by Lucas Marcum
“Indeed.” Yi turned her attention back to the big display and locked her eyes on the clock as it counted down to the launch.
****
VMFA Space/Ground Fighter Wing 221, ‘Voodoo Flight’
Aboard the UEAN Jade Emperor
Trans Martian Space
In the cockpit of the squat, sturdy Banshee, Lieutenant Commander “Tink” Junge ran his eyes over his instruments one more time, then leaned his head back. He toggled the squadron radio. “Voodoo Flight, Voodoo Lead. Launch in sixty seconds. Ignore the cruisers, head for that dreadnought. Target all penetrating ordinance on my designation, then burn hard to get the hell out.” He took another deep breath, tapped the picture of his wife and son taped to the console, and smiled fondly at the image of the beaming woman and grinning toddler.
The chirping of the warning system alerted him, and he snapped his eyes back. The launch indicator had turned yellow, and the doors had opened. He could see the deep black of space beyond, and irregularly timed bursts of light, as if someone was randomly flashing a camera. The light blinked green, there was a thrust of acceleration pushing him back in his seat, and the hangar fell away behind him. He could see the sparkles of defensive fire from the Jade Emperor reaching out to the Elai missiles that seemed to be streaking everywhere he looked. There were flashes of light bursting and popping as the laser batteries targeted and destroyed the incoming enemy missiles. Snapping his eyes back to his display, he highlighted their target, and tapped the key that sent the coordinates to the heavily laden fighter/bombers.
Tink shoved the throttle forward, then pulled hard on the control stick as the brilliant white of a cutter roared by him, pumping missiles as fast as it could out of both its launchers. Pushing the nose back down toward the massive dreadnought, he saw another cutter circling an Elai cruiser at high speed, hammering away with its tiny missiles and single particle beam cannon. As he watched, the cutter took a direct hit from an enemy particle beam amidships, and detonated, the explosion of its powerful engine core consuming the Elai cruiser as the small ship died.
Toggling his radio, he said firmly, “Nothing we can do, Voodoo. They’re doing their job. We need to do ours. Target frame six two, fire penetrators in sequence.”
Lining up the targeting systems, he waited for the seeker warheads on the bunker buster munitions to obtain their target, a point amidships on the dreadnought the intelligent analysis suggested was a critical area. From behind him, two of the brilliant white ships screamed by in close formation, with the nimble fighters swarming around them intercepting missiles. Commander Junge watched in awe as the two vessels made a close firing run on an Elai cruiser, then simultaneously spun and ran their throttles to full, catching the Elai ship in the drive exhaust. The immense heat tore through the hull, melting the armor and gutting the interior, sending the Elai ship spinning out of control. Seconds later, the larger of the two cutters suffered a massive explosion amidships. The ship then broke into two pieces, one of which smashed into the hull of the massive dreadnought, leaving a deep gash in the hull.
Making a snap decision, Tink retargeted his missiles on the gash and keyed his radio, “Voodoo Flight, retarget! Coordinates follow, fire when in range!”
The console chimed, and the heads up display blinked ‘SHOOT’ as the computer said calmly, “Shoot. Shoot. Shoot.”
“Voodoo Lead, fox two!” He could feel the shuddering as eight hardened-tipped nuclear penetrator missiles left the rails. As soon as the last one fired, he yanked the stick around and throttled up, speeding past a system cutter that was venting atmosphere and spitting lifepods as he did so. Several more flashes far off to his left caused him to crank his head around to look. Two Elai cruisers were bracketing a disabled cutter and were methodically pounding it into scrap, the once pristine white hull now scorched and holed. Suddenly, one of the enemy cruisers blew up, then the other. Tink’s display chirped and displayed additional icons showing Earth Alliance cruisers screaming through the battle space, flinging missiles, and their secondary laser batteries blazing as they tore through the remaining enemy cruisers. He grinned in his helmet and aimed his fighter back toward the Jade Emperor, which was attempting to clear the area as fast as its damaged hull would allow.
The timer on his console chirped, then his center console displayed a rear view. The Elai dreadnought was now adrift. Tink could see a massive hole in its hull from their nuclear penetrators, exposing dozens of decks with the white plumes of escaping atmosphere and sparks spitting from severed power conduits. As he watched, the fore end of the massive ship gently broke off and was pushed aside by the rear half, which was still under power. The battle raged on, but everywhere he looked, he could see the broken hulls of Elai vessels.
Keying his radio, Tink said, “Transcendent, Voodoo Flight. We are Winchester, returning to station.”
The communications officer on the Jade Emperor responded immediately, “Understood, Voodoo Flight. Return for rearm and second sortie plan. Transcendent, out.”
Hearing this, his wingman, Lieutenant Junior Grade Teresa ‘Fists’ Beason, keyed her radio and said, “Tink, second sortie? On what? I think between us and the fleet, we got them.”
Tink took a look at his sensors and replied, “I don’t know, Fists. It seems like we did, but it’s a mess out there. I guess we’ll see when we get there.” He tapped his controls, then keyed the radio again. “Voodoo, form up on me. Two six two, point six. Let’s get back to the carrier.”
****
Aboard the United Earth Alliance System Cutter Dragon
Flagship of ‘Task Force Mythic’
Point Green, Trans Martian Space
“Commodore, there are no more operational Elai vessels in immediate proximity.”
Her face pale and sweating, Commodore Halsey could only nod. After a moment she said, “Captain Takeda, damage?”
The unflappable officer responded in his usual calm tone, “We took a hit to the starboard side. Frame thirty-two, decks four, five, and six.” He looked up and, with a rare smile on his face, said, “Dry storage, and some power conduits we can route around. No casualties.”
Nodding again, Halsey undid her seat belt buckle and said to the operations watchstander, “Can you get the display updated?”
The watchstander shook his head and replied, “I think it is, ma’am, but I’m not getting any signals from the other ships. Maybe there’s a damaged data node someplace. I’m routing through secondaries now.”
At the communications station, the sailor spoke up, “Commodore, I’m getting single band radio pings. Lifeboat beacons, I think.” He listened for a minute. “I’ve got a lifeboat off the Gremlin requesting assistance, and what I think is another off the Sprite. I think there’s more too, but I can’t tell. There’s a lot of interference out there.”
The display updated, and the symbols for the ships of Task Force Mythic updated. With the exception of the Dragon, the ship they were on, the symbol for ‘Signal Loss’ shone in bright green letters. The symbols for the cruisers of the Reserve Force were nearby, arcing away after their high-speed firing run.
Halsey stared at the display for a moment, then put a hand over her mouth. One of the sailors said in a shocked voice, “We’re all that’s left? How can that be?” Her voice faded out, leaving the bridge in silence.
Captain Yoshi said calmly, “Commodore, we have enemy contacts at zero six one. They’re moving point six, and…” He paused and said in a tight voice, “Three cruisers got by.” His next words seemed to echo into the deadly silent bridge. “There’s nothing between them and Mars.”
Instantly Halsey snapped, “Helm to zero six one. Ahead full, emergency speed!”
Captain Takeda said firmly, “Helm, belay that.” Standing and moving quickly to Halsey’s chair, he said in a low tone, “Nicole. Look at me.” Shocked at the use of her first name by the ever-formal officer, Halsey tore her gaze from the display and looked into the man’s eyes. She could see the deep sadness the
re as he said, in a voice meant for her alone, “We’re alone, damaged, and out of missiles. Even if we could catch them, there’s nothing we could do.” His hand gripped her forearm and squeezed. After a pause he continued, “We did our part. Our responsibility is here.” He gestured at the main holodisplay, now blinking with dozens of rescue beacons from the lifeboats of the shattered cutters.
Slowly Halsey nodded. After a moment she said, “Captain Takeda, prepare the fleet…” Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard, then continued, “Prepare the Dragon for rescue operations. Signal SOLCOM for additional search and rescue assets when available.”
Captain Takeda nodded silently and turned to begin directing the recovery effort.
****
Headquarters of the UEAN First Fleet
UEAN Unified Fleet Forces Solar Defense Command (SOLCOM)
Phobos Station, Mars Orbit
Commander McMillin said quietly, “Task Force Mythic has been destroyed, sir, as has the heavy cruiser Devoted. We have three Elai vessels that broke through. What’s left of the Reserve Force is pursuing them, but it’s a stern chase. They won’t make it in time.”
Admiral Burrill didn’t respond. He stared at the display as the numbers updated. After a moment he asked, “How long until they’re in range?”
Admiral Mohler answered in a carefully controlled voice, “They’re already in range, sir. The acceleration profile suggests they started kinetic bombardment as soon as they broke through.”
He looked down at his display and added, “Admiral Ortega and the First Fleet will catch up with them in about forty-five minutes. They’ll destroy them in a matter of minutes, given how many ships Ortega has. Until then, though…” His voice trailed off. He wiped his face with a hand.
Eyes locked on the display, watching the thin green lines now stretching toward Mars, indicating the approximate location of the kinetic projectiles, Burrill asked, “Has the Martian government been warned?”
McMillan responded quietly, “Yes, sir. They’re getting people into the shelters now.”
Burrill didn’t respond for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again. He sat down heavily and stared at the display as the lines indicating the kinetic rounds inched ever closer to the Red Planet.
-30-
“Rise of the Valkyrie”
Hellas City Army Storage Depot, Mars
September 13, 2248
There was another tremble of the rock underneath Elizabeth’s backside, and the lights in the tunnel flickered again. She looked up and saw the old fixtures swinging slightly back and forth. The Navy chief next to her, a massive, cheerful man named Ikaika, saw her looking up and said cheerfully, “Don’t worry about that, ma’am. If they were close, we’d never know it.”
With a sideways frown at the supply chief, she replied, “I don’t think that’s as comforting as you think it is, Chief.”
The man chuckled and responded, “Well, put it this way. These old tunnels have been here since the first wave of colonists back in the twenty teens. The rebellions, the dust storms, the solar flare of ‘23, these old tunnels have seen it all, and they’re still here.” He reached out and patted the rock. “This here’s good old Martian bedrock, solid as it comes, and above that, we’re under a layer of igneous rock laced with iron from the old volcano lava flow. It’s a natural bomb shelter and why the settlers dug them in the first place. Sturdy as they get.”
Elizabeth sighed and looked up at the lights again, which had stopped flickering. The most violent of the shaking had passed hours ago, and now all they could feel were occasional trembles. She worked her way to her feet and looked down the dimly lit tunnel. In the pools of light she could see the members of Task Force Mercy sitting quietly in the tunnel, crowded in amongst obscure, half-forgotten military equipment, some trying to nap, some talking quietly, all trying to make themselves comfortable, and stay distracted from what they knew was happening above.
Ikaika laid a hand on the rock and commented, “I think these are just aftershocks, Colonel.” He pulled his phone out, tapped a few controls, and added, “The surface structures seem ok, too. It’s got atmosphere, and the temperatures are still normal, so the dome isn’t holed, which is good.” He looked back at his phone and added, “But the power seems like it’s out in the city, which isn’t so good.” He grinned. “But we still have local Wi-Fi and communications inside the compound, so we got that going for us.”
Finding the man’s cheerful nature infectious, Elizabeth grinned back and replied, “Well, when is it safe to go up?”
The petty officer grinned cheerfully. “Beats the hell out of me. I’ve never been bombed from orbit before.” The man gestured at the walls. “But since we got no food, and not enough water down here for this many people, we don’t have a lot of choice, do we?”
With a sigh, Elizabeth responded, “No. We don’t.” She thought for a moment, then turned into the tunnel and said to the nearest person she could see in the poor light, “Pass the word down to Captain Naga and Major Carson. I’d like to see them at the elevator.”
The sailor nodded and turned to pass the word down the tunnel. Several moments later, Major Carson came carefully down the tunnel, picking her way with a flashlight. Behind her came Captain Naga. They reached the massive doors to the freight elevator where Elizabeth stood, and stopped.
Nodding in greeting, Elizabeth said in a low tone, “Ok. We need to get topside. We don’t have any food, and not a lot of water.” She eyed the other two officers for a moment, then said thoughtfully, “We need to go take a look first. Who wants to come with me?”
Karen and Captain Naga traded a look, then the naval officer replied, “There’s no polite way to tell you this, so I’ll just say it. You’re not going up there first, Colonel.”
Elizabeth frowned at the woman and opened her mouth to reply when Major Carson said, “I agree with the captain. You’re in charge of this gaggle, and we trust you.” She gestured at the rock walls of the storage tunnel. “After all, relocating here was your idea, and it probably saved all our lives.” She paused, then continued, “You’ve also got more field experience than almost all the others. We can’t risk you getting hurt.”
Cocking a perfect eyebrow, Captain Naga added, “We discussed this earlier. The major and I are quite in agreement.”
Elizabeth glared at the two officers in front of her, then pointed at the elevator. “How can I make decisions if I don’t know what’s going on?”
Calmly, the stout woman replied, “You send us. That’s our job.” She looked at the woman across from her. “Right, Chioma?”
“Indeed.” Captain Naga stared back at Elizabeth with an implacable look on her face.
Looking from one face to the next for a moment, Elizabeth sighed in resignation and said, “I’m not going to win this, am I?”
With a rare smile, Karen replied, “No, ma’am. You’re not.” The army officer turned to a Navy chief standing near the elevator doors. “Chief Yamashita get two enlisted and come with me. We’re going topside.” The man nodded and gestured to two sailors sitting nearby. The two sailors stood, and Elizabeth noted that they had the pale skin and shaved heads of Martian natives. One of the sailors reached behind a crate and came out with three stout iron prybars, keeping one for himself, and handing the other two to the other sailor and the petty officer.
Elizabeth gestured to the bars and asked, “What’s with those?”
Major Carson shrugged and answered in a practical tone, “We don’t know what or who is up there, and until we can get into the armory, these are the best we have.”
With a frustrated sigh, Elizabeth asked, “Why can’t we get into the armory?”
Chief Ikaika replied, “Because the key control box is in my office, which is topside.”
“Goddammit.” Elizabeth thought for a moment, then said to the small group, “Ok. Here’s the plan. Major Carson and Chief Yamashita will recon topside. Captain Naga will get us a head count and a
list of what those people can do. Chief Ikaika will get us a printout of available vehicles here at the depot so we can get out of here. I’m going to put together a plan to get these people moved back to Huxley Crater. Meet back here in an hour.” She paused, looking at the faces in the gloom. “Sound good?” A few muted “Yes, ma’am’s” and several grim nods answered her. Nodding firmly, Elizabeth said again, “Ok. Let’s get to work.”
****
An hour later Elizabeth waited for the other members of her team. Presently the figures approached out of the gloom. Turning on her flashlight and setting it on a nearby crate, Elizabeth looked at the small group, and then turned to Major Carson. “Ok. Let’s hear it. What’s the city look like?”
The plain-faced woman shook her head grimly and replied, “Not good. The power’s out, and it’s dark as hell up there. There’s emergency lights, but there’s not much else.”
Looking at her watch, Elizabeth considered this, and then said, “It’s just past noon. It shouldn’t be dark…Oh. Dust.”
Major Carson nodded. “Yeah. Dust. We didn’t leave the surface compound, so we don’t know if the top of the dome is covered with it, or it’s just in the atmosphere, but it’s probably a combination of both. The compound itself looks ok, though, and the water’s still running. The rest of the city…well.”
She looked at Chief Yamashita, who shrugged his shoulders and said, “I sent Private Johanne up the comm relay tower to take a look.” The petty officer frowned slightly and continued, “She reported that there was no power except to the north about six blocks, and those looked like emergency flood lights. She also saw what looked like a good-sized fire to the northeast. The rest of the city is pretty dark. We couldn’t see any police or UEA forces, and there’s little groups of people running around.”
Looking at Ikaika, Elizabeth asked, “You’re stationed here. What’s to the north?”
The big man thought for a minute, and then answered, “The hospital’s north of here. I bet it’s Hellas General and their floodlights. They have an emergency reactor on the hospital grounds.”
