Free Battle Earth: 12 by Nick S. Thomas Page A

point three minutes before the attack began.
    "What is that?"
    "Power fluctuation. Primary power loss for a brief period and secondary power kicked in to take up the slack," said Barclay.
    "What would cause it?"
    "All kinds of things. Work being done by engineers, a failing electrical component."
    Taylor brought up the log from the fighter and matched up the time codes until he stopped and pointed at a similar power fluctuation.
    "What are the chances of that? Happened at the exact same moment, to the second. What are the chances, Captain?"
    Barclay looked confused as he studied the two.
    "The odds of it happening are incredibly slim, unless the cause was the same for both."
    "What would be the effect?"
    "Not a lot, a brief power fluctuation. Lighting and life support can be interrupted for a second or two."
    Taylor shook his head as he tried to figure it out.
    "Weapons systems?"
    "Nothing that would be noticeable."
    Taylor looked back over the data from the Lampo.
    "What's this?" he asked Barclay.
    "Proximity scanner sensors. Looks like they failed during the power flocculation."
    "Moye seemed to think the Mechs just came out of nowhere. One minute they were fine, and next they had Mechs swarming through their vessel. No one could work out how they made it in without being spotted."
    "The cloaking technology we used to see with Karadag, they could have used it to get nearby with smaller craft. Maybe get in undetected?"
    Taylor looked to Barclay for answers. His face suddenly turned white as it all fitted together in his head.
    "If the proximity scanners were damaged or tampered with, then boarding craft that were invisible by sight or scan would be able to breach the hull without warning. You'd never even know where they'd latched on unless you could get visual confirmation. They could hit anytime."
    Taylor quickly lifted his comms unit.
    "This is Colonel Taylor. Calling all hands to arms. Prepare to be boarded!"
    Barclay looked at him in horror.
    "You don't think?"
    "Yes I do. This was the perfect bait to get us right where they wanted us. They were never hitting us with force, but with stealth. Spool up the gateway, and get us the hell out of here!"
    Barclay tapped the comms channel on the desk beside him, but just as he opened his mouth to speak, he was silenced as the lights flickered, and they felt the power surge before coming back online.
    "It's begun," said Silva.
    "Get us back to Ony; best thing we can do right now is get out of here. At least back there we can get some help."
    "This is the Captain. Plot a course to Onekaka now!"
    They rushed out of the Captain's quarters to find the crew looked stunned by what they were hearing. Finally, his flight officer turned and stuttered as she responded.
    "Gateway won't activate, Sir."
    Oh, shit! What have I got us into? Taylor thought.
    "Get me engineering!" Barclay bellowed.
    Taylor raised his comms channel.
    "Prepare to repel borders. We've got hull breaches incoming. Location unknown. 1st Platoon to the bridge and secure it, 2nd Platoon to engineering and hold there, 3rd Platoon, you're on patrol."
    "This can't be happening," Barclay whispered to himself.
    "I guess you wanted to bait the enemy. Well, you've done it now, Colonel," said Silva.
    A few seconds later, a call came through to the bridge that opened with small arms fire.
    "We've got enemy contact at Level Four on the starboard side. We can't hold them...we..."
    Several more shots rang out, and the transmission ended. Taylor turned to see a few members of 1st Platoon had arrived.
    "Hold this position. Do not let them get through you, got it?"
    He turned back to Barclay.
    "You want to get us out of this? Get the engines going. The only way the Tourville made it home was because she jumped out. Left here much longer and she'd have been torn apart. Get us up and running!"
    He turned to leave, but Barclay called out.
    "Colonel? Where are you going?"
    "To try and thin them out. You've got your job to do, and I've got