He grinned savagely, dropping a sixth body, then growled, letting the growl echo out over his intercom. The Horathians went all wide eyed, panicking. Some turned to run.
He moved in, ducking under his shield to get in close when he had to, then tearing them apart with his claws. It was a massacre, they didn't stand a chance. Only one came close to killing him, the one with the plasma rifle. He opened up on Jethro at close range. The shields shrugged off the fire, but his vision went red warning him the heat was seeping in and overheating his limited cooling ability. He dropped his cloak and then roared, breaking the plasma weapon in half. It exploded, tearing apart the Horathian holding it and throwing Jethro back on his ass. Fortunately his shields protected him, but they were down to ten percent.
He looked back, seeing one last Horathian standing there, quivering like an idiot. He growled deep in his throat, getting to all fours. The last one threw his rifle down and fled in terror, screaming like a mad man. He was tempted to hunt the bastard down, but he was headed in the wrong direction. Besides, he'd thrown his weapon down, he was no longer a threat. No, instead he gathered their weapons and ammunition and stuffed them in a room, then moved on. He had a job to do, he headed to the command deck.
“None shall pass,” he growled ominously. His suit still smoldered from the close plasma hit.
“That's telling them,” Taylor Warner said as his image appeared. Jethro spun to cover the holographic being then checked himself. Taylor was in uniform. Before Jethro could come to attention the cyber gave the panther a thumbs up, then his hologram cut out and he vanished.
...*...*...*...*...
Valenko's squad was on point, hammering the pirates and pushing them back immediately. Other squads secured the side passages to keep them from being flanked. Their objective was the command deck, other squads would secure the power plants and life support. Once the primary objectives were secured they would secure the surviving stationers and then hunt down Zimmer and the remaining Horathians.
The cybers helped the Marines, the Warners directed them around traps while the other cybers used the internal hatches to cut the pirates into smaller groups.
Valenko was wary of the Warners but when he jacked in they uploaded their fleet ID's to him. He took it on faith who they were and followed their lead, neatly taking out a pocket of enemy troops. “Your man got through, Sergeant Jethro is now in the command center. He did a bang up job slaughtering two squads of pirates on the way in too.”
“Excellent. So, that objective's secure then,” Valenko said, shifting mental tracks. Jethro could hold the command center as long as he had power, which he had access to from the station. He shifted his priorities now.
“We're going with the secondary list of objectives,” he said, informing the Marines around him. He uploaded the change to the 'Major as well. “Can you help there? Sir?”
“Of course,” Taylor replied, uploading new intel the other cybers had gathered. “See what we can accomplish when we work together?” Taylor Warner teased. “Even if you are a jarhead and not navy.”
“Cute. Sir.” The bear added. He'd gotten a hasty update from command that Mr. Warner was indeed a naval reservist, a first Lieutenant vetted by Admiral Irons. His wife Mrs. Rasha Warner was an Ensign. Taylor had the bear by date of rank, so a sir qualified, at least in his eyes. Besides, both Warners were not only elders, they were also civilian leaders of the station. He snorted. They could figure out who should sir who protocol later. “Any more customers?”
“Thought you'd never ask. As it happens, yes. Someone's getting cute, they have a couple heavy plasma weapons and are trying to barricade the open passage ahead of you. It's a straight corridor about a hundred meters long and they're at the end of it.”
“Shit. Way around?”
“Not in those suits,” Warner replied. “They've got the two avenues nearby covered. If you shift they'll move to a new junction and you'll still have to face them.”
“Sometimes the only way to do it is through. But let's see if we can throw in some finesse. Kovu, remote probes. Shields forward!” the bear ordered.
...*...*...*...*...
Zimmer scowled. It was obvious from the way the Marines weren't pulling back that they hadn't bought his bluff. He had to find a way to make them pay. Something that either leveled the playing field or gave the enemy a Pyrrhic victory.
He scowled again at the video feed from platoon Delta. They were down to half strength, trapped in a water park of all places. The damn elves kept snipping them from the air ducts and returns. He'd thought he'd finally found a way to deal with the little monsters and now... he flicked the track ball and zoomed in. He saw what looked like a four legged robot walking across the open ground. Delta concentrated their fire on the robot, cutting it apart. It bounced as it spun, bits spinning off it. Then it's back pack detonated in a blinding flash.
He grinned. “That's showing them!” he said, then the grin faded as the Private zoomed out. While his people had been distracted and focused on the robot coming in down the center of the field the Marines had hugged the walls and flanked the robot, getting in closer. Already his people were switching targets but the Marines had dropped into the waterway that wrapped around the park. It was below ground level and even though it was half filled with water it had concrete on either side, a perfect trench. “No, no NO!” he shouted angrily.
...*...*...*...*...
“So we're clear? The cybers are certain no nuclear weapons came on board?” Valenko asked.
“As clear as I can be Lieutenant,” Taylor Warner said, looking at the bear. “I think I would have noticed a nuke coming on board son,” he said patiently.
“Sorry sir, just had to be clear and all,” Valenko replied.
“I know the feeling,” Taylor said dryly. “It's a bluff. He could still do a lot of damage and kill a lot of people in the life support works and in the power rooms though,” he said.
“Yeah well, I think we Marines will have a say about that,” Valenko replied. He hefted a plasma rifle.
“Just be careful where you shoot those things,” Taylor replied warily, nodding his chin to the weapon. “One wrong shot and well... boom.”
“Boom?”
“Big boom.”
“Oh,” Valenko said and then shook his head. “Okay, I'll pass it on,” he said. “Thanks for the warning and the heads up sir.”
“No problem Marine, kick some pirate ass for me.”
“Will do.”
...*...*...*...*...
“Hey man, I've got to charge my shield, it's down by half.”
“Good idea,” Kovu growled. The shields had done a damn good job of protecting them. “Go, I've got point,” he said, moving past the human. “You never know when we'll need a full charge,” the lion said.
“You sure?” Fonz asked.
“Go, I've got this.”
Fonz patted him on the arm and then shouldered his way back through the Marines. “What are you doing?” Valenko demanded.
“My shield's at half power. Something's going on, it's not taking a charge from my suit. Only a trickle.”
“Run a diagnostic. The shields use a capacitor to energize quickly. One of them must be down. Ox,” Valenko looked for the Tauren. The Tauren's massive head looked up. The bear waved him over.
“Ox will take a look. Kovu on point?” Valenko asked.
“He's got it boss,” Fonz said.
“Right.”
Kovu walked slowly, keeping in range of the sensor ball he threw. In a way he hated the things, they gave away his position, let the enemy know they were coming. He'd tried rolling it a few times, he didn't get as far with it though. He was getting better at getting it to bank around corners though. Getting it to stop in an intersection was tricky.
It was all sort of a game in a way, but with life or death consequences if they didn't get it right. He crouched, checking for warm bodies with his IR. The damn plasma line along his right side made for one long ho
t straight line that pretty much burned off any sign of anyone there. Not that anyone would be stupid or suicidal enough to hide behind a plasma line, the heat alone could kill you if it breached.
“Anything?” Fonz asked.
Kovu looked over his shoulder as he crouched in an intersection. “Nothing.”
“Well, we tried, guess we should go home right?” Fonz quipped. Kovu snorted.
“Come out, come out, where ever you are,” Fonz crooned mockingly. “Gee, I wonder why they don't want to come out,” he said, flexing his suit arm.
“Got it fixed?” Kovu asked, eyes still scanning the corridors for movement. He felt exposed and didn't like it. He crept back a bit and knelt, looking around the corners carefully.
“Yeah, Ox said the capacitor is about dead. Overcharged it I guess. One's dead, the other's not holding a charge well, it's leaking.”
“Okay.”
“He can't fix it here, needs the machine shops on Firefly so I guess I'll make do,” Fonz said. “Want to switch?” he asked.
“No, I'm okay,” Kovu said. He waited for Valenko's signal to move out. When the bear signaled to move on he moved on all fours to the sensor ball and picked it up. He turned. “Eeny meany, oh what the hell, Moe,” he said, throwing the ball in the direction the bear indicated.
When it landed he watched as it oriented to look up, then turn in place, scanning the area.
“Seems like cheating sometimes,” Fonz said, watching his HUD as well.
“Whatever, let's go,” Kovu said. He made it half way down the passage before his suit sensors screamed. He turned and spotted an enemy camera. “Trouble!” he said taking a step back just as an IED went off. The claymore wasn't pointed at the Marines, but at the plasma line. Kovu screamed as the plasma line ruptured and a ball of flame erupted in his face.
Fonz used his shield to ward off the worst of the plasma. Unfortunately in doing so it inadvertently redirected the flow onto the lion. When the torrent of flame headed into the ceiling and burned off he looked down to see Kovu laying there. “Ah shit,” Fonz grumbled. He looked away, then up to the still sizzling and melting plastic ceiling panels above them. The red from the molten plastic gave the area an eerie look. “Sorry man, so sorry.”
“You were just doing your job,” Kovu croaked out, twitching feebly. His suit locked down to keep him from thrashing about. It was working with his implants to contain the damage. A list of damage scrolled on his HUD. He could feel the searing heat for a moment until his implants cut off his nerves to spare him the pain. He reached with his left hand and found molten metal and plastic. He coughed, feeling liquid filling his lungs. “This sucks.”
“Didn't you smell it?”
“How the hell can you smell...” Kovu coughed. Blood dribbled from his muzzle. “In the damn suit?” he asked. His visor was cracked from the explosion.
“Medic!” Sergei screamed, rushing to his side. Kovu moaned and waved his good left hand. His right arm was torn off at the elbow. Part of his right side was gone. “Damn it, I told you to look!”
“I thought I had!” Kovu mewed weakly as Gusterson elbowed his way past the others and then ducked under the liger to get to his new patient.
“Go, I've got this,” Gusterson said, hands becoming a blur. Two robotic arms deployed from his sides, they began working on the torn armor of the lion. “Go!”
“Come on man,” Fonz said, slapping Sergei's shoulder. “We've got to kick some pirate ass,” he said.
“Yeah,” the liger said, gripping his rifle tighter. “Hell yeah,” he said, sparing Kovu one last look. “Take care of him doc,” he said.
“Don't I always?” Gusterson said, not looking up as he worked. His robotic arms plugged an IV patch into one of Kovu's ports while the other sprayed the wounds with nanite quick heal. He had a clamp on the lion's Brachial artery, he'd had to break through the crusted cauterized flesh to do it. Shrapnel had torn the artery up above the cauterization, without the clamp he would have bled out in minutes.
Two more clamps followed, one on the Median Basilic vein, another on the Median Cephalic vein. He had to tear at the burnt flesh to get to them, making the lion whimper softly. Fortunately the lion's implants were also at work, shutting off blood flow to the limb as well as to his right leg and right side.
Unfortunately the implant's zeal could be the lion's undoing if he didn't work fast. “Get this one back to Firefly. We'll need to operate fast,” Gusterson said to two skin suited Marines who were acting as stretcher bearers.
The two humans nodded and picked up the suit carefully by the hand holds on the shoulders and the legs. “Damn heavy,” the leader muttered.
“Just shut up and haul ass,” the other said, moving.
Gusterson sighed and wiped at the blood on his gloved hands. He turned and followed the squad.
...*...*...*...*...
“Ox, get up here, it's time for more of your babies,” Valenko snarled, pointing to the way ahead. The Tauren nodded and came forward. He released a swarm of micro robots that scattered in different directions.
“The elves reported a concentration of forces in the residential area on our left Lieutenant,” Ox reminded the bear. There were two residential districts coming up ahead as they made for the utility corridor exit. Beyond them was a small mall, then a park and the lifts. Zimmer's HQ had been here up until a half hour ago, then he'd moved.
“I know. I just want to make sure there really is someone there worth going after with the full force, not a mirage or wild goose chase. They exited the utility corridor and entered an axial. From all reports Zimmer had a half platoon of soldiers waiting to get behind them and attack from the rear after they passed.
“Can't have that,” Valenko murmured, changing direction. He was tempted to split his force but he was already down by several suits, he didn't want to get bogged down and let attrition be a factor here. But he also didn't want to get bogged down engaging the small force and allowing Zimmer to come up and hit him on the side.
He ran his long tongue over his canines for a moment then clucked. “Decisions decisions. Okay, we're going with the tango's who are playing hide and seek in the residential section first.”
“Oh goodie,” Asazi said.
“Don't get cocky. It's a maze in there, dark and room after room. We might run into civilians too, so check your fire.”
“Don't get stupid! They're using IED's now! Remember your training!” Valenko snarled. They were in a darkened maze of corridors in the residential block, the enemy kept falling back ahead of them. They had led the Marines in a circle once, but had broken off just before contact. The enemy was in here with them somewhere, but they had killed the cameras. They were getting wise to that, shooting out any camera they could find, even ATM's.
It was maddening for some, they wanted action.
“We don't know where they are. The forward thirty meters are clear. We'll move forward to...”
“Heeey, I got this!” Fonz said dropping his spent shield. “We've got armor remember!” he ran past the threshold of the sensor ball Asazi rolled. He felt a bit of guilt over Kovu getting hurt, it was partly his fault after all. He wanted to bury himself in combat to get some revenge.
“Fonz wait!” Asazi called. “We haven't scouted that corner!”
“What's there to worry about. This is the Fonz we're talking about,” Fonz said, then yelped as he spotted the crew service plasma gun waiting for him when he cut the corner. He started to throw himself to the ground but it was too late, the plasma hit him in his exposed torso, partially deflecting off his chest plates, but boring into his abdomen. He got one scream off as the plasma breached his armor and roasted him alive.
...*...*...*...*...
Sergei roared when he saw Fonz's IFF go dead. It was obvious now, the Horathians had taken out the cameras in the area to set their ambush up. He turned, hefted his rifle and then slammed into a bulkhead, tearing it apart with his claws. “I'll take care of this,” he snarled, m
oving through the hole.
“What the hell does he think he's doing?” Asazi demanded.
“He's flanking them, follow him and try to keep him out of trouble!” Valenko ordered.
“Shit,” Asazi swore, ducking through the hole. Panache followed.
Sergei followed the map on his HUD. “Where where where...”
“Sergei, this is stupid, come on back, we'll find another way,” Asazi implored from behind him.
“This won't bring Fonz back,” Panache said quietly. “Trust me, I know. I've been where you are Sergei.”
“Don't you think I don't know that?” the liger roared, turning on the two females behind him. His eyes glittered. “I know he's gone. I'm going to make sure the bastards don't get a chance to gloat. Now come on!”
...*...*...*...*...
“Did you see the look on that one's face as you pulled the trigger! Now that's how you get it done!” Sergeant Allen Edison said, grinning.
“Think they'll send more?”
“No, and we've got a perfect place here, far enough back from the corner to keep them from lobbing grenades. They're screwed. They just don't know it yet,” Allen gloated. He didn't know how the battle outside was going, or the rest of the station, but he was going to hold his own.
“What's that sound?” someone asked behind him. Allen looked around. No idea.”
...*...*...*...*...
Sergei lined up to the bulkhead opposite the enemy. His IR could just make out the plasma field piece on the other side, it was still super hot. The enemy's signatures were ghost like, clustered around the Plasma weapon. “Our turn you bastards,” he hissed as he lowered his weapons. He had two crew service tribarrel Gatling plasma guns attached to the underside of each arm. Each barrel was sheathed in a cooling jacket to keep them from overheating. He pulled the triggers, ignoring the overheat alarm as they went to full bore.
Asazi and Panache came up behind him. They looked at the fire chewing into the bulkhead and then lowered their own weapons and added to it. In less than a second the bulkhead was cherry hot. A half second later their concentrated fire had turned the center white hot. Sergei grimaced a grin of rage as his visor polarized to block out the excess light.
Jethro: First to Fight Page 70
