Never Too Late

Chapter 2

A blast of icy air hit Kenzi as she exited the shuttlecraft hatchway. It was so cold she could feel her breath crystallizing. The standard issued military uniform she wore, a one piece combat suit in grey camo, could withstand a wide range of temperatures, including subzero temperatures. Mumbling to herself about damned Niruri temperatures, she felt the crunch of the hardened snow under her boots as she walked around the perimeter of the landing zone. She stepped up a small sloop to get a better view of the incoming contacts. Activating her linkcomm, she scanned the direction where the unknown heat signatures appeared.

"This is not good." She muttered as the digital zoom gave her the first view of the approaching group. From the distance, she could only make out arms and legs, humanoid of some kind, wearing something that looked like jetpacks.

"Control, this is Talon, Alpha Squadron is en route to the LZ. ETA five minute. Copy."

The Starhawk's squadron leader's voice came across loud and clear on her comm. Lt. Kyler "Talon" Ashcott. She knew that sexy voice well because she went to the military academy with him and she'd worked with him and his squadron in past missions.

"Copy that, Talon." She answered. "I'm sending over a visual. The contacts are closing in on the LZ, ETA ten minutes. They are not answering hails and presumed hostile."

"Copy that, Control."

"I'll do another analysis on it and try to hail them again. Stand by for my instruction."

"Affirmative. Standing by."

Kenzi ran back into the shuttlecraft to update Command and the Bravo Team. Her fingers flew over the holo keys, doing her best to analyze the data she had in a couple of minutes to make a decision before the approaching group reached her. No one legit would hide their signals from the military, and especially not on an uninhabited planet.

"Alpha Squadron, I'm unable to communicate with the contacts. You have the go ahead to terminate." She sighed, knowing that was the only safe course to take. She couldn't let them get within range of the shuttlecraft. If they did, air support wouldn't be able to take them out without taking out the shuttlecraft.

"Acknowledged, Control. Will terminate targets." Kyler answered.

Breathing out heavily, she sat tensely on the edge of her seat, keeping her eyes on all the screens in front of her.

"Control, Bravo One, we have a problem." Troy's voice broke into her concentration.

"Go ahead, Bravo One."

"We are at the nav point and there is no contact. I repeat, the contact is a fake."

"A what?" Kenzi demanded, stunned.

"The contact signal we picked up is a fake, pressed into a hunk of rock." Troy said.

"Impossible." She muttered. Stars, this mission was falling apart and she had no idea what was wrong. "Data doesn't lie. The data we received from Myles Dubrovnik gave his exact biometric."

"Maybe he changed his mind about being found." Troy said.

"He would have to be insane to want to stay on this piece of frozen rock." Diaz commented.

"Most scientists are insane. At least, the brilliant ones." Wilson snorted.

Insane. Oh Stars!

"Stand by, Bravo Team." She said before jumping on the comms to recall the Starhawks. "Alpha Squadron, abort mission. Repeat, do not terminate contacts."

Her order was not quick enough as she saw the four Starhawks flew pass from her viewscreen, and laserfire rained down on the red dots. On the terminal screen, she could see several of the red dots had disappeared. She was too late in cancelling her order.

"Control, Talon. Six targets eliminated. Alpha Squadron is disengaging." His voice came on the comm a moment later. "Standing by for further instruction."

She groaned and felt like banging her head on the console. How could everything go so wrong so quickly?

This was supposed to be a simple mission, something she had done half a dozen times within the last year alone. Pulling a civilian in trouble off of an unknown planet was almost routine for her and whichever team of marines she worked with. Some of those missions involved fighting, but most of them were straightforward. In and out as long as the intel was correct. Data never lied.

Now she had sent one team to chase after a fake signal and another strike team to take out contacts that could include the very person they came out to rescue. She would get into all kinds of trouble with Command for this even though she had the call on it, based on the intel she had helped gather and analyze.

"Damn. Damn. Damn." She muttered.

She was so screwed. She knew she should've stayed in bed today. It was just turning out to be one of those days that was turning worse by the minute.

No sooner did she finish thinking that, the perimeter alarm of the shuttlecraft began blaring.

Eight intruders detected. Seven signatures unknown.

She gasped and leaned towards her screen. Could it be? Was it possible? Her fingers flew over the holo projection and went to work. She had to know. She had to confirm before the intruders reached her.