Star Crusades

by Michael G. Thomas

  This is weird…really weird.

  Sergeant Jablonsky came into the room to speak with the Master Sergeant, but Valentine was completely focused on her own gear. As she fitted the second leg, she felt a slight jolt through her body and up her spine.

  Tex, is everything all right?

  There was no hesitation, and Tex replied instantly.

  Power fluctuations in the limb core, one moment.

  Valentine’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as she waited for Tex. She raised her gaze and looked to the others. Alexis was tensing her fingers as she fitted her own gear on. They were not just fitting arms and legs, but all the armour and weaponry they might require in the upcoming mission. One of the privates grunted as a heavy shoulder-mounted cannon was attached to the mounting point. That was the moment Valentine knew they were getting ready for a real fight.

  This is really happening. Are we ready for this?

  She noticed the cockiness about them, but there was also an air of apprehension about as well. Half of the platoon had experienced combat with the alien menace, but the other half had only watched combat footage and training with the modified Grunt. She knew how deadly they were, and perhaps more important, how difficult they were to fully understand.

  Mobility system restarted and ready, part of your core was still providing control data for the 1st gen actuators. That’s fixed. It would still have worked, but there’s a little feedback without the patch.

  Great timing, Valentine grumbled, I thought this was all good to go.

  Valentine looked to her left arm and felt something akin to guilt as she detached it and reached for one of the newly upgraded and improved support limbs. It clicked into place, and she instantly saw a minor boost to her overall power.

  As with the Mark I Rhino prosthetics, there is a power boost with each attached node. Part of the design allows components to compartmentalise power, and to operate completely…

  Tex, I know. I’m no rookie.

  Sorry, he said in a sarcastic tone, you’ve been asleep so long who knows what you can remember!

  “Cute.”

  One of the Novas looked back at her.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, just having a heated discussion with my Cortex.”

  “Hell, we’ve all been there.”

  Valentine smiled and reached for the last major prosthetic. Originally, she had been one of the few to opt for the assault limb, the majority choosing to go for the conventional tactical limb and separate carbines and rifles. But since the recent fighting, many of the others were beginning to appreciate the flexibility of an arm that could be used both in ranged combat and close quarter battle. She locked it into place and immediately the data for the integral L52S Mark II Assault Pistol appeared in her mind. She could see the ammunition count, heat, and status of the system.

  Sweet.

  “Last one.” The tech moved to her side. Valentine detached from the support bracket and stretched her new limbs. She could move as easily as before, even with the added armour and additional plating.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said happily, “Now this is more like it.”

  “Way to go, Val.” Kallias swung his arms about. The pincer like hands extended out from above the barrels.

  “How are you finding them?”

  Kallias swung his arms about as though he was going through some routine in a bodybuilding contest. The newly upgraded arms finally gave him a more Human silhouette that was a lot less creepy to look at. His chest mounts included additional armour and interceptors on the front, plus a motorised ammunition hopper mount on his back. Feeds ran over his shoulders and directly into the unit.

  “Elbows are a nice improvement. I can’t tell you the number of times I worried about falling over.”

  He laughed just as Hawkins tapped her shoulder. She turned and found him standing right there with his own unique combination of weapons. He’d elected for the heaviest frontal armour upgrades to his system and helmet, as usual, plus tactical arms. Attached to his flanks was a pair of carbines, one for each arm, and fed via loading belts to a pack on his back.

  “Okay, I think we’re ready,” said Valentine.

  “Good,” came a familiar voice. The trio watched as Alexis approached. Her right arm was encased in armour, but it was still obvious the limb was intact. Her right, on the other hand, was exactly the same as the system used by Hawkins.

  “Val, you’re sure you want the cannon, too?”

  “You’re kidding?” she answered in surprise as the tech helped lift the heavy module to her shoulder. The armour seemed to creak as it clipped into place. He then connected the coolant pipes and control feeds back to the small auxiliary service pack attached to the rear of Valentine’s armour.

  Hold on, said Tex, Connecting now.

  Data for the weapon system filtered into Valentine’s mind, and a wide smile formed on her lips as she noted the improvements.

  “Oh, yes, now that is pretty sweet.”

  “X-HEC cannon for the win,” said Hawkins, “I’m more a rate of fire guy, but you sure love big guns.”

  She looked to him and wondered if he was being sarcastic, but he seemed genuinely interested in the weapon.

  “Last time we used them on the range on Deimos, we started a cave-in. Trust me, no matter what you find in the simulators, these guns are a big upgrade. I mean big.”

  “I’m counting on it,” she said, “And the new firing modes, hell, it’s like Christmas all over again.”

  “Uh…Val. You know you missed Christmas this year, right?”

  She feigned annoyance, but before she could say anything else Lieutenant Fletcher entered, along with the NCOs for the other lances.

  “Novas. We’re coming in faster than expected, something to do with a natural anomaly in the area. ETA is less than thirty minutes.”

  “Crap,” said Alexis without realising it. A few looked to her, but the Lieutenant seemed little interested in small talk.

  “I want you all loaded back in the Jackals, and this time we’re going in hot. Sensors are showing something artificial in the nebula, so be ready.”

  He looked to each of them inside the armoury.

  “The Ski’ligs tried to take our territory and our people from us. Never again.”

  He pointed at Alexis, and then to several of the others.

  “This time you will stop them. We do not leave until we’ve explained this to them. It’s time for vengeance, and we, ladies and gentlemen. We are the avenging furies. Now...to your ships!”

  Alexis turned to move away, and Valentine quickly followed. Just seconds before everything had been quite calm. Before she could even reach the dropship the loudspeakers activated.

  “This is the Captain. We are entering enemy territory shortly. All hands to your stations. This is it. Good luck to you all, and to our resident Novas. Good hunting.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Morato Class Frigate ‘Nautilus’, The Ski’lig Territories

  5th July 2475

  The bridge officers looked ahead to the massive planet with a mixture of awe and apprehensive. It was a colossal world, vastly bigger than old Earth and glinting in the light of its distant star. The planet was surrounded by a thin, barely visible soup of colour that spread out into the rest of the star system like an oil slick. The other planets in the system were small colour dots in comparison, though increasing slightly with the passing seconds.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” said First Lieutenant Meredith, “What happened here?”

  Captain Regina looked towards the Chief.

  “I need information.”

  On such a small vessel he performed the functions of both chief engineer and science officer, with his expertise suitable for both, up to a point. He looked to the data and chose several of the key data points to concentrate on.

  “It’s incredible,” he said in a moment of surprising excitement, “Truly incredible. Our long-distance analysis was way off. We a
ssumed that at this distance from the star it was likely to be a frigid world, one that has never received much radiation. How wrong we were. In the past I suspect this planet was baked in incredible heat, a near firestorm.”

  “Interesting,” said Captain Regina, “What else?”

  “Well…for a start we’re looking at a higher carbon to oxygen ratio. In the past this planet was torched by its proximity to the star. That combination of significant heat and pressure on a carbon rich world has created something incredible.”

  “It’s similar to 55 Cancri, is it not?”

  The Chief seemed surprised to hear that from the Captain.

  “Aye, but Cancri was still in close proximity to its star. This world has been forced out of its orbit, and I doubt by natural means. And now more than a third of its structure is diamond.”

  Captain Regina shook her head in amazement.

  “A diamond world. On Earth this would be a prize to fight over, but here we have an unlimited source.”

  The ship’s helmsman checked his display and then called out.

  “Captain, IS drive shutdown in one minute.”

  “Understood.”

  She reached for the intercom, looking at the bizarre phenomenon in front of them.

  “This is the Captain. The fleet is on final approach. We have no idea what awaits us, but whatever is out there, we have a job to do. We secure the system and the planet for the arrival of the rest of the fleet. We hold for six hours, no matter what we face.”

  She looked back to her XO who gave her a nod.

  “This is the day we take the fight to our sworn enemy. Good hunting! Regina out.”

  She licked her lips before giving the next orders.

  “Prepare weapons and brace yourselves. They may know we’re coming.”

  “Yes, Captain,” said Lieutenant Zimmer.

  Captain Regina looked to the clock and watched until it reached ten seconds. That was when her XO called them out.

  “Ten…nine…”

  The Captain moved to her position at the front on the extended platform pushing out into the bulbous viewing point. The planet looked massive now, yet still she could see no major threats.

  “Four…three…”

  She blinked, the engines shutdown, and everything around then came into focus. The planet looked more jagged and spartan than expected, but she could also see the shapes of the other eleven Alliance vessels forming up into a dispersed formation.

  “Here we are. Tactical, begin scanning.”

  “The assault carriers are already scanning, Sir. Their data is slaved directly into our own.”

  “Excellent. Now, where is the Ski’lig ship?”

  She looked to the planet and the coloured wisps of colour all around it. Small moons and clouds of orbital debris circled it, but not ships. Then several beeps drew the Captain’s attention to the overlay projected against the forward view from the ship.

  “Six attack ships detected at the edge of our scanner range,” said Lieutenant Zimmer, “They’re partially hidden inside the clouds. It’s really hard to make out much more.”

  “Have they spotted us?”

  The tactical officer shrugged.

  “Impossible to say, Sir. One has already vanished from our scanners.”

  “I don’t like this,” said Meredith, “This system is like a swamp. There could be a hundred ships out there waiting for us.”

  “Maybe…maybe not,” said Captain Regina, “How long is left on the clock?”

  “Five hours fifty-one minutes before the heavies arrive,” said the XO.

  “Then we need to launch probes and drones to get a much better picture of what’s going on here.”

  “Captain,” said the Chief, “Active scans of the planet below show its current position and state is not a natural phenomenon. The planet has been shifted from orbit. It’s as cold as Mars down there, and it has been mined for years, maybe centuries.”

  Imagery from the surface appeared on his displays, and the XO moved to check.

  “Nearly eight percent of its mass has been removed through artificial means.”

  “Interesting,” said the Captain, “Why? Mining perhaps?”

  “That’s possible. An almost limitless and easy to extract source of diamond could be of use for a society that uses it in quantity.”

  “Wait…there’s something else.”

  “What is it?”

  “Life signs below the surface. I had nothing to begin with, but it looks like there’s some sort of atmospheric shielding. Incredible, the planet is teeming with life. It is astonishing on such a barren world.”

  “Ski’lig?”

  He shrugged.

  “We’re not a science ship, and our instruments are already struggling to work their way through the atmosphere.”

  “That rock still has one? That seems hard to believe.”

  “Yes, non-breathable, of course, and it’s too thin to help sustain much heat on the surface. In the day it can reach close to twenty degrees Celsius, but when the sun goes down, or if you move too deeply inside, we estimate it can drop close to minus sixty degrees.”

  “Not much different to Mars.”

  “True, Captain. The short version is that if you’re down there, and your armour is damaged, you will not last too long. So our people need to be careful.”

  “The life signs? Check again. Are you certain?”

  “Captain, there’s simply no way of telling from here. But what I…”

  He stopped, and then his eyes opened wider and wider. It was as though he’d just looked into the growing maw of some mighty beast, and she was sure he even recoiled at the sight of whatever he had seen.

  “What is it, Chief? What’s the problem?”

  He opened and closed his mouth three times as he struggled to speak. He cleared his throat, and then shook his head.

  “Apologies. There are colossal energy surges on the surface. Massive build-ups deep inside the surface.”

  “What kind of energy? From life support systems?”

  He leaned back and looked at her.

  “No, this is highly focused, I’m sure of it. The pattern matches that of the weapons used by the attack ships, but it is much more powerful.”

  “Good god! They must be planetary defences.”

  She moved back to the centre of the deck.

  “Comms, put me on with the fleet! Helm, get us away from the planet immediately. Tactical, I need the polarised shielding on and fast. Divert every ounce of power you can find to it.”

  She reached for the intercom as quickly as possible.

  “This is Captain Regina of the Nautilus. There are heavy weapon installations on the planet’s surface, and they’re increasing in power. My Chief Engineer believes they are targeting our ships.”

  “Well spotted,” replied General Gun, “My technicians confirm the data. It looks like a planetary defence network all right. All ships break formation.”

  Each of the ships rolled away and then activated their primary thrusters. It took time, but soon they were moving further and further away, though as they travelled from the planet, they began to enter the dispersed clouds of coloured gas.

  “If we’re are fired on, our vessels will respond in kind,” said the General, “If they want to face bombardment cannons, they can continue this aggression.”

  “Captain,” said the Chief, “I think they’re about to…”

  A pulse of red light rose from the surface and screamed past the ships. It missed hitting any of them, but as it moved close to the armada, it detonated and spread a bright flash of energy like a miniature atomic warhead. Nautilus shook violently but appeared no worse for wear.

  “Report. Are we damaged?”

  “All systems are normal, Captain.” The XO looked to both the engineering and tactical stations, “Did they miss on purpose?”

  Another pulse raced upwards, and dozens more followed suit from multiple locations on the surface. They reached up fo
r the orbiting ships and exploded once they reached roughly the same distance as the ships.

  “Those shots are like flak barrage,” said Lieutenant Zimmer.

  “Look,” said the Captain as they watched three of the Confederate ships moving ahead of them. Their secondary weapons opened fire towards the approaching gunfire coming from the diamond world far blow. Hundreds of red streaks came close, exploding as shells and beams of light from the capital ships hammering into them.

  “Engineering, that cannot be an energy weapon. What are they firing?”

  “It’s hot. Some form of energy sealed explosive projectile.”

  “Like the high energy cannons we use?”

  “Not quite, but the effect is very similar.”

  Salvo after salvo came for the ships, and one stream of fire came perilously close to an assault carrier. It detonated less than a hundred metres from the target, blowing apart the ringed nacelles and covering the stern of the ship in pulsating red energy.

  “This is General Gun,” said a furious voice over the battle network, “Target their batteries and open fire. I want those guns silenced.”

  The Confederate Class warships started to turn as they brought their front weapons to bear. Though they carried an impressive arsenal of guns, most were energy weapons unsuited for use in an atmosphere. But what they did carry on top of their normal array of weapons were two brutal mass driver weapons. These old tech cannons were a throwback to an earlier time, when energy was used to accelerate monstrous warheads into space. These pairs of 255mm bombardment cannons were anything but subtle, and began a slow, but steady avalanche of fire towards the planet below.

  “Yes!” Lieutenant Zimmer shouted as one of the ground positions exploded in a flash of red matter, engulfing an area the size of a ship, “That’s a good hit.”