Star Crusades Nexus: Book 08 - Wrath of the Gods:

by Michael G. Thomas

  "This battle ain’t over. It's not even halfway there. They need our help down there. Follow me!"

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Justitium Lyssk was one of the most infamous characters from the days of the Helion Uprising. After the initial revolution, it was he that was granted a full term as Justitium, a role he had been given to help stop the violence. Many believe this was simply the final stage in his rise to power and prominence amongst the Irkerk, Yuulen, and Sh’Dori people. Little concern was given to the Zathee, even though this one group outnumbered the other three combined. Justitium Lyssk’s name has since been linked with violence, murder, and reprisals of a kind never seen before in the Helion League. His overthrow sent him and his forces into exile, along with a large band of Khreenk mercenaries.

  One hundred famous names from the Centauri Alliance

  Planetary ‘Doomsday Weapon’ Defense Installation, Helios Prime

  Zeta Team consisted of just four female marines, the last survivors of the regimental special weapons unit. They’d trained for technical operations, specifically computer control, hacking, and remote communication, but never had they trained for such a specific and critical mission. Sergeant Maria Harvey stopped and lifted her arm in the classic halt position. The other three immediately froze and dropped to one knee. Two of them carried carbines, but the third held a portable EM pulse unit. It was as big as a child and weighed nearly twenty kilograms.

  “What is it, Sarge?” Private Cooper asked.

  She placed the pulse unit on the floor for a moment, partially to allow her to reach for her sidearm, but also to give her just a few seconds respite from its weight. As they waited, a pair of Animosh appeared on the level above them.

  “Nobody move a muscle,” said Sergeant Harvey.

  All four waited in silence while the Animosh moved about doing whatever it was they were there for. As each second ticked by, they could see the icons flickering and vanishing as yet more marines died throughout the complex. During the short pause, Sergeant Harvey checked her mapping information and estimated the time until they would reach their objective.

  Two more levels to the targeting level. We can do this.

  Then the Animosh moved away, and the place was clear, as though it had been abandoned for days.

  “Go,” she said quietly.

  As before, the group moved ahead and onto the gantry moving around the shaft. Try as they might, it proved almost impossible to stay silent. One foot followed another, and after what seemed like an eternity, they were past the next level and continuing on upwards. Sergeant Harvey looked over the edge and down into the pit.

  I could drop all our grenades down there. What would that do?

  It was tempting, but her orders were simple. Every part of the assault force had a mission, and theirs was the option of last resort. While General Daniels would attempt to knock out the weapon itself, four other teams would attack key components to stop the weapon being used against Alliance forces. Their job was to hit the targeting array, the part of the complex monitoring the targeting matrix, computers, relays, and most important of all, the massive motors required to move the weapon’s emitters. This part of the site had much in common with a ground-based observatory but on a grand scale. By damaging or disabling this area, it wouldn’t give the Alliance control of the facility. It wouldn’t even allow them to fully target anything else. Most importantly, it would mean that the only viable target would remain the Black Rift, the area that the system was specifically constructed for.

  * * *

  The battle for the heart of the underground facility was not going well. What should have been a rapid assault had transformed into a violent battle of attrition. More importantly the Alliance forces were up against a terrible deadline. Every minute they delayed in completing their objective meant they were a minute closer to the Biomechs reaching the site. If they failed, the enemy would control the weapon and be able to shut down the T’Karan-Helios Rift. With no ability for reinforcement, there would be no Operation Citadel, and no way to save Helios Prime. General Daniels knew this. But each time he raised his head, an entire fusillade of shots would clatter down around him.

  We have to make this work!

  A burst of fire off to the right managed to attract the attention of his tormentors, at least long enough for him to take careful aim at the next level above him. Two rounds struck nearby, but he chose to ignore them and pulled the trigger of his carbine. A short burst rattled about those above, and one staggered and stumbled, falling to his death. Then he was back in cover and checking for more enemies. The next one was in his sight well before the body of the first had even stopped twitching.

  One down. How many more to go?

  The next target was an Animosh marksman that was taking his time to pick off marines. It was a difficult shot from this angle, but as the alien leaned forward, he slightly exposed his lead arm. Sensing he might get just the one shot, he changed to high-power mode and unleashed a triple blast, hitting the target like the discharge from an automatic cannon. The projectiles ripped up through the forearm, bone, and armor, and then directly into the jaw.

  “Good shooting, Sir,” said Private Uchenik.

  The middle-aged marine was a single parent, one of many who’d lost her husband in the Great Uprising and found herself falling on hard times. Now she was a marine in her late forties and in the prime of her life. Good training, food, and medical support allowed her to participate in physical activity that would have been limited to those under thirty a few centuries earlier. Another two marines ran past her, and one was hit in the neck. The marine fell down, and Private Uchenik pulled him to safety while checking him for injury.

  “You’re fine, marine, just a flesh wound. Now get back at it.”

  With a push, she shoved the man back out whereby he turned around and poured more fire into the enemy positions. Another pair joined in with him, and they moved off to the right where a group of marines was hunkered down beside banks of computers. Finally, the marine’s clip ran out. He dropped down alongside the other marines and reloaded.

  It’s not fair, thought General Daniels. These are good people. They deserve better than this.

  He checked the timestamp and felt his stomach lurch. When they arrived, the marines were pumped up with adrenalin, partially out of the tension created by such an important mission, but also due to the inactivity they had been plagued with for so long now. This was the one thing they could do down here, and now they were stuck. The icons representing the ships of Admiral Lewis showed they were circling the facility, and as far as he could tell, they were doing a fine job of keeping the enemy from entering. It couldn’t last though.

  We’ve been down here way too long. Either we take this place, or we leave.

  He’d given the order for two attempts at a breakout, and both times they had been forced back. The Command Center proved to be defended by much more than just the contingent of Animosh soldiers. There were now a number of machines moving along the upper levels and using large-caliber guns to shred any marines daring to cross the killing ground that led into the facility. Only two small groups had made it out, and he’d sent them for two different targets. All he could hope was that by keeping the battle going, he could draw the fire of the enemy and give them the opportunity to do what had to be done.

  “What now, Sir? We can’t reach the control systems for the weapon,” said Sergeant Jones.

  The General didn’t recognize the man’s voice, but the details on his visor overlay showed him to be one of the volunteers from the engineer unit based at the docks. The man was an expert in computer control systems and shielding, skills that could earn him good money in the private sector. For whatever reason, he was now a marine just like the rest of them, a man in a suit of modern combat armor and carrying nothing more than an L52 coilgun. He looked at his overlay and shook his head in frustration. The number of enemy units had double in the last minute.

  They must have another way
inside.

  Then a truly awful thought occurred to him.

  Or they were already here? But why wait this long before acting?

  He looked back to the enemy positions, shook his head, and then took aim.

  “Thin the herd, marines…we need options.”

  The exchange of fire continued in every corner of the control center, from their current level right up to the highest point. Marines and Animosh fought with firearms, as well as thermal glaives, pikes, and bayoneted carbines. As the casualties mounted, there was no change in the location. Justitium Lyssk still controlled the systems, and that meant he had the weapon.

  He checked the mapping information and on the status of his other teams. One squad had managed to circumvent the control room and was heading for the gunnery level. Another had broken further underground but was being held back on the way to the reactor systems. Zeta Team was making the greatest progress from what he could see.

  “Zeta Team, do whatever you have to. We’re running out of time, but make sure the weapon cannot fire!”

  Justitium Lyssk knew the facility well, and his forces made good use of the multiple floors, cover, and hidden access points to quickly surround and cut off large parts of the Marine force. The Helion soldiers wasted no time in annihilating the nearest marines with a devastating series of ranged attacks while they tried to fall back and regroup. General Daniels continued scanning the enemy positions and tagged those he found. The information was quickly shared between the surviving marines and allowed them to fire, even without looking at their opponents.

  One group of marines, led by Sergeant Aderyn, picked themselves up and tried to push ahead, only to move straight into a mixture of anti-personnel grenades and hidden charges that had been placed along the floor. A series of explosions rippled along the lower level and shredded the unfortunate marines. Others tried to slip further inside to avoid the shooting but also found themselves surrounded in a matter of seconds. Each of them died, and died well; but in less than five minutes, the entire assault force had been halted and forced to ground. Now the remaining marines gave ground slowly, each moving from cover to cover as they fell back from the killing ground. Heat weapons exchanged fire with coilguns, but the numbers were on the side of the defenders, as was knowledge of the local terrain.

  “Sir!” called out a marine.

  General Daniels moved his glance and looked in the direction of the man’s hand. He spotted the shape of Lyssk, who then quickly moved back into cover.

  “Leave him. All units fall back to the rendezvous point.”

  The man’s details flashed up on his visor. It was twenty-two year old Corporal Saleem. A rookie from Kerberos, this was his first combat posting, and already he’d tagged and killed three Animosh warriors. This time he either failed to hear the General, or simply chose to ignore him

  “With me, let’s bring the bastard down!” called out the man.

  “No, damn you. Get back!”

  The Corporal lifted himself up and moved out from behind the tall storage unit. Three rounds crashed down alongside him, but he stepped away just as they landed. An entire squad rose to their feet and chased after him out into the open. General Daniels lifted his carbine while cursing to himself. His orders had been clear, but inside this deathtrap, he was quickly losing control of his scattered and panicked forces. The weeks of siege and bombardment had done little to calm their nerves, but as each marine fell, so did their desire for revenge increase.

  I need to get them back. We’re too exposed out here. We can’t withdrawal though. I have to keep up the pretense that we intend on taking this place. If they get a moment’s respite, my people will be screwed.

  “Give them covering fire!”

  He was the first to take aim, but then others joined in. Each did their best to help the Corporal and his forlorn hope of marines. They made it to a ramp leading to the next level before a pair of thermal proximity grenades detonated and killed him instantly. Another marine fell to the ground and screamed out for help. The others tried to pull the wounded man back before being struck by round after round from the darkness.

  Bastards!

  General Daniels twisted to the right and narrowly avoided a direct impact to his face. The thermal round burned through the metalwork of the nearby workstation, showering the hidden marines with sparks.

  Close.

  The move wrenched his back, and he felt another surge of pain. He breathed in hard and tried to avoid the spasms running up through his leg. He’d taken a lancing strike above his knee from an unknown alien weapon, and it had left a wide scorch mark on the plating. The armor had stopped the weapon penetrating, but the kinetic impact had been substantial enough to fracture two bones. Emergency sealant had locked the leg, but that now meant he limped as he moved.

  “Admiral Lewis, this is General Daniels, are you there?”

  A sound like that of a voice came back, but it crackled and was heavily distorted. It could be down to enemy action, or merely by being so far underground and inside a shielded structure.

  “Admiral!”

  A rocket smashed into the ground ahead and sent a single marine staggering back, his helmet glowing from the heat bloom of a phosphorus charge. They were banned weapons in the Alliance, and the mere sight of the burning material filled the General with a barely concealed rage. He knew he needed to conserve what was left of his force. Continuing this action would do nothing other than get the rest of them all killed.

  “I can’t hold the landing zone for much longer. Biomech forces are coming down in large numbers. You have seven minutes to get out of there. After that, you’re on your own.”

  “Admiral, we’re in trouble down here. We have no way of taking control of this site, not yet. Our only chance is to knock off or temporarily disable the targeting.”

  There was a short pause, and then an Animosh solider appeared from a duct above the marines and dropped down amongst them. He fired two powerful shots at close range and then disappeared into a tiny shaft and back into the structure. A marine tried to chase him, but a proximity grenade set off a flash and filled the immediate area with a thick dust, blocking their vision for several seconds.

  “What was that, Sarge?” cried out one of the marines.

  Another hatch in the ceiling opened up and a barrel pushed out. This time the marines were ready and hit it with a fusillade of shots. A mortally wounded Animosh fighter dropped down and hit the ground hard. He was quickly dispatched with a bayonet by the nearest private.

  “Marines, fall back to the intersection!”

  He pointed in the direction they had arrived from. The intersection marked the point of four corridors and was easily defended, while providing access to the entry access ramp and armored doorway. He also knew they had a squad further back, as well as the SAAR robot.

  “Move it!”

  He took the lead and lurched back while firing short bursts at any targets he could find. The Animosh knew the site well and proved adept at hiding their cloaked forms in the shadows. He reached the doorway and ducked inside as three blasts tore chunks from the wall. More marines staggered out to join them and moved passed the line of seven marines. These had already stopped and dropped to their knees while behind them another three moved up close, each with their guns lifted. They provided a wall of flesh and armor for the retreating marines to fall behind.

  “Movement, quadrant six!”

  It was an unknown private that called out the warning. No sooner had he finished speaking, and a pair of marines staggered and then collapsed to the ground in front of them. They were the last few stragglers, and both were riddled with the holes formed by the deadly heat weapons of the Animosh. Behind them came their attackers, the feared paramilitaries of the old Helion state. Five of them rushed the corner, directly into the sight of the line of marines. General Daniels spotted them and barked out his order with calmness.

  “Fire!”

  A single L52 was capable of causing heavy ca
sualties through weight of fire, but when fired in such a coordinated way, the effect was devastating. The marines fired in the rapid mode, whereby each barrel fired alternately and then loaded in another magnetic charge. The first volley shredded the formation, but the second finished them off. The Helion warriors took at least five bullets each before smashing to the ground in a huddle of blood and gore.

  “Cease fire!”

  General Daniels looked in the direction of the enemy and waited for signs of their foe. Icons on his visor showed his remaining troops, and he noted only half had made it past him and to the intersection or beyond. The remainder were pinned down or moving throughout the structure to escape the threat of the Animosh.

  I need more men!

  * * *

  Sergeant Harvey lifted her head and looked around the corner of the narrow doorway. Inside were two rows of large computer screens plus six Helion men wearing military fatigues but no armor. She started to move her leg and then spotted the four Animosh paramilitaries. As with the others, these fighters wore long robes that covered their garish armor. There was a mixture of thermal weapons in their hands. They kept moving about and looking back in the direction of one of the doorways further inside the room.

  “Where does it go?” Sergeant Harvey asked.

  Private Cooper glanced quickly and then also ducked back.

  “I think that shaft leads back down into the main control room. Where the General is still fighting.”

  Sergeant Harvey smiled; at least it looked like a smile to her comrades. She looked at them one at a time, doing her best to look calm and collected. They were technical specialists, but like all marines, they were trained as riflemen.

  “We have to take this place. We secure the room, and then get the device into position. We go in hard...and fast. Understood?”