lay dead, but the other five had already regrouped and were in the process of killing the last of the snipers hiding throughout the walkways. Knowing that her remaining soldiers could handle the rest of the catwalks, Keryn ran to the stairs and bound, two at a time, toward the ground floor where Adam’s team was still engaged in heavy fighting.
The stairwell twisted its way through and over the massive machines, leaving her on the far side of the twin engines once she finally reached the room’s bottom level. Scanning her immediate area, she didn’t notice any Terrans. It wasn’t surprising to her, since she knew most would have left this side to engage Adam’s team near the far rail gun. As she turned to make her way in that direction, a shadow detached itself from beneath the engine and launched itself at her.
The Terran slammed into her, his large body tacking Keryn to the ground, knocking her pistol free from her grip. As she slammed into the floor, her head missing a bucket full of long metal bolts by inches, the Terran shoved his hand into her stomach, forcing the air from her lungs and throwing his weight against her already broken rib. She let out a cry of pain as water filled her eyes. Blinking away the tears, she looked up just in time to move her head out of the way of a descending wrench. The tool struck the metal floor and sent a shower of sparks splashing against Keryn’s face.
Her hand shot forward as the Terran brought the wrench up for another swing, catching his wrist. Growling in rage, the Terran punched her in her broken rib and Keryn felt her arm buckling from the pain. She tried squirming out from underneath his weight, but he moved his own body to keep her trapped beneath his. Fighting to keep the wrench from crashing down on top of her, Keryn brought her knee up in between their two bodies, keeping the Terran at bay.
The Terran lifted his weight momentarily before throwing himself forward again, trying to crush Keryn beneath his body. She felt her knee strain from the force and bit back another yelp of pain. Growling as he tried to shake her hand free of his wrist, he lifted his body again. Quickly taking advantage of the situation, Keryn slid her other leg between them, catching the Terran’s mass with both of her feet. Pushing off, she used her legs to shove the Terran from her. Stumbling backward in surprise, the Terran staggered toward the rail gun. Though still over twenty feet away, the magnetic pull from the rails ripped the metal wrench from his hand, sending the Terran spinning before he collapsed onto the ground near the gun mount. The wrench flew through the air as the Terran spun, clanging loudly onto one of the rails. As the Terran began to stand, Keryn quickly looked around. Her pistol lay far out of reach, coming to rest far away from where the two struggled against each other. Looking to her left, searching now for any improvised weapon, she saw the bucket, bolts spilling over its brim. Smiling impishly, she grabbed the bucket and flung it toward the man. As it spun, the heavy metal bolts spilled free of the bucket before being caught in the rail gun’s magnetic field. Standing, the Terran watched in horror as dozens of deadly metallic projectiles flashed toward him. His body being between Keryn and the rail gun, the blunt bolts slammed into him one after another, tearing through his flesh and gouging strips from his arms and legs. When the bolts struck his chest and abdomen, they bored through his soft flesh, pulled unavoidably toward the rail gun by insanely strong magnetic forces. The bolts dug through organs and muscle, leaving tepid waste to fill their holes in their wake. As the last of the bolts finished its gruesome trek through his body, the bucket slammed into his skull. His neck twisting at an unnatural angle, the Terran collapsed to the ground.
Keryn stood slowly, wincing as she put weight on her injured knee and breathing through hitched breaths as the pain spread through her ribs. Retrieving her pistol, she moved around the engines, using the massive machines for support. By the time she made it to the far side, Adam and his three remaining soldiers stood among the slaughtered Terrans, nursing their own wounds. The tissue on Adam’s right thigh was torn, as though from shrapnel. Her own team slowly descended the stairs to the ground floor. Together, eight of the original twenty troops in Keryn’s team had survived the invasion of the engine room. Limping, everyone wounded, the team made its way to the exit, dreading the painful climb back up the stairs. As they exited the room and the metal doors slid shut behind them, Keryn heard the exhilarated calls over the radio. One by one, teams reported in that their missions were completed. Above all the others, Keryn could hear Alcent calling enthusiastically that the bridge had been taken with no shots fired. The Captain and her crew had surrendered without a fight. As Alcent finished his announcement over their radios, the intercom leapt to life above Keryn’s head.
“Attention to all Terrans still on board,” Alcent’s voice called out. “The Revolutionaries of Othus,” Keryn could hear the capitalized words in his speech, “have taken control of the Ballistae. The Captain has unconditionally surrendered to our forces and now requests that you do the same to avoid further bloodshed.”
The speaker went dead momentarily, before coming to life again with a woman’s voice reading a clearly rehearsed script. “This is Captain Wajitri,” the female announced, “Captain…”
Her words cut short by a growling voice. “Stick to the script,” the voice called from a distance.
The Captain began again. “…former Captain of the Ballistae. I have surrendered to the Revolutionaries of Othus and request that all those loyal to the Empire lay down their arms and surrender. Those surrendering to the Revolutionaries will be treated humanely under the Interstellar Alliance Code of Ethics. Any found resisting will be killed slowly by patrolling guards.”
The intercom went dead again and Keryn’s radio crackled on her private channel. “Keryn, this is Alcent,” the Uligart’s voice said quietly into her earpiece.
Keryn depressed the talk button. “This is Keryn. Congratulations on your bloodless victory. Wish I could say it was that easy down here at the engine room.”
“It’s at least good to hear that you’re still alive,” Alcent said, continuing his nearly whispering tone. “Adam still with you as well?”
“Yes,” Keryn replied, wincing again as a sharp pain shot through her side. “Yes, he’s still very much alive.” She couldn’t quite tell if she could hear disappointment in Alcent’s responding sigh.
“I’ve got reports coming in from around the ship. It sounds like the few remaining Terran loyalists are surrendering in waves. I…” he paused, seemingly embarrassed. “I didn’t really plan this out. We got them to surrender but I’m not really sure what to do with them now.”
“Take all the captives, gather them together, and jettison them out of the closest airlock,” she said harshly.
“What about the Code of Ethics?” Alcent asked, surprised.
“I’ve never read it,” she replied. “Have you?”
Keryn could virtually see the smile spread across his lips. “No, I can’t say that I have. Not a lot of use for the Code of Ethics in the smuggling business.”
“Then find the closest airlock and send them on their merry way. I’ll be on my way up to the bridge, but it’s going to take me a while. In the meantime, set a course for the Falitan Galaxy. We’re heading to a planet called Beracus. I’ll join you on the bridge once you’ve finished with our prisoners.”
She turned to Adam, who already looked crestfallen. Following his gaze, she peered up the tall flights of stairs ahead of them. Her shoulders sagged as she started counting the metal stairs, stopping when the number became too depressing. Feeling the pain in her knee and seeing Adam’s wounded leg, she frowned.
“This is going to take a while.”