"Uh...what?"
Two more cylinders emptied, and Lahok looked away, watching via the cameras, as the black objects fell from the Jackal. Halfway down, they activated a jet system and then whooshed off towards their targets. Tracer fire moved back and forth, but with the speed of the dark objects, they had little chance of hitting them. Once clear of the craft, the hole resealed, and the smoke cylinder retracted into the hull. As he looked on in surprise, the other Jackals did the same, depositing the thirty-one highly skilled members of the Black Widows led by the twins.
"What just happened?"
Spartan listened to his computerised translator before laughing and pointing downwards.
"Low altitude insertion by our good friends, Arana and Syala. With their platoon strength unit of Black Widows, they'll give the Red Scars a surprise like they've never seen before."
"Death from above," added Khan.
Spartan pointed towards the flank-mounted doors.
"Be ready, Lahok, and remember what the Captain said."
"Stay behind you," repeated Lahok.
"Exactly." He looked away and then pointed at Lahok again, "Not literally behind me. Trust me, when the fighting gets going, I'll attract a lot of lead."
"True," said Khan, "No bigger bullet magnet than Spartan's head."
Spartan closed his eyes, took another breath, and shook his head.
"Just stay back, but keep me in your sights. The Blood Pack will protect you if you run into trouble. Do not engage the enemy, understood?"
A noise further inside caught Lahok's eye. It was the thin enemy that Spartan called Kanjana.
"Lahok. I'll be with you. It will be okay."
Spartan smiled as he listened to the reassuring words in Byotai from Kanjana.
Three languages on my Jackal, not bad for a day's work!
Again, he closed his eyes and prepared himself for what was to come. It wasn't nerves or fear, just the routine of getting ready both mentally and physically. In seconds, he'd be moving from a relaxed, safe state, to one of heightened danger and violence. He tensed and then un-tensed his muscles, cleared his mind, and focused on their combat landing. They circled over the landing sight, and he could see what was going on outside through the networked cameras. His eyes slipped to the right and to Khan busying flexing his arm muscles. He was encased from head to foot in his own body armour. Spartan had expected him to use the special PDS armour created back on Prometheus.
"Who gave you the Pack armour?"
Khan seemed almost embarrassed to answer. The Jackal shuddered as it positioned itself for the final stage of the journey.
"Olik and the others. They had a vote before putting me in charge. An hour later, Tanis, their second-in-command came to see me with this."
He tapped his chest.
"A customised Blood Pack rig to my exact specification."
Spartan looked off to the left where Tanis sat. He was one of the many faceless Blood Pack members, only identifiable by the bloodstains on his chest from the fighting at Melantias.
"Well...it's...very nice."
He checked the exterior view and smiled as the other Jackals circled the target like angry birds of prey. They blasted the place with rockets, careful to concentrate on the Red Scars warriors or weapon systems. The last thing Spartan wanted was the place rendered unusable by the attack. His own Jackal banked to the right and dropped directly over the gaping mouth of the facility. Khan banged his fist against his harness and growled.
"Come on, let's do this."
The Jackal dropped like a stone as it tumbled down through the massive shaft of the deep core mine. Had it not been for the clamps and harnesses, the movement would have injured some of them. The shaft was so wide twenty Jackals could have done the same descent in a loose formation, and still had plenty of space to move about. Level by level they went until finally the engines blasted, and the craft slid sideways to a large semi-circular platform that pushed out like a fingernail.
"Here we go," said Spartan, "Move fast and drop anything that gets in your way."
His head turned briefly to Lahok, who waited and watched the others in silence.
"Remember, well back and behind me. The Blood Pack will watch your back. No heroics."
At that very moment, a group of clan warriors manoeuvred a deadly Abn'dak gunship out from its hangar and onto the platform. Dust scattered from its flanks as the engines powered up. Khan spotted it on the external camera feed and stamped with his left foot against the metallic surface plates.
"Gunship below. Gunner, hit it!"
Two more clan warriors stepped out in front of the gunship and blasted away with their rifles, while the crew and a dozen more warriors clambered aboard the craft. Bullets glanced off the Jackal, and at least two breached weak points in the armour, but caused no significant damage. The engines of the Abn'dak gunship roared with power, but it was too little, too late. The co-pilot and gunner swung the flank turrets around and pointed them down to the closing target. Both opened up with their quadruple 20mm cannons. The gunner sprayed the landing ground with coilgun rounds, as the pilot of the single Abn'dak gunship tried desperately to get airborne.
The first burst punched a line of holes on the landing pad, hitting the upper plates of the gunship. Some of the passengers leapt out just as it struck the port engine. Two flashes marked the detonation of the onboard power system, and then the aircraft exploded, sending wreckage, fuel, and bodies in all directions.
"This is it!"
Spartan’s tone altered, as the Jackal dropped down another six metres, shuddering as its landing skids struck the landing platform. He didn't wait to see if they bounced or came to a stationary landing. He deactivated his harness, and the squad of Jötnar did the same. Spartan moved to the side of the craft and slammed his armoured fist against the release panel. The side doors hissed opened to the dark, cool interior of the underground city. He blinked once as the light entered the Jackal, revealing the warrior inside with its dull light.
"Out, now!"
As always, Spartan was first out, leaping through the door in a single fluid movement like a gymnast working on a high-bar routine. He'd done this so many times it felt little different to walking into an empty room. He didn't think to consider there might be something deadly out there, perhaps an enemy or weapon that could finally do what so many hundreds had tried to do before. His boots made a dull thud as he hit the platform hard. He moved away to make room for the others while bringing his carbine up to his shoulder. With his left hand, he signalled them all to push on.
"Keep moving!"
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hyndla Deep Core Mine, Southern Depression
A single explosion showered the warriors on both sides with dirt and dust. The nose of the Red Scars Abn'dak Raptor Class gunship snapped off and hit the ground, followed by another series of small blasts. Spartan ducked down and lifted his hands in front of his face as chunks of metal blasted outwards and towards him. Unarmoured, he would have been cut in half. Instead, he just received more cuts and scrapes to his armour. Another blast sent him to the ground, while the entire platform shuddered from the shock.
Get up!
He was on his feet in moments and briefly thought the entire landing area would snap off and plummet into the deep chasm. He checked his comrades were near, and then ploughed on towards the smouldering wreckage of the gunship. As he reached within five metres of the craft, several Red Scars warriors staggered from the aircraft. One ran past, his clothes and armour burning away. He might have made it back inside, but a single Thumper opened up and tore a hole in the warrior's back. The shattered body spun about and then hit the ground, still smoking from its last bullet impacts.
Spartan made five more steps before reaching the nose of the aircraft. As he moved around the corner, he found himself face-to-face with a trio of savage looking Red Scars warriors. Two carried long rifles in their hands, and the third a looted Byotai Seax pistol. They pointed their weapo
ns at him and shouted something in their guttural, alien language. Spartan laughed and ducked back when they opened fire.
Through the fire!
Without hesitation, he climbed through the burning gunship, and right away his suit announced the immediate danger. Burning fuel heated up the outer armour, but not enough to cause damage. He pushed on and pulled at the debris before coming out the other side behind the Red Scars soldiers.
Perfect.
He lifted his XC1 carbine and took aim. The weapon was designed for quick use, and he had them in plain few in a fraction of a second. He called out to them as he pulled the trigger.
"Out of my way!"
The powerful XC1 carbine unleashed a stream of magnetically contained plasma shells. One arm blasted off the first clan warrior, just as four more rounds slammed into his chest and left his body a smoking ruin. Spartan jerked to the right and avoided the next shot while still moving closer to his foe. The next burst hit the second soldier in the face, killing him while standing there like a statue. The third turned and ran directly into the path of a Blood Pack warrior who swiped the soldier away with the butt of its Thumper rifle. The screaming soldier vanished over the ledge and away from view.
"Nice," said Spartan.
He turned back, lifted his carbine, and continued inside with the rest of the unit. More shots hit around them, but he ignored the fire and took careful aim, firing short bursts as targets presented themselves. Even those hiding behind pillars or storage racks quickly succumbed to the devastating firepower from the experimental weapon. Kornag stomped alongside him, blasted a Red Scar from the platform, and then looked to Spartan. Behind him were two columns of warriors, twenty of the angriest looking Jötnar Spartan had ever seen.
"Spartan, I'm taking the ramps to the surface to assist the sisters. Good luck here."
Spartan looked to his right just as five Red Scars leaned out from a partially hidden gantry. He hit the first two, and the others were torn to shreds by a volley of Thumper fire. When he looked back at Kornag, his helmet was partially open, and he was laughing like a child.
"Crush them, Kornag, but quickly."
With that simple order, the Jötnar clamped his helmet shut and nodded.
"Yes, Major. We will do it."
The two squads moved off to the right where wide ramps moved back and forth as they worked their way to the surface. They were flat and gently angled so that wheeled vehicles could move through the structure. Though only jogging, the Jötnar still kept up a pace little slower than a normal man running. Spartan watched them vanish from view and then looked back to his own objective. The Red Scars were broken, but there were many more inside, and they had to act quickly.
Lahok?
Spartan gulped, realising he'd completely forgotten the two since leaving. He turned around and sighed upon spotting Kanjana and Lahok inching forward past the debris. Both stooped as they reached the rear of the remainder of the Blood Pack, just as he'd told them to do. He shouted over to them.
"Stay close behind the Blood Pack, and don't do anything stupid."
They both seemed to agree, but something about Lahok's posture worried him. He still had his rifle in his hands and continually looked for signs of danger.
He wants to fight, that's understandable. This is his world, and these people want to take it from him, but I need him alive.
Suddenly, two Red Scars dragged something out of an opening in the far wall, perhaps ten metres from the ground. Lahok lifted his weapon and fired, but the bullet glanced off the armour fitted to the front of the unit. Spartan signalled to the Blood Pack, and two Jötnar immediately lifted their Thumpers and saturated the area, firing two shots at a time at the target. The blasts sounded like small cannons, and soon the entire opening was amok with shells. As the dust drifted away, nothing remained of the group and their weapon.
"Major!" Lahok shouted.
Spartan twisted around as a Red Scars warrior dropped down from the low level ceiling gantry. He struck the ground and struggled to get up. Lahok ran at him, screaming at the top of his voice and struck the warrior with the butt of his rifle. The enemy warrior staggered and fell backwards, hitting the ground. Lahok looked back to Spartan, panting with excitement. He spoke, but Kanjana pushed the Byotai out of the line of fire just as Spartan took aim. His carbine barked as the Red Scar lifted a pistol from a low-slung holster. The round hit him square in the chest and slammed him back to the floor. Spartan moved in and kicked the pistol away, pointing the muzzle of his weapon at the forehead of the alien.
"Never hesitate, and always make sure they're dead."
The Red Scar's eyes blinked open as Spartan pulled the trigger, scattering his blood and brain onto the floor. Lahok turned away and retched. Only quick thinking by Kanjana forced him to deactivate his visor before he vomited. Spartan grabbed him by the collar.
"Stick with Kanjana and do exactly as she says. Exactly!"
Spartan then moved away and blasted at anything that came into view. Lahok retched again, and once he'd convinced Kanjana he was ready to continue, activated his visor and followed the Blood Pack. The violence of the battle was both fascinating and terrifying but nothing more so than Spartan and his carbine. The Blood Pack advanced methodically, but their mass and bulk matched that style of combat. Spartan was smaller, yet he led the Pack into the guns even though bullets whistled all around them. Each time an enemy tried to fire back, a barrage of Thumpers and the green streaks from Spartan’s carbine hit them.
"I've never seen anything like it," said Lahok.
The two ducked behind a clump of Red Scars bodies and waited as more shots clattered about them. A Blood Pack Jötnar stopped and checked on them, moving ahead and laughing as bullets scattered off his armour like rain.
"What is that weapon?"
Kanjana nodded towards Spartan.
"Spartan's carbine?"
Lahok nodded quickly as they moved ahead another ten metres, and even closer to the bloodbath.
"It's the XC1, one of the weapons developed by Spartan and the engineers back at Taxxu. He and the other Jötnar founded the team after the war. It made them rich."
Lahok seemed less interested in the business side, though, and more in the weapon.
"It appears Khreenk in origin."
"Almost. It is the test version of a proposed high-power weapon to be used by Alliance assault teams. It uses licensed technology bought from the Khreenk, but miniaturised by the Special Weapons Division, and then discharged via a modified coilgun system."
"Ah," said Lahok.
They now moved at a fast walk behind four Jötnar. So big were the creatures they provided a moving wall. A small group rushed from the hangar area and into the waiting guns of the assault teams. Spartan cut down at least five, the projectiles from his carbine moving at high speeds as they hissed and crackled through the air. These terrifying green blasts hit with the force of coilgun projectiles, but burned with the decaying heat of a miniature star, making a mockery of armour and flesh.
"The weapon is a stroke of genius."
A thermal shell hit his shoulder and blasted off a piece of the Helion armour. Lahok dropped to his knee and yelled, while Kanjana moved in to check.
"It's okay, just an ablative plate knocked off."
She tapped his helmet.
"Just don't get hit there again!"
Spartan slowed his advance as he slid in a new power cell into his carbine. At that very moment, a rifle bullet glanced off the floor and ricocheted off his lower armour, and then another off his armoured pauldrons. They left scuffmarks and dents that would take the suit several hours to fully repair. He glanced left and right, keeping his carbine up and at his shoulder, ever wary of a hidden enemy that could end his life with one shot. The warriors sent data to each other via the ad hoc network, and if one of them saw an enemy, they all would. Spartan nodded in satisfaction as the positions of over thirty Red Scars popped inside the openings in front of him.
Wh
at are they doing?
Many stayed where they were, presumably taking up defensive positions. However, others were moving further back inside the facility, and once out of sight, they vanished from the tactical mapping system on their visors.
Regrouping or fleeing?
Spartan shrugged and extended his left arm out to the hangar space. He would worry about that when he came to it, for now he had a battle to fight.
"Okay, we've got targets in the main hangars ahead. This must be the launching area for their aerial units. Hit them hard, people. Do not give them time to rally. They outnumber us anything up to ten to one. So keep hitting them."
Spartan didn't need to move his head, just his eyes. The platform was wide and led off into a vast opening that could have easily been a shopping mall in a past life. Instead, it was a dirty, slightly decrepit facility with the rusting remains of many pieces of Byotai machinery littering the place. Narrow pillars divided the open structure into scores of separate sections, many holding dormant Red Scars gunships. It was a huge location, and Spartan raised his eyebrows at the prospect of taking the place with his small force. Large numbers of shadowy figures emerged from rooms or inside the actual aircraft.
"Halt!" shouted one of the Pack.
Spartan immediately stopped and checked off into the distance, just as a blinding white light lit up part of the platform. A great blast engulfed a small area and sent debris in all directions.
Improvised explosives!
Of all the enemies they might face, this was the only one that worried Spartan. Soldiers he could see and fight, but hidden bombs and weapons could end his life without a battle.
"Clear!" said the soldier.
Spartan pointed forwards and continued to walk.
"Advance!"
A rocket whistled overhead, leaving a trail of smoke behind it as it struck the still burning shape of the Red Scars gunship. Another came much closer, but before it could hit, an intercept blast exploded from one of the Blood Pack. It was a small device and automatically released a charge into the path of the missile, enveloping it before it struck its target. Burning rubble scattered over the Pack, and as the smoke cleared, they roared with laughter.
Battle for Karnak (Star Crusades: Mercenaries, Book 4) Page 17
