“Moving position,” Tyler said.
“I’ve got them down here,” Mark said, cutting down any Chosen that dared to show their faces.
Chapter 38
EMFC Reclaimer
Oort Cloud, Osdal System
8/3267
Conti got a message from Nivad and he opened it immediately, pausing his constant checks of the scans.
“Sound battle stations, full burn for Osdal Actual. The Triple Twos need our help,” Conti said.
His crew turned to their battle stations. They had stood beside him as they arrived in Masoul, the first action that an Earth Military Force Carrier had been in, ever.
“Full burn, roger,” Lieutenant Tamm said from his position at the front of the bridge. His readings climbed as he worked to decrease the flight time to Osdal Actual.
“Sending to the fleet, all ships on full burn,” Neves confirmed, his voice calm and professional.
“Weapons are checked, ready and loaded! I’m picking up contacts on sensors; looks to be the asteroid miner fleet moving to Processing Center Five” Lieutenant Denaski said, hungry and ready.
“Let them see us, it’s about time we got back into the fight.” Conti’s people had come a long way since Masoul, and they had learned from their mistakes. All of their decisions affected those that they were transporting, but they had matured into a fine crew. He was proud to be with them as they surged ahead to meet Osdal Actual.
Chapter 39
Gold Runner
Asteroid Cloud Two
Inner system, Osdal System
8/3267
“Holy shit,” Felicia said, chills running down her spine at her sensor plot. She was at the right angle to see the engine burn of five massive freighters that had snuck into Osdal system by aiming their thrust away from sensors and stations.
She looked down to her sensor logs.
“Who the fuck are they?” she asked Kale, who was riding shotgun. In her hull she held four hundred armed, armored and pissed off miners, ready for the asteroid miner’s first offensive aimed at Processing Station Five, the biggest station that Harmony controlled.
Kale brought up an image, light flashing on the lead hull of the ship.
“EMFC Reclaimer,” she read out loud.
“Holy shit, that’s the one from Masoul!”
“What are their trajectories?” Felicia demanded.
Kale snapped out of his reverie and started looking through the different information that was killing his screens. “They’re headed towards Osdal Actual and Osdal Three.”
“Are any of them heading for the Oort cloud or our mining settlements?”
“No, they passed through the Oort cloud without being noticed. All of them are focused on the processing stations and the planets that Harmony controls.”
“Gold Runner, this is the EMFC Reclaimer. If you don’t tell Harmony, we won’t,” the communications operator said, breaking into the cockpit’s channels.
“What, how?” Felicia started.
“You’re using a vessel built by some corporation, and we’re the Police Force of Corporations. We can break in as we need to, so do we have a deal?”
“You going to attack the asteroid miners?” Felicia asked, her voice and features hardening.
“No plans for it, but you guys seemed as pissed off at Harmony, as are most of the people on the ship. We’re fine with letting you raise hell. A word of advice, though, don’t shoot at Troopers. We don’t take kindly to having our own hurt.”
“Understood, I’ll pass that on to the other miners. Good hunting.”
“Oh, hunting would be too nice for these bastards. Welcome to the extinction, Felicia.” The communications officer cut the channel.
Kale and Felicia looked at one another.
“And she was just the communications officer?” Kale asked.
“Remind me to never cross a Trooper,” Felicia said. “Now, check to make sure we’re still on course, can’t let the EMF get all the fuckers. Emilie Castillo’s still on Station Five.”
“Yes ma’am, though I’ve got to say, that’s one hell of a sight,” Kale said, pointing to the main view screen between them that was showing a close up of the EMFC Reclaimer’s guns as its engines pushed it further into the system.
Felicia nodded. You’re right, that is one hell of a sight, one never seen before. One carrier was enough to subdue most planets’ rebellions. She hadn’t believed that Harmony and Earth had been at war before, she’d just thought it was people blowing things out of proportion.
Now she knew it was a war, and she knew what side she was on. Emilie Castillo’s fate would be too nice, but wiping her and her name from the universe would be good enough for Felicia.
Chapter 40
Mining City Seventeen
Osdal Actual, Osdal System
8/3267
Moretti had sent messages to the other insertion teams as soon as Tyler opened fired on the camp. All of their plans were a go.
Tyler and most of Mark’s section were out in Mining City Twenty-One, causing chaos and moving from one tower to another, hitting Chosen that were trying to mobilize to quell the full-on riots that were happening in the camps outside the city.
Mark had got people semi-organized, putting air cars around a maintenance yard. The air cars were on the ground, their turrets waiting for Chosen to show up. Mark was still fortifying the area. It was making for one hell of a distraction.
Reports started up that different processing stations were being hit. Propulsion systems on Processing Station Nine were failing, and the station was moving into deteriorating orbit, mass panic overtaking it.
Moretti switched to feeds in different mining cities, where Chosen were being fired on and tower complexes were exploding.
It looked like chaos to many, but Moretti saw ammunition depots and powered armor storage areas being hit.
Another report told of powered armor fighting the Chosen. People didn’t seem to be able to believe it. They had supported Harmony and a part of them realized that they were spitting in the face of the companies that they had worked for. Now they were seeing the reality of swearing themselves for Harmony.
Earth and Her Colonies had declared war on Harmony.
People understood what that meant, but few could understand what it truly was.
Now they were in the middle of combat, putting their blinders on and ignoring the issues around them. Their own prejudice was useless if they walked into the path of a round.
Moretti had little care or mercy for them.
Zukic and Dominguez walked into the room, wearing Trooper armor that Yu had dropped off with Tyler.
“Young says that Bandit Two will be ready to pick us up shortly,” Zukic said, checking the E-12 in his hands. Dominguez tossed Moretti a rifle.
Moretti checked it and then himself; he too was wearing EMF smart clothes and the armor plates that went over top. The Triple Twos had drilled weapon handling into his brain as firmly as his teachings as a Ministry of Intelligence Officer.
“Then we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Moretti said, wiping his implant projected screens away with a wave and standing.
“I’ll be up front, you’ll be center, Dominguez will pull up the rear,” Zukic said. Now the combat had started, this was his show.
“Lead on,” Moretti said.
Chapter 41
Processing Station One
Osdal Actual, Osdal System
8/3267
Holm pressed the activate button on the implant screen. His signal was transmitted through Bandit Two’s communication console.
Fifty six charges were activated. The putty grey like substance was an incendiary, and burned as hot as a dozen plasma torches.
Whatever they were on melted. Wires turned into misshapen metal and plastic, fuel lines started spewing all over the place, the same as hydraulic lines coolant lines and sewage lines that the section had thrown in for good measure. Air recycling systems failed, the thr
usters that kept the station from falling into Osdal Actual’s gravity well failed.
Power plants went into shutdown as they didn’t have enough fuel. Airlocks and hangars refused to open.
Then the EMP grenades went off. Some worked, others didn’t. Newly made sections of the station blacked out because they hadn’t been made to guard against solar winds.
Yu pressed buttons and flicked on the power to Bandit Two’s engines.
Young did the same.
“Sensors are good and clear,” Young reported.
“Power plant good and stable,” Yu looked to the side of his view.
“We are sealed and good to fly.” Bobbie announced.
“I’ve got a good read on thrusters and main engine, moving to exit,” Yu’s hands and feet moved as the freighter rose up off of its launch pad, turning towards the doors behind it.
The doors to the landing area opened, showing open space beyond it. Yu pushed power to the main engines, exiting the landing area and the processing station.
“All weapon systems report ready and active,” Bobbie said.
“Sensor are getting a good read of the system, linking to FTL network,” Young said as Yu put some space between himself and Processing Station One.
Yu used his implants in his hands to change his view and bring up information on the sensor network around Osdal Actual, and he sent it to everyone else. “Well it looks like the sensor grid is inactive, their positioning is already becoming a mess.”
Before all of the sensor platforms had held perfect position from one another, now they were drifting with no overall commands to separate.
“I have connection to the fleet and their sensors.” The view screen populated with information, including the asteroid mining fleet heading towards Processing Station Five.
“We have modified shuttles leaving Processing Station Five, it looks like they see the asteroid miners. We have a hangar bay opening on One with modified shuttles.” Young’s voice was clipped and professional.
“We’ll hit one first and see if we can’t even up the mining fleet’s odds,” Yu said, using thrusters to turn the freighter around and powering the engines up to counteract his original inertia.
“Buckle up ladies and gents, our Captain has Harmony in his sights!” Young said, pulling her harness tight.
Yu could hear Bobbie telling the Troopers to man different weapon systems.
“Targets?” Yu asked.
Three red dots appeared on his HUD.
He orientated to them, and Young plotted an intercept course that would get them to pass right by the shuttles without braking.
They would never see the freighter’s engine burn which would alert them to the fact they weren’t the only ones out around Processing Station One.
“Lock them up, I’ve got Bravo,” Yu said, lining up the freighter on the middle shuttle.
“Opening weapon coverings,” Bobbie said, and the paneling that had been hiding the freighter’s weaponry pulled back, the weapons pushing forward and locking into position.
Yu edged the freighter around, making it dance with the slightest touch of his feet, fingers and legs.
He squeezed the trigger on his acceleration control. A line of rounds lanced out from the freighter, connecting it to target Bravo, and the other guns being controlled took it as their signal. Several other tracer lines met up with targets Alpha and Charlie.
Bravo exploded, Yu catching on the rudimentary missile launchers on its side. Charlie went haywire, and Alpha showed tracers going through it. Then Bandit Two was past and Yu was altering his trajectory to bring them around on Processing Station Five.
Alpha suddenly exploded and Charlie stopped dancing around space, drifting and spinning away.
“Refining route,” Young said, getting them the fastest time route right on top of the modified shuttles of Processing Station Five.
“They’re firing,” Young said.
Yu couldn’t put on more speed; if he did then his gunners wouldn’t have the time they needed to shoot down Processing Station Five’s shuttles.
All he could do was watch as the missile tracks cut across his displays, heading for the hundreds of contacts that made up the asteroid miner fleet.
They spread out, getting away from the missiles as much as possible, but they had no exterior weapons.
“Missiles ready,” Young said.
“Fire when you have a lock!” Yu said, lining up for the best run on the Harmony Shuttles. The gunners were tagging which shuttles they had in their sights and red targets turned to purple when locked on halos.
“Missiles away,” Young said, and Yu felt the missile magazine clunk to pull a rocket from internal storage and into the launch tubes, though his eyes were on the missiles that closed in on the miner fleet. The missiles blossomed, a few prematurely, some too close to one another.
But with the twenty rockets that had been fired, fifteen miner’s ships were destroyed.
The rockets in Bandit Two’s hold were purpose built weapons of war, tried and tested on battlefields across the colonies.
They hit the Chosen shuttles, burying themselves into the shuttles’ unarmored skins before exploding.
Yu fired his cannons, and the turrets along the sides of the freighter sent lines of ignited fury at the Chosen shuttles.
The confident, predatory advance of the shuttles turned into disorganized chaos.
“We have call from Gold Runner,” Young said.
“Patch in, going for burn,” Yu said, warning the gunners as he flipped the freighter, cutting their inertia and heading towards Processing Station Five.
“Yu, is that you?”
“Captain Yu of the Combat Shuttle One Three Nine at your service ma’am. Thought you folks could use a clear entryway,”
“Jam!” Iliev barked over the freighter’s communications network. It took a few moments before the gun was back up.
“You sneaky bastards,” Felicia said, sounding equal parts shocked and pleasantly surprised.
Yu made his own flight plan, Young was too busy shooting Chosen. He was a bit jealous, but flying, even this tin can, fuck it felt good.
“Thank you ma’am. Get your people to follow me in, I can get you to a hangar and open it up, but beyond that it’s up you. I have a date on Osdal Actual.”.
“Understood, we’ll be right behind you, we have to talk about my going rate after this,”
“Ah Moretti will get everything sorted out,” Yu said.
“That bastard can wrangle a deal out with the best of them,” she said, and Yu could hear the smile in her voice. Yu was happy, Felicia was good people.
The Chosen shuttles were cutting and trying to get back to Processing Station Five.
Young exhausted their missile magazines and their turrets went on self-defence as the Chosen’s missiles aimed at them.
Yu did some creative flying and threw out counter measures. There were some close calls with the freighter getting thrown around and shrapnel peppering the cargo hold. A few thrusters went out, but Young got a working solution going on the fly. The freighter handled even worse than before, but it was functional.
“Unknown freighter this is EMFC Reclaimer flight control. You are showing up on my screen as friendly, give name and ident code,” Flight Control asked, coming through Young and Yu’s implants.
“Flight control this is Bandit Two, former flight crew of Combat Shuttle One Three Nine, flashing ident code,” Young said, dealing with that mess as Yu focused on plowing through the Chosen shuttles. The miners were racing behind them, turning their engines to face the station in order to burn off their speed to make it for the station. Bandit Two wasn’t going to be stopping.
Yu flew and pulled up a schematic of the station.
“Ident confirmed, cleared for access into EMF controlled space. Those unknowns following your tail hostile?” Flight Control asked.
Yu highlighted a hangar door on the station and tossed the rest of the station away,
and the waypoint showed up on his HUD. He fired the last two remaining missiles and fired his cannons for a good five second burst.
“No, they are friendly forces, just coming to join the Harmony ass-kicking party.”
“Understood, marking as friendly until deemed otherwise.”
“Flight control I am sending a package containing information on the planet Osdal and its orbit. It contains markers for three freighters that are also docked with said stations. They might be of importance to the higher ups,” Young said.
“I’m getting the info package now, will transmit higher, using it to update my sensor fields.”
Flight Control snapped off just as Yu’s missiles reached the hangar doors, blowing them wide open. Apparently they’d been pressurized, and ships, debris and sections of the station were enveloped in a brief fireball as air was thrown out into the vacuum of space.
The debris spun away from the opening, and the rounds Yu fired made the hole bigger and hit the interior of the station.
“Gold Runner this is Bandit Two, looks like a good run to me. Catch you later.” Yu turned away from the station, clearing his view and pulling up a bookmarked location.
“Understood Bandit Two, thanks for the assist and good luck!” Felicia said.
“Next stop, Mining City Thirty Five. I hope Jerome and Haas haven’t been having too much fun without us,” Yu said, turning the freighter and bleeding off speed. He wanted to get to them quickly, but turning into mush from too much speed was just going to fuck everyone’s day up.
“Hopefully they left enough for us,” Young said.
Chapter 42
Mining City Thirty Five
Osdal Actual, Osdal System
8/3267
“Covering!” Dooks yelled, firing bursts from his metal storm. It was only too easy to drain the thing of rounds, something that the Chosen were finding out.
“Moving!” Jerome and Kojo said, running for new cover. The Chosen weren’t expecting them to advance at them.
Jerome slid on the flooring, crashing into a planter, and dust and debris were already coming off the thing as Chosen fired into it.
Osdal (Harmony War Series Book 3) Page 20
