countermeasures, but it was too close for its drones to have much effect. Beams of blue sliced through the weak armor plating producing ugly looking hull breaches.
Machinery and personnel alike were sucked through the gashes into the vacuum of space, creating a ghastly floating debris field. Within seconds the Hermes missiles plowed into the weakened ship and detonated. Multiple explosions ripped through the vessel, amputating large chunks of the ship’s hull. Then the reactor exploded, annihilating the rest of the alien ship.
More cheers broke out on the bridge and Jon almost joined in. It wasn’t the Juttari, but it was still two kills. The Hermes had proven herself again. She was certainly growing on him.
“Sir, Engineering is reporting damage to some of our propulsion systems. FTL is still operational, but our jump system has been damaged and is offline. Repair crews are on route but it will take some time to repair,” said Wolfe.
"How much time?”
“At least a day, Sir.”
“Sir, ship’s sensors are picking up a small vessel, likely a lifeboat from the destroyed ship,” said Petrovic.
“Sir, we could be in this region of space for a while. The survivors could provide some valuable intelligence,” said Wolfe.
“Agreed. Retrieve the lifeboat and bring it into hanger bay 1. Seal off the hanger bay and deploy a full security detail. Assume all occupants are hostile.”
“Yes, Sir.”
CHAPTER 16
Underneath the Hermes a door opened and cluster of cylindrical drones were deployed. Firing jets the drones fanned out and raced toward the lifeboat. Bridging the gap in short order, the drones swarmed the lifeboat, hovering only a few feet from the vehicle’s hull. Once in position, the drones fastened themselves to the lifeboat and reversed their thrusters in unison, halting the lifeboat’s forward momentum. A brief tug of war ensued as the lifeboat tried in vain to break free from its captors. The robotic swarm then changed direction and forced its prey back to the Hermes.
In the hanger bay a security detail led by Chief St. Clair awaited the vessel’s arrival. Not taking any chances, St. Clair deployed two Hercules Class battle mechs. The giant war machines stood at opposite ends of the hanger bay. Standing ten feet tall, the mechanical beasts were a sight to behold. Shaped like a human, they had two giant arms and legs, but looked like someone forgot the head. Instead, a small mound was perched on the shoulders, hiding an array of sensors.
The pilot sat in the cockpit, behind the heavily armored chest, controlling the battle mech’s every move. The powerful arms had access to a formidable array of weaponry and currently deployed a pair of wicked looking Gatling guns. If necessary, the mech could swap out the Gatling guns for missile launchers and energy weapons.
For defense it had its own built in counter measures and could even switch its Gatling guns to point defense mode. Heavy ballistic armor protected it from most projectiles that managed to get through its defensive systems.
Engineered for multi-theater warfare, the mech could project force on land, in the air, or in space. A mech was a one man army, so the two mechs deployed on the hanger bay were insurance against anything on board the captured lifeboat.
Complementing the mechs was a squad of Marines and the Diakan security advisor, Kinos, wearing full combat suits. Much smaller than the mechs, the combat suits were essentially powered exoskeletons surrounded by heavy armor plating. Like the mechs, the combat suits were self-contained with their own life support systems, and could keep their occupants alive in the most hostile conditions, including space.
Once inside the combat suit the Marine would move normally, but would be augmented with superior speed and strength. Each suit had its own power source and AI, and all suits and mechs were interlinked over their own military grade network. The strength of the combat suits allowed each
Machinery and personnel alike were sucked through the gashes into the vacuum of space, creating a ghastly floating debris field. Within seconds the Hermes missiles plowed into the weakened ship and detonated. Multiple explosions ripped through the vessel, amputating large chunks of the ship’s hull. Then the reactor exploded, annihilating the rest of the alien ship.
More cheers broke out on the bridge and Jon almost joined in. It wasn’t the Juttari, but it was still two kills. The Hermes had proven herself again. She was certainly growing on him.
“Sir, Engineering is reporting damage to some of our propulsion systems. FTL is still operational, but our jump system has been damaged and is offline. Repair crews are on route but it will take some time to repair,” said Wolfe.
"How much time?”
“At least a day, Sir.”
“Sir, ship’s sensors are picking up a small vessel, likely a lifeboat from the destroyed ship,” said Petrovic.
“Sir, we could be in this region of space for a while. The survivors could provide some valuable intelligence,” said Wolfe.
“Agreed. Retrieve the lifeboat and bring it into hanger bay 1. Seal off the hanger bay and deploy a full security detail. Assume all occupants are hostile.”
“Yes, Sir.”
CHAPTER 16
Underneath the Hermes a door opened and cluster of cylindrical drones were deployed. Firing jets the drones fanned out and raced toward the lifeboat. Bridging the gap in short order, the drones swarmed the lifeboat, hovering only a few feet from the vehicle’s hull. Once in position, the drones fastened themselves to the lifeboat and reversed their thrusters in unison, halting the lifeboat’s forward momentum. A brief tug of war ensued as the lifeboat tried in vain to break free from its captors. The robotic swarm then changed direction and forced its prey back to the Hermes.
In the hanger bay a security detail led by Chief St. Clair awaited the vessel’s arrival. Not taking any chances, St. Clair deployed two Hercules Class battle mechs. The giant war machines stood at opposite ends of the hanger bay. Standing ten feet tall, the mechanical beasts were a sight to behold. Shaped like a human, they had two giant arms and legs, but looked like someone forgot the head. Instead, a small mound was perched on the shoulders, hiding an array of sensors.
The pilot sat in the cockpit, behind the heavily armored chest, controlling the battle mech’s every move. The powerful arms had access to a formidable array of weaponry and currently deployed a pair of wicked looking Gatling guns. If necessary, the mech could swap out the Gatling guns for missile launchers and energy weapons.
For defense it had its own built in counter measures and could even switch its Gatling guns to point defense mode. Heavy ballistic armor protected it from most projectiles that managed to get through its defensive systems.
Engineered for multi-theater warfare, the mech could project force on land, in the air, or in space. A mech was a one man army, so the two mechs deployed on the hanger bay were insurance against anything on board the captured lifeboat.
Complementing the mechs was a squad of Marines and the Diakan security advisor, Kinos, wearing full combat suits. Much smaller than the mechs, the combat suits were essentially powered exoskeletons surrounded by heavy armor plating. Like the mechs, the combat suits were self-contained with their own life support systems, and could keep their occupants alive in the most hostile conditions, including space.
Once inside the combat suit the Marine would move normally, but would be augmented with superior speed and strength. Each suit had its own power source and AI, and all suits and mechs were interlinked over their own military grade network. The strength of the combat suits allowed each
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