by Ryk Brown
A second later, as they streaked past the next intersection, the AI fired their port turret twice, sending two bolts of energy down the side street, both of which found their targets.
“Nice shot,” the commander congratulated, surprised that it had been taken without any damage to the surrounding buildings. “Razor Five, target the ground pounders at intersection One Seven Two. I’ll take the ones at One Nine Five.”
“Five engaging One Seven Two.”
Captain Donlevy checked his pod hauler’s approach profile. They were dropping toward the surface of Corinair at an alarming rate and would require full power to arrest their descent before they slammed into the surface.
“Six, splash two!” one of the Nighthawk pilots reported over comms. “Jumping to Bingo Two Five!”
“Buster One, on final,” Captain Donlevy stated calmly as he initiated the final pitch maneuver. “Full power to dampeners.”
“Dampeners at full power,” his copilot confirmed. “We’re on the line.”
“Here we go,” the captain said, bringing all four main engine throttles up sharply.
The ship began to shake as its four massive engine pods spun up to full thrust. He could feel himself being pushed down into his seat, despite the best efforts of their meager inertial dampening systems. The pod hauler was basically a space-tug, a forklift of sorts, designed to ferry large pods of heavy cargo between its parent vessel and the surface. Dropping twenty combat tanks into a war zone had never been considered in its original design.
In the hauler’s cargo pod, twenty Corinari battle tanks awaited their fate. In seconds, they would either be rolling out into battle or slamming into the surface.
“Whose bright idea was it to remove the dampeners from the fucking pod?” Drummond wondered aloud from Madra Three.
Inside the mobile-missile-launcher-turned-battle-tank, Donan held both hands firmly against the metal walls of his cramped cockpit. The force of the pod hauler’s massive engines was pushing him down so strongly he feared he would be crushed.
“Ten seconds,” Captain Donlevy warned over comms.
Donan closed his eyes, bracing himself for impact. One way or another, this ride was coming to an abrupt end.
The deafening roar of the pod hauler’s engines suddenly disappeared, and there was a loud bang as the force pushing him into his seat nearly doubled in strength. Then, all was quiet…but only for a second.
A loud rattling, then the familiar amber glow from the streetlights of Aitkenna suddenly filled the interior of the pod.
“Sorry for the rough landing, boys,” Captain Donlevy apologized over comms. “Give ‘em hell.”
Donan opened his eyes in disbelief, immediately pushing both control sticks forward and rolling his tank out of the pod and down its massive ramp. Seconds later, he was rolling down the streets of Aitkenna, looking for enemy targets.
A brilliant flash of light revealed the Glendanon, suddenly in low orbit above Corinair. Within seconds, small, gray ships departed from her massive open cargo bay and dove toward the planet. As they descended, they disappeared behind their own small flashes of light before entering the atmosphere.
Tiny, blue-white flashes of light appeared all over the night sky, revealing Kalibri airships falling toward Aitkenna at sharp angles as they attempted to decelerate from their original orbital velocity to one that would allow them to maneuver and land.
Sergeant Dermott sat patiently at his position near the port door as the small Kalibri airship’s overhead grav-lift fins hummed loudly in their efforts to decelerate the craft. Even with its inertial dampening systems, the ride was taxing on the airship’s six occupants.
“Holy crap!” the Corinari next to him exclaimed. “They weren’t kidding when they warned us it would be a wild ride!”
A red-orange light filled the cabin, catching the attention of all inside. A second later, another flash, followed by a blinding explosion no more than fifty meters to their right.
“We are taking incoming fire,” the AI pilot of their airship reported over their comm-sets. “I am taking evasive action,” he added as the ship rolled into a spiraling turn to port, diving toward the surface.
“Hold on, boys!” the sergeant exclaimed, reaching out to brace himself against anything he could.
Narrow bolts of red-orange plasma fired from handheld weapons streaked past the wildly maneuvering Kalibri airships. Less frequently, slightly thicker bolts of red mixed in with those fired by ground troops.
Sergeant Dermott looked out the side window with surprise. Never had he seen such a spectacular display of piloting. Dozens of Kalibri airships, twisting and twirling through the descent as beams of plasma energy lashed out at them. The little, gray airships often came within a meter of their neighbor before maneuvering away from them. No human pilot could have flown the nimble airships the way they were being flown at the moment.
As impressive a display as it was, it was not enough. Several Kalibri airships fell to Dusahn fire; some exploding into fireballs, others simply coming apart with little spectacle. Debris from the first few destroyed ships managed to reach out and damage neighboring airships, but the Kalibris’s AI pilots had already begun to spread out, making themselves more difficult to hit and gaining room to maneuver.
“Ten seconds,” their AI pilot reported over comm-sets.
Sergeant Dermott said nothing, still holding on.
The airship suddenly arrested its twisting descent, coming to a hover less than a meter above the streets of Aitkenna.
“Deploy,” the AI instructed as the doors on either side of the airship automatically slid open.
Sergeant Dermott was the first one out, jumping the meter down to the street, raising his weapon to fire at a group of Dusahn soldiers running for cover. Reapers from the Aurora streaked overhead, suppression fire coming from their side-mounted turrets to keep the enemy at bay as the first wave of Corinari returned to reclaim their world.
* * *
“Captain Ruba continues to trade blows with the Aurora, my lord,” the young lieutenant reported. “However, he has lost half his shields, and his jump energy banks are damaged. Soon, he will have insufficient energy to make even the shortest of jumps.”
“Ruba must maintain his assault on the Aurora,” Lord Dusahn insisted.
“My lord, the Aurora will simply jump away at the last moment to evade destruction.”
“But she will return and press the attack,” Lord Dusahn insisted. “They need to keep our flagship away from this planet so that their ground forces are not exterminated from above.”
“Speaking of ground forces, my lord,” the lieutenant said. “These Ghatazhak of lore, they are well equipped and skillful. Our forces are having difficulty containing them.”
Lord Dusahn turned to the lieutenant, glaring at him. “I thought their numbers were few, were they not?”
“Best estimates put their current ground strength at one hundred, but their weapons.”
“Certainly, you are not suggesting that a mere one hundred Ghatazhak, no matter how well equipped they might be, can overcome ten thousand Dusahn soldiers?”
“Perhaps, if the Zen-Anor were sent to assist…”
“The Zen-Anor protect this facility,” Lord Dusahn snapped. “They shall not be used to reinforce common infantry.”
“But their air support is quick and agile,” the lieutenant reminded his leader. “They strike with precision, enabling rapid advancement of the Ghatazhak. If we do not slow their advance…”
“Where is Colonel Horva?” Lord Dusahn demanded.
“Apologies, my lord, I should have informed you earlier. It has been confirmed that Colonel Horva was killed in the initial attack, and Major Domor is critically wounded.” The young lieutenant paused a moment. He knew what needed to be said but was afraid to say it. “My lord, I beg you to reconside
r. If we recall our assets now, we can surprise the Aurora, defeating her once and for all. The victory will be the result of your clever subterfuge, as well as overwhelming military might.”
Lord Dusahn took a slow breath, an angry look on his face. Finally, he looked at the young lieutenant and spoke. “What is your name, Lieutenant?”
“Jexx, my lord. Darman Jexx.”
“Darman?” Lord Dusahn nodded. “Your name means ‘strong leader’ in the old tongue.” Lord Dusahn turned away, studying the status screens before him, as if reassessing the situation. “Very well, Lieutenant Jexx. Recall our reserve assets.”
“As you wish, my lord,” the young lieutenant nodded compliantly, before turning to signal one of his subordinates.
Lord Dusahn took another long breath. “You tax my patience, Captain Scott. But soon you shall no longer.”
* * *
“Captain,” Ensign Hintz called from the comm-station inside the command center on board the Manamu. “The Aurora is requesting a missile strike on the flagship.”
“How the hell are they supposed to even target it if it keeps jumping around?” Lieutenant Commander Shinoda wondered from the plotting table.
“Apparently Captain Scott believes he can keep them in one place long enough for our missiles to hit them,” the ensign explained.
“Did he say how?” Cameron asked.
“No, sir. They only said they’ll send targeting data and strike time shortly.”
Cameron sighed, studying the holographic map. “I hate it when he does this.”
“Does what?” the lieutenant commander wondered.
“Makes stuff up on the fly.”
Lieutenant Commander Shinoda looked confused. “Isn’t that what he’s supposed to do? I mean, isn’t that what he’s good at?”
“Yes,” Cameron replied. “That’s why I don’t like it.” She sighed and then continued. “We’ll move Nash’s group here,” she decided, pointing to a spot in the hovering display.
“That’s nearly inside the Takar system,” the lieutenant commander pointed out. “A little risky, isn’t it?”
“However Nathan plans to keep that flagship in one place isn’t going to work for long. The closer the Orochi are to the target, the more flexibility they’ll have.” Cameron turned to her comms officer. “Inform the Aurora that we’re sending four Orochi and their escorts to waypoint India Four Two. Instruct them to send the targeting data directly there.”
“Aye, sir,” the comms officer acknowledged.
Lieutenant Commander Shinoda exchanged a concerned glance with Cameron. “Seems like a long shot.”
“Long shots are Nathan’s specialty,” she replied.
Two Corinari combat tanks turned the corner, coming face to face with an armed Dusahn tactical vehicle. The enemy vehicle’s top-mounted gun turret quickly rotated toward the first Corinari tank, opening fire with both barrels.
The lead tank’s shields flashed brightly with the incoming impacts as its left weapons arm moved slightly outward, quickly taking aim at the attacking vehicle. Two mini-rockets launched from the arm, streaking down the street and slamming into the unshielded vehicle, blowing it apart.
“Nice shot!” Ron congratulated from Madra Two.
“Two more coming down Marsken to your right,” Donan warned.
“I’ve got’em,” Ron assured him. “Gotta love these VR displays,” he added.
Donan pushed his control sticks forward, resuming his tank’s advance down the street toward the destroyed Dusahn vehicle. Thanks to SilTek’s sophisticated reality-based VR system, he could see everything outside of his turret as if he was not surrounded by the tank’s thick, carbon-armor shell.
A collection of tightly grouped, small, red rectangles appeared just beyond the burning remnants of the enemy vehicle, indicating a number of unseen enemy troops moving for cover. “About a dozen bad guys fifty meters ahead,” he reported. “Looks like they’re moving toward Pearson Boulevard.”
“Madra One, Control. Your GPs are moving to join another group at Pearson and Oclin. Join Madra Five at grid One Five Seven and dispatch all GPs.”
“Madra One, moving to One Five Seven,” Donan acknowledged as he pulled back hard on his left control stick to make the next turn. “Two, One. How are you doing?”
“I can handle the tacticals on Marsken,” Ron assured him. “I’ll join up with Cauldwell and Tyre over on Bayson.”
“Show them how it’s done,” Donan replied.
“Don’t I always?”
“New orders,” Ensign Durkan reported from Orochi Fifteen’s comm-station. “Our group is to immediately jump to waypoint India Four Two and prepare for another missile strike.”
“Target?” Robert asked from his command chair.
“The dreadnought.”
“Did they include targeting data?”
“Negative,” the comms officer replied. “The Aurora will be sending us the targeting data and launch time once we reach the launch point. We must be ready to launch in one minute.”
“Pass the word to the battle group,” Robert instructed. “Immediate jump to the launch point and await strike orders.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Helm…”
“Calculating course and jump plot to India Four Two,” Lieutenant Meers acknowledged.
“What’s Scott up to?” Commander Kraska wondered as he prepared for another missile launch.
“I suspect he’s setting up a kill box for us,” Robert replied.
“Bulldogs Two, Three, and Four have confirmed receipt of message,” the comms officer announced. “Gunyoki escorts have also confirmed.”
“Jump plotted,” the helmsman reported.
“Turn us to course and jump as soon as possible,” Robert instructed.
“Turning to course and preparing to jump,” the helmsman replied.
Robert took a breath, letting it out in a sigh. “Let’s hope Scott isn’t in that box when we launch.”
“Razor Leader, Control. New targets: four heavy tacticals in grid Two Four Seven,” the controller called over the commander’s helmet comms. “Targets are traveling eastbound on Exandier, approaching Madra One and Five at strong point Four One. Dispatch all targets, ASAP.”
“Receiving tactical data from command,” his AI reported. “Transferring to your tactical display.”
“Razors Two, Three, and Four,” the commander called over comms. “Turn to two five seven. Four heavy tacticals at grid Two Four Seven need our attention.”
“Turn complete,” Josh reported from the Aurora’s helm.
“Intercept jump ready,” Loki added.
“Port forward shields haven’t had anywhere near enough time to regenerate,” Jessica warned.
“We don’t have time,” Nathan insisted. “We have to reengage their flagship and keep her in one spot long enough for another missile strike.”
“We only need eight more minutes to get them to at least seventy percent,” Jessica advised.
“That ship won’t stay put that long,” Nathan reminded her. “Soon, the Dusahn will realize that the Ghatazhak cannot be stopped without orbital support, and they’ll recall that flagship. We can’t let that happen…you know that.”
“Just making sure you have all the information,” Jessica replied. “Seeing as how Cam isn’t here,” she added under her breath.
“New contact,” Kaylah reported. “Jump comm-drone inbound.”
“Flash traffic,” Naralena announced. “Command has received our message. We are to communicate strike data directly to Bulldog One at waypoint India Four Two.”
“Understood,” Nathan replied. “Sync the drone to jump with us.”
“Synchronizing the drone’s jump system to ours,” Naralena confirmed.
“When we jump in, lead the target by a
bout half a ship-length, then angle us so that the broadsides can hit the target,” Nathan instructed. “That way they won’t be able to hit our forward shields. Start with our port side facing them. We’ll roll to reverse sides as needed.”
“Understood,” Josh replied.
“Jump us in, Mister Sheehan,” Nathan ordered.
“Jumping in three…”
“Port broadsides are ready to fire,” Jessica announced.
“…Two…”
“Routing all available power to aft port shields,” she added.
“…One…”
Four Dusahn ground transports pulled to an abrupt stop at the intersection, and a platoon of soldiers quickly piled out, their weapons at the ready. The men immediately formed into squads, fanning out in all directions to seek safe positions from which to ambush the approaching enemy.
Overhead, Dusahn octo fighters jumped in behind flashes of blue-white light, arriving to provide air support for their comrades on the surface. As quickly as they arrived, Eagle fighters jumped in above them, diving on the Dusahn fighters with all barrels blazing. Half the octos fell in the first few seconds. Several octos veered away, circling in either direction in a vain attempt to continue their mission, while the others jumped away, planning to come about and return.
As if on cue, a small group of Ghatazhak soldiers charged around the corner, their own weapons blazing with unheard of precision. The eight men, clad in black combat armor, split into two four-man fire teams, moving in opposite directions into the intersection.
The Dusahn had overwhelming numbers and opened fire with confidence. Their strategy was simple: to lay down massive amounts of energy weapons fire that no man could survive.
The Ghatazhak, however, were not ordinary men. With practiced precision, the two groups of four became four sets of two, their personal shields flashing a dull red with each impact of incoming energy bolts. The charging soldiers held no weapons in their hands, firing only from small cannons built into the armor surrounding their forearms. They moved about in unwieldy patterns; ducking, weaving, and twisting in a bizarre dance intended to lessen the number of impacts they received.
