The hallway to the air lock was so quiet that a pin dropping on the floor would have shattered the silence. And then, at the end of the hall, a door whooshed quietly open, and Commander Brian West walked out into the corridor. The M-25 felt light in his hands, as if he wasn't even holding it at all, and the MP-15 strapped to his back was likewise weightless. The padding in his vest contained an alloy of an Andalite metal known as mechromium and kevlar, yet another new invention by Terran and Andalite scientists.
He wore all black. Black vest, black BDUs, black gloves, boots, and finally, his helmet. With the same alloy as the vest pad, the helmet was made into a solid alloy and was a custom fit for Brian's head, with a face shield so that while his eyes would be unprotected, he would be able to see.
The alloy wasn't made to stop a Dracon Beam head on, but at lower settings, it could hold and give him time to escape, or line up a second shot. Any and all conventional weapons would be useless against his body armor, including the brand new rounds that were in his own weapons. His hand trailed down to the shoulder holsters, where his Glock 45s rested against his ribs. He hoped he wouldn't have to come down to use them, but it was comforting that he had them.
As he passed each door, it opened and its occupants walked out, fully clothed in battle uniform, Hork-Bajir and Andalites included, although the two Hork-Bajir, Jan Tormak and Kap Chunee, had slits in their clothing to accommodate their blades and tails. As for the Andalites, their flanks were wrapped with the kevlar/mechromium material, and their upper bodies had the normal vest protecting them.
Brian stopped at the round door that marked the beginning of the airlock. He tapped in a six-digit code, and the door opened from the center, reminding Brian of the old James Bond movies. He shook the thought out of his mind and walked through. 'This isn't a movie. I can get killed here, and I won't be getting to go to a warm bed with a warm body...'
His thoughts drifted off to Michele, who was really only two people behind him. Then again...
The airlock was simple: At the ceiling, there was a single pair of bay doors that opened from the middle. To the walls, were racks of Hazardous Environment Suits. A team of techs were already waiting for the Alphas to arrive, as they needed help putting the HESes on. Looking like a body without a head, the black suits were almost invisible in space. The HES was not only a mere Zero-G shell to allow one to float through space without dying in the vacuum, but it also had a thick two-inch plating of armor, although the ankle, knee, shoulder, elbow and wrists joints had to be void of such armor to keep its wearer mobile. The headpiece would be screwed and sealed on, basically the helmet that Brian was wearing, but a little more complete to accomodate the hazardous setting.
It took five minutes for the team to be suited up, but after the double-check, it ended up being ten after a leak was found on one of the Andalites' suits. Their suits, also a basic body casts with accomodating joints, were much, much harder to get on than for humans or Hork-Bajir, although it would sometimes get tricky for the Hork-Bajir to fit all their natural weaponry in their customized suits.
West turned and looked at the other eleven, who stood waiting for his orders. "All tech crew, return to your stations. Seal off the airlock once you leave."
The crew nodded and saluted West, who returned it, as they left. When the circular door closed, the familiar hiss told him that they did exactly as he had ordered. "Captain Kerell, are you on board?"
The image of Kerell popped up in the Heads-Up Display of his suit. Aye, Commander. Captain now has the conn.
West looked back to Cassie, who was standing right beside him, only the Glock 45 on her person. She wasn't too big on weapons, Brian already knew, and to take the Glock was a huge step for her. That's why I'm going to hang on to that MP-15.
"Okay, Captain. She's all yours. Open the bay doors."
Opening bay doors, aye.
The light of hundreds of billions of different stars seeped into the darkened airlock. Brian switched off his night vision as the illumination came to be too much for his eyes. As the doors opened, his eyes pointed to the icon of a pair of boots on his HUD and blinked. The icon blinked twice in return, and a computerized voice said, "Gravity Boots deactivated."
He could feel his feet begin to lift from the metallic floor, and he blinked at the rocket icon. "Thrust stabilizers, activated."
Brian blinked at the RADIO dropdown menu and then at Cassie's name. "Cassie."
She seemed startled, but then regained composure at seeing the Commander and recognizing him. "Commander?"
He told her how to use the HUD, but she seemed to have already figured it all out. "As for the thrust stabilizers, point your head where you want to go and blink twice to set your direction. After that you can move your head around and you won't be swerving around. Blink thrice to speed up, once to slow. Got it?"
"Yeah, I think."
Brian sighed to calm his nerves, and then opened the channel for the entire team. "Okay, Alpha team, we know what to do, so let's go out and do it!"
He lifted his head, the light shining over his face as his thrusters pushed him out into space. Brian looked all around him as his suit drove him toward the looming Blade ship about a hundred meters away. By now, the Michael had driven right up alongside it so that Brian and his team could move in and take the fight up close and personal. He looked back, and counted about six to eight were out--
The brilliant beam looked looked like a simple laser from where Brian was, but he knew that it had to be at least five meters in diameter. It blasted against the side of the Michael, sending a rain of armor flying in all directions, peppering his team with metal shards. Suddenly, instead of blowing in, an explosion from within blew out from the massive ten meter hole in the side of the Michael. Unsuited tech crew flew out of the hole and out past the Blade Ship, way beyond all help.
Brian knew what had happened before the report even came. Their weapons are online! Losing cabin pressure fast!
-----
Derek Frost sprinted out of his room, still fully dressed in his flight suit. He glanced back behind him, and saw Fox wasn't far behind. The port side hangar was now just a charred ruin, but the starboard one was still unscaythed.
A crowd of techs, pilots, and miscellanious bodies clamored around the hangar, an out-and-out panic erupting in the worst of places. A second tremor shook throughout the Michael, sending a good portion of the panicked mob tumbling to the floor. The Dumb Fucks took the opportunity to rush across the hangar, stepping over, around, and at times, on people to get to their ships--
--which were gone. "Some goddamn dumbass took 'em!" Frost drew his sidearm and fired into the air, not to get everyone's attention or to kill anyone, but just because he was pissed off and needed to vent quickly.
Fox, however, found a better idea. He ran up the ramp into the HTC, with Frost in tow. With the automatic ease of a pilot, he found his way to the cockpit and pulled his own pistol, pressing it against the neck of an obvious civilian preparing to launch in a craft that he didn't have the slightest idea of how to pilot.
"Where do you think you're going?" Fox said casually. He looked to Frost. "Take care of him."
Knowing that he was still angry, he watched approvingly as Frost brought the butt end of his Glock down on the head of the civvy. Drake looked impressed. "You didn't kill 'im. Good job."
Frost glowered at him, and opened his mouth to reply, but another quake told him that it wasn't the time to talk, but time to go. "Let's launch this bitch."
A click on the speakers got their attention. "Hey, boys, got any room for two more?"
----
All fighters launch! Launch, dammit, launch! Kerell yelled, using the amplifier to send his thought-speak throughout the ship. With Porter and Terance dead, Kaerlin seriously injured, and Tank not even in view, he had to run across to each terminal and do the jobs of four different people.
A tight-gripping hand fell on his shoulder. He whirrled his stalk eyes around, but kept working at the helm control, hoping beyond hope that something would work and he could get some power restored. Pressure: 45%... 44%...
"We have to leave, Cap," Tank told him softly. A nasty laceration ran down the side of his face, starting just above the middle of the left eyebrow and ending at the beginning of his jaw. "I got an HTC waiting for us, and we've got about five minutes if they don't fire again."
No, I'm not going to let her die on me! Prince West trusted me with this command! Kerell didn't notice his slip on the Commander's rank.
Tank grabbed him by both shoulders, and with amazing strength, pulled the four-hooved Andalite away from the terminal. "She's gone, Cap! The Commander saw what happen; there was nothing you can do. Getting yourself killed ain't gonna fix a damn thing! Now move it!"
It was only by Tank's strength did Kerell get off the bridge.
-----
Brian barely had enough time to stabilize himself before he had to head at full speed and catch Cassie before she tumbled out into space. McCain followed suit, and helped him get her oriented and ready to go.
West looked back at what remained of his team. Where is she?! He looked down at the menu and accessed Michele's suit. "Michele, talk to me," he said, his voice quivering with anxiety.
His heart relaxed when he saw her face. "I'm still here, Brian. Now get ahold of yourself. You've got a job to do."
Brian took a deep breath and turned back to the Blade Ship. He opened the channel. "Okay, Alpha, report in."
Cassie, McCain, Hanseckart, Michaelson, Michele, and Tormak replied. Brian waited for more. None came. Kerell was on the Michael. That leaves five of us.
He brought the menu and looked at the list. The adrenaline was clouding his mind; he couldn't remember the names of the missing. It was on the tip of his brain, but he just couldn't access it.
Martinez. Pratell. Poelle. Thurntere. Car-
"Carbron-Leroux-Postill reporting in," the third Andalite reported finally.
Brian acknowledged his report, but his eyes and brain were still focusing on the four names of the dead. Gone before we could even start. They're not coming back-
McCain's face appeared on the HUD. "Dammit, West, don't do this shit now! Keep it together!"
The Commander shook his head, woke himself up. "Roger that, Chris." To the group at large, he guestured with a blazing of his thrusters and said, "Let's keep going, Alpha. Now they've got even more crimes that they'll have to be paid for in full."
-----
"Dammit, where the hell is he?!" Frost growled.
Fox pulled the restraining straps from above his head and snapped it in place with the pentagonal connector. Two more straps, one from the lower left and the other from the lower right, completed the safety belt. Frost was doing the same, but taking his sweet time, pausing every so often to curse at no one.
The clamoring of booted feet and hooves announced their passengers' arrival. The whirring sound of the ramp and the hissing sound of the cabin pressuring itself told the pilots that it was time to go. "Strap yourselves in, guys! We're going out at full speed!"
The on-board intercom system clicked on. "Roger that," Tank replied.
Frost, to the right and working the weapons/sensors control, looked around the hangar. "None of the damn bay doors are opening!"
Fox looked all around the hangar. It was mostly emptied, now. Those that were still there were fighting each other. They only had minutes left to live, and they were fighting. He gave his co-pilot an angry look. "Then make one!"
Derek trained three of the five Shredders on the closest bay door and hit the trigger. The Shredders hit the metal and gallons of molten armor dripped in a flood to the floor. More and more followed, until --
In a whoosh of air, the tiny puncture in the metal blew into one twice as big as the HTC. Fox hit the ship's throttle, and as the Michael slowly detonated, one compartment at a time, the last few Seraphims alive evacuated from their flagship and prayed that they weren't the only ones.