Chapter 17 – Survival and Sabotage

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sustenance

“Is anyone else thirsty?” Jay’s question broke the tense silence that had fallen over the group of Marines. They had been trapped on the Skravak ship for what felt like an eternity, their bodies crying out for sustenance.

Wade grimaced, feeling the dryness in his throat. “We can survive about three days without water, and maybe three weeks without food. But we better find something soon.”

The four Marines began a desperate search through the alien vessel, looking for anything that might be edible or drinkable. They scoured every nook and cranny, but the automated ship seemed devoid of any provisions for organic life forms, other than the caged Skravaks and the humans in the stasis tubes.

As their search continued fruitlessly, Jay’s eyes fell on the empty stasis tubes that had once held human captives. “Hey, guys,” he said hesitantly, “I know this sounds gross, but what about the liquid in those tubes? It’s keeping the humans alive, right? Maybe we could try it.”

Wade’s face darkened at the suggestion, memories of his harrowing experience during boot camp on Carthis 7 flooding back. “No way,” he said firmly. “We have no idea what that stuff could do to us. Remember what happened to me when I drank unfiltered water at the end of boot?”

As the day wore on and their situation grew more desperate. Jay, driven by unbearable thirst, made a bold decision.

“I can’t take it anymore,” he announced. “I’m going to try the stasis liquid. If it kills me, well, at least I won’t die of thirst.”

While Jay approached one of the empty tubes and scooped up a handful of the remaining liquid, Wade, Mayumi and Bikram watched with anxiety. Jay hesitated for a moment, then brought the liquid to his lips and drank. The bitter, metallic taste made him grimace. Hoping that Jay was right, they knew better than to all drink the liquid at the same time. They watched Jay carefully and in the meantime they turned their attention to the ship’s communication system.

“I know Morse Code,” Mayumi offered, studying the alien interface. “If we can figure out how to transmit a simple signal, I can rig it to repeat a basic message.”

Hours ticked by as Jay showed no ill effects. Mayumi and Bikram made progress with the comm system, managing to jerry-rig it to emit a series of long and short bursts.

“I think we’ve got it,” Bikram said, adjusting some controls. “What should the message say?”

Mayumi thought for a moment. “Let’s keep it simple: ‘SOS’ followed by our coordinates and ‘FOUR MARINES TRAPPED INSIDE DISABLED SHIP. HUMAN CAPTIVES IN STASIS. NEED RESCUE.'”

As they fine-tuned the distress signal, Mayumi and Bikram, seeing Jay’s apparent well-being, decided to follow his lead. They too drank from the stasis tubes, their desperation overcoming their fear.

Wade held out for another day, dividing his attention between monitoring his companions and assisting with the communication efforts. The other Marines seemed healthier than ever, and the distress signal was now broadcasting consistently.

Finally, Wade relented. “I guess I’ve been a big wimp. You haven’t grown a third eye or anything,” he muttered as he took his first sip of the alien liquid. He winced at the bitter taste and added, “Ugg, that is nasty!”

Mayumi Comes to Christ

As the days stretched on aboard the Skravak ship, the Marines found themselves grappling not just with physical survival, but with spiritual questions. The constant threat of death and the bizarre nature of their circumstances led to deep, late-night conversations.

One evening, as they huddled around a makeshift light source, Wade and Jay began their nightly prayers together. Mayumi and Bikram listened as they thanked God for another day of provision and protection. As they finished, Wade spoke matter-of-factly, “You know, in times like these, I’m grateful for my belief in God. It gives me hope.”

Jay nodded in agreement. “I never thought I’d say this, but going through all this stuff has strengthened my faith in God. It’s like, in the face of all this alien tech and danger, I can see God’s hand protecting us.”

Mayumi, who was listening intently, spoke up. “I’ve never really thought much about religion. But after everything we’ve been through and watching you guys… the peace and courage you have… your prayers… I don’t know. It feels like there must be something more out there.”

Wade and Jay took the opportunity to share their faith in Jesus, explaining that God loves us so much, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. He lived a perfect life and then was killed according to the Scriptures. He died in our stead, taking our sins on Himself and paying the price for our rebellion against God. God provided a way to have a right relationship with Him through His Son’s sacrifice on a cross. Mayumi listened with growing interest, asking thoughtful questions and sharing her own doubts and fears.

As the conversation went on, something seemed to click for Mayumi. “I think… I think I want what you guys have,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “This peace, this hope. How do I get it?”

Wade smiled warmly. “It’s simple, Mayumi. You just need to tell God you believe that He sent His Son to die for your sins and repent and accept Jesus as your King. Instead of living your life for yourself, you tell Him you want to serve Him.”

With tears in her eyes, Mayumi made a profession of faith right there in the alien ship. In a moment that felt both surreal and deeply meaningful, Wade used some of the stasis liquid to baptize her by pouring it over her head. There wasn’t much left for a full immersion, so they improvised.

Bikram, watching the scene unfold, remained politely skeptical but supportive of his comrade’s decision. “If it gives you strength, Mayumi,” he said with a small smile, “then I’m happy for you.”

The Marines settled in for sleep, not really knowing the day of the week or date. One thing they did know was that the Almighty had been with them this far and would see them through this ordeal.

Rescue on the Way

Days passed with no response, each hour stretching into an eternity of anxious waiting. They had run out of open stasis tubes to drink from and then, just as they were beginning to lose hope, a new sound reached their ears – the distinctive hum of a ship’s engines.

A commercial freighter had picked up their distress signal and come to investigate. The ship had no view ports or monitors for external sight, so the Marines listened as the freighter’s crew attempted to find a way into the Skravak vessel, using plasma cutters to no avail.

Desperate to communicate, Wade had an idea. He led the others to the outer hull and Mayumi began banging out a Morse code message: “WE ARE STILL ALIVE. HELP.”

The freighter’s crew responded in kind, assuring them that help was on the way. They had notified the Confederation Navy of the situation.

As they waited for official rescue, the Marines faced a difficult decision regarding the human captives still in stasis. “We can’t release them,” Wade argued. “We barely have enough resources for ourselves. If we wake them up, we’ll have dozens of semi-incapacitated people to deal with.”

The others reluctantly agreed, deciding to keep the captives in stasis until proper help arrived.

Two more days passed before a Navy destroyer finally appeared. To the crew’s surprise, the destroyer’s captain treated the situation with suspicion, acting as though they had committed a crime by attempting to assist. He instructed the sailor who had been communicating with the Marines via morse code to bang out this message;

“MARINES…BY ORDER OF A NAVY CAPTAIN. YOU ARE TO EXIT THE SKRAVAK VESSEL IMMEDIATELY THROUGH YOUR POINT OF ENTRY.”

The freighter’s captain nodded in approval and the sailor dawned his EVA suit, exited the airlock, and banged out the prescribed message.

Exchanging worried glances, the four Marines dawned their suits and made their way back to the waste disposal system they had used to enter the ship. One by one, they squeezed through the narrow opening.

The Hatch

Just as Wade, the last to exit, was about to clear the hatch, disaster struck. The ship’s AI systems suddenly came back online, and the hatch slammed shut on Wade’s right arm. His scream came over the comm system causing the others to turn to see Wade’s arm pinned in the hatch and spewing blood and air as his suit decompressed. Had he been a half-second slower, he would have been cut in half.

“Wade!” Jay shouted, reaching his friend and quickly wrapping both hands around the sleeve of his half severed arm, applying immense pressure to stop the suit from losing all oxygen. Wade started to lose consciousness. Jay shouted to Bikram over the comms, “Hit his arm!” Bikram saw the gravity of the situation and knew Wade’s hand would never be recovered. It was now locked behind the hatch and his arm was only pinned in the hatch by the remaining flesh and material of the space suit. Bikram clasped both hands over his head and with one swift downward crash ripped Wade’s amputated arm from the hatch.

The Navy shuttle quickly retrieved him, corpsmen rushing to attend to his grievous injury. As the medical team worked on Wade, barely conscious, the other three Marines watched in horror. Then the situation on the Skravak ship escalated. Suddenly, the vessel’s weapons systems came online, immediately opening fire on the defenseless freighter. In a matter of seconds, the commercial ship that had come to their aid was reduced to floating debris.

Only then did the Navy destroyer spring into action, its plasma cannons blazing. But to the Marines’ shock, the destroyer’s weapons seemed to have little effect on the Skravak ship.

Suddenly, without warning, the alien vessel began to implode. Its reactors overloaded, and in a blinding flash, the entire ship vaporized. The human captives, the caged Skravak hunters, and all the advanced alien technology disappeared in an instant.

Classified

As the Marines were brought aboard the destroyer, they were met by stern-faced officers. “Everything you have seen and experienced is now classified,” they were told. “You are not to discuss this with anyone except these two officers, under any circumstances. You will be confined to quarters until we reach Navy headquarters on New Annapolis.”

Stunned and exhausted, the three Marines were led to their temporary quarters and Wade, now under the heavy influence of morphex, was whisked away on a stretcher to the ship’s infirmary. As the door closed behind Jay, Mayumi, and Bikram, they exchanged looks of disbelief and confusion. They had survived an incredible ordeal, only to find themselves caught in what seemed to be an even more complex and dangerous situation.

Mayumi sank onto one of the bunks. “What in the world just happened out there?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jay shook his head, his usual humor absent. “I don’t have a clue. But I’ve got a feeling this is just the beginning of something really bad. I think I’d rather be back on the Skravak’s ship sippin’ stasis fluid.”

Mayumi and Bikram nodded in agreement, their faces grim. As the destroyer set course for New Annapolis, the three Marines settled into an uneasy silence, each lost in their own thoughts about the harrowing experience they had just survived and wondering how Wade was doing.

The Stump

The harsh fluorescent lights of the cramped quarters cast long shadows across the room as the door slid open with a hiss. Wade stumbled in, supported by two stern-faced Navy corpsmen. His eyes were glazed over, a combination of potent painkillers and the shock of recent events.

Jay, Mayumi, and Bikram rose to their feet, a mixture of relief and concern etched on their faces. For 36 agonizing hours, they had been left to wonder about their comrade’s fate, confined to their quarters like common criminals.

“Wade,” Mayumi whispered empathically, her voice catching in her throat as she took in his haggard appearance.

The corpsmen deposited Wade onto an empty bunk and left without a word, the door sliding shut behind them with an ominous click. The sound of the lock engaging echoed in the silence.

Wade blinked slowly, his gaze unfocused as he looked at his fellow Marines. “Hey,” he slurred, his voice thick and unfamiliar. “Miss me?”

Jay approached cautiously, his usual humor subdued. “Like a hole in the head, buddy. How’re you holding up?”

Wade’s response was to lift his right arm, now ending abruptly just below the elbow in a mass of bandages. “Feels like it’s still there,” he mumbled. “Phantom limb, they called it. I feel like someone chopped off my arm.” They all chuckled nervously at the joke.

Bikram, ever practical, moved to adjust Wade’s pillows. “They’ve got you on some strong stuff, huh?”

“Yeah,” Wade nodded, wincing as the movement sent a fresh wave of pain through his body. “Can’t think straight. They kept asking questions… about the ship, the Skravaks. Couldn’t tell if I was answering or not.”

The other three exchanged worried glances. They had all been subjected to intense questioning, but Wade’s injured state made him particularly vulnerable.

“Have they said anything about a prosthetic?” Mayumi asked, trying to inject a note of optimism into the conversation.

Wade shook his head slowly. “Not yet. Just more questions. More secrets.” His eyes, clouded with pain and medication, suddenly sharpened. “We’re in deep, aren’t we?”

The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. The small room, once a haven, now felt like a prison cell. The constant presence of Navy sentinels outside their door, the meals delivered in silence, the lack of communication with the outside world – it all pointed to a situation far more complex and dangerous than they had initially realized.

Jay sank onto his own bunk, the weight of their circumstances evident in the slump of his shoulders. “Yeah, buddy. We’re in deep. But we’re in it together.”

Mayumi nodded, her jaw set with determination. “We’ll figure this out, Wade. We’ve got your six.”

Bikram, standing by the door as if on guard, added softly, “Rest now. We’ll talk more when your head clears.”

As Wade drifted off into a fitful sleep, the other three Marines huddled together, their voices low. They had survived the horrors of the Skravak ship only to find themselves trapped in a different kind of nightmare. Outside their window, the vastness of space stretched endlessly, indifferent to the small drama unfolding within the confines of their quarters. The four Marines had unwittingly stepped into something way beyond their pay grade. They were just along for the ride as the drama unfolded.

The journey to New Annapolis stretched on for days, each hour blending into the next as the Marines remained confined to their quarters. They were allowed brief periods of exercise and medical check-ups, but otherwise, they were left alone with their thoughts and each other.

Wade spent much of his time adjusting to the loss of his hand, working with the ship’s medical staff on exercises to prepare him for a prosthetic. The others took turns sitting with him, offering support and distraction from the pain and frustration.

“You know,” Jay said one evening as they sat in their shared quarters, “I can’t help but wonder why the Navy was so quick to destroy that ship. There was so much we could have learned from it.”

Mayumi nodded, her brow furrowed in thought. “And why did they seem so unconcerned about the human captives? It’s like they wanted to erase all evidence of what happened.”

Bikram, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. “Perhaps they feared what that technology could do if it fell into the wrong hands. Or maybe they know something about the Skravaks that we don’t know.”

Wade, flexing his remaining hand, added, “Whatever the reason, I have a feeling we’re not going to get any straight answers until we reach New Annapolis.”

Navy HQ

As the destroyer entered orbit around New Annapolis, the Marines were shuttled to the planet’s surface and then dispatched by a highly secure motorcade with lights and sirens blaring. They were hurried into a nondescript briefing room where they found themselves face to face with a Navy Admiral and two men in business suits, their expressions unreadable.

“Marines,” began the stern-faced admiral, “you’ve been through an extraordinary ordeal. What you experienced aboard that Skravak vessel is of the utmost importance to Confederation security. We need you to understand that absolutely nothing of what transpired can ever be discussed outside of this room. We have read your accounts of your experience and it seems you have all told the truth. Do you have anything to add that you have not disclosed to my intelligence officers?”

The Marines exchanged glances, a mix of confusion and frustration evident on their faces. They responded in unison, “No Sir.”

“Sir,” Wade spoke up, his voice steady despite his discomfort, “with all due respect, we saw things that the public needs to know about. The Skravaks are kidnapping humans, using them as food. Shouldn’t people be warned?”

The admiral’s expression hardened. “Private Kovacs, I understand your concern, but there are larger issues at play here. Issues that, if made public, could cause widespread panic and potentially compromise our ability to defend against future Skravak incursions.”

Jay, unable to contain himself, interjected, “But sir, what about the families of those captives? Don’t they deserve to know what happened to their loved ones?”

An Asian middle-aged man in a business suit at the end of the table leaned forward out of the shadows, his voice low and menacing. “Private, let me make this perfectly clear. If any information about what you saw leaks out, you will be charged with treason. Your careers, your freedoms, your families, everything you’ve worked for will be gone. Is that understood?”

The room fell silent as the weight of the man’s words sank in. The four Marines, who had faced unimaginable dangers and emerged victorious, now found themselves trapped in a different kind of battle, one against their own government and conscience.

The admiral broke in, “You are being immediately reassigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Zorion Quadrant. You will resume your duties as Marine Regulars until further notice.”

Now the four Marines were really confused and flustered. Bikram respectfully requested to speak. “Yes private, what is it?” “Sir,” Bikram’s voice trembling, “We were on our way to Earth to attend Ranger School…” The Admiral cut him off, “Well son, you are obviously in no shape to be Rangers. Let’s just be satisfied to be in the service of the Confederation and leave it at that. You are dismissed.”

Mayumi interjected with a bit of disdain, “Sir, can we atleast get Private Kovacs a proper prosthetic before we ship out.”

“That’s a reasonable request, I’ll see that the appropriate medical personnel are informed on your transport to Zorion.” Then he ended the meeting with a wave of his hand and as they exited the briefing room they were hurried to a waiting transport as fast as they had been brought in.

As they boarded the ship, the Marines walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. The enormity of what they had experienced, coupled with the burden of secrecy now placed upon them, weighed heavily on their shoulders.

That night, as they sat in their shared berth, Wade finally broke the silence. “I don’t know about you guys, but I didn’t become a Marine to keep secrets from the people we’re supposed to protect.”

Mayumi nodded in agreement. “Did you notice that one suit? That was Senator Wang from the Chinese delegation. There’s something wrong with this whole fiasco. There’s gotta be a way to get the truth out without compromising ourselves or worse, our families.”

Bikram, ever the voice of caution, warned, “We need to be very careful. Whatever we decide to do, we’re up against something dark and much more powerful than we are.”

Jay, his usual humor tempered by the gravity of their situation, added, “Well, we’ve already survived a Skravak ship and Navy brass. How much harder can it get?” 

Link to all Chapters – Text & Audio