“Victory,” said Lieutenant Fletcher, even though it sounded more a question than a statement.
Valentine looked at him as he opened his visor. He was not happy, but instead there was something else, a look of relief at his forehead. The tension had released, and she could tell a weight had been lifted.
“This is a massacre,” said Alexis.
The Lieutenant looked to her, and he gave her a short nod.
“Yes, it is. But it was this, or we lost everybody here.”
Both focused on the smoke-filled battlefield. The large numbers of marines and Novas had been whittled down in the fighting, but now hundreds more bodies of their enemy now littered the place.
“Yes,” said Alexis, “That is true.”
A few others continued shooting, while most moved to their dead or wounded comrades. Valentine helped one to his feet, and then spotted Captain Olik speaking with the General and the bloodied form of Colonel Barnaby, the commander of the IAB Marine Corps companies.
“General, we cannot win this,” said Captain Olik, “More are coming, and landers continually come through the atmosphere.”
“That ship,” said the Colonel with a bitter shake of the head, “As long as it remains, we cannot win. My marines are fully engaged on every front. We can hold, but not if they continue to rain reinforcements down in a continuous wave.”
The two massive warriors looked to each other, and then Captain Olik grinned. Valentine could see them, but even though they said little, it was clear they were having a conversation.
“Wait,” said the Colonel, “You’re not thinking what I am, are you?”
He shook his head in horror.
“My forces are in disarray, and half of my marines are helping the regulars on the upper levels. I don’t have the manpower, the weaponry, or the ships. We’re too spread out to do it.”
General Gun then nodded as he spotted Valentine looking at them.
“Lance Corporal.”
She gulped, and then moved closer.
“Yes, Sir?”
“Your lance. Are you combat effective?”
Valentine’s eyes ran to unit’s status indicator. They had arrived with forty-five Novas and were down to thirty-five still combat capable. And most of those had been wounded in the recent fighting.
“We’ve taken losses, but we can still fight.”
“We arrived with fifteen lances,” said Captain Olik, “Twelve of those are combat ready.”
Valentine looked back at her comrades and called out to them. Lieutenant Fletcher, Sergeant Jablonsky, and Corporal Kleinlercher all heard her, but none responded until they saw the senior officers waiting. Captain Olik snorted, moving his head in a rather unsubtle gesture to get their attention. They scrambled over and moved alongside Valentine.
“Sir?” Lieutenant Fletcher said.
“I have a mission for the Novas. It might be a one-way trip.”
“Just point us where you need us. We’re up for it.”
The rest of the two lances inched closer and formed up in a loose group, listening to what was being said. More men and women from the other platoons joined them until nearly twenty of them were watching and listening in stunned disbelief.
“Well?” General Gun asked, “Can it be done?”
None answered, and it was obvious even Captain Olik remained dubious. Valentine finally spoke, breaking the relative silence.
“We did it before, Sir. At Helios Prime.”
It took a second, and then the General smiled.
“The boarding of the Burijas?”
“Yes, Sir.”
Olik grunted once more.
“You’ll recall that battle killed you, Lance Corporal. And this is going to make that fight look like a picnic.”
“Contact from Rivers,” said General Gun, “There are five near empty troop transports still operational up there. He has them in reserve.”
“What about us?”
“The Moratos are dropping Jackals off as we speak. They are coming to the Cavern.”
General Gun nodded to himself and then actually smiled.
“Moratos. She would be proud.”
“General?”
“Teresa Morato, Colonel. A brutal fighter I’m proud to have called my friend.”
A bright light appeared nearly a kilometre away as a spacecraft rushed into the underground chambers. Its guns fired as it came, with the turrets blasting shapes circling around it.
“That’s our ride,” said Captain Olik, “Novas, grab your gear. We’re going up.”
He looked up to the ceiling of the cavern and started to laugh.
“What’s he saying?” asked an IAB marine. The man was flanked by three Grunts, each missing an arm. Valentine heard him while helping Kallias drag a case of ammunition into the open. She released it and looked up.
“We’re going to the enemy flagship, just like Helios Prime.”
“What?” said the soldier in disbelief, “You’ll all die.”
She looked at him and laughed, just as the first Jackal landed. More came in behind it, to the cheers of the marines on the ground.
“Die? We’re Novas. We’ve all died before.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Alliance Heavy Starcarrier ‘ANS Izumo’, Ekati Alpha
General Rivers looked out towards the alien ship. The thing was so vast it filled the entire view. Its hull was pockmarked with explosions, yet still the vessel remained. Even worse, the return fire tore apart fighters with ease and hammered away at the Alliance capital ships, slowly grinding the battle fleet down to little more than worn out hulks. But there was hope. He could see the small number of Morato heavy frigates accelerating from the planet below. They were moving fast and leaving long trails of smoke behind as they escaped the battle below.
“General Rivers,” said Major Shipley.
“Yes?”
“The fleet is broken, Sir. Admiral Hurik is redeploying her ships to form a blockade at the Rift.”
The General’s nostrils flared as he walked across to the tactical table. It showed the alien ship sitting in relatively low orbit over the planet while still disgorging craft to the surface. The Alliance fleet was scattered with most coalescing around the dreadnoughts. He lifted a hand to his neatly trimmed beard as he considered their situation.
“The early assault on the planet was a mistake,” he said sadly, “We let our arrogance punish us.”
He then looked to the Major.
“But the fleet does not concern me. Contact the Admiral, and tell her I am launching an all-out assault on the station.”
“An assault, General? We do not have the ships or firepower to…”
“I intend on boarding her.”
The Major looked flabbergasted.
“General?”
“You heard me. I need all the covering fire she can muster. Then get me the Captain. This ship has one last mission in her.”
He looked back to the alien flagship, and then smiled before walking back onto the bridge where he found Captain Simmons and his crew still manning the ship.
“General.”
“Captain. What is our status?”
“We’ve sustained heavy damage. Hangars are out of action. We have breaches on all external compartments, and our weapons are down.”
“So we’re in good shape?”
The Captain did not seem amused.
“How many marines do you have onboard?”
“Two platoons, General.”
“Good. Now listen carefully. I want every non-essential crewmember to evacuate immediately.”
“General?”
“Get everybody off, except for those needed to send this ship on a collision course with the Ski’lig flagship.”
“General. You want me to sacrifice this ship, for what? We will barely dent her. I will not allow my ship to be thrown away in this way.”
He smiled as he walked closer to the observation windows. It was a very different bridge to th
ose on cruisers and battleships, much of it given over to command of the now expended fighter squadrons.
“No. This ship is already dead, Captain. I want to make sure her last act make a difference. We will use this ship to punch a hole into that flagship.”
“To what end?”
“To allow our troops to get inside her. To cripple their flagship and turn this defeat into a glorious victory.”
The Captain considered that for a moment, and then shook his head in disbelief.
“Very well, General. It is better for Izumo to end her life this way. She will never be returned to combat after the damage we have sustained.”
A beam of light struck into her port hull, triggering more explosions.
“Captain. At this rate there will be nothing left to scrap. Take us in.”
The Captain nodded, and then issued orders to the crew. The engines roared with power, and the massive starcarrier changed course so that its bow was pointing towards the Ski’lig ship.
“Now give me all you’ve got, Captain. Punch a hole into her hull.”
A loud hum spread through the hull as the ship moved faster and faster. Seconds later, gunfire from the dreadnoughts screamed overhead, slamming into the gun positions firing at Izumo. The Captain reached for his intercom, and soon the interior of the ship echoed to the sound of his voice.
“This is the Captain. Embarked marine units and those with close combat training report to the operations level where General Rivers will take command. Everybody else to the lifeboats, it is time to leave home.”
There was a slight pause, and then he continued.
“I repeat, all non-combat personnel to the lifeboats. We will be ramming the enemy vessel and boarding her.”
The ship finished its transit around the enemy ship, and then continued to accelerate. They pushed thought the debris surrounding it and came under continuous fire.
“Look,” said the Captain. “The fleet is rallying. They’re throwing their last chance at them to buy us time.”
“Captain,” said the ship’s communications officer.
“What is it?”
“I’m detecting faint transmissions from inside the enemy flagship.”
He then gasped.
“It’s Alliance. I can’t believe it. It’s the Captain of ANS Coventry.”
“They’ve been missing since this all started,” said Captain Simmons, “What are they saying?”
“They’re trapped deep inside the ship, near several large habitation segments. I’m trying to reach them, but the dampening field from the enemy ship is still blocking us.”
“They could have tactical information,” said the General, “We will need to punch a hole deep enough into that vessel to buy our people time.”
“True,” said the Captain, “Keep at it. Do whatever you can to reach them. I have to know whatever they can tell us about the specification and layout of that vessel.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Excellent,” said the General, “Now…I will join the marines in the main mission bay. When you have information I can use, send it to me.”
“There’s still time to evacuate from this ship,” said the Captain, “It would be a tragedy to lose you in this fight.”
“No,” he said with a smile, “After this screw-up, I need to make amends. I will not send soldiers to do what I would not. I’m a marine. And my place is on the battlefield with my comrades.”
The Captain reached forward and grasped the General’s hand.
“You live up to your reputation, General. Come back alive from this one.”
General Rivers smiled.
“I will do what I can. Now make contact, and let them know help is coming.”
* * *
Alliance AD-72 Dropship ‘Mechahawk’
They were out of the planet’s atmosphere in relatively short time, and then all of the Jackals onboard Nautilus were unceremoniously ejected into space. None had even been given time to climb out of the Jackal, and she found it hard to keep her eyes open. But then she thought back to what the Lieutenant had said about his family, and the tragedy of Terra Nova and then on Deimos.
“What are you thinking, Val?”
“Peterson. I’ve never seen a man take so much damage before. He should have died on the spot.”
“He’s critical,” said Private Colston, “I don’t think he’s gonna make it.”
Valentine clenched her fists repeatedly, and even Alexis could see a subtle change to her demeanour.
“Val?”
“It’s okay. I’m fine, really.”
Alexis considered asking again; especially as it was obvious her friend was suffering. But then beams of light and gunfire whooshed past, and everything suddenly felt so fragile. They were hurtling towards the alien ship, and the cracks and damage to the interior of the craft proved to be quite unsettling for each of them.
“I don’t know how the LT is keeping this bird flying,” said Hawkins.
“Jackals are tough beasts,” said Valentine, “He’ll get us to where we’re needed.”
Her outer visor was open, leaving just the airtight transparent inner visor. Alexis could see Valentine’s bloodshot eye and fresh cuts along her cheeks. She was still in her twenties, yet the recent fighting looked as though it had aged her by at least a decade.
“Look,” said Valentine, “Our ships.”
Valentine looked across to the heavily damaged frigate and her four sisters as they formed up into formation, following them in for their mission. They could see them through two large scars along the one side of the hull, most of it caused when the craft landed them on the planet. And though patched up, there were a host of new problems. She looked across to Tsarkov, Alexis, and the others. Some from the platoon were with them, and she noticed a good number were now missing.
“Hold on,” said Lieutenant Sterling, “This is going to get rough.”
Valentine held on for her life as the shattered spacecraft struggled its way back through the massed debris. Through the cracks in the hull, she could see other Jackals, plus a mixture of old-fashioned Mauler landing craft and even shuttles joining them.
“Listen up!” Lieutenant Fletcher said as he held onto the broken mounting post in the middle of the dropship, “Contact from General Rivers. We’ve located survivors from ANS Coventry onboard the alien vessel.”
“This turning into a rescue mission, Sir?” Sergeant Jablonsky asked.
“No chance. General Rivers is going in first to create a breach. We’re following in behind.”
Valentine looked to the rest of her lance. Alexis in particular raised her eyebrows in surprise. The craft shook again, and this time sharpened slugs hammered into the armour as they came under fire.
“Our mission is simple. We get inside, and we tear the ship up.”
He then nodded to the handful of IAB marines coming with them. They were towards the back of the craft and looked tiny compared to the Novas.
“IAB demolition specialists will do what they can, then we get out. Any questions?”
Valentine nodded and partially lifted a hand.
“That won’t be enough to destroy the ship, Sir.”
“We know, but the General’s plan is to disrupt their position and to stop them landing more troops. Anything we can do to force them to stop the attack is a win, even if they try and jump away.”
“Look!” Hawkins said, “The crazy bastard!”
Valentine strained to look through the cracked hull, and then spotted bright flashes as a massive shape rushed past them. Her eyes opened wide in disbelief.
“It’s a starcarrier, and it’s a wreck.”
She detached her clamp and pushed herself to the side of the craft. It was a risky move, but once there she held onto the emergency grab handles.
“I’ve never seen a battle like this,” said Hawkins.
She looked to her side and found him alongside her, watching the unfolding drama.
“Have you?
”
Valentine nodded slowly.
“I have. And it’s not a pretty sight.”
At least thirty Alliance ships were out there, nearly half front line capital ships. A handful of the Ski’lig attack ships were still in the fight, and many of the vessels on both sides were on fire and heavily damaged. Fighters and drones moved around like shoals of fish, all while the behemoth sat over the planet, absorbing everything thrown at it.
“Wait,” said Hawkins, “The General is ramming that Ski’lig floating city?”
He looked back at the others just as the bow of the starcarrier slammed into the hull of the alien vessel. There was no great explosion, but instead a cloud of broken hull, and a host of fragments scattered around the impact. The engines of the starcarrier grew brighter and brighter as it punched its way deep into the hull.
“He’s gonna destroy them.”
“No,” said Lieutenant Fletcher, “He’s punching a hole so we can get inside.”
He pointed towards the crash site.
“That’s where we’re going, and we do not leave until that ship is a burnt-out hulk. Understood?”
“Sir, Yes, Sir!” came back the chorus.
“Outstanding,” he said, moving his attention to Valentine. He knelt beside her and grasped her hand.
“Today, we both will find peace. You’re not leaving that ship until you’ve fulfilled your promise.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Alexis looked across to her.
“Promise?”
“It’s a long story. But it will end with one of their commanders’ head on a platter.”
“Amen to that,” said Hawkins.
Even Tsarkov appeared caught up in the moment. He struggled across, holding onto the grab handles. He then reached out with a hand and bumped Valentine’s.
“Today we do more than fight the Ski’ligs. Today…we’re gonna exact our vengeance on their home turf. If you want to come to our worlds and enslave the population at will, then expect the consequences. You reap what you sow.”
“Novas!” said the Lieutenant, “We’re on final approach. Buckle up!”
Valentine could see other heavy ships heading towards the alien vessel, with one moving so quickly it ripped apart like wet tissue paper.
Star Crusades Page 25
