Either way, this mission was going from bad to worse and Grisham couldn’t think of a way to turn it around.

  THIRTEEN

  The inbound Kijol soldiers didn’t hang about. Having been assigned Grisham’s armoured shuttle as their search target, they headed over in their usual jerky gait – a gait which covered the ground efficiently enough.

  “If you fired up the engines, we might be able to fly to one of the bay exits, Captain,” said Deneuve. “Then we could make a run for it.”

  “There’s not a chance of that and you know it, Commander,” said Grisham. “This shuttle’s propulsion will take five minutes to warm up after it’s been shut down for so long.”

  “What else can we do?”

  Grisham didn’t know. “Sergeant Maxwell?” he asked.

  “We can’t run and we can’t fly,” said Maxwell. “That leaves us only one option.”

  He turned and exited the cockpit, shouting orders as he went. Never before had Grisham felt so helpless. All he could do was watch the sensors in the hope that something completely unexpected would come to his aid.

  One of the Kijol squads was already searching the adjacent lifter shuttle and he could see movement through the open door. Then, three of the alien soldiers dashed down the exit ramp and Grisham got the feeling they were agitated by something. The other seven followed and at a similar speed.

  “They found bodies,” Grisham said. He surged to his feet.

  “Captain?” said Deneuve.

  “I’ve had an idea,” Grisham said. Leaning forward, he pushed one of the buttons on the console, enabling the locks on the shuttle’s starboard emergency access ladder.

  With that done, Grisham hurried into the passenger bay. The soldiers were spread out and laying low, in readiness to ambush the anticipated Kijol search party, while the remaining members of his crew were crouched behind seats near the forward bulkhead.

  “Sergeant Maxwell, I heard you order Corporal Fine, Private Chau and Private Lyles into the cargo bay,” said Grisham.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Follow me,” said Grisham. “We might be able to dissuade the Kijol from searching this shuttle.”

  Grisham exited the passenger bay and dashed along the short passage to the cargo bay entrance. He thumped his hand on the access panel and the door opened. The reek of corpses hit him and he nearly gagged.

  “What’s the plan, Captain?” asked Maxwell.

  “This cargo bay loading door,” said Grisham, pointing to the portside flank. “I don’t think it’s ever been in the enemy shuttle’s viewing arc. And the incoming enemy squad is approaching from the starboard – they can’t see this flank door.”

  “What about the cruiser, sir?” asked Maxwell, obviously trying to work out what Grisham was planning. “Could they have seen it?”

  “Maybe. It depends on how closely they were looking.”

  Having sealed his helmet filter against the stench, Grisham crossed to the rear of the bay. He wasn’t squeamish, but he didn’t relish the coming task. Pushing his hands under the arms of a Kijol corpse, Grisham began dragging it towards the flank door. The alien was heavy and he tried not to look into its accusing face.

  “We know the Kijol are hunting for us,” he panted. “But what if they’re also looking for these?”

  “They might want to know how many corpses are left intact after the incendiary attack.” said Maxwell, beginning to figure things out.

  “That’s what I’m thinking,” said Grisham. “If the Kijol want to set up again on Ovintus, they’ll need to scout the place first. Open that cargo door, Corporal Fine – just wide enough that I can drop this corpse into the opening.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Fine. “The door slides to the rear, so you’ll have to drag that corpse to the forward end of the bay.”

  “Damn,” said Grisham. That meant pulling the body another four metres. “And I’d appreciate some help hauling over a few more bodies.”

  “Get to it,” snapped Maxwell to the other soldiers. He stooped, picked up a corpse like it was a bag of cotton candy and threw it over his shoulder. “Quickly!”

  As Grisham approached the flank door, Corporal Fine opened it a few inches. She looked outside. “No sign of Kijol.”

  “Like I said, they’re approaching from starboard,” said Grisham. “Once they discover the access ladders on that side won’t extend, I’m hoping they’ll come this side. Open it further.”

  Fine obliged and then helped Grisham position the body in such a way that its head and shoulders protruded into the bay. Maxwell stopped nearby, bent over and spilled his corpse on top. Meanwhile, Chau and Lyles carried over a third body between them.

  “How many do we want?” asked Chau.

  “Just enough that any Kijol looking from the ground feel assured this cargo bay is loaded with their own dead,” said Grisham, returning to the rear bulkhead and selecting another corpse. “Lieutenant Lopez, where are those Kijol?” he asked.

  “They’re at the starboard side, Captain. One of them is looking for the access hatch for the ladder.”

  “We haven’t got long,” said Grisham through his chin speaker.

  Panting with effort, he dragged another body towards the opening and dropped it in place. Maxwell deposited a fifth and the soldiers had a sixth body in place moments later.

  “The Kijol have given up on the starboard ramp, Sergeant,” said Lopez. “They’re heading portside.”

  The soldiers in the cargo bay were in the same comms channel, so they also heard Lopez’s warning. Grisham backed slowly and quietly away from the part-open door. He could have headed for the forward exit, but that would have made him more visible from the ground, so he stepped carefully towards the rear bulkhead where all the corpses lay. Maxwell and the others came with him, staying low.

  “The Kijol are standing near the cargo entrance, sir,” said Lopez on the comms. “They’re looking at those corpses you’ve stuck in the doorway.”

  “Let’s hope they’re only looking for bodies in this bay,” said Grisham. “Then maybe they’ll leave this shuttle alone.”

  “The Kijol don’t much like seeing their own dead,” said Corporal Fine. “I always thought they were superstitious about it.”

  For long moments, Grisham and the soldiers waited. The pile of corpses exuded a presence and Grisham was acutely aware they were behind him.

  “Come on, come on,” he muttered, wanting to be away from here.

  “Uh, Captain, one of them is about to—” said Lopez.

  A grenade sailed in through the cargo door opening and landed on the floor near the forward bulkhead with a clunk.

  “—throw a grenade,” Lopez finished.

  Grisham’s instinct took over. He threw himself sideways onto the corpse pile, grabbed a body by its shoulders and then rolled over to put it between him and the blast. With a flash and heavy thump, the grenade went off. A wave of pressurised air swept through the bay and Grisham felt the bodies beneath him shudder. The temperature climbed for a moment and that was it. Grisham wasn’t killed and he wasn’t injured.

  He stayed still, waiting to see if another grenade would follow the first. “Anyone hurt?” he asked.

  “No, sir,” said Sergeant Maxwell.

  The other soldiers had escaped too and Grisham was relieved the Kijol grenade had landed at the forward end of the bay rather than in the middle or the rear.

  “The Kijol are moving off, sir,” said Lopez on the comms. “They’re heading for another shuttle east of here.”

  Grisham pushed the corpse away, feeling no gratitude for the service it had rendered. Nearby, Private Lyles was spluttering and cursing in disgust. The pressure wave produced by the grenade had dislodged several corpses from the heap and brought them down on top of her.

  “What’s the matter, Lyles?” asked Chau. “I thought you’d feel at right at home underneath a bunch of alien soldiers.”

  “Screw you, Chau,” said Lyles. “That is not funny.”

  Grisham wasn’t listening. He walked cautiously over to the still-open cargo door. The corpses at the forward end of the bay had been scattered by the grenade blast, and charred pieces littered the floor. Smoke rose and Grisham was glad his helmet filter was sealed.

  “Are we definitely in the clear, Lieutenant Lopez?” he asked.

  “I can’t guarantee they won’t come back, Captain, but for the moment, there are no Kijol within a hundred metres of this shuttle.”

  “I’m returning to the cockpit,” said Grisham.

  He headed back that way. When he took his seat, Deneuve and Lopez complained that he’d brought some of the corpse stench with him. There wasn’t much Grisham could do about that in the absence of showering facilities, so he let them put up with it.

  “What happens now?” asked Lopez, not taking her eyes from the feed.

  “I guess we have a long wait ahead of us,” said Grisham.

  “Maybe we’ll be safe in this shuttle until the Kijol leave,” said Deneuve.

  “Likely as safe as anywhere, Commander.”

  The Kijol could be unpredictable opponents, so safe in this context didn’t mean much. Even so, Grisham had always felt that a few extra minutes spent alive was preferable to spending those minutes dead. And the dead couldn’t take their chances, no matter how good the opportunity.

  It took the Kijol soldiers almost an hour to search the shuttles in the bay. They made no effort to approach the warships and that made Grisham think those vessels were secured against intruders. Once they were finished, the enemy troops returned to their shuttle at a run.

  “Maybe they’ll leave,” said Deneuve, without much belief.

  “I’m sure we’re stuck with them,” said Grisham.

  Then came an unexpected and unwanted surprise.

  “The Achirus has ejected something from its undersides,” said Lopez.

  “What is it?” asked Grisham, leaning closer to the feeds. He could see an object falling, but it was made indistinct by the sands.

  “I’m not sure, Captain,” said Lopez. “But it’s going to land in this bay, and near this shuttle.”

  The object descended at a controlled velocity and Grisham thought it was cylindrical in shape. It came through the bay doors and it was indeed a cylinder – a grey cylinder with a ten-metre length and a four-metre diameter.

  “Ah crap,” said Grisham, recognizing what it was. “An incendiary.”

  The incendiary fell slowly towards the bay floor. While Grisham didn’t think it likely the device would explode because of all the Kijol still deployed, he wasn’t glad to see its arrival.

  Like he’d expected, the bomb didn’t go off and it settled on one end, fifty metres from the shuttle.

  “The Kijol searching for us must be finding dead bodies everywhere,” said Grisham. “And the commanding officer on that cruiser has decided to clear a few of them out.”

  “And we’ll be turned to ashes if we stay here,” said Deneuve.

  Events had moved on, but Grisham still felt as trapped as ever, and escape from Ovintus seemed the remotest of outcomes for this failed mission.

  Then, the Kijol shuttle climbed vertically and, in seconds, it was gone from the bay. It climbed a few hundred metres into the storm and then headed south, out of sight. A few moments later, the cruiser accelerated from its position over the bay doors, and also headed south.

  “Our sensors can still detect the Achirus’s Charos drive, sir,” said Lopez. “I’d guess it’s back over the southern edge of the installation.”

  “We’re not going to see a better opportunity than this one,” said Grisham. “It’s time for us to make a run for the north exit.”

  “On foot, sir?” asked Sergeant Maxwell. He’d been quiet for the last few minutes, content to watch and listen. “We’re about fifteen hundred metres from the north-west corner of the bay. Plus however far we have to run on the opposite side of that cruiser to find a way north.”

  “We’re not going on foot,” said Grisham. “It’ll be quicker if I can get this shuttle’s propulsion online and fly us to the north-west corner of the bay.”

  He pushed two buttons on the pilot’s console, which he hoped would activate the kickstart modules. Those modules boomed, somewhere deep below the bridge floor. The engines coughed and the transport shuddered. An electronic gauge flickered and then returned to a zero reading.

  “Damnit,” said Grisham. He reached for the buttons again.

  “Sir, wait!” said Lopez. “The kickstart modules are making too much noise.”

  “You think it’ll bring the cruiser?”

  “I don’t know, Captain. It’s possible. Unlikely, but possible.”

  Grisham swore again. He felt sure the sound of the kickstarters would be lost in the storm, but he didn’t want to be wrong. Then, he spotted something on the sensors – a glimpse of a shape partly visible behind the nearest lifter shuttle.

  “Lieutenant Lopez, zoom on that,” he said.

  “Yes, sir, here you go.”

  “A gravity vehicle,” said Grisham. “Looks like a big one, and it’s probably active like these shuttles.” He made his mind up. “Let’s go for it.”

  Less than three minutes later, Grisham and all the other mission personnel had exited the armoured shuttle. The cruiser hadn’t returned, though its Charos drive was clearly audible above the wind.

  “Move!” said Maxwell.

  He led the soldiers towards the gravity vehicle. The bay floor was sheltered from the wind, but it still blew in gusts, and a layer of sand was already forming. Now that he was on ground level, Grisham could see that his target was a flatbed truck with a cabin up front, likely intended to carry minor loads around the bay. It was also on the ground and that meant its gravity drive was offline.

  The journey across the bay was going to be dangerous whatever mode of transport they used, but speed was always the best way to reach cover and Grisham hoped they could make the truck operational.

  He smiled inwardly. While the mission personnel were likely still doomed, here they were, alive and pushing on. Grisham hoped he might find a way to take advantage.

  FOURTEEN

  Grisham followed Maxwell through the legs of the lifter shuttle, while trying not to look over his shoulder at the incendiary cannister which he’d passed on the way here. The truck wasn’t far. It was a utilitarian vehicle, with a square cabin and sloped front screen, while its load bed was low-sided. The gravity drive was no more elaborate than a foot-thick slab of alloy. It didn’t look like much, but Grisham reckoned it could carry a couple of thousand tons without much effort.

  The vehicle’s cabin had no doors and Maxwell jumped inside. He slid along the bench seat and Grisham joined him.

  “There’s a green light on the gravity drive,” said Maxwell, pointing at the basic panel in front of him. A couple of joysticks were used to control the vehicle when it was in motion.

  “Fire it up, Sergeant.”

  Maxwell evidently had experience with Kijol transport, since he pushed the right button to start the engine first time. The truck’s gravity drive shuddered once, twice, and then came to life. A few seconds later, the engine had settled into a quiet hum.

  “Everyone climb onboard,” said Maxwell on the comms.

  Corporal Fine took the final space on the front bench and she stared out of the clear front screen. “Let’s hope the Kijol didn’t leave anyone on guard behind that parked cruiser,” she said.

  Once the soldiers and Grisham’s crew were on the loading bed, Maxwell guided the vehicle smoothly away, aiming it towards the north-west corner of the bay. Gradually, he increased its speed until it was travelling at thirty kilometres per hour across the bay floor. The soldiers on the load bed weren’t secured, but this wasn’t the time to take it easy. Anyway, from the talk on the comms, it sounded like they were enjoying the ride.

  The route to the north-west corner was more or less a straight line, though Maxwell was forced to deviate once around another armoured shuttle which lay directly in the truck’s path.

  “If anyone out back sees that cruiser, let me know,” said Maxwell on the comms.

  “Are you planning to dodge the incoming missiles with your fancy driving, Sergeant?” asked Diaz.

  “I thought I’d shake you all off to make the load lighter,” said Maxwell. “Then it’d be easy to outrun a missile.”

  Grisham listened to them talk, while he looked through the front screen and out of the open sides. Parked up against the western wall, the Aeon destroyer utterly dwarfed the flatbed. He stared at the warship and got a sense of its emptiness. When its engines were running and its systems online, the destroyer’s weapons could level entire cities and kill millions. Now, it was little more than a lump of metal, with no more purpose than those statues Grisham had seen in the storage crates on the way here.

  He turned his attention to the cruiser ahead. It was huge compared to the destroyer and magnitudes greater in its capabilities. And yet here it was, abandoned by its makers. Grisham had fought the Kijol for nearly all his adult life and knew how tenacious they were. Anything which could make them evacuate a place like this and in such a hurry was to be feared. The thought made him shiver.

  “I’m going to park up near the corner – beneath that grounded cruiser’s nose - and I’ll head out on foot to check along the north wall,” said Maxwell. “It’s possible the Kijol left watchers behind when they made their deployment.”

  A short time later, the soldier brought the vehicle to a halt. He climbed out of the cabin. Grisham slid along the bench and followed him to the ground, while Corporal Fine went out the other side. The rest of the soldiers stayed on the load bed. Grisham looked up – the cruiser’s nose was 150 metres above his head, a metal overhang that had no chance of crashing down on him. The warship’s hull did a good job of blocking out the bay opening, and he felt much better for being out of sight.

  “The Achirus can’t see us here,” said Commander Deneuve, peering upwards. “But it’s still up there.”