Invasion Seven

By: Robert Boluyt

The Freedom soared away from Capella, the torpedoes had hit a simulated holographic ship.

"Computer, that was incredible, I didn't know you had holographic emitters onboard."

"That is classified information, it was not listed in the report on me."

"Is there any abandoned Capellan base nearby?"

"One, Visigoth VIII, why would you want to go there?"

"To resupply our quantum torpedoes, we are down to 6, correct."

"Yes, Master Carson, shall I open a tunnel?"

Carson hesitated,

"Did the Capellan engineers configure it for a Capellan?"

"No, but I can make the correct adjustments to the matrix, while we were on Capella I ran a sensor sweep of the planet and detected several tunnels being made. I will simply create the same matrix configuration."

"Then lets go."

The Freedom disappeared into the heavens. The Colorful blue and brown ball that was Capella sat silently, watching their departure. The surface was any thing but silent, however. Rear Admiral Oen stood facing a large bay window. The ground crews were preparing his personal shuttle that he would use to get to the fleet. It was a most impressive fleet, originally 133 star ships, now 317 star ships. Ranging from the size of a shuttlepod to a massive Grein class cruiser. It was the largest fleet ever assembled, this time they would make it, this time the Coparian Empire would fall. It had to, or the Capellan Republic would be defenseless. All the Republic's ship were in the fleet, including a few civilian ships.

Carson kicked a pile of rubble, this base had, apparently, been destroyed in some kind of attack. He had landed the Freedom and emerged to see the wreckage. They were not going to find torpedoes here, with their luck they had been used in the attack that brought the death of this base. Carson looked around. They were in a large landing bay area, the roof had been blown off, allowing them to land. They were bits and pieces of rubble on the floor.

"Computer," said Carson, directing his gaze toward the ship, "can you scan for quantum torpedoes, then teleport them onboard?"

"I can scan for them, but they will have to be loaded manually."

"Where are the torpedoes?"

"Three levels below us, in a room that was once protected by a magnetic field."

"Some how I doubt the lifts are working, do we have a anti grav cart onboard?"

"Of course I am designed to be able resupply any where, anytime."

Carson went in side and got the cart.

"Beam me to the torpedoes."

"Yes, sir." The world around Carson vanished and was replaced by a drab corridor with a single door. The door was the kind that opened with you got near it, but half of the door was ajar. Carson walked up to the door with discretion, the broken half was laying slightly out of place with the other half, the center of the broken half was cracked, as if some one had tried to pound his way into the room. Carson forced open the undamaged part of the door and kicked the other one aside. He pushed the cart into the room, he should have brought a light. The room was almost pitch black, except for a hole in the for wall. Light streamed in from the hole, lighting a small part of the room. Carson drew his plasma blaster and fired at the wall, he knew it was dangerous, but he needed to see. The wall vaporized and the room was bathed in light. A skeleton lay sprawled in the center of the room, its spine shattered.

"HHHHRRRROOOOGGGHHH!" Something let out a roar that made the floor rumble. Carson turned to see a large beast, about 9 meters tall, four large arms, two tree trunk legs, and a 5 meter long tail with a wicked curved scythe blade at the end. Carson went for his blaster, but the beast was faster. It raised one of its arms and smacked Carson in the side. Carson flew across the room and hit a bare wall. Carson staggered to his feet and drew his blaster, the beast charged him. Carson's thumb flicked the blasters setting to heavy stun and fired. The blast connected with the creature, but it didn't even slow it down. Carson dove out of the beast's path just in the nick of time. The creature had great reflexes and stopped two millimeters away from the wall. Carson upped the blaster's power and fired again, the blasters energy only enraged the beast further. It grabbed Carson around the waist and lifted him into the air. The beast turned to face the wall Carson had vaporized, it walked right to the edge and looked down.

The gaze of the beast dropped 50 meters straight down to the jagged rocks below. The beast lift Carson higher and tilted his arms back. Carson cranked the power on the blaster to maximum, pressed it to the beast's head and fired. Its head exploded, covering Carson with multi- colored entrails. The creature's body and Carson fell. Carson felt the wind rush past him, he was falling! He flailed his arms wildly, grabbing for a hold that wasn't there. He grabbed the slick wall of the base and slid faster. A root. Carson snatched it, he stopped, but the root couldn't hold his weight for long. Holding with one hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a hand held communicator. He flipped it open, then the root snapped!

To be Concluded . . .

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