Vortex - Part 28

Aaen watched in horror as another wave of pirate ships approached the Station at an angle—and in an almost professional formation—firing a flood of brightly glowing projectile weapons that pummeled the shields. Aaen noted in panic as numerous bridge computers flashed and sparked violently. More sharp hull shuddering. Aaen noted numerous other bridge computer stations flashed and sparked violently. The bridge lights struggled to stay lit enough for Aaen to see the bridge beyond his computers and the main viewscreen. Magellan can't take this much punishment! Dang, there's a lotta jagged, burning debris out there! Some of the debris was remnant of the Orion ships that thought fighting a freakin' space station was a brilliant idea—the rest was. . .he didn't want to think about that as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.

"Our support ships are moving into position!" Lieutenant Hammond announced. "Their weapons are powered and locking on!"

"We've taken out about a THIRD of the Orion legion, Admiral!" Sorenson declared. "Shields are down to fifteen percent!" His tone changed as he continued, "The Orion fleet's locking onto the supports!"

"Give them cover fire! JUST KEEP FIRING!" the Captain commanded.

Another flurry of torpedoes soared at the Station and dense particle beams scored the hull; large, violent explosions pummeled the shields. The bridge crew struggled to stay upright; the Station's relative position started to gradually shift, Aaen noted. The main viewscreen filled with static and then his skin felt cold and his gut sank as the main viewscreen showed multiple large torpedo warheads exploding on the hull. Large pieces of debris scattered violently in every direction—one piece hit the external camera. Static.

"DIRECT HIT to the secondary docking ring! WE'RE TAKING HULL DAMAGE!" Damage Control announced dreadfully.

"Admiral, we've lost shield grids two-through-four! Shield grid one's holding at five percent!" Ensign Sorenson announced directly. Aaen detected he was hiding profound anxiety, albeit not very well.

Hansen snapped. "CASUALTIES ARE BEING REPORTED ON DECKS TWELVE-THROUGH-TWENTY! SEVERE INJURIES REPORTED!"

Aaen clenched his fists in anger. He wanted to wring Maddog's neck. He told himself to stay focused.

The Doctor pointed at Hanson. "Tell security to take the wounded to Sickbay! I'm on my way! Tell them: Code Twelve!" the Doctor declared directly, running off the bridge.

Lieutenant Harrison's computer screen lit up. He picked up the handset and answered.

Aaen eyed the four support ships on the main viewscreen firing everything they had at every Orion ship in their weapon range. The four ships maneuvered around the Station fluidly a defensive pattern The Knightsword cast a large shadow over the Ranger as the Ranger gradually separated from the Station. The Captain was fast on the Ranger's navigational controls. Based on the look her face—Aaen noted—and how quickly and sharply she was eyeing the screen in front of her, and the one at the front of the bridge, the Ranger's weapons were armed shortly after undocking. He sensed she wanted payback as much as he did. The look on her face spoke volumes to that point. Aaen's gut told him to keep his distance, at least for the moment.

Aaen noted the sensor readings indicated a little more than half of the Orion fleet had been destroyed. He had never seen so many escape pods! More Orion weapons pummeled Magellan's hull with large, violent, thundering explosions that rolled through the bridge. The bridge crew struggled to stay upright amid another acutely sharp shift in the Station's relative position. Aaen noted the Station was losing hull armor and the Station, itself, started drifting to port. He tried to use the maneuvering thrusters to stabilize the Station, but his efforts were countered by more incoming fire. Eyeing the horrors on the main viewscreen, he frantically held onto the top of his computers for stability as he asked himself how much longer Magellan could keep taking this beating before Admiral Jensen faced having to sign condolence letters—!

"Our supports are on-target! They're thinning out the Orions, but they're also taking fire! Knightsword's lost their port shields, and are taking hull damage! The other three ships are still firing! It's a real mess out there, Admiral!"

The hull shuddered again.

"Only about a hundred-twenty Orion ships left!"

"Numerous hull breaches! We're losing atmosphere on decks ten-through-thirty!" Damage Control declared.

"Evacuate those decks! Engage emergency containment measures!"

The bridge echoed with acknowledgments.

Another direct hit, this time to the inner-most ring! Aaen noted. A series of booming, thundering explosions rolled through the bridge. More shuddering.

"DIRECT  HIT TO THE PRIMARY WEAPON GRID!" Damage Control declared.

"ADMIRAL! We JUST LOST ENERGY WEAPONS! I've only got partial torpedo launch capability!" Ensign Sorenson declared, wide-eyed in shock. She rushed to the front of his station.

"What do we still have left?"

"KNIGHTSWORD HAS LOST ITS SHIELDS!" Lieutenant Hammond sharply declared.

Aaen clenched his jaws and grimaced at the main viewscreen as images of a full spread of bright red warheads tore through the Knightsword's hull from starboard to port, sending metallic debris violently toward the Station and revealing the Knightsword's glowing and sparking secondary hull. Their dual warp nacelles started flickering as though from a massive internal power failure.

"We're getting a distress call from the Knightsword. They've sustained a direct hit to their main power grid! They've taken casualties and they're losing weapon launch capabilities! They may be facing a warp core breach!" Ensign Henderson announced.

"Only fifty Orion ships left!" Lieutenant Hammond declared.

"We're taking heavy damage!" Damage Control announced.

"The launch pads have been destroyed!" Lieutenant Malcolm declared. "CO-2 levels are rising throughout the Station! Life's support's failing on half the Station, Admiral!" Lieutenant Malcolm announced in a panic.

"Intruder-Alert!" the Main Computer droned. The main viewscreen showed tactical indicators highlighting transporter activity.

"Confirmed! Twenty unauthorized life forms detected on decks two-through-ten!" Hansen declared.

"Deploy security forces to those decks!" the Captain commanded.

"On it!"

"Captain! Send the Ranger on a run around the Station! Hit them with everything you've got!"

"Aye!"

"Sorenson! Keep firing torpedoes!"

Another flurry of directed weapon fire rocked the Station violently.

"Direct hit to the weapons grid!" Damage Control announced.

"DANG IT! Weapons are down!" Sorenson declared angrily.

"Intruders' have broken through the defense perimeter on decks three through five! I'm tracking the intruders! We're gonna have company REALLY SOON, Captain!"

Aaen's felt his skin starting to crawl, recalling what those whom the Orion had taken captive in the past—when they have taken prisoners—said about how the Orions treat their prisoners. . .

"Knightword is reporting they've been disabled! They've exhausted their torpedo supply! They're maintaining a possible core breach! They're trying to stabilize their core! The other three ships are still engaging the Orions, but they're taking heavy damage!"

"There are only fifteen Orion ships left!" Hammond declared.

"Can we contact Command and request additional reinforcements?" Aaen asked directly.

"We can't! They're jamming long-range communications!"

Aaen gritted his teeth and slammed his fists into his desk like a judge's gavel. He noted the sound of cannon fire to his right. He stood up and ducked as he rushed to the Captain's station. A loud sparking explosion of the bridge security locks filled the bridge entrance corridor. Hansen and Lieutenant-Commander Alendra picked up their particle rifles and took aim at the doorway next to Aaen's station.

"Sickbay is reporting intruders trying to break in!"

"Security is en-route!" Hanson declared. The message was relayed to the CMO.

More particle weapon fire boomed through the corridor—and then only the flood of frantic combat alarms. Aaen noted the video of the three remaining support ships keeping the Orions busy. Their hulls had jagged, sparking holes and burn marks spanning the length of each hull. Aaen could see exposed sections of each ships secondary hulls—

. . .Footsteps around the corner. . .

—An darkly colored particle rifle extended around the corner and lit up as a particle bolt shot across the bridge as the Admiral dove for cover next to the Captain. The bolt struck the Admiral's computer station sending sparks flying.

Hansen and Alendra snapped, returned fire at the doorway then took cover—another shot from the doorway as Alendra stood up struck Alendra on the shoulder. He collapsed and tumbled in a violent spasm to the bottom of the bridge.

Aaen noted rapid footsteps marching near his computer station. . . He snapped, looking over the top row of right-wing—a pirate wearing a black mask with a visor and a sharp look in their eye snapped and took aim. Aaen ducked in shock as a particle bolt shot over the row of computers. Malcolm's computers engulfed in chain lightning as they flashed violently. Aaen noted the hum of a massive power loss in each in of the computers.

The footsteps are getting closer, he noted. He snapped, watching over his shoulder as he rushed to the captain's station to the security stations. Aaen ducked as he reached around the corner of the security station and picked up Hansen's rifle. He held it upright over his shoulder as he looked around to his right. Another pirate was entering the bridge!

Aaen closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, took aim—the pirate saw him! The pirate rushed Aaen, taking aim!

Aaen fired!

The particle bolt struck the pirate center-mass. The pirate crumbled in spasms.

Aaen heard and noted weapon fire from the top of the bridge. A shot from the other side of the security stations sparked against the ceiling over the Admiral's computer. Aaen stepped up, then looked right—PIRATE!

The pirate got the first shot off as Aaen leaped for the top of right-wing. He felt the heat from the bolt's near miss on the bottom of his boots. He crouched at the right of his station. His hands felt clammy, and the bridge felt like it was getting hotter, Aaen noted.

He heard the pirate rushing him from behind.

Aaen stood up—a bolt grazed his shoulder, Aaen yelled in pain and recoiled sharply, struggling to aim, and fired.

Bullseye! The pirate dropped a small pistol-shaped weapon and crumbled face-first to the floor like a ragdoll.

Aaen dropped to cover behind his station. His hand tingled from the bolt impact to his shoulder. He put the rifle in his other hand and listened for sounds. He ignored the pain. He felt rattled, but remained determined—

He heard security firing upward at left-wing; a bolt was fired back. Security was holding their ground at the bottom of the bridge, Aaen reasoned, noting the blood-curdling yell of another downed pirate, and then that of two crew members. The question of how many pirates were on the bridge crossed Aaen's mind. Who cares! He told himself. He couldn't focus on that detail, only on stopping those. . .MONSTERS. . .from taking over the Station. . . Magellan's primary weapons array was down, but she still had a couple other tricks in her playbook that could easily—HILARIOUSLY!—topple the three other support ships, he realized, grinning. He felt anxious sweat building on his forehead, and his breathing increased.

Frantic particle fire screamed across the bridge. Another pirate's down, and so is a crew member. Security? No way to be sure from up here. Just STAND UP, AND SHOOT THEM! Aaen told himself. Were the pirates already standing up? Do they know where I am? Are they waiting for me to—

Footsteps!—They're coming!

One. . .

Two. . .

—THREE!

Aaen snapped, aiming low at the foot of the bridge at a pirate sweeping from behind.

The Pirate fired at Aaen—

Security stood up and stunned the pirate.

The pirate's bolt struck security as Aaen fired. Security crumbled as the Aaen's bolt struck the pirate. The pirate collapsed where they were, unconscious. Aaen's rifle had to recharge. He looked left as the last pirate took aim at Aaen. A particle beam scored the wall behind Aaen. Aaen snapped, diving left, aimed and fired—

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

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Vortex - Part 27

The alert rattled the bridge crew. Admiral Jensen was busy authoritatively giving orders to the rest of the bridge crew. Aaen observed Ensign Larsen raising the Station's shields and arming every weapon system. The truth was there was no way to 'hide' a mobile space station. Thousands of meters tall, and proportionately wide—Magellan was bound to be noticed at some point, he reasoned. An entire armada of ships . . . they almost looked more like a cloud of glowing variably-colored metal hulks than individual ships! The stars were barely visible behind the seeming wall of triqualithium! He started wondering whether or not the Station would be able to take on so many. . . Where did they get them? How? He eyed the main viewscreen, wondering if of the ships were 'commandeered'? He didn't recognize any of them, and the metal cloud was too dense to read any of the ships' names.

The bridge was abuzz with ranking personnel rushing various reports or written instructions. Aaen adjusted his position in his seat and then rested his elbows on his desk for a moment, then leaned upright to look at the sensor information—my gosh! Aaen thought, wide-eyed. The Orion armada registered almost as one-solid-object, with random intermittent minuscule gaps. Aaen's gut told him the Orions were more likely than not heading to specific coordinates, which may or may not in-fact be Magellan's. That is yet to be seen, he told himself. Regardless of wherever they're heading, they probably wanted the Vortex sensor data for a reason. But—why?. . . Unless—!

"They're closing, fast!" Lieutenant Hammond declared.

"What's their distance?"

"Five million kilometers, Captain,"

"Lieutenant Mars, are you getting anything on any of the comm channels?"

"Yeah, Captain! They're not even trying to encrypt their channels! They know we're here!. . .Maddog's on one of those ships!—"

"They'll keep him surrounded by their strongest ships, probably away from the front," Aaen suggested.

Admiral Jensen nodded acknowledgment.

"Admiral! We're being hailed!"

"By who?"

". . .Maddog!. . ."

The bridge activity froze in its tracks. The larger Spacefleet wasn't in a position to challenge an armada of pirate ships, Aaen knew and was pretty sure the senior mission commanders were equally aware of this fact, and wouldn't want to admit it with the same conviction. Aaen again eyed Lieutenant Hammond's computer screen, specifically the sensor data rapidly filling the tall rectangular information feed in the lower-right-hand corner. . . . The new passive sensor information indicated more than a thousand medium-high-power cannons and disruptors had been scanning for a target—and found it. Lieutenant Hammond made the announcement. A cold chill ran down Aaen's spine—a sensation that traveled somewhat painfully through his sides and into his arms and into his hands where it gradually dissipated. The seemingly green mass at the top of Lieutenant Hammond's screen was gradually getting closer to the small dot in the center of the circular readout. Aaen sensed the entire bridge crew was panning their attention, now, to the main viewscreen, and Admiral Jensen. . .anxiously waiting for her answer. There was a reason why no-one deliberately went anywhere near the Orion triangle—regardless of where they're originally from. The stories that had been told about the Orions. . .no, Aaen told himself, forget the stories. The Intelligence reports said plenty. The fact the Orions' leader wanted to talk was not a sign that the Station's crew could expect to get any shut-eye later.

Admiral Jensen took a deep breath, then faced the front of the bridge, "Open a channel—on screen."

Several beeping sounds indicated the order was being carried out. Aaen looked at the main viewscreen with mixed feelings of anxiety and anticipation. A curious sensation, he noted but tried to stay calm. He chose to remain determined as he checked all three of his computers to make sure the engines were all still online and adequately powered. He kept reminding himself of the Intelligence reports he had read, and what he had heard from those who write those reports. . . Everything's online and standing by, he realized to his relief. All they needed was a course order.

The Captain gestured for the bridge crew to resume what they were doing.

The main viewscreen showed a male in his late 40's—Aaen guessed—dressed in a red beret with a metal patch over the left eye Aaen didn't recognize, wearing bomber sunglasses and a heavily decorated woodland camouflage jacket, and whose face showed a plain look that made Aaen's stomach churn with terror. Whichever ship he was on, its bridge was mostly red—given its alert condition, and whose decor was very dark and forbidding. Several similarly dressed—though much less decorated—pirate crew members were rushing to different areas doing similarly as the Magellan's bridge crew. "Well, well, well. . .What-do-we-have-here?" His tone was as dark as his bridge.

"I am Admiral Jensen, in command of the DSS Magellan."

"Soo, The Union sends an Admiral and a Space Station to my front door. . . Well, Admiral, I'll make this really-easy-for-you: You surrender yourself and your crew, and your Space Station to the Orions'. . .and I'll let some of your crew live as slaves, the rest will be ejected into space, and your Station—and that other ship you have docked. . .that. . .Ranger. . .will both become my-personal-property. Refusal will be. .bad, for your health."

"We know what you're trying to do with the Vortex data. I won't allow you to carry out your plans, Maddog." That was the sharpest and most authoritative response Aaen had heard from her since the mission began. He adjusted his position in his seat again, resting his hands over his computer interfaces, staying ready to act. His gut told him stuff was about to go down.

"Death to The Union!" The line closed abruptly.

"They're getting closer!" Another alarm sounded, this one more sobering, "They're locking weapons!"

"Captain, shields are up! They're coming straight-at-us!"

"Lock all weapons on targets!"

"—Holy cow! Lotsa targets!—Weapons locked!"

"Warning: weapons lock has been established." the Main Computer droned.

Lieutenant Hammond snapped, "Confirmed!"  

"Target engines, shields and weapon systems!—FIRE AT WILL!"

The main viewscreen filled with a flood of bright, glowing particle beams and torpedo warheads seemingly locked onto the bridge.

"INCOMING!"

"ALL HANDS: Brace for—"

The shields shined violently as the deck plating shuddered and the lights flashed erratically with the thundering sound of explosions and the groan of struggling bulkheads.

"Damage report!" the Captain demanded.

Aaen observed Damage Control struggling to stay upright and read the information displayed on their screen as it shined on their face amid the shuddering. "Shields sustained a direct hit to shield grid Bravo! No hull damage!"

"Shields-are-holding! Minor hull stress on the secondary and outer docking rings!" Ensign Sorenson declared boldly. "Firing-ALL-WEAPONS!" Another flurry of alarms flooded the bridge the main viewscreen showed circular torpedo launchers all over the Station's hull rotated sharply and dozens of large fiery-red antimatter warheads shot violently at their targets. Numerous swarming Orion ships maneuvered sharply in various directions.

Aaen noted the large green mass started breaking up; those ships began passing by the Station on the port side. Lieutenant Hammond made the announcement to the rest of the bridge. Aaen thought his heart skipped a beat.

More brightly-colored weapons pummeled the Station. "They're attacking from nearly every freaking direction!" Ensign Sorenson announced frantically. "THEY'RE ALL OVER MY SCREEN! IT'S LIKE I'M ALMOST FIRING ON A SINGLE SOLID OBJECT!"

"KEEP FIRING! WE CAN'T LET THEM GET PAST US!" the Captain commanded. "Ensign Henderson, tell the other ships to take up strategic position around us and FIRE-AT-WILL—"

More hull shuddering rattled the bridge.

"Shield grids two through four are holding! Grid one's taking a freakin' beating, Admiral! They're down to 97 percent!"

More hull shuddering—

"Let's get the Ranger out there!" Aaen suggested emphatically.

The Captain snapped to give the order; work frantically began immediately.

"Multiple confirmed direct torpedo impacts on multiple Orion targets! They just lost about TWENTY OF THEIR SHIPS! DETECTING ABOUT A HUNDRED ESCAPE PODS LAUNCHING!"

The bridge filled with screaming cheers. The main viewscreen filled with nearly blinding flashes of sharp, frantic weapons fire. Aaen noted a change in the Orion legion's attack formation. The hull shuddered again. Aaen started wondering how much longer the Station's shields were going to protect them despite rapid, violent shots in every direction. Numerous large fiery explosions filled the main view screen as jagged smoldering metallic debris scattered in every direction over the Stations shield grids. Jagged white bolts of lightning shot from the shields wherever debris impacted and deflected in various directions.

"GOOD SHOOTING, ENSIGN!" Aaen yelled emphatically. The Station's cannons were carving up the Orion legion with impressive ease, so far. . .Aaen noted as he eyed the readings on his computer screens. They haven't hit the engines. . .and they won't. Heck, they'll avoid them. . .Aaen reasoned. That can only mean ONE THING! He watched the battle taking place on the main viewscreen, silently cheering on Ensign Sorenson as a flood of burning metallic debris drifted quickly into the Station's shields, or around the Station.

A dense wave of torpedoes hammered the Station from every direction, and another sharp and violent series of hull shudders sharply jolted the bridge crew into their desks; the lights dimmed almost instantly to a near blackout.

Multiple alarms sounded. Dual rotating red lights on the ceiling activated.

"REPORT!" the Admiral demanded, struggling to get back into her chair.

"—URGH!—" Damage Control tried to get upright. "DIRECT HIT! ALL SHIELD GRIDS! THEY JUST SHOT OVER A HUNDRED-THOUSAND MEGATONS OF ANTIMATTER WARHEADS AT US! DETECTING ERRATIC POWER FLUCTUATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SHIELD GRID!"

"ENSIGN SORENSON!"

"ALL SHIELDS ARE DOWN FIFTY PERCENT!"

"MAIN POWER'S FLUCTUATING!" Damage Contol announced.

The Bridge Engineer snapped, "HULL STRESS IS SPIKING! LIFE SUPPORT'S FAILING ON DECKS TWENTY-FIVE THROUGH FORTY! RECOMMEND EVACUATING SECTIONS ONE-THROUGH-TWELVE ON THOSE DECKS!"

"Chief of Ops! Work with security! DO IT!" the Admiral fiercely commanded.

"I'm on it!"

Aaen screens sparked. "Admiral, we're gonna lose transwarp capability REAL SOON if the hull stress isn't reduced!"

"Sorenson! KEEP FIRING! ALL WEAPONS!"

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

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Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!

Vortex - Part 26

Alpha lead frantically dropped to the prone position, rifle pointed forward in one hand and the transmitter button in his left, wide-eyed at the gathering ahead, "Magellan, this is Alpha lead. In position. Over." He whispered into his microphone. "Eyes on. .five. About a hundred meters to our left. All armed." He gestured for the rest of the commandos to stay low and fan out to form a perimeter. They were quick and precise in responding, staying attentive of the gathering.

"Can you tell who-is-who?" Admiral Jensen asked directly, cautiously. Anxious, Aaen nearly bit his knuckles jointing his fingers to his hands, eyeing the Admiral and Captain Williams. The Orions were known to be clever . . . even treacherous—more than certain other alien races The Union has encountered and had . . . dealings with. The question was, to what extent? . . . Maybe the real question is 'to what extreme?'. . . In this case—

The video feed was less more distorted now, probably because of all the dense rock surrounding the gathering, Aaen reasoned, squinting at the main viewscreen. Who is-that? He asked silently, focusing on the background. The infrared laser on the Charlie commando's rifle was aimed high at one of the closer targets to him. The fog over the ground below was still dense and blinding. This isn't good, Aaen reasoned. Something's not right. . .

Admiral Jensen walked fast to the bottom level of the bridge, "Lieutenant Mars, what do you have?" she said just quietly enough to keep the question from reaching the commandos.

"All identities are in the Intelligence database. The intruder's identity is confirmed—" she continued speaking—

"You have what we asked for?" a male voice asked darkly, the question was relayed through the comm-line.

I know that voice! Aaen looked wide-eyed at the main viewscreen. He quickly relaxed his face, but there was no visually concealing his look of concern. Then it all made sense!

"You have what you promised me?"

"—It's close-by,"

"Bring it to me. I want it, now,"

"First-things-first. You know how this works,"

They wouldn't leave him alone! "Admiral! Get them outta there! Fast!"

"What are you so worried about, Commander?"

Aaen stood up and leaned on his computers and at the main viewscreen. "That's MADDOG! The pirates won't leave him in a place like that unguarded! Not even so far into their own space! We need to get our people back here, now!"

"Calm down, Commander," Captain Williams said.

"You don't understand—"

The taller of the larger grouping pulled a device out of his pocket.

"Admiral! Halleybird, Knightsword, Lightshield, and Maelstrom have arrived! They're approaching hard astern," the announcement was welcomed with a wave of careful cheers. Captain Williams was quick to wave acknowledgment while getting everyone back to work, like someone giving a speech acknowledging and waving to an audience so they could start talking. Admiral Jensen looked at the readings on the Lieutenant Hammond's screen, nodded, then quickly went back to her chair and rubbed her forehead again.

"Open a channel to all four ships. I want to talk to all of them at the same time. Put it through the handset,"

"Got it," Ensign Henderson acknowledged. Moments later, he handed Admiral Jensen the handset. A conversation started, including Ensign Larsen pointing something out on her computer screen. Admiral Jensen acknowledged what was on the screen with a nod, then focused on Ensign Henderson's computer screen. Aaen focused his attention on the main viewscreen.

"How do you know I wasn't followed? They consider this data to be of high-importance. . . You can bet they aren't going to give it up easily."

"You know it was your job to make sure you weren't fol—"

"Did you hear that?"

The shorter of the group snapped, "What?"

"I heard something up there!"

"Are our people in position?"

"Who's that?"

"General Maddog! We've got company out here!"

A bright, booming light scored the video feed; it quickly blurred. The commando's barrel rapidly flashed thrice.

"Admiral, we're taking fire!"

"Get our people back! HURRY!—Transporters!"

"All units taking heavy fire! We need evac! NOW! Three!—Urgh!—Drag the wounded over here! All units take cover and return fire! Fire at will!"

"I'm trying to get a lock!" He turned his head, "I need more power to transporters!"

Lieutenant Malcolm snapped, "I'm on it!"

Several more booming flashes, "Over there! The intruder's still got the package!"

"I've got no shot! No-shot! Target's too far away. Too many rocks!"

"Leave it!" Admiral Jensen commanded.

"Copy that!" the video feed blurred with frantic weapons fire.

"Get them outta there!" Captain Williams ordered.

"Dang it! Transporters aren't locking on! I can't beam them out!"

"Okay! Alpha, get your people outta there! Get back to the Rundown's and return to the Station as fast as you can!"

"Copy that! They're all over the place, Admiral! ALL UNITS, GET THE WOUNDED AND GET BACK TO THE RUNDOWNS! URGH—"

Another loud boom rolled through the bridge. The main viewscreen filled with silent static.

"—We lost the feed!" Lieutenant Harrison declared.

Aaen quickly combed his fingers through his hair. His face said the bridge was getting warmer, his arms and palms felt cool.  

"Commandos are en-route to Rundowns. . .Urgh!. . .Just another twenty meters or so. . . They're right behind us!"

A reverberating hum filled the bridge. . . Sounded like a scanning beam, Aaen reasoned. Uh-oh.

"Admiral! Sensors are clearing for some reason! I think we've-got-contact!"

"Define, 'Contact',"

Lieutenant Hammond gradually looked up over his shoulder at her. . .with a shocked look. "I'm picking up over a-hundred-fifty individual contacts. . . They're heading straight for us,"

"Double check the number of ships. Can you identify any of them?" Aaen asked.

"Holy cow! There's too many! There's gotta be at least. . .Two hundred? They've got a whole freaking armada out there!"

"Is Maddog on one of them?" Lieutenant Malcolm asked.

". . .No idea!"

"Rundown's are approaching the Station! There are reports of wounded on board!"

Captain Williams snapped, "Get them all docked as fast as you can," she faced forward going back to her seat, "Medical teams to landing pads one through six, on the double!"

Lieutenant Harrison nodded.

The Admiral gasped. The main viewscreen was gradually filling with small dark and lightly-colored hulls—engines fully lit.

"They're maintaining course! They're heading right for us! Their weapons are fully powered!"

"—Admiral?" Aaen asked.

She looked at the main viewscreen. "All hands, Red alert," 

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)

apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)

barnesandnoble.com 

scribd.com 

kobo.com

blio.com

Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

MMake sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!

Vortex - Part 25

"Ensign Henderson, send a coded message to Command. Objective accomplished. We are proceeding."

He nodded acknowledgement to the Captain as he carried out the order.

The target was resting a hundred feet directly ahead on its landing gear, venting a dense white gas from ports along each side of the seemingly dormant hull to the ground. It's so dark wherever that Rundown is, Aaen noted. Had it not been for night vision gear. . . The immediate area seemed like a spook house with the gas lingering over the floor. Another series of hand gestures caused the four lines to split up in both directions, quickly, gradually surrounding the seemingly dormant hull. All sights were on the Rundown. Its engines were still powered, but they looked as though they were only on minimal power. The Charlie commando stayed with his team which fanned out along the Rundown's starboard quarter. The Rundown was quickly surrounded by a nearly perfect circle of sharpshooters. He kept his aim on the cabin loading door. The only thing visible was the apparent light from the cabin, and an adjacent wall—the starboard wall separating the cabin from the cockpit. Where's the intruder?. . .

The Admiral nodded to Ensign Henderson. He recognized the gesture and relayed a 'go' signal to Alpha team's lead over the comm-line.

Another hand signal caused Charlie team to gradually advance on the open loading door. The other teams proceeded to navigate to the top of the Rundown.

Fifteen feet—

Ten feet—

FIVE feet!—

A nod from Charlie team lead told him to enter the cabin. He took a small round device from his tactical armor vest and tossed it inside the cabin. It bounced off the adjacent wall with a ding and then landed.

—An electrifying, blinding explosion filled the main viewscreen. . .

The bridge crew shuddered in emotional shock at the thunder rolling through the bridge. The image gradually changed to an image of the mouth of a particle rifle's barrel. . .and then the aft section of the Runbout's cabin. He panned sharply right, then left, then rapidly alternated. A flood of commandos filled the cabin, checking around corners, entering other compartments with scanning gear and rifle in hand.

Multiple gestures followed, all signaling 'clear'.

"Magellan, this is Charlie lead. Target is clear, over," the comm-line crackled.

"Are you sure the intruder's not in there?" the Captain asked.

"That's a rog', Cap. All readings show no metamorphic activity,"

"Check the computer! Is there any data about who the pilot is, or who its working for, or where they went?" Aaen said to Admiral Jensen.

She relayed the question.

"Alpha. Solid copy,"

He gestured for members of Bravo team to the front of the cabin to begin working on accessing the main computer.

"Magellan, this is Alpha-two. Who or whatever stole this thing has had training. . . A very particular type of training. The main computer's been encrypted using an unusual type of code to seal off the computer's navigational and communication records. I'm working on cracking it."

"So they didn't know how to wipe the records, but they could seal them."

"For the moment, that's what the situation looks like in here, Captain,"

"So who or what does that leave as the likely suspect?" the chief of ops asked.

"Well, the Orions are pretty tricky bozos. They would know how to do something like this. They're not exactly known for their smarts as much as they are known to be cunning and their firepower. From what I can tell so far, this is looking like it was done by the Orions. High confidence."

"—Cap! We got through! The last comm-transmission went to these coordinates! We've even got the name of the ship the message was sent to!"

"Show me the message. . . Captain! According to the last message that was sent from this Rundown, the intruder is identifying as 'Codark'. The message was sent to someone identified as 'Meelam.'"

"Ensign Larsen, get in touch with Intelligence and find out what we've got for those names."

She nodded, "I'm on it!"

"No sign of the prize in the Rundown, Admiral,"

"Ensign Henderson, send Command an update on our current situation. Alpha! Is there any way to fly that Rundown back to the Station?"

"Yeah, she's flight-worthy, Admiral. Charlie, watch the door,"

"Okay. Bring the Rundown back to the Station as fast as you can. All commando teams hold your position until further notice."

"The exchange site might be close to the Rundown, Admiral," Aaen suggested.

"Maybe. Alpha! Are you or your team detecting any life signs near your location?"

"Funny you should ask, Admiral. One of my team just told me we've got four life signs about three hundred meters from here. Request permission to pursue, over."

"Pursue,"

"Copy that. Delta, you stay in the Rundown and get it back to the Station. Bravo, Charlie, and Echo, on me,"

All commando teams except Delta quickly left the cabin and then formed up again fifty meters away, taking a knee with their rifles up. in a circular formation.

"This is Delta-Two," the pilot said. "Engines powering up—we're outta here in two mikes,"

"Alpha lead copies, Delta-Two. Magellan, the life signs might be at the exchange site. Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Echo are moving to pursue,"

"Good luck."

Lieutenant Hammond snapped left, "Admiral! Halleybird and Knightsword are approaching our position at warp nine-point-eight! Currently five light years out and closing. Lightshield and Maelstrom are six light years out!"

"Ensign Henderson, inform Command."

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

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Vortex - Part 24

The comm-line clicked on. A male voice said, "This is Alpha, closing on L-Z. All units, assume Delta formation and stay frosty. Sensor information is distorted. Other than the L-Z, we're not getting any clear readings on what's ahead. Prepare for landing. Distance: 50 clicks and closing. Maintain full impulse and active sensor scans for hostiles,"

The Magellan bridge crew listened to multiple subsequent acknowledgments as the Rundown all quickly began maneuvering as they were ordered. Aaen sensed the tension on the bridge was mounting—so much, that his chest started to hurt from anxiety and fear of what could be lurking ahead. His forehead felt cool and seemed like it was getting colder. He was so focused on what was going on outside the Station at the moment that he unknowingly tuned out the sensation. The commando teams—all six of them, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot—could be heading straight in for a trap, for all any one member of the bridge crew could tell. There was still some intermittent static on the comm-line, and on the video feed. The current video feed was coming from shuttle Charlie, according to the information filling the upper-right hand corner of the main viewscreen. Alpha was just ahead of Charlie, and flying a little higher; Bravo was on Alpha's left; Charlie was on Alpha's right. The entire formation looked like a wide arrowhead flying in pristine formation and seemingly effortlessly matching each other's course and speed. They must have been training for a situation like this for months. . .years, even. Aaen reasoned.

The comm-line filled with multiple subtle voices whose message was audible, but lacked any signal clarity. Who is that?—Who's talking? Aaen wondered, looking at the Admiral, and then the Captain.

The Admiral fast-walked to Lieutenant Mars, and then Ensign Henderson. Each officer pointed out something on their computer screens, but the Admiral only turned her head and then returned to her chair.

"Bravo. We're picking up comm-traffic. Source unknown. Magellan, please advise,"

"Admiral," the Captain asked, "Are we aborting the mission?"

She stood up and faced the main viewscreen. . . .

The rest of the bridge crew looked at her with straight, concerned faces—

"No. Tell them to continue,"

The order was relayed, and then the Admiral gave an order to Lieutenant Mars. Aaen couldn't hear over the sound of the seemingly anomalous comm-traffic. Multiple voices speaking almost at once. . . Was that the Orions?. . . Or their buyer?. . . He leaned into his desk, coupled his hands and then rested his closed mouth on the back of his thumbs.

The wide arrowhead formation of Rundown began to descend into a massive dark cavity in the asteroid.

"Roger that, Magellan. We're inbound on the L-Z,"

The Rundown hulls were consumed by the darkness, leaving only their blue, red, and yellow engines as visible.

"All units, activate infra-red running lights. Slow to one-quarter impulse. Engage silent running,"

The darkness turned from pitch black to a bright, sharp neon green. The sensor rotated slightly right as the formation rolled and took a gradual right turn, then a long left turn, ascended to about two-hundred-fifty-meters, descended for a hundred, and then flew straight.

"All units, shut down impulse engines. Thrusters only. We're three hundred meters from L-Z. Begin landing sequence Alpha,"

A large, flat rock bed was to starboard. Nobody home, Aaen thought. Good.

A series of landing confirmations filled the bridge over the comm-line. "Alright, switching to rifle cam's," The camera feed stopped. The main viewscreen filled with static, and then the static was replaced by live images of a Rundown's floor plating. The bridge filled with gasps of relief from the bridge crew, and the whines and clicks of rifle actions being pulled and activated.

Additional data filled the main viewscreen, red indicators representing each team gradually turned green as the junior leaders of each team confirmed readiness to search for their objective. The Admiral nodded at the Captain, who relayed the signal to Ensign Henderson, who then sent a signal to the commandos.

"—Alpha, confirmed. Commandos are good-to-go. All units, movin' out,"

Another commando touched a control on the Rundown's loading door. The door opened immediately, and then the rifle camera sharply rose, panning right then left. A hand signal indicated the way ahead was clear. Aaen oberved the video feed, noticing each commando was dressed in some kind of specialized space suit unlike what would be normally issued to any member of the Magellan crew and were equipped with what Aaen reasoned was some kind of highly-specialized tactical gear Aaen had never seen before. The commandos marched out of the Rundowns in double-line formation, rifles up, turning right into a large cave. A flurry of bright targeting dots seemingly scattered across the surrounding rock faces as they panned every direction as the four lines of expert marksmen boldly marched forward.

Another hand gesture from the front caused all four lines to quickly pass the gesture along, stopping all four lines.

Admiral Jensen walked to Lieutenant Hammond, then quietly, directly asked, "What's going on? Why are they stopping?"

"Their uplink says they detected movement. Not sure what it is yet. Alpha lead is doing a scan to try to identify what they're detecting. . .,"

Another gesture. The commandos continued forward.

"Sensor echo, Admiral, the rock face is comprised mostly of—"

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she returned to her chair.

A right turn—then a left. A wide-open area. Another gesture to stop.

There it is! Aaen silently thought. 

*****

Steve H. told Jordan Foutin, "You are the next Tom Clancy. You really are a gifted writer."

DANIEL STORM, a Jordan Foutin eBook, is available for $8.99 at any of these fine online retailers: 

smashwords.com (Remember to like and share!)

apple iBooks (This link is best viewed on iPhone or iPad)

barnesandnoble.com 

scribd.com 

kobo.com

blio.com

Make sure to buy your copy today, and like and share!

Make sure to like the official StormTeam Simulations Facebook page for the latest, including when DANIEL STORM will be available on Amazon.com for Kindle eBook and softcover! Coming soon!