Eric Olafson, Midshipman 09

Part 9: FROZEN THREATS

We reached Tabernacle 12 with next to empty tanks. We were expected and landing controls took over.

The small planet looked very much like a dirty snow ball. Its own sun was nothing more than a bright star and its next planetary neighbor was almost eight light minutes removed.

The landing beam guided us towards a crater and at its center was a set of large iris doors that opened for us.

As soon as we had landed, Marines in heavy Destroyer Suits surrounded our ship. At least twenty Cerberus Battle Robots joined their ranks and a cold voice came over intercom. “Commence cargo transfer.”

“Hold it right there, Mister.” Zezz responded. “We stuck to the book sofar. I expect you to go by the same protocol. To make this clear to you. I am connected to the Autodestruct sequencer dialed down to one microsecond delay. I will open the hatch for no one but Professor Sam Neuberger and only after he identified himself according to Blue-Blue-Red protocol. Not even the Cerberus robots can prevent me from commencing auto destruct.”

There was a moment of silence and I put my hand on the weapon control panel.

“This is Dr. Sam Neuberger and I am transmitting Blue-Blue-Red protocol ID procedure.”

After another moment the Computronic chirped.” Identity verified. Blue-Blue-Red protocol Phase One completed.”

Zezz kept his claw on the self-destruct activator.” Dr. Neuberger only has permission to come aboard. Bring your Code key and day code.”

A bony looking human emerged and approached our shuttle.

“Anyone else approaching and my associate will fire and I will destruct.”

Neuberger came in completed the complicated and ritualized security protocol and only then did Zezz raise his hand of the panel. “Our package is all yours professor.”

“Thank you Captain Zezzazzzzz.”

The man then said made an inviting gesture. “Why don’t you both take a few hours rest in our base. You are both Blue-Blue-Red cleared and I give you permission.”

“Thank you Professor. We couldn’t go anywhere anyway. We’re out of fuel.”

“Our service personnel are taking care of your craft I am sure. There is someone eager to meet you.”

The Professor walked with us across the hangar to a set of Ultronit airlock doors, while robots and Marines unloaded the container from the Scorpion.

To me and I was sure to Captain Zezz’s surprise there was another Shiss waiting as the massive Airlock doors parted. That Shiss was wearing a dark grey Uniform. He had a golden star on each side of his collar, making him a Rear Admiral lower half. The service patch on his left arm was an open eye looking down onto a stylized spiral galaxy. The logo of Navy intelligence Services. The Science Shiss raised all four arms.” Zezzzzazhh, Brother.”

The lizaroid Shiss hugged each other and Dr. Neuberger laughed. “This is the reason I wanted you to stay for a while.”

Shortly after Zezz had greeted and hugged his brother, we found ourselves sitting at a table in the base officer’s lounge.

Captain Zezz and the other Shiss had spoken in their native tongue until now; Captain Zezz pointed at me and said. “I know, we are not acting according to protocol, but I haven’t seen my brother in ages” Zezz put his claw hand on my shoulder and looked at his brother: “This is Ensign Olafson ; he is a promising young officer.” Then he pointed at the other Shiss.” And that is Zhuzzzz my bigger brother and Nest sharer. He is the base commander and managed to get a Rear Admiral star on his collar too.”

I stood and saluted.” Admiral Sir, it is an honor.”

Zezzh hissed laughing.” He does that all the time but then he is still in the Academy.”

“Sit down. Cadet.” Said Zhuzzzz.” No need for those kinds of formalities around here.”

Professor Neumann joined the conversation and looked at me.”I can’t tell you what it is you brought us since it is classified on a Need to know basis. However I can show you around the base. Your security clearance is certainly high enough for that. It might even be interesting and it will give those two a little private time to catch up.”

“Thank you Sir that would be great.”

Neumann led me to an IST. “This is a secret lab facility, only a handful privileged know that Tabernacle 12 isn’t a religious University. Well there is one above us, but that’s just for show.”

“I understand, Sir. Do I address you as Professor or Doctor Neumann?”

“Depending on what academic system it is either. By Union Science Corps terms I am a Professor rank III. By civilian terms I am a PhD or Doctor and by the University I studied I reached the highest academic rank, which is professor.” He smirked.”I know its complicated and totally confusing even to me.”

Inside the IST capsule, Neumann put his hand on a panel and said. Containment Vault Level K”

He then returned to answer my question.”Most academics have a chip on their shoulder and demand to be addressed by whatever title they think they should be addressed. You can simply call me Doc Sam as everyone around here does.”

After a high speed trip deep into the core of the planet, we entered a corridor that had been carved out of the rocky core and reinforced with Ultronit beams.” Here on Tabernacle 12 we contain, detain and research the most dangerous sentient life forms in the known Universe. Down here on Level K for example we have stasis chambers holding the last eight known life specimen of the Xunx race, kept in stasis for the almost 3000 years.”

I remembered the story of the Xunx from class. They were Terra’s first Alien enemies and it was the Xunx aggressive advances that made the Sarans land on Earth and give the Terrans faster than light technology.

Behind a meter thick wall of a transparent material hung a 5 meter tall insect. The Xunx looked exactly as in the school visuals. I remembered Mr. Walters, one of my Union school teachers describing Xunx to be a mixture between Hornet and Praying mantis.

I studied the Insectoid for a few moments and then asked.” What are those metallic strips all over its body, professor?

He smiled. “You have a keen eye, Son. This is a titanium support skeleton, Xunx are true Insectoids and come from a low gravity world. No insect could reach such size in a standard grav world. It’s the chitinshell, their exoskeleton ; it would have to be ten times as thick to support this size and would be too heavy to be mobile. Under gravitation that is normal to us they could hardly move, that is why they have these Support Skeletons implanted”

“The Klack are almost as big and I never noticed them to have such supports.”

“The Klack also have an internal naturtal endoskeleton, enough to support their size on their home world. The Gravitation on Klackt is still only 70 percent Standard, and next time you see a Klack you will certainly see a personal Gravitation Reducer somewhere glued to the body. The Klack too, are on the limit of size.”

I was surprised at myself. I found myself wanting to know more of these details. Before in school I had never paid much attention in Xeno Class. “What is the purpose of keeping those Xunx, Sir? Would it not be sufficient to keep a Genetic map and a DNA sample on file for research? I am sure a Computronic could simulate one using a DNA map.”

“Partially you are correct for some biological research that would be enough, but there are other factors such as sociological and individual developments that can’t be researched on a clone. Who knows we might run into another species one day that is similar to the Xunx. We at Xeno Research believe the more we really know about them the better we can defend ourselves should they or similar beings ever come and pose a threat. Detailed knowledge will also give hints on taboos, social barriers and communication differences, such knowledge can often help to prevent conflict.

That made sense and we went on with this fascinating little tour. Behind another window was a Nul-Nul in suspended animation. I saw specimen of Freons and Ferons, also long extinct.

He pointed at the Level indicator. “The further down, the more dangerous the Life forms.”

“I don’t even want to know what you keep in Level Z then.”

He laughed. That I can tell you, nothing yet. We have yet to meet a life form that would meet the specifications of danger levels beyond Level T. Life forms such as the Coven and the Narth are considered T class life forms and there are no known technologies to contain a T Class life form yet.”

The Professor so it appeared enjoyed having a willing student and an audience even if it was just me, and he was friendly and answered my questions, but then something happened. I did not really notice it at first, but his flood of words and eager explanations ceased and he asked me in a very formal tone to follow him. He led me of the main corridor into what looked like a high security laboratory and I wondered what he would show me there. We had barley reached the lab when Zezz came in followed by his brother and asked.” Professor, you summoned us and said it was urgent?”

The laboratory was perhaps fifty meters in diameter with a high ceiling. On one side where two large Cryostasis containers on a steel table and there where instruments and equipment of which I could identify only the Optical Micro scanner. The massive door and only access to the lab slammed shut with a fat, heavy sound. The professor staggered a few steps and pulled a small Laser gun out of his coat pocket.” I need your code keys. That is why I summoned you here.”

Two Kermac stepped from behind a row of large tanks. Both holding Kermac Line blasters leveled at us.

One of them said.” We control the professor just fine, he will do whatever we say, but we can’t psi-control a Fleet Captain and why we can’t even detect that human cadet I do not know, but he is insubstantial in the scheme of things. You Shiss however will use your code keys or we will shoot you and do it ourselves.”

Zezz and his brother were as surprised as I was.

Zuzzh shook his scaled head.” I don’t know how you managed to get here or to pass the psi barriers, but the keys alone won’t do you any good. You need the day code and I am not giving you that. There are 200 Ultra Marines on this base and they will storm this lab if they detect weapon fire.”

“Captain Zezzzzazhh, us being here is the culmination of a plan set in motion twenty years ago. Don’t you think we know that? We disabled the sensors for this lab and besides these are five meter force field reinforced Ultronit doors and walls three times as thick, the very best in Terran Engineering.” He laughed. “It would take them days to blast through and by then we have what we need and you will be dead. Cooperate and you walk away alive.”

No one seemed to pay any attention to me. Even as I slowly moved towards one of the multi task consolesbehind me.

Zezz suppressed a scream into a painful gasp. The Kermac could not read him, but I was sure they used some sort of Psionic power to cause Zezz pain. I reached the panel without being noticed. Multi task consoles could be configured to almost any situation. This one was probably set to some science configuration. I found the reset control without looking. Then I whispered as loud as I dared.” Computronic : audio command input. Set outputs to mute.”

I hoped I was speaking loud enough for the machine to pick it up Then I said.” Tie into Base security and transmit all audio in here and raise security alert.”

Something in my mind warned me. It was as if someone said. Jump.

I dove to the side and a sun bright blaster beam slammed into the console, but at the same time red lights rotated and a siren began blaring.”

One of the Kermac laughed.” Very good Human. You managed to raise the alarm. However it will do little good; the doors cannot be opened from the outside. You are expendable and you will die.”

Zezz and Zuzzh took their chances and simultaneously catapulted themselves forward into the Kermac.

A Kermac looked almost human. They had two arms two legs a head with two eyes and a mouth. They had small noses, ears and their skin appeared as if bleached to an unnatural paper white. Kermac had no hair, except for ceremonial fake beards glued to their chins which I had learned in Xeno class contained sophisticated Psi tech amplifiers that magnified and augmented their natural Psionic abilities.

Kermacs where second only to the Saresii in that regard and managed to enslave entire planet populations with their Hypno suggestive psi powers, but physically they were only 120-150 cm tall and no match for a Shiss who could go toe to toe with a Nul-Nul.

I had rolled behind that row of metal tanks which had served the Kermac as cover, and expected the struggle to be over in a moment. I was wrong. Only Zezz reached his target, Zuzzh was stopped in midair, hung suspended and then violently pushed back by invisible telekinesis forces.

Zezz managed to reach his opponent because the Kermac was still distracted by me and wiped his razor sharp claws across the face of the Kermac and took half of his skull off in a shower of skin, blood and bone fragments. There was no doubt this Kermac was mortally wounded, but Zezz could not press his advantage as he too rose into the air and like his brother slammed hard into a wall. The Kermac screamed in anger as he saw his comrade twitching on the floor. He pulled a device out of a belt pouch and he yelled. “You will pay. If we can’t have them we set them free and let them kill you all.”

The two cylindrical containers shattered to pieces and out of the metal fragments and wisps of super cool air two huge four armed threatening shapes emerged.

Four meter tall, four armed giants with dark brown scaled skin, column like legs. Their heads where set right between their shoulders without a neck. Each of them had four yellow glowing eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth that would make a Rock shark look tame. I had never seen beings like that, but they looked exactly like the images in history class. Those where Y’All warriors. The most dangerous and vicious life from ever encountered.Breed or engineered by an unknown advanced culture for a single purpose.

The Kermac barked. “Destroy without mercy.”

The Kermac held the alien device, that had the size of a PDD up before the advancing Y’All and both giants stopped.

The Kermac spoke into the device. “Recognize your supreme Lord. I am Kermac and I command you to Kill and destroy everything in sight. Then find us a way to escape.”

The monstrous giants reacted slow and sluggish, but one of them managed to grab Zezz who just tried to get on his feet, by a leg and lifted the strong and heavy Shiss like a weightless toy. Zezz would die. I had to do something. I took one of the man tall liquid nitrogen tanks, it was so heavy I could barely lift it, using it like a battering ram I ran with it as fast as I could aiming for the Y’All who held Zezz. I collided with the giant and the force of the impact did make the Y’All stagger a few steps back. Zuzzh had recovered as well and screamed a war cry at the top of his voice, using his wings not to fly but to glide half across the lab lashing out with all his claws against the face of the second Y’All.

The Y’All I had attacked swung and his claw tipped hand ripped through the steel tank as if it was made of paper. The air was immediately filled with ice cold steam and for a moment obscured everything before me as liquid Helium splashed all over the Monster. I retreated, that should be enough to stop the monster. I had to find a way to open the doors somehow. The Ultra Marines on the other side would have the fire power to stop both Y’All.

While I was stumbling back from the billowing clouds of Helium, I noticed the Professor; he stood holding the little blaster, like a statue staring at the floor. He didn’t even react as I pushed him out of the way and took the laser from his hand, his eyes looked glassy and stared into emptiness. I grabbed him by the shoulders and stuffed him under one of the metal examination tables. With a glance I checked out his weapon, it was a Class III Walther Pulse laser, good enough to make a robber think twice to steal your wallet, but not much else.

Taking care of the professor had cost me valuable moments and distracted me from the main action. Again it was sheer luck and nothing else that saved my life, that or perhaps the Kermac was a lousy shot. He had fired at me and again missed me, although only by the fraction of a centimeter. The superheated air cooked off much of my uniform jacket and burned my shoulder. It was the tough material of the jacket that prevented me from receiving crippling burns. I had to be high on adrenalin or perhaps shocked with fear, I noticed the pain but it did not affect me much otherwise. In all that chaos and screaming I knelt down, took careful aim and squeezed the trigger. The fine laser beam nailed the Kermac square between the eyes. He dropped dead to the floor.

A terrible sound made me turn around and I witnessed in horror how one of the Y’All ripped Zuzzh upper right Arms right out of the socket. I fired the laser that killed the Kermac but the laser beam simply made a coin sized spot on the Monsters crystalline skin turn red and had no other effect on the Y’All.

In the meantime the other Y’All tossed Zezz away with a bone crushing back hand swing and stomped towards me. I had no better idea than to use an Aikido throw; I took the Walther laser between my teeth, grabbed the left arm that came swinging at me with both hands and threw myself backward. I used the mass and momentum of the Y’All added all my weight to it, lifted the massive monster with both legs over me and so threw him, I thought I was handling a full grown Fangsnapper bull, and my legs almost buckled, but even Y’All warriors were bound by the laws of physic. He crashed with a thunderous ruckus between more Cryo-tanks and lab equipment. That gave me enough time to take three jumps and reach the much better and more powerful Kermac-Line Blaster the Kermac had dropped. The Walther went into my leg pocket.

The other Y’All was about to rip Zuzzh head off and I had no hopes that the Rear Admiral was still alive, he hung limp in the fists of the Y’All. His dark gray uniform in shreds and soaked with blood. The one I threw came to his feet, ripped a steel table out of the floor and threw it into my direction. I rolled away and fired at the head of the second Y’All, the beam of the Kermac beam dissolved a section of the rock hard crystalline armor, but all it did was make the Y’All even more furious. The second one came towards me and he came fast. I aimed the weapon above him and with a blast severed a service pipe. It dropped showered the monster with a flood of steaming water and, hit the Y’All square on the neck less head. The impact of the falling steel pipe would have broken the skull of any lesser being, but this monster just staggered a second, and then grabbed the pipe like a giant club. With two blasts I cut it in half, at the last moment as he swiped it at me. In a desperate move I rolled forward fired the line into his open maw. It did burn away some of its lower jaw and a few teeth, but still far from really hurting or stopping it. However it did clasp his upper hands across his maw and staggered back a few steps. Giving me the air to get out of its reach and melt a few floor plates beneath its feet. That made it loose its footing and finally the Y’All fell.

But the other was almost over me now and I had no room of evading it without passing close by the other. I didn’t see Zezz, the Y’all must have killed him and tossed aside, so I repeated my Aikido move and it proved surprisingly effective again adding to his approaching momentum ... He crashed into his companion and for a short moment it looked as if they would go against each other. I now noticed Captain Zezz, badly wounded but alive struggling to his feet. The Y’All had forgotten anything else and turned their attention to me and I knew this was it. I had no chance defeating them in any way. The Line blaster gave off three more shots, neither blast penetrated their though skin, just melted some of it with I had to think fast, martial arts would not save me this time. Y’All were no longer slow lumbering monsters; they became, smarter and more agile by the minute. I had no idea how long they had been in suspended animation but I was certain once they had completely recovered there would be nothing short of a fully equipped, battle-suited Marine able to stop these monsters. Even now in the heat of battle I could not imagine what horror they presented attacking in waves of thousands as I knew they had done in the past.

I darted around a console, while the first Y’All grunted at the second. The reason was clear he ordered the other to go the other way so they could catch me easier. It then ripped an instrument console out of the floor and tossed it into my direction, missing only because I managed to evade in the last moment, but the desk smacked into the wall, pieces flying through the air, showering me with scrap pieces of metal and transpa-plast. I felt a sharp pain from my back, unable to see what hit me there I tried to ignore it There was no time to check, both monsters where almost within reach.

With my best effort I jumped over the console wreckage, rolled over my good shoulder evading the left giant once more, but barely. It was only a matter of time and I would be caught, at the moment I was still faster, but everything to them was a weapon and their incredible strength made everything they tossed a deadly missiles.

A red box at the wall caught my eye: “Fire Emergency” and behind a sheet of transparent material a red painted axe.

It took only a heartbeat to break the transparent pane, grab the axe. As soon as I yanked it out of the holding braces, red lights rotated and a green beam swept the entire room from a central emerging dome in the ceiling, Fire suppressor rays, designed to scan for heat and siphon energy from any fire or heat source.

The Axe started humming. It was equipped with a Force field cutting blade and it activated the moment I took it. I tossed the next to useless Kermac weapon.

The first Y’All reached me extended his upper arms and I swung the axe with all my strength. Neither Laser nor Kermac Weapon had much effect on them, but the fire axe blade sliced through the monsters hand, cutting several fingers off. In all the chaos I laughed, more mad than anything. “Let’s see if you rotten Lokicursed, trolls can take a Viking with an axe.” And while I screamed I hacked into the reaching arms again, showering me with a spray of black blood. It stank horrible and burned like acid, but they bled. The Old Norse saying what you can make bleed you can kill, held true, even here. This Y’All was utterly surprised by his injuries staggered a few steps back. More feeling than knowing I sensed the other one was close behind me, I did not waste that opportunity but dove straight between the legs of the wounded alien hacking into what would be the Achilles heel at a human opponent. The humming of the axe went into high pitch as it ground deep into the crystalline rock hard substance that covered the Aliens body like a suit of armor. I was still on the floor and hacked like a maniac with all my strength and speed twice more onto the hamstring areas of both legs. The Y’All screamed. It was the most disturbing and the most satisfying sound at the same time. It screamed more and staggered. I hacked into the other hamstring area; the giant fell forward into the other one. To my horror I saw the wounds I just inflicted already closing, but the giant Y’All fell and with both my arms I drove the axe deep into the dome shaped skull. The Y’All thrashed, now on the floor the second one had free room to reach me, but he seemed shocked by the fate of his partner and stood there for a moment, no longer than perhaps three heartbeats, a life time in a fight like this, I chopped down on his friend jumping and evading grabbing arms, the third axe blow split the skull wide open and the blade went deep. More blood gushed in a hot geyser, from the horrible wound; the Y’All on the floor trashed once more and then moved no more. That gave the other enough time to react and came close. I wasted a precious second trying to get the axe out of the wound. The axe was buried deep and trapped. It was ripped out of my hands and he caught me. His upper arm pair clasped around my legs. That was it I was done for. He would rip me apart down the middle.

In that proverbial last moment I saw the most beautiful sight I had ever hoped to see. Two Ultra Marines in Destroyer suits jumped into my field of view. The right one slammed his oversized armor fist augmented by Mylar Syntho muscles and artificial added mass square into the face of the Y’All and sending it tumbling back. Either that or needing his hands to face the marines, the Y’All losing his grip on my legs and I was tossed right across the room, crushing with my good shoulder first into a console. I could hear my own bones cracking and this time I had a hard time ignoring the mind numbing pain, still I was not out and stumbled to my feet, watching a marine use his augmented leg to kick the Alien into submission. Now more Marines and Cerberus robots flooded the room. I managed a very sloppy salute with the wrong hand as my right arm was completely numb, and yelled a scratchy “Semper Fi.” Now I noticed my left leg must have been broken or something. It send a stabbing pain up my spine and then I think I passed out.