37: Inside the Asteroid
The advanced weapons research facility, or as it was properly known as within the Calsharan Systems Union, the Jur's Anvil Special Research Division Station #4, was a sizeable and state-of-the-art installation that took up the bulk of the inside of one of the larger asteroids in orbit of the purple-blue gas giant below it. For decades, the place had served as one of the Union's more prominent, albeit secret, research facilities in which various new weapons were designed and built, even tested amongst the asteroid field itself. Now that civil war had torn the Union in half, the facility's existence was no longer the well-kept secret it had once been.
The so-called 'Calsharan Alliance of Free Systems' had seen to that, using the records they had from their time as part of the Union to leak information about its existence to the public. A means to portray the Union as underhanded and dangerous no less, and Commander Korva Valrosk could clearly imagine those colonial backwater types flailing their arms about in outrage when hearing news of the facility's existence. Of course, there was little they could do about it, as it was well within Union territory and secured by advanced automated systems and a healthy complement of security personnel.
Valrosk was a Calsharan male, his age roughly the equivalent of a human in their mid-thirties. Deep blue skin and lighter blue eyes went well with the black uniform of an officer of the Union Political Directorate, the specialised political and military arm of the Union's armed forces. A silver armband denoted him a member of this esteemed organisation, one that had been created shortly after the ascension of High Protector Tarva Garall. A necessity in the face of increased dissent amongst the Union. This facility had been placed under UPD command, an otherwise comfortable assignment for Commander Valrosk. Surely no one would try and attack this place, so deep as it was within Union territory?
Someone had tried, apparently. He stood in the station's command centre, a somewhat open space in the heart of the asteroid-based facility. Technicians and junior officers worked around him at various terminals. A holographic layout of the facility itself floated over a central dais, red markers indicating where intrusions had been detected. He watched this all closely, the very picture of calm despite the anger that brewed underneath it all. How could this have happened? They had detected no ships within the asteroid field. An Alliance taskforce had struck an outpost elsewhere in the system, a hit-and-run raid by all appearances. Those ships had been sent into retreat quickly enough, but that had left the in-system fighter squadrons and patrol ships diverted whilst the orbital installation was infiltrated. Valrosk was still waiting on word from the system's patrols as to when they would be able to intervene here, although now it appeared to be too late. Whoever had made it through the asteroid field and past the many scanners and gun turrets were now inside the facility itself.
Valrosk was getting conflicting reports from different corners of the installation. The internal scanners offered little in the way of genuine assistance, for several had already been taken out by whoever was on board. This was irksome more so than it was worrying, and through the communicator at his wrist he directed the various security teams.
"Squad one, proceed to the main hangar. Squad two, secure the reactor room." He watched the holographic feed before him. It was updated in real-time by scanner information, although a number of blind spots had become apparent in a few places. And so, he directed the security teams to where these blind spots were centred. How many intruders were there? How had they even got on board? All those sensors, automated guns, even the odd mine; and yet, still somehow someone had managed to board the facility and were, from what he could tell, going after critical systems.
It was frustrating, to say the least. As much as he would have preferred to be out there tackling the problem himself, as Commander he had to remain here and organize the intruder response. He had a sizeable security team at his disposal, and if worst came to worst even the support personnel could take up the fight. What he needed was a clearer picture of who had come on board. He had to assume it was an Alliance force, but if so they were making a daring move by attacking so far within Union territory.
"Sir." One of the technicians, this one seated at a station to his left, spoke up then. Valrosk looked over, and the technician motioned to the screen before him. "I've got scanner footage from the hangar."
"Let me see it." Valrosk marched over, watching the display as the technician played back the critical footage. There it was, on hangar level two: three Calsharans in some kind of sleek environment suit, rushing along a walkway. They shot out any cameras they saw, and the one from which this footage had been drawn was blasted away within moments. The screen went black, the words 'SIGNAL LOST' blinking across its centre. Valrosk frowned, trying to determine just who it was they were dealing with. No sign of any ships, no small shuttles, nothing but the intruders and whatever they had carried on themselves. That meant…
"Sky Riders." He had heard of them, the Tornya-based shock troopers who specialised in extra-vehicular attacks. There were other, similar units within the Union but none were as notorious as the Sky Riders of Tornya. If they were here in the station, then Valrosk knew he was dealing with some of the more reckless kinds of soldiers one might find in this war. Those who would happily take their enemies down with them, if only as a final insult.
Valrosk glanced to the holographic map of the installation. At least now they had some idea of what to expect from the intruders. That is, they could expect the worst. The Sky Riders usually recruited from colonial backwaters, where the more rough-and-tumble sorts lived (and the least intelligent ones at that, in Valrosk's view).
His eyes drifted to the large chamber towards the base of the facility. The enemy could not be allowed to get down there. As it stood, they were already making good progress.
"We need to isolate them," Valrosk said, and he directed his attention across the command centre to a female technician working at a console some metres away. "Try and isolate their life signatures. Filter anything that carries an authorised identification signal. Also, close the hangar doors, every single one of them. I want this place locked down. Make it quick, they'll be going after our power supply soon enough." The Sky Riders would not have come in here without a plan, and he had to anticipate just what that was: take out the main power, destroy communications and otherwise wreak havoc. It was what he would do, if he was raiding a place such as this.
They did not have much time. Soon enough, the Union force in-system would come to the asteroid facility's aid. Once that happened, escape would be a whole lot more difficult. For now, though, Toron simply pushed that worry to the back of his mind. One thing at a time, and right now they had their sights set upon the facility's power centre.
The corridors of the place were grey and sleek, some surfaces positively gleaming. Confusion reigned within, the Sky Rider attack perhaps being the last kind of attack the Union forces here had been expecting. Toron, joined by Sergeant Norvak and Private Korvka, moved through the facility at a quick but careful pace. They covered each other, one moving ahead whilst the others watched the rear and side approaches. Red lights flashed about the inside of the facility, and every so often a voice would sound through the announcement system warning of the presence of the intruders. So far, they had taken out one patrol of three security personnel. More were no doubt moving to hem them in, hence why taking down the internal security was so critical. Every scanner, camera or the like that was neutralised resulted in one additional blind-spot for whoever was coordinating the response to their intrusion.
Now, they came upon a glazed-looking grey corridor that ended in a set of large double doors. A security checkpoint was ahead, manned by a trio of black-clad soldiers in full armour. The Sky Rider trio lingered back down the corridor, keeping out of sight as they planned their approach. Beyond those doors, Toron was certain, would be the main power distribution centre. If they took control there, they would be able to cripple this installation and make their subsequent objectives easier. As it stood, all three of them remained tense, and Toron could feel his heart thumping within his chest. Every second counted here, and what made things all the more difficult was not knowing if other members of the team had made it into the facility.
"What do we do?" It was Korvka who asked this. He kept his voice down, the guards in the corridor ahead still oblivious to the three intruders who lingered around the corner. "I mean, how many of the others made it inside?"
"It doesn't matter," Toron said. "We're going to carry out our mission as best we can. If it takes just the three of us to do it, then that's just the way it is." He checked his plasma carbine, satisfied that the charge within it was adequate. "There are three of them ahead and probably more behind those doors. I'll toss a concussion grenade. As soon as it goes off, we'll move in." He pulled the grenade in question from a pouch attached to his waist. It was a small, cylindrical-shaped thing, capable of emitting a loud bang and a potent shockwave that would knock around and potentially stun anyone caught in the blast.
"Three of us against a whole base full of Unionists?" Norvak smiled. "I can enjoy odds like that." Korvka rolled his eyes upon hearing the Sergeant's bravado. Toron, meanwhile, readied the grenade.
"Get ready," he told the others, before he leaned around the corner and tossed the explosive. It sailed through the air in an accurate arc, before clanking onto the floor amongst the three soldiers on guard. They reacted with alarm, scrambling in the couple of seconds before the device exploded amongst them. Toron had his head turned when it went off, ensuring that the brilliant flash it created did not sear his eyes. The noise of the blast was that of a short, sharp bang, sparks flying and the odd crate positioned about the corridor being tossed aside. The three soldiers stumbled, with the one closest to the blast being thrown several feet into the air. He hit the wall, hard, before landing in a grunting, pained heap upon the floor.
Toron moved around the corner then, carbine raised. The others followed, one at either of his flanks. The three soldiers were still trying to gather their bearings when the intruders appeared. None of them had a chance to react before they were hit with careful, quick volleys of blue plasma fire that cut them down where they were. Within seconds, the encounter was over, and three Union soldiers lay dead in the corridor. Toron stopped before them, gave the three of them a once over, before he moved for the small control panel to the left of the bulkhead doors.
He had to assume that whoever was on the other side of that door had heard the noise. The door was locked, unsurprisingly. He had, however, come prepared: he slung his plasma carbine about one shoulder and pulled the specialised override device he had been issued from another of the pouches attached to his environment suit. It was a small black box fitted with a metal clip that dangled from a short length of cable. The small display lit up as he thumbed the activation button, and he attached the clip to the control pad. The device, a state-of-the-art creation from some experts on Tornya, began to cycle through the many potential codes necessary to open the door. It was seeking an override, and it cycled through tens of thousands of codes per second. The risk here was that someone in the control centre would detect the network intrusion, thereby bringing the enemy down on their location. It was, of course, a risk they had to take.
Korvka and Norvak kept an eye on the corridor behind them. Toron watched the display on the device as lines of code streamed along it, most of which had little meaning to him. Just as he was beginning to worry that this latest gadget would not work, suddenly the display flashed green and the lights about the control panel did so in turn. The doors began to open, and so Toron disconnected the device and stowed it back amongst his gear. Both Korkva and Norvak turned around to face the opening bulkhead, beyond which was a short corridor that in turn led into a large, circular room.
There were two soldiers behind it. Both had their weapons raised at the door, and both opened fire as soon as they had opened enough to reveal what was on the other side. Korvka and Norvak opened fire in turn, and a brief exchange of plasma cutting through the air between them. Both soldiers on guard were cut down quickly, although Toron noticed Norvak stumble slightly. Nonetheless, the burly Sergeant advanced into the corridor, his face set with a grim determination as he swept the approach ahead for further hostiles.
"Sergeant, you're hit." It was Korvka. He was glaring at the bloody, partially burned gash at Norvak's right thigh. The Sergeant grunted in reply, seemingly unbothered by the injury. Toron walked over to him, taking a glance at it. Sure, it was a flesh wound, but it had burned a rip through the environment suit. If Norvak tried going into vacuum now, he would lose his oxygen very quickly.
"We'll have to patch that," Toron said. He would have offered the Sergeant help, but he got the impression Norvak was not interested.
"Later." The Sergeant stepped into the circular space ahead, the power distribution centre. The reactor itself was at the heart of the facility, enclosed beyond layers of reinforced steel and radiation shielding. This room essentially ran in a ring around it, and various conduits and cables snaked across the ceilings and walls. Banks of computers were also positioned about the space, a few of which were manned with panicked-looking technicians.
Toron brushed by Norvak, waving his gun at a nearby pair of technicians. A large display was on the wall ahead, providing a map of the facility with indicators as to where power was being supplied and at what amount.
"Everybody stay still," Toron barked, doing his best to sound both authoritative and threatening. There were four technicians in here, two at the left, one at the main controls below the large display and another one at the right flank. Korvka immediately set his weapon upon the one at the right, offering the green-skinned female a small smile. This did little to alleviate the fear that was plain on her face.
The one straight ahead had to be the chief engineer of the place. He was older than the rest and his uniform carried a somewhat more intricate insignia. As Toron turned his weapon upon this one, he found himself forced to react faster than he even thought himself capable of: the engineer had pulled a plasma pistol from a holster at his waist. The weapon was up, his finger on the pressure-pad trigger and then Toron was shooting, blasting him with a volley of three shots that hit him centre of mass. The engineer's face took on a shocked, pained expression before he fell back against the control bank. One errant plasma bolt shot out of his pistol, only to slam into the far wall from which it drew a shower of sparks from the power conduit it damaged. And then, somewhat unceremoniously, the engineer crumpled to the floor with smoke wafting from the three smouldering holes in his chest.
It took Toron a few seconds to realise that he had just shot the man. Nonetheless, he was quick to divert his attention to the technicians on the left, although Norvak had taken to covering them.
"I would advise you all to leave and take whatever evacuation ships you have on hand," Toron declared. Norvak offered him a startled glance, as letting these people go was no doubt a mistake in the Sergeant's eyes. And perhaps it was, but Toron was not one to simply kill indiscriminately. There were as many non-combatants here as there were actual soldiers.
After a moment of hesitation, the remaining three engineers hurried out of the room. There was a chance they would direct more security personnel here, an eventuality that Toron accepted. There was a good chance that his overriding the door would have already alerted them to where he and his compatriots were located. Regardless, they would have to work quickly. Seeing as how he was the only one of the three with the adequate technical knowledge, he went to work on the main terminal.
"Keep the approach covered," Toron told the others. There was another entrance into the power distribution centre, at the opposite end of the ring-shaped space, around the chamber in which the power source itself was located. From what he could gleam from the computers before him, this facility used a somewhat cruder but cheaper form of zero-point energy, contained within the chamber. These kinds of setups were common throughout Calsharan space, often reserved for installations that held some importance. Their ships tended to get the more refined versions, given that they would see combat and thus needed extra stability. Here in this place, the designers had saved some of the construction costs for going with something simpler but still very good at what it did.
It was also easier to disrupt. A few well-placed explosives on the main conduits that ran through here would upset the reactor's delicate balance. An overload would occur in short order and the entire place would go up like a miniature nova. However, they needed to give themselves time, not only for their escape but to acquire as much information from the base's computers as they could possibly get.
Toron motioned Norvak over. He sidled up alongside Toron, eyeing the computer displays before them with some curiosity.
"You got explosives?" He asked the Sergeant.
"A couple."
"See those two large conduits?" He motioned to one of them, that ran along the wall at their right. The other was at the opposite side. Both were a solid metre across, labelled with multiple warnings about the energy that coursed through them. A low hum emanated from each, another indicator as to their power output.
"Set one on each." As he was about to elaborate further, his eyes were drawn to the power distribution map on the larger screen above them. As one would expect, the facility as a whole appeared to be powered. Except, curiously, a large section towards the base of the asteroid itself. And yet, there were indicators present that suggested there were power conduits down there. In fact, there was an awful lot of power running through them, yet the destination was curiously missing. Why direct power to an empty part of the base?
They were hiding something. Toron suddenly had the desire to postpone the destruction of this base. He pulled out the override device, except this time it was going to help him drain every little bit of information kept on the network here. It might not work, the system may figure out a means of countering the intrusion, but it was a chance he had to take.
Norvak had moved on to place the charges, each one little more than four inches in width. Small at a glance, yet once they put a big enough hole in those conduits the explosion that followed would be much more impressive.
"I need to access their databanks," Toron said, although he spoke to no one in particular. He moved over to a computer a few paces to his right, near where the chief engineer lay motionless. This was the main terminal, no doubt, and it was hooked up to the installation's overall network. He pulled out the device and hooked it up to one of the data ports on the terminal. It seemed that the process would take a few minutes, providing that any computer expert in the base's command centre did not try and rebuff him, or at least failed in doing so.
"We've got company!" Korvka called, and Norvak joined him by the doorway. Four soldiers had appeared at the far end of the corridor outside, and they wasted no time in opening fire at the pair of them. Plasma bolts cut through the air between them, and a few slammed into the computer bank to Toron's left. He ducked on impulse, yet kept his attention fixed on the computer as he tried to find some explanation as to what lay at the heart of the facility. He clenched the small device in his hand, sparks flying over him as screens shattered and data crystals blew.
The soldiers had fanned out across the corridor, taking cover in alcoves or amongst the scattered metal crates. Norvak and Korvka exchanged fire, keeping to either side of the doorway. Plasma bolts zipped uncomfortably close by Toron, and he simply kept low, turning around with his carbine raised whilst he left the hacking device on the terminal. He fired at the soldiers he saw through the door, sending one ducking behind some crates. Sparks flew where plasma bolts struck the walls, scoring blackened marks across the metal surfaces. These soldiers could have stormed in with grenades, but Toron suspected that they wanted to minimise the damage done to the systems here. An explosion in the wrong place could gut the entire facility.
Suddenly, a shout sounded from one of the soldiers in the corridor. Plasma fire erupted from somewhere behind them, and at least two of the soldiers were downed within seconds. The others turned to face the new threat, but the unseen shooters were quick to rip into these two. Sparks flew as armour plating caught some of the bolts, yet the concentrated fire was enough to send them falling. Both Norvak and Korvka ceased fire, exchanging satisfied glances.
The new arrivals appeared and Toron, upon seeing them, allowed himself a sigh of relief. There was Lieutenant Varsla, accompanied by Private Pelinos and another, a Corporal by the name of Larkan. The three of them approached the entrance of the power distribution room cautiously, only to visibly relax when they saw Norvak and Korvka appear in the opening.
"I was beginning to worry we were the only ones who made it," Norvak declared, and he took the hand of the approaching Pelinos and gave it a firm shake. Varsla strode in, his gaze finding Toron straight away. The eager young Lieutenant had a small gash on his forehead, and blood had trickled down the left-hand side of his face to leave a narrow red trail. If it bothered him, he did not show it.
"Sir." He offered Toron a salute. The Captain rose to his feet, returning the gesture in a somewhat more relaxed fashion.
"Lieutenant." Toron noticed that the device was done with its download. He disconnected it, curious as to what it may have uncovered. Nonetheless, he could not sift through it all now. There was no time.
"We made it in through a maintenance hatch," Varsla explained. "Coming here seemed the right move to make."
"And you did well." The Lieutenant certainly deserved some praise for getting himself and his two squad members here, alive. "Right now, we're on the verge of blowing this place to dust. Thing is, they're hiding something in a secured section, near the base of this asteroid. I want to find out what."
"Sir?" Varsla sounded unsure.
"You take the others, find a way off of this rock. I suspect they'll have the hangar closed up and secure." He handed Varsla the override tool. "Take this. Everything we need is on it."
"Sir, why do I get the impression that you want to get yourself killed?"
Toron offered the younger officer a rueful smile. Norvak strode over then, eyes narrowed.
"If my ears aren't deceiving me, it sounds like you intend a detour." Norvak, who had until recently gone out of his way to denigrate the young Captain, now looked upon him with a small measure of respect.
"I saw mention of something called 'Project Revival'," Toron said, gesturing to the device he had handed Varsla. "Whatever it is, it's on the lower levels and it's drawing a lot of power. Before this place blows up, I want to take a look for myself."
"All by yourself, sir?" Varsla appeared sceptical. Norvak quirked one brow ridge, and a wry smile formed at his mouth.
"I'll go with you," he said, and Toron gave the Sergeant somewhat of a bemused look. This was a surprise, hearing the Sergeant actually volunteer to join him on what the others no doubt figured was a suicidal detour.
"Are you sure, Sergeant?" Toron knew the dangers involved and he had no desire to bring anyone else along, knowing full well that if they died their deaths would be on his head. However, where Norvak was concerned he knew it was fruitless trying to dissuade him once he was fixed on a particular idea. Then again, he figured he was much the same. All he could be sure of was that he had a feeling about what was down there in the heart of the installation, something that the people in charge had taken considerable efforts to keep hidden. He had seen their advanced fighter craft in the hangar, and he would not have been surprised if one of those very craft had been responsible for Kavi Norrok's death. As for what could have been in the restricted area, he simply knew deep down that it had to be important.
"I'm offering you my help, Captain. And I have the same feeling you do. That insatiable curiosity that's more than likely going to get me killed one of these days."
Toron paused for a moment, mulling it over before he gave Norvak a curt nod. Sure, the Sergeant could come along. The extra help would certainly be appreciated. He turned to Varsla again, who had been watching him expectantly.
"That area isn't on any of the schematics we memorised," Toron said. "That means it's new. They have something down there, and I don't want to leave here until I've found out what." He motioned to Norvak. "Give the Lieutenant the detonator to the explosives."
Norvak did as he was told, handing over the otherwise innocuous palm-sized black remote to Varsla. Now Toron was thankful they had set the bombs for a remote detonation, rather than on a timer. Nonetheless, he would have to make their jaunt into the lower levels brief.
"Give us thirty minutes. Don't wait. The longer you wait, the more likely they'll be able to get in here and disarm the explosives." Toron held Varsla's gaze firmly. The young Lieutenant had come to him fresh and eager to impress, and so far he had proved himself an able soldier. Now, he would be granted further responsibilities, and Toron knew that the young male could handle them.
"We'll have to open the hangar doors," Varsla countered. "They've locked them down. We haven't the means to go extra-vehicular again." That had been the plan from the outset: steal a means of transport to get out. Of course, that part of the plan was very much open-ended. A consequence of the higher-ups who had concocted the whole thing having considered it a suicide mission, thereby leaving the exfiltration part to the discretion of whoever survived the raid.
"The control centre will have the means to open them." This statement made one thing very clear: they would have to assault the command centre. Toron and Norvak would head down, whereas Varsla and Pelinos and Larken would have to go for the command centre. Maybe more of their squad had made it on board, but at the moment they would simply have to make do with what they had.
"Good luck, sir." Varsla gave him another salute. Norvak visibly rolled his eyes. Toron gave the Lieutenant a nod, and Varsla turned around and started for the exit. Pelinos and Larken followed after them, both of them eyeing Norvak and Toron with some uncertainty. No doubt they thought the pair were crazy, but those three would be heading into some heavy danger themselves soon enough. Once they had disappeared down the corridor, Norvak rounded on Toron and raised a finger.
"If I get killed on this escapade, I'm coming back to haunt you." A mild joke on the Sergeant's part. Toron gave a half smile.
"There's a good chance I'll die, same as you." They had come this far, why leave when they were yet to unearth this place's full secrets? He wanted to do all the damage he could to the Union, and blowing this place up would set them back. However, something told him that whatever they had hidden here would do far more damage than a couple of explosive charges.