“Can you stand?”
He nodded, and then put weight on his leg before tumbling forward. Valentine held him and lifted him up to full height.
“Your leg is gone. Hold on.”
The man looked down and then gasped. There was nothing below the knee, save for the congealed blood that had already solidified on the ground. Valentine reached to her side and pulled what looked like a machine pistol from her flank. She reached down to his injury and squirted the gel over the stump. The man was either in too much shock to feel it, or more likely his nerve endings had been burnt out or frozen due to exposure.
“There, that will hold you for now.”
She turned to call for help just as one of the great beasts came right at her. In the open it seemed that much taller, and with its facemask and long sharpened staff, it was like something from her nightmares. Hawkins blasted it, but it ignored the wounds and slammed its arm into his body, throwing him three metres away. Valentine lowered her arm and let off three rounds before it crashed through her. Its lance narrowly missed her body and then punched into the chest of the marine.
“Val!” Kallias screamed as he lowered his aim and blazed away.
“I’ve got it.”
The creature took hit after hit but kept on going. It slammed into the advancing marines and knocked two down. She took a step in front of the injured marine and opened fire. The shoulder-mounted cannon clipped its shoulder, causing terrible damage, but it still would not die. The thing pulled down another two before it was killed. Valentine turned back and cried out as she looked at the marine’s broken body.
“No…not another.”
The lance was thick, and the diamonded edged head had forced its way through his chest plate and out through the back, exposing his torso to the deadly elements.
“Poor bastard,” she muttered. She then turned back and found herself facing another of the marines who was staring right at her. For a second it seemed as though he might even attack her, but then he began to spasm and collapsed to the ground. Standing behind him was one of the dreaded creatures she’d encountered before. It was as big as Captain Olik, and its body glowed with warmth.
“Novas, we’ve got trouble!”
The others nearby turned, and Colston cried out in surprise.
“What…the hell!”
The battle continued to rage all around them, but for now Alexis, Kallias, Hawkins, Valentine, and Colston could see little of note, save for the monstrous creature. It towered above all the others on the battlefield, and it was impossible to tell where its hide ended and its armour began. The thing’s head was encased in armour, and in its hands a bizarre fusion of blade and cannon. It lifted it to strike as Valentine tensed her body.
“What do we do?” Alexis asked, “It’s too…”
“We kill it!” Colston laughed as he opened fire, “We blow it away!”
Kallias joined in, and soon all of them other than Valentine were blasting away. The shots punched into the wingless Ski’lig, and each hit simply made its skin grow lighter and brighter. Two marines dropped down next to it, as well as a Nova from 2nd Platoon. Unlike the others, this one had elected for a shielded arm like Valentine, and a spiked demolition arm on the right. The Nova stepped up close and stabbed into the flank of the beast. The hardened point moved like a pile driver, and as he held his arm in position, it thumped back and forth.
“Yeah!” Colston laughed, “You’re going down, you big...”
He doesn’t understand, said Tex.
You don’t say…Now, how long till it blows?
Soon. Very soon.
“Everybody back!” she shouted.
Hawkins and Alexis began moving away, but Colston and Kallias were caught up in the fight. A swarm of Ski’ligs swept down to attack, and they split their fire between them and the burning hot beast.
“Now!” Valentine screamed.
Kallias finally responded, but Colston remained where he was, and then after grunting in frustration, he charged forward. The other Nova pulled back his close combat arm and swung it back in to attack, but now the Ski’lig turned on them. Its own weapon came in close and cut down in a diagonal arc. The Nova easily evaded it, but two marines behind him took the hit, and their armour seemed to explode with the impact. The burnt and broken bodies flew backwards as it continued swinging the blade. This time it came back horizontally.
“Colson, get back now. That’s an order!” Tsarkov demanded as the rest of his lance moved in from the right. The Novas hurled fire at the monster, but it grew brighter and angrier with each hit. Colston leapt back as the blade slashed across, and the last Nova slammed his spiked weapon into its upper leg as the blade caught him. There was a flash of light like an arc welder, and then a white line along the Nova’s body as he was cut clean in half. The separated parts fell to the ground, and as he lay there struggling, the Ski’lig beast lift its great foot and brought it down on his head, breaking the dying Nova like a boiled egg.
“No way!” Private Colston said.
He and Private Peterson moved from cover and continued blasting the thing, even as aerial Ski’ligs fired down from above. Valentine did her best to hit the aerial hunters, even as more marines surged past them. All she could see in every direction were the men and women of the IAB, as well as scores of robotic Grunts engaged in firefights with the enemy. The hairy beasts were faster and stronger than even the Novas, and hurled marines over ledges, breaking their limbs with their hands. The red-lit Ski’lig monster howled and roared, and as the noise increased, so did the rage of those around them. Nothing could stop their bloodlust as warriors on both sides fell.
“It’s that thing!” she shouted, pointing her shoulder-mounted cannon at its chest, “It’s riling them up!”
“Then kill it,” said Alexis.
The Novas kept on firing, but as before the gunfire made it stronger and angrier, and perhaps worse, it created the light and heat emanating from its body.
“Everybody get back!” Valentine said, “I’ve got an idea!”
They did as she asked, and Valentine ignored all that was happening. She moved out onto one of the narrow bridges and towards the series of platforms the thing was standing on. She opened fire with her right arm and lifted her shield to protect herself.
“Hey…you! Back off!”
The XHEC-1 cannon fired once, hitting its arm and spraying around its body. It then yelled and came for her.
“Val…what you are doing?” Colston screamed as she stepped closer towards it, “Val!”
The creature was just metres away, and with its blade lifted high, Valentine changed her aim. The cannon swung down and pointed just in front of her. She fired a single overcharged shot that tore open the ground and brought down part of the platform. She leapt backwards as the beast plummeted down and vanished from sight.
“I’ve got ya!” Colston grabbed her arm. But her great weight, made worse by the heavy gravity, began to pull them to the breach. As they moved closer to their doom, a great flash lit the ground far below, followed by a shockwave that raced up and hit them. It was enough to cause Colston to lose his footing, and he stumbled forward. Other arms emerged, grabbing them both, and Valentine was stunned to see Tsarkov there as he helped drag the two to safety. They fell to the floor, and one hand reached out to pull her upright. It was Tsarkov.
“Holy crap, Valentine. That was some soldiering. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“You?” Alexis laughed, “More like all of us. Where did you come up with that idea?”
Valentine started to answer as a mixed horde of enemy warriors came towards them. The open ground atop the platforms offered limited cover, but driven by rage, bloodlust, or terror, they simply streamed forward. The two lances concentrated their fire, and this time none of the enemy came to within even a few metres of their position. As the smoke and flame moved away, a scene of utter devastation greeted them. Dozens of broken bodies littered the place, with a handful still groa
ning as they tried to move.
“This is too much,” said Alexis, “We came here without warning. We need to give them a chance to…”
“To what?” Lieutenant Fletcher demanded as he moved to a fallen creature. He placed a boot on its chest and took aim with his right arm, “They invaded our territory and turned our own people into slaves to fight us. No…they deserve nothing.”
The gun fired, and the creature slumped back. Valentine gasped in surprise.
“Sir!” Alexis said, “We cannot do this, not to the wounded.”
She removed her hand from the massive metal structure next to them, but like the others before it, the thing hissed open to reveal the passage inside. A fog burst out from the open blast door, and through it a fur-covered hand grabbed her and dragged her inside.
“Alexis!” Valentine screamed and stepped into the fog after her.
It was almost impossible to see, but Tex quickly activated a thermal imaging mode that gave her a better idea of what was happening. There were a dozen or more of the creatures, plus two Ski’ligs with rifles. They dragged Alexis to the ground, but Valentine was already there. She stepped to her comrade’s back and leapt over, crashing into them. The sudden attack stunned them, and as they fell back, Valentine opened fire. The muzzle flashes inside were massive, and though she hit many of them, they soon came for her. Guns fired, and chunks blasted off her armour. Now she could see that it was primarily Ski’ligs, including a single heavy.
“Dammit!”
She lifted her left arm to protect herself, but the incoming fire was simply too much. She was forced down onto one knee, and then more shots thundered away and tore the weapon built into her right arm apart. More shots hit her face, and she was forced to shield herself with her limbs.
“Help her!” said a voice from behind.
More Novas pushed past, some holding up heavy assault shields. Then came a massive warrior, his armour thick and in his hands the oversized Thumper.
“Captain!”
He stopped just in front of her, even as shots crashed into his armour.
“We’ve got them now,” he said happily, “Keep pushing and drive them underground. Advance!”
The Novas cheered, and as they moved past, they were followed by dozens of IAB marines. Valentine struggled back to her feet, and then shook her head. There was nobody quite like Captain Olik, and even as shots hit him, he seemed to just laugh at them.
“Thank you.”
Captain Olik grunted and then moved forward. As she watched them go, she remembered Alexis. She looked back, and there was her friend, wiping the dust and blood from her body. It left long dark patterns on the plates and smeared before becoming solid.
“No,” said Alexis, “Thank you.”
Valentine smiled, but that quickly faded as a furious looking Lieutenant Fletcher approached.
“Disobey me again, acting Corporal, and I’ll bust your ass back to private. Understood?”
“Yes, Sir!”
The two moved to follow the others, but to their surprise the Lieutenant looked back and shook his head.
“No, I need a lance I can trust. Stay on the platforms and secure our dead and wounded. You can provide covering fire if needed for the regulars. They’re coming through within the hour.”
“Lieutenant?” Sergeant Jablonsky entered and moved closer, with Tsarkov and the others at his flank, “What’s the problem?”
“The problem is your corporal, Sergeant. Get them in line, or this unit will see itself disbanded.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Morato Class Frigate ‘Nautilus’, Ekati Alpha, The Ski’lig Territories
Captain Regina watched the distant battle with a mixture of frustration and sadness. The capital ships on both sides were engaged in a brutal battle, one that would leave vast casualties on both sides. She had little doubt they would win, but she also knew they could have turned the tide had they been allowed to assist.
“It’s one hell of a battle,” said First Lieutenant Meredith, “Wish you were in the middle of it?”
Captain Regina sighed.
“I’m no fool, but yes, I didn’t join up to hide in the rear. We all trained for this, and six Moratos would have been a hell of an assault force.”
She looked to her XO, and the disappointment was obvious in her face.
“We’ve wargamed this over and over. Combine us with gunships and fighters, and we can strike at will, unleashing fire, and leaving before they can tell what hit them.”
“The Admiral must know something we don’t.”
“Let’s hope so. There is some merit in keeping ships over the planet, but why waste us? Three or four Dragoon frigates are more than enough. We’re faster and more able to…”
She stopped and turned her attention to her communications officer.
“Comms, put me on with the Admiral. We’re doing nothing back here.”
“Yes, Sir.”
She looked back to the tactical view of the planet below. The entirety of the IAB, save for several reserve units, were now on the surface and heavily engaged. There were markers along the great tears in the planet where they had entered, and it was clear they were making slow progress. Fighters from the carrier circled overhead and provided air support when able, though they seemed to spend most of their time circling aimlessly as they waited for targets.
“That planet looks like somebody took a big bite out of it one day. It’s a mess.”
Her XO nodded in agreement.
“It must have taken generations to strip so much from it. What I want to know is why they kept on digging down and not just scraping the surface.”
“A good point.”
“Uh…the Admiral is not responding, Sir,” said the communications officer.
“What?” First Lieutenant Meredith said, “Try again.”
The officer did as ordered, and then looked back with an embarrassed look.
“The same, Captain. The Admiral is not receiving messages.”
Captain Regina sighed, and then did her best to mask it.
“Very well. She’s got enough on her plate. I guess today it is all about…”
She stopped, blinked twice, and then took a step forward.
“Are my eyes deceiving me?”
“No,” said a relieved Chief Engineer Linus, “The Rift is open, and it’s stable.”
“I can’t believe it,” said Meredith, “I know the plan requires it to be opened, but somehow I still doubted it.”
Four cutters pushed in first, each appearing miniscule next to the ships already in the system. A pair of massive Alliance troop transports then followed them. These great behemoths dwarfed even the Alliance cruisers and bristled with landing platforms, hangar doors, and small defence turrets. Fighters from Izumo were already on their way as they accelerated towards the approaching ships.
“There you have it,” said Captain Regina, “The Rift is open, and the route back to Alliance territory is secure. Now it’s time to turn the tide.”
“Sir,” said the communications officer.
“Yes?”
“It’s General Rivers. He’s calling on a massed assault from four landing zones on the planet.”
“Good. The IAB cleared the way, and now the marines can do what they do best.”
* * *
The Trench, Ekati Alpha, The Ski’lig Territories
Valentine leaned against a damaged fuel bowser and looked into the distance. A small explosion marked yet another gun battle, and one they were now unable to assist in. Frustrated by their punishment, she looked back to the walls of the trench. The alien world was quite something, and she could see from the sensors inside her armour that it was warming up as the star rose higher and higher.
“This place,” she said, as she kicked a block of diamond spikes and shattered them into smaller crystals, “They’ve mined too far into the surface that they’ve lost a good chunk of it. I wonder if they mean to strip it to the last diamond?”
“Maybe,” said Hawkins, “Nothing can live on this rock, so why else bother coming here?”
Valentine moved to rub her chin, instead rubbing her metal fingers against her heavily armoured helmet.
“Hmm.”
“What is it?”
Alexis moved closer and looked to them both. The blood still covered her armour, though she had lost much of her enthusiasm since the Lieutenant’s outburst. A squad of IAB marines ran past, and behind them moved a single Maverick. The oversized mechanical warrior looked monstrous on this world, and Valentine found herself mesmerised by the clanking machine. In the past, they had been little more than engineering suits upgraded with armour and weapons. The Mavericks were an entirely new beast, with powered limbs, extra tough armour, and an array of weapons that made the Novas seem paltry in comparison.
“Val?”
She looked back.
“Sorry, I was thinking about this rock.”
“And?”
“I don’t get it. This place is lifeless, and has nothing but this?”
She stamped on the diamond dust and shook her head.
“It’s a mine, nothing more.”
Something moved, and her eyes shifted to the right. Her tactical scans showed four platoons of IAB marines held up as they worked their way through the tunnels and chambers attached to the landing ground in the heart of the trench. The other Novas were with them, and through their data links she could see the fight, and it didn’t seem to be going well.
“We should be down there,” she said in frustration, “Our people need help. They’ve covered less than a hundred metres in the last fifteen minutes.”
“You heard the LT,” said Hawkins, “If we disobey orders again, it will be a court martial. You okay with that?”
Kallias shrugged.
“Beats sitting out here while they do our job for us. I say to hell with the LT. We came here to fight, not to babysit a captured landing ground.”
He lifted his arms and turned about on the spot.
Star Crusades Page 19
