The Spindle Station: Book 2 of the Alliance Conflict (45 page)

The fact that he did it in front of the station commander was clearly meant as a show of power. Plot’ko almost blurted out about the lack of protocol, but silenced himself at the last moment. Correcting Fruid’la was never a good career move, even if one wasn’t in the military.

Fruid’la saw the other’s discomfort and said, “Sorry for overriding your chain of command. I know that traffic control is extremely busy tracking the on-coming Hiriculan fleet. I didn’t feel like overwhelming them for such a simple task.” Fruid’la smiled and lowered his ear stalks to an inoffensive position that implied an apology.

Plot’ko graciously accepted the apology despite its apparent insincerity. He really had little choice. However, the exchange made him a little angry. The compliment was in reality a thinly veiled criticism of his station’s performance.

“Majestic Admiral, how may I please you?” The connection to the command carrier had been established during the exchange with the station commander. The voice belonged to the communications officer Kupig’la and the words dripped with fake empathy.

Fruid’la asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Admiral, everything is awesome since I became part of your team,” Kupig’la responded.

Fruid’la broke the connection, picked up his glass, and took another sip. He tipped his glass to a passerby and smiled expectantly. He was rewarded with a compliment of “Excellent work Admiral, well done.”

The cup shook in his hand for a long moment. Fruid’la checked and verified that he wasn’t shaking. Therefore…

Fruid’la extended his ear stalks to their maximum height and made a made a show of listening. He asked, “What just happened; why did the station wobble?”

Plot’ko was furiously tapping on his pad. Eventually he received several updates from the station’s traffic control department. Plot’ko summarized, “A meteoroid just struck the defensive asteroid. Initial reports suggest that the impact caused a chain reaction in the core and the ion cannon installation was completely engulfed and destroyed by superheated lava.”

Fruid’la looked derisively at him. He said, “This station has the best scanning and tracking equipment in existence. How did your traffic control officers miss an entire meteoroid traversing the system?”

Plot’ko nervously swiped his brow and checked his pad again. It was clear that Fruid’la was planning to hold him accountable for the loss of the installation. Plot’ko received the video from the disaster and said, “Look, the meteoroid was only in the system for a second before it hit the defensive installation. Also it was traveling at .07 light.”

Fruid’la watched the impact. It was abundantly clear that the meteoroid had intentionally been sped up and had traveled through hyperspace before hitting the target. Fruid’la handed the com pad back and said, “The Advranki must have done it as retribution. I didn’t think the little green men had it in them.”

Plot’ko received another update. This time Fruid’la’s com pad also began urgently flashing. Both checked and saw that Alliance fighters had destroyed the frigate
Bloodlust
.

Fruid’la tried desperately to send a signal to the command carrier
Retribution
, but the signal was blocked by the space dust. He slammed his pad down in frustration and tipped over his drink. He quickly grabbed his com pad to keep the juice from spilling on it. Plot’ko waved for the waitress to come and clean up the spill and refresh the Admiral’s drink.

Fruid’la brought up the feed from the external sensors on his com pad. He quickly reviewed the information and announced, “We are being attacked by a single cruiser and two squadrons of fighters.”

Plot’ko said, “This system is heavily guarded. What could they possibly hope to accomplish?”

Fruid’la noted that the cruiser’s name was the
Sunflower
. He had been outwitted by this very ship in an earlier battle and now it appeared that he was somehow being outgunned by it as well. They had just defeated an entire fleet of Alliance warships with only minimal damage. Now a single cruiser was systematically wrecking his defenses. It didn’t make sense.

He faked a hearty laugh and responded, “Their suicide.”

Plot’ko received another message from traffic control. He was about to respond when Admiral Fruid’la asked, “What is it now?”

Plot’ko responded, “We are being hailed by a lone transport. The pilot said that they were working in the hangar when the frigate
Bloodlust
was attacked and that they were able to exit the frigate before it exploded. They are requesting permission to land.”

Fruid’la asked, “Do they have transponder code clearance?”

Plot’ko responded, “It’s an older transponder code, sir, but it checks out okay. I was about to clear them for landing, unless you feel otherwise.”

Fruid’la waved his hand dismissively and said, “Allow them to enter. Once they have landed, I want them to come see me. I would like to hear their report of the battle.”

Plot’ko nodded in understanding and said, “Okay, all six survivors?”

Fruid’la: “Is Captain Clap’la among the six?”

Plot’ko shook his head negatively and responded, “These beings didn’t mention him by name. They would have if was among them. Besides, these soldiers only escaped because they were in the hangar. Clap’la would have been on the bridge at the time of the attack.”

Fruid’la realized that Plot’ko used the word being instead of Hiriculan and he finally understood what Plot’ko was trying hard not to vocalize. The survivors on the transport must be Netos. Fruid’la imagined that the dimwitted Netos were probably sleeping or goofing off in the transport when the attack occurred. He doubted they would have any useful information offer.

Fruid’la said, “I changed my mind. Just have them report for prisoner guard duty.”

Plot’ko looked at his com pad and said, “We have another request. Apparently an Alliance fighter is badly damaged and needs to land. He is surrendering himself in exchange for medical aid.”

Fruid’la said, “Fine, let him land as well. Contact the beings that just landed in the transport and have them take the fighter pilot to the medical bay in the prison area.”

Plot’ko sent the order and replied, “They understood and confirmed the order.”

That was odd, Fruid’la thought. The Netos actually confirmed an order. Perhaps there is hope for the race after all.

………………..

Paul and the other marines exited the transport area and entered the corridor just below the top spindle. The area was currently unoccupied. They began jogging down the moving conveyor, toward the interior of the station. Fortunately, they didn’t have to go very far because the prisoners were being held just beyond the warehouses, near the area that previously held the Hiriculan fleet.

Three of the marines leaped off of the conveyor and waited for Ella. The other two stayed on the moving walkway until it reached the archway where the gravity switched directions.

Ella was struggling to keep up in the slow AAU. When she reached the warehouse area, Paul and the other two marines grabbed her and helped her onto the platform. They walked slowly now with swords drawn. The last minute call from the
Sunflower
told them that were supposed to be 12 HAS units outside, but they hadn’t seen anyone yet.

That changed when they rounded the final corner. There were 7 HAS units standing guard in the corridor. The door was still invisible, but it was relatively easy to determine its location because two of soldiers were standing on both sides of it. The other 5 Hiriculans were standing in a rough circle and talking to each other. One was facing in Paul’s direction, but didn’t see him.

Paul checked the distance. Excellent.

He pulled the pin on one of his hand grenades and gently lobbed it underhanded to the Hiriculan facing him. The grenade bounced off of the armored suit and exploded on the floor.

Paul took advantage of the temporary confusion and lunged toward the nearest HAS unit. This HAS unit was facing away from him. Paul slammed his sword as hard as could straight through the Hiriculan’s back. The thrust was a little too hard though as the sword exited through the soldier’s chest. The two marines behind him also leapt for targets.

Paul pushed the lifeless unit forward toward the HAS soldier that was facing him earlier. This HAS fired his beam weapon, but it struck the dead unit. Paul then pinned this HAS soldier to the wall and stuck his sword all the way through the first and into the second.

Paul’s coworker surgically sliced off the remaining unit’s head and looked over at Paul. He said, “Nice skewer job there chef.”

Paul admired the precision decapitation and responded in kind, “Excellent cut doctor.”

Paul struggled, but couldn’t pull his sword free. He waved for help. The two marines pushed on the dead units while Paul pulled. He was able to free it on the third tug. Paul waved for them to take their positions

One marine kept watch facing one direction while the second watched the opposite corridor. Paul pulled three bars of c4 out of his suit and placed them at what he assumed were strategic locations. It was really difficult to determine exactly where the seams of the door were. His only guide was where the bodies were slumped.

Paul waved for everyone to get clear and he jogged back to where Ella waited. Paul turned the corner into the perpendicular corridor and walked down it three steps so that he was well away from the blast zone. Paul activated the firing switch. This time he both heard and felt a large blast. There was a secondary vibration that reverberated through the hallway he was leaning against.

He stepped back to the corner and looked. There was a sizeable hole blown in the door. He walked to the door and looked in. Just as Ella had described, there was an 8 meter long corridor separating the first and second doors. To the right was the glass-like walled guard booth. The blast had incinerated a portion of whatever material it was. Paul could see five stunned unarmored Hiriculans slowly getting up.

Paul grabbed his Gatling gun and tried to point it through the opening. It wouldn’t fit. He saw that one of them appeared to be about to type something on his work station. Paul tossed a grenade into the room and waved for the other two marines to do the same.

The first grenade landed in the lap of the typing Hiriculan and the blast eviscerated him. The second grenade bounced once and exploded in the air, shredding the second Hiriculan’s head. Surprisingly, a Hiriculan caught the third grenade. He didn’t have long to celebrate his athletic feat though as the grenade blew him and his two friends into several large pieces

Paul was about to approach the second door when it suddenly opened and the HAS units on the other side starting firing. Paul ducked back out of the corridor. The other two marines also leaped back and wound up on the other side of the corridor. Paul stuck his hand out and was rewarded with 5 beam weapon blasts. Ella walked over and joined Paul.

Paul looked over and shouted, “We’re pinned down and we are running out of time. Any suggestions?”

…………………..

Jake reached the archway and set down the heavy plate he was carrying. He briefly studied the arch. Ella had said she was unable to determine exactly what it was programmed to detect or whether it contained any defenses.

They would have liked to have disabled the electrolifts, but it wasn’t worth risking passing through the arch. Besides, the noise of the explosion would draw unnecessary attention to them.

Jake wrestled the plate against the archway and centered it such that it completely blocked the entryway. He leaned on it and braced it while the other marine lit the acetylene torch and welded the plate to the wall. Jake stepped back and admired their work. That certainly should hold long enough for them to make a clean escape.

Jake heard a blast in the distance. It was time to join the others.

…………………..

Ace landed in the middle of the transport area. He was double parked, but didn’t care. Ace exited the fighter and waved goodbye to it. He had grown attached to it over the last few months and was sad that he was going to have to abandon it.

Ace scanned the area and verified the hangar was empty. He walked two dozen or so steps to the Alliance shuttle. He verified that the shuttle belonged to the battleship
Guardian
. He double checked even though this was the only Alliance shuttle in the hangar bay.

Ace would feel stupid if he was waiting for them in the wrong transport. After obtaining a second verification that was indeed at the correct place, he entered through the back door.

He walked through the cargo / passenger area and through the interior door to the main passenger cabin. There were 2 rows of 2 seats. Ace walked past the first row and sat in one of the two pilot seats. He performed a pre-start check, started the sub-light engines, and waited.

Ace changed his mind. He obtained the electro cart from the back of the transport, activated it, and removed the shield buster missile from the transport. He dumped it next to one of the Hiriculan transports.

He walked back to his fighter, removed the gravity missile, and placed it on the cart. He pulled the cart back to the transport. Ace replaced put the gravity missile in the empty slot and double checked the rest of his ordinance. The transport could only carry 7 total offensive missiles. Ace had 6 fighter to fighter missiles and the aforementioned gravity missile. He again returned to the shuttle and waited.

…………………..

Admiral Dolen closed his communicator pad and shook his head in disbelief. On some level he was happy that the Alliance was attempting a rescue, but he was greatly concerned that humans were leading the attempt.

Dolen had taken great lengths to keep the presence of humans in the Alliance a secret. Now, Solear was flaunting them for all to see in direct violation of his orders. There would be no way to keep their presence a secret when the Hiriculans captured them.