Josh Peck's Story

Josh sat up in the cryo tube his head pounding. There were noises all around him, he took a moment to survey his surrounding’s. He sat in what looked like a standard cryo room, like you could find on any ship in the fleet. Yet it was different more streamlined, more advanced, or maybe it was the flashing red emergency lights and loud computer voice telling him and the others in the room to report to their duty station’s. There were at least thirty other men in the room all moving from there cryo tube’s to the equipment locker’s on the other side of the room. “Get your ass out of the tube private!” yelled a older man with slightly graying hair. He was in uniform and the rank on his collar said he was a sergeant. Josh hopped out of the tube throwing a salute and yelled “Yes sir sergeant.”

Josh looked down at himself he wore white boxer’s and a white t-shirt. “I said move your ass private,” yelled the sergeant. “Yes sir” said Josh, damn I can hear him over the sirens and everything else. Josh made his way over to a locker and opened it. Inside was a 13mm rail-pistol, 34-inch blade, sheath, gun holster, and army uniform with a private insignia, as well as a HandComp. He quickly dressed and armed himself. “Where are we suppose to go” he asked another soldier next to him? “Check your Comp” said the soldier. Activating his comp and inputting his registration number pulled up his current assignment. It read that he was assigned to security detail along with five others to the secondary bridge.

Near the door to the hallway was the same sergeant who had yelled at him earlier. “Everyone on guard detail on the secondary bridge with me!” “Shit” Josh muttered under his breath. He and four other privates went to the sergeant. “Let’s get moving people.” Josh and the others made there way into the hallway, and following the sergeant who was looking at his Comp for directions went towered the secondary bridge. As they neared the door the sergeant said “when we get in there you all form a line behind me while I report to the commanding officer you stay that way until we receive our orders if no orders are forthcoming take up guard positions understood.” “Yes sir” we all said in unison.

We moved through the door and formed a line behind the sergeant, Josh studied the people in the room. There was a man in the caption’s chair with a lieutenant seconded grade fleet rank which made him the highest officer in the room, there was a blond man at the anti-ship station who was dressed like a civ, a man in a fleet airman uniform manned the fighter control station, and a girl was at the engineering station. The sergeant snapped a smart salute to the lieutenant in the caption’s chair with us following him a second later. “Sir bridge security detail reporting for duty sir” said the sergeant “orders sir!”

Before the lieutenant could responded to the sergeant question , and issue any orders the ship gave a violent shudder. Josh was a ground soldier not a fleet man, but he could tell from the look’s on the others face’s that thing’s were getting heavy. As the lieutenant was distracted with the new event’s unfolding outside the ship, Josh and the other’s followed the sergeants previous order’s and moved to take up guard position’s.

With two private’s on the left hand side of the bridge, and two on the right as well. That left Josh and the sergeant to stand guard at the door. It gave him a good view of the bridge and control station’s. So he could more or less tell what was happening, and how the battle was going. So far there ship had only taken minor damage, and it looked like the fighter’s were doing a good job at keeping the enemy at bay in exchange for horrific casualty’s. Yet thing’s were about to get worse. It seemed the enemy capital ship was trying to out maneuver there ship to get at the two colony ship’s behind them. “Shit that’s not good” said Josh under his breath so the only person to hear him was the sergeant who ignored him anyway.

Josh was not amused by the girls attempt at humor. This was no time to be cracking jokes, still if it had been someone else’s ass on the line he might have found it funny. With the large enemy fleet closing in, there ship taking multiple hits, and the order to hard jump being given things were going to hell in a hand basket. “Grab on to something men this crap isn’t going to be pleasant” yelled the sergeant to the privates throughout the room. Taking his advise Josh latched onto a nearby railing while thinking the same thing over and over again, How do I get out of this chicken shit outfit.

Damn I never want to do that again thought Josh as he slowly stood up. He looked over the bridge at the people through the room. Most like him didn’t look all that good, but some were already up and doing there jobs. The airman was calling the fighter groups, the lieutenant was busy at his station. The civie at the capital ship station was putting his on auto fire, and the girl at the engineering station was looking at the damage to the ship. Josh looked over his shoulder at the sergeant who was standing ramrod straight and acting as if not a thing had happened. The other privates through out the room were like him in various stages of disorientation. “Stand up soldier” said the sergeant “Yes sir” said Josh weakly.

Josh hefted his AR-36 while he followed Toby down the hallway, in the bridge he had felt helpless unable to affect the outcome of anything. Yet here he was in his environment the EDF had spent a lot of money turning him into a killing machine and he was going to do his job. Even if that meant taking orders from the pompous airman in front of him. His only regret was that he didn’t have his combat armor out of the lockup, still he had an assault rifle and that was better than his pistol or sword.

Toby brought up his left hand stopping Josh in mid stride. He looked in the direction the airman was pointing, a small side hall off the main one. There he saw two bodies. One was a civ, she had her lower stomach slashed open spilling her intestines and her face looked like something had melted it. The other one was a soldier like him, the mans chest had been torn open and his hand which was still attached to his 13mm rail-pistol was several feet away. “Mother of god” whispered Josh as he surveyed the massacre. Josh and Toby leveled there rifles in front of themselves and began following the trail of blood that led away from the two corpses.

Josh barreled down the hallway right on Toby’s heels. “We have got to move faster. Those fuckers are catching up to us!” Toby just throw him a look that said that was obvious. Josh turned and sprayed another burst at the aliens charging down the hallway after them. Almost as soon as he turned back around a large sword went flying past his head burying itself in the bulkhead inches away. They ducked behind some supply crates and laid down a suppressing fire in hopes of keeping the creatures back. “ I’m out need another clip” said Josh. Toby tossed him another mag which Josh slotted into the AR-36.

It looked like there was three of the borders in the hallway, who were slowly moving toward there position despite the round coming at them. Josh laid back against the create he was hiding behind, and attempted to think of a way out of the situation they found themselves in. The conclusion that Josh came to was that they were screwed, royal and totally screwed. At that moment two small silver objects flew overhead, they were followed by two loud bangs and flashes. “ Clear em out boys” yelled a loud female voice. Josh looked down the hallway and saw four people in combat armor moving along the disoriented aliens, and blowing holes in there heads and ripping off breathing mask. “ You boys alright ya looked like you were in a bit trouble” said a young red head woman with short hair as she removed her helmet. “ We are thanks to you” said Josh “what’s the situation on board.” “ These three were the last in this area, but there are reports of at lest six more through out the ship” said the red head. “ Well lets go kill us some alien scum” said Josh. The six people started to the next section of the ship that had invaders onboard.

Josh was pissed. They had just moved through a civilian cryo area, apparently the aliens had went through there just as a batch of civies were waking up. The massacre had left him sick to his stomach, Josh wanted some payback and he planed on getting it. The red head who’s name was Jessica was bringing up the head of the group with Toby close behind. The other three men were between them and Josh who was acting as rear guard. They slowed as they approached a section of the hallway that was badly scorched and pockmarked from bullet holes. Several bodies lay around the corridor, several were Marines. There was a few Army personal as well, and one alien turtle. Just then the sound of several AR-36s firing at once was heard. The group ran towered the noise and came to a door that led to a mess hall. They approached it.