Free Bird Rising

by Ian J. Malone

  * * * * *

  Chapter 27: Lockdown

  Taylor descended the ramp with Billy and was met at the bottom by three more troopers in CASPers, waiting to accompany them out.

  “Sirs, we just got a communique from Commander Furlong over in sector four,” the first trooper said in a thick New England accent.

  For a second, Taylor thought he was hearing Rex. “And what did Quint have to say—” He glanced to the trooper’s name placard. “Chowdahead?”

  “He says the majority of the Zuul have been forced out of the colony, but a mob of the mongrels have dug in hard at the compound.” Chowdahead grunted. “Apparently, they don’t wanna vacate the preemies.”

  “Shocker,” Billy muttered.

  “Radio back and tell the commander we’re en route to assist,” Taylor said. “After that, coordinate with Riverside Company to get us another CASPer squad for support, then meet us back here to roll out.”

  “You got it.” Chowdahead flashed a quick salute, then trotted off with his comrades.

  “Looking good there, Chief,” Lisa remarked from a nearby boulder.

  Taylor turned the reporter’s way as she approached. “If I ask you to stay with the ship, will you actually do it this time?”

  “Scout’s honor.” Lisa raised her left palm.

  “Wrong hand,” Taylor corrected.

  Lisa shot him a smirk. “Give ‘em hell out there. We’ll see you when you get back.”

  Taylor glanced past her shoulder to see Japhara standing a few feet away. “Same goes for you, Hoss. My people will comp you a ride home when this is over. Until then, stay put here and try not to get shot.”

  The Sumatozou gave an exaggerated bow. “Believe me, Van Zant, I wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise.”

  Taylor hoped that wasn’t sarcasm. He still saw Japhara as a pompous ass, but he didn’t wish the alien ill, either.

  Chowdahead returned, joined by his two squad mates and five more CASPers.

  Lock and load. Taylor spaced out from the crowd with his team in tow. He then checked his HUD controls via pinlink and exploded across the desert in an adrenaline-charged burst of mechanized speed. Woo!

  “Not bad, eh?” Billy said via comm after a few seconds. “I keep telling you we need to splurge for once and score a few of these for the command staff.”

  “You know my policy, Husker,” Taylor said. “We make the buy with cash or not at all.”

  “Buzzkill,” Billy grumbled.

  Taylor throttled up his capacitors to max out his foot speed. The sensation was downright exhilarating—all that power, all that ability—churning in perfect harmony with his body and mind. Granted, this was far from Taylor’s first experience with a CASPer. It was, however, his first time in a Mk 8, and if the silky-smooth ease and flawless fluidity with which this model handled was any indication, it was a far cut above the Sevens he was accustomed to piloting.

  “Hey, Husker,” Taylor called. “You still with me back there?”

  A blur of alloy steel blazed past Taylor’s flank, fired its jumpjets, and soared eighty feet past a dune, where it landed in perfect stride toward the target.

  Damn.

  “Sorry, Tomahawk, I didn’t catch that last question,” Billy said. “Probably because I was too busy smoking your slow-poke ass.”

  Look at that. The XO’s got jokes. Taylor cleared the dune with a thrusted hurdle of his own, then blasted forward to keep up.

  “Krulig compound is a quarter mile out,” Chowdahead announced with the other troopers. “And by the looks of things, it’s a happening place.”

  Taylor tightened his Tri-V view on the scene ahead. Sure enough, the entire compound was embroiled in weapons fire. Still, neither side—Krulig/Zuul nor Rukori/Human—seemed to be gaining ground on the other.

  We’ve got the firepower, but they’ve got the numbers. Taylor keyed up his CASPer’s weapons systems via pinlink and selected the arm-mounted chain gun from the HUD. After that, he checked his K-bomb count and secondary munitions. “Listen up, y’all. There’s no place to hide out here, which means we need to surge through their front as fast as possible before we’re pinned out in the open. Watch your lines and stay sharp, then hit ‘em fast and early. We’ll reform with the others once we’ve breached the perimeter.”

  “Ayew,” the group chorused.

  The checkpoint to the western gate was just ahead. It was also crawling with twenty Zuul, who’d clearly seen the Humans coming. The aliens pulled their rifles, but no launchers.

  Score one for the away team. “Husker, these pooches look a little tense to me. What do you say we toss them a few muscle relaxers to loosen them up?”

  “I’m a fan,” Billy said. “K-bomb launchers are online with targets acquired.” Taylor did the same. “In three…two…one…mark!”

  A concussive wash of heat and light rocked the Zuul front as Taylor and Billy fired their launchers. To their credit, several of the aliens managed to skirt the blast before it hit, but at least six did not. This left the remainder of the pack reeling to recover as all ten CASPers slammed through their line in a tempest of projectiles and laser fire.

  “Chief, look out!” Billy shouted.

  Taylor wheeled right as a Zuul fired at him with a rifle. He keyed his chain gun and ended the threat with a burst. The next Zuul that attacked did so from close range and down low to negate the CASPer’s guns.

  Deploy arm blade. Taylor pivoted on one foot and met the alien’s charge with a thrust and yank of his right arm. The alien gulped, blood pouring from its chest armor, then crumpled to the sand as two halves instead of a whole form.

  “Remaining bandits are bugging out,” Chowda announced.

  “Chief Van Zant!” a familiar voice shrieked.

  Taylor spun toward the source.

  Three CASPers bearing the Conquistadors colors were under heavy siege from six more Zuul, the lead mech belonging to Sergeant Fernandez.

  “Husker, Chowda!” Taylor yelled. “You’re with me!”

  The Eagles blasted free of the checkpoint and plowed into the Zuul, decapitating some and obliterating the rest in a flurry of weapon fire. The exchange ended with a loud shing courtesy of Chowda’s arm blade as it plunged through the final attacker’s chest.

  “Dez, you okay?” Billy rushed to the sergeant’s side.

  “Si, I think so.” Dez got to his feet, breathing heavily. “It’s a good thing you fellas got here when you did.”

  Taylor frowned at a fourth CASPer lying motionless on the ground, its shell missing a canopy and its operator missing a face. “Our timin’ could’ve been better.”

  “Could’ve been worse, too,” Dez said. “It’s good to see you.”

  “What’s the status of your people?” Billy asked.

  “Per our last comm check, Commander Garcia had taken most of Brahma Company east to take out the Zuul armory,” Dez said. “Everyone else headed north toward the capacitor relay station to knock out the enemy’s infrastructure.”

  “Are those the hottest two areas?” Billy asked.

  “Si, for now,” Dez said.

  Taylor looked around, finding nothing but Zuul corpses littering the compound. “Where are all of the Krulig?”

  “You got me,” Dez said. “Based on the description Captain Dawson gave us, I’ve yet to see one. And I’ve crossed this place twice already.”

  Taylor traded looks with his XO.

  “Excuse me for a moment.” Dez turned aside, as if receiving a communique through is pinlink. “Entiendo. En camino.”

  Taylor knew just enough Spanish to get that Dez had just received new orders. “What’s up?”

  “Brahma got lit up pretty bad off the drop and is taking heavy fire,” Dez said. “My squad and I are being rerouted to assist.”

  Taylor studied the armor of Dez and his people, tattered as it was. He then turned to one of his own troopers. “Lady Jade.”

  The Eagle CASPer stepped forward.

  “Me and Husker a
re gonna head north for that power station.,” Taylor said. “Take five of our people and go east with Dez to help out Brahma Company. I’ll put in a call to Blue Devil about gettin’ you some extra hands.”

  “Aye, sir.” Jade flashed a salute.

  “Gracious, Amigo,” Dez said. “Really.”

  Taylor scoffed. “You’re the one who left behind a stack of Union contract cash to come here and bail me out of the pot, remember? This is the least I can do. Now go.”

  Dez and Jade took off across the yard with five of the Eagles’ CASPers. That left Taylor, Billy, Chowda, and a trooper called Razorback to press onward. Slowly, the group worked their way north, each CASPer covering a partner as the quartet crisscrossed their way from strip to strip and corner to corner. As expected, the Zuul were everywhere. They came from the streets. They bounded off catwalks and out of buildings, attacking with teeth bared and weapons primed, but never once alone. They fought with the same ferocious pack mentality that had come to define the species. Still, the CASPers pressed on.

  A K-bomb detonated on a building ahead of them, stopping the group in their tracks.

  “What have we got?” Chowda called.

  Engines revved in the distance as Taylor stuck his head out. “One armed transport, inbound.”

  “This one’s mine.” Razorback strode forward to the center of the street. There, he squared himself and presented the heavy Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, or MAC, which was mounted to his left shoulder. “This here’s how we get shit done in Pine Country.”

  The MAC fired, slamming the hauler and its occupants fire-balling into an adjacent wall. No one survived.

  “Tomahawk, this is Bulldog,” Quint called via comm. “I need a copy, and I need it right away.”

  “Go for Tomahawk and Husker.” Taylor re-opened his party line.

  “What’s your position?” Quint asked.

  “Just down from the northern checkpoint, headed for the Krulig capacitor station,” Taylor said. “You?”

  “Over by the lord prefect’s residence,” Quint said.

  Taylor clenched his teeth. “Bulldog, please tell me you’ve got eyes on Sadeed.”

  “Negative, Tomahawk,” Quint said. “In fact, we’ve yet to see a single Krulig anywhere on the premises.”

  Taylor couldn’t get past that.

  “What we do have,” Quint continued, “is a horde of new Zuul piling in from the southeast by way of Bartahl Colony.”

  “The Zuul called in the cavalry,” Billy surmised.

  “Looks like it, yeah,” Quint said. “They’ve paired up the Zuul remnants of Nyo and are preparing to surge back toward the urban population.”

  Taylor barked a curse.

  “Oh, it gets better,” Quint said. “We just detected a major power spike somewhere near the landing field south of the compound.”

  Taylor snapped his head up. “Let me guess. Your neutron readin’ is off the charts.”

  “How’d you know?” Quint asked.

  Taylor faced his XO. “The ship that attacked you at the stargate, it’s a Krulig frigate. Sadeed keeps it stashed in an old Rukori catacomb beneath his compound.”

  “That scaly prick’s looking to run for it,” Billy said.

  “And he’s takin’ his prick brothers with him,” Taylor finished.

  “I don’t get it,” Chowda said. “If this creep bails, he’s leaving a ton of his own people behind.”

  “Don’t matter,” Taylor said. “Sadeed knows the Rukori can’t defend themselves after we leave. Not in their current state, anyway. He also knows we don’t have the resources to garrison this place long-term.”

  Billy muttered a curse. “Run today, live to occupy another day.”

  “Bingo,” Taylor said.

  “What do you want us to do, Boss?” Quint asked.

  Taylor chewed his lip. “Rally everybody you can—Eagles, Conquistadors, whoever—then head south of Nyo and do what you can to stifle that Zuul surge. Husker and me will stop the frigate.”

  “Ayew,” Quint said. “Good hunting, Tomahawk.”

  “Same to you, Bulldog. Tomahawk out.” Taylor signaled his team out by way of a nearby alley, then shifted comm channels as he fell in behind them. “Ryley Osyrys, this is Tomahawk. You copy?”

  A beat passed before Frank answered the call. “Osyrys copies, Tomahawk. We’re glad to hear your voice.”

  “Likewise,” Taylor said. “What’s our situation in orbit?”

  “As of five minutes ago, we’ve whittled the enemy force down to two frigates,” Frank said. “The Bradshaw and the Valiente have both on the run as we speak. Everything else, including that Behemoth, now comprises a new scrapyard out here in the black.”

  “What’s your position?” Taylor asked.

  “Just parked in geosync orbit,” Frank said. “Why?”

  “I need a sensor sweep of the area just south of my current location,” Taylor said. “There’s a ship about to launch from there, and I need an access point to get down to her so we can keep her grounded.”

  “Stand by,” Frank said.

  Taylor charged onward as Billy and Chowda closed ranks ahead. Three Zuul had leapt out of nowhere and took aim on the CASPers with their rifles. The latter answered with a quick zip from their chain guns, reducing the aliens to puddles in their path.

  “Okay, I’m back,” Frank said. “I got good news and bad news. The good news is you no longer need to worry about that access point.”

  “And the bad news?” Billy asked.

  “The entrance to that catacomb just spiraled open,” Frank said. “Based off the readings I’ve got here, I expect that ship to be airborne in the next five minutes.”

  Taylor was really beginning to dislike this day. “Fine, we’ll make do as best we can. In the meantime, take the Osyrys back to the stargate and be ready to head Sadeed off at the pass if he gets by us.”

  “Ayew,” Frank said. “We’ll check back later to pick you fellas up. Osyrys out.”

  Taylor accelerated toward the southern checkpoint, the high-pitched hum of maxed-out RPMs singing in his ears. There were eight Zuul guarding the gate. Key HUD, access munitions. His chain gun ammo was running low, same for his K-bomb inventory. He also didn’t want to burn the power needed to discharge his MAC, as he’d doubtless need the juice once they intercepted the Krulig frigate. That left two options: his arm blade and the laser carbine that was clamped to his CASPer’s leg.

  Old school it is. Taylor pulled the latter.

  Once through the checkpoint, the group tore off through the open terrain and reached the edge of the landing field to find its center spiraled open, exposing a gaping pit below.

  “That’s him!” Taylor pointed to the vessel on the docking pad.

  Sporting a smallish stature at roughly ninety yards long by seven high, the vessel featured a bullet-like shape with its cigar-tube fuselage, pointed nose, and trimmed-out torch section.

  “Payback time.” Billy took aim at once.

  Shelling out round after round, the four CASPers unloaded on the frigate’s outer hull with a barrage of weapons fire, but to no avail.

  A series of mechanized clacks rang out when the vessel’s mooring clamps released.

  Ah, screw this. Taylor keyed up his MAC and sighted in.

  A mushroom of sand and fire rocked the ground at Taylor’s feet, blowing him forward and flipping him head-first into the pit.

  “Chief!” Billy scrambled down after his CO, shoulder weapons primed and carbine drawn. Chowda went next, followed closely by Razorback. The CASPers met immediate resistance upon touching down as wave after wave of Zuul poured from the connecting tunnels into the chamber.

  “I thought we’d run most of these things out of town!” Chowda shouted past the butt of his carbine.

  “That makes two of us!” Razor agreed. The duo popped a pair of their K-bombs and hurled them down the nearest opening. A colossal boom ensued, but the Zuul kept coming.

  “Chowda, look out!” Razo
r yelled.

  Before the New Englander could react, three Zuul rammed his shins, while two more hammered him in the back, toppling him over. A cascade of sparks ensued when two Zuul teed off on Chowda with their rifles. “Hang on!” Razor pinged one with a headshot, while Billy ran the other off with a hit to its chest armor. The latter yelped and darted for cover in the tunnel.

  “Thanks, gentlemen,” Chowda said, panting, as all save the ship went quiet.

  “Don’t mention it,” Billy said. “For a minute there, I thought we were—”

  A round exploded on the XO’s chest, blowing him across the pit amid a plume of smoke and fire.

  “Billy!” Taylor screamed.

  A new horde of Zuul poured from the north corridor and leapt at the XO.

  Taylor shouldered his carbine but couldn’t get a shot. A loud thump shoved him forward from behind. It was followed by another and another until eventually he, too, and been knocked off balance. He struggled to a knee, but was met again with weapon fire from three more Zuul. They hit him again, and again, and again.

  “Armor integrity at thirty-two percent,” the HUD read. “Thirty percent.”

  A chorus of screaming aliens, shrieking instruments, and raging weapons fire filled Taylor’s ears, turning the world to madness. “Billy!”

  A massive explosion rocked the scene, catching the Zuul off guard.

  That was Taylor’s cue. He surged to his feet, ripped the remaining aliens from his back, and smashed them skull-first into the closest rock wall he could find.

  “Hell yeah!” Chowda whooped.

  Five CASPers leapt down from the ledge and tore into the horde, led by someone in a scout suit.

  Smitty.

  The Aussie’s sword blade cut left as she touched own, sheering a Zuul in half, then she unloaded on three more with her carbine.

  A gust of wind swept the chamber. The Krulig frigate was lifting off.

  “Stop that bloody ship!” Smitty yelled.

  Taylor was all too happy to oblige. He strode forward, keyed his HUD, and went straight for the big gun.

  “MAC controls online,” the HUD read. “Firing solution acquired.”

  The charge indicator flashed from red to orange, then a second later, to the world’s most glorious shade of green.