and he felt three times heavier than a second ago. He reached for the catches to release the suit from his body, and it hit the deck with a loud crash.
'That was an EMP!' he answered.
For a few moments there was complete blackness. Deep in the core of the hull of the Neptune they were a long way from any windows that would bring in any light. Even if they were closer to the outer skin, the blast shields were up. The entire ship was not in blackout; thirty seconds later, lights flickered across the bridge and emergency lighting powered up. It was a muted red ambient lighting, but it was enough to get by.
'That's the reserve power source kicking in. It's shielded against EMPs but will only power basic life support. Enough for us to get working,' the Admiral explained.
Taylor turned to Jafar for answers and didn't even have to ask.
'This is an act of desperation. The EMP will have disabled the vessels of both sides. Demiran must have seen the end was close for the Gezgen K'til. He is scared.'
'That's all very well, but it leaves us hanging,' replied the Admiral.
'How far will this have spread?'
'Only those ships on the very fringe of this fight would have escaped it.'
'You're telling me there are hundreds of ships floating in space without power, just like us?' she asked.
'Yes. The EMP cannot be directed. Like you, the Krycenaeans’ vessels have only limited shielding, as it is impractical to have it all encompassing. However, they are better prepared for this.'
'You're saying they'll get active before us?'
'Almost certainly.'
'Christ, if they can get that monster going before our ships recover, they can fire on Earth without anyone to stop them,' she replied.
'Is there no one left to continue the fight?' Taylor asked.
She looked up into his eyes with fear and shook her head.
'We committed everything we had to this, how could we not? The greatest threat the World has ever known?'
'So let me get this straight. Both fleets are floating about without power. You reckon they'll fix the Planet Killer before we can get any ships online, and that'll be the end?' he asked of Jafar.
The alien nodded in agreement.
'Well, fuck that. We didn't get through years of this shit to sit here and watch it all end.'
'There's nothing else to do. Our crews will already have started work. We can only hope they get us operational before we’re blasted by their weapons.'
'And what would we go home to? No way. I won't accept it.'
He lifted up his comms unit.
'Lieutenant Rains to the bridge…'
He realised the comms units were down as well. It would be weeks of repair work until everything was restored.
'How long do we have till the Planet Killer is operational?'
'Two hours, maybe.'
'Allright. Maybe we can't get the Neptune up and running in that time, but we can surely get marines into action before then.'
'What are you thinking?' asked Bailey.
'I'm thinking we'll hand deliver those nukes gift wrapped, ' he replied confidently.
'Anything you need, Colonel. The only thing that matters anymore is destroying that ship. It doesn't matter what it costs. Take any resources you need. Your mission must come before the repair of this ship. Within the emergency shielded core, you will find a reserve of armour and weapons, along with a few other core components. You have the full resources of this crew at your disposal. I don't care how you do it, or at what cost, just get it done!'
Taylor nodded in acceptance of the mission. He knew it was unlikely anyone else in the fleet would have the information, ability, or initiative to act against the K'til. The fate of Earth now lay in his hands. He gestured for Jafar to follow him, grabbing his Reitech rifle from the deck. Without the support of his exo-skeleton, it weighed a tonne. They rushed from the bridge at a quick pace. Taylor felt more vulnerable than ever. He had no armour, no communications, no power, and a rifle he could barely carry.
Two minutes into their run they bumped into Jones and one of his platoons. They’d setup in defensive positions around an air lock. Taylor could see the Captain was anticipating a breach at any moment. They too had stripped off their armour and suits that had become dead weights. Jones arose from cover as he saw them approach. He looked flabbergasted.
'EMP? What the hell's going on?'
'Both fleets are out. I don't have time to get into the details. A breach isn't our concern, right now. We're heading for the docking bays. Join us, and I'll fill you in on the way.'
'Doesn't sound good. Follow the Colonel!' he ordered.
'I'd love to say it's the same shit, different day, but this time, it's a whole lot worse.'
It took them just a few minutes to reach the bay where they had left Ota's Company. Only she and one platoon now remained.
'Sir, we didn't know what the hell was going on. I have dispatched units to defend the nearest ports.'
He acknowledged her as he rushed past without a word to get to Rains. He was sanding on top of a crate with his head and torso up inside the engine bay of his Stallion.
'Eddie, tell me you can get this bird going!'
'Not without the parts, Colonel. The CPU is fried, and a few other components that she won't run without.'
'I might be able to get what you need from the emergency stores,' he replied.
'That could work. We still have some major issues though. She's gonna need more than a few bits.'
He reached forward and grabbed the pilot’s arm, hauling him down.
'I need you flying in the next thirty minutes, or Earth will be destroyed. Is that enough motivation?'
He looked down into Taylor's eyes for a second and saw the seriousness in his face.
'Well, holy shit, you aren't joking.'
He jumped down to the deck, and his tone had changed completely.
'Get me to the parts!'
He looked over to his co-pilot and the Engineering Chief who had been helping him, pointing for them to follow him.
'Jones, you and your platoon with me, come on!' yelled Taylor.
They rushed towards the nearest corridor, and Taylor lifted his Mappad to check the location of the emergency stores.
'God damn it.'
It was another piece of technology disabled by the blast. He turned back to the Chief, knowing he knew the ship better than anyone.
'The emergency storeroom, take us to it.'
Without a word, the Chief rushed forward to lead the way. He too had heard Taylor's grim insight into their future, should they fail in their task. Eddie was running alongside the Colonel and still in shock at what was being proposed.
'No bullshit about this, we get flying or it’s all over?'
'That's right.'
'So you're pinning the entire survival of the World on our ability to bodge an EMP hit Stallion which will get you what, a one-way ticket riding nukes into the biggest mother fucking ship I have ever seen?'
'That's about the sum of it, yeah.'
'Well I hate to say it, Colonel, I might be a mechanical wizard, but I ain't no miracle worker.'
'Today you are.'
'This is it!' called the Chief.
He punched in the access codes, and thankfully the huge shielded blast doors slid open. The room was the
