Destroyer Imperial II, ESV262 "Destiny Blade", fourth traffic artery port side.
The horn sounded, startled three-quarters of those present. Put on the helmet, open the oxygen and test for leaks... The whole corridor sounded the same refrain.
Hanson looked at his team. Everything had gone off without incident. Josse raised his thumb in the air and smiled. His gaze swept from one end of the corridor to the other. Everyone was equipped, waiting for the decompression. One group had nevertheless congregated not far from them. He couldn't hear anything, the link was now by short-range radio, but even at a distance, he could feel the panic radiating from that place.
He felt by the slight inflation of his suit that the evacuation of the air had just begun.
The group huddled in front of a transverse airlock.
But what exactly are they doing? Hanson and his team wondered. Suddenly he understood. They were trying to open up access to a cross-link to a pressurized section.
He did not have time to observe the result. The second horn blast sounded and the hatches opened up. The order of passage having been defined beforehand, the four artillerymen waited their turn. The rifles had been assigned to Hanson and Virbein, the other two carrying the grenades and magazines.
Finally the way was cleared, and they were swallowed by the red-rimmed opening. The image was printed briefly in the vision of Josse closing the march.
"A true gateway to hell", he thought.
He crossed it anyway.
Destroyer Imperial II, ESV262 "Destiny Blade", command post.
Contact was made a few seconds ago. At the last moment, the Admiral had shouted out his instructions, the helmsmen and propulsion had turned words into deeds and the heavy vessel had come to rest underneath his prey, some ten meters away.
There had been a few antennae torn off, maybe a turret or two crushed, but nothing more.
The batteries of the Destiny Blade were all pointing at the Republican ship, except for the port turrets that had been abandoned because they were too close to the objective.
Formal orders had nevertheless been given to the gunners. They were to fire only in response to a enemy fire, only on the source, and were to cease firing as soon as the threat was destroyed. That had at first surprised the turret crews, but they thought the admiral probably wanted taking the Republic destroyer hostage to negotiate with the rest of the fleet.
Isse, who had joined the post to see the big picture, saw the pioneers in pairs, dragging the hoses that were normally used for the transfer of food and ammunition between ships. The hoses were laid in front of the supply doors of the Republican destroyer, a one of them remains inside in front of the closed airlock, the other ensures that the tube grips the hooks. retractable doors provided for this purpose.
Fortunately, the two ships are almost the same model, thought Isse. It makes it easier for us a lot of things. It's just a bit of a peculiar supply, after all.
The same scene was repeated along both ships, like images from a kaleidoscope.
The pipe hooking was over. The signal must have been given to the waiting troops, because the conduits began to fill with soldiers.
He watched as the pioneers outside the pipes approached the opening controls, raised the valves and lower the levers. The airlock doors began to slide on their rails. The scouts disappeared, and then the compact columns shook. He didn't see a trace of shots. The pioneers outside joined the ship to rejoin their comrades by the pipes. The first phase of the plan was complete, but it was only the easiest.
He left the station with Crebs. Now it was up to them.
Republican flagship RSV115 "Emancipator", Homeland Security Central Station.
Jed arrived at the station where there was feverish activity. He didn't see Youlia, so he turned to the officer of the watch. He asked after he saluted:
"Major, what's the status?"
"We're taking stock. All we know right now is that we haven't been spurred on"
"But they still didn't come next to us and do nothing?"
"No, of course. I sent some scouts to the lower sections for reconnaissance"
Jed found the answer a bit administrative. He decided to cut it short:
"I'm at your disposal, Major. Do you have an assignment for me?"
The officer hesitated for a moment and then decided:
"Go to the flight deck. You'll get a full picture of the situation, and Colonel Ashrod will know what to do"
Jed waved goodbye and left the station. He headed for the main elevator to the command post.
At the same time Sven and his crews reached their quarters, located at the front of the ship, between the holds and the main hangar. They opened their lockers and equipped themselves with their individual weapons.
As they made their way down the corridor to the main alley, Esan stopped abruptly.
"What's going on? "
"Don't you hear? There's footsteps behind the partition"
Sven and the others listened. Indeed, there were noises behind the alley wall.
"Does this aisle run well along the holds?"
"Affirmative" answered one of the pilots.
"Draw your weapons!"
He approached an airlock, signaling to the others to join him in silence.
"Esan and three men on the other side. Cover us"
He tackled the wall and dialed the code to open the door. The locks went up and the sliding panel.
Everything was dark and silent. Sven pointed his blaster and carefully moved his head forward to take a look inside. At first, dazzled by the contrast between the corridor and the hold, he saw nothing suspicious. Then his eyes lingered on the ground, and suddenly the tip of a boot appeared.
"Troopers!" he shouted, making fire over the boot.
A brief burst answered him. He hurriedly threw himself backwards while his companions were retorting.
Esan shouted:
"The door! Shut up, Sven!"
Sven crushed the red emergency closing button. The panel slid and locked in a dry slam. The scene lasted no more than six seconds. Only the black traces of the blaster shots on the walls testified that they hadn't dreamed. Esan asked:
"Is no one hurt?"
Sven looked around at his companions to see that one of the pilots behind him was sitting along the the wall and didn't move. He approached him and grabbed his shoulder. The man collapsed and Sven saw that half of his face had been blown off by a discharge of blaster. The remaining face was frozen in an enigmatic smile. Sven murmured:
"God..."
He shot her carotids. Nothing more.
"He died instantly"
His companions said nothing. There was really nothing to say. Esan broke the silence:
"The command post must be notified urgently. Where is there a terminal?"
"At the junction of the main corridor. Let's go, and quickly!"
"What about him?" asked one of the pilots.
Sven hesitated for a few seconds and said to the closest companion to the body:
"Let's leave him. We'll come back for him later. Take his gun and his belt"
They started running towards the crossroads.
Jed arrived at the command post at the same time as Judd, entangled in his trays and bottles. He let him pass and went in after him.
He instantly sensed the atmosphere, a mixture of ignorance, fear and action. The admiral was sitting on a chair that must have been brought to him by the operator of a nearby console and seemed completely prostrate.
He saw Youlia, motionless like a statue of salt, listening to a communication on the intercom without saying one word. At the end, her lips came back to life and he heard her answer:
"Stay at the crossroads and call back immediately if there's any movement. I am sending you reinforcements"
She hung up.
Jed walked over to her, stopped three yards away and bowed loosely, although perfectly stopped. He announced in a loud voice:
"Lieutenant Koïnsky at your disposal!"
"At ease. I see that you broke your arrests on your own initiative"
"I thought the alarm took precedence over the punishment"
She replied with a pout that revealed a dimple on her right cheek: "We will talk about it in other circumstances"
She continued:
"In the meantime I accept your offer of service. You will go down to the security station, take a squad and go to the end of the middle alley. A group of pilots had a firefight with a group of imperial trooper"
"What's my mission? "
"Get in contact and fix the opposing force. Easy for a scorpion like you"
Jed didn't take over. He bowed and walked out.