“Courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength.”

Napoleon Bonaparte. 1769 – 1821.

The blister formed above them, bilious and bulging as the thin meniscus of plasteen inflated and formed a relative corrected barometric pressure differential against the vacuum without.

For the first time in the short minutes since they inserted, Hazard Team “Ōdachi” were able to register any sounds outside of their Hostile Encounter Suits.

Space is an unforgiving medium within which to wage war.

Aside from the fact that the near vacuum of space presents an environment where, if a penetrating wound is sustained, it’s a roll of the dice to learn if certain death will come from oxygen loss, the excruciating effects of decompression sickness, your bodily fluids boiling via ebullism as the pressure differential drags them out into space or the loss of thermal regulation will eventually lead to hypothermia – if you ever make it that long, there are far more lethal dimensions to be considered when engaging in combat within the uncaring harshness of the void.

For example, there is no ‘up’ or ‘down’. Combat in Zero – G is a multi – vectoral nightmare with threat exposure possible (and entirely likely) from within a 360-degree sphere – placing unimaginable stresses on a mind raised in the more conventional – planes of planetary – bodies defined & constrained by rotational gravity.

Space appears vast, dark and foreboding – but nothing can be further from the truth – to those with the ability to perceive the universe beyond visible light, through the wonder of the electromagnetic spectrum a kaleidoscope of frequency – range serves to paint the cosmos with an impressionists palette of radio, microwave, infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray and Gamma ray wavelengths – only then is it truly apparent to the viewer that the canvas of space is deliberately daubed with a grotesque vista of beauty and death.

Which is why no-one in their right minds elects to engage in the risky propositions of Zero – G combat operations (it’s admittedly showier – appeals aside), when there is a viable alternative available.

So as the blister completed its inflation cycle, adhered to the outer hull -plating of the Vaadwaur Blackout platform, like a recalcitrant barnacle, Lieutenant Keishara Dolan keyed the suit comm – relay and ordered Leading Crewman Lane Deevers (the Teams – Ordinance Specialist).

“Deploy the Cookie – Cutter.”

Made outwardly-anonymous by the enfolding bulk of her HES suit and helmet (but easily identifiable to the other members of the Hazard Team by her relative position on their In – helmet HUD, both as an icon on the team – map and a ghostly name – identifier that seemed to  hang above her head when viewed through the faceplate), Deevers nodded and reached to the utility belt and withdrew two small metal sphere’s – each roughly the size of a golf – ball and ‘dropped’ them to the deck.

In actuality, the “Cookie – cutters” themselves were managed by autonomously semi – aware AI cores and used tiny Gravtic actuators to propel themselves to the surface of the Blackout platform’s hull and hold themselves there, against the lack of gravity – much in the same way that the Mag – seals on the HES suit’s boot soles kept the team anchored to the deck.

“Breaching – Stand clear!” Deevers sent, in a tone as calm and unhurried as if she was conducting a routine training exercise. Volunteers, the members of the Hazardous Situation Response Team were selected and rigorously vetted to verify their ability to retain focus under situations of extraordinary duress.

A pinprick of  blinding white light emanated from the base of each Cookie – cutter as the devices ignited the miniaturized plasma – cutters that were their primary payload and both devices began to roll around the circumference of a circle that was one meter in diameter – rolling around the linear distance of the circles edge like two tiny matadors.

The 6 members of Hazard Team “Ōdachi” gathered around the glowing perimeter of the glowing circle and readied themselves.

Each of the USS Hikaru Sulu’s high – training Hazard Team detachments had separated into three units and headed off in divergent directions upon covert insertion via the transporter pattern booster secreted in the Torpedo – each with specific mission objectives that were collectively designed and intended to ensure the destruction of the Blackout platform and enable the stranded Odyssey – class starship to link up and rejoin the remainder of Task Force 72 to coordinate retaliation against the invading forces of the Vaadwaur Supremacy.

The Cookie – cutters finished their dance and, with a flick of her wrist, recognised Deevers’ gesture and rose smoothly to re-attach to her suit.

Due to the artificial seal that the Team had emplaced around their point of entry, the pressure differential between the interior of the Platform and within the Blister was the same – so the two meter long plug of hull, superstructure, conduit, cabling, ducting and relays – that the breaching charges had neatly severed and cauterized with their plasma – beams, did not fly outwards into space (a turn of events likely fatal to the team) rather the internal Grav – plates within the corridor below extended their influence upon the ‘plug’, which fell clattering into the space below – without any loss of atmospheric pressure inside.

Without needed a command, one – by – one, the members of Hazard Team “Ōdachi” dropped neatly through the breach – hole and deployed efficiently into the corridor below, training their weapons outward in a disciplined arc of defence.

Whilst there was no sudden loss of atmosphere venting into space to alert the Vaadwaur platform’s sensors and trigger an alarm, it was inconceivable that any self – respecting computer system would fail to register a 1-meter by 2-meter hole suddenly appearing in its hull, without activating some form of damage control alert.

Accepting that contact with the enemy was inevitable, Keishara knew that time was of the essence and that to attain their mission – objectives, “Ōdachi” had to extend that time until contact for as long as was practicable.

“Voss! Jackrabbit!” Lieutenant Dolan sent to Kemachel Voss, the team’s resident Bolian Security & Countermeasures Specialist.

Nodding at this pre – arranged code – phrase, Voss withdrew three devices from his own belt and they hovered into the air and activated.

Hazard Team “Ōdachi” suddenly found themselves surrounded.

By themselves.

Three holographic decoys of the Team came into being – perfect representations of each member and their gear. The doppelgangers all moved independently of each other – each displaying a range of body language and gestures as they looked back impassively.

“Get to it.” Dolan nodded and the three decoy teams all proceeded away from the real Hazard Team “Ōdachi”, their mission to confound and confuse the Vaadwaur defenders as to the actual size and deployment of the real Hazard Team. Hopefully they would keep any pursuers suitably entertained whilst Keishara and her people got to where they needed to go and do what they had come here to do.

“Shield Generators are Spinward, three decks down.” Petty Officer Qorbun confirmed shortly as he consulted his suit’s inbuilt Tricorder, the Tellarite Field Sciences Specialist acting as the Team’s Pathfinder on this mission.

“Then, that’s where we’re headed.” Dolan confirmed. ““Ōdachi” – move out!”

As one, the Team deployed – the very model of squad cohesiveness with Qorbun on point, followed by Deevers, Keishara just behind, preceded by Crewman Tom Javers (the Team Emergency Medical Responder Specialist), Voss next in line and bringing up the rear – Petty Officer Thorell – the hulking Angosian Heavy Weapons Specialist lugging the high – output phase – cannon that he favoured.

Proving the time old adage of the famed ancient Prussian Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, that ‘no plan survives first contact with the enemy’, their progress was bedeviled by the sudden flash and brisciant impact of purple bolts of polaron energy that slammed into the walls of the corridor they were proceeding along.

“Contact rear !” Thorell’s deep baritone rumbled over comms as the big Angosian swung around to face the direction of fire.

“Suppressing!” He confirmed as the high – output phase – cannon’s reactor whined into life and began to spew an almost continuous barrage of phasic energy bolts back down the corridor to where a unit of Vaadwaur forces were engaging from.

”Boots!” Lieutenant Dolan ordered sharply as the Vaadwaur attackers slowly pressed their advanced, intensely disciplined and physically brave – despite the volume of fire that they were facing.

On her order, the Team activated their Mag – boots and became inextricably tethered to the floorplate of the corridor.

“Demo – Lance it!” Keishara ordered Deevers as her own Mark Iva Phase – Carbine bucked against her shoulder – she had no time to hang around and exchange pleasantries with the defenders of this facility.

“Copy that, Top !” Dolan fancied she could ‘feel’ the smile on the Breacher’s face as the diminutive woman from Queens triggered the scuttling – charge of the plasteen bubble and instantaneous all atmosphere within the corridor began to scream outwards through the breach hole and into space.

Carrying the utterly surprised, unprotected and unprepared Vaadwaur security forces screaming out in a chaotic stumble of limbs (many of which sustained awful injury as the soldiers all tried to jam through the ragged whole cut in the hull) as the unfortunates were torn out of the platform to perish in the impersonal frozen embrace of the void.

Standing like a frieze of statuettes , made stone by a medusa’s atrophying-glare, Hazard Team “Ōdachi” weathered the howling outrushing of air (the servos of their powered HES suits whining against the strain) until all available atmosphere had vented and that strange, numb, insular silence of vacuum surrounded them again and the only sounds were those that inhabited their HES suits with them.

When the vacuum had equalized, Dolan commanded the team onwards.

Presently they came to the impenetrable conundrum of a secured blast shutter, that had slammed down to contain the explosive decompression in this section of the Platform. Dolan gestured Voss forward and the avuncular Blue Security Specialist came forward to scan the barrier.

“Atmosphere on the other side.” Voss murmured as he assessed the scan – data, “Life forms too – Squad strength. Setting up an ambush most likely. It’s what I would do.”

“Breach?” Dolan sent back, seeking the most expedient way to push forwards.

“Negative – with vacuum on this side and atmo’ on the other, the shrapnel would just become our problem. 10 bits of Latinum that the defenders are stacking as much junk as they can lay their hands on against the door – hoping to ‘blunderbuss us when we breach.” Voss shook his helmeted head.

“Copy that.” Lieutenant Dolan replied. “Run a bypass and activate on my mark.” She turned to the rest of the Team, while Voss got to work and pointed at the ceiling.

“Spiders.” She ordered and keyed her Hostile Environment Suit’s inbuilt Gravtic – Repulsor and joined the team as the lifted off the deck and took up a position hard up against the ceiling. As Voss completed the bypass, he too rose up to join the press.

“Initiate.” Keishara ordered and Voss triggered the hatch open.

Sure enough, the corridor was transformed into a maelstrom of shrapnel and destruction as the uncontained atmosphere from the undamaged section of corridor beyond the hatch burst explosively past, drawn inward by the sucking vacuum– the items of junk and debris that the defenders had hurriedly gathered – slamming past where the Team had been standing just seconds before.

Prepared and motivated, this was quickly followed by a hail of withering purple – fire from the Vaadwaur Marines from their defensive positions before, hoping to cut down any survivors of the blast.

“Ping-Pong.” Dolan ordered and, as one, the members of the Team adjusted their Phase – carbines to a pre-set setting that reduced the beam – attenuation to a level just above stun. The team, still obscured from Line of Sight to their attackers by the obscuration of the hatch – surrounds, aimed their weapons at an oblique angle and opened fire.

Without enough energy to penetrate and dissipate upon the first surface they encountered, the lethal bolts of phasic – energy instead “bounced’, ricocheting down the  corridor inhabited by the Vaadwaur, deflecting at various angles and catching the defenders in a crossfire that, if not immediately fatal – compromised the integrity of their own EVA suits and gave them much more pressing things to worry about than returning fire.

Hazard Team “Ōdachi” dropped like rain and finished off the survivors as they went.

Presently they encountered the shaft of a life and forced the doors.

Laying a set of demolition charges that would confound any pursuers (and really ruin the day of anyone riding in the lift – car. The Team dropped into the darkness and quickly attained the level where the Blackout platform’s vital shield – generators were housed.

Emerging from the shaft they swept the hallway for targets, but there were none.

However, as they proceeded forward, it was suddenly like they were moving through treacle. The suit servos whined as suddenly the team seemed to be moving in slow motion.

“High – G! They’re messing with the gradient – trying to slow us down!!” Qorbun exclaimed in shock.

As to why, enemy fire seethed down the corridor, engulfing the team and slamming into their HES suits – as another contingent of Vaadwaur Marine engaged them.

“Contact Front! Voss is down !” Dolan reported as she returned fire.

As Javers used the manipulated High – G to hit the deck and crawl to assist the wounded Hazard Team member and Thorell’s phase cannon thundered in reply, Dolan called out between gritted – teeth.

”COOKIE – CUTTER!”

The twin – silver orbs flew out from Deevers’ suit, following her lashing hand signals and raced down the corridor together. As they grew close to the Vaadwaur Marines, Deevers twisted her hands and the orbs flew outwards towards the walls of the corridor at waist height and their plasma – beams intersected and met in the middle of the corridor as they screamed forward and cut a swathe of destruction.

Neatly bisecting anything and everything that happened to be in their path.

Turning Men into Meat.

The infernal beam swiftly rescinded into the twinned orbs and the Cookie – cutters slowly drifted back to Deevers like a pair of loyal game -hounds, whilst various sundered parts of the opposing Vaadwaur slid wetly to the deck.

Dolan stepped carefully over the growing isthmus of ichor as she made her way over to where the Team’s Medic worked over their fallen comrade.

“Tom?”

Tom Javier’s helmet turned upwards to somberly shake from side to side at the Hazard Team Leader.

“He’s gone, Top.” The Hazard Team medic confirmed as he relinquished his attempts to treat Voss – the gaping, charred hole in the chest plate of the HES – Suit told all of the sad story that they needed to know.

“Tag – Him.” Keishara ordered, the effort to suppress her personal distress at losing a friend and a Team – Mate being brutally set aside as the imperative to ensure the survival of the remainder of her team and achievement of the task just meters away – A masterclass of martial discipline with an inevitable tab that would eventually have to be settled.

Javers nodded and activated the retrieval transponder, “Tagging” Voss, so that when the Team extracted, the transporters that spirited them away would also convey their fallen comrade from the field of engagement.

Before lay their goal. The cramped engineering space that sustained the powerful shield generators and their associated power distribution network – cosseting the Blackout Platform in its protective sheath of concentric energies.

Ultimately, Victory did not require a heroic last stand.

It did not necessitate a desperate last shoot-out against impossible odds.

That is the stuff of stories.

Penultimately, upon achieving their objective – there was no dramatic attachment of powerful breaching charges in key positions or the introduction of a Machiavellian – computer virus injected into the core to bring down this energetic Wall – of  – Jericho like a modern-day Trumpet of the Gods….

Hazard Team Leader approached the main – engineering console that controlled the Vaadwaur Platform’s comprehensive shield – matrix and simply keyed the command to turn the system off.

As the massed and banked shield generators powered down and the field – enclosure lost cohesion, the Blackout Platform’s ability to comprehensively deny and defend itself against targeted transport – beam incursion was lost.

““Ōdachi” Leader to HS – Actual.” Dolan sent.

“Target Secure. Send the Package.”

As the target package of massed & primed Quantum Torpedoes (accompanied by Tri-Cobalt Mining charges requisitioned from the Belt’s mining – collective) began to materialize within the cramped engineering space, accordingly Hazard Team “Ōdachi” (those living and dead) were snatched away from the Blackout Platform, seconds before the charges exploded.

And Subspace came alive and sang once more….