Space Odyssey: Spectre-Chapter 471: Boarding A Vexical Spaceship

Jace’s HUD loaded up with additional information about the other members of the team that were going with him. The additional information was just their name highlighted in a color and a directional and distance indicator. The highlight name went from green to yellow and then to red depending on the status of the armor. With red being nonfunctional to green being fully functioning. The directional and distance indicators just showed him where the others were.

Only Ulin had the same additional information. Since they were command units they were in charge of tracking the others. The others could access the information if their internal armor systems detected that both Jace and Ulin were down. The benefit of having the armor modified by the same source was growing.

Jace had a feeling that it would only grow over time with how much adversity they had. Because last he heard there was actually a competition to create the new standard armors for the Victorium Infantry. An idea that actually came from the Princess.

"Ready!" Asher called out over their communication channel. He was in the back so he would be the one to know.

Jace gave a gloved thumbs up before turning to the hatch and slamming the red button. The door slid open and there was a rush of air as the slightly different atmospheres rushed at each other. He jumped forward through the open hatch and the gravity switched on him as he entered the cutter’s gravity. He flipped from going forward to land on his feet and moving a few feet away and standing on the side of the hall as the others came down.

He had his Wildfire Assault Rifle trained down the hallway. It was a smaller hallway on the top of the ship. It ran from the bridge to a set of elevators that led to the back or sides of the ship depending on the elevator that was taken. He was aiming toward these elevators.

He could see some minor debris and items that were probably dropped when the attack commenced but nothing else of concern. The people aboard are likely staying in more defensible portions of the ship. Likely because it was difficult for most people to see since the lights in the hallway and the entire ship were currently red because the ship was currently running on emergency power.

He could hear the heavy footfalls as the rest of them landed on the grand and took up their predetermined positions. He was actually surprised that they were not getting immediately into a fire fight. He knew that the ship’s docking likely caused a commotion. It was a surprise- oh he spoke too soon.

"Contact!" Jace called out as the farthest elevator opened and several people in loose uniforms and small arms came running into the hall. He fired a quick two second burst of bullets and their blood painted the wall and elevator along with the bullet holes from bullets that tore right through them. "Neutralized."

"Last one through." Asher announced and Jace glanced back to see him shoot the panel near the hatch on this end and the hatch slammed closed with a rush of air. "The door is closed on our end. Close yours and disconnect."

"Disconnecting, good hunting!" Rook answered with a grunt over the channel as the ship slightly shook from the pair of ships undocking.

"Moving to the bridge. Jace, Asher, take up the rear." Ulin ordered. Jace had her stay in charge because he still wanted to see how she would handle the situation.

Jace stood up but still stayed slightly crouched as he continued to have his weapon focused on the elevators as the rest of the squad moved forward. Asher took up a position on the other side of the hall opposite him. They stopped when the others arrived at the bridge door. They crouched down and continued watching as they heard the spark and sputter of the device that was burning through the bridge door locking mechanism.

Several modifications to recent Vexical ship security had turned them into some of the most unboardable ships in human history. The space ship had a physical locking mechanism that could not be overpowered with a bit of electricity. He knew because he was once asked to test them. Of course they would not release the ships without having a way to take them. There was a powder that could burn at a high heat and get through the locking mechanism.

As the locks on the door began burning open the elevators on the other end of the hall opened up again with far more precision this time. The side doors they could not easily shoot into opened and bags of sand and compressed grains were thrown out. They were likely setting up a barrier position. That would be a problem.

"Ulin," Jace called out. Catching her attention. But he kept his attention on the barricades waiting for an opportunity so he could not see if she looked back.

But she likely did because of her next order. "Asher and Jace. Move in and remove those coming in from the elevators. We can handle the bridge of the ship without you." Ulin ordered.

Jace grinned under his helmet and glanced at Asher who nodded at him. They moved forward quickly. With their weapons still drawn just in case. Just when they were in spitting distance is when the first enemy with a metal plate came out one of the elevators. It looked like a person was carrying it vertically and would try to hide behind it.

Jace fired three quick shots from his Wildfire at the metal plate. The first bullet only dented the metal plate and caused the person holding it to slightly loose balance before catching themselves. The second bullet further dented the metal plate. But rather than the bullet ricocheting it stayed in the small dent. Then the third and final bullet went through the metal plate and he saw a burst of red behind it as the bullet likely made contact with the carrier’s head.

Then Jace and Asher were jumping over the makeshift barrier. Asher was turning left with the hand axes he had drawn. While Jace was tossing his own rifle to the side and materializing his Spectre Knife in his hand.

A bit of information about Asher’s hand axes. They were actually chemi-metal. He had specifically requested them. Apparently he enjoyed the hacking of hand axes as opposed to a blade’s usual slicing motion. He also learned that humans had a history of far more diverse types of weapons than the other Victorium races. Which is how Asher was now wielding a pair of hand axes that could be either thrown or used in hand to hand combat.

But back to it. Jace was slipping into the elevator with his knife drawn and the four enemies inside were still in the middle of getting ready with some metal plates and did not have weapons on them. Meaning, they were all completely unarmed. So they never had a chance before his knife was cutting through the air.

His knife first went through the metal plate and the head of the person holding it that was to his right. Then as he kicked another enemy into the back of the elevator he withdrew his knife and then slicked through the neck of another stunned enemy who was holding a bag of compressed grains. He blood sprayed out, covering him and the rest of the elevator.

As he struggled with blocking the blood from his neck, Jace was moving to the third man who was in the corner and raised his hands almost as if to plead for mercy. But Jace’s knife sunk into the forehead of his skull and then withdrew and slashed the head open of the one he had kicked earlier. But it looked like he was already dead when he sliced his head open.

Jace’s kick had probably broken enough bones or burst the organs inside his body. Either way all four of the opponents in his elevator were dead. He double checked before looking out and across the hall to see the three that were in Asher’s elevator were all dead as well.

Jace nudged one of the bodies with his boot. Moving them so they were in the elevator doors and prevented them from closing. He then stepped back out into the elevator and looked at the last elevator at the end of the hall that was trying to close but could not because of one of the bodies he had shot earlier. "Make sure you put one of the bodies in the doorway of the elevator so it cannot leave." Jace told Asher who nodded.

Asher crouched down and slammed one of his handaxes into the heads of one of his victims before dragging him into the elevator doorway. Then he withdrew his handaxe and stepped out. "Ulin. We have secured the elevators so unless someone overrides them, they will not be going anywhere."

"Good." Ulin answered but he could see her and the others focused more on the door that was about to open. "Hold position in case they do override the safety functions of the elevators." She was getting really good at guessing the course of action that Jace would or had taken.