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  "Got it. And we are underway."

  The ship rocked.

  "We're taking return fire!" Mendez said. Targeting that second cannon."

  Another heavy vibration rolled through the warship, followed by the rumble of an explosion. Everyone floated up from the deck.

  I yelled, "Mag-boots now!"

  Collins said, "I've lost control of nav, Sarge. Whatever they hit we aren't going anywhere now. And more bad news, we are headed right for that planet. In about ten or twelve minutes we'll be dropping into that atmosphere without any means of propulsion."

  "Sammy!" I called over the comm. "We're gonna need extraction. Can you give us another breach on this level?"

  "Ha!" Mendez grinned. "Scratch that second cannon." The ship rumbled. "But we're now taking shots from one of the others."

  I opened a general comm. "This is Balls. All crews on Warship One need to evacuate. Try to keep your ships close to this vessel until it reaches the atmosphere. We then split off to the ship designated as Warship Three on your navs. It no longer has weapons. And you'll want to make this happen quick. Our time on this ship is now very limited."

  Sammy said, "We have a problem, Sarge. I have nowhere else on your deck to breach. Any way to make it to another deck?"

  "Not with those sealed doors."

  Xurpok said, "We will have to jump."

  I returned a confused look. "What?"

  Xurpok clomped toward the hall in his mag-boots. "Sammy, bring the Fracker in close with the hatch open. We'll be jumping across open space."

  "I'll need a minute."

  One by one I heard the reports of merc ships braking free from their breach tubes. An explosion then rumbled down the hall from the nearest bulkhead.

  Sammy said, "You best run, I show several hundred bios headed your way."

  I replied, "They may have just broken through the bulkhead. Get yourself in position, we're coming your way."

  Xurpok crouched in the hall. "Go. I will slow them down."

  Chapter 6

  * * *

  I pushed Tanner forward. "Get across and into that ship. I'll be here waiting for Xurpok."

  "We have guns too, Sarge."

  "Just get across. We may need your cover fire from there."

  Mendez was the first to run and jump. It was an awkward float, almost a tumble, but twenty seconds later she was caught by Diggs and Grimes and pulled aboard. Collins followed and then Tanner. The hallway behind me then erupted in laser fire.

  I rolled back, hugging the wall to my side as I fired round after round over the head of a now charging Xurpok.

  "Go!" He yelled as he approached my position.

  I stood, realizing I hadn't left myself enough room for a run. I leaned down, braced my feet and sprang outward. But I was moving too slow. A laser pulse singed the left arm of my suit, causing a small air leak.

  As I slowly rolled over on my way toward the open hatch of the Fracker, a big black shadow filled my field of view. A strong hand was planted in my back, and I was propelled rapidly forward. Laser pulses flashed out into the darkness of space around me as I covered the final fifteen meters in seconds. Tanner reached out to grab me, pulling me inside where my boots once again made contact with a deck.

  I glanced back to see Xurpok still floating toward us, but at a dangerously slow pace.

  Tanner said, "He ain't gonna make it."

  "Sammy!" I yelled into my comm. "Drop us down five meters."

  Sammy's reaction was fast.

  I bunched into the hatchway with the others. "Focus your fire on that hole. We keep them away from that opening and we buy him time!"

  Six blasters sent a barrage of plasma rounds across and into the darkened section of hull. For only a few seconds, the laser pulses stopped, but then picked up with a vengeance, and they were closing in on our friend who continued moving toward us at a creeping pace.

  The Fracker then dropped again and spun to the left. A pair of plasma bolts from her cannons then ripped into the opening. Silencing all the laser pulses and giving Xurpok those precious seconds he needed for a rescue. He was pulled inside, and the hatch was closed. Internal gravity was restored.

  I hurried to the bridge for a full status. Only fourteen of our crews had made it back to their ships. I sent orders for everyone on Warship Three to abandon it and to instead make their way to ship Two. The mercs on Warship Two were actually pushing forward, now only four decks from the bridge, albeit moving ever so slowly. I knew if we could get Xurpok aboard everything would change.

  As the warship we rode beside began to enter the atmosphere the merc ships gathered around it split off. We were immediately met by the laser pulses coming from Warship Two as we approached. Five more of our merc vessels were destroyed before we reached the outer hull.

  I said, "Take us right to the top deck and to that same spot at the end of the hall."

  The Fracker floated in close. The tube was extended, and a hatch bonded. Xurpok rushed aboard with the rest of us quick behind. The resistance we encountered at the door going onto the bridge wasn't sufficient to keep us out. We stayed in the hall, keeping the Herzek fighters there from bringing support, while Xurpok cleaned house on the bridge. The fighting behind the oversized door lasted less than a minute. We moved inside and sealed ourselves in.

  Mendez raced to the weapons console, just beating out a frustrated Tanner. Collins took a seat at the nav bench and put the ship in motion. I watched from my position near the door as our ship traded blows with the other armed Herzek vessel. I could hear our enemies filling the hall just outside as they attempted to cut through the thick wall-plating of the bridge.

  I opened a comm to Sammy. "Disconnect from the hull and open up that hatch with your cannons. That should clear out the area outside this door and seal off this deck."

  Mendez raised a fist. "One cannon down!"

  Her grin was soon converted to a scowl as one of our weapons met with the same fate.

  Tanner shoved her shoulder. "Get up. You keep missing."

  "I'm trying to weaken the area just above it. The turret is too hardened for this weapon. And you shove me again like that and I'm taking off your hand."

  Sammy said, "Brace, brace, brace."

  An explosion just outside the bridge door was followed by streams of smoke coming around the door's seals. That was followed again by a howl from a heavy wind as everything outside was sucked down the hall and out into space. The hisses and cracks of laser weapons had come to a quick end. Collins reported the bulkhead doors for our deck were now sealed and locked.

  "Sammy," I asked. "How many bios you see on this deck?"

  "One moment... sensors count ninety-six. About half the occupants for that deck were away from that hall. Looks like this new crew is coming your way."

  I walked over behind Mendez. "How we looking?"

  "I have one cannon down and the other is now stuck. It can fire but only if the ship turns."

  "Keep at it, we need that weapon silenced."

  "Not certain how else I can get to it, Sarge. I've practically hollowed out the decks just above it."

  Tanner pointed at the display. "Keep going, even if you end up having to cut it away from that entire structure."

  A heavy rumble that shook the deck had Mendez pounding her fist into the console in front of herself. "No! No! No! We just lost our other cannon!"

  "Sammy," I said. "We may need to jump to you again."

  "Not certain that's going to happen unless you want me to clear out that hall again."

  I scowled. "That last blast almost took down these doors. Any way to lower the power?"

  "Not at the moment. When we built these cannons in it was just straight up 100 percent on when the button is pressed."

  Smoke began to come in under the doorway as the Herzek got busy with their laser rifles.

  Collins said, "I've moved us out of line of sight of that remaining cannon."

  Xurpok walked to stand behind Collins. "Take us tow
ard her."

  "Uh, not unless you're looking for us to take a pounding. We need to stay on this side of that weapon."

  "We should ram her."

  "What?"

  "Not directly. And only at the structure holding that weapon. Bring us in from the back and strike that section. The threat will be over."

  Collins tilted his head. "I actually like that idea. Sarge? Any input?"

  "Make it happen." A general comm was opened. "Teams... this is Balls. We're preparing to ram that other ship. Disconnect your breach tubes and prepare to move away. And for the crews aboard, on Warship Four— brace for impact on your port side. For those here on Warship Two, prepare for an impact from the forward decks. You have two minutes."

  Chapter 7

  * * *

  There was a mad scramble on the comms of captains checking in with their status. Collins maneuvered our captured ship below and behind our opposition. The target warship accelerated, making every effort to avoid our advance. But a poor choice of turns was made, bringing the warship we piloted in line with our target.

  Seconds later, a tremendous rumble and vibration shook the bridge as the lower, forward decks of our ship impacted the structure around the remaining Herzek laser cannon. Debris flew out into space, followed by small explosions and brief fires. The remaining cannon had been silenced.

  Sammy followed immediately with a single blast from the Fracker to the hallway just outside, this time at an angle to reduce the power, once again clearing away our enemy. The instant the roar from flames and the smoke coming under the door ceased, Xurpok was out in the hall and sprinting toward the remaining Herzek on our deck. They weren't prepared for the tornado that was coming their way.

  Two hours were spent clearing the remaining fighters from Warship Two. A transfer was made to ship Three and then Four. Thirty-eight hours after our raid had begun, the last Herzek ship was ours. Our attention was then turned to the planet's surface.

  Sammy completed a scan. "Forty-two thousand bios down there. And not one of them are Human."

  "They killed everyone?" I asked.

  "That's what the scan indicates."

  I sat for a moment. "More than sixteen thousand of us were at that outpost."

  Xurpok said, "Much like your Maxan, the Herzek do not take prisoners."

  "Sammy?" I asked. "What of our merc fleet? How many did we lose?"

  "From the reports, we came in with three hundred twenty-two ships; eighty-nine remain. Our crews totaled just over thirty-two hundred. Of those, nine hundred fifty-six are injured with four hundred twelve still in fighting condition."

  Tanner asked, "What do we do with the Herzek down on the surface?"

  I sat in thought for a moment before offering a reply. "I know what it is you want to do. And I approve. All I would ask is that you avoid targeting structures. That is our outpost and I would assume we will want to again occupy it once the Herzek have been removed. And I want you to share that weapon's console chair with anyone else who wants in on the effort."

  Tanner scowled as he turned toward the console. Mendez was already taking a seat. "Me first."

  Collins moved up behind her. "Dibs on second."

  Tanner crossed his arms. "Next time I think I'll whisper."

  Mendez and Collins cheered each other on and laughed at the demise of the Herzek fighters below as plasma pulses from the Fracker's cannons picked off groups of ten or twelve at a time. Tanner stewed in the background while awaiting his turn. Two other armed merc shuttles picked off others.

  Xurpok looked over the display and then turned to face me. "Drop me on the surface."

  I shook my head. "I don't think that's such a good idea. There are thousands of Herzeks down there who are looking for anything they can do besides die. It will take us time to clean them out from here, but we don't put anyone at risk."

  "We put everyone at risk. A new fleet of Herzek ships could arrive at any moment. We no longer have a fleet that will allow us to capture and eliminate their ships."

  Sammy said, "I've been picking up a lot of chatter from the other captains. Most want to go home."

  "There's nothing stopping them," I replied. "They can leave at any time."

  "They are waiting for you to say that, Sarge. You brought them through this. Like it or not, you're considered the leader of the mercs now."

  I let out a sigh. "That is not a position I was looking to assume. This is a fight that should be coordinated and conducted by our military. And if they aren't prepared we need to make them be prepared. The Maxans aren't going to quit. And now it looks like the Herzek will be the same."

  "What would you have us do? What direction can I give to the other captains?"

  I growled at the thought of having to take command. Command of my squad, yes, for that I was prepared. But a fleet? Even with our victory over the Herzek warships, this was not shaping up to be my day.

  I opened a general comm. "Listen up. This is Balls. All ships with weapons shall remain here to assist with the cleanup down on the surface. The rest of you go home. Get your crews any medical attention they need, get yourselves some rest, and then load up on supplies because I get the feeling we'll be getting called upon again. And sooner than we'd like.

  "We lost two thirds of our crewmen and ships in this fight. At least half of those were due to errors on our part. I'm thinking we'll want to gather to exchange ideas and to do as much coordinated assault training as we can squeeze in before this all happens again. And as most of you know, it is currently illegal for our ships to have offensive weapons. I plan on pushing to change that law when we return. We can't be getting sent out here to fight if we can't defend ourselves."

  I began to slowly pace the bridge as I continued. "Our first encounter with the Herzek was a single ship. This encounter had four. According to our resident expert, the Herzek, when attacking an outpost such as this, would typically send a few dozen warships at a time. So we're thinking our next encounter might be quite different, far more harrowing than we experienced here.

  "So go home and prepare yourselves and your families for what is likely coming. This new threat is far worse than anything the Maxans have thrown at us since that war with them began. We won a hard-fought victory here today. Go home, recover, and gird your determination for what may be coming. That is all."

  Almost immediately the bulk of the ships headed out for jumps toward home. When the last had maneuvered into a wormhole of their creation, only six merc ships remained.

  I again opened a comm. "Keep up the fight just as you've been doing. Minimal structural damage down there is our goal. We want that colony back."

  Mendez walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You did good, Sarge. They all respect you."

  I glanced over at the weapons console as Collins was trying to shirk-off Tanner's suggestions while telling him to wait his turn. "You jumped right in there, Mendez."

  She returned an uncomfortable look. "Fact is, I liked it. And it disgusts me to think this, but I may be a lot more like those two yahoos than I would care to admit."

  I chuckled. "They can grow on you. And they can frustrate you to no end. But as I've said before, you want fighters like them by your side when you get into the heavy stuff. Aside from Xurpok here, there are none better."

  Four days of picking off Herzek fighters were spent before I approved Xurpok's request to go down and finish them off hand-to-hand. Tanner, Collins, and Mendez of course insisted on going with him. It was against my better judgment, but I gave the go-ahead. Sixteen hours later, the colony had been cleared.

  We made our way back to Alday Port only to hear the news about the war with the Maxans. Our fleet had held their own for several days before the order to withdraw had been given. Both sides had sustained heavy losses, and we had given up the previously conquered outpost at Bellatrix. I had a growing sense of unease when I heard our fighting force had been reduced to almost a third the size of what it had been two battles before. And now we had two
war-fronts to contend with.

  I scheduled a meeting with a pair of admirals for the purpose of convincing them to allow our merc captains to arm their ships. I knew they would be stubborn and my suggestion would be a hard sell. But something had to be done.

  We gathered back at the warehouse waiting for new supplies that had been ordered. Our spirits were not high. Our crew had come out unharmed, as had the Fracker, but our victory had taken a tremendous toll on the merc fleet.

  Xurpok paced back and forth, feeling his own quest, that of finding his people, was being ignored. I knew a run out to Rigel, one more attempt to find any surviving Corbo, was in our future. I just hoped we would have time to take it.

  ~~~~~

  What's Next?

  * * *

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  THE SQUAD

  (Novelette 7)

  Raid on Rigel

  Chapter 7.1

  * * *

  I had just come from a meeting with the Admirals. Two were in support of allowing the mercs to arm their ships and two were opposed. The other eight remained indecisive.

  It was now well known that the Fracker had a pair of plasma cannons that were in violation of the law. But there were no interested parties in the admiralty who wanted to take those away. I suspected most also knew of the other mercs who had previously armed themselves, however, they were also not interested in publicly sticking out their necks to support such. Instead, tacit approval came from a series of winks and nods.