Prevail (The Pike Chronicles Book 2) (18 page)

The Chaanisar ship steadily continued to leave the system. Kevin sat in Colonel Bast’s office with Lieutenant Jarvi seated in the chair beside him. Kevin couldn’t believe they found Captain Pike. On a human station no less. He wondered if he should be surprised that the Captain had gotten himself into trouble there. He knew the Captain wasn’t a murderer. If he did kill someone, he had to have been defending himself somehow. If the Captain was on the station, who else was with him? Did he have Breeah and Anki with him? The Doctor? He couldn’t be by himself.

He didn’t like Mr. Kulberg, either. That man was a weasel, if he ever saw one. It was clear that things weren’t right on that station. They had to do something.

Kevin and Jarvi sat quietly, waiting for Colonel Bast to finish what he was doing. He had said he had an idea, but needed to verify some of the details first. Obviously they were going to do something, or Lieutenant Jarvi wouldn’t be here. Kevin’s right leg vibrated, his heel tapping the floor in rapid beats. He was finding it hard to sit still. He wanted to take action now.

Colonel Bast looked up from his console at Kevin and Jarvi. “I think we have an opportunity to save your Captain, Chief,” he said.

“You’ve found a weakness?” said Kevin.

“I’ve found an opportunity for a covert insertion.”

Kevin liked what he was hearing.

“We cannot defeat the station in battle. It has too much firepower. But, as you pointed out on the bridge, it does seem to be a trading center. As we left the station I monitored the traffic coming and going and have identified clearly defined space lanes for commercial traffic. We will travel beyond the range of the station’s sensors and intercept one of the commercial vessels. You and Lieutenant Jarvi will then take two teams and board. Once you have commandeered the vessel, you will use it to insert your teams onto the station.”

Kevin smiled. “I like it,” he said.

“With all due respect, Colonel, the Chief’s Marines would hamper the success of the mission,” said Jarvi.

Kevin was quickly getting tired of Jarvi’s opinions. “Maybe you should sit things out this time, Lieutenant. My Marines can show you how it’s done.”

“Don’t be foolish, Chief. There is nothing you can teach my men,” said Jarvi.

“That’s enough,” said Bast. “Do you feel your Marines are ready for deployment, Chief?”

“Hell Yes. Especially if they know they are going to rescue the Captain.”

“Good. I believe it is time we all work together, don’t you Lieutenant?”

“Yes, Sir,” said Jarvi, holding Bast’s gaze.

Bast kept his eyes locked on Jarvi, like he was giving him an unspoken warning.

“Chief, you will lead a team of your Marines, and Lieutenant Jarvi will lead a team of Chaanisar. Once inside the station you will have two objectives. Chief, your team will be tasked with rescuing the Captain, and whoever is with him. Lieutenant, your job will be to disable the station’s defensive systems. That will allow us to retrieve you.”

“Understood, Sir,” said Jarvi. “I will assemble my team immediately.”

“I’ll let my men know as well. We’ll be ready.”

Bast nodded. “Dismissed.”

“We found the Captain?” said Sergeant Henderson. “That’s great.”

Excited chatter broke out among the crowd of Marines surrounding Kevin. They all looked good. Ready for battle. The time on board the Chaanisar ship allowed them to get their strength back. They had plenty of food, and while it didn’t taste great, it was laden with all the nutrients they needed. Enough to help the Marines get back to peak health, especially after what they had gone through on the prison planet. They all took advantage of the Chaanisar training facilities too, exercising daily, getting themselves ready for the next battle.

“That’s right, and he’s in trouble,” said Kevin.

Anger flowed through the crowd of Marines. A threat against the Captain was a threat against each and every one of them. There were many who wanted to know why they were still standing there. Kevin almost felt sorry for whoever was responsible. They had no idea what was coming for them.

“Listen up,” said Kevin. “We’re going to get the Captain. Here’s our plan.”

The Marines quieted down while Kevin explained the details of the operation. They were all seasoned veterans, fully capable of completing this mission.

“So we don’t know exactly where the Captain is on the station?” said Henderson.

“No, that’s the hard part,” said Kevin. “This Kulberg said the Captain was a fugitive, which means they don’t know where he is either. It doesn’t surprise me. The Captain isn’t going to make it easy for them. But really, it would be easier if they had him in custody. Then we’d just have to break him out.”

“And we’re dealing with humans?” said Henderson.

“Yeah. It looks like we might have found one of the lost colonies. It should make it easier for us to blend in though,” said Kevin. “We play this by the numbers. We move quickly and quietly. Acquire information. And get to the Captain before the bad guys. Simple as that.”

“Oorah!” said the Marines in unison.

The Chaanisar battle cruiser hid behind one of the planets in the station’s system. The planet, a large gas giant, provided ample cover from the station’s sensors. There they waited for their opportunity to strike. They had identified a commercial vessel leaving the system heading in the opposite direction. They monitored its speed and trajectory, identifying a potential intercept point. It would soon be on the far side of the system’s star, which would blind the station’s sensors to its fate. The Chaanisar would jump to the freighter’s location, jam its communications, and board it. Once the vessel was under their control, they would return it to the station, complaining of a malfunction.

Kevin and Lieutenant Jarvi waited on the flight deck, already wearing combat suits. They each had a small group of men assembled. These teams would board and take control of the commercial ship. Once under their control, more men would travel across to the freighter. When the insertion teams were at full force they would turn the freighter around and head back to the station.

“When we board we need to move fast,” said Jarvi. “My team will take over the bridge while your team takes Engineering. We can then mop up and find any remaining crew members hiding on board.”

Jarvi thought he was in command, telling Kevin how things were going to happen. Kevin didn’t like it much, but he had to remember he was on a Chaanisar ship and he needed their help. Better to play ball than get into a pissing match.

“No problem,” said Kevin, wondering how things looked to his Marines. He knew they would only take orders from him. If Jarvi tried to tell them what to do it would not go over well. He needed to make sure they understood that the first priority was the retrieval of the Captain, not Marine/Chaanisar politics.

Colonel Bast’s voice came over their comms. “We have jumped and intercepted the freighter. Begin boarding operations.”

The Chaanisar and Marines stepped into the waiting shuttle and locked their combat suits into place. The vessel’s engines came to life. With a roar, it exited the Chaanisar flight deck and thrust itself forward toward the helpless freighter. A display on board the shuttle gave the men a view of their target. It was a behemoth of a ship with no noticeable armaments. Even if it did have weapons they would be insane to engage the Chaanisar Heavy Cruiser blocking their path.

As the shuttle closed the distance the freighter’s hangar bay came into view. It was open and waiting. Bast had likely told them under no uncertain terms to allow the shuttle access to their hangar bay or be fired upon. They would have to be complete idiots not to comply.

As the ship approached the hangar bay, Kevin looked over the men. Including himself there were eight Marines, and eight Chaanisar, all wearing combat suits. That should be more than enough to subdue the crew of the freighter. He didn’t anticipate any resistance from a merchant crew, but you could never be sure.

His men were quiet. This was their first mission since Kerces. They seemed positive enough, but he wondered how they really felt about working together with the Chaanisar. They probably didn’t fully trust their new allies. Kevin didn’t expect them to. Hell, he didn’t trust them completely himself. In a way he felt guilty about it. He knew he should be thankful for their help, but it was difficult to overcome years of conditioning. He wondered if he could ever trust them? And if not, what hope did the Chaanisar have of ever returning to Earth? If he couldn’t let go of the past, after all they had done for him, why would anyone on Earth? The Chaanisar were trying to reclaim their humanity. But what if humanity rejected them? What would the Chaanisar do?

The shuttle entered the hangar bay and touched down with a thud. Its engines powered down, the combat suits were released from the locking system, and the hatch opened. The Chaanisar moved first, jumping out of the shuttle and establishing a security perimeter. Kevin and his Marines followed. The hangar bay was deserted. The crew was probably hiding. He didn’t blame them. All they knew was that some hostile force was boarding their ship. They didn’t know if they would be slaughtered, or just robbed.

One of the Chaanisar accessed the ship’s computer systems and soon the ship’s schematics appeared on everyone’s visors.

Jarvi’s voice came in loud and commanding over the comm, “Everyone move out. Go, go, go.”

Kevin opened a comm with his team. “I’ve highlighted the direction we need to take to get to Engineering. It should be on your visors now. Let’s move fast and wrap this up quick.”

“Oorah,” came the replies over his comm.

The Chaanisar had already left the hangar bay. The Marines raced out seconds later. They covered the distance to Engineering with extraordinary speed. Their combat suits allowed them to cover several meters with each stride. They must have sounded like a herd of bionic buffaloes to the freighter crew. The metallic pounding would certainly add to the intimidation. Kevin didn’t want to hurt any of the crew. They were human after all and were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any heroics. They freighter crew should be intimidated enough not get any brave ideas.

Arriving at Engineering they found one man waiting. When he saw the Marines burst in his face blanched and he quickly raised his hands in the air. Private Chen reached him first, grabbed his arms and secured them behind the man’s back. He grabbed him by the elbow and walked him over to Kevin.

“What’s your name?” said Kevin.

“Marcus,” said the man.

“Are you the Engineer, Marcus?”

“I am.”

“Where is the rest of the Engineering team?”

“There’s just me,” said Marcus.

“Just you for this whole ship? That’s a little hard to believe, Marcus.”

“The rest of the crew knows how to complete repairs. We all pitch in where needed.”

The Marines searched every corner of Engineering but found no one else.

Kevin opened a comm with Jarvi and said, “Engineering secured.”

“Well done, Chief. We’ve successfully secured the bridge. I have signaled for the rest of the teams to come over. In the meantime we need to send out a team to search the rest of the ship and pull everyone out of hiding.”

“Understood. I’ll assign a few of my men.”

Kevin closed the comm with Jarvi and spoke to his men. “Burke, Johns, Daniels, you’ve got search duty. Coordinate with the Chaanisar and make sure there are no hidden surprises on board.”

“Yes, Sir,” said the Marines, and left Engineering.

“The rest of you stay here until further notice. I’ll be on the bridge.”

The Marines established a perimeter around Engineering so that nobody could come or go without their knowing, and Kevin headed for the bridge.

When he arrived at the bridge he was surprised to see a number of injuries. One man lay on the ground unconscious with a bloody nose and mouth, and another had what looked like a broken arm. Jarvi spoke to another man who was obviously terrified and looked like he had tasted a metal glove too.

“What’s going on here?” said Kevin, as he stepped up to Jarvi.

Jarvi looked at Kevin. “They tried to resist. That one there even fired an energy weapon at my men.” Jarvi pointed to the unconscious man lying prone on the floor. “He should be thankful we showed restraint and didn’t kill him.”

“We thought you were raiders,” said the man.

“We keep hearing about these raiders,” said Kevin.

The man cocked his head at Kevin, the fear now mixing with surprise. “You don’t know what raiders are?”

“We’ve had an encounter with them, but we’re not from around here,” said Kevin.

The man looked like he didn’t believe Kevin, but played along anyway. “Raiders are outlaws. They prey on commercial vessels and do not hesitate to kill. We thought you were going to slaughter us.”

“We still might,” said Jarvi, eliciting another horrified look from the man. “We have deduced that this is the Captain of this vessel.”

“What’s your name?” said Kevin.

“Captain Neeman.”

Kevin retracted his helmet in an effort to show Neeman that he was sincere. “We are not raiders, Captain. But we do need the use of your ship.”

“What for?”

“We need access to that space station.”

“Why don’t you just go there? It’s a busy place. Ships come and go all the time.”

“We’ve been denied access.”

“Why?”

“That is none of your concern,” Jarvi barked, making the man jump.

Kevin raised his hand trying to signal to Jarvi to let him handle this.

“Unfortunately, Captain, our mission is secret. But I can assure you that neither you nor your crew will be harmed.”

“And if we don’t cooperate?”

Kevin frowned. “Let’s not discuss such things. You seem like a reasonable man, Captain. We will gain access to the station. The only thing you should be concerned about is how much we have to persuade you to help us.”

Neeman looked over at Jarvi again who looked ready to take another swing at Neeman if he said the wrong thing. Turning back to Kevin he said, “I will help you.”

“Good man,” said Kevin. He patted him on the shoulder with a heavy metal hand, making Neeman flinch. Kevin knew it must be terrifying for the man, to be surrounded by these metal Goliaths. He actually held up remarkably well, all things considered.