�N�tn�see, when we are within a thousand kilometers, I want you to cut thruster firing to a minimum. Jean, William, keep those guns hot. Hisheena, watch for any hint that they�ve noticed us.� The team worked frantically while David pondered his strategy. He knew very little of the enemy warships, but the command ship stuck out like a sore thumb; it was also guarded by at least half a dozen other ships too, though. Perhaps he should be using more of the ship�s capabilities?
The ship slowed, as they neared the wall of enemy ships. Streaks of smoke from missiles streamed past their hull, which had recently been designated the name of Shadow. David walked over to N�tn�see�s console, and leaned near him.
�Can we use the ship�s new technology at this close of a range?�
�Yes sir, I believe we can make the flight, but where do you wish to go?� David pulled up some images on his screen, and zoomed in. N�tn�see stared up at him.
�You want me to fly us into their missile loading bay?� David nodded. It was the only exterior opening into the ship, short of the launchers themselves. The enemy would probably not risk shooting them in there, for fear of hitting those missiles. But if the missiles were being loaded up at the time, they could easily get crunched into the launch bays, shredded without a care. But it was worth the risk.
Space froze again. The missiles that once soared past them stood still yet again, as they moved their ship through the quiet void. The bad part about using this method of travel was that they had no real control over their speed. It simply doubled every minute.
They approached the crack of light between a launcher and a large room, and braced themselves. The ship tore past girders and beams, and into the ship itself. The air and people within began moving again, as N�tn�see cut the power. The ship came crashing down unto the floor, dragging itself across through crates, boxes, and human flesh. The port wing finally slammed into an adjacent wall, and the ship stopped. David shook away the impact, unbuckled his harness, and grabbed his rifle. He went to the holds, and grabbed what looked like a white leather suit.
He rushed to put it on, and snapped on the helmet. Gunfire rang out outside the ship, as Jean and William finished off what was left of the room�s inhabitants. The rest of the team joined David, and put on their suits. Without them, they wouldn�t last very long in the vacuum outside. Luckily, they would only need them till they got inside.
The AGF�s grabbed their weapons, and gathered at the door. The cabin erupted a quickly dying hiss as it depressurized, David dropped the slide on his rifle, and opened the hatch. It eased open silently, as there was no air to carry its usual hiss. He stepped out, and right onto the torn remains of a body. Its blood had instantly boiled and froze in the vacuum, making an awkward crunch! from his boot. He sprinted over to a set of stairs to his right, and waited to the rest of his team. They cautiously made their way up the stairs, and as David turned to go up the next flight, he didn�t pause to look at the wreckage once known as the Shadow, nor did he see the scarring marks across the floor and entrance, yielding to black space beyond.
They arrived at the top, and took sides on the door. David took a deep breath, rested his rifle�s butt into his shoulder, and pressed the green button on the panel near him. The door opened, revealing a small chamber.
They stepped in, and the door locked behind them. Gas hissed into the chamber, and David waited. It could be poisonous; the enemy may already have known of their arrival. He looked to Hisheena, and she gave him the thumbs up signal. He clicked his helmet off, and unzipped the suit to reveal his black and olive drab combat uniform. His team did likewise, as the finishing touches to the atmosphere in the chamber were added. The door in front of them let out a low clank, and the room flooded with bright green light.
The door opened, and the team stepped into the hallway. They scanned for targets, but found none. They turned right, and headed towards the bridge. Thundering booms rolled through their feet as the ship launched more missiles, and took some in return. They were running out of time.
David came to a corner, and stopped dead. The rest of the AGF�s approached him in silence, and he turned to face them. He nodded to N�tn�see, and shook his head in the direction of the corner. N�tn�see�s hand reached back, took hold of his sword, and removed it from its sheath with a high-pitched scrape. He held the blade low, crouched slightly, and rounded the corner.
David�s suspicions had been right. Two men patrolled the halls in front of them, and were stopping to stretch. N�tn�see took advantage of their state of ignorance, and brought his blade through the torso of the first with a swipe that ran parallel to the ground. The man simply didn�t have time to scream. Before the other patroller could see his partner�s upper body slam into the deck, the cold blade reached inside him and freed him from the harshness of reality.
N�tn�see�s breathing had quickened, and he stood silent over his fallen victims, waiting for David. They weren�t going to be hidden for very long, so they didn�t need to worry about hiding the bodies. Gunshots would have been a bad idea, though, that would have given their location away.
As they continued on through the ghostly hallways behind N�tn�see�s unstoppable slaughter, they finally came to another, larger door. David stepped up next to the door, clutching his rifle against his chest, and tried to hear what was on the other side.
Something fell; the sound of metal on metal, plastics being knocked against one another, and chatter.
�It�s a mess hall,� concluded David. Satisfied, he pressed the release switch on the side panel, and the door eased open. Inside David�s suspicions were correct. Dozens of men lined the tables; all bearing surprised and confused looks. David leveled his rifle at one of them, and pulled his trigger.
David didn�t let his conscious get in his way. These men had to die for them to be able to complete their mission, it was their job, and the fact that they were unarmed could not interfere with that.
Blood and spent brass hit the floors, as did the shocked victims as .223 caliber bullets tore through their bodies, destroying and tearing tissue. Some reached for their sidearms, but none had the time to be able to raise the barrel before being shot.
The last target slammed into the deck, and the sound of spent brass clanging playfully against the ground came to a glittering halt. David looked around, found no more targets, and kept moving. The door adjacent to the far wall was the only way to the bridge, so David headed off across the room. His team followed, still scanning the room for threats. The warm air full of smoke played hell with David�s guilt, but he shut those feelings out. He stepped over another corpse, pressed a button, and the door opened.
He followed the passage it gave them carefully; that last �battle� would have the whole ship on alert now. But as they rounded yet another winding turn, the only resistance was yet more guards. No attack teams; just the same practically defenseless hallway patrollers. David didn�t even stop walking. He looked to N�tn�see, nodded toward the guard on the right, and N�tn�see nodded in acknowledgement. David�s rifle butt came crashing down on the left guard�s skull, followed by a sickening crunch. His partner began to turn to face David, a look of anger and sorrow in his eyes. Before a word was spoken or weapon drawn, N�tn�see�s cold blade slipped through his spine.
The team continued on, past more �resistance� until their path crossed an entrance with an arch surrounding it. It read �BRIDGE; AUTHORIZED CREW MEMBERS ONLY�. They had made it. For a command ship, it certainly hadn�t been too well protected on its interior. With both a sense that he was being watched and the beginning of relief, he placed his foot upon the pure-white colored floor of the Bridge.
