Tim Pauers - Free Stories 2018

April 13, 2407 AD

Alien Megaship

Target Star #17

742 Light Years from Sol System

Friday 9:40 A.M. Expeditionary Fleet Standard Time

Move your ass, Navy! Deanna shouted as loud as she could. Grantedat the moment that was probably not very loud, considering she wasupside down with her FM-13X transfigurable fighter mecha pinned againsta bulkhead of an alien megaship by a Chiata porcupine fighter, with thealiens green glowing expanding tendrils speared through most of herfighter and her left thigh.

Apple1, Ares squadron is several moments out! the voice on the tac-netalerted her. We are seeing much more resistance than expected.

Resistance, hell, this is suicide! We should flash out of here now!another, younger, and much more frightened voice said. The icon inDeannas direct to mind, or DTM, display told her it was a fresh outNavy aviator that had yet to be inside a Chiata Hordes megaship duringa grab-and-go mission.

Stow that shit, Ensign. Ares squadron keep pressing forward!! theirsquadron leader ordered.

Are you fucking kidding me! Deanna realized that the Archangelsbackup wasnt coming anytime soon. If she didnt already know that thebest pilot in the universe was Navy shed be cursing the entire branchof the military. But her wingman had split off into Team A and left herto lead Team B. She had no idea what had happened to DeathRay since heflashed out with his half of the Archangels to the second target ship.Oh, she could see his icon in her Blue Force tracker on the mindview ofthe battlescape, but he was thousands of kilometers away on anotheralien ship.

Shit, were on our own, Skippy, she muttered to the little alienbeetle bot that was holding on to her armored shoulder as though itrequired no effort at all. She thought her father had been a bitoverzealous in attempting to take two Chiata megaships in one attack.But on the other hand, it blessed her with plenty of Chiata to kill.Team B, looks like were alone in here. I hope DeathRay is doing a bitbetter.

Apple1, it is really thick down here. What are your plans? LieutenantTina FreeMason Barkley, one of the newest Archangels, asked. Dee couldtell from her mindview of the battlescape that the new pilot was holdingher own, but was in some thick shit with her wingman Monopoly, who wasa deck below and a few hundred meters back.

We dont let the fuck up! Dee grunted as she used her left armoredhand to partially extend the suits sword blade. She swiped the bladethrough the tendril in her leg and yanked it free. Green, glowing alienblood squirted from the armored mechanized alien appendage like afirehose spraying the cockpit. Fuck that hurt!

Deanna didnt have time to watch her armored suit seal the wound or tobitch about the pain and blood loss. Her team was getting hammered andthey had yet to complete their mission: to secure the bridge of thealien megaship. She felt the entire ship suddenly jerk as if it had beenpounded by gluonium bombs. The bulkheads vibrated so hard that her teethchattered against her mouthpiece. She accidentally bit down on the blockthat released stimulants and pure oxygen into her helmet. She probablyneeded the stims anyway.

Shit! We have to move, Archangels!

Warning, multiple systems failures are imminent. Warning structuralintegrity fields are at nine percent and failing, the Bitchin Bettychimed.

Dee, this mecha is toast. We should flash out to the Madira, herartificial intelligence counterpartor AICBree, who was embedded in herhead just behind her left ear, told her in her direct-to-mind voice.

No goddamned way! I promised Davy I was killing ten of these alienbastards today and Ive yet to kill but three!Dees mindvoice screamedat her AIC.

Major, we must abandon this mecha. It is reaching criticalstatus, Bree warned her again.

Youre right about this mecha though, Bree. Dee toggled the canopyeject cycle and the explosive bolts fired the transparent metal into theporcupine mecha that was wrapping its tendrils around her upside-downbot mode fighter. The flying canopy bounded into the cockpit of thealien craft, knocking it backwards just enough to loosen its grip on hermechas torso. Dee pulled the ejection handle. This mecha is history.Blow it when Im clear!

Holy shit, Dee!

The ejection seat fired, slamming Dee helpless against the couch fromthe extreme gee loading. As the seat rocketed away from the alienbulkhead and her crushed mecha, the tip of the headrest caught againstthe alien fighter. This induced a crazy, mad, spinning tumble, on her.Fortunately for Dee, the interior of the upper deck of the alienmegaship was immense, and there was plenty of room to flail about.

The ejection had startled the one alien that had her, but theporcupines wingman was hot on her trail, firing green plasma boltsacross her trajectory. Dee held on for dear life, hoping the gods ofcrazy assed U.S. Marines were smiling on her at the moment. She lookedat targeting Xs about her in her mindview of the battlescape as she spunacross the chasm that led to the final upwell to the bridge of the ship,hoping she could turn her misfortune into a plan. Just as the greenplasma from the aliens wingman looked like it was going to track intoher path, Bree exploded her damaged mecha.

The quantum generators of the FM-13X her grandmother had made for herbecame a fireball of orange and white plasma and high velocity shrapnelthat skittered across the vast alien room into several of the Chiatathat were closing in on her. Two of the Chiata were knocked backward offtheir feet. The one that was octopus-hugging her mecha burst intoglowing green and red liquids, liquid metal, and plasma across the deckplating.

Thats four, Davy! she thought.

The hardpoints of Dees armored suit disconnected from the spinningejection chair allowing her to engage her jumpboots against the base ofthe chair flinging her free. As she somersaulted and rolled across thedeck to bleed off the energy of her trajectory, she expanded the swordon her left arm and pulled the hypervelocity automatic rifle up with herright, firing it as one of the targeting Xs turned red. Dee broughtherself to a control trajectory by sliding across the deck on bothknees. The armored environment suit screeched against the alien metal onthe floor with a deafening high pitch that only added to the cacophonyof plasma fire, mecha pounding, and explosions all about her. As sheslid through the momentum she had to lean backwards until the back ofher head rubbed the floor and her knees almost snapped in order to limbobeneath the tendril of one of the now extremely pissed off aliens. Deewatched as the tendril passed within millimeters of her helmets visor.

She rose swiftly, using the momentum of her fall to add to the strengthof her blade swing. The sword ripped through the alien mechas lowerright leg, throwing sparks in every direction. Dee spun to face themecha with her rifle and went full auto with the hypervelocity armorpiercing rounds into it. The shields on the mecha flashed out and plasmavented from it. The mecha slumped on its severed leg and fell witha kachunk to the deck. Quickly she bounded to her feet and did aback tuck onto the top of the canopy firing the rifle into the alienpilot, splattering the glowing green alien blood all over her armor. Asshe let herself take pleasure in the death of the alien, another Chiata,this one in body armor and not mecha, slipped in behind her, attemptingto get the drop on her. Dee caught a glimpse of the aliens glowing eyeson the broken alien canopy glass just as the Red Force tracker alertedher. She managed to duck as one of the aliens tendrils darted in andout at her head.

Dee rolled to the side grabbing the tendril with her left hand. Beforeshe could raise her rifle. the little alien beetle jumped from its perchon her shoulder in a blur and penetrated the Chiata infantrymansfaceplate. The Chiata immediately began to flail at its helmet andwrithe on the floor. It quickly went limp. In a blur, the beetle wasback on Dees shoulder.