The Navigator (The Apollo Stone Trilogy Book 1)

by P. M. Johnson

  Using their guards and their swords, the Sahiradin threw themselves at the machines. Logan assumed they would not be able to match the speed of their mechanical foes, but to his surprise they exhibited a remarkable ability to anticipate the mech warriors’ moves. And their black swords cut through the metal arms and legs with surprising ease. A few Sahiradin fell, but far more mech warriors collapsed to the ground in twitching heaps.

  Lena tapped Logan’s shoulder. He looked at her and she held out her Sahiradin blade. The handle glowed a light blue and emitted a humming sound. He touched the blade and felt it softly vibrate.

  “They must use harmonics to help cut through the metal,” said Logan. “Wonder why they don’t use it on us.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t work on our low-tech steel,” offered Lena. “Although a minor adjustment would probably change that.”

  Logan nodded, then he looked down at the battle unfolding on the slope below him. He noticed two Rahani behind the line of mech warriors. They were inside similar machines but were not taking part in the fight. Instead, they were working controls that appeared to be directing the mech warriors’ attack. Logan returned his attention to the battle and could see the machines were beginning to lose ground to the Sahiradin.

  To Logan’s left, Lieutenant Styles stood and yelled orders up and down the line. “League! Engage shields! Prepare to attack!” She drew her sword and held it high. Other officers yelled out similar commands. Soldiers along the line responded by holding their swords up as well.

  Styles and the other officers pointed their swords down the slope and yelled, “Attack!”

  Soldiers leapt out of the trench and hurtled down the hill toward the Sahiradin. They smashed into their formation, pushing the Sahiradin back a dozen meters, but the black-clad aliens quickly recovered and created an L-shaped formation to fight both the machines and the League soldiers.

  Logan saw Lena fighting with her usual precision and ferocity. She took down a Sahiradin, but then she fell to the ground when another kicked her in the knee. He stabbed at her, but she rolled out of the way. As she did, Flores stepped forward and thrust his sword into the Sahiradin’s throat. Clutching his bleeding neck, the alien warrior took a last desperate swing at Flores before falling to the ground.

  Flores drove his Sahiradin blade into the still-moving enemy when another stepped forward and gutted Flores with a deep thrust into his midsection. Though mortally wounded, Flores shot his left arm out and caught the Sahiradin by the throat. The alien was surprised by the move and tried to pull Flores’ hand away, but he was too late. Logan sliced the back of the aliens’ leg, then drove his sword between the ribs on his left side.

  Another Sahiradin swept in to attack Logan. He made as if to cut Logan’s throat, but then swung low instead. Logan had seen the move before. He blocked the attack and swiftly slid his blade up the Sahiradin’s sword, slicing his sword hand. The Sahiradin screamed with rage. He smashed his guard into Logan’s chest, causing him to lose his footing. As Logan fell to the ground he caught the upper rim of the Sahiradin’s arm guard and pulled as hard as he could, causing the Sahiradin to lurch forward. Logan thrust his blade upward and pierced his opponent’s stomach below his breast plate. The Sahiradin fell to the ground, screaming. Logan scrambled to his feet and finished the Sahiradin off with a thrust into his neck and into his skull.

  More mech warriors joined the fight, hitting the Sahiradin right flank hard and forcing them to fall back. The Sahiradin sent more troops forward, but given the unfavorable terrain and the defenders’ determined resistance, the assault soon lost its momentum and they began to fall back. After a few more minutes of combat, the troopers received the order to cease fighting and return to their positions on the line. The mech warriors and their Rahani controllers also went up the hill and returned to their units.

  “Save your shield charges,” yelled Lieutenant Styles as they collapsed back into the trenches. “Sahiradin shields last longer than ours, so make yours last. Stay sharp. They might come again.

  Chapter 85

  Logan sat down in the trench and removed his helmet. He was panting heavily and pouring sweat. He pulled out his canteen and drank half of it. He looked at Cap, who was also gulping in air. Cap removed his helmet and saw that it had a deep gash in it.

  “I’m going to send the inventor of Provex armor a thank-you note,” he said as he examined the damage the Sahiradin sword had caused.

  “You’ve got more lives than a cat,” said Lena.

  “It doesn’t hurt to be lucky,” replied Cap with a grin.

  Despite the lieutenant’s warning that a second assault could be imminent, hours passed without any further action, probably because the Lycians were able to reestablish the shield dome shortly after the Sahiradin were repulsed. They slept in shifts, but no one got more than a few minutes of sleep at a time. Logan finally drifted off into a deep sleep but soon awoke to the sound of artillery shells exploding on the riverbank below. Moments later, he heard League artillery returning volleys.

  “Is the PRA shield dome down?” asked Lena.

  “Who knows,” said Cap, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “At least we’re shooting back now.”

  Heath turned his head, listening to the sound of the PRA artillery. “It’s coming from a different spot. I think they’re trying to cross the river.”

  “But the bridge is blown,” said Cap.

  “They must have found another way,” said Heath.

  A few minutes later, Lieutenant Styles walked past Dog Patrol and shouted, “We’re pulling out! Fall back! Fall back!”

  Dog Patrol quickly followed the order and marched to the clearing on top of the hill just as the first rays of the morning sun touched the treetops. From this high vantage, Logan could see the outline of a Sahiradin camp on the hill to the north. On the western side of the camp, the Sahiradin reinforcements, at least thirty-five thousand strong, were marching toward the League and Lycian position. The Lycian’s ten thousand troops had formed a line adjacent to the newly arrived Second Corp’s hastily formed line. Together, the League and Lycians roughly equaled the Sahiradin numbers. Logan could see the Sahiradin plan was to move quickly to smash the combined army, or at least keep it occupied, while the PRA forces crossed the river below. If they could join up on west side of the water, the Sahiradin and PRA armies would have a three-to-one numerical advantage.

  Across the river, PRA troops had deployed two massive towers. One was directly opposite the League’s position. The other was a few kilometers north. Logan and the others watched as PRA troops made some final adjustments to the strange-looking towers. Then, to the dismay of those who were watching, the towers began to rapidly deploy long thin rectangular plates that floated on the water. Each plate shot forward over the preceding one, locking into place when it reached the end. As each plate locked into its position, cables on the edge of the plate pulled a round object from the tower. When the object reached the end of newest plate, it attached to the side and a support beam shot down into the water, like a telescope opening itself, until it reached the river bed.

  “What the hell?” said Cap. “Is that thing really building a bridge? Since when does the PRA have that?”

  Logan felt a knot growing in his stomach as he and the others watched the automated bridge and pylon system quickly work to span the kilometer that separated the east and west sides of the river channel.

  “At the rate they’re going, these bridges will be built in thirty minutes,” said Lena.

  “It’s just not possible,” said Cap, exasperated. “What the hell are we supposed to do to stop that thing?”

  Logan watched the two bridges being deployed and said, “My guess is the PRA had to pull these from the assault on St. Louis after we blew the rail bridge. At least that’s two bridges they can’t use down south.”

  “That’s very comforting,” said Cap unenthusiastically.

  League artillery fired on the towers on the eastern riverbank, but before
they could score a hit the numerically superior PRA guns and rocket launchers showered the League’s gun emplacements with shells and missiles, destroying five pieces in rapid succession and forcing the League to raise the shield dome. The PRA kept up a continuous barrage to ensure the shield did not come down, effectively neutralizing the League’s artillery.

  Lieutenant Styles called for the twenty remaining members of Dog Patrol to gather around her.

  “Here’s the plan,” she said. “We’re combining Dog and Charlie Patrols under me, and we’re going down to reinforce the defenses on the riverbank.”

  “What about the Sahiradin?” asked a trooper. “Who’s going to take care of them on this side of the river? We’ll be trapped down there if they break through.”

  “That’s going to be up to our new Lycian friends and Second Corp. Stopping the Sahiradin is their objective. Our objective is to keep the PRA armored units and troops from crossing the river.”

  “Lieutenant Styles, we have troops near the southern bridge, but what about the one they’re building north of us?” asked L.C. Heath. “How do we keep them from crossing there?”

  “The Lycians are responsible for taking that one out,” replied Styles.

  “And what about air support?” asked Cap. “The skies have been clear all day.”

  “We’ve got all of the PRA’s air power tangled up near St. Louis. We’re told they don’t have enough planes to support both operations, and neither do we. Remember, crossing the river this far north was supposed to be a walk through the park for them, so now they’re spread too thin.”

  Lieutenant Styles paused to see if there were any more questions. Then she said, “Okay, let’s move. Lance Corporal Heath, your fire team can lead. Deploy on the right end of the line when you get down there.”

  “Yes Lieutenant,” said L.C. Heath. He looked at his team and nodded his head in the direction of the recently cut road down to the riverbank. “Let’s go.”

  L.C. Heath led the way down the hill. The rough road that engineers had hastily cut into the side of the hill consisted of a number of switchbacks, making it about three quarters of a kilometer long in total. The dirt had been ripped up by the treads of anti-tank guns and armored vehicles that had gone down to the riverbank the night before. Heath followed the road at first, but then turned onto a foot path that troopers had cut through the trees, which led directly to the river.

  When they reached the riverbank, Logan saw a long trench filled with troopers. Behind the trenches were cinderblock and sandbag walls protecting heavy mortars, howitzers, and anti-tank guns. Behind them, backed up against the hill, were five tanks. L.C. Heath led them to the far right end of the line, where the trench reached a brick building at the edge of the little river town where the fighting had begun a week earlier.

  “Not a lot of troops to stop what’s coming,” said Cap as he looked down the line at the rest of the League troops.

  “These defenses were designed to stop an amphibious assault,” said Lena. “Not thousands of soldiers and armor streaming across a magic bridge.”

  Cap looked at the rapidly growing bridge. “Why isn’t our artillery firing while they’re building? Knock it out before it’s complete.”

  “With all the shells and rockets the PRA is throwing at them, the second they lower the shield they’ll be obliterated,” said Logan.

  “That’s just great,” said Cap sarcastically. “What about our tanks down here? Why aren’t they firing on the bridge?”

  As if in response to Cap’s question, the tanks fired a series of volleys toward the bridge and the towers. Several rounds hit the bridge but simply skipped off of the material. And a half-dozen shells would have scored direct hits against the towers, but the Sahiradin shield protected them from the fast-moving projectiles.

  “These Sahiradin shields are really starting to piss me off,” said Cap as he watched tank shells explode in the air when they encountered the shield.

  As Cap spoke, the troopers heard the rustle of tree branches behind them. They turned to see four enormous gray-skinned Grensch and about thirty Rahani wearing brown and green cloaks coming through the trees. As the olive-skinned Rahani approached, Logan saw they carried what looked like sniper rifles. Their light green helmets had a series of interlocking plates hanging from the back, similar to an ancient samurai’s helmet, and clear visors were attached to the front that could be lowered over the wearer’s eyes. The Rahani jumped down into an open space in the trench, the top of which reached their shoulders. Though unsettled by the appearance of their diminutive Lycian allies, the troopers in the trench gave them a welcoming nod.

  Logan turned his attention toward the Grensch who had stepped over the League trooper’s heads. In their large three-fingered hands they carried long brown rods with a circular spiked ball on the end, reminding Logan of a medieval mace. They wore protective brown and green armor over their massive torsos but no helmet. Their comparatively short legs were protected by some kind of material which, though sturdy in appearance, seemed to expand and contract with the flexing of their powerful leg muscles. The Grensch moved ahead of the League’s position to a stand of tall ash and cottonwood trees closer to the river. They crouched low in the undergrowth and held themselves perfectly still. Logan was surprised at how difficult they were to see, given their bulk.

  Despite the additional units the Lycians had provided to the river defense, Logan did not feel it would be enough to stop the PRA’s advance. He looked to his right and saw the Blackhawk near the town’s old levee. It seemed like a lifetime ago when they had landed there, hoping to repair the craft and fly it back to Jasper Air Base. The memory of Crew Chief McKinney and his men being cut down by Sahiradin soldiers flashed across his mind. They were the first casualties in the world’s first inter-species war, and the tally was about to get a lot higher.

  Suddenly a thought popped into Logan’s head. He asked L.C. Heath if he could be put in touch with Ravenwood. He’d need to be able to use an officer’s ICS to contact the command tent.

  “Let me see what Lieutenant Styles says,” he replied. He raised himself into a low crouch and ran along the trench to where Lieutenant Styles was located. He spoke to Styles, then waved for Logan to join him.

  “What do you need, Private Brandt?” asked Styles.

  “I have an idea about how to open the sphere holding the Apollo Stone,” he said. “Ravenwood’s been working on it. Can I talk to him?”

  Styles nodded. She spoke into her ICS, waited a few moments as she received a response. Then she removed the device from her belt and handed it to Logan. “Go ahead,” she said. “It’s on speaker.”

  “Ravenwood?” said Logan.

  “Yes, boy. Be quick, the Sahiradin line is already advancing. Fighting is about to break out.”

  “Understood,” said Logan. “Do you have the sphere?”

  “I do.”

  “Do you remember what the Sahiradin prisoner, Kurak, said about how they were going to defeat us?”

  “Yes. Something about how they were going to be victorious,” said Ravenwood.

  “He said ‘Victory will be ours’,” said Logan. “Try it.”

  “Very well,” said Ravenwood. “Just a moment.” There was a short pause, then Logan heard Ravenwood’s voice speaking in the Sahiradin language. Suddenly Ravenwood exclaimed, “My boy! You did it! The sphere has opened!”

  “I know,” replied Logan. “Can you bring the stone to me down by the river defenses? I’m near the town.”

  “I don’t think General Longmire would approve that,” said Ravenwood in a low voice.

  “There’s no time to explain it to him,” said Logan. “Just do it, and be quick. Now that the sphere is open, the Sahiradin will detect its gravitational signature. We need to get it as far away from them as possible.”

  “I agree,” said Ravenwood. “I’ll be there shortly.”

  Logan handed the ICS back to Lieutenant Styles, who was staring at him. “Did I hear that
correctly, Private Brandt? Did you just ask Ravenwood to steal the Apollo Stone?”

  “I did,” he said. “The Sahiradin are desperate to get it back, but we can’t let them have it.”

  “And how will bringing it down here prevent them from getting it?” asked L.C. Heath.

  Logan looked at the Blackhawk, then turned to Lieutenant Styles and said, “Lieutenant, I request permission to inspect the Blackhawk for serviceability.”

  “Denied,” said Lieutenant Styles without hesitation as she reattached her ICS to her belt. “And Ravenwood isn’t bringing the Apollo Stone down here either.”

  Just then the final link in the bridge reached their side of the river and locked into place and PRA artillery began firing on their position. Lieutenant Styles, Logan, and Heath ducked low in the trench as earth was thrown into the air thirty meters in front of them. The League’s tanks returned fire on the eastern batteries.

  Lieutenant Styles got to one knee and looked across the river through her field sensors. Tanks and armored vehicles were racing across the bridge toward them. She lowered the sensors and looked at Logan. “Go do it.”

  Logan turned and raced toward the end of the trench, L.C. Heath close behind him.

  “What’s up?” asked Cap.

  “You and Lena come with me,” said Logan. Looking at Heath, he said, “We could use a little help.”

  Heath nodded and ordered four troopers to come with them. They ran two hundred meters to the gunship. Shells exploded all around them, showering everything with dirt and rocks.

  “What’s the plan?” asked Lena when they reached the Blackhawk.

  Logan looked at Cap. “Cap, you have to get this thing up and running within ten minutes.”

  “What?” he asked in disbelief.

  “Crew Chief McKinney and his team were working to get it ready to fly before the Sahiradin hit us,” said Logan. “Their tools should still be in there. You need to finish the job.”

  “Finish the job?” asked Cap. “What are you talking about? I just fly these things. I don’t know what makes them work.”