The ship exited the jump wormhole and reestablished sensor function, the giant moon Titan looming in the forward screen. Kovar sat in the jump seat behind the pilot couches, studying the sensor displays as they came back online. On the sensor field, directly ahead of them, sat a ship in high orbit of the moon, the sensors reading it as power and communications dark.
“I see them,” Kovar said, “Which means they likely see us. There is no way they missed the jump signature. Get us close enough for a ship-to-ship crossing, I’m heading back to suit up. If they run, chase, but don’t get too close until we are ready to open the rear hatch.”
“Yes, sir,” the pilot replied, and Kovar felt the ship surge forward before the dampeners caught up to the motion.
Kovar exited the cockpit, sealing the door behind him as he moved into the main cabin. There he moved to his armor platform as the automated system began assisting him with the donning of his powered combat armor. On his right, Haskins was already in her armor, her helmet resting next to her on a small shelf. She watched as the heavy chest and back plates were placed on Kovar’s torso and the attachment arm sealed them in place. The arms and gauntlets were slid into place and the hiss of the pressurization check was the only sound in the otherwise silent cabin.
“It’s nice to finally be back in the suit, that low-tech gear we had during the event mission was damn near useless,” Haskins said, extending her arms overhead to check that the artificial muscles and servos in her suit were functioning properly.
“I don’t know, I thought it was a little less constricted. There is something about powered armor that makes me feel claustrophobic sometimes,” Kovar said, doing the same function check on his own suit.
The speaker in the cabin crackled and the pilot’s voice pierced the near silence, “Approaching exit distance, time to target ten seconds.”
Nearly in unison, all ten members of the team reached down and picked up their helmets, donning them and stepping down from the armor platforms. As they moved toward the rear hatch, they retrieved bolt rifles from the rack near the exit, Haskins and Kovar each taking a pistol, as well.
“We are not here to eliminate the target. This is a smash and grab, so make sure your bolt rifles are set to less-than-lethal settings and your armor’s active deflection fields are in place,” Kovar said into the team channel. He eye-clicked the menus in his display and set the faceplate of his helmet to opaque. The display blinked out, then returned, giving him a full view of his surroundings generated from the video sensors mounted onto the helmet. Kovar blinked to acclimatize to the crystal clear, 180-degree view that filled his vision. He looked over at Haskins, her faceplate showing the same matte black opacity as his own, and nodded.
Haskins nodded back, “Tip of the spear,” she said into the team channel.
“Always Sharp!” Came the reply from the team, as the countdown in their displays hit zero, and the hatch opened. Haskins looked left and right at the soldiers next to her, nodded, and stepped into space.
***
“Sensors show ten sets of powered armor have exited the ship and are on an intercept course with us. What are your orders?” The pilot asked Morvex, as they watched the sensor displays.
“Token resistance, electrify the hull to make it more difficult to gain purchase, but no active defensive measures. We don’t know who is who, and we can’t afford to kill Alcorn,” Morvex said. He turned and moved into the main cabin, “Gareth, Jorphin, you take the rear hatch in case they try to get it open. No lethal rounds, only incapacitate. Shoren, you are with me at the starboard airlock.” The three Orlesians moved without responding, each taking up the positions Morvex had assigned them. Morvex glanced at Shoren, standing to his left on the opposite side of the airlock, “I wish we had armor, who knows what their rules of engagement are at this point. If they want us dead, there is little we can do to stop it.”
“I doubt their goal is to just execute us, I’m sure they are going to want answers as to how we gained access to the facility and whether or not we have used the device.”
Morvex nodded, “I wonder if they know we don’t have access?”
“Doubtful,” Shoren said, “They can’t know how many of the research team we managed to compromise. That’s why we used Baxter, remember?”
“True,” Morvex said, looking through display that showed the outside of the airlock, “What is the ETA of the assault team?”
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“Thirty seconds, sir.” The pilot called back.
Morvex double checked his bolt rifle, closed his eyes, and drew in a deep breath.
***
Kavar watched the ship’s hull rush toward him, and he braced himself for initial contact. As he approached, a warning message in his display told him that the hull had been electrified and the suit was compensating. His grip tightened on the rifle in his hands, and he oriented himself feet first. Kovar’s boots struck the hull, and he watched the arcs of electricity wind harmlessly up his legs. His boots magnetized and he was left standing upright off the side of the hull. He looked left and saw four members of his team touching down and moving toward the airlock set into the side of the ship.
“Stack up, I’m attempting to override the airlock. Once it cycles, get inside.”
“Check.”
“Roger.”
"Copy.”
“On it.”
The responses came in quickly and Kovar checked the display on the wrist of his suit. The suit had automatically connected to the internal systems of the Earth vessel, and he keyed the sequence that should cycle the airlock. A red error message flashed, and he set the system to crack the code that would allow them entry. Ten seconds later, the airlock cracked open, and the five special operators entered, closing the external hatch behind them. This part was the most worrying to Kovar, while the team was crammed in the airlock they would be sitting ducks. They needed to breach hard and fast as soon as the airlock pressurized, and the inner hatch opened. He felt the familiar rush of air as pressure equalized with the cabin pressure of the ship. The rush of air slowed, then stopped. Seconds passed, turning into minutes. The inner hatch remained closed, despite Kovar repeatedly pressing the release.
“Now that the airlock is pressurized, and you can hear my voice,” Morvex’s voice came through the intercom in the airlock, “We can discuss what happens next. Kovar Alcorn, there is no reason for your men to die here. The more I see, the more I think we are being drawn together. If you send your men back out through the airlock, I will allow you to board and we can sit down like civilized people and talk.”
“Talk, Ecthelion? About what? About how you abandoned your council to die, while you sneak off?” Kovar sneered, “Tell me, Morvex, if you accomplished your mission then why are you sitting here, orbiting Titan, when you should be off saving Orlesia? Something wrong with your plan?”
There was no response for several seconds, then Morvex said, “Send out your team, and I’ll tell you everything, Kovar. Your uncle trusted me, your mother trusts me, you can trust me.”
“You don’t get to talk about my mother or the uncle you martyred,” Kovar snarled, “Open the door, lay your weapons down and you can tell me whatever you want. On Earth. Or, in ten seconds, I’m going to blow this hatch inward, and your corpse can try to explain.”
On the team comm link, Kovar said, “Rear entry team, what is your status?”
“We can’t just open the hatch, sir,” Haskins said, “It’ll decompress the cabin. Unless you want to take bodies back to Earth instead of prisoners, you’ll have to make entry through the airlock.”
“I’m working on that, XO, but we may need to prepare for a worst-case scenario.”
Inside the cabin, Morvex looked at Shoren, who was peering around at Jorphin and Gareth at the rear hatch, took a deep breath, and sighed, “Will you vouchsafe the lives of my companions, Kovar? Or am I the only one you want alive?”
Shoren’s head snapped around, “Morvex, what the hell are you doing?”
“Don’t worry, old friend, I have a plan,” Morvex said, as Kovar responded.
“I have no interest in killing anyone who comes peacefully, Morvex. Set your weapons down and open the airlock.”
Morvex turned to Shoren and pushed him toward the center of the cabin, motioning for Jorphin and Gareth to join him. Gareth cocked his head, giving Morvex a questioning look, but Morvex just nodded. Jorphin stood next to Shoren, and Gareth began to move toward them. Morvex went to the cockpit and pulled the two pilots to stand with the three councilmembers.
Standing in the airlock, Kovar held his breath as he waited for Morvex to answer. Time had slowed to a crawl, and as more passed, Kovar became more convinced this was going to turn into a fight. His hands gripped his bolt rifle tighter, the powerful gauntlets of his armor suit exerting incredible pressure on the nearly indestructible alloy. He was just about to order his team to breach when Morvex’s voice came over the intercom.
“Alright, Kovar, we’ll do this peacefully. We are setting our weapons down and I am unlocking the airlock door. Ten seconds.”
Kovar let out a breath he had been holding since he first heard Morvex’s voice and relaxed his grip on the rifle. He inhaled and waited for the airlock door light to turn green, indicating it was unlocked. He counted back from ten and just as he reached zero, the light blinked green, and the airlock door hissed open. Kovar, took point out of the airlock, clearing the entryway in both directions before moving into the main cabin. Confusion flared in his mind, as he tried to understand what he was seeing.
Morvex was nowhere to be seen. In fact, there was no one in the cabin, so far as Kovar could tell. He held up a hand to stop the team from coming in and stared at the center of the cabin, where a nearly circular gate glowed with a brilliant, ethereal white and blue light. Kovar’s eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, “What the fuck is that,” he whispered.
Morvex’s foot slammed into Kovar’s wrist, and his rifle clattered to the floor. Kovar turned, just in time for Morvex’s bulk to slam into him, pushing him through the gateway. Kovar’s team members rushed in from the airlock, just in time to see Kovar and Morvex pass through the portal, which snapped shut.