CHAPTER 68 - COMPLICATIONS
DATE: JUNE 10th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)
LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, OUTER ASTEROID BELT,
UNKNOWN FACILITY, CODENAME: DOGHOUSE
LIEUTENANT PAUL KARST
----------------------------------------
“Are you sure they’re going to be alright?” Hamilton asked as he looked back over his shoulder.
“Jenkins and Ariana will be fine; they’ll dig themselves into that corridor nice and tight, with layers of traps and all. So long as they can keep that Gatling gun working, they can keep any hypothetical enemy suppressed long enough for us to return and intervene. Gardner is in danger now; thus, she’s our priority.” Paul replied as they ran.
“For their sake, let’s hope you’re right… No more funerals, correct?” Hamilton asked, this time with an edge to his voice.
Does he… blame… *me* for Estefani’s death? The possibility hit Paul like punch to the gut.
If so, that’s totally unfair…
That… is certainly possible… his neural-emotional patterns seem… to support your hypothesis…
I can’t do anything about that now... I guess I’ll let it slide until he comes to his senses. If he slips up and blames me out loud I can shut it down then.
“No more funerals.” Paul reiterated.
Hamilton merely grunted in reply and then redoubled his pace. The gap between them grew slightly before Paul made the effort to catch up. As they neared the end of the long corridor, they slowed down just enough for Hamilton to raise his rifle and pie the corner.
“Clear!”
At least he’s minding our safety still… Should I take point anyway? He seems rattled…. Off his game.
Why risk yourself needlessly? He is making the effort at least… to maintain control…. for the moment… let the risk stay on him...
Paul followed slightly behind as Hamilton thundered forward at a near-reckless pace. As Paul rounded the corner, light glinted strangely off one of the ceiling panels which looked different, somehow, than the rest.
What the hell?
“Hamilton… hold up for a second-“ *CLICK* Paul was interrupted as the floor tile Hamilton stepped on sank slightly into the floor.
“Motherfu-“ Hamilton said as a powerful TK field activated under his feet.
Even Hamilton’s prodigious mass wasn’t enough to save him from being thrown into the ceiling, then back onto the floor with a heavy crunch as his shield popped to cushion the blows.
“Fucking ow.”
As Hamilton struggled up from the floor, the strange panel exploded from the ceiling on the opposite end of the hall. A turret with dual glowing barrels dropped down from the ceiling, aimed itself right on Paul and opened fire.
Shitshitshitshit!
Paul turned to run as the first white-hot bolt of charged particles whizzed past his face. The next three struck moments after, and Paul’s shield flashed first yellow and then into orange as he was knocked from his feet.
MULTIPLE PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 68% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
Paul formed a TK field and pulled Hamilton’s discarded Breacher into his hands as the turret readjusted its aim and fired another salvo.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 27% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
He just barely had time to aim and fire a rocket and then roll to dodge before the next shots struck all around him.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 14% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
Paul released the breath he held as the turret erupted into flames. With a groan, he accepted Hamilton’s hand up off the floor.
“You alright?!” Hamilton asked.
“I should ask you… the same damn thing.” Paul chuckled. “Fucking hell, those particle beams hit like a train… Were gonna want to slow down just a bit from here on out. No telling what other traps they have in store for us.”
“I’m with you there, hoss, if nothing else. No way I’m getting thrown around like that again. That was a real brain rattler.” Hamilton grunted. “Now gimme.” He reached with an outstretched hand for his breacher.
Paul smirked and pulled it back for just a second before he handed it over without further trouble.
“I was about to say not to play with me when it comes to my breacher, boy.” Something in his tone wasn’t entirely serious, but Paul figured with the big guy being in the mental state he was, it was best to not take chances.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweet cheeks. Now look alive. The next turret might fry your ass next time. Besides, there’s only four rockets left. We need to use them wisely.”
“Oh, I always pick my targets wisely.” Hamilton practically purred in his classic deep tone.
There’s life nearby… Hunter-killer squads… their minds exude both outrage and overconfidence… prepare yourself accordingly…
That’s not a comforting thought… Perhaps we don’t have the stranglehold on reinforcements that we’d thought... Did we miss a garrison? I suppose its possible. It’s not like we had a complete map of them all…
“Good, because my… instincts are screaming at me that we’re in for more trouble in the tunnels ahead.” Paul said cryptically.
“Fuck it, bring ‘em on.”
“That’s the spirit. Stick to the outside edge tiles. Let’s see if we can’t avoid the next round of traps.” Paul said.
Hamilton nodded and shouldered his breacher. With a deep huff, he was off, skipping tiles in long strides as he hugged the wall. They made it to the first corner without trouble before they stopped to peak around it.
THREAT DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: SIX, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED FIGHT OR FLIGHT DETECTED; COMBAT HORMONE PRODUCTION RELEASE APPROVED
“Motherfucker.” Hamilton swore and pulled his head back.
“I saw the heartbeat sensor alert. What are we looking at?” Paul
“They got the five of em supporting a sixth manning one of them Gatling guns, all behind layered cover panels with overlapping fields of fire… That ain’t even the worst part.”
“Fuckin’ lovely… Do tell.” Paul quipped.
“One of those damned turrets is active over their heads, and it’s another one of those long, coverless, and probably trapped hallway for us to charge down.”
“Fan-fucking-tastic… So, we missed some honor guards, possibly even a whole stasis garrison. Either way, we’ve got no choice but to break through this defensive line, and fast, if we want to save Gardner.” Paul replied.
“Yeah... I know. That hallway is set up to create a perfect fatal funnel. We can’t flank it, nor can we cover all of them at once with just the two of us… Normally I'd say we flashbang 'em and just charge in, rockets free and guns blazing, but we can't do that either, thanks to the trapped floor tiles... So, what’s the plan?” Hamilton asked.
PHOTONIC SHIELD RECHARGE COMPLETE
Hmmm... Good. Paul took a moment to peek around the corner before he responded.
“I can take care of the Gatling gun if you can hit that turret. It had about a two second spool up time, and it burned through my shield in less than ten seconds. You’ll have to be fast, and you can’t afford to miss. After that, we’ll just have to keep them suppressed and off that turret as we take them down one by one.”
“Alright… I suppose we don’t have much choice then.” Hamilton replied.
“No, we don’t…. not if we want to make it to Gardner in time.” Paul took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s do this.”
Paul poked his rifle around the corner and took aim as the overhead turret pointed its barrels and fired its first salvo as Paul lined up his first shots. The enemy was ready for them, and opened fire from all across their defensive line.
Where the hell are you, Hamilton?!?
One of Paul’s shots nailed an exposed shoulder, another struck the wall, and the third split open the Gatling gunner’s head before the mass of incoming fire forced him back under cover.
MULTIPLE PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 74% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
“Well, that was quick. Couldn’t handle the heat?” Hamilton razzed.
“You were supposed to join me, asshole! I needed that turret taken out!” Paul snarled in response.
“You were supposed to keep them suppressed, but you fell back after only a few seconds! Not my fault you couldn’t hang long enough to actually cover me.”
“Bullshit, next time when I move, you move. I’m gonna hit them with a flashbang this time, so set your AV filters.” Paul said as he thumbed the selector on his under-slung grenade launcher.
AUDIO/VISUAL FILTERS SET – AUTOMATIC ACTIVATION SELECTED
"I’ll be ready. Hit it.” Hamilton replied.
Paul took a deep breath, rolled around the corner, and launched the flashbang toward the enemy position. Hamilton sidestepped out of cover, took aim, and fired a rocket right at the turret, destroying it, but not before it could fire. Four bright particle beams cut through the smoke of the explosion and knocked Paul back as his shield flashed bright yellow.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 57% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
“Keep up the pressure!” Paul yelled as he aerated the skull of an enemy that was dumb enough to make a move for the Gatling gun.
REINFORCEMENTS DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: THREE, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
Paul snarled as he watched the ammo counter in his magazine dwindle ever closer to empty as new enemies took their place behind the firing position. The situation rapidly disintegrated into one that he could no longer hope to keep suppressed alone.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 32% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
Paul’s head snapped back as his shield deflected what otherwise would have been a fatal blow.
Be careful you fool! All our plans die with you…
Paul growled through a sharp spike of mental pain.
Don’t distract me! I’m well aware of my limits.
You place too much faith… in your equipment… This may well be your downfall… someday…
Fuck. OFF!! Not the time, Creepy! If you want to be useful, tell me how many enemies are left! Paul thought as he took aim and fired at the bastard who’d shot him.
There are five… make that four…
His target fell with a splash of gore as his bolt locked back on his now-empty mag.
“Reloading!” Paul yelled.
Hamilton stepped in front slightly, even though his shield situation was as bad as Paul’s own.
“This’ll keep their heads down!” Hamilton strained against the impacts as he steadied his aim and let another rocket fly.
The Gatling gun exploded in a shower of shrapnel which took several of the enemy with it. Multiple particle beams pierced through the smoke, showing that at least a few still survived.
How many freaking more of them are there!? Paul thought in frustration as he slapped a fresh magazine home and racked a fresh round into the chamber.
Off to his side, Paul's attention was stolen by the bright pop of Hamilton’s shield failing. Paul rolled out of cover to help, and promptly took the throat out of that same enemy soldier at the same time as they fired one more shot. Paul took aim and fired as the last enemy fled and the battlefield fell silent at last.
The last one has fled… Likely to act as messenger…
Hamilton’s breacher clattered to the deck and bounced away in the near nonexistent gravity as Hamilton fell to his knees.
But… his medstat didn’t say he’d been shot… Paul thought as he turned in alarm.
“Of all the bullshit luck!” Hamilton swore.
“Huh!?” Paul asked as his mind went momentarily blank.
“That last round killed my breacher instead of me…” He replied in a monotonous tone.
“Ham…”
“Why did she have to die instead of me?!?” Hamilton screamed and pounded the deck hard enough to dent it.
“Are we still talking about your breacher?” Paul asked, cautiously.
Hamilton took a long time to catch his breath before he rose to his feet at long last.
“I don’t even know anymore…” Was his only reply.
In that moment, Paul understood.
“It was her decision not to back up her memories. You know how she felt about these things… She barely wanted to accept augmentations in the first place... There Will be a time to grieve for her, just… not yet. The mission comes first. Gardner needs our help, and she needs it now.” Paul ventured a hand to pat the giant man’s shoulder.
“I know… She showed to much patience… so much compassion… She was the only person who ever really cared to look underneath the surface with me. I loved her, too, you know…. I never got the chance to properly tell her…”
“I know, man, and I think she did too. In another world, without the bullshit of war, you guys would have been amazing together.” Paul said.
“Now we’ll never know...” Was all Hamilton could manage to say in a depressing, hollow tone.
“I think it’s a safe bet, nonetheless. Come on, big guy, we gotta keep moving.”
Paul set his bag down and pulled out one of the looted particle rifles and a pair of stick magazines.
“Now take these. I’ll take point while your shield recharges.” Paul ordered.
Hamilton accepted the rifle with a nod and took a moment to familiarize himself with the controls.
“Got it, lead the way.”
“We’ve already lost a lot of time, so we need to skip the traps. Stand right next to me and grab on tight to my shoulder.” Paul said.
“Allright…” He replied in a dubious tone.
Paul formed a TK field just powerful enough to levitate them before he pushed the center of the field outwards to accelerate them forward. They shot down the hall in a matter of seconds before he set them down in front of the scorched and battered cover panels. Paul carefully picked his way in and around the corpses with an eye for hidden survivors, and then aimed his rifle around the corner. A floating trail of blood wove around a handful of floor tiles before it disappeared down a secondary hallway that split off to the right.
“Looks clear. From the signs, that T intersection just down the hall should lead to the throne room. Just gotta follow the blood.” Paul said.
“Nice of them to show us what floor tiles to avoid.” Hamilton noted.
“Yeah… nice of them, indeed. They’ll know we’re coming, so be ready.”
PHOTONIC SHIELD RECHARGE COMPLETE
Perfect.
“Let’s do this.” Hamilton agreed.
Together they followed the blood trail around the trapped tiles before they lined up against the wall at the corner.
THREAT DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: SIX, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
Paul peeked around the corner and retracted it just as fast as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest.
“Son of a bitch…” Paul griped before he could stop himself.
“What are we looking at?” Hamilton whispered.
“Twin overhead turrets, two Gatling guns, and a heavy gilded door that’ll likely be a bitch to break through.” Paul replied.
“Without my breacher that’s gonna be a real problem. This little pea shooter ain’t gonna cut it.” Hamilton took his turn to gripe this time.
“I know.” Paul hissed under his breath.
He looked down at his grenade launcher and rifled through his bag as he considered his options.
“Alright. I think we can spare one of the enemy stick grenades to add to my two remaining HE grenades. We should save the rest of our explosives for that door, just in case. How’s your shield?”
“Just about two thirds and climbing.” Hamilton replied.
“Take my rifle, your job is to get those turrets while I draw their fire. Those grenades shoot pretty straight in the microgravity, so you should be able to hit the turrets, even from all the way back here. While you do that, I’m gonna do something about those Gatling guns.” Paul said before he traded rifles.
He clipped the particle rifle to the magnetic saddle on his back and shook out his shoulders with a deep breath.
“What are you gonna do?” Hamilton asked.
“I’m gonna yeet this right into their stupid faces while I draw their fire.” Paul said as he primed a stick grenade. “Just be ready to kill that first turret as soon as I move.”
“With pleasure, sir.”
Paul took a deep breath, armed the grenade, rounded the corner, and lobbed it with a TK assisted throw. Both of the overhead turrets aimed at him and opened fire as Paul dove to the opposite side corner to save himself. The wall across from him practically melted under the barrage of fire that missed him. At the same time, Hamilton rolled out of cover just long enough to launch an HE grenade and return back to cover.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 82% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING...
Paul grabbed his particle rifle and popped out of cover in a low position to inspect the aftermath. The grenade Paul threw had done its job, leaving the Gatling gun smoking of the enemy’s rank screaming in agony.
Holy shit! That actually worked!
He didn’t have much time to gloat before the combined fire of the heavy weapons forced them both back under cover.
MULTIPLE IMPACTS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 59% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
I'm getting sick of those fucking things... Paul thought as he shook off the impacts. I’m gonna need to give my main shield a break...
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“Ready?! I’ll draw their fire again, hit that other turret!” Paul ordered.
He summoned his wrist shield and braced his particle rifle inside the hard light cutout and rolled out of cover. Paul opened fire on the remaining Gatling gun as multiple impacts threw off his aim. He bought Hamilton just enough time to line up his own shot and fire their last grenade. Paul’s wild firing seemed to do little permanent damage to the last enemies, other than to keep them suppressed. His efforts had served their purpose, so he fell back right as his wrist shield indicator threatened failure and his ammo ran empty.
MULTIPLE IMPACTS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 41% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
“Gotcha!” Hamilton gloated as he ducked back under cover right after.
“Nice shot! How’s your shield now?” Paul asked.
“Not great… about thirty percent. You?”
“Forty percent. That’s not gonna last long against that Gatling gun.” Paul replied.
“No… no its not. What you got in mind?” Hamilton asked.
“Something stupid and aggressive that they won’t expect.” Paul couldn’t help but chuckle to alleviate the stress of what he planned to do.
“Paul…” Hamilton began.
“What?”
“Don’t die.” He replied.
That’s the trick, isn’t it?
“Cover me, and I won’t.” Paul replied fatalistically.
Paul took a few steps back, broke into a sprint, and launched himself down the hall with a powerful TK field. Hamilton opened fire on the Gatling gunner, which drew their fire as Paul flew ever closer. As soon as he was in range, he dropped the TK field and formed another one powerful enough to rip both gun and gunner from their covered position and out into the open hallway. Hamilton pumped multiple 185 grain rounds into the helpless gunner as Paul floated past on inertia and opened fire against the last remaining enemy and blasted multiple holes through the chest of the final honor guard. He had no time to decelerate himself before he slammed into the heavy throne room doors.
Paul laughed as the stress rolled off of him in waves. I can’t believe that fucking worked!
“Stupid and aggressive huh? I guess that’s one way to describe it.” Hamilton called from the end of the hall as he shouldered both their bags to move them up the hallway.
“Well… they didn’t expect it, at least that’s for sure.” Paul replied with a chuckle.
“Now let’s see about how we can get these doors open.” Hamilton said as he set down the bags to retrieve their last remaining explosives.
Hang on, Gardner. We’re coming.
Paul pushed against the doors with all his might but found he couldn’t budge them more than a half inch in either direction.
So it’s gonna be like that, huh?
Paul closed his eyes and extended his mass senses through the door so as to get a sense of the locking mechanism.
Hollow steel bar set in heavy duty rings. Can't lift it up and out... Just gotta pull at it sideways I guess...
He formed a deep, low-width, TK field to grab the hollow rolled steel bar on the other side and pulled at it every direction he could before he gave up and slammed his fist on the door in frustration.
“Havin’ trouble?” Hamilton razzed.
“I felt out with my mass senses and tried to pull the bar out of the rings but it won't budge, almost like they’ve pinned it somehow. I could probably find the pins and pull them but that would take time we don't really have. There’s gotta be a faster way.”
Paul closed his eyes, placed his hand on the door and felt again with his mass senses as he looked for a weakness. Soon enough, a plan took form in his mind.
The parameters are tight, but it should work…
“So…. What’s the prognosis, doc?”
Paul stared him down with a slow shake of his head before he continued.
“The door will have to be cut through. The hinges are deep set into the wall to the side, and we exhausted our stockpile of heavy explosives when we wired the garrisons to blow. That leaves us with Thermite. We’ll run a line top to bottom down either side and as close to the hinges as possible. If this works, they should fall right down.” Paul said with false confidence.
“Think these doors are made of pure gold?” Hamilton asked as he applied the Thermite.
“Doubt it, not on a high security door like this. They’re probably gilded over a thicker iron or steel core. Anything less would be both foolish and expensive. Gold is too soft, too heavy, and melts too easily.” Paul scoffed.
“Damn, and here I thought we were gonna be rich after this.” Hamilton replied in a tone of mock disappointment. “Anyway, its ready to light, so get back.”
Paul stepped back and waited for a moment before Hamilton lit the Thermite. The intense heat burned straight through the door, setting them to wobble before Hamilton pushed them down with a mighty shove.
Paul took a quick sweep of the situation and saw to his great relief that the battle was won. Set lay slain, with a large chunk of his throne embedded in his back. The bodies of multiple honor guards were strewn about the room as well. Together they rushed forward as a bloody and battered Anubis lifted an unconscious Gardner into his arms.
“What happened in here?! Is she alright?” Paul asked as his eyes settled on the cauterized stump of her missing forearm.
“IT WAS A TERRIBLE BATTLE, AND SHE TOOK A GRIEVOUS WOUND BEFORE SPENDING THE LAST OF HER ENERGY SAVING US. SHE WILL NEED TIME IN A REGENERATION CHAMBER AS SOON AS WE CAN RETURN TO THE DUAT.” Anubis replied in his deep, rumbling tone.
“If she’s down for the count… then how can we complete the mission? How are we going to assume control of the ship!? We need to wake her up, now.” Hamilton said with an edge to his voice.
“Hamilton is right, we need her awake. We’ve missed a garrison somewhere, likely one dedicated to holding Set’s honor guards in stasis. The faster we can gain full control, the faster we can stem the flood of reinforcements. The essential plan should still work if we can move fast, which means we need her awake, now.” Paul said.
He stared defiantly into the scarred, unfeeling face of Anubis’ jackal helmet for a long moment until he broke the silence.
“THIS IS DISTURBING NEWS, INDEED. THIS WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A RISK WITH THIS MISSION. LADY GARDNER HAS TO REST AND HEAL; WE MUST NOT AWAKEN HER UNTIL SHE IS READY. NEITHER SHOULD WE ALLOW THE ENEMY TO GROW THEIR STRENGTH. YOU MUST ALLOW ME TO ASSUME COMMAND UNTIL THE LADY GARDNER CAN BE SAFELY REAWAKENED, IT IS THE ONLY WAY.”
“That wasn’t the plan, Anubis! As much as I want to trust you, this is a lot to ask. We would essentially be putting all of our lives entirely into your hands.” Paul replied with folded arms.
“You can’t seriously be considering this? What’s to stop him from joining forces with Horus to destroy the Indomitable Will? We have to take this to the Captain; this is far too big a decision for you to make on your own.” Hamilton said through a secured comm line.
Paul considered both their words, until an explosion from behind them grabbed his full attention. The distant sound of gunfire, including the now-familiar sound of a Gatling gun spinning up made his blood run cold.
Ariana… Jenkins. FUCK! This mission is going to hell… fast. What do you think, Creepy?
You must make a decision... I sense no dishonesty... no guilt or shame within... If he does plot to betray you... he hides it well...
Helpful. I hope we don't live to regret this...
“We don’t have the luxury of time! I’ll take the fall if Henry disagrees with my choice. Ariana and Jenkins are under attack now, the honor guards are clearly trying to activate the other stasis garrisons.” Paul sub-vocalized into his throat mic back to Hamilton on their private line.
“WHAT SAY YOU? YOUR CONCERN IS UNDERSTANDABLE, IF NOT OVERLY CAUTIOUS. YOUR FRIENDS ARE UNDER ASSAULT NOW, AS WILL WE BE WITHOUT SWIFT ACTION. WE WILL HONOR OUR WORD TO YOUR CAPTAIN, AND TO THE LADY GARDNER. FEAR NOT, WE WILL RELINQUISH COMMAND AS SOON AS SHE AWAKENS.”
I can’t believe I’m about to do this…. Paul thought miserably as the sounds of battle intensified with a set of twin explosions within seconds of each other.
“Very well, we will place our faith in your honor and your word. The ship is yours to take, for now. Just know that you will not survive the consequences that will immediately befall you should you betray us.” Paul said with an icy tone.
“YOU NEED NOT WORRY. WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO ASSUME COMMAND FROM THE CONSOLE IN THIS VERY ROOM. WE ARE THE RANKING SURVIVING MEMBER OF THE ROYAL BLOODLINE. IT SHOULD TAKE BUT A FEW MOMENTS TO TAKE CONTROL AND END THE TIDE OF REINFORCEMENTS.”
Paul and Hamilton shared a look that conveyed everything. Even through their face plates, the meaning was clear.
Just hold on a little longer, we’re coming your way next. Paul thought with a heavy sigh before he hefted his bag and readied his rifle.
“THE SHIP HAS RECOGNIZED OUR AUTHORITY AS THE NEW COMMANDING OFFICERS. THE LADY GARDNER NEEDS ONLY LOG IN TO ACCEPT HER COMMISSION AND ACCESS THE SYSTEMS.”
“Good, now see if you can locate and shut down any other garrisons.” Paul ordered.
“BY YOUR COMMAND, WE WILL LOCATE AND SHUT DOWN ALL ACTIVE GARRISONS. AFTERWARDS, WE’LL MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THE TURRET’S TARGETING CONTROLS TO TURN THEM ON OUR ENEMY.”
“Oh, joy. It will be nice having those be on our side for a change.” Hamilton quipped.
“Pack it up, big guy.” Paul clapped the big man on the shoulder. “Now, let’s go save our other friends.”
“WE SHALL REMAIN HERE AND KEEP THE LADY GARDNER SAFE. WATCH YOUR BACKS OUT THERE, WE SHALL HELP IN ANY WAY WE CAN.”
“Thanks… Anubis.” Hamilton replied in a halfhearted tone. “No more funerals.”
“No more funerals.” Paul hefted his bag, shouldered his rifle, and took the lead out of the room.
MEANWHILE…
DATE: JUNE 10th, 7 A.U. (AFTER UNIFICATION)
LOCATION: SOL SYSTEM, OUTER ASTEROID BELT,
UNKNOWN FACILITY, CODENAME: DOGHOUSE
ENSIGN PRESTON JENKINS
----------------------------------------
THREAT DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: SIX, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
“This is bullshit! Where the hell are they even coming from!?!” Jenkins griped.
“Hell, if I know! There weren’t any other garrisons marked on the signs… at least not that I saw.” Ariana replied.
“That’s the third damn squad to arrive in five minutes! How many more can they send!?” Jenkins bemoaned
He pivoted the Gatling gun on its stand and opened fire on one of the enemies dumb enough to expose themselves. They span under the impact of the heavy slugs as a trail of their lifeblood joined the mess of their dead compatriots. Jenkins managed another quick look at the rapidly depleting ammo belt before more movement drew his attention back to the fight.
“Contacts! Both sides!”
Five enemies converged on their position in a coordinated assault. Two of them opened fire from behind opposing walls while the third threw a grenade. Two more made a run for the small maze of cover panels they’d laid down and trapped in a bid to slow their enemy's attacks down.
“Grenade!” Jenkins yelled out before he opened fire in a sweeping motion fast enough to splatter the first target on the left and to just barely miss the one on the right as they returned to cover.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Ariana yelled as she flung the grenade back around the corner after them with a quick TK field.
Twin explosions shook the battlefield within seconds of each other as first the thrown grenade detonated around the corner. The second came from the maze of cover panels in front of them.
“Looks like our rat trap claimed its first victim.” Jenkins chuckled nervously as he eyed the maze opening.
“One’s bled out already, the other is either cowering or... maybe working to defuse the next bomb? Either way they're not moving much.” Ariana replied.
“How?” Jenkins blurted out before he remembered just a moment too late to avoid feeling stupid.
Smooth, genius…
“Mass senses, remember? I can feel it when they’re moving and when they’re not so long as I focus outwards with it.”
“Right, I knew that, too... Let me know if anything changes, I guess.” Jenkins replied as he hunted for signs of movement.
“No need. We’re not waiting to find out what he’s up to.” Ariana slung her rifle and raised her right arm.
With a mighty grunt, she lifted the flailing form of the giant soldier out of hiding and into the air for Jenkins to gleefully expend the last of his ammo into.
*CLICK*
“Can you get that next belt ready? This ain’t over yet!” Jenkins called out.
Ariana knelt on a bench made from ammo crates that ran the inside length of their small wall of massed giant-sized cover panels to help them see over the top. Several boxes were intentionally left open at their feet with fresh belts of linked rounds ready to go.
Jenkins surged into motion and pushed at the pin that held the receiver access panel. Ariana was equally fast in removing the old, spent belt to replace it with the fresh one she’d had hung around her neck.
“Ariana, I got movement.” Jenkins grabbed his rifle and got into position while she finished the reload and to take over the Gatling gun as planned.
THREAT DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: SIX, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
ANOTHER squad!? There’s gotta be at least three or four survivors from past waves still hiding back there, too… That makes… nine… ten?
“Ariana!”
“I know. I saw it too.” She hissed. “I’ve almost got this new belt in, anyway… You know that also means it’s my turn on the Gatling gun.”
Dammit! Jenkins winced internally. Never should have left that spot. “Oh, we’re actually doing that trade off thing are we? Fine, I’ve got next belt then.”
He shouldered his rifle and sighted the enemy who lead the next charge. Jenkins squeezed the trigger and launched 185 grains of pain along with two additional follow ups straight into the center of his mass. Three grapefruit sized holes were punched through his chest as they joined the other floating corpses and severed limbs that filled their battlespace.
Jenkins bicep flexed involuntarily as he froze with horror at the full gruesomeness of the spectacle until a flash from the left side forced him back under cover. His head knocked backwards as his shield flashed into existence just in time to save his life.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 73% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
Oh… fuck that was close!
He rubbed at his sore neck for a moment and collected his breath before he picked a new spot.
Gotta move faster from now on… Come on, get it together, man!
He popped back up and took a few pot shots then moved on quickly to another spot again, and again.
Ariana expertly timed her shots in short bursts close enough together to keep the barrels at least partially spun up as she cycled between targets. Thankfully, she was fast, and she claimed two targets to Jenkins’ single one.
“Come and face me, cowards! We got your whole arsenal over here! We’d just love to give it all back! One bullet at a time!” She gloated with her speakers translating her speech for her.
Jenkins popped back out of cover and fired at a retreating enemy, scoring a strike on their shoulder. A giant on the opposite side poked their rifle and half their head out and fired.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 47% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
Annoyingly, their enemy adapted to Jenkins’ hit and run tactics by adopting similar ones by firing and retreating from any number of high, medium, or low shooting positions available on either side of the corridor. Their sheer numbers made it next to impossible for either of them to keep the enemy properly suppressed causing both sides to trade fire mostly ineffectually.
Preston rolled back under cover in time to watch a volley of shots race overhead. He noticed with dismay that her ammo belt was already close to empty before her shield flashed a deep orange color as she took a stray shot.
Another shot or two for both of us and our shields will be down…
“We gotta switch our strategy up!” He shouted over a private comm.
“Ready a flashbang then be ready to take over the gun! I’ve got an idea!”
Jenkins nodded, set the selector on his launcher, and fired a grenade before he broke and ran. He grabbed an ammo belt and dragged it on the ground behind him and dropped it next to the gun as Ariana rushed past him.
“Be ready!” She shouted as he settled himself in behind the Gatling gun.
The flashbang had done its job in stopping the enemy from shooting, but it had driven them back into hiding as well. Before he could question her further, Ariana stepped up to the wall and threw both hands into generating a powerful TK field. With a roar of exertion, she lifted and threw two of the giants on the left into the group on the right. She succeeded then, moments later, in dragging a tangled mass of giant flesh right into the corridor.
Jenkins hesitated for only a moment as the giants fought with each other to be the first to their feet. He pulled the trigger, and the Gatling gun spooled up and began to chew through flesh and bone alike. Blood and body parts floated in the microgravity as the last round in the belt was fired off.
A single, wounded giant survivor crawled desperately off the battlefield as blood drained from multiple wounds into the air above them before finally giving up the ghost. Once again, the corridor was full of floating corpses, orbs of blood, and severed limbs. Bile rose in Jenkins’ throat as he witnessed the horror of his handiwork before he clamped down on the impulse just in time.
Not in the helmet, not in the helmet, not in the helmet…
“Are you alright?” Ariana asked as she arrived with a fresh ammo belt.
“I’m fine, almost got sick in my helmet for a moment, but I’m past it now.” Jenkins replied in his most convincing tone despite the fact that his stomach remained in knots.
“Happens to everyone, don’t worry. Even I still have moments where it gets to me… though usually not until well afterward. Now shake it off, I can sense they’re regrouping for another attack.” She replied as Jenkins opened the receiver to remove the spent belt.
“I’ll take it from here.” Jenkins said as he took over the reload. “Since we’ve gotta clear our battlespace anyway, why not send them a present? Buy us some time.”
“Oh… that’s devious. I love it.” She chuckled.
She raised her arms and captured as much of the gore as she could into a wide TK field. With a grunt, she threw what remained of the dead giants at what he assumed had to be the largest concentration of surviving enemies. He slowly released the breath he’d been holding as he finished reloading the Gatling gun.
“Get ready, I can sense they’re on the move, and I’ll bet they’re pissed.” She shouldered her rifle and returned to their makeshift wall.
“How many?”
“Five, so be ready. Flashbang!” Ariana shouted.
Oh, I’ll be ready. Jenkins thought as he set his finger over the trigger while he scanned for movement.
Ariana’s flashbang detonated and Jenkin’s AV filters kicked in automatically. It took a moment for his visor opacity to revert back to clear, and when it did, his heart sank as the enemy charged forward much faster than he had hoped they would. Two riflemen opened fire at Ariana, which forced her to duck behind cover as her shield flashed orange.
Jenkins opened fire on the enemies on the right, only for two giants to emerge on the left instead with the first holding a mobile cover panel by its rear handles. His instincts tugged at him that something was wrong as he turned to fire. He felt the now-familiar feel of static in the air moments before his cover panel and Gatling gun were ripped away by a small, but powerful TK field.
“What the fuck!?” Jenkins shouted in rage.
He sprinted in a zig-zag pattern for the safety of the wall as bright bolts of charged particles lit up the air around him.
PARTICLE BEAMS DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 32% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING…
The impact nearly knocked him over, but his magnetic boots saved him. Jenkins leapt forward to close the last of the distance to the inside of the wall and took a few deep breaths and drew his rifle. He span up and into position and fired a few rounds at one of the enemies that fought to keep them suppressed. The welcome sight of blood indicated he managed to land at least one hit on the bastard before they fell back.
“What’s going on!? Are you alright? We’re on our way to you now!” Jenkins had never been so glad to hear Paul’s voice than he was in that moment.
THREAT DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: SIX, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
“Another squad?! How the hell many do they have?!” Jenkins griped.
“Our situation is deteriorating rapidly, and we need you here now! What’s your ETA?” Ariana replied tersely as she fired on a different enemy just a little too late to catch them.
“Assuming we don’t run into any patrols or ambushes, we’ll be there in two minutes. Just hold on a little longer!” Paul replied.
Jenkins took a deep breath and hit the selector on his grenade launcher for a frag grenade.
Last one, better make it count…
He shifted slightly to the left and popped up to fire the grenade. He smirked as an enemy on the right rolled out of cover just in time. With a growing smirk, he pulled the trigger.
*THUNK*
“Easy for you to say! I’m not sure we have that much time!” Ariana shouted as
A glint of light off to the left drew his attention right as the familiar sound of a Gatling gun spinning up filled him with dread. The grenade detonated and blew his target damn near in half right as the first Gatling gun rounds struck.
KINETIC STRIKE DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED… 16% INTEGRITY REMAINING… RECHARGING… KINETIC STRIKE DEFLECTED; PHOTONIC SHIELD DEPLOYED…
WARNING! SHIELD DEPLETED! RECHARGING
Jenkins ducked as fast as he could as the last of his shield evaporated in a bright red flash.
WARNING! SUIT BREACH DETECTED… ACTIVATING TRAUMA MODULE… ASSESSING DAMAGE…
“Preston!” Ariana shouted as she dropped below cover and rushed to his side.
Jenkins slid down the backside of the wall, leaving a trail of blood as he suddenly found it very difficult to breathe.
“NO! Not again! You are not leaving me, Preston! I won’t allow it!” Ariana shouted as she hit the quick release on his chest plate and tossed it to the side.
“Paul, I need you here now, Preston’s been shot through the chest! It looks like a sucking chest wound.”
“We’ve got problems of our own over here! They set an ambush for us, and we… DIE YOU FUCKER! Anyway, we need more like… five minutes?” Paul replied.
He shivered and choked on his own blood as his chest crackled and hissed with every excruciating breath he struggled to take.
“I’m not sure we HAVE five minutes! I don't care what you have to do, just get your asses over here!” She yelled into the comms as she rolled out her field medical kit next to him.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL ALERT;
PASS THROUGH WOUND DETECTED;
INTERNAL BLEEDING DETECTED;
BLOOD OXYGENATION CRITICALLY LOW; UPDATING TRIAGE QUEUE…
STEM CELLS DEPLOYED;
ACCELERATOR ENZYMES RELEASED;
DEPLOYING SURGICAL NANOMACHINES;
RAPID COAGULANTS ADMINISTERED;
DYNAMIC PAIN BLOCKING ACTIVATED;
EMERGENCY BLOOD PUMP ASSEMBLY APPROVED;
DEPLOYING NANOMACHINES;
ACTIVATING RESPIROCYTES;
BLOOD OXYGENATION STABILIZING;
BIO MONITOR STATUS: RED
IMMEDIATE MEDEVAC REQUIRED
No… I REFUSE to die like this! Jenkins fought against the encroaching blackness.
An explosion in the maze caused Ariana to look up for just a moment before she refocused and redoubled her efforts to save his life. She rolled him gently over just long enough to apply a field dressing on the exit wound and then set him back down.
“Okay, almost done here. You’re going to be just fine, I promise you.” Ariana said as she worked hard to clean the wound and clear the surface blood.
Even with his pain response deactivated, Preston felt a deeply uncomfortable sensation as she inserted a one way air tube into the entry wound to let it vent, and then sealed it with another dressing. Even though blood still filled his punctured lung, he found he felt much better already.
MED STAT UPDATE;
BLOOD OXYGENATION STABILIZED;
EMERGENCY SURGICAL INTERVENTION COMPLETE;
ALL INTERNAL BLEEDING STOPPED;
EMERGENCY BLOOD PUMP ASSEMBLY -57% COMPLETE
“There, that should get you stabilized. Now stay here, I can sense them getting close. I’m going to hold them back for as long as I can. We’re going to make it through this, so don’t you DARE die on me, you hear?” She said in a tone choked with emotion.
All he had the energy to muster was a weak thumbs-up in reply before he laid his head back down on the deck. His struggles to breathe faded as the respirocytes released their stored oxygen reserves into his blood stream.
Jenkins lay there, weakened, but quite grateful to be alive. He watched, half-dazed, as Ariana ran from firing position to firing position on the wall above in a desperate attempt to slow the enemy down.
Where the hell are you, Paul?
Unfortunately, the distant sound of gunfire was the only answer he was likely to get.
Ariana moved fast, and seamlessly traded between shooting and summoning TK fields to frustrate and kill their enemies. A muted explosion seemed to signal the end of the sounds of distant battle. He strained himself to reach for his abandoned rifle. Better to grab that… just in case.
“Put that rifle down, I’ve got this, dammit! You need to rest!” Ariana shouted as she reloaded.
The suddenness caused him to flinch.
Busted. He laughed without thinking, which led him to break out into a wet hacking cough that spat blood against the inside of his helmet. Ariana released a string of muttered curses as she looked back at him and then back toward the wall. With a heavy sigh, she moved to a fresh firing position and continued the fight.
Jenkins gripped his rifle handguard tighter as her shield flashed worryingly into a deep bloody orange from a glancing blow. She took a moment to collect herself from behind the safety of the wall until she reached out a hand and pulled their grenade bag to her. She chuckled in a mildly disconcerting manner as she grabbed an enemy stick grenade and twisted the top to arm it.
“You wanna play hardball? Fine, let’s fucking play.” She tossed the first grenade in the air, and then guided it with a TK field directly into what he assumed had to be the closest cluster of enemies.
“We’ve got them on the run, so stay alive, we’re coming!” Paul chimed in at last.
An explosion rocked their battlespace, followed by the agonized scream of a dismembered soldier. Ariana already had another grenade prepped, so Jenkins allowed himself at last to lay all the way down and relax, somewhat.
She’s got this…. Jenkins told himself.
MED STAT UPDATE;
EMERGENCY BLOOD PUMP ASSEMBLY -95% COMPLETE;
BLOOD PUMP FILTER/RECYCLER ACTIVATED;
CONNECTING TO VASCULAR SYSTEM… COMPLETE;
Preston simply gripped his rifle close to his chest. Right as his eyes closed, a strange noise overhead caused him to snap them right back open again.
What… the fuck!? Ariana… NO! He thought in horror as a turret with twin-glowing barrels dropped from the ceiling and aimed at her.
He tried warning her, only for him to break out into another coughing fit over the radio.
THREAT DETECTED, NEPHAELI’IM-HUMAN HYBRID; QUANTITY: TWO, THREAT LEVEL: DEADLY, EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
“That’s right, keep running!” Paul yelled.
Jenkins raised his rifle in spite of his injury and cursed internally once he remembered he was out of grenades for the launcher. Unable to talk, unable to kill it, he had no other choice but to open fire and hope for the best. Rounds pinged off and penetrated depending on the angle and spot they struck. One barrel flashed and powered down, but the other managed to fire several shots before he managed to destroy it, too.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL ALERT;
INTERNAL BLEEDING DETECTED;
DEPLOYING SURGICAL NANOMACHINES;
RAPID COAGULANTS ADMINISTERED;
BIO MONITOR STATUS: ORANGE
IMMEDIATE MEDEVAC REQUIRED
He felt like his heart was about to stop as the bright bolts of energy zipped right over Ariana’s head and into the battlespace beyond the wall.
“We’re in the corridor now, and we have them on the run! Ham, split off and reinforce them. I’ve got some giants to hunt.”
“Oh, are you boys a sight for sore eyes!” Ariana replied in an almost giddy tone.
I did it… I saved her… Safe… at last… He thought as the blackness encroached upon him at last, though this time, he had no energy or inclination left with which to resist.