"Syala, I've got movement on the top floor. Do not move. Wait for my signal."
"Understood."
Spartan smiled and turned his attention to the waiting combat team. He'd selected a particular group for this mission, led by Khan and using specialists perfectly suited to the mission.
"Khan."
"Yeah," grunted his old friend.
"Be ready."
"Always am. Just give us the word."
* * *
Syala waited with her back against the wall and hidden inside the rubble of the shattered dormitory. She'd ditched her usual armour and now used kit borrowed from Spartan. It had taken some work to adjust it, and though lacking some of the features she'd come to rely upon, she was impressed with the stealth capabilities. The experimental chromatophore technology had taken over a minute to fully activate, but now the armour showed the same pattern, shading, and even temperature of the surrounding rubble. Providing she remained stationary, a man could pass within a metre and not see her.
The prison building was uninspiring, a square structure, three storeys high and surrounded by a four-metre high wall. The wall was a recent addition and lacked the dust and decay that was most of Hyndla.
"Spartan, are we a go?"
She watched, making sure only her eyes moved. This was a critical mission, and one that could transform operations in Hyndla if successful.
"Almost. Just give it another moment."
She could see a dark shape on the top floor. It moved and then faded from view.
"You're clear. Go, go, go!"
Syala smiled to herself as she watched the others moving into battle. She had a perfect view of the mercenaries moving in towards the Southern Wall. They covered the ground in seconds, and then vanished as they headed for the opposite side of the complex. Syala licked her lips, blinked, and checked her tactical data for her own team.
They're ready, very ready.
Behind the rubble where she waited were another four Black Widows, though they were at the rear of the building, out of the line of sight. Two teams of Khreenk in their odd, mismatched armour blocked the street with a pair of wheeled robots. The machines were as big as a piece of Vanguard armour, but low to the ground and lightly armoured. Each was equipped with a low-slung motorised central mount, with a pair of large calibre high-energy cannons on either side. This section rotated so that the weapons faced to the South. The second machine was deployed on the other side and covered the Northern approach. The Khreenk mercenaries then scattered to each side of the street.
"Breaching the wall," said Khan.
Syala couldn't see exactly what was happening, but the networked system outlined the other members flooding the Southern side of the compound.
"Now!"
A gentle crump sound marked the breaching bombs, and then they were in. Gunfire followed almost immediately, but the Blood Pack squad was inside now and covering ground fast. Thirty seconds passed as the mercenaries rushed inside, blasting Red Scars apart and clearing room after room.
"They are coming your way," said Khan, his voice barely changed from before the attack.
Syala tensed her limbs and then activated her comms.
"Widows, be ready. This will be fast."
The large armoured gate at the front of the facility lifted up, revealing a group of lightly armoured Red Scars, as well as one of their leaders. He shouted at his comrades as they poured out, desperate to escape Khan's onslaught.
"Now!"
She broke away from cover. Her muscles felt cold, but after a few steps, she was in the street and racing towards the front door, her pair of machine pistols ready in each hand. Some of the Red Scars spotted her, but she was halfway there, and her weapons raised. Both guns barked, spitting bullets at them before they could even raise their guns.
Three were dead before the other Black Widows rocketed up in the sky and landed in the middle of the confused pack. While the other mercenaries usually preferred to fight at range, Syala and her warriors liked to get up close and personal. They blasted and hacked through until just the commander and three of his encourage remained, and as one, they dropped their weapons to surrender. Syala's comms system crackled. It was Spartan.
"Syala, you've got company heading from the South. Drones show six vehicles. The first two will arrive in ten seconds. Get to the tunnels, and fast."
"Affirmative."
She twisted her head just as the Khreenk robots spotted the targets. They opened fire with their internal weapons, easily tearing into the light armour of the tracked crawlers. The blast punched multiple holes into the first before it exploded in a spectacular blast. The second swerved to avoid crashing into the wreckage, only to present itself to both robots. Their combined fire left it a burning ruin that ran right into a single-storey building and vanished under the rubble.
When Syala turned back, Khan was at the doorway and behind him dozens and dozens of Byotai civilians, most battered and bloody. He opened his visor and grinned.
"We got 'em, all seventy-two Byotai prisoners. Not a bad day's work!"
She nodded and then pointed to the East.
"We need to go. They'll have gunships here in less than ten minutes. Have you set the charges?"
Khan chuckled.
"Oh, yes. Two minutes after they arrive..."
He clenched his fists and then opened them wide.
"...boom time!"
* * *
ANS Titan, Orbiting Aphax II Ice Field, Agriphos
6 November 2472
Captain Delatorre opened his eyes as the alarms sang their long, painful song. He'd been sitting there on the bridge for seven hours, with nothing of note happening apart from the never-ending work carried out by his engineering drones. He tried to focus as the face of Five-Seven moved towards him.
"Captain."
The voice was stern but a fraction louder than normal. He kicked himself for having dozed off, but the monotony of days stuck out here inside the ice field had a cost that had to be paid.
"Captain!"
The voice was louder this time, and he shook his head to bring his mind back to the mission.
"Five-Seven. What is it?"
The alien pointed to the batch of three large displays at the centre of the bridge. One showed their immediate hiding place in the ice field and the ten thousand kilometres immediately around them. ANS Titan sat safely nestled behind a large cluster of ice, but a group of coloured shapes were moving close from the far right.
"I've put the ship on full-alert. We have hostile capital ships on approach. They entered the ice field twelve minutes ago."
Captain Delatorre moved nearer. His eyes were back to normal, but his head still thronged from fatigue. The Thegn officers were at their posts as usual, and everything was ready for battle. He could see the various system indicators; all confirming they were ready for combat.
"Guns are charged, and our defence grid is active. Why? I ordered silent-running until our repairs were complete. These ships are still at least two days from here."
Five-Seven shook his head.
"No, Captain, they are minutes away and appear to be new generation warships, of unknown origin and capabilities."
The Captain squinted as he looked at the data.
"I don't understand. Who are they, and how the hell did they get here so fast?"
Five-Seven pointed to the unit and selected the location of the vessels. The mapping imagery shifted to a rough series of schematics.
"There are five ships carrying the same iconography, a two-headed reptilian creature. They bear it in bright glowing images on the flanks of each ship. They match no known class in our database...but they..."
Captain Delatorre studied the imagery.
"The amour is Byotai in origin...but the electronic systems and weapons, they appear Anicinàbe. The engine signatures...what are they?"
"Something new."
He pointed at the lead vessel.
"Our sensors detected
them three days’ travel from our location. The next scan showed they were within an hour. It would appear they are able to create warp distortion in space-time, and then travel several minutes before stopping, recharging, and doing the same. It is a very fast way of moving large distances."
He traced the curved route to the ice field.
"Now they will be here in less than eight minutes."
"How is that possible?" Captain Delatorre asked.
Five-Seven brought up another image, this time of an Alliance ship with its recognisable ring at the rear of the superstructure. It was of their very own vessel, ANS Titan.
"The engine system has much in common with our own Confederate Class, and you can see the field generator at the rear of the ship, like ours. I thought the tech was secret?"
That didn't assuage Captain Delatorre's suspicions.
"But that system is proprietary CTC technology. How can they have access to it?"
"Captain, they are coming here, and more will follow."
The mapping data pulled to show the transit routes between planets.
"So far, we have eleven ships coming here, five on an intercept course, and another nineteen preparing to leave. The next wave appears to be heavily modified Anicinàbe troop transports."
Five-Seven tapped one of them.
"These might be the ground reinforcements Spartan warned us about. If they reach Karnak, they could end the fighting in a single operation."
Captain Delatorre scratched his head as he considered their situation. His job was to collect intelligence, not to engage fleets in battle. He had but one ship, and one critical hit could trap him out here.
"Very well. Withdraw all maintenance drones and double-charge the guns. Move us out from the debris, and find us a spot with some manoeuvring space."
"Captain, you intend to fight?"
The Alliance officer smiled.
"We can't win this one, Five-Seven, but if these ships are here to stay, then the more we can learn, the better. Even so, lay in a course for the border and home. If this heads South, we'll need to move fast."
Five-Seven nodded and moved away. It took him just seconds to pass on the orders, and soon they were moving.
"Oh, and make contact with Taxxu. Make sure they get everything we see. This sector is going to hell, and fast."
This area of the ice field had been their home for days now, and as they moved from its relative safety, Captain Delatorre felt a little melancholy. The feeling was made worse from the nausea returning as the ship rolled to one side, boosting its main engines as she pushed out of the dense ice field. ANS Titan was massive, and though powered by the latest thrusters, it still took time to change course.
"Captain."
Five-Seven indicated to the forward screen, and both looked on in surprise. The imagery vanished before their eyes as the fleet disappeared from the scanners.
"What? Where..."
Before either could speak, ANS Titan's proximity alerts activated. One of the Thegns called out the warning, but already the point-defence system had opened fire. All of the particle blaster turrets activated as the formation of ships moved in from three directions at once. Then the Gatling gun turrets joined in, surrounding the Alliance warship in a curtain of metal and energy. Five-Seven glanced to the Captain.
"Sir. We won't last long in this fight."
They watched the displays as large volleys of missiles released from the enemy ships. There had been no warning or even shots fired across their bow. The gun ports on the nearest ships slid open, revealing scores of large calibre guns.
"Collect everything piece of data you can and wind up the engines. We leave in thirty seconds."
Five-Seven nodded, just as the first salvos of gunfire struck the thickly armoured flanks of the ship. He looked back briefly at the Alliance officer, but the Captain was already moving along the deck and giving orders to the gunnery officers. Five-Seven returned to his duties, while the other officers carried on with their own tasks.
The ships were all smaller than ANS Titan, apart from the lead ship that was a little larger. Their designs were animalistic and predatory; their weapons carried out on external pylons and curved wings, much like the avian style ships sometimes used by the Anicinàbe. The bright, glowing letters on the flank stood out as much as the muzzle flashes from the many gun turrets. Captain Delatorre looked at the computer schematic as it analysed the ship, as well as the bright Anicinàbe script running along her bow.
The Raiukat.
His expression changed when two of the frigate-sized ships circled in front of ANS Titan. Smaller calibre fire rippled between the multiple vessels, but the mistake had been made, and Captain Delatorre was not going to let them get away.
"Forward weapons, fire!"
The combination of four 255mm particle cannons and the two mass driver bombardment cannons proved brutal, cutting both ships apart, leaving shattered hulls and superstructures spinning off into the ice field.
"The larger ship is moving alongside. Her gunports are open," said Five-Seven.
Captain Delatorre looked at the ship, his nostrils quivering as he gazed upon her many gun ports. She looked the equal of his own ship, and there were so many more on the way.
"Sir?" Five-Seven asked, "Should we leave?"
That exact moment Raiukat chose to open fire. The broadside was considerable and hit ANS Titan so hard she actually shifted thirty metres to the right from the impact. Captain Delatorre stumbled and then pointed at the ship.
"All port guns, ripple fire and hit her hard. Leave her a parting gift before we go!"
The dorsal, flank, and belly turrets all swivelled to face the powerful enemy warship and opened up in a long barrage of fire that struck her from bow to stern. Just as the last guns fired, the interstellar drive spooled up with no warning, and ANS Titan vanished from the ice field.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
42km East of Hyndla, Southern Depression
11 November 2472
Three weeks had passed, and Spartan was feeling a little stir-crazy as he took a break from the day-to-day efforts of running a war. He'd chosen one of the many hexagonal crossroad spaces hundreds of metres below the surface. This particular one sat to the East of Hyndla under a wide piece of wasteland that marked the border between Hyndla and Movi, known as the ninth and tenth cities of the Southern Depression. Hyndla was now little more than a bombed ruin, and Movi had fared little better. As a large surface urbanisation that housed around nearly a hundred and fifty thousand workers, the Red Scars had easily and quickly pacified it.
Spartan smiled and leaned back in the partially broken chair, thinking of their recent achievements. They'd taken the mine, and all the underground roads and sewer systems in a hundred-kilometre radius, and news was spreading fast in the South. It seemed every few hours another representative arrived to pledge their support against the Red Scars from all ten districts.
Not bad for three weeks.
Four large open cases rested against the rough wall, displaying tactical networking equipment for this region. A fifth unit buzzed gently in the background as it provided stable electrical current for the gear. Since taking the Deep Core Mine, he'd not spent a minute on the surface; instead working to establish multiple underground operating bases, while fighting any clan warriors that ventured down into the darkness. It wasn't his ideal kind of fighting, but anything was better than being stuck in the North and dealing with the politics and arguments.
Down here I'm in command, and we fight this war my way.
"Well, do you like it?" Commander Knaro asked.
Spartan inhaled deeply on the short cigar-like object. It was a taste he'd never experienced before, and with each breath, the handful of Byotai militia chuckled. He'd smoked plenty of cigars in the past, usually given to him by thankful officers and generals. Finally, he coughed and then handed it back to Commander Knaro.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
The alien leader bowed his head an
d indicated towards the arrival of a small group of his comrades.
"Our numbers have doubled in the last day. We grow in strength, but..."
Spartan's eyes narrowed.
"But what?"
Knaro lowered his head once more.
"Anger is growing in the cities. The people want this war to end. And the broadcasts from Melantias are pushing them to take risks."
"What broadcasts?"
Knaro spoke, but stopped as a militia soldier from Hyndla moved past. Just weeks ago this had been one of the many rookie soldiers. Now, after a handful of skirmishes, she moved with the poise and suave of a veteran.
"Major."
Spartan acknowledged her and watched as she walked off into one of the gently lit tunnels to conduct her patrol. Spartan recognised the markings on her shoulder. It still amazed him that although they lacked translators, the Byotai already knew the rudiments of greetings, and enough to get by in combat. They'd picked up his name in seconds, though that was not really surprising. Very few on Karnak had not heard of the exploits of Spartan and his mercenaries. Even more famous was the now almost mythical group of warriors that made up the Blood Pack. Khan and his kin were something of celebrities, greeted with fondness and awe wherever they travelled. Two other militia soldiers moved from a position at the side of the tunnel and joined her, the little group finally fading from view.
"The broadcasts, Major."
Spartan looked back and considered his words before giving him the nod.
Battle for Karnak (Star Crusades: Mercenaries, Book 4) Page 21
