Attack of the Killer Whales, Part 1
20 Dec 2021Rod Ironshaft
The whole sector was in flames.Rod did not waste any time after arriving in the Pleiades sector and walked out to the hangars to receive the package he had preordered from the Celaeno system.
Kipling Orbital was not his first choice where to wage war on the alien threat. This is where they were forced to move their special task force after their previous base of operations, Artemis Lodge, a space station in Celaeno, had been hit by Thargoids.
A minor setback for the organisation.
A minor setback that made him majorly angry.
Brothers In Arms, or BIA for short, was an independent military organisation that at some point in time, after a string of mindnumbingly bizarre events, had somehow turned into a cooperative. Rod failed to remember the specifics. It was politics.
He was in a hurry. The top brass had insisted on his participation in the bughunt. Not that he really needed much insisting.
Time and space had defied physics during the mad dash from the bubble. He had made it in record time.
”There it is, sir”, Commander Emberly Blaze said. ”It just arrived from Artemis Lodge.”
Rod’s gaze followed the blonde woman’s pointing arm. A dark arrowhead-shaped figure filled the hangar, absorbing most of the light from the spotlights pointed in its general direction.
Krait Mark II. Ace of Spades.
Modded, pimped, kitted and optimised for removing any nonhuman threats that rose to endanger the ultimate right of humans to constantly fight with each other.
”Oh wow, is that midnight black?” Estrella Sweet asked. ”Looks ominous.”
”Does it have a fighter bay?” Khali Dominguez asked.
”Yes…” Rod answered. ”And no.”
Fighter pilots. Go figure.
It was purely a coincidence that the trio was even there in the first place. Apparently, having nothing else to do, they had been partying hard as usual, somehow ending up in the back of his space yacht before passing out. How Estrella and Khali had managed to drag Emberly into all this, was still a mystery. Secretaries should know better, triple Elite or not.
Since the Phantom was still being renovated, he was forced to fly something else on short notice. And the unconcious girls alongside with it.
Well, Kipling Orbital did have a concourse. And a bar. That should keep them busy for a couple of days.
”Looks a bit beaten up, sir”, Emberly said. ”And not just a bit.”
”Oh, snap”, Rod said. She was right.
Post Office.
Never trust the Post Office.
The ship was leaning on its chin, as the front landing gear was missing. The cockpit was in shambles. The vessel was anything but spaceworthy.
A shout from behind interrupted the inspection.
”Attention on the flight deck!”
Rod recognised the voice. It was Captain Current. Third in command.
And he wasn’t alone.
The four of them turned to face the voice and stood in attention. It was not the captain they stood for though, it was the man walking in his wake.
The man, the myth, the legend. The celebrated warhero in numerous systems, veteran of the conflict zones, explorer extraordinaire, scourge of the scavengers, savior of the settlements, purger of the pirates and the headhunter of Hydras. The notorious and slightly peculiar squadron commander Colonel Catman. The executive head of the BIA. He had been given command a few years ago, after the previous leader had taken an overdose of Pervitin and Naphtalene and jammed himself in a cryochamber.
”At ease, Major”, he said. ”I see you brought reinforcements.”
”More like they brought themselves”, Rod said.
”There has been a change in plans”, colonel said. ”I see you brought an Orca. Good. We need to improve our relations with the local political parties to ensure their trust, respect and support to make sure our war effort goes off without a hitch.”
”Improve relations?” Rod asked and grunted in disbelieve. ”Me? C’mon, you know me, right?”
”I do”, Catman said. ”That’s why I want you to fly into the burning space station that once used to be our base of operations and evacuate civilians to a nearby rescue ship. We can’t do it. Our ships are fitted for bughunt, we have no space for passengers.”
”Oh, for Frontiers sake”, Rod said.
”Hearts and minds, Major”, captain said. "Hearts and minds."
”I would certainly prefer to have you in my wing when we go to the warzone”, colonel said. ”But looks like your ship is not ready for it.”
Rod glanced at the Ace of Spades.
The boss was right. Unfortunately.
”I’m going to personally strangle everyone involved”, Rod said.
”Just go there and grab as many civilians as possible… and not from their throats”, Catman said and pointed at the women. They were sharing a comb, desperately trying to look like they had not been partying for the last 24 hours. ”And take them with you. The more hands on deck, the better.”
Colonel turned on his heels and headed for the turbolifts, closely followed by captain Current. ”I want a report in 12 hours. Just make sure everyone knows BIA is rescuing civilians. We will go ahead with the original plan. You will find us in the warzone, coordinates are in the memo”, he said as the lift doors glid open.
”Right”, Rod said. ”Right. Good grief.”
”Well, you heard him”, Emberly said, as the lift doors closed and the faint tunes of numbing muzak filled their ears for a second.
”We need to jump to Celaeno as soon as possible”, Khali said.
”Poor fellows, trapped in a burning space station!” Estrella said.
Rod kept silent. He gazed at the mistreated spaceship. A long hum escaped his lips.
”Sir?”
Rod frowned. Sometimes the only way forward was to kill your darlings.
”Strip her”, he said.
”Strip her?” Emberly asked. ”Who? What, why?”
”Ace of Spades”, Rod said. ”Strip her. I want all modules out in half an hour. Take all the personnel you can find. Buy them, seduce them, threaten them, what ever it takes, just do it. I need that ship taken apart as soon as possible.”
”The modules, sir?” Emberly asked. ”What are you going to do with them?”
”The only thing I can”, Rod said.
He saluted the Krait and said:
”I came here to fight. And that is exactly what I am going to do.”
TO BE CONTINUED