On his Jackknife, seven pairs of eyes stared at Sinn. Four of his team, the shipless pilots, sat in disbelief. On the other hand, faces on his three marine veterans bubbled with excitement. Sinn grinned back at his group and broke the silence on their comms channel. “We can do it, right Legius?”

Legius replied.

“So Aero, think you can get us a map?” Sinn asked.

The org channel went quiet again.

“Uh… he’s not responding,” Mayto noted.

“Don’t worry. He’ll pull through for us,” Sinn replied. He’s already working on it. Probably.

Sinn looked out the Jackknife’s viewport, where over a dozen torpedo trails lined their trajectory. In the distance, his new target overshadowed all ships surrounding it. The battlecruiser’s scale became more and more apparent with each passing moment.

“We’ve got minutes Legius, what do we do?”

he responded.

Without a word, his three vets popped open the onboard weapons locker, revealing a multitude of arms and ordnance. Steel grabbed two RPGs and a launcher, while Rider and Lasso each picked out a spare shield capacitor.

“What about the rest of us?” Sinn eyed the collection of submachine guns left in the cache.

An annoyed Aero appeared on their tiny screen.

“Great! Thanks man!” Sinn hopped out of his seat. “Pull it up Mayto.”

Aero’s image blinked out before Sinn could respond.

“Will do Aero,” Sinn glanced over the target map, now floating in the center of their cabin. As Aero said, large chunks of the diagram appeared missing. “Legius?”

Legius noted.

Wave added.

Legius announced.

Match offered.

“What about us?” Sinn looked over the map. However, all the important objectives seemed taken.

Legius said.

Match interjected,

All eyes turned to the viewports, where they found their craft joined by dozens of fighters. Sinn counted four Wasp and two Viper squadrons, all adorned in the red and gold S&B colors. He glanced toward their destination, where he saw another spectacle; countless ships wove among themselves, spraying plasma bolts in every direction. Missiles flew, shields glowed, and every second, several ships broke down in flames.

“Damn it! I knew I should have claimed a Rattler!” It was the largest fighter battle he had ever seen, yet Sinn was stuck on a boarding craft holding a rifle.

“Looks like Aero managed to get us a huge escort,” Mayto said. “Getting on board should be easy if we don’t have any bugs on our ass.”

Legius announced.

Despite her prior experience in their three past dominion wars, Nova had never seen a battlefield as chaotic as the one they just dove into, and she could only think of the fighter combat as a pandemonium. Black Hole Legion’s hired ships descended upon the Stars and Bars squadrons as a disorderly horde, with each contracted org assailing their nearest vulnerable target. After all, BHL paid orgs by the kill, and cooperation gave no guarantee of shared profit. Thus, any semblance of grand strategy fell by the wayside. The hundreds of red dots in erratic motion rendered her holomap useless, leaving Nova only her eyes and instincts to rely on.

The six Wraiths fighters had pierced through the discord with four Jackknives in tow. Ship by ship, they picked off any fighters which sent attacks their way. On final approach, their charges split off from the fighters toward the battlecruiser their chosen entry points.

Eckos announced.

Aero responded.

Jake asked.

“Jake. What do you think we’re here for?” Nova suppressed the urge to shoot Jake down. “Form up on me.”

“And Aero?” Nova asked. “Can we get flags for the transports?”

“Thanks.” Nova ended the transmission. Her console chimed, alerting her to the updated targeting information. When she checked her holomap again, she found four dots lit up in yellow, flanked by eight red dots in formation. Boarding craft with fighter escort.

Jake groaned.

“Take the escorts then.” Nova sighed. “Hit them head on. My element and Paws’ will take the flags from above.”

Jake grumbled.

Six fighters turned toward the marks and hit full throttle. Midway, Nova pulled up from their trajectory with her wingmen in tow, while Jake and Eckos pressed onward. She glanced down at the ensuing action and identified their opponents as two flights of Hai-Dao fighters each adorned with BHL’s logo.

Jake and Ecks charged at the fighter group, flinging plasma fire at the flight leads. Both Hai-Dao fighters crumbled and burst. The two then dove away, drawing another four escorts with them.

Eckos laughed.

"Thanks guys." Nova rolled her craft and honed in on the vulnerable transports. Her flight of Vipers each picked their targets, and the flight showered plasma upon the boarding craft in unison. All four erupted in a satisfying blaze.

The Black Hole fighters broke off from Jake’s element and launched a barrage of missiles Nova’s way. Her flight released their decoys, reducing the projectiles to mere fireworks. Twelve streams of light shot toward them, but the Vipers tumbled and dodged out of danger.

Nova’s console chimed again. A fifth, larger yellow mark appeared on her map. “I think it’s a shuttle this time.”

Jake observed.

“Sure.” Nova agreed to the proposal. The group maneuvered back and forth, dodging fire en route to their next objective. In the process, they drew their pursuers into the sights of friendly ships. In an instant, all six Hai-Dao fighters broke under a torrent of plasma. Nova’s flight reached the marked shuttle and opened fire; it transformed into a fireball within seconds.

Jake boasted.

“Keep searching for transports,” Nova said.

Ecks said.

“Um… Where?” Nova checked her display for any marked ships. “I don’t see anything on my radar.”

Jake interjected.

“Okay?” Nova rechecked her map but didn’t find a single marked target. She reactivated her comms. “Hey, Aero? Do you see any transports near Bravo Golf three? Jake and Ecks are heading that way to intercept something.”

“Umm…”

Aero sighed.

“Roger.”

Breaking in through the cargo doors took longer than desirable for Sinn and Wave’s teams. However, through a combination of digital finesse and explosive force, their groups manage to coax the exterior bay doors open. The squads’ fifteen combined members maneuvered into the battlecruiser’s cargo docks and positioned themselves to the floor. Not a single security guard or crew member appeared to repulse their incursion or warn the bridge.

The ship must be too large, Sinn thought. He checked the room, trying to regain his bearings following a zero-g arrival.

“It’s this way,” Wave motioned the group toward another pair of towering doors.

Rider unlocked the entrance, and the Wraiths stepped into the cavernous room beyond it. No matter where Sinn looked, he found only shipping containers. “Looks like the main storage bay,” Sinn said.

“Yeah,” Wave pointed to a door on their right. “Map says generators are that way.”

With their footsteps clanging against the steel floor, the two squads worked their way through the endless rows crates. Sinn glanced over the boxes’ contents; each bore a label revealing contents from spare machine parts to frozen crew meals. He couldn’t help but admire the work. “These guys have a great quartermaster.”

“Doubt there’s anything useful here,” Wave said. “We gotta move. Ship’s captain must be getting antsy.”

“They won’t do anything before we meet security,” Sinn shrugged.

“Hey guys,” Stevie interrupted them. “You hear that?”

The group went mute, and in the silence, a faint rumble teased their ears. The marines shifted about, scanning for the source as it intensified. Soon, a high pitched whine added itself to the vibrations. One by one, their eyes gravitated toward the bulkhead on the far wall. They readied their rifles and lined their sights toward the exit.

Where have I heard this sound before? Sinn wondered. He had never heard it in game, but the noise carried a striking familiarity. Then, he realized why. “Doesn’t that sound like an RC car?”

“What? Shit!” Wave jumped, pointing. “Steel! Blow those crates!”

Their explosives expert pulled a small pack from his bag and rushed to action. The armored doors slid open with a hiss, and the rumble turned into a roar as two buggies raced in, roof-mounted guns ablaze. A team of guards emerged at the opening, adding their rifle fire to the din. Three Wraiths went down, but Sinn couldn’t tell who.

“Get down!” Wave screamed. A blast rocked the room. Storage containers crashed and tumbled around the marines. “Take cover!”

Sinn leaped over the nearest crate and kept his head down. Stevie dove beside him. “Why the hell do they have vehicles!? We didn’t practice for this!”

Bullets bounced off the containers and gunshots echoed off the walls. The floor beneath them shook as a buggy sped past their position.

“No problem,” Sinn laughed. “They’re just golf carts.”

“Golf carts with machine guns! They got Guinea and Lasso already!”

Another buggy whizzed by, showering their position with bullets and sparks. Sinn peeked over the crate, where he was greeted by the guard squad with rifle shots.

“Things are fast and tiny. Can’t have much armor.” Sinn glanced at a vehicle as it turned about. “Wave! They’re coming around again!”

Motors whined and tires squealed as the buggies lurched toward them.

“Steel!” Wave activated their shield unit. “Use it!”

“On it!” Protected by the shield, Steel stood and aimed an RPG at the oncoming vehicle. The projectile streaked toward its target but detonated against a translucent barrier. The carts pressed forward, and their guns opened fire.

Sinn ducked back behind his containers as bullets flew overhead.

“They have shields too!?” Stevie cried out. “This isn’t worth it!”

A grenade landed in front of them.

“Shit!” Sinn jumped out of the nest and into the walkway. The following explosion left his ears ringing. On the ground, he rolled toward the next wall of crates, certain someone was shooting at his exposed body. Then, someone jerked him to safety.

“You alright Sinn?” Wave stood, firing shots at their opposition.

Sinn checked over himself, then looked back at his old position. “Yeah, I’m alright. Looks like they got Stevie.”

“My guys’re working on those guards. See if you can get those carts with a grenade when they come back.”

Sinn checked the open bulkhead, where green smoke now filled the entrance. Silhouettes of BHL marines traded shots with Wave’s team. Sinn added his own shots into the mix. He hit one man and grazed another. Then, a fireball burst forth on the enemy side. Screams erupted from the defenders.

Nicely thrown grenade, Sinn thought. He then looked toward the carts, which had returned for another attack run. Sinn grabbed a grenade and prepared to pull the pin. Would be nice to use them though…

Wait.

Sinn tapped Wave on the shoulder. “Would a pulse grenade work?”

Wave raised an eyebrow. “Worth a shot.”

“Rider!” Sinn called out. “Drop a pulse grenade under them!”

“Right!”

Rider and Sinn each armed a pulse grenade and tossed it into the vehicles’ path. As the carts drove over, both cylinders popped with a flash of blue, draining their shields and knocking out their power, along with all the lights, radios, and other electronics in the room.

With sparks flying off their wheels, the two buggies rolled to a stop before the Wraiths’ position.

The occupants were massacred.

When the echoes of gunfire ceased, Sinn and the surviving marines emerged from their hiding spots. Under the red emergency lights, they searched the area for any remaining guards and then, after one last pop, Wave declared the area clear.

The teams gathered around the stalled buggies. As his men checked the vehicles’ condition, Sinn took a headcount. To his dismay, only Mayto, Steel, and Rider remained from his squad, and Wave’s team suffered similar losses. Good thing we had two squads here.

“These things will drive fine,” Mayto reported. “Plenty of ammo left, but the shields won’t last much longer, even though we’ve plugged in our own capacitors.”

“They’re our fastest way to the power plant,” Wave said. “Let’s go.”

Seven marines crowded onto the two carts. With a cheerful whine, their two electric motors powered up and four headlights blinked on. Seconds later, the group bolted out of the cargo bay. Sinn manned the machine gun as they drove, but not a single enemy appeared as they raced down the corridor to the power plant. With the entire ship at battle stations, not seeing crewmen was unsurprising to Sinn. Where’s the rest of their security though?

“Well, it’s somewhere around here.” Wave reported. “Either this door or the next.”

The two carts screeched to a halt, and the teams dismounted. While Wave’s group stood guard, Rider broke the lock on the closest door. Once it slid open, they found a lone NPC crewman sitting at a console.

“Hey!” The man stood, confronting them. “What are you doing here!? Security teams are not authorized to –”

Mayto shot him in the head. “Stupid NPC.”

Sinn glanced around the area. The group stood on a platform overlooking a long, tall, yet otherwise narrow room. Massive cylindrical columns, each three meters in diameter, stretched from floor to ceiling and lined the length of the room against the far wall. “Those aren’t generators. What is this place?”

As if in answer, the room hummed to life. A clang struck their ears, and one column rumbled forward. With a whir, it traversed the breadth of the room before vanishing from sight.

“Holy shit,” Steel ran to the platform’s railing. “Are these things torpedoes?”

Rider hopped onto the console, still unlocked from the crewman’s negligence. “Yup. Thirty-two-meter class, self-guided torpedoes. Manufactured in BHL’s own factories. Looks like most of them have anti-matter warheads.”

“Damn… A single one of these things could wipe out a station.”

“They’re big targets though,” Mayto noted. “And they’d take forever to accelerate with that much mass.”

“Torpedoes?” Wave asked from the doorway. “Then we need to disable them.”

“Sure.” Rider broke open the adjacent panel. “I’ll just cut any cables linking this place to the bridge, then pull power from the targeting input system.”

“Hey Rider,” Sinn glanced at the controls. “Can those torpedoes be launched from here?”

“Well the targeting system is independent of the bridge link, so if we break communication with the bridge…”

Sinn couldn’t help but smile.