Of Fire and Night - Kevin J. Anderson [83]
She didn't see any way she could decipher these controls and cycle the airlock in the time they had available. She did, however, understand the standard automatic-purge routine. She made up her mind. "Wrap your arms around one of those rungs, BeBob, and hold on." She dragged the blade of a screwdriver across the circuitry to short out all safety interlocks, then manually cracked open both the inner and outer pressure doors.
With a thump of decompression, the air inside the shaft was sucked out like a cold beverage through a straw. Hooking her boot around one rung and her arms around another, Rlinda held herself in place as evacuating air rushed past. BeBob clung just beneath her.
Far, far below, at the bottom of the shaft, an emergency seal door clanged into place to protect the inhabited underground grotto, and sphincters closed off the shaft at several levels. At least something was still working properly.
The shaft's air geysered out, pulling the bloated scarlet creatures from the wall. The nematodes shot outside into the hard vacuum like wet tendrils of phlegm. Once they hit the freezing emptiness, their skin membranes could not hold their internal pressure, and they exploded.
The tug of wind lasted only a few seconds until the shaft was drained. Rlinda reached down to grasp BeBob's hand, pulling him up, and the two of them climbed through the jimmied airlock door. Outside they saw shelter huts, piping, wellheads, several large water tankers. And the Voracious Curiosity.
Rlinda laughed with relief to see her ship, then looked down at the splatters of crimson ice and shredded worm bodies. BeBob bounded past her. "No time for sightseeing. That woman could crack through the crust at any minute."
She didn't need to be told twice. Within moments they got themselves aboard, and Rlinda coaxed the engines to life. "The Curiosity's still pretty battered, and it looks like those Roamers never got around to fixing everything. But she can fly."
"Then let's fly!"
And they did, leaving Plumas mercifully far behind.
48
GENERAL KURT LANYAN
After the demolitions techs blew open the launching bay, the Goliath gaped open to vacuum. General Lanyan's first group of armored trainees used maneuvering packs to swoop through the cargo doors. Time to get to work.
"Think of it as a pest-control mission, everyone. We're going in to clean out an infestation." The patter of responses in his helmet sounded uneasy, but professional. These kleebs had signed up for military service in time of war. In their bunks at the EDF training base, they had dreamed of seeing real combat. Now they were going to get it, in spades.
Even before the assault group had anchored themselves against the recoil, they unleashed covering fire against any compy resistance. Once the trainees locked magnetic boots onto the deck and stabilized themselves inside, they methodically completed the sweep with projectile guns.
The remaining Soldier compies in the bay didn't have a chance. Metal and polymer shrapnel drifted out into space.
A voice clicked in Lanyan's helmet. "We are secure."
While EDF guards were stationed at all access points leading from the large bay deeper into the ship, Lanyan launched the second phase of the recovery operation. Hundreds of armed trainees in reinforced suits disembarked from the cavalry ships into the Juggernaut's empty bay and set up their beachhead.
Lanyan needed to get these unseasoned soldiers ready for the hard task ahead of them, but he didn't intend to give them an overly realistic scenario. These newbie commandos would get weak knees.
"Bear in mind that just because we've killed the engines doesn't mean we've won," he transmitted through his helmet comm. "This Juggernaut is crawling with Soldier compies, and you can bet your asses they still mean to hijack these ships. According to our database, two hundred and forty-two clankers were placed in service aboard the Goliath. The crew probably managed to take out a good number of them, but there'll be plenty left for us."
He strode into the bay,