What about the other races? Did they provide any intelligence?
There. One of the merchant races had an account of an encounter with a furtive race that refused all contact. It says they were technologically advanced and that they were bipeds, but there was no information on where they were located. Still it was something.
They’d need to contact this merchant race to learn more. They were called Ottans and they were on the other side of Kemmar space. Once the Kerces assault was over they would head for Ottan space and find out what else they knew.
CHAPTER 55
Commander Wolfe made a point of walking every section of the Hermes. She didn’t need to do this. She could monitor everything on the ship from the bridge well enough. But there was something about seeing things in person that ensured top performance.
She also knew that letting the crew see her take a personal interest in their day to day duties improved morale. She didn’t micromanage. Her officers were more than capable of managing their sections. She preferred that the crew saw her as human, rather than some unseen power on the bridge.
On this day she checked in on the crew responsible for the ship’s energy weapons. Those responsibilities included the energy weapons themselves, but more importantly their targeting systems and power source.
A medium sized reactor sat in the middle of the room like a large black egg. Rather than draw power from the ship’s main reactors, the energy weapons relied on their own dedicated reactor. The ship’s main reactors could then act as backup power if the dedicated reactor failed.
Upon seeing her, the crew chief stood to attention and saluted, and Wolfe returned the salute.
“Are we ready for combat?” Wolfe said. She knew the answer, but it gave the crew a chance to brag a bit and take pride in their work.
“Yes, Sir!” The crew chief was younger but proved himself to be highly competent. He waved a hand towards the big black egg and said, “We are running at full capacity.”
“Good, we’ll need all of that and then some for our next mission.”
“We’ll be ready.”
Wolfe looked over at another member of the crew. She looked very young. Almost too young. Meeting her gaze, the young woman spoke up as well. “If anyone tries to stop us, they’ll get glassed before they know what happened, Sir.”
Wolfe smiled. “You’ll get a chance to make good on that promise soon enough.”
“Yes, Sir,” the woman said, standing straighter than before. The rest of the crew smiled and many looked like they were ready to cheer but weren’t sure it would be appropriate.
The crew responsible for the rail gun batteries were no less proud of their pets. The primary responsibility of the rail gun systems was point defense, but they could also switch to offensive mode when needed. Their ability to destroy incoming missiles made them vital to any engagement.
Like the energy weapons, the rail guns used a sophisticated targeting system, but since they had to destroy incoming ordinance, targeting was the most important feature of these weapon systems.
They were primarily projectile weapons. They didn’t need their own power source and relied on the ship’s main reactors for power like everything else.
The exploding shells used by the guns enveloped the ship in a fiery shield, blocking almost all missiles from getting through. So long as the rail guns could fire, the Hermes had a defensive barrier between it and attacking missiles.
Of course, that was one of the jobs of enemy energy weapons. The rail gun point defense fire did not affect them, so their tactical role was often that of taking out rail gun batteries to punch a hole in the point defense shield. For that reason, ships without energy weapons were at a severe disadvantage against the Hermes.
That also made this job especially dangerous. The rail guns were often a primary target and that meant that the rail gun crew were directly in the line of fire, making their job even more stressful.
She approached the crew who were busy loading ammunition into the rail gun feeders. “What is our status,” she asked the rail gun crew chief.
The chief looked up at her, but his hands continued working. “All batteries are online, Sir.”
“How about ammunition?”
“We are reasonably prepared. We’ve been fabricating shells at a decent clip and will be ready for the mission.”
“Good. I know you’ll have all batteries at one hundred percent.”
“Yes, Sir.”
She turned her attention to one of the crew. Another young face. “How are you holding up crewman?”
“I’m doing good, Sir,” he responded, his face still grim, hands still moving.
“Good. Keep it up.” She gave the young man an approving smile. This crew was all business. She admired their resolve. Unfortunately, that resolve was going to be tested very soon.
CHAPTER 56
The Hermes initiated its first jump into the Kerces system and landed behind a gas giant. Using the massive planet to shield it from detection the Hermes launched a small drone.
The tiny craft used stealth technology to mask its heat signature. Any long-range scans from Kerces or from ships still in the system would register nothing more than a cold rock drifting in space.
Once clear of the giant planet the drone took a few quick scans and returned to the Hermes, which immediately jumped back out of the Kerces system.
“Report,” Jon said.
“There are no signs of the Kemmar battleship, Sir,” Petrovic said.
“Any other ships?”
“No, Sir. Reading all clear.”
Jon nodded and took a deep breath. “Very well, sound general quarters. All hands prepare for planetary assault.”
The general quarters alarm sounded throughout the ship and the lights took on the now familiar red hue. Jon looked over at Commander Wolfe whose face retained its tightness, her eyes asking an unspoken question.
“We’re ready when you are, Sir,” Wolfe said.
Jon nodded and opened a comm with Kevin in the hangar bay. “Chief, are your assault teams ready?”
“We’re ready to launch, Sir,” Kevin said.
“Good, we’ll soften them up for you.”
“Thank you, Sir. We’d appreciate that.”
The corners of Jon’s mouth turned up slightly as he closed the comm. “Helm, prepare to jump us into low orbit around Kerces.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Initiate.”
The Hermes landed just inside the defense grid. The planet lay before them like a giant ice cube. On the opposite side, floating several hundred kilometers away lay the defense grid, floating death to any approaching threat.
“Report.”
“Orbital defense grid is not targeting us,” Petrovic said.
“What about the planet surface?”
“I am not reading any threats, but something is interfering with the scans.”
“Are we being jammed?”
“I do not have enough data to say for certain, but preliminary reports indicate it may be something in the atmosphere.”
“Let’s hope that’s all it is. Helm bring us to an orbit directly above the Kemmar prison facility.”
The viewscreen display changed perspective to show the frigid planet’s surface. The Hermes maneuvered between the planet and its defense grid until it was just above the prison complex.
“Establishing synchronous orbit above Kemmar prison facility,” Richards said.
“Target the facility’s defensive towers.”
“Sir, that same interference is disrupting the targeting array,” Petrovic said. “We can’t reliably target the towers. If we try, we might hit the complex itself.”
“Belay that order. We can’t risk hitting the colonists.”
Jon’s shoulders tightened as he considered this development. The plan was already changing and they hadn’t even started the attack yet. He shook his head and contacted Kevin again. “Chief we have a problem. We can’t target the instal
lation’s defensive systems. You’re going to have to take them out yourself.”
“Understood. Leave it to us.”
CHAPTER 57
The Marines boarded the assault shuttles and the hanger bay echoed with the whirring sounds of their combat suits. Ten shuttles, ten Marines per shuttle. It should be enough, thought Kevin.
The shuttles had been specially designed for missions like this. They used Diakan stealth technology to hide from enemy scans. That and their speed allowed them to covertly insert a small force into enemy territory. Which was great if things were going according to plan. But they weren’t.
Kevin had hoped for some element of surprise when assaulting the installation. Even if the Hermes pounded them from orbit, they could still surprise the Kemmar with a stealthy ground assault. But that option was off the table now. They would have to use the shuttles to directly attack the installation’s defenses. They did have enough firepower to pull it off.
Each shuttle was equipped with energy weapons and a complement of missiles. More than enough. The Kemmar would know they were coming, but what could they do about it? Kevin nodded to himself, confident in his Marines’ abilities, and boarded his shuttle.
The shuttle thundered with the sound of heavy boots stomping on the metal floor as the troopers found their seats. When they sat down it sounded like multiple grenades exploding.
Kevin dropped into his own seat at the front of the shuttle. There was a loud bang as the locking bolt on his combat suit secured him to the shuttle. He would not be moving from that seat until it was time to disembark. Nor were any of the other Marines, whether they liked it or not.
Once secured, his visor dropped down and sealed off his suit, protecting him from any loss of pressure inside the ship. The display on his visor lit up and showed him the status of his men and the other shuttles. Everyone had boarded and were locked in. They were ready.
“Thirty seconds until launch,” the shuttle’s computer said, confirming the data on Kevin’s visor. The ship began to tremble as its engines came online. Thankfully, the suit blocked out much of the outside noise and he didn’t have to endure the ship’s roar.
Kevin wasn’t a big fan of shuttle assaults. He preferred orbital drops as a method of troop insertion.
With an orbital drop, the shuttles would take his troops to the edge of the planet’s atmosphere where everyone would jump and freefall until they reached a very low altitude, and only then would they deploy their chutes.
HALO drops were more covert and made it harder for the enemy to kill his Marines, since they were each a tiny, fast moving target.
An assault shuttle, on the other hand, was designed to be a combination attack craft and troop transport. The stealth technology and armor plating provided some protection, but many Marines died when one was destroyed.
Unfortunately, they needed the shuttles to transport the colonists back to the ship, so they had no choice. Sitting there, locked into his seat he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a metallic fish in a barrel.
One by one the assault shuttles rolled off their launch pads and left the Hermes hanger bay.
Kevin switched his visor’s display to give him a view of the shuttles and their status. The ships regrouped just above Kerces’s atmosphere and fell into a V shaped formation. They floated for a few moments, turned as one, and flew down towards the planet.
While the stealth technology could hide them from scans, Kevin knew that nothing could hide the blazing torch each ship created as it entered the atmosphere.
The entry was accompanied by the usual shaking and bouncing. His team were all experienced veterans, but he almost wished he had a rookie on board. Atmospheric entry often terrified the rookies and their fear that the ship would break apart was always a comic way of relieving some tension.
No such luck on this trip. Each and every one of his men had done this before and they were all quiet and deadly serious. They knew what their jobs were and stayed focused.
He had lost some good men in their last battle with the Kemmar on the Hermes. Now they attacked the Kemmar in their back yard.
Still, the group that boarded the Hermes would be the Kemmar version of the Special Forces. Highly trained and highly capable. He couldn’t see the Kemmar sending anything other than their elite to board an alien warship. The prison guards would not be as skilled, of that he was certain.
The shuttles raced down from orbit and streaked across the sky, hugging the angles of the endless ice-covered mountains.
Rather than dropping straight down onto the prison where they could be easily seen and targeted, the shuttles chose a more cautious option and approached from the far side of a mountain range.
Each shuttle stayed in perfect formation, the group moving together as one. The mountains below them were stunning in their starkness. There were no trees or vegetation. No wildlife. Nothing. Just ice. From its base to its peak each mountain was covered in glistening blue sheets.
The sight was mesmerizing. Kevin had never been on an ice planet before. They were too hostile and too cost prohibitive to develop. It truly was odd that the Kemmar chose to use one. He understood that it dissuaded escape, but there were plenty of other planets that could accomplish the same thing with less cost.
They crested one final mountaintop and the installation appeared in the valley below. His visor instantly identified the defensive towers and each shuttle immediately let loose a volley of missiles at their designated targets. The missiles streaked ahead of the squadron and then dispersed, each making a beeline for its designated kill.
As anticipated, there were no missile defenses, and the missiles all found their targets. The fireballs seemed strangely out of place amidst the desolate frozen landscape, but they were immensely satisfying.
There were several “Oorahs” from the Marines as each tower blew apart. Kevin himself felt a tinge of satisfaction. These were slavers. Vile creatures. They would know human wrath before the day was done.
The shuttles reached the installation and broke formation. There was still defensive fire coming from the prison and the ships brought their energy weapons online to deal with the threats.
They bobbed and weaved and buzzed around like a swarm of bees, cleaning up all remaining threats with bolts of blue fire.
Kevin saw on his visor that several ships had taken fire, but the heavy armor plating ensured only minimal damage.
Below some Kemmar guards suited in full combat gear had ventured outside and were firing their handheld weapons at the shuttles.
Why were prison guards wearing combat suits? It was probably an intimidation tactic. If you were a prisoner the last thing you would do is attack a guard wearing a combat suit. Either way their fire had no effect. The shuttles were designed to withstand heavy weapon fire and personal energy weapons were not powerful enough.
A couple of Kemmar soldiers turned into more serious threats, brandishing mobile missile launchers. They became an instant priority and the shuttles turned their attention to them. Within seconds the threat was eliminated, but not without a missile being fired. It raced toward Kevin’s shuttle, which in turn let loose a volley of countermeasure drones. Kevin held his breath.
Their low altitude made evasion much more difficult. But the missile was deceived by the drones and exploded just behind Kevin’s shuttle. The concussion bounced the shuttle around with immense force leaving Kevin thankful for the locking bolt. After a few terrifying seconds, the shuttle regained control and resumed the attack on the prison’s defenders.
The shuttles streaked to and fro, strafing and hammering all threats. It took several minutes before most of the ground fire had been eradicated.
When Kemmar resistance ceased, Kevin opened a comm with the rest of his troops. “All hands, initiate ground assault.”
CHAPTER 58
Successive bangs repeated throughout the shuttle as the locking bolts released the combat suits. In turn, each Marine stood and readied their weapons. The sh
uttle hovered above its insertion point and a hatch slid open.
“Alright. Single file. Secure your positions and wait for the order to advance,” Sergeant Henderson said.
He had a smaller team of thirty men, while Kevin had seventy. His team would attack the roof of the complex and work their way down from there.
Kevin’s team attacked from the ground. They would likely meet stiffer resistance and needed more firepower.
Henderson’s team relied more on speed, swooping down from above and moving rapidly through the complex.
Each Marine hit the roof and quickly established a perimeter. Above them three assault shuttles hovered, ready to provide supporting fire if needed.
The sergeant’s visor identified a service door as the best point of entry, and he ordered his men to advance.
Marines flanked the door as he stepped up and tried to open it without success.
“Stanis, get up here and blow a hole through this door.”
“Yes, Sir.” Private Stanis stepped up to the door and the other troopers moved out of the way. Stanis brandished a large shoulder held plasma cannon which he pointed at the door and pulled the trigger.
The cannon blew a large hole in the left side of the door and the door frame. Stanis then lowered the plasma rifle and slammed a heavy boot into what was left of the door.
It buckled under the force of the Private’s kick and fell to the side with a screech. Stanis stepped back and the two Marines flanking the door pointed their rail guns at the entrance.
Henderson waited for resistance, but no enemy fire came. He carefully peered through the doorway and saw a flight of stairs leading to an opening on the lower level. They would be waiting there.
“Johns, we need eyes in there.”
“Yes, Sir,” Private Johns said. He stepped forward and accessed a compartment on his suit. It opened and a mosquito sized drone flew out. The drone hovered in front of the doorway, tiny in size, almost invisible to anyone who wasn’t specifically looking for it.
The Pike Chronicles - Books 1 - 10 Page 21
