Vengeance (The Kurgan War Book 4) (2 page)

Solari gasped when she saw the cylinder. “Behold, Harry, the instrument of Earth’s Armageddon.”

Chapter 2

Captain Michael Sheridan lowered his tablet and looked up at the roof of his quarters. “That’s odd,” he said.

“What’s odd?” asked Master Sergeant Alan Cole as he lifted up the book he had placed over his face while he had a quick nap in his berth.

“The engines . . . they’ve turned off the jump engines.”

Cole glanced at his watch. “We’re not due in Earth’s orbit for another couple of hours. I wonder what’s up?”

All of a sudden, an alarm sounded throughout the ship.
 

“This is the Captain speaking, crew to action stations. I repeat all hands to action stations,” said a man’s deep voice over the ship’s PA system.

Sheridan looked over at Cole. As they were just passengers on the ship, they did not have a duty station to report to. He sat up and said, “Come on, Master Sergeant, let’s see what all the excitement is about?”

Cole shrugged. “Why not.”

In the hallway, Cole reached over and grabbed a young man on his way to the engine room. “Crewman, do you know what all the fuss is about?”

“I was told that the ship received an SOS message, and we’ve been ordered to investigate it,” answered the crewman.

Cole let the technician carry on his way. He rubbed a hand over his chin. “I wonder where we are?”

Sheridan walked to the nearest computer console and brought up a star chart. “We’re a couple of hundred kilometers from Eris.”

Cole looked at the screen. “I didn’t know we had anything on Eris. I thought it was just a frozen rock in the middle of nowhere.”

“It doesn’t have to be coming from the planet. It could be coming from a passing ship?”

“Yeah, okay, Captain, you may be right.”

The ship-wide alarm switched off.

“Captain Sheridan and Master Sergeant Cole, report immediately to the briefing room,” announced a woman’s voice over the speakers.

“Which way is the briefing room on this bucket of bolts?” asked Cole.

Sheridan scrunched up his face. “I say we go this way,” he said, pointing to his right. “I know it’s not back toward the galley or the gym.”

“Lead on, Captain,” said his friend with a bow.

A few minutes later, they walked into the ship’s briefing room. Inside waiting for them was the captain, a man in his late forties with short red hair and a thick beard. With him was the ship’s first officer, a thin man with dark skin and a smooth shaven head.

“I’m sorry that we’re late, sir,” said Sheridan. “We’re not familiar with the
Sydney’s
layout.”

“It’s quite all right, Mister Sheridan,” replied the captain. “Commander Nuru and I had just arrived ourselves. Please take a seat.”

Sheridan and Cole sat at the large wooden table in the middle of the room. They were joined by Captain Barnes and his XO.
 

Barnes began, “I bet you’re both wondering why we came out of our jump early?”

“Sir, a crewman told us that you were responding to a distress call,” said Cole.

“Actually, we have picked up two different distress signals,” explained Barnes.

 
“Both are automated distress beacons designed to go off in the event of an emergency,” added Nuru.

Sheridan leaned forward in his seat. “Do we know the nature of these emergencies?”

“Could be anything,” replied Barnes. “All we do know is that we are receiving two signals. One is coming from Eris and the other from RV-317, a military freighter.”

“Sir, not that I mind being kept in the loop,” said Sheridan, “but why are you telling us this information?”

“My Marine contingent is well below strength, and we have been ordered to investigate the signal coming from the station on Eris,” explained the captain. “I’d feel better if I knew my Marines were being led by a pair of experienced leaders.

“Ah, I see. We’ve been drafted,” said Cole.

Barnes nodded. “Yes. You could say that.”

“What about the freighter?” Sheridan asked.

Nuru shook his head. “There is nothing left to investigate. Her wreckage is strewn for hundreds of kilometers. We scanned the debris and did not find a single lifeform. A military tug has been dispatched from a base in orbit around Jupiter to gather what she can and return it to Earth where an investigation will hopefully determine what caused this tragic loss of life.”

“Captain, what is on Eris?”
 

“According to the message I received, there is a scientific outpost on the surface. It is a small installation and is home to thirty-five people. They’re a mix of military and civilian personnel.”

“I take it that you have been unable to reach anyone down there,” said Cole.

Nuru nodded.

“What do the ship’s scanners say?” Sheridan asked. “Are there any signs of life inside the base?”

Barnes shook his head. “It’s odd, but we can’t seem to get a reading from the station. I think there’s an energy shield over the base that’s blocking our scans.”

Sheridan raised an eyebrow at the news. “Sir, doesn’t it strike you as a bit odd that a base as small as that should be able to generate a shield?”

“I thought so too, but it’s not unheard of, especially on some of the more isolated stations. The shield access code has been sent to us from ADF HQ, so we should be able to lower the station’s defensive screens from up here.”

Sheridan was becoming uneasy. Something in the back of his mind told him to tread lightly. “Sir, how many Marines do you have onboard?”

“Including you two gents, I have nine,” said Barnes.

Cole shook his head. “Let’s hope we don’t bump into any opposition down there. Sir, can you spare a couple of medics? There could be injured personnel who require assistance.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Sheridan stood. “Sir, if you’ll excuse Master Sergeant Cole and me, I think we’ll head to the launch bay to suit up and begin our battle procedure prior to deploying.”

Barnes stood and offered Sheridan his hand. “Good luck, Captain.”

“Thanks, sir,” replied Sheridan as he shook the Captain’s hand. “Let’s hope we don’t need it.”

Thirty minutes later, the shuttlecraft containing Sheridan’s people touched down on the base’s landing pad. With no way to be sure if the life support was still active, everyone inside the crew compartment was dressed in self-contained survival suits.
 

Sheridan spoke into his helmet mic, “Okay, Private Donatelli, see if you can activate the docking arm from in here.”

“Right, sir,” responded a young Marine sitting at a computer terminal.

Cole unbuckled himself from his seat, moved over to the door, and looked over at the airlock. A couple of seconds later, he reported, “It’s moving.” He turned and looked over at the inexperienced Marines he had met barely a half hour ago. “Stand up and ensure your weapons are on safe. Remember, this is a rescue mission. Whatever happens in there, make sure that you follow Captain Sheridan’s orders to the letter.”

The docking arm touched the side of the shuttle and locked in place. “Pressurize the passageway,” ordered Sheridan.

Donatelli gave a thumbs-up.

Sheridan moved over beside Cole and saw that the control panel by the door showed green. He pressed a button. The door slid open. Sheridan, as always, went first. At the other end of the passageway, he tried turning the handle on the airlock door but found it wouldn’t open. He spoke into his mic, “Donatelli, can you open the airlock?”
 

“I’ve tried, sir,” replied the young Marine. “For some reason I can’t access the airlock from my terminal.”

Sheridan stepped back. He locked eyes with a man behind him, pointed at the door, and said, “Open it.”

The Marine nodded. With a large metal key in his hands he moved to the door and inserted it in the manual release. After a couple of turns, the door opened. Another Marine with a handheld scanner walked to the entrance and moved his device through the air. She looked over her shoulder at Sheridan. “Sir, the atmosphere is breathable. I’m not picking up anything harmful on my scanner.”

“That maybe so, but until I say, no one is to remove their helmets,” replied Sheridan. He moved the two Marines by the door to one side and stepped inside the installation. The corridor was well lit. When he didn’t see any immediate signs of opposition, Sheridan moved aside to allow the rest of his team access.

“Okay, I’ll take first squad and one of the medics with me to the right,” said Sheridan. “Master Sergeant Cole, second squad, and the other medic will check things out to the left. We’ll RV somewhere in the middle. Remember people, no shooting unless fired upon!”

With that, Sheridan led his team down the corridor. It didn’t take them long to find the ghastly aftermath of the attack. Bodies with holes shot through them were found just outside of their living quarters. It was obvious that they hadn’t stood a chance against whoever had attacked the base.

Sheridan stopped and keyed his mic. “
Sydney
, this is Sheridan, we’ve found some of the installation’s pers. They look like they were shot to death.”

“Shot by who?” asked Barnes.

“I don’t know. But judging by the wounds, whoever did this knew what they were doing. I’m heading for the control room to see what I can learn from the base’s computers.”

“Roger that. Keep me informed.”

Cole entered the conversation. “Same thing back here, sir. Everyone is dead.”

A chill ran down Sheridan’s spine. He had heard of people snapping and killing all of their fellow crewmen on isolated posts. The thought of a killer still at large on the base made him grow wary. “Okay, people, I want all of you to be careful. There could be a killer hidden somewhere on the base. Follow your rules of engagement. Non-lethal weapons followed by lethal for self-defense only.”

He pointed down the corridor and continued his search of the base. They passed a few more bodies before they made it to the command center. Sheridan and the medic moved inside covered by the rest of the Marines. They found Oliver’s body slumped over a computer console with a knife sticking out of the side of his head.

Cole and his team soon arrived at the door. He made sure a perimeter was set up before walking over to Sheridan’s side. “Captain, how many bodies did your people find?”

“Including this one, seventeen.”

“We found eighteen, so by my count, that’s all of them.”

Sheridan shook his head. “This doesn’t look right. If this person is to blame, why didn’t he just shoot himself? I’ve never heard of anyone committing suicide by jamming a knife into the side of their head.”

“Nor I. But stranger things have happened. I once heard of a guy who used an industrial laser to cut himself in half.”

“Did anyone ever tell you that you’re full of cheery stories?”

Cole shrugged.

Captain Barnes cut in. “Mister Sheridan, Where are you right now?”

“Sir, we’re in the command center. The base is dead, there are no survivors.”

“Have you touched anything in there?” There was anxiety in Barnes’ voice.

Sheridan and Cole exchanged a puzzled look before responding. “No, sir. We just got here. Is something wrong?”

“We’ve been ordered to cease our rescue mission and depart the station immediately.”

Curiosity got the better of Sheridan. “Sir, who has ordered us to stop?”

“The order comes directly from ADF Headquarters. The destroyer,
Amazon
, has arrived in orbit to take over the investigation. A team is already on the way down to the base.”

“That’s fast,” mouthed Cole.

“Roger that, sir. We’re on our way back to the shuttle,” said Sheridan.

“The shuttle won’t be there,” explained Barnes. “I had to have it moved so the team from the
Amazon
could use the landing pad.”

“Couldn’t they wait five minutes?”

“Evidently not.”

At the airlock, Sheridan watched as a shuttle capable of carrying a platoon of Marines landed. He couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. There was no one left alive to rescue.

“Here they come,” announced Cole as the door to the shuttle opened and a group of Marines in survival suits emerged. Behind the lead pair was a small six-wheeled transport. On it was a sturdy-looking container.

“Open the airlock,” ordered Sheridan.

Cole pressed a button and the door slid aside.
 

Right away, Sheridan could see that this was no ordinary rescue team. The man leading them was a full colonel. “Good day, sir. I am Captain Michael Sheridan. My Marines and I have been ordered to hand over the investigation to you and your people.”

“That is correct,” replied the colonel. “Were there any survivors?”

“Not a one, sir.”

“What state is the command center in?”

“Aside from a Lieutenant with a knife sticking out of his head, I’d have to say that it looks undisturbed, sir.”