Chapter 56: Chapter 15.4: Lora

   

      Lora Rookson wasn’t afraid of war. She had been transformed, altered, and improved specifically for it. In a way she lived only for war, she grew stronger from it. This was why she didn’t run in panic when everyone else was screaming down the halls. It was why she wasn’t afraid even now when she felt cornered in an enemy ship deep behind enemy lines. 

      The smell of sweat and grime flooded her world inside the suit. She had been wearing it for several days. Lora didn’t mind, and neither did her team. 

      They had all unleashed hell, her small kill team had been fully engaged almost constantly since encountering the tentacled kidnappers. The sickly monsters reminded her of some of the chimeric abominations they had faced in the war, albeit made of flesh rather than machine. 

      They fought until their ammunition ran dry, and then resorted to blades. Even when their serrated daggers grew dull, they fought with their fists, kneecaps, and all the marshal training at their disposal.

      The creatures were creative in their pursuit, and desire, to strip them of their armor. Yet they struggled to fully unsheathe them from the sophisticated combat suits. 

      It was almost comical. Watching them grabble onto their limbs, trying to find purchase and unlatch the seals that were carefully installed within the armored carapaces had proven too much for them. The only thing the intruders managed to achieve, was to allow themselves to get too close for far too long. Within moments the creatures realized they would never have enough time to navigate the combat suites systems before being ripped to pieces. They kept their distance after that, and then tried to get away.

      For the first time in years Lora felt truly alive. Blood rushed to her limbs with each resounding heart beat. Adrenaline spiked, keeping her focused and alert. Before long, they regrouped with others in their troupe and could operate as a functional fire team. Their enhanced physical anatomy kept them from growing tired, an fed their blood with enough testosterone to fend off everything the invaders had to throw at them. 

      Eventually they got tired of hiding, agreeing to take the fight directly to the enemy. The surviving mercenaries broke up shortly after defeating that last batch of humanoid intruders in their way. The plan was simple, almost textbook. They would each attempt to board the monolithic vessel that had captured the Star of Argon, and sabotage as much of its crucial components as possible. Life support, interstellar travel, communications, and if possible power generation.

      They had all been trained for situations like this, and survived far worse. By breaking up, they could cover more ground in faster time. It also made it impossible for the enemy to surround and corner them all at once. What they had elected to do, the mission they had taken upon themselves, was a high risk operation with minimal chances of success. Despite this, they were happy to go for it. It was far better than hiding in forgotten corridors aboard the Argon.

      Boarding the enemy ship was the easy part, and due to its size they were able to remain hidden for an extended period of time. Sabotaging it wasn’t so much.

      Life support was a complicated system integrated through a web of infrastructure throughout the ship. There was no single point of failure, or even a manageable collection of places to destroy. As for the power supply, the largest generator was seemingly impossible to find. Lora spent an entire day in search of it, and every time she got close, following schematics she had downloaded, the hallways seemed to change? It was unlike anything she had seen before. The gravity drive’s location was no different, except for a painful migraine that grew as she tried to get near its level. 

      Eventually Lora elected with disrupting communications, and seeing if there was a way to save the Star of Argon. The only other tactical option she could think of, was to find a way to evacuate the captured crew. 

      The only good news was that they were orbiting the world of Sinmore. It meant they could make their way to the surface if there was enough evacuation pods, or landing shuttles. She only hoped they could be flown automated. 

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      “Jamming complete,” Danica’s voice came through to Lora’s receiver. “We have clean comms for the next eight minutes.”

      Remaining in constant contact had proven rather difficult. They couldn’t risk prolonged chats, not without the ships internal sensors from locating them. Danica had proven masterful at breaking through the block chain’s guarding the ships security systems, but they never stayed broken for long.

      “You should see this place,” Caio’s voice came through. He sounded shaken…and disturbed. “There are thousands of prisoners. It’s like an animal farm in here!”

      Lora had seen one of the prison blocks. If one could even call it that. She watched as human beings were stripped of their sanity, and pumped full of narcotics. Their minds were being re-programmed, and their bodies modified to suit the pleasure of whoever was the master of this vessel. Those lucky few souls who still had an ounce of recollection about them were powerless to resist. All they could do was endure, until eventually accepting their fate.

      Lora kept to the shadows, having found some relative safety in one of the ships many empty corridors. Her combat suit was buzzy recycling her sweat so that she could take a sip of water. She would need to find a fresh supply soon. 

      “Are there any emergency pods we can use?” Lora asked her team, hoping someone might’ve found some useful information.

      This time it was Ugo’s voice that answered. He kept his calm, even though he just barely escaped an ambush. Lora could hear the panting in between his words. “I’ve downloaded some of the internal schematics, several compartments are designed to detach from the ship if necessary.” He paused a moment to catch his breath. “If we can cause a distraction, or herd the passengers to certain compartments, we might be able to save the majority. At the very least we can help some of the passengers in our charge.”

      Lora’s first priority was rescuing the crew of the Star of Argon. That is what they were paid to do. She felt bad leaving anyone else behind, even though there was little she could do. The odds were stacked against them enough already, it would be unwise to press their luck any further. 

      “Distraction? Any ideas?” Lora asked. In her pursuit for the engine room, and the generators, she had discovered no weakness to exploit. 

      There was a short pause. Lora could hear heavy breathing coming from Ugo’s transmitter, and a muffled groan from Caio. She could hear some of the noises of what must’ve been a prison ward near Caio’s location, some of the sounds were truly unsettling.

      “I have an idea,” Danica whispered. “But we have to wait another eight hours.”

      Brilliant. Lora bit her lip, and rolled her eyes. She checked the timepiece in her heads up display, and then looked down at the knife in her hands. She would give anything for a gun. 

      “Eight hours? Why that long?” Lora asked. Just then she could hear what sounded like a footstep coming from down the hall, and quickly adjusted position. Slowly, she looked down the narrow corridor for any signs of life. Whatever it was, it seemed to have gone. She couldn’t help but wonder if the ship was playing tricks with her?

      Danica cleared her throat before giving her answer. Something clearly bothered her as well, for she seemed distracted. “Because in about eight hours things are going to get hot. And I mean fighting hot, not as in steamy hot. I felt like I had to make the distinction, seeing as this ship is obviously in the business of sexual exploitation.” She sighed. “You know what, let me just put it this way. We’re about to have company.”

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