The off the cuff and brutally honest observation by the Chief Engineer was not out of character for the man, nor was his opinion incorrect as far as Mikkhael could judge. He took a moment before replying, staring blankly at the giant Mech armor standing in from of him, still and silent, calmly poised before being unleashed. Enough time passed that the Chief glanced worriedly at Commander Ultor, clearly doubting Mikkhael’s mental state. He cleared his throat in that eternally awkward preparation of bad news when Mikkhael interrupted him. “Thorsten, don’t let anyone out of Mount Olympus after I leave, no matter what happens. Whether this is a one-way trip or not, those bastards will remember my name until we kill all of them.”
The strength of the willpower behind the simple request halted any further argument, leaving no doubt Mikkhael was more aware of what he was heading into better than any of them. “As you wish,” was all the gruff mechanic said. At an uncharacteristic loss for words, the Chief Engineer then turned and barked a few orders to the small army of workers loading and tuning the Mech. A sudden grin formed on his face that reminded Mikkhael of a schoolboy about to pull a grand prank.
Mikkhael glanced sideways at him, watching the crews work. “What the hell’s wrong with you? Out with it already.”
“Well, I got to thinking about the fact that we have you maxed out for weight to the point a hundred kilos more will force you to crawl into their teeth. I refuse to send you without a proper shield, so I set the boys to working on a solution.” He paused for dramatic effect. “They are adding temporary hard points to the exo-skeleton and mounting expendable RATO’s directly onto the frame. Yeah I know you’ve used’em before, but not like this, and not this many.
“Since you’re not exactly worried about stealth this go around, it should be a non-issue. We will fly you out to location in a captured Chimera, and then drop you in the vicinity you want to attack first. You already know you’re to have to fight your way through them in order to reach Eve and the other survivors, so we’ve taken that into account. The kite shield, RATOs, and extra munitions will put you way over your weight limits, but with the extra power provided by the RATOs it doesn’t matter. And since you have your sights set on a suicide mission, you’re going to need all the ammo you can get. We are setting up temporary magazines and ammo racks on just about every surface we can find. I highly recommend you avoid getting hit until you have had a chance to reload enough times.” He pointed to each item of interest as the narration continued; the small army of technicians furiously continued putting on the finishing touches to the absurd plan. By now, the technicians were nearly as intimate with Starkindler as he was.
Three blue shirts arrived unbidden; environmental technicians assisting him with suiting up into his custom pilot suit as he listened to Thorsten’s gruff voice ramble on, steadily feeling more confident about the upcoming engagement. He placed his helmet on his head without a farewell, for those are forever final, and then climbed into the lift that would place him into Starkindler’s waiting cockpit.
There were no goodbyes, no tearful farewells from the technicians. They were too busy to have time for that sort of bullshit. He sidled into position, the chair automatically conforming protectively around his body while Aurora assumed Starkindler’s control functions from the maintenance technicians. Chief Engineer Thorsten barked orders again, and the techs scrambled away from the oversized personification of death. The reactor purred menacingly as the giant Mech armor stood passively, unconcerned by the threat of the forthcoming violence, radiating a silent promise of swift release to anyone that opposed them. Aurora’s system check came up all clear, and then Mikkhael waited impatiently as the maintenance technicians shuttled the oversized and overloaded Mech onto the captured Chimera that sat waiting on the hangars launch platform.
He relaxed, forcing everything out of his mind aside from the task at hand. His mind went blank as he waited for his moment to be unleashed. Aurora gave clearance to the pilot as alarms began to blare; announcing that atmosphere within the hangar was being vacuumed out. At the end of the launchpad, the airlock doors swung open, creaking in protest from the mountain’s weight and their long disuse. The Chimera’s engines ignited, and then the catapult launched the transport out into the nearly pitch black Martian night. The Chimera lumbered through the sky towards the drop zone, death incarnate in its hold.
* * * * *
“General Akari, Sir. Our agent has just notified us that the primary target has now left Mount Olympus.” The technician never turned from the screen they were monitoring. Everyone working this operation was a veteran, having served together for many years as a team; their skill and discipline were second nature now.
For his part, the General stood at the center of his Command Center, scanning a table-top display that was the only other feature in the center of the open room; surrounded by workstations, each of which was occupied by hundreds of fiercely loyal men and women. He was the rock amidst the chaos, directing, controlling, bending it all to his will. This time, the terrorist would be the one to break; General Akari had spent nearly two months setting everything in motion assembling forces from across every corner of the planet for the likes of an operation which had never before been attempted of this magnitude. His preparations were complete, everything was in place and the pieces were now in motion.
“Do we have visual confirmation from any of our sources outside of the mountain?” He asked.
A different technician answered from across the room. “Sir. One of our agents has just reported that a Chimera, believed to have been captured by the terrorists several months back, launched moments ago from Mount Olympus. The agent is relaying information via line of sight laser; confirmation is text only, no video at this time due to the wide area jamming taking place. The agent also reports the Chimera appears to be greatly overburdened.”
SSGT Anderson appeared at his Generals side, saying what was on his mind aloud because the General could not while in front of his subordinates. “Either he is bringing friends with him, or he has some new tricks to show us. Not that they’ll help, of course.”
A hand motion marked the Chimera on General Akari’s table display, centering the view around the new priority target, tracking the cargo craft as it flew directly towards the battle lines the General and his allies had so painstakingly prepared. He looked up, amplifying his voice so that all of the technicians hard at work could clearly hear, the iron of command ringing true in his orders. “Do not underestimate our enemy regardless of the numbers we have arrayed against him. If you calm yourself and reach for it, you can feel his malice, his rage, the unbridled hatred coming our way. Whatever demon falls from the bloated belly of the Chimera, it will not die so easily. We have hurt him where it counts, and now he comes to repay us in kind.”
“But Sir, it won’t do to give him too much power either.” SSGT Anderson said quietly, looking askance at his General, sure in his loyalty and the ability of his leader to see them to victory.
“No, it will not. This battle is about knowing our enemy and knowing ourselves. For the first time since this bastard landed on Mars we have the answers to both, hence all of this.” The General swept his hands across the table top, showing four entire divisions worth of men and machines arrayed in combat formations stretching across nearly a hundred square miles of broken terrain. More forces stood waiting behind them, ready to respond where they were needed. And, there were still additional resources the General was prepared to bring to bear.
In the center of it all stood a white dot, trapped at the bottom of a deep canyon, their bait. “Let him come. Prepare accordingly. There is no surprise on either side.”
* * * * *
“Will he be alright?” Chief Engineer Thorsten asked Commander Ultor after the Chimera left. “He seemed so out of it, as if he was resigned to his fate.”
Commander Ultor looked at the empty space the captured enemy transport recently occupied. He spoke softly, his voice carrying in the stillness that sur
rounded them. “Do not mistake that expression for resignation or complacency. Such a look only comes when a man has already accepted what is about to happen, but not in the way you imagine. Mikkhael has shed all emotion, leaving himself with only the mission ahead of him. No other mental state is as deadly or powerful then when a warrior casts aside his mortality. In that state he is able to rise to any challenge ahead of him, capable of performing any deed needed in order to achieve victory. It is the look of a man who has released his hold on everything that makes him human.”
They stared off into the distance, both imagining the Chimera transport on its way. “I almost feel sorry for them; almost.” They turned, walking slowly back to the Command and Control Center in silence to watch the forthcoming battle unfold, hoping beyond any measure of reason that they would not have to watch the flame that now represented their hope be extinguished amidst the darkness of despair threatening to overwhelm it.
* * * * *
“Mikkhael, you are jeopardizing the mission. You are in the wrong state of mind for this. You may have hidden your rage from them, but you cannot hide it from me.” Aurora’s voice broke the silence. It was a useless plea and she knew it. He did not rise to her bait, continuing to meditate silently. She waited another hour to speak as the Chimera traveled along its proper heading, believing that time would weaken his defenses. During the trip, her charge remained silent and unmoving, relying on her to warn him should anything happen. She was worried that he might fall so far into himself she would not be able to waken him. She tried again.
“As you wish. My capabilities are severely limited for the time being. I need you to take out some of the units causing the wide area electronic interference in order to assist you more fully. As such, our first target has been marked on the HUD. Our ETA is less the twenty minutes. We are currently skirting an anti-aircraft emplacement just to be safe.”
She would have continued talking, it was almost as if she was showing a sign of how nervous she was, but Mikkhael interrupted. “Drop me, now.” His eyelids fluttered open, fingers reaching to enter commands as they moved with practiced ease; there was no confusion on his part, the clarity he resonated frightened her. This was something new, something more dangerous than anything that came before. Starkindler’s reactor roared into life as it spooled up to full power. The clink of ammunition being chambered into each of the guns accompanied the staticy crack of energy shields engaging.
Aurora’s panicked tone screamed in his ear. “Drop you now? This is madness! Stop at once!”
“No. This is not madness, it is punishment. They brought this on themselves. Release me or I will destroy the Chimera.” Mikkhael’s tone was flat, entirely devoid of any emotion and yet somehow still managed to convey a sense of immeasurable rage begging to be unleashed. To prove his point, he charged the main cannons, pointing them at opposite sides of the Chimera in a clear threat.
“Very well,” was all she said, unable to argue further. She commanded the Chimera to open its cargo bay doors and Starkindler was in free fall within seconds.
* * * * *
“General, the Chimera diverted its flight path! It’s headed directly towards the Anti-Air Battery emplacement at Forward Operating Base Thule.” The technician listened to his relay in disbelief. He stammered, “Signal confirmed, Starkindler has been sighted! It just deployed at high altitude on the outset of the FOB perimeter. Multiple weapons discharge confirmed! The FOB Commander is reporting they are under attack, requesting immediate reinforcements!”
General Akari watched the displays pouring out their data while listening to the verbal status reports continue as the FOB was wiped out within minutes. He recognized immediately that the small temporary base had no strategic objective to the overall scenario, he also correctly interpreted the message the terrorist was sending him; the pilot of Starkindler was asking for the upcoming fight head-on. Although he had taken the bait laid out for him, leaving Mount Olympus to become a target, the terrorist was stating that he left on his own terms and would carve as wide a path of death and destruction as he could before he was finally eliminated. It was a moment before the General looked down at his hand and noticed the stylus he was holding was snapped in half.
* * * * *
Mikkhael fired before Starkindler stabilized in the air. Geysers of earth replaced what had seconds ago been the existence of a human encased in an advanced war machine as death incarnate now walked amongst mere mortals, casting wide the net of final judgment. All of whom that net ensnared were rendered guilty, their sentence meted out with an almost casual impunity. Aurora worked desperately to have the overloaded Starkindler touch down on the surface as safely as possible, while Mikkhael ignored her concerns, continuously firing the plasma cannon and smaller range of weaponry, eradicating enemies in the target rich environment with ease.
Methodical and precise, he eliminated targets based on priority. First-and-foremost, the sluggishly responding Anti-Air battery; a surgically placed plasma strike eradicated the emplacement while he simultaneously sprayed the FOB’s surprised unarmored ground crews with the smallest sub-cannons. Still falling from overhead, he scattered a series of grenades in the midst of a large number of armored vehicles that stood ready but otherwise unmanned and unprepared for battle, subsequently detonating each in turn. His recharged plasma cannon eliminated the Slayer on station futilely guarding the AA battery. With a gut-punching impact, Starkindler’s legs sunk deep into the dried blood-red sea of dust from the force of its own overloaded heft despite the RATOs firing wildly. Three additional Slayers from the failed perimeter-defense charged head-on the moment he landed, attempting panicked head shots, but their underpowered weapons had no effect against Starkindler’s energy shields and his measured return fire destroyed each in turn.
He rammed his right wrist all the way forward, needing full afterburners to pull the enormously overweighed machine out of the crater caused by the rough landing. Proceeding at more of an awkward waddle then a walk, they rounded the small mountain the FOB had been set up around, engaging a force similar in size to the one they just destroyed. The PDF manning the FOB were decamped when he surprised them, having expected to only serve as a threat on paper, not actually needing to defend themselves on the front lines. Killing them took no effort as their personnel, equipment and machines were entirely unprepared for the battle that found them.
Once all immediate threats were eliminated, Aurora pointed out the next closest targets only a few miles away, tagging them on the HUD with their identifying markers, but Mikkhael continued to ignore her. Instead, he engaged full afterburners, struggling to maneuver Starkindler onto the top of the smoldering mountain, and simply sat overlooking the hazy Martian expanse for a time. “From a tactical standpoint,” Aurora complained, “you are needlessly exposing your position in a suicidal mistake that few live long enough to make twice.”
Once again, he ignored her. There was nothing tactical in his decision making. As she noted earlier, pure rage consumed him.
Chapter 15 – Metal Meets the Meat
“You, you, and you… panic. The rest of you, come with me.”
-Anonymous Marine Corp Sgt.
“What’s he doing? Is he taunting us? It doesn’t make sense; why would he just sit there uncloaked in the open like that.” SSgt Anderson asked the question on everyone’s mind within the Command and Control Center, all of whom were looking to him for guidance.
A slow minute passed as the General calculated dozens of input variables, double-checking his answer before choosing his wording carefully. "The terrorist is making a simple statement. He knows we have set a trap and will come to us regardless; he is showing his disregard for our plans and stating that he will engage us as he wills on his own terms. He did not leave the base to rescue the other terrorists; he came to meet us head-on.”
General Akari scanned the monitors showing his troop deployments, feeling suddenly exposed as he needed to shift his carefully orchestrated plans to deal w
ith the change in circumstances. “Orders to all field commanders as follows: the 17th and 53rd divisions are to remain at a distance and treat the target as incredibly lethal. They are to begin the encirclement of the target. Marine units are to remain on standby ready to provide support, but otherwise wait to engage. Reapers and Special Forces will also remain on standby. All other units in the area of operations are to prepare themselves for imminent battle. Once the terrorist has been located, local forces will attempt to hold him in place and wait for reinforcements. I repeat, prepare for imminent attack.”
The technicians immediately set about their work; their displays reflecting the Generals orders being implemented. He ordered a few other smaller details but trusted his people to follow their orders and do their duty and left them to it. These were only the opening moves in a chess match, and each side started with a pawn.
* * * * *
"Did it work?" Mikkhael asked.
"Yes, better than expected; I was able to break the firewalls on one of their satellites and locate a significant number of their units performing the signal jamming; their locations are now identified on your HUD as primary targets. The more jamming units you eliminate, the more I can contribute. For now, I am doing everything in my power to ward off significant attacks on my bot network. Secondary targets are being highlighted in yellow, high-priority or incoming danger will be coded bright orange." Aurora's image cocked its head to the side in a wholly human expression as if listening to something only she could hear. "They are moving to surround you as we speak."
Starkindler (MechaVerse Series Book 1) Page 30
