He tapped into the leisure network for the ship once more. It was broadcasting an alert, displaying his image on every entertainment display on the ship. It didn't matter.
He began broadcasting what he saw across the ship's entertainment systems, deactivated the cloaking systems and activated the personal shield built into his vacsuit and long coat.
He became visible as he strode down the hallway to the security office. His black face plate, crimson and black long coat and armoured vacsuit were the focus of everyone who could see the open main doors to the security office.
“That's him!” shouted a desk clerk who ran for cover.
Jake opened fire. Looking down the sight of his heavy sidearm with his mind's eye he couldn't miss as he made three head shots in quick succession, ruining the first three guards who were caught in the open, just bringing their rifles to bear.
He crossed the threshold into the security office and was immediately hit with several heavy energy rounds from his left. Energy shield absorbed the damage, spreading the electrical component of the rounds across its surface and showing some weakening from the high velocity impact of white hot particles. Without looking he swung the nanoblade blade at head level. His gaze followed a second behind the strike, just in time to see the blade pass through the center of a guard's head from ear to ear. The gel they wore to protect them from extreme thermal damage did nothing to stop the weapon.
“Helmets! He's got a blade!” Called out one soldier as he ducked behind a cubicle.
The room was filled with partitions, rows of plastic cubicles for numerous security officers. They were using them for cover, a few took quick shots at him but missed as he strode right out in the open.
Jake concentrated on his thermal spectrum of vision so he could see right through the thin partitions and picked out a target who was getting ready to stand and fire, the shape and temperature of the soldier marked him as crouching in thick armour with a long rifle. He took quick aim and fired through the thin plastic partition five times. Screams filled the room as he picked another target who was standing to fire and shot him once in the neck and once in his open mouth.
As he was struck by another energy bolt and his personal shield was reduced to ten percent power. Jake darted across the room, turned, dropped behind the main security terminal beside an unarmed officer and took sight of the soldier who had shot him. The man was ready, just waiting for him to peek out. The officer right beside him stared open eyed, in utter shock.
“Get anyone unarmed into that corner, you have three seconds.” Jacob instructed loudly, pointing towards the corner to his right.
The officer nodded and stood up only to be cut down by mistake by his own soldier.
“I tried,” Jake said to himself, taking advantage of the opportunity by raising the barrel of his sidearm up onto the desk, looking through the video sight and taking several shots at the man's grey helmet. The first shot was resisted, the two that followed it broke through.
He took an energy clip from his trench coat pocket and jacked it into his control and command unit, mentally instructing his personal energy shield to drain the device and recharge. After two seconds it was done and Jake stood up.
Two soldiers were waiting. They fired through the thin walls of the cubicles, one caught him several times with his lower powered automatic energy rifle. It didn't make a difference. Jake could plainly see who was armed and who wasn't using his new senses. He ran forward, down the center aisle and ran his sword cleanly through a cubicle and the arm of the soldier behind it.
He trained his sidearm sight on the nearest soldier and he fired several times, breaking through his armour. Taking aim at another armed man he repeated the act and when the soldier hiding just behind him started taking aim at his back Jake was ready.
He spun on his heel and cut through the cubicle wall just under the woman's helmet, cutting through her throat. Jake followed through with a single shot to her helmet, flinging the woman's head back and opening the wound to gaping. Blood surged into the air. What do I have to do to intimidate these people into surrendering? Jake thought to himself as self disgust threatened to overtake him.
As if in direct answer to his notion, two soldiers stood up and flung their rifles to the ground. “Surrender! We surrender!”
Jake trained his sidearm on the nearest of the two soldiers and set it to full automatic. “Open this section and let me out on the port side of the ship.”
“I can't, they'll execute me for that.”
Jake squeezed the trigger for less than a second and five shots struck the man's upper breastplate. The first three rounds didn't penetrate all the way through, the last two opened great gaping, flaming wounds inside the man's ribcage. The sparking fire and smoke from the thermite rounds flared from the large wounds as he fell to the deck and for several minutes after.
Jake's aim was immediately brought to bear against the other guard, who nodded. “Let me go with you.”
“Do you have the codes and clearance I'll need to get off the ship?”
“Yes, I have my own codes and my Lieutenant's.”
“Good, get to work.” Jake directed, slowly gesturing towards the large security control booth in the center of the room. “The rest of you get out of here! Anyone left in this room besides me and my new friend will be killed!” he caught sight of a soldier hiding several meters behind him start standing up, brandishing his rifle.
Jake spun, took aim with his sidearm and just as the soldier got his first shot off he killed him with the last three rounds in his thermite clip. He clicked the release, let the clip fall to the ground and put the weapon behind his back, where the loader inside his long coat fed a fresh clip into the weapon.
“Now, where were we?” Jake asked the soldier who had volunteered to help him escape.
As the unarmed security office workers and surrendered soldiers hurriedly left the room, lockouts across the center of the command carrier started to come down.
Riding The Needle
None of them ever thought they would see the inside of a rail cannon. The deck and repair crew had pointed one of the planetary cannons so it was aimed over the surface of the island. To everyone inside the Needle it looked like their trajectory would take them between two of the largest buildings.
A near miss at that speed has to have repercussions. Oz found himself thinking. “How long are they taking the shield down for?” He asked over the sound of the capacitor coils humming at the base of the cannon. The electromagnetic field was building up all around the long cylindrical ship.
“A little less than a quarter second. More than enough time to get through at the speed we'll be moving,” Ayan replied as she checked the inertial dampeners using her command and control unit. It was tied into the ship with well insulated wires, so there would be no chance that any jamming or wireless signals could interfere. “The dampeners are all ready,” she told Minh, who sat ahead of her at the main flight controls.