Katadromiko 2, orbiting Dresse, Dresse system
Zaphir wished she had some way of contacting Bache. He would know how to disable the nukes without it being noticed.
Turning, she quickly made her way over to the racks and, selecting one of the drones on the bottom row, she pushed a trolley underneath it and engaged the latches. She was halfway through freeing it from its wall cradle when the airlock door motor made her jump by starting to open again.
She quickly ducked down and slid behind the drone before swiftly climbing up and concealing herself behind the one above.
Three Gatas strode in after the airlock had cycled and, stretching her neck around the drone, she was able to determine it was the two soldiers from before accompanied by a priden.
They approached the drones and after circling around them once, the priden nodded his approval and pulling out a tablet, proceeded to tap away while the soldiers released the trolley latches.
The quietness in the room was quickly shattered by four antigravs spinning up and Zaphir swore under her breath as she realised they were about to launch the drones.
Feeling the weight of her laser rifle slung across her back, she made her decision in a split second. Bracing herself with her legs, she swung the weapon around, made sure it was set to heavy stun and shot the priden before any of the drones lifted off their trolleys. Luckily, the two soldiers were caught completely by surprise and she nailed one of them as he turned, a look of complete shock on his face as he joined the priden on the floor. The other soldier, however, managed to duck down behind the drones and activate his rifle. He popped up and snapped a shot in Zaphir’s direction, but luckily, as she had concealed herself again, he had no clue as to where she actually was. She did however notice his weapon wasn’t set to stun.
Watching closely, she knew she had to get him quickly, before he could call for backup. She couldn’t fire indiscriminately in his direction because of the nukes. Instead, she set her rifle to full power and targeted the maintenance bench on the far side of the hangar. She knew there were always pressurised containers involved in maintaining anything with an antigrav drive. Sure enough, her third shot hit something containing a flammable liquid, which exploded out in a maelstrom of burning droplets directly behind the Gata. Cats detest fire and Gatas are no exception. He jumped up, frantically slapping his clothing where flaming droplets of oil had caught him.
Zaphir wasted no time in returning her weapon to stun and targeting the soldier, where he soon joined his unconscious colleagues on the floor.
She climbed down. The automatic fire suppression system activated suddenly and she found herself choking on the noxious gases. She dived across the hangar and grabbed one of the self-activating emergency breathing masks. Once it was on, she snatched three more and returned to fit one to each of the unconscious Gatas. The masks weren’t designed for fur-covered faces, but she did her best and hopefully they would keep the men from suffocating.
Time was of the essence now, so she ran back to the drone she’d been preparing before, unlatched it, heaved it across the floor into clear space and made a note of its launch coding. After releasing its trolley latches so it could fly, she snatched up the priden’s tablet on the way to the airlock.
She hopped from foot to foot willing the airlock to cycle quicker. They always seemed to go slower when you were in a hurry.
Her rifle was up and ready as the second door rumbled slowly away, but instead of the empty corridor she was hoping for, two armoured marines stood menacingly in the corridor and they had activated laser cannons pointing directly at her head.
‘Put down your weapon and the tablet. You will come with us,’ demanded an intimidating electronic voice.
Zaphir had no idea which suit had spoken, but what she did know was if she didn’t comply it would be game over in the blink of an eye.
She slowly lowered the rifle, bent down and dropped it beside her along with the tablet. Standing again, she raised her hands, palms out and slowly and deliberately turned in a complete circle to show she was now unarmed.
One of the suits clumped by her, picking up the tablet as it went and cycled itself into the hangar.
‘Do you realise how many people could die if you launch those?’ she said to the expressionless and sinister black visor of the remaining suit.
‘The prisoner will remain silent,’ it snapped.
Zaphir shrugged and waited. A few minutes later the second suit cycled its way back through the airlock.
‘Walk to the right, Lieutenant Mye, and continue down the hallway until we tell you to stop,’ the electronic voice from the newly returned suit ordered.
She didn’t know what made her more nervous, the fact that they knew her rank and name or that she didn’t know what side they were on. They might just be taking her to the nearest airlock for all she knew. But of course she complied, she had no choice.
She found the continuous whirring and clunking of the suits behind her quite intimidating, and found herself holding her breath as they passed the first airlock. But pass they did and the next and the next. After about twenty minutes, she realised they should be coming up to the stairway door and the two smouldering armoured suits. But the corridor had been cleared, the only evidence remaining was a couple of scorch marks and a bloodstain visible on the floor as she passed. Shortly after, when they reached a tube station, she was finally instructed to stop.
A carriage was waiting, and she was ushered inside and told to sit. She was beginning to think they were perhaps on her side after all, but when she saw one of the suits enter the destination as the bridge deck, her heart sank. She remembered the bridge officer being executed for just asking for food—what chance would she have facing that psychotic priden?
The carriage swept through the enormous vessel. It didn’t stop at any other stations but still took seventeen minutes to get all the way up to the bridge deck. Again, she was instructed to walk in front as they headed up towards the closed bridge doors. Four Gata soldiers guarded the double doors and they didn’t seem in any hurry to move as they approached.
‘Saboteur for the captain,’ stated one of the suits.
They still didn’t move, but one of them spoke quietly inside his helmet and then seemed to be waiting for authorisation. It must have come through, as he nodded and they all stood aside as the double doors swished apart.
The lighting inside was more subdued than in the corridor and carried a reddish hue. It reminded Zaphir of a bar she used to frequent on her home planet of Shand.
It was also quiet and apart from the faint hum from all the control panels, the clumping of the armoured suits behind her sounded even louder and more forbidding.
She was ordered to stop in front of the captain’s dais. With the high-backed chair on top facing away from her, she didn’t know if there was anyone sitting in it.
That question was swiftly answered as the seat slowly rotated to reveal just the person she didn’t want to see. She also felt the coldness of one of the suits pressing into her back, preventing her from fleeing.
‘Lieutenant Mye, I understand,’ murmured the priden, smugly. ‘Our little saboteur from hangar 171.’
He stood up from the chair, drawing his laser pistol as he rose.
‘It appears my clear demonstration of supremacy earlier didn’t provide enough clarity to the situation now at hand.’
He glanced over at one of his operators.
‘Ensure this is on the screens in all the cabins,’ he said, before looking up to where the cameras were. ‘Anyone thinking of further challenges to our or my authority will also be awarded the same immediate retirement.’
He turned to the second armoured suit, which had placed itself facing the rest of the room.
‘Dispose of the body out the nearest airlock, soldier,’ he said as he raised the weapon.
Zaphir glared at the Gata and, knowing there was no chance of getting out of this, she realised for the sake of the GDA and the rest of the crew that she had to remain stoic to the end and not let this bastard have the pleasure of seeing her break down and plead for her life.
She thought of Bache, probably freaking out back in the remote control room, and hoped he would be all right. She thought of her home planet and how she’d meant to but not visited for years, and lastly, she thought of her fellow crew members of the K2, having to watch this and hoping they didn’t suffer nightmares for years to come.
She defiantly raised her chin and closed her eyes. The report of the laser weapon was loud. She felt electricity pulsing around her, then darkness.