by Alex Guerra
“Admiral Rannek to all fleets, the enemy has a formidable force nearing Lumarus to bombard and fight planetside. All groups send transports along the following heading. The fleet will provide cover while you move in.”
A route overlay the battle, displaying a low starboard flank around the two lines we had been fighting and towards the planet. The low vector would provide our ships with more defense, as the tops of the conglomerate ships were more heavily reinforced than the bottom. However, the end of the maneuver would give the enemy a window to attack the ships’ rear. The conglomerate forces needed to move between the transport ships and the enemy line, pivoting in a low counterclockwise rotation to guard the exit.
“Okay,” I said. “Looks like we’re going planetside, people. Get to Dagger.”
The team took the momentary pause in the combat to move to the hangar.
“Dotty, transmit the main screen to my dataslate,” I said, getting out of my chair and following the team out, double-time.
TWENTY-THREE
Aboard Dagger, the team and I took up our preferred seating. I watched the battle play out on the dataslate and saw the maneuver underway.
I turned around in the cockpit and looked over the troopers ready for combat. “We’re going to follow the fleet in. Dotty keep our defenses up as much as possible and assist whenever there is a threat to the transport ships. When we arrive at the planet, prepare to engage the enemy ships in orbit and try to stop their bombardments. Stay out of trouble until we come back.”
“Will do, Art,” replied the A.I.
“Bring up a scan of the surface and put me in contact with whoever will be leading the ground forces, please,” I said.
“Channel open to Prime Commander Laipas,” said the A.I.
I signaled Dotty to place the call over Dagger’s speakers.
“Prime Commander, this is Captain Holland of The Pillar. My team and I will be joining you on the ground,” I said.
“You want to go planetside, Captain?” asked the commander, with a hint of disbelief in his voice.
“That’s right, our ship can handle things on its own. The team will be better put to use on the ground,” I explained.
“Very well,” he said, clearing his throat. “I see one of your crew already requested a scan of the planet. Reports show enemies at the following locations.” Points started appearing across the aerial scan of the surface. “We estimate heavy enemy reinforcements at this point to move in from the west of the capital.” A marker flashed several times in conjunction with his briefing. “The mission is to defend the populace at all costs. Civilians and the local council will be the highest priorities. We will begin evacuations along the south by the sea, as it has minimum enemy forces there. We will be securing an exit for them. You can attach yourselves to my unit here, at the heart of the city.”
“Do you have the numbers to defend the area?” I asked.
“With cooperation from the local forces, we should have enough firepower to complete the mission,” said Laipas. “If I may be so bold, how many troopers will you be bringing to the fight?”
I looked around the dropship and saw the hardened, scuffed up armor of the team. “Eight special operations troopers including myself and two armored suits from the Vallus system,” I said.
“Special operations from Vallus…” I could hear the mixed emotions in the commander’s voice. “Okay, I’ll take everything I can get. Assuming we survive the drop to the planet, remember to meet me and my unit at the designated location.”
“Will do,” I said. “Good luck.”
Some of the troopers scoffed or chuckled. The team was easily worth the same as a small platoon, and they were some of the most veteran troopers the conglomerate had to offer by the looks of it. Though the numbers were a lot higher than I expected, they were most likely new troopers, with more seasoned ones leading them. I hoped they were up to the task.
I checked the position of the fleet and the transport ships. All the transports were still up, but we were nearing the exit window where we would be most vulnerable. Markers of conglomerate vessels winked out of existence. Now that the Darkkon Empire saw what our plan was, they threw everything they had at our forces. If they could shoot one of the transport ships down, it could mean several hundred, if not thousands of troopers and armor dying before they hit the ground. The conglomerate could not allow that to happen, we needed to get to the surface with enough people to hold back the Empire.
A burst of hums ran through the ship, all the way through to the cockpit of our dropship.
“Dotty, status,” I said.
“A few missiles have broken through the line,” replied the A.I. “I have taken care of them.
“Is there anything you can do to help the defensive line?” I asked.
“I can disable a majority of the enemy line,” it said.
“How are we doing on power cores, Dotty?” I chewed the inside of my cheek as I anticipated the answer.
“We have used two of the cores completely. We have four and a half remaining.”
I thought it over for a moment. If only we could manufacture the power cores, we would be able to wipe out the enemy without hesitation. “Disable the enemy ships. Inform Admiral Rannek of what to expect and to take out as much as he can. Have him make sure and attack the enemy ships in orbit as well. Keep The Pillar in defense mode while we are on the planet.” I said.
Seya and Kayton looked at me with surprise.
“What?” I asked.
“You seem to be quite the field commander, Art,” said Seya.
I tapped the side of my helmet. “Trust me, it’s the combat mind. Everything seems clearer to me now.”
“Cheater,” said Kayton slapping my arm. “But I’ll take it.”
“I have informed Admiral Rannek,” said Dotty. “Friendlies are moving out of range of the potential blast…Firing.”
More sequential thuds ran throughout the ship. My dataslate showed more of the large, green orbs hitting the enemy ships, disabling a large amount of the attackers. A stream of friendly missiles and lasers followed, tearing into the defenseless enemy.
“Drop window in two minutes,” said the A.I.
“Keep it up,” I said. The harness resecured its hold on me with each sudden burst of acceleration from The Pillar, nearing the point of squeezing the air out of my lungs. Similar gasps and grunts poisoned the air throughout the dropship as the team felt the squeeze.
My HUD showed the drop window timer was now at twenty seconds.
“Prepare for launch,” said the A.I., its voice calm as ever. The hangar door opened with five seconds remaining on the timer. The deck locks released their hold on Dagger, and the ship carefully maneuvered itself into the air with the expert help of Dotty. Laser fire and smoldering debris passed by the hangar’s opening before we shot out at full force.
One of the advantages aboard the dropship was our cloaking ability. The other transport ships could be seen as plain as day as they filed out of their motherships and burned through the atmosphere on descending vectors. Missiles pursued the descending craft, but with the help of The Pillar and conglomerate forces, all the ships made it through the atmosphere safely.
“Dotty, you still have combat control of The Pillar from this distance?” I asked, fighting the urge to vomit between the gravitational forces pressing on me.
“Yes, Arthur,” replied the A.I. “So long as I keep the ship within the planet’s orbit, I should retain all ship functions as if I were still on the bridge itself.”
“G-great,” I managed to say through gritted teeth. I turned to Seya who kept her cool, although even she seemed to be struggling against the quick entry momentarily before Dagger leveled out a bit.
“That was rough,” said Kayton with a sigh of relief.
Sweat formed on my brow, mushing against the gel-like interior of my helmet and skin. The helmet was working hard to cool me off by chilling the gelled liner. By the time we neared our drop off poi
nt, I was nearly cold. Relishing the moment to embrace this feeling, I knew this would be the last time I would feel such comfort in the immediate future.
“Nearing drop point,” said Dotty, the rear ramp slowly opening and warm midday air poured in. It wasn’t overbearing, but it would drench us in sweat soon enough.
Dagger touched down in a generous square among sizeable buildings in the city. Urban fighting meant more cover, but it was statistically deadlier. As the defense force, we would have a slight advantage in setting up ambushes if the fighting moved further into the city.
“Move out!” I ordered before standing up.
The two armored suits released their locks and rolled down the ramp quickly, defending our exit. The troopers grabbed their items and ran down the ramp, with Seya and I coming out last. We took defensive positions around low walls while Dagger raised its ramps and prepared to take off.
“I will secure Dagger nearby,” said Dotty.
“Good,” I said. More conglomerate ships were beginning to touch down around us, my HUD displaying blue chevrons over each one coming in. Numerous civilians were running around the square, some giving us scared looks before taking off in the opposite direction.
“Head to the south!” I called to them, but I doubt they heard me.
“Try again,” said Dotty.
“Head to—Damn!” I shouted, my helmet’s speakers turning into a megaphone. “Head to the south. Evacuation sites will be to the south by the coast. Do not wait to take any items with you. The Galactic Conglomerate is coming in to assist. Head south.” My voice boomed across the square. Some of the civilians stopped in their tracks and nodded to me, receiving the message while a few ran over to our position.
“What is happening?” asked a pale-green man with no nose, as his wife came from behind, holding a small child.
“Conglomerate forces—”
The man winced at the sudden burst from my helmet.
“Sorry,” I said, now that the speakers returned to normal. “Conglomerate forces will meet you on the south end of the city. It’s the safest place for you and your family,” I explained. “I need you to spread the message to all others that you see. This place is about to become very dangerous.”
His eyes widened.
“Go, now,” I said, pointing in the direction of the evacuation zone. “That way.”
“Thank you,” he said nodding his head furiously before ushering his wife and kid past us. I saw him shouting towards other civilians as he passed, gathering a large group of people before he rounded a street corner and was no longer in sight.
We were the first ones to land at our position. The Yau technology gave us the advantage, especially with the assistance of Dotty. By the looks of it, the rest of the conglomerate fleet had people piloting with the possible help of a less advanced A.I. Assuming we would live through today, I had a few ideas I’d like to work with Vira on.
Scores of troopers, armored suits, and armored vehicles poured out of the larger ships as they landed. The closest one needing to land in a very wide street as it brought almost four hundred troopers with it. The huge brick of a ship surprised me as it glided down gracefully towards the landing zone, its appearance suggesting the movement would look cumbersome.
The troopers’ armor shone brilliantly in the midday sun in swaths of red and gold, marking them as Fengar troopers. It would make sense that the most available force would be at the heart of the conflict, but there were plenty more scattered throughout the city and its perimeter. A tall trooper with white shoulder armor and a white emblem on the front of his helmet stuck out.
“That the Prime Commander?” I asked.
“Yeah, that’s gotta be him,” said Kayton.
“Commander Laipas,” I called over, waving an arm.
“Captain Holland?” he asked over the roaring engines of armor passing by.
“That’s me,” I said, extending a hand. “This is my team, where do you want us?”
He grabbed my forearm in a spartan handshake. “Good to see you, although I wouldn’t have guessed a Captain would abandon his ship in the midst of fighting—no offense.”
“None taken,” I pointed up at the sky. “You see that green laser among all the red ones? That’s ours. We’re still in the fight.”
“Gods…” he said looking up at the spectacle. “That’s beyond my understanding. But we’re not in space anymore. Do you have an explosives specialist?”
I looked at the team and saw some of their heads bow. “Injured and in recovery for now,” I admitted.
“Sorry,” he said. “You can take one of my squads with you. It will just take a little longer to set up the charges.”
“I can help out with that,” said Ornay.
“Very good,” said the commander, taking out his dataslate. “Several bridges are leading into our current position from the north and west. We need to rig these all to blow and make this side a fallback point.”
“You think the enemy will get this far?” I asked. “What about the conglomerate forces already on the perimeter?”
“We will be sending our forces over the bridge to assist the local defenses on the far side,” he explained. “If we start to get overrun, we need to fall back over the bridge and blow it up, to buy us more time.”
“What about air assets?” I asked.
“The fleet has provided us with an entire wing of strike ships,” said Laipas.
“Are transports ready for civilian extraction?” I asked.
“Yes, but we can’t take them offworld, only to a safe zone outside the city,” he said, shaking his head. “There is a remote patch of islands far away from here. A round trip would take about thirty minutes or so.”
“Okay, let’s get started,” I said. “Where is that squad?”
“Here they come now,” said the Prime Commander, waving over a group of troopers.
“Commander Disma, reporting!” said the commander with an orange shoulder armor. Seven other troopers followed him, carrying packs of explosives and other equipment. They were all much larger than the Codari troopers, most appearing to be around my size—if not a little bigger.
“Commander Disma, this is Captain Holland,” said Laipas, introducing us.
“Good to see you, Captain,” said Disma.
“Likewise,” I said.
Disma leaned to the side to look around me. I followed his gaze and saw he was looking at Seya. “The gods have blessed us. The Seya Aranis is here.”
“Hello, Commander,” said Seya with a curt nod, before returning her attention to our surroundings.
“Pay attention, Commander. Your two groups will be helping each other out in taking care of these two bridges here,” said Laipas, marking two bridges on the western side of the city on his dataslate. The markers uploaded onto my HUD immediately. “I suggest you both secure one bridge together before moving to the second. I will be sending forces across the one you aren’t working on until you move to the next one. Be quick about this, we need every trooper on the far side right away.”
“Consider it done, Prime,” said Disma.
“Will do,” I nodded. “Hand some of those explosives over.” I pointed my chin to the multiple packs the troopers carried.
After the exchange, we set off, leaving Prime Commander Laipas to continue ordering the troops’ movements.
“Are you Codari, Commander?” asked Disma running alongside Kayton. “From Vallus?
“Yeah,” she said. “Most of us are.”
“Damn…I’m sorry to hear about what happened,” he said.
“Let’s not let it happen a second time,” said Kayton.
The two armored suits moved a few dozen yards ahead of our pack. We informed any civilians we ran into of where to reach the extraction point, although most of them had already cleared out from this part of the city by now. We needed to make sure all the civilians were on the east side of the bridge. Habi and Nadu took care of that, scouting the far side as we got to work
setting explosives.
On the bridge to our south, the red uniforms of Fengar troopers and tanks moved across at a brisk pace.
“You’ll want to set them up like this, see?” I overheard Disma’s explosive specialist showing Ornay. Tal helped them safely climb beneath the high bridge to secure the explosives in place.
Bon peered through his rifle’s scope at the next bridge, letting out a low whistle. “Wow, that’s a lot of conglomerate troops,” he said, and I noticed the larger rifle he had slung across his back.
“You came prepared for the worst,” I said, giving the larger rifle a pat.
He shrugged. “Saw it in the hangar for the longest time and no one was using it. Hope you don’t mind. A beauty like this needs to see the field sometimes, not just the inside of a locker.”
“Oh, I get you,” I admitted. “Try not to hurt your shoulder with that thing, will you?”
“What do I look like, an amateur?” he scoffed.
“Maybe if you quit talking for once, you won’t bite your tongue off,” shot Kayton.
Bon stopped speaking and craned his neck in the direction of the commander for a moment before scanning a different sector.
“Okay, next point,” called the specialist.
We continued this routine until we reached the middle of the bridge, where we switched with some of the troopers, taking care not to completely exhaust half the team. We copied the handiwork from the other support columns with ease, still having a bridge and a half to rig.
I hooked Tal’s line to my armor and threw a leg over the railing of the bridge. Below, was at least a hundred-foot drop into the murky water.
One hundred twenty-three feet to be exact.
Not helping...My faith in Tal’s rope work was sufficient enough to know that I would not fall and fast-roped off the side, making my way down the column. Luckily, we only needed to rig one side of the bridge to make it unusable—speeding up the process—but there were a lot of columns.
About halfway down, I placed the explosive—a wedged charge that would cut through the column the same way you fell a tree with a similar cut. With all the explosives going off at the same time, the weight of the bridge would destroy itself as it swung and broke free of the other side and down into the river.
