Chapter 3
Ambuscade
Deep in TerraGov space near the boarders of their territory and Separatist space, a government council ship flies to meet with separatist diplomats in attempt to strengthen relations between them, Ellie Clarke and Lexine Weller being among the assigned diplomats on board the USM Hail. Unknown to Ellie and Lexine her husband Isaac Clarke is working along with his students a board the ship as temporary replacements for its engineers, while on rout to the meeting point Isaac is called to the bridge by the captain. On his way to the bridge he runs into Lexine.
"Isaac?"
"Lex… wow how long has it been ten mouths?" [Both hug]
"I take it you're the engineering student's teacher?"
"Yes I am I thought it would be a nice experience for my students to work on a real military ship."
"That's very cool; you teach one of the Engineering courses at the university?"
"Yes one of the new ones."
"They're governmentally funded electives right?"
"Yes."
"That's great I'm glad you're doing okay."
"So how've you been?"
"I'm good mostly how you're kids?"
"There're fine Dean came home to visit days ago before he went back on duty."
"Oh he was on leave?" [They walk together]
"Yes, so how are Gabe and Branna?"
"Oh… Branna is well she's working at TerraGov Intelligence Agency."
"That's a nice job it's not easy to get into."
"Yes it is but she got in."
"How about Gabe I haven't heard from him lately?"
"Well I guess we've both been better… Gabe and I at the moment are separated."
"What, what happened?"
"We just needed time away from each other a timeout if you will its nothing serious it'll be okay."
"Okay It was nice to see you again Lex I wish we can talk more but I got to go I have business on the bridge."
"Okay I better get moving too we should be almost at the meeting point… oh by the way Ellie is here too on the ship have you talked yet?"
"No I didn't even know she was on this ship she's your partner for the negotiations?"
"Yes she is we were just eating together at the mess hall."
"Well I'll get a chance to talk to her when the meetings are over, I'll see you later."
"Okay, see you later." [Isaac and Lexine part ways]
Isaac enters the bridge and is greeted by the captain.
"Mr. Clarke it's nice to finally meet you."
"Likewise captain." [They shake hands]
"So how's it going up here any problems?"
"No everything's fine we're nearing the meeting area though I am a little concerned with this meeting."
"Whys that?"
"There have been rumors going around about the separatist on how shadowy they've been acting lately."
"I've heard about that but I haven't heard much nor paid any mind to it."
"I hear that, anyway are your students adapting well on the ship?"
"Yes they're doing well the ships systems are running at a exceptional rate."
"Good I have to say I'm glad I volunteered to take on you and your students this ship is running better than before that engine core was messed up but your guys cleaned it up good."
"Sir we're coming up on the coordinates."
"Good prep for de-shock."
"Coming out of shockspace in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
The USM Hail comes out of shockspace only to find nothing waiting for them; the captain's suspicions then confirmed not taking any chances he orders all personnel to be ready for attack.
"All hands this is the captain speaking I'm ordering defensive protocols, I repeat defensive protocols are in affect all hands man your battle stations."
"Isaac you should tend to your students."
"Right are the diplomats…?"
"Don't worry your wife and the others are well protected my man will guard them with their lives."
"Thank you." [He begins to leave]
"Captain we're detecting shocksapce activity unidentified ships approaching."
[Isaac stops and turns to the window]
Mysterious ships come out of nowhere and start firing upon the USM Hail within seconds the whole ship is engulfed in chaos. Isaac runs through the corridors of the ship trying to reach his students in the engineering levels before he can get the lift down there a massive explosion launches Isaac in the air hitting the wall knocking him out cold. He wakes a moment later to see the area around him decimated and the emergency alarms sounding he grabs a plasma rifle, gets up and continues moving to find his students on the way he tries to contact them with no success.
"Son of a… Isaac Clarke to engineering, Max, Daniels, Samantha anyone." [Only hearing static]
"Shit… R.I.G, contact Ellie Clarke."
[His RIGLink opens]
"Hello Isaac?"
"Ellie thank god are you alright?"
"Yes I'm okay for now… are you here on the ship?"
"Yeah where are you?"
"I'm… I think I'm near the crew quarters I got separated from the security detail the area is destroyed around me I'll try to get around the rubble and meet you."
"See if you can meet me and my students at the escape bay I'm going down to engineering to look for them."
"Alright… Isaac have you seen Lex since the attack?"
"Yes I saw her on my way to the bridge before the attack I haven't seen her since."
"Okay I'm detecting her R.I.G she's alive but I can't track her movements or raise her."
"See if you can find her but god please be careful."
"I will I love you."
"I love you too."
They both make their ways to the goals, as Isaac makes his way through the collapsed sections upon making his way to a junction he looks out a window seeing the ships attacking them moving closer to them. As they close in smaller ships are launched at the Hail.
"AH shit Isaac to Captain do you read?"
"Isaac Jesus, are you okay where are you?!"
"Captain listen to me boarding ships are coming our way they're going board us by the looks of their size I'd say where about to be against an army warn your men!?"
"Alright thank you we'll be ready for them Isaac about your students there R.I.G signals are…"
"What what's happened?"
"Half of them are showing up as flat lines and the other half are not showing up at all."
"Oh… no." [Leans against the wall and places his hand on his forehead]
"I'm… I'm sorr…"
Before he can finish his sentence an explosion breaks out on the bridge cutting off the signal on the intercom an announcement is sent out.
"Warning hull breach detected decompression on the bridge – zero life signs."
"Captain… captain!" [Static]
"Ah… ah shit."
"Isaac its Ellie I just heard the bridge is…"
"Yes they're gone."
"Oh my god… are you okay?"
"Half of my students are missing and I just found out some of them are dead."
"I'm sorry."
"I'll be okay Ellie brace yourself we're about to be boarded…"
A boarder ship penetrates the hull in front of Isaac it opens and off loads R.I.G suited troops, a fierce fire fight breaks out during the fight, Isaac TKs fuel canisters and hurls them into the ceiling violently exploding making it collapse on them killing them he moves on and runs into Lexine.
"Isaac!"
"Are you okay?"
"Yes I'm fine, we're fine."
"We're?"
Five of Isaac students come around the corner.
"Mr. Clarke!"
"Samantha are all of you alright?"
"Yes we're okay what about the others I cannot reach them."
"They others didn't make it."
"My god no, who are those people attacking us?"
"I have no idea they could be separatist but I don't know for sure and we don't have time the ship has catastrophic damage and can go critical at anytime we have to get to the life pods."
"I checked our location we're near a planet and we can land there." [Said Samantha]
"Nice the escape pods are just ahead let's get going."
When they make it to the escape pods they are ambushed by a squad of the attacking forces killing three of the surviving students, a stun grenade is thrown at Isaac and his companions knocking them out. Upon awakening one of attackers looms over Isaac he knees down to him.
"So your Isaac Clarke heard a lot of stories about you the first when you went to the Ishimura, to Tau Volantis then the Necro War."
"What do you fucking want?"
"Me… hehe I don't want anything but to serve my god speaking of which "He" sends his regards."
"He?"
"Now you die." [Aims his gun at his head]
Ellie jumps out from behind rubble shooting at the troopers, Isaac TK blasts the rest against the walls.
"Isaac!"
"Ellie nice shooting."
"Thanks nice job getting caught."
Just then multiple massive explosions break out throughout the ship crippling it into breaking up.
"No we have to go now the ship is lost its going down get to the pods!"
"Danger catastrophic reactor failure, ship integrity has failed all hands abandon ship repeat abandon ship."
They unlock the pods and they board them then suddenly many more explosions breakout and the USM Hail begins to split in two the vacuum affect kicks in and the gravity fails Isaac and Lex being the last to get in the pods the vacuum takes hold of Lex, Isaac quickly grabs hold of her hand trying to pull her in.
"Isaac we're losing oxygen we need to launch now!"
"No not yet help me pull her in!"
The vacuum gets even stronger and Lexine starts to slip from Isaac's grip.
"Isaac, please tell Gabe and Branna that I love them."
[As tears form in her eyes and are blown away by the vacuum]
Lexine then let's go of Isaac's hand and is sucked away into the vacuum vanishes into the blackness of space and the pods doors close, Isaac bangs on the door in anger.
"NO!"
The pod launches and speeds away as the rest of the USM Hail violently blows up into pieces. The pod then falls along with debris from the ship in to the planet's atmosphere after moments of falling blazingly through the air they crash land on the surface, the pod doors open and they get out and look up at the sky as burning wreckage fall out of the sky like meteors. Isaac crushed by guilt falls to his knees.
"I let her go; I can't believe I let her go." [Ellie wraps her arms around him.]
"Don't blame yourself Isaac she did it to save us." [Tearfully]
"I know but still…"
"It's okay…"
Ellie's R.I.G beeps to an incoming call.
"Isaac its Gabe… do you want me to tell him?"
"No I'll tell him."
Ellie turns on her Link.
"Ellie, Isaac are you there?"
"Gabe we're here."
"Good what the hell happened we lost all contact with the USM Hail we got a distress call from the ship what the hell happened?"
"We were attacked we don't know by who."
"Separatists?"
"No they were different."
"Okay I'm sending a ship to pick you guys up we have your pods beacon."
"Alright but Gabe there's something you need to know… Gabe we… we lost Lexine."
"You… you what?"
"While we were escaping, we lost Lexine when the ship went down; she sacrificed herself so we could escape."
"I… I she's gone?"
"Gabe I'm so sorry I tried to save her, I tried."
"Are you okay?" [Asked Ellie]
"Yeah… well at least I will be look come and meet me at TarraGov HQ when you get back I'll be at Carver's office."
"Okay we'll be there."
"Later." [The link closes]
