Space Odyssey: Spectre-Chapter 120: Opposition on All Sides

They moved to the door to the command center. They had quickly made their way here first. It would be the place to collect confidential information or any secrets the Tyranus were trying to keep.

Salem was on one side of the door while Lee took the other side. "Minimize damage to any computers or other devices. We want to collect as much information as possible." Salem instructed as she placed a breeching device on the door.

There were several dings as her squad acknowledged her orders. Angel took up a spot next to her with a disorientation grenade in hand. The others took up their breeching positions.

BANG!

The door flew inwards into the command room and was followed up by Angel tossing in the disorientation grenade. As the grenade went in there were sparks and gunfire as bullets bounced off the doorframe and went down the empty hallway that they had come from.

BOOM!

There was a flash from the room and Salem turned the corner and dashed into the room. Inside were several computer stations and control panels around the room. Then there were a few people in lighter Infantry armor models. All six of them were moving around disoriented.

Salem moved quickly to the one furthest back and pulled out her knife. She kicked the legs out from under him and then slit the throat of the next closest one causing the suit to begin to depressurize while she pinned the one she had picked out as the commander to the ground.

The rest of her squad moved in and killed the lower level officers while taking two other officers that had indicators showing them as higher level officers. Salem and the rest bound the officers and pushed them into a corner so Lee and Angel could watch them.

"Argon, get set up and watch the door and hall. JC, start going through any local files. I will call it in and have the ships in orbit refrain from firing on the facility while I disable the weapons that are firing on the space ships." Salem informed them as she set her shotgun within grabbing range while quickly accessing the terminal.

"Command this Inquisitor Salem, my squad has secured the Tyranus base's command center. I am turning off the defense systems but there are hundreds of occupants." Salem sent the message and a moment later she noticed on the systems one of the ship's beginning to make a deviation.

"Inquisitor Salem, this is Command. We are ceasing fire on the facility and moving in our troops. Apparently there was a miscommunication on one of the captain's parts resulting in your team heading in ahead of time as well as a strange flight pattern." Command informed her.

"Understood, arrest the captain for now and I will investigate after we are done here." Salem answered, realizing a specific person was being turned into a scapegoat. There was a shaking as the spaceship that deviated fired on the base. "Command we are being fired on, disable the ship that is doing it."

There was movement from the other ships as ship to ship fire was exchanged and the explosions could be seen. "The traitor ship has been disabled Inquisitor Salem. Do you want us to destroy it?" Command asked over the communication channel.

"Negative, seize control of the vessel. We will sort out the traitors later." Salem instructed them as she found a load of private communications that were partially erased. It appeared that they had failed to erase all evidence. They probably had someone that was subpar in handling their digital trail.

Thanks to what she learned from Director Fenrir she was able to easily reverse what they had tried to erase. It was a treasure trove of information. Including communications with several of the officers that were on the ship's above their heads.

"We have contacts. They are in Infantry Armor with armbands indicating they are from the strike force." Argon called out from behind her.

"JC, have you backed up all of the files?" Salem asked as she began doing the same with all external files as well as all the communication records. They had to do this in case their fellow members of the strike force were secretly members of the Tyranus.

"Just finished. What are we doing about those four?" Salem looked over to see him pointing at the four Tyranus officers they had captured.

"We are taking them back with us. Since we are just about done here we will head back out once the others start taking over the base." Salem answered. "I will call for a pick up when we are closer to an external door."

A few moments later as they were finishing is when the other unit of ten came into the room. "Hey you are the Inquisitors right? Did you find anything useful?" The leader asked.

"Even if we did it would be none of your business." Salem answered.

The other unit immediately readied their weapons when their leader pointed his sidearm at Salem's head. "Let's try this again, tell me everything you found or I will kill you in the most painful way possible. How about that? Is it my business now?" The man asked smuggly.

Salem began chuckling as she focused her mind. "It is not very nice or respectful. But I can change that." The leader's handgun began shaking as it started turning along with his hand. While the rest of her squad pulled out knives and stabbed into their armor, puncturing it and killing them while they were frozen in place.

"What! What are you doing to me?" The man yelled before the barrel of the gun turned to his head.

"Killing you of course," Salem answered.

BANG!

Salem then crouched over the body and looked over the armor to find out which ship they were from. "Come on, we have to go get a pick up. This unit was from one of the other ship's that did not turn traitor."

"Meaning we might run into more if we stick around." Argon asked, already knowing the answer.

"More than likely. Have our spy organize a safe pickup at the location we were shot down at." Salem told him. "I will lead, then Angel behind me, then the prisoners, then JC behind the prisoners, then Argon and Lee at the back."

Salem began making her way down the hall. She was taking routes that would avoid pockets of people and fighting. She did the same thing when they were going to the Tyranus Base's command center. Unfortunately it was not as easily done this time around.

They arrived at the entrance they came in from but there were a group of soldiers guarding it as they walked up. The leader of them stood at attention moving out from behind their barricades and the cover they had set up.

"Inquisitor Salem, I was told to expect you. My commanders also ordered me to immediately report your presence but I felt it best to wait for your orders." The leader of these troops reported as he saluted.

"If those were all the orders they gave you then it probably saved your life to not report to them. Did anyone come to pick up our pilots?" Salem asked as she stood to the side as the prisoners were escorted to outside the facility.

"Yes, there is a medical team and ship out there. What do you want me to do about reporting to my commanders?" The soldier asked.

"Don't, as far as you and your team are concerned, you never saw us." Salem told him with a chuckle. "Keep watch until the order to pull out is given." She then joined her squad outside.

Outside there was a transport ship landed nearby in an area where all the mines had been clearly set off from the scorched and glassed sand that was around. The medical team the unit from before had mentioned were moving some injured soldiers into a ship.

Salem walked up to the leader of the unit, "you got room for nine more?"

"Actually yes, someone told us to expect you and to not report your presence to command when you do arrive." The medical leader told them as she looked them over. "Inquisitor Salem we also found your pilots that flew you in. Would you like to know your pilot's condition?" She asked as they began boarding, taking the greeting as an invitation.

"I would indeed. I saw that one of them was unconscious when we disembarked." Salem responded as she joined her squad and the prisoners on the transport. They had four other people who were not members of the medical team on board. Two of them were their pilots while the other two were Infantry soldiers whose armor had been breached but had been given first aid and immediate treatment so their compromised armor did not kill them.

"One of them just has a concussion. That was your unconscious pilot. Your other pilot has a broken arm and some minor internal bleeding that will likely be fixed by their system within the hour." The medical officer informed them as she boarded the ship last. "I did take a look at the crash site when we pulled them out. I am surprised the rest of you were fine enough to complete your mission despite the severity of the crash."

Salem shrugged in response, "we are just really durable."