War Fleet: Resistance

Captain Kraic be up to? Then, Olsen noticed, the Okranti was edging around the shield-generators. It was using the lattice structure as cover while it wheeled towards where their asteroid had been. The cube object — it planned to steal it off them.
How the hell does everyone know about this thing? The alien Ambassador Oort had said something about the object determining its own threat. Perhaps this was what he meant.
But surely that theory was a little too far-fetched. There was no way that an ancient device veiled for millennia could have any means of communicating with the three civilizations. Olsen cast his wild ideas aside. He needed to focus on maintaining control of the object.
Soon enough, the Okranti had pivoted enough around the shields. One of the modules detached and jetted over to it, while he and the rest of the bridge crew watched helplessly.
“Is there any way to target that module?”
“No, sir,” Schmidt said. “Not with their configuration. There’s just too many of them out there.”
“Sir, the Okranti is powering up to FTL-warp,” Santiago said quietly. “She’ll be ready in minutes.”
Olsen ground his fist down on his armrest. He had to do something, or Captain Kraic would get away with the object. He still didn’t even know what that thing was—a weapon, if the alien Ambassador Oort was telling the truth, and it seemed that Admiralty AI agreed—but the fact the Arstans wanted it was enough for Olsen to not want to give it away.
“Redrock,” he said over the intercom, “how quickly can you get the Extractor launched?”
“Less than a minute,” the shuttle pilot replied confidently. “You want me out there?”
“Do it,” Olsen said. “We’ll give you orders once you get outside. And take the Marines with you, just in case you have to board.”
“Aye, sir.”
A hatch opened on the side of the detached Arstan module, which maneuvered itself in space to swallow the object in one gulp. Soon enough, the bay doors closed, and the module started traveling back to the main body of the Okranti with its prize. Closer to the Tapper, a streak of exhaust shot outward and the Extractor was soon back in space.
“Can you see that cargo module, Redrock? That’s your target.”
“I’ll prep the lasers and missiles, sir.”
“Don’t fire on it yet.”
“We want our toy back?”
“Exactly. And in the meantime, keep the cargo module between you and the Okranti, so the big ship doesn’t destroy you in the crossfire.”
“Got it,” Redrock said.
“Good.” Olsen stood and crossed his fingers behind his back. This whole thing could go sideways fast.

10
The shield wall was a beautiful thing. As you got close to it, the whole arrangement shimmered with what looked like magical energy — a sea of luminescence and refracted blue light. An artist might get commissioned to construct something like it as space-art, spending hours lifting massive transport bays and slotting them into place, then carefully placing the shield-generators in such a way that the shields layered on top of each other like fish scales. Yet here, the Arstans had just slotted them together like children’s toy bricks.
Redrock didn’t have much time to marvel at it, but he did see it wisest to fly as close to it as possible. This way, he would shorten the distance he had to travel without cover to get to the cargo-module, because he didn’t doubt the Okranti would open fire on him as soon as he had a chance.
Through the latticework, he soon saw that it wasn’t going to be easy. Four modules had detached from the Okranti. The HUD integrated into his helmet told him that they each contained 13800-Celsius laser cannons. The Tapper could perhaps survive a shot from one of these guns, but the beam would punch through the shuttle’s hull in two seconds flat.
He punched a button on his dash to open the doors of the cargo bay. “Kota, you back there?” He’d been annoyed with her for half a minute, but that feeling was long gone.
“Affirmative,” the Marine sergeant replied. It would sound all business to anyone listening in, but there was a little smirk she managed to slip in at the end that Redrock heard.
“Good. Get me some extra help. We’ve got four bogeys inbound.”
“Fighters?” she asked.
“Negative. Weapon modules.”
“Shit.” Smirk gone. “Riley, take the top turret. Connery, take the bottom. Maybe if you can get close to a module, we can take it from the inside.”
“I don’t think they’ll give us that chance.”
Redrock increased the rear thrusters as he emerged from behind the shield wall. Immediately, the laser cannons opened fire, all four of them at once. He barrel-rolled out of the way of three beams, but a fourth grazed the aft of the hull.
“Singh, fire control,” Kota shouted at the back. “Dammit, Redrock, where do you keep the extinguisher on this thing?”
“Here up front,” he said.
Kota dived in and pulled herself to a stop in the pilot bay. Redrock turned to see her hard-lined face and short blonde hair. This could be the last he saw of her. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then pulled his chin back towards the window.
“Focus, Redrock,” she said as she grabbed the extinguisher.
“Yeah, yeah. Just go cool that damn hull.”
Kota made some remark he missed; then her mag-boots clanked towards the back of the deck. To Redrock’s right, the laser cannons were starting to glow red again. Arstan modules had automated turrets installed on every face to take out approaching fighter pilots; hence the need for the gunners. The same was true for the cargo bay, which the shuttle had now managed to find cover behind.
“How’s it going out there?” Captain Olsen asked.
“Still alive,” Redrock replied. “We took a hit, but our Marines managed to cool it down. I’m ready to unleash my fury on the cargo bay.”
“Only use surface fire for now,” Olsen replied. “I don’t know what will happen to that weapon if it takes another explosion.”
It was an object before, thought Redrock. And now it’s a weapon.