Stories From the Great Beyond

The Enemy Within the Rings

"Slowing the ship to enter Saturn's orbit" was Hudson's voice in Commander Scott's earcom.

"Bring us as close as is safe to the rings, if there's someone lurking out here then I don't want to make our arrival too obvious" Scott had already gone over this approach when planning this mission, but he thought it never hurt to re-iterate.

Commander Scott was the commanding officer of the Earth Corps frigate called the Achilles. She wasn't the biggest, fastest or most powerful spaceship in the corps, but he knew how to handle her when it mattered. Space pirates were always problem, but there was something different about what was going on here. Three mining vessels had disappeared in the last month in Saturn space and Achilles was the first ship on the scene to investigate the disappearances. The next spacecraft wasn't due for a week, until then it was down to him and his crew to find out what had happened and secure the area.

"Do we have any unauthorised spacecraft in the area?" Scott was now walking along the spartan metallic corridors back to control. He wanted to make sure that this was done right and he had an uneasy feeling, this kind of thing hadn't happened before.

"Nothing sir" came the reply from his operations manager. This was flight officer Gina Carella's first mission and was young and new, but she was very good. Scott knew he could trust her to carry out a thorough job. "All I have on sensors are the mining ships M305, M370 and M42 is just leaving Saturn space.

"Good, I'm just on my way up, let me know if anything changes" Scott replied.

"Will do sir"

It was as soon as he had heard this that suddenly, for no perceivable reason a rising sense of tension, almost fear rose within him. He started running where he has been walking, the crew that saw him coming moved, the others that didn't weren't so lucky. Pushing them to one side or other he made his way to the access tube for the control centre. It was then that it happened, thrown from his feet to the deck floor, a massive explosion and the sound of grating, tearing metal reverberated though the ship.

The ships inertia was forcing Scott down, struggling up he made it to the access tube. The lift wasn't functioning so he pushed his way up to reach the ladder, struggling with each step as the ship reeled. The control centre was only two decks up, but right now it seemed like a mile. He climbed the ladder, one step after another not stopping until he reached the level for the control centre.

Scott forced the door to the control centre slowly slid open, it open. He gasped as he entered to utter carnage. Hudson was on the floor, dead. His head had been shattered by shrapnel most of the rest of the control crew were seriously injured, only Gina was left unhurt, Hudson's body must have shielded her.

"Sir!" She called over, trying to compose herself, as Scott approached she fell apart "I - I'm sorry... I saw nothing, it came from nowhere... Hudson"

"flight officer Carella... Gina" In a firm gentle tone he talked her back "We don't have much time and I need your help. We have to take control and see this through, I'll take Hudson's place, I'll be right next to you. Take a breath, get control, I'm here and we have to get these guys to survive and I need you to help me do it!"

Shaking, she returned focus to her controls "ok... ok... I can do that" Scott manned the controls on Gina's right.

" I'm taking us close to the rings, hopefully they'll give us cover" Achilles lurched, the ship groaning as the weakened metal structure struggled to cope. Scott powered the and guided the ship to the millions of pieces of rock and Ice that made up the rings. "Power up the weapons" Scott commanded.