by T. Y. Carew
Matt gripped her rifle close to her chest and allowed herself to look to the window once more. Tyra was making a steep descent, swooping into the hangar of the reception buildings with grace and skill that few other pilots could ever hope to match.
As the civilian vehicle pulled into the hangar, Tyra began to spin the craft in a wide arc, letting the thrusters of the ship set alight any Dairos that were close or else smashing them aside with the weight of the hull as it made several quick donuts.
Matt held onto her seat and tried to ignore the nausea caused by being spun about so quickly. She needed to keep her wits sharp and her eyes focused. When she felt the ship touch the ground, she thumbed the safety catch on her gun and tensed her body.
“Throwing open the doors… Now!”
At Tyra’s words, the hatch to the passenger compartment of the craft flung open, and Matt got her first view of the battlefield before her. It was unlike any war zone she had ever seen, and she could not make sense of it. The bulk of the Dairos and Kyraos warriors were plowing across the hangar, charging at the small huddle of defenders in breathing apparatus who held the elevator to the upper floors.
Amid the surge, though, smaller fights were breaking out. If a Dairos jostled too close to another of its kind, the two would fall upon each other like rabid dogs, rolling about on the ground as they clawed and mauled each other. Matt had hoped to see the Beltine all fighting amongst themselves, but it seemed the creatures retained enough of their original minds to know that humans were the preferable target for their aggression and anger. More were pouring in from outside the facility, and Matt knew this fight was a desperate last stand for the survivors and for themselves.
“Open fire!”
Matt did as the colonel commanded, shooting out several bolts of laser fire at a time at the nearest targets. She tried her best to ignore the wider commotion of the battle and focused on her sightlines, always aiming for the nearest Dairos to her.
“Step off!” The colonel barked his second order, and the team moved off the hovercraft. Drew and Dr Cardew took the very back, their shots fired almost blind. Matt kept close to Xander, her own shots bringing down the few Dairos slaves that the colonel’s disciplined shots failed to mop up. Trey, meanwhile, was in a league of his own. The Lentarin gunner held two rifles in his hands and was like a machine. Each shot he fired seemed to hit its mark, and Matt couldn’t imagine even a targeting computer matching the reptilian's precision shots.
As the group tore into the Beltine lines from behind, Matt felt a strong gust of air blowing out from behind her. She turned her head backwards for just a moment to see the shuttle taking off once again.
“Tyra, what are you doing?” Xander yelled into his communicator.
“Giving you space. This’ll be just like flying my dad’s jet bike through the parking bays when I was a kid, only this time I get points for mowing people down as I go.”
Matt felt the acceleration as the shuttle swerved around her and then tore forward into the horde of Beltine converging on the hangar. With one reckless charge, Tyra had laid low at least thirty Beltine Dairos, sending them flying in all directions as their bodies shattered against the shuttle’s hull.
“Okay, move forward, we move for the defense line.” Xander began to run, glancing back to make sure the others were following. Matt didn’t need to be told twice.
Jogging forward, she paused only to take shots at any Dairos that were coming straight for her. To her right, Matt could see the hovercraft pulling large donuts again, the thrusters burning hot and white as they scorched any living thing that got caught near them. Tyra was causing chaos, and it gave Xander and the others the break they needed to reach the defense line set up by the masked soldiers.
General Tallow waved them down, and his men pushed aside two of the crates they had set up as a barricade.
“We got the word out, General,” Xander said as he helped the soldiers re-seal the breach in their defense line. “Military birds will be rendezvousing on our position as soon as they can reach us. We just need to hold out here as long as possible. Where are the investors?”
“Had to barricade them in the main hall. You… you were right about that voodoo the doctor put into the atmosphere. I swear, when this is over I will hand myself in and—”
“Very noble of you to say, General, but let’s concentrate on getting out of here before you go making other plans.”
“Fair point.”
Beyond the barricade, Tyra continued to run roughshod through the mess of Dairos and Kyraos that were pressing into the hangar in a restless battle rage. Their sense of self-preservation was entirely gone. The creatures continued to move towards the defenders in their barricade even as they fought and killed each other, even as the shuttle plowed them down and ignited so many of them with its engine flares.
“Tyra, don’t let yourself run out of fuel. Get back here behind cover with the rest of us.”
Matt watched with concern as the shuttle banked in the narrow space and flew forward at speed. A few more of the Beltine horde were knocked down as the ship flew toward the barricade.
Several of the defenders took cautious steps back, no doubt expecting the ship to plow straight into them at the speed it was going. Tyra, however, was peerless in her driving and brought the shuttle to a stop just short of the barricade, adding the shuttle's own mass to the obstacles the Dairos would have to clamber past to reach the last fighters on Icarus.
It was battered and had evidently seen better days, making it clear the vessel couldn’t be used to exit the atmosphere and take survivors into space.
As soon as Tyra was out of the shuttle, she ran for the barricade, more Dairos chasing at her heels while others ripped at the shuttle, making it even less likely to fly again.
Moving to help open the blockade for Tyra, Matt helped her friend push through the narrow space created for her. Xander and Trey brought down any Dairos that came close to laying a finger on her. Trey was not likely to let anything harm his twin sister.
Matt exhaled with relief as soon as they were all safe, but it was short lived. There were still plenty of Dairos to contend with, and they needed to hold out a little longer.
Chapter 8
With his team around him and the hangar slowly filling with Dairos and Kyraos again, Xander knew he needed to think fast. It was clear the general was beginning to panic, fear at what the Beltine would do if their resistance crumbled setting in.
"What resources have we got?" he asked the general over the din of laser fire and growling Beltine.
"There's a set of charge packs and a few more spare pistols in the crates just inside the door," the man replied, motioning that way, his own pistol limp by his side.
Xander flicked his head in that direction as his team looked at him, knowing they'd take it as an order to arm up. They hurried past him as he assessed the defenses, mostly a blockade of hangar machinery and the stone blocks used to keep the few wheeled craft on the planet from moving if their brakes failed.
There were a couple of energy shields set up, but no one had bothered to power them on. When the enemy had abandoned all conventional weaponry and were hurling themselves at you, the shields were useless bits of tech. Another twelve soldiers with breathing apparatus lined this perimeter, shooting through gaps and over the tops of the shorter areas.
Quickly Xander's own team filled in the gaps, even Drew looking determined and eager to join the battle. As Xander grabbed another charge pack for himself he noticed three wounded soldiers being tended to by a medic, just out of the line of battle.
"Tyra, Trey?" he called, grateful to see both Lentarin twins immediately look his way. Their eyes followed his until they saw the wounded and rushed over.
"Do what you can to get them back in the fight," he commanded as he took up station in the gap they'd vacated. He was just in time to fire off three shots into a Kyraos that had gained enough momentum to haul itself up on the barricade. The force of blasts from
both himself and Matt sent it back down to the floor.
"They really should have let me bring my Adamanta," Matt called out over the noise a fraction of a second later, her rifle already shooting at the next target.
He grunted his agreement, feeling more than a little guilty he hadn't pushed harder for just that. Holding out against this many Beltine would have felt significantly easier if his team had been fully armed. As it was, they would be hard pressed to guess which they'd run out of first—ammo, or clean air to breathe.
Shot after shot was fired and it felt like the Beltine kept coming, their numbers hardly diminished, and their dead taking longer to pile up than normal. Something kept the Kyraos and Dairos going, almost making them hardier, oblivious to any pain.
"Make every shot count!" Xander roared when he realized the bodies were beginning to hamper the onslaught and give them a small reprieve. Their line was also bolstered by Tyra and Trey's ability to send the other human soldiers back into the fight and tighten the defense line.
As the twins also joined back in, Xander fell back, wanting to survey the area and talk to the general again. They needed more ammo. Already they'd used up almost half of what was left, and only ten minutes had passed. It would be at least another twenty more before the craft arrived from orbit, and they would need at least one final salvo to help push back the Beltine long enough to get all the civilians to safety.
"Is there nothing else we could use?" Xander asked the general as he reached his side. This close he could talk more quietly, sure they wouldn't be overheard.
"There's some explosives, but nothing we could get out there and deploy."
"Any Adamanta at all?" he asked, hoping at least one or two users had made it onto the normal personnel, but the general shook his head.
"No one with those talents or inclinations was ever hired here." The general's glance flicked to Dr Cardew, who had at least done her best to join in and defend everyone else despite not being the best of shots. It didn't surprise him that she'd had some kind of vendetta against Adamanta. Even if she'd saved Harry Cronell on Netera almost a year earlier, she hadn't seemed to approve of Matt and everyone else involved in the Adamanta project, quite probably because it wasn't something she could control.
"We've only got the usual display samples, a few zappers and cameras, and some impure, unsmelted chunks. The only person who could operate the sample pieces isn't currently capable of doing so. It didn't seem like enough of an arsenal to allow him to have the oxygen when more senior... and effective... soldiers were available."
Xander let the general waffle as he considered his next move. For months now Matt had been toying with Adamanta that wasn't attuned to her. She just might be able to do something with what they'd got.
"Have any Adamanta here brought to me, can you?" he asked the general, aware he was probably pushing the boundaries of rank a little by making the request, but General Tallow didn't blink an eye, instead heading to the doorway into the building and yelling for someone.
Content that at least something was being done to try and make their ammo last longer, he returned to his post beside Matt. The Beltine numbers were still large and still coming despite the crush of dead bodies. Most crawled over their fallen brethren, drawn by the noise and violence to join the frenzy.
As Xander took his time and aimed for the neck of a particularly large Kyraos, he noticed Matt doing the same. They caught it at the same time, on opposite sides, almost severing the head between them. The next few shots he made hurriedly as a Dairos leaped at the barricade, managing to catch the arm of a soldier and yank the rifle out of their hand.
He could have sworn as the weapon, complete with an almost fresh charge pack, disappeared into the mass of heaving bodies. It would be suicide to try and retrieve it. Instead Xander took his frustration out on more Beltine, sending as many of them to the grave as possible.
With the horde hampered by the bodies of their own dead, the line appeared to be holding them back, each shot taken with a little more time and care, but as Trey loaded in yet another charge pack, and most of the soldiers were already using the last of theirs, Xander knew they were running out of time. And the Beltine just kept coming.
As soon as there was a good opportunity, he sidled over to Matt to get her attention. She glanced his way before shooting again and catching a Dairos full in the face. With all the weapons training she'd been doing, he was glad to note her aim was also getting better. Impressive, given how little opportunity she had normally to use a gun.
"I think I've found you a temporary set of weaponry," he said.
"You think?" she replied in the brief lull after her next shot. "What's the catch?"
"It's either impure or already attuned to someone else."
"How impure?"
"No clue. But we're running out of energy packs."
"Got it. I'll do what I can." As Matt finished speaking a young teenager came running out of the door behind and up to the general. In his arms was a cloth wrapped around several items of different shapes and sizes. The general pointed straight to Xander.
"I'll cover you," Xander said as he slid into the gap even more. Thankfully the solider on Matt's other side seemed to understand she was being pulled back for something and shifted his way as well, ensuring the Beltine didn't find a weak spot.
"Suck on this!" Matt yelled a moment later, sending a jagged rock of speckled metal hurtling past his head and straight down the throat of a charging Kyraos. In an instant the Beltine commander was dead and there was a cheer of appreciation from several of the soldiers who'd noticed, including Drew and Tyra from his own team.
Flicking a glance her way, he watched her as she concentrated on hurtling the one piece of rock around while another in the palm of her hand slowly wobbled and lifted. A moment later two were in the air and acting like large scale projectiles. Reusable projectiles.
She then held out her hand to the trembling boy whose wide-eyed stare at the advancing enemy made it obvious he'd never had the misfortune of seeing a battle. Despite his fear, he placed another of the impure rocks into her fingers. This time frown lines appeared on her forehead as she concentrated on getting the Adamanta in the lump to respond to her mind, the rock unmoving.
Several times over the years he'd had the privilege of seeing her train a new piece of the pure metal with her mind before it was made into new equipment for her, and every time she'd made it look effortless, taking mere seconds, while others could take minutes to fully control the metal. This was evidently significantly harder, the rock still barely moving in her hand after several seconds.
Xander didn't doubt that some of the problem was that much of her focus was taken by the two pieces she already wielded out in the field. Showing a great deal of sense and restraint, she was evidently putting more effort into using those effectively than she was in gaining more weapons. It had helped slow the Beltine horde even further, but they still poured into the building, the noise attracting more and more of the mindless creatures.
As the first soldier ran out of ammo with no more to be had, Xander knew they wouldn't last much longer. And there was still no sign of the rescue ships. The soldier fell back, shrugging his shoulders and looking to the general, but the general didn't respond. What order do you give a weaponless man in the heat of a battle?
When Matt managed to get a third Adamanta rock in the air, Xander had an idea. Once more, he stepped back to give orders.
"You there," he said, pointing at the soldier, the rank insignia normally on the military jacket torn off or unrecognizable after all the fighting.
"Yes, sir?" the man saluted, making it clear he took no offense at the more rude way of getting his attention.
"There's some C4 in the weapons crates. Find some way of fixing it to the Adamanta rocks Captain Adair is taking control of.
"Yes, sir. I'd be honored to assist Adamanta, sir."
"Good," Xander said, turning back to hide the grin on his face at the soldier's keen
response. It seemed even on this relatively Adamantaless planet, people revered Matt for the almost god-like fighting master she was.
It took Matt another minute to get the fourth, this one C4-laden, rock in the air, and by that time another soldier was carrying a weapon only good for one thing, a bludgeon. After quickly pointing out four key locations to place the explosive, Xander glanced at his own weapon. He had less than twenty shots left and was going to need to make every last one count.
Looks like our guns are going to run out before our air, he thought to himself as he gritted his teeth and concentrated. Not long after another two shots were gone from his gun, but two Dairos who'd managed to get past the crashing rocks Matt controlled were nothing more than dead bodies to get in the way.
"I don't know how many more of these I can take control of, Colonel," Matt's voice called out a few minutes later as the third C4-heavy rock came past his head, slower than the last.
He pulled back once more, keeping his eye on the enemy, until he was stood beside Matt. Glancing her way, he could see the set of her jaw and the fire in her eyes that showed her concentrating hard. There was no sign of blood yet, but he didn't doubt it wouldn't be long if she kept pushing herself like this. The seventh and final explosive-strapped Adamanta rock was in her hand, but for ages it didn't move.
As two more soldiers ran out of ammo, staying in line to use their longer rifles as battering rams against the charging Dairos, Xander felt himself grow even more tense. At some point he would need to detonate the C4, but it was beginning to look like it wouldn't be enough, and Matt couldn't hold the entire line by herself.
But if they fell back and gave themselves a smaller area for her and the remaining shooter to protect, they would never be able to push forward again when the shuttles arrived. He had to decide. Were they making a final stand until one side was dead, or were they going to take the greater risk and stay put, ready to shepherd the scientists into the rescue craft?
It wasn't like him to hesitate, even when faced with such a difficult decision, but he was glad he had when a shout of triumph came from one of the soldiers and his finger lifted to the shapes hurtling towards them in the sky. Help had finally arrived.
