Lost Legion- Blood and Honor

by D. A. Roberts

  Immediately, the fleet-wide communications network exploded with activity.

  “All ships!” shouted Octavius. “Begin targeting the asteroids that are entering the systems. They are hollowed out and the T’kri’t’ek are inside!”

  Heavy pulse cannons began bracketing the asteroids in sustained fire as they came hurtling into the system. It took the combined ordinance of several ships to crack through the heavy shell of the asteroids. One by one, they began to detonate but it was clear that they weren’t going to be able to stop them all. They were closing on the planet with too much velocity.

  “Continue fire!” bellowed Octavius. “All weapons concentrate fire! Don’t let them reach the planet!”

  Agamemnon shook as every weapon fired salvo after salvo at the oncoming asteroids. Although they were rapidly thinning the numbers down, there were too many of them. At least a dozen was going to get through. Cassia could only watch in horror as one after another entered the upper atmosphere of Hadrian. Although they had stopped more than a hundred of them from making planetfall, fourteen had slipped through. It was all up to the Legion, now.

  “Gods be with you,” whispered Cassia as she watched them make their descent to the planet below.

  Chapter XVIII

  Invictus

  “Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror,

  victory however long and hard the road may be;

  for without victory, there is no survival.

  - Winston Churchill

  Aurelius listened to the fleet communications frequency and heard the news of the deception used by Fabretti to get the T’kri’t’ek to the planet. It was a good trick, but it would not work on them twice. He also knew that no matter how hard the fleet tried, some of them were going to get through. This planet and their freedom were going to be earned with their blood.

  “All cohorts!” Aurelius called into the command frequency. “Our enemies are upon us. They have used hollowed out asteroids to reach the planet. They did not expect the fleet to figure out their deception, but they did. They will not be able to prevent some of them from reaching us. Prepare to repel an attack.”

  The network came to life as the Praefects and Centurions began relaying commands to the legion. Switching over to the alternate frequency, Aurelius sent commands to Legio Scythica and Legio Victrix. They were tasked with manning the Ballistarius emplacements.

  “Concentrate anti-aircraft weapons on asteroids entering the atmosphere,” he commanded. “Try to thin their numbers out as much as you can before they reach the surface.”

  Both Legions acknowledged their commands and set about adjusting their targeting systems.

  “The fire command is already given,” added Aurelius. “Fire as soon as you have a shot. Hit them hard and fast.”

  As Aurelius watched the night sky above them, he could already see the light from the ship’s weapons as they fought valiantly to keep the T’kri’t’ek from reaching Hadrian. Somewhere up there, he knew that Cassia was doing everything in her power to protect the legion; to protect him. He would not dishonor her by doing anything less once they reached the planet.

  The first of the asteroids were now hitting the upper atmosphere. Aurelius could see the heat building up on the surface as they streaked into the mesosphere. Once they burned their way into the stratosphere, the Ballistarius began their onslaught. The night sky flashed magenta as the heavy artillery began bombarding them with high explosive ordinance. Aurelius smiled when he saw that it was having a devastating effect. The combined heat of reentry coupled with the massive artillery blasts were cracking the outer shells of the asteroids and detonating the contents.

  Despite the lethal efficiency that had been designed into the T’kri’t’ek, they were not capable of withstanding reentry without the protection of the asteroids. Aurelius could only watch and hope that all of them would be destroyed before they reached the surface. From the readings on the scanners, it was clear that each asteroid held over a hundred thousand of the T’kri’t’ek.

  Aurelius was tracking fourteen objects that had entered the atmosphere. So far, the Ballistarius had knocked out eight of them. Even with the combined might of so many legions, there was absolutely no way that they could defeat over half a million of the T’kri’t’ek. Aurelius held his breath as he watched more of the asteroids ripped to shreds in the upper parts of the night sky.

  As the count ticked slowly upward, Aurelius grew hopeful that the artillery would get them all. Cheers rose from the legion as one after another of the asteroids were blown to bits before they could become a threat.

  “Legio Scythica to Aurelius,” called the voice of Vespasianus.

  “Go ahead,” replied Aurelius without hesitation.

  “Two of them are going to get through,” advised Vespasianus. “They’re too low for us to safely target.”

  “Understood,” said Aurelius. “Advise Legio Victrix, to abandon the Ballistarius and form up. Rejoin the legion and prepare to defend against the T’kri’t’ek.”

  The final two asteroids reached a point just above the planet’s surface and exploded. At first, Aurelius thought that they had self-destructed, but soon realized that they were designed to do just that. The T’kri’t’ek swarmed into the air and came down in massive clouds of fury that now descended towards the planet’s surface with single-minded intent to destroy the legions.

  From the coloration, Aurelius could tell that this cloud was made up entirely of warrior caste. There were no workers or scientists in this group. The coloration gave it away. Fabretti wasn’t taking any chances. Every bug that hit the ground was a warrior and a considerable threat to the legion. They were all moving in formations, so Aurelius knew that there had to be a queen hiding somewhere in their midst. After all, without the queen, they were directionless and unfocused. If they could find the queen and destroy her, then the rest of the T’kri’t’ek would be much easier to fight.

  “All cohorts!” called Aurelius. “Be alert for one T’kri’t’ek. It will be bigger than the others and completely black. Repeat, completely black. This is the queen. Take her out and the rest will be directionless.”

  Aurelius could hear the Centurions as they relayed the orders throughout the legions.

  “Centurion Flavianus,” said Aurelius into the command network.

  “Go,” was the terse reply.

  “Did you copy last transmission?” asked Aurelius.

  “Solid copy,” replied Flavianus. “All squadrons are standing by for high altitude strafing runs.”

  “You are clear to begin your run, brother,” answered Aurelius.

  “All squadrons,” called Flavianus, “begin preset attack runs. Set all ordinance to proximity detonation. Let nothing reach our brothers on the ground.”

  Above the swarming clouds of T’kri’t’ek, Aurelius could see the gleaming trails of the fighters as they streaked into the upper atmosphere. At first, there were only a few. In seconds, the night sky lit up like the fabled Aurora Borealis of Ancient Earth. Myriad colors took on a sudden sharp vibrancy as the high explosive ordinance began to rain down into the swarming clouds of the T’kri’t’ek. The fighters stayed too high for the swarms to reach but continued to drop fiery death into their midst from high above.

  Although their numbers were decreasing with each passing second, Aurelius knew that far too many of them would reach the ground. Once there, they were going to wreak untold havoc on the legions if they were not prepared.

  “All cohorts!” called Aurelius. “Orb Formation! Synchronize shields and engage the shield wall!”

  With machine-like precision, the legions split into smaller formations of two cohorts and began moving into Orb Formation. The eerie phosphorescence of the shield systems pulsated across the ground, bathing the entire battlefield in their actinic blue light. The very air was alive with the electromagnetic surges of energy as the shield systems came on line and began synchronizing into the shield wall. Aurelius was uncertain if there
had ever been such a mass activation of the shielding systems in the entire history of the legion.

  As the approaching swarm grew closer to the ground, the fighters had to break off their attack runs due to the proximity of the legionnaires on the ground. Even proximity detonations were going to be too close to them.

  “Flavianus to Aurelius,” crackled the comm.

  “Go ahead,” replied Aurelius.

  “Mithras be with you,” said Flavianus. “They’re all yours now.”

  “Copy that,” answered Aurelius. “Stand by, for now.”

  “Understood,” said Flavianus, “All squadrons awaiting your command.”

  With that, the fighters streaked back through the upper atmosphere and maintained a low orbit. They were close enough to get back into the fray in minutes, but well out of the reach of even the strongest of the T’kri’t’ek.

  “Mithras be with us all,” whispered Aurelius.

  As the T’kri’t’ek descended within five hundred feet, Aurelius could begin to make out the shapes of individual creatures. It was no longer a formless mass of winged death. The drone of their wings was nearly overwhelming and had it not been for the auditory compensators on the armor, might have deafened many of the soldiers on the ground.

  “Form the Testudo!” shouted Aurelius.

  As one, the legions shifted, and the Orb Formations flowed into the massive domes of the Testudo. That would prevent the T’kri’t’ek from landing inside the Orbs and the explosives that they had planted would prevent them from taking shelter below ground.

  “Swords!” shouted Aurelius.

  Despite the droning sound of the T’kri’t’ek horde, the sound of the legions drawing their blades in unison was crisp in the chill air. Aurelius drew his own Spatha and braced himself alongside the men of the Legio Ferrata. To his right, Casca nodded grimly and met his gaze for just a moment.

  “Once more into the abyss?” asked Casca, the steel-grey of his eyes gleaming in the light of the heads-up display in his armor.

  “I will never send you into a battle that I will not face beside you, old friend,” said Aurelius, meeting the older warrior’s gaze.

  “And that is why we will all follow you into the void, itself,” replied Casca.

  The first of the T’kri’t’ek landed on the top of the Testudo directly above Aurelius and began furiously slamming the scythe-like appendages into the energy shield, trying to find a weak spot to break through. The shield systems were designed to stop all attempts to penetrate the barrier that were not linked with the electromagnetic field. That allowed their own blades to pass directly through the field to strike an opponent and return safely within the barrier.

  Aurelius used this to devastating effect as he slammed the tip of his Spatha into the exposed throat of the creature above him, nearly severing the beast’s head in the process. Black ichor erupted from the wound and the creature died with a high-pitched screech that nearly overpowered the sound dampening systems.

  “Hold formation!” bellowed Aurelius.

  “Hold formation!” repeated the Centurions throughout the legions.

  The cloud of T’kri’t’ek swarmed over the domes of the numerous Testudo Formations in such numbers that Aurelius lost sight of the other legions. The blades of the legion began slicing through the shielding and eviscerating the swarming insectoids as they tried in vain to penetrate the shielding. Aurelius checked his power gauge and knew that they would not be able to keep the Testudo Formation up for much longer. The shielding was already down to seventy percent. Eventually, the T’kri’t’ek were coming through the shields.

  All around him, Aurelius could see each legionnaire was taking every available opportunity to slice into the underbelly of one of the creatures. Despite taking staggering losses, the T’kri’t’ek just kept coming, as if there were no limit to the numbers that they could bring to bear. Aurelius was beginning to think that they would never see the end of the accursed abominations.

  As the shields reached fifty-six percent, the T’kri’t’ek began to thrum their wings and rise back into the air. Apparently, the queen was going to try a new strategy. Aurelius knew that he couldn’t give them time to think. They had to continue to inflict massive casualties on them to have any chance of winning this battle. It was clear to everyone there that the legions were heavily outnumbered. Aurelius breathed a silent prayer that the fleet could knock out as many as they had. If more of them had gotten through, they wouldn’t have stood a chance.

  Once the T’kri’t’ek had reached a height of approximately fifty feet, Aurelius activated the command frequency.

  “All cohorts!” he shouted. “Incendiary airburst strike, now!”

  Throughout the legions, every unit began launching micro grenades into the air. They were short range incendiary devices and unlikely to cause major damage to the T’kri’t’ek, but that wasn’t what Aurelius had in mind. The short fuse explosives popped into the midst of the flying creatures and ignited. They didn’t sear hot enough to penetrate the armored carapace of the warrior bugs, but they were hot enough to do what Aurelius had planned. They incinerated the wings and the T’kri’t’ek began falling out of the sky shrieking in confusion and pain. From the scans, it hadn’t crippled all of them, but it had gotten most of them.

  Cheers rose from the legion as they saw the devastating affect that Aurelius’ plan had wrought on the T’kri’t’ek. Many of the T’kri’t’ek were breaking legs as they impacted with the ground. Many more were impaled on the raised blades of the legion. For the first time since the battle had begun, Aurelius could see the shields of the other legions. Despite the massive numbers of the enemy, they were cutting them down like wheat before the scythe.

  “Hold the Testudo!” called Aurelius. “Hold Formation!”

  Aurelius could hear the orders being repeated across the command network. Switching to the alternate frequency, he adjusted his filters and transmitted.

  “Aurelius to Flavianus,” he said calmly.

  “Go ahead,” was the instant reply.

  “Scanners indicate ninety-seven percent effectiveness on the incendiary strike,” said Aurelius. “You may begin your attack run. Concentrate fire on our positions. Precision fire, just like on Haakon Prime.”

  “Copy,” replied Flavianus. “Beginning attack run.”

  Aurelius heard the commands going out to all the wing commanders. Every wing was coming in hot and fast. Outriders and vanguard positions would concentrate on the few remaining T’kri’t’ek that were in the air. The rest would hit with precision strikes and take out as many on the ground as they possibly could. This was going to be a one-shot pass. If there were more of the T’kri’t’ek that could fly, then it would be too much of a risk to the aircraft. They would inflict maximum damage and head out of the atmosphere.

  “All cohorts!” shouted Aurelius. “Hold the Testudo. Brace for heavy impact. Hold the line!”

  It was only a span of a few seconds before the first of the fighters came streaking in through the night sky at speeds that the T’kri’t’ek couldn’t hope to match. It also meant that the pilots had to be precise or they would be firing directly into the formations. The shields would take a great deal of damage, but direct hits from the fighters would destroy the Testudo and inflict heavy casualties on the legionnaires inside the formation. Aurelius could only hope that the pilots were as good as Flavianus insisted that they were.

  Audio filters went to maximum as the systems strained to block out the roar of the massive engines and the devastating force of the ordinance as it struck their targets. Aurelius could feel the ground shift beneath his boots and he struggled to maintain his footing. All around them, the legions fought desperately to persevere through the onslaught. Despite the pummeling that they were taking, the Testudos were holding.

  “HOLD THE LINE!” screamed Aurelius into the comm.

  He wasn’t sure if the legion could hear him or not, but he felt better for giving the command. He watched as
the shield power fell to below twenty percent. They could only sustain the shields for a few more seconds, at this rate. Then, just as suddenly as they began, the attack run ended and the fighters streaked back into the night sky.

  The eerie silence that followed left the battlefield littered with dead T’kri’t’ek and cast them in the strange actinic blue light of the shields. The remaining T’kri’t’ek were dazed and unable to focus. Aurelius knew that meant that either the queen had been killed or knocked out of the fight temporarily. Either way, they had to capitalize on this breach in their defenses.

  “All cohorts!” called Aurelius. “Drop the Testudo. Line formation, now!”

  The legions shifted with speed and precision, forming into single lines with shield and sword at the ready.

  “Parati!” shouted Aurelius

  Shield generators synched as the line formations readied for their next command. They were lined up for an attack run directly at the T’kri’t’ek.

  “Legio Ferrata, Legio Felix!” called Aurelius. “Launch!”

  The massive drop armors engaged their jump thrusters and leapt into the air. They were to bring the fight directly to the largest groups of the T’kri’t’ek. Each cohort had already received their individual orders. They were to engage with every weapon system at their disposal. The other legions had the lighter armor and could not match them in battle. They would take a more traditional approach.

  “Oppugnare!” bellowed Casca as the remaining legions surged forward to battle with sword and shield, just as generations of legionnaires had done in the past.

  The powerful jets of the drop armor launched two entire legions into the air and they engaged with everything they had. To the already wounded and disoriented T’kri’t’ek, the results were devastating.

  Near the edge of the fight, Aurelius could see a large squad of warriors surrounding a badly wounded queen. She was struggling to regain her footing and was bleeding in numerous places. He knew that if she returned to the fight, their attack would be met with a vicious counter-attack. He had to keep the queen out of the fight.