The Last Mission.
#1 of The Last Mission Series
This is part one in a series i have written. please enjoy!
Warning has some gore and violence!
The largest of the explosion throws me from one wall to the other slamming me into the adjacent wall with force that only causes pure pain. The lights flicker in this passage way of sparks and fire. The ship shakes violently with another explosion. The HUD of my visor has spider webbed and is leaking air at a dangerous rate.
"Get the hell out now!" The crosscom explodes with chatter.
I'm already out of breath but I must push on. My life will defiantly end if I don't keep moving. I'm not even trying to get to my feet. I am just crawling, crawling for my life...
I wake up sweat covering my face and body. This nightmare has been reoccurring for the last 3 weeks. I get out of my bed and walk over to the bathroom looking in the body mirror. I see myself, 26 year old Captain Howard William. My short brown hair seems to be somewhat kept, clean shaved, white tanned skin, with brown eyes. I am in my white t and my gray boxer briefs I measure a hair short of six feet and have a warriors build. Scars on my right leg where when I was on my first mission my said leg got caught in some barbwire the scars are deep into my fairly long calf muscle. I take my clothes off and hop into the shower. Now done with cleaning myself I dress in my working uniform and leave my barracks heading for the deck of the ship.
Sarah, a blonde, with dark blue eyes, around 5'2, with a very fit yet curved body, stands overlooking the surrounding area. She is from planet Varkmose and is the youngest Lt. on the ship at the age of 20. She and I along with the crew are on the USS-542, one of the top recon space ships in America's fleet. 542 has a record of going into the deep dark parts of the universe to find not only new planets with life, but finding possible attack fleets. The crew as well as I is on edge. The ship is armed to the teeth with the ability to take out a class 4 war carrier in a matter of seconds.
Throughout the universe all life that has been intelligent has been some form of human skin color different, some with long neck, some with no neck, and nothing close to your picture of little green space men. All DNA traces back to the same connection.
"Sir, you need to see this." Sarah points out to the port side of the ship. To our left we orbit the planet X-223 an old but unexplored planet. As we orbit around the horizon we spot several unarmed transport ships with launch flashers still blinking.
"Jackson, slow speed." I begin ordering the crew. "Arm weapon systems on cannons 3 and 6, there might still be cruisers not visible out there." I order Carmine, the weapons officer who looks to be bored.
"Sir, we have a problem." Sarah gets my attention instantly.
"What is it?" I walk to her calmly.
"IR tags are blocked and visual markings are covered on all of the currently visible ships." She points out.
"How many are out there?" I asked confused by the mass of ships.
"Sir, we scan over 50 large ships." Kelly replies quickly, our ship continues the orbit, revealing the number of transport ships. They all seem to be the same class which is similar to a class 2 commercial transports from Americas own classifications.
I look at this planet similar in size to Earth with two small moons, and what seem to be mostly liquid water seas with large land masses. But the atmosphere has a yellowish brown tent to it which in my mind reminds me of a picture my grandfather showed me when I was a child.
"It looks like a copy of Earth." Kelly mumbles.
"Sir, the readings show that the air down there has some kind of biological spore contained within it. Planet life is nearly zero some portions like the rainforest in the southern hemisphere seem to be fighting the biological spore and cleaning the air." Kelly being the OIC of data confirms my thoughts.
"It's not an attack fleet it's an evacuation fleet." I inform the deck crew.
"With no escorts?" Sarah asks.
"When you are in desperation there is no time for escorts." I look at her confused face, then turn back to look out at the cramped and unorganized fleet of transports. "Have there been any attempts to contact us?" I ask Kelly.
"No sir." He responds in a fear filled voice.
"Ramirez!" I call out. Ramirez is one of my closet friends I have on this ship. Both of us went through the same class at orbital jump/drop soldiers, (OJDS) school.
"Yes Sir!" He hurries to my side.
"Prepare a boarding team." I order.
"Aye Sir!" He replies heading for the barracks.
"Sir, orders?" Sarah prompts.
"Prepare for boarding Sarah. Kelly, send a message in all known languages stating that we are preparing to board one of the closest ships and prepare to show any and all identification." I order. They both echo, "Yes sir!" I myself head for my own barracks.
I prepare to board the ship, dressing in the mark-5 combat space suit and put the L-45 sidearm in its holster, start up the HUD and the suit begins to fill with oxygen.
"Sir, are you ready?" Ramirez's radio voice startles me for a second.
"I hate it when you do that!" I turn to him and knock on his helmet. He laughs and pats me on the back as I put my own helmet on.
"Well I got to break the tension some how." He laughs as I stare him down. "Relax; we've done this like twice."
"Training doesn't count." We both laugh, as we walk back to the main deck. We enter and see my crew all dressed for the boarding. "Kelly you and the operation and techs stay on board. I got to have some one ready if aid and medical attention is needed, and to have someone keep the recorders going." I step to him and put my glove covered hand on his shoulder. "Sorry man maybe next time. Sarah you're with me and Ramirez." Kelly sits down with a disappointed sigh and takes his helmet off.
"Alright I want this by the book! Dock from the starboard side. I do NOT want to end up in a "Charlie Foxtrot". I will take point no acceptations! We will offer aid and escort, we are not invader, we must keep alert but do not make any hostile actions. Is THAT clear?" I say to the crew and boarding party.
"Yes Sir!" They all reply in sync.
The boarding party and I head for the starboard dock as the ship carefully maneuvers to the closest unidentified ship. "Helmets on and sealed we don't know what kind of crap they breath or if it is even O2." They all seal their suits and helmets airtight and go silent as the ship locks into place with the adjacent ship. "Alright keep side arms holstered unless ordered to be drawn." The troopers remain silent.
"Hey they are just as nervous as you captain." Ramirez lays his hand on my shoulder. "Hell the last time we had done this I nearly lost my head when their leader thought I was trying to pull his hand off." He sinkers.
"Yeah let's not try that again." I look at him blank face. The airlock hisses and pressurizes as the light goes green and the hatch opens in front of us. The door pops then slowly opens revealing darkness. I turn my crosscom fully on and activate the lights on my helmet I can now see somewhat of the passage way to the unidentified ship. With myself leading the way we walk into the dock airlock in this unidentified ship, the hallway in front of me is somewhat visible.
"Sir... The ceiling..." Ramirez points up cautiously.
I look up and the light reveals claw marks and dried red blood covering the ceiling. I draw my sidearm and look forward, noticing the same conditions on the walls and floor. I continue forward the light shines onto a mawled body at the end of this passageway.
"Ramirez draw." I order, he follows close as we move slowly closer to the body.
"Sir it looks dead." Ramirez comments.
I poke the body's shoulder, and with no response I turn the body over.
"Oh sick!" Sarah gags as the chest and neck of this being is ripped into like a wild dog attacked this poor soul.
The helmet of this being has been ripped off and what is left of its face confuses Ramirez and me.
"Kelly, are you seeing this?" I ask my voice cracking. This being is not human, fur covered skin, a snout, long pointed ears, nose, all are dog like.
This is nothing we have ever encountered before.
"Sir, look." Ramirez points at what looks to be a name tag then wipes the dried blood away.
Re _????__ red_
"How the hell do you pronounc-" Small arms fire coming from the other side of the entrance hatch in front of us interrupts me mid word. Sounds of growling, followed by more small arms fire.
The boarding party draws their side arms. More growling and snarls come from the other side of this hatch followed by more small arms fire.
A few seconds later a scream. I come to the hatch and slowly open it.
"Watch it!" Ramirez yells just as a body falls onto me. I lose my balance and fall with the body on top of me.
"Captain!" Ramirez shouts trying to pull the body off of me. "Sir, are you okay?" he asks, my visor covered in fresh blood.
"I'm here; just get this thing off of me." I wipe the blood off with my glove covered hand, and then try to push the limp body off of me, Ramirez helping to get it off. I lean up and look at this new body. This fox like humanoid looks different then the other. This one seems to be slimmer more hour glass shaped body and to put it plain and simple, looks like a female fox humanoid.
She, I guess you could call it she, is also dressed differently then the other more advanced looking clothing as if the first was a grunt and she was some type of officer or more important. What looks to be rank insignia on her right shoulder but her attire does not seem to be formal, more of what I would think to be a combat uniform?
"I got a gun here!" Ramirez shouts, as he took point and entered the dim lit ship...
End of Chapter One-"Assistance"
To preserve the fallen's honor we shall not give in, to protect the living we shall fight, to help the weak we shall destroy evil. -Unknown