Soul at War Read Online Free PDF Page A

inside the air lock.
When the outer door was breached, we'd make ready to
repel.
    "This is the worst part." Someone
behind us whispered. Green quickly shushed her. All eyes were
focused on the monitor above us, waiting for the door to start
glowing red as torches cut through. Time dragged out at this point
and what felt like hours slid past, but were actually
minutes.
    "When the door goes, open your mouths
and breath out," I said aloud. "The change in pressure will kill
you in the split second it takes for the ship to balance it out." I
felt Green's eyes on me, questioning eyes. When he turned back to
the monitor he dropped to a firing position.
    "REPEL BOARDERS!"

    There were twelve of us in docking arm
three. Four hadn't listened to my advice and fell as the inner door
splayed open like a tin can, blood dribbling from their ears. The
enemy flooded in quickly, a tide of crimson uniforms that met our
firepower head on.
    I blasted the first one I saw, taking
his leg off at the knee. Green sprayed the hole with rapid bursts
taking down three and showering me with hot brass in the process.
The other six moved forward around us and were able to form a line
just as the enemy managed to loose a salvo, killing two from my
left outright. I caught the arm of one, spinning him round on his
heels just as Green finished the job with a lucky head shot. Two
were prone and firing, rounds bouncing off the plate steel walls
behind us. My first shot took off the top of his head; the second
went wide and exploded behind. Another of ours went down as the red
clothed men pressed forward.
    "FALL BACK!" Green yelled, arcs of
fire blazing from his weapon. Two to my right turned and made for
the door, the remaining woman went down screaming as her arm was
severed from her shoulder.
    "Covering fire!" I shouted and ran
forward, grabbing her by her collar. Bullets whizzed past, several
caught my cheek and left a trail of pain. Green did a good job of
keeping their heads down and I was able to get the trooper out into
the hall, just as he came running out behind me.
    "Close it. Now!" The huge blast door
fell down like a guillotine, killing the only soldier stupid enough
to get between it. Green released the cover protecting the airlock
override and punched the trigger release. There was a hiss as air
was pressurised on the other side. "How is she?" He asked me. I
felt her neck through the film of blood covering my
fingertips.
    "Too late," I said. "She's
gone."
    *
    The attack was repulsed successfully.
After crippling the attacking vessel, the Captain realised that it
had wandered from its original course and saw a troop transport as
a welcome trophy to drag back to enemy lines. Had its navcom been
working properly, it would have been able to judge the defenses of
the Midian accurately.
    With a total loss of sixteen crew
members, the crew of the Midian were faced with the arduous task of
trying to separate the enemy vessel from the hull, docking arms
still clung to the port side. After the defense of docking arm
three, Green and I went in search of Sergeant Bill Phillips. We
found him near sickbay carrying an injured technician on a
stretcher. We had to fall in behind the cue, he wasn't going to
stop and chat.
    "Where do you want us, Sarge?" Green
shouted over the chaos of the infirmary. Surgeons hurried around
the open plan room, passing from one injury to another as
technicians pushed trolleys of equipment around like shopping
carts. Blood was collecting in pools here and there and most had
trails of footprints in and out. The stench of disinfectant was
being pumped out into the hall.
    "Are you still here, Green? Get down
to the engine deck and help out with the drive. Hell, I shouldn't
have to tell a Tech where to go. Get a move on!" Green saluted,
nodded to me and ran back the way we'd come, back to a service lift
we'd passed.
    "What's the situation, Sergeant?" I
asked though I had to repeat it as one of the techs dropped a tray
of knives.
    "Who the