by John Walker
Depending on their computer specialist’s arrogance, they will either figure it out fast or not at all. They had a lot of time to study us before attacking Earth and we only had four days. Now I find out how good of students both sides of this conflict are.
The fact they broke into two forces instead of ensuring a victory on Earth gave her hope. They underestimated opponents. While they certainly believed the Gnosis to be a threat when they attacked Gamma Alpha, they didn’t believe the defenses on the planet could hold them so long. Their tactics showed an impatient, raider like mentality.
They probably shouldn’t have attacked this planet the way they did either but the brute force approach was working, albeit slowly. Whatever they hoped to gain from the Orbs must’ve been worth the expense of lives and equipment. What did they hope to gain? If only the prisoner wouldn’t have died, they might’ve found these answers.
Piecing them together from what was happening at this new planet would be much more difficult. Depending on what they found when they took the Orb. Based on the reports from the surface, Cassie began to wonder whether or not anyone would be walking away with the prize. They weren’t only dealing with the drones but other robotic opponents as well.
If Cassie had more time to study the drones, she might’ve been able to disrupt their signal as well but as she probed the signals coming from the platform, she found yet another deviation of the coding principles from the Orb. Everyone interpreted them differently enough to make them not immediately compatible but there were similarities.
Some of her colleagues had discussed the idea of there being a universal language in the Orb, a standardized computer practice far beyond their understanding. Even after countless hours and years of study, experts agreed they’d only barely delved beneath the surface. The prospect of securing a second Orb provided them with hope of speeding up their understanding.
Were they meant to be combined? Cassie began working on a theory that maybe they were all linked up through some kind of interstellar network. The prospect seemed impossible by their current standards but whatever species built the devices were clearly advanced far beyond anyone else in the galaxy.
She twitched when she heard something over her earpiece, something that she thought might be a voice. Boosting the gain and trying to clean up the signal, she heard additional syllables. More talk. The alien’s language! Their com network, though diminished, was still functioning and she had tapped in.
“Captain!” Cassie cried out, engaging the translator she planned to use on the prisoner.“I’ve got their coms! They’re weak but they’re coming through!”
“Good job,” Desmond replied.“Tell us what they’re saying as soon as you know.”
“Their formation is loosening up,” Zach said.“But I’m picking up an energy surge and they’re about in range.”
“Beat them to the punch,” Desmond replied.“Fire when ready.”
Cassie went back to her application, recording the enemy com chatter and pumping it through the translator. A meter appeared showing how long it would take to finish the process. Tapping her foot impatiently, she directed her attention to the drones, noting they did not pursue the enemy beyond the orbit of the planet.
The automated defenses engaged the various fighters still flying around but they weren’t leaving their perimeter. Perhaps they have a specific range from their platform before giving out? I hope there’s something to study when we’re done. All of this could be huge for our advancement but for now, we have to survive four to one odds.
Cassie sighed. I did not need to think about that just now.
Chapter 8
Dennis Arden performed a flip, gritting his teeth from the pressure the maneuver applied to his body. The enemy fighter on his tail nearly collided with a drone and had to pull their own wild move to avoid it. Without a firing solution, his opponent went low and banked, trying to get back on his six.
The squadron leader climbed and gunned the throttle, heading straight for one of the capital ships that was moving away from the planet. His wingman told him to jog starboard just before firing a barrage at one of the enemy ships. A flash lit up the space behind Dennis and his scan indicated he was clear of the attack.
“Thanks,” Dennis said.“I couldn’t shake him.”
“A drone took mine out,” Shane replied.“Corey’s down.”
Corey Parks, Mustang Six, had lost his fighter. Dennis saw he’d ejected but with those small crafts flying around, he may well have been killed. They wouldn’t know until the battle ended and considering what was going on out there, it didn’t look like it was slowing down. The Gnosis took out the biggest of the capital ships but there were four more.
And their victory required quite the concerted effort. The bomber squadron was now on its way to the platform supposedly controlling the drones. If they could stop those things from causing trouble, the fight would simplify considerably. Dennis took several volleys from the little bastards and though they didn’t have the power to take him out, they did some damage.
His left engine glitchedout twice but seemed to be back on track and one of his stabilizers nearly got him killed when it didn’t react instantly to a maneuver he needed. Luckily, his wingman had his back though he had to save Shane twice as well. Once from two drones attempting to ram him and another time from an enemy missile that nearly caught his tail.
They were able to shoot down the projectile ordnance so far but it was a risky trick to rely on. Dennis hoped Raptor would be able to join them but they were too heavily engaged with the orbital defenses that harassed the marine shuttles on their way down. They’d lost two ships during the fight and at least one of their pilots was confirmed dead.
Charger escorted the bombers so they weren’t able to come to their aid either. If anyone doubted the superior talent of human pilots, they wouldn’t after reading the after-action report from this conflict. Eighteen ships were more than holding their own against an overwhelming force. Academy pilots would likely study the battle for years to come.
If anyone was still alive to talk about it.
Dennis felt a surge of hope for a moment when his scanner brought back a lowball number of drones. Less than twenty-five left. Unfortunately, the platform deployed another fifteen before he could even mention their good fortune to the rest of his unit. Couple that with the fact they still faced eighteen alien ships and they were in a rough spot.
This is the fight that never ends!
Charger reported heavy combat and Dennis frowned at the scan data coming through. Two of their ships received heavy damage and a third reported a random malfunction not related to the fight at all. Their targeting computer went down completely and they were on dumb fire mode for as long as they remained.
Automated repair didn’t detect a problem so there was no fixing it mid-mission.
The Gnosis fell back from the major battle and brought the capital ships with it. This helped the fighters to not worry about turrets from the larger ships but it meant support was all that much further away. Dennis plotted a course back to them and noted it would take ten minutes at full throttle to catch up.
We’re on our own for a while.
Two enemy ships disengaged from their drones and headed off toward Charger and the bombers. Dennis directed Shane to them and they altered course to follow, dodging drone fire and the debris of other ships along the way. Their path took them through some of the wildest fighting in the combat zone and even with evasive maneuvers, they took a small beating.
Shields were down to fifty percent when they broke from the swarm of drones and they were close enough to see the heat coronas of the fighters they were after.“Charger,” Dennis said,“we’re coming up on your position in pursuit of two targets. Please be advised not to shoot us. We’ll be there momentarily.”
“Understood,” Jagerreplied.“We’ve got you on scans. Thanks for the assist. We’re almost to our destination.”
“Copy that.” Dennis engaged his ta
rgeting computer and let it try to get tone but it continued to go for something to the left. He told it what ship to aim for but it ignored him. Damn it, mine too? The glitch seemed isolated but to experience it on another ship made him suspicious. Was the enemy doing something or did they have a systemic problem?
He informed Shane of what was going on.
“What the hell?” Shane sighed.“Looks like Hal’s reporting the same problem.”
“It might end up happening to everyone if we’re out here long enough.” Dennis switched to guns and used his reticle. He had a firing solution so pulled the trigger. Chunks of metal dashed away from him but only a couple hit the enemy ship. I need to get closer. He increased throttle, his body pressed tightly into his chair.
“Mustang One this is Charger One,” Jager’svoice sounded strained.“Please refrain from guns. You are flying directly into our path right now.”
“Affirmative and sorry about that.” He switched back to energy weapons and redirected his course, moving so he’d be firing at an angle away from his allies. Shane did the same, lighting up his target with several beam weapon attacks. The shields flared and the ship veered off. They stuck with the last one.
Dennis fired again, this time scoring a shot. His opponent flipped on a dime and came flying straight for him. He had to dive to avoid a collision and his computer screamed out an alarm for proximity. The brief moment passed and his heart raced as the enemy tried to get a solution on him.
Banking hard to the left, he came around and they played chicken once more, this time with gunfire preceding them. The enemy’s beam weapon slammed into his shields, making the fighter shake but he scored a direct hit as well. Combined with his first assault, his target’s shields dropped and something orange started spilling from the right side.
The fighter headed off toward the capital ships when they saw the pilot eject. A moment later, the ship exploded in a spectacular fashion. His buddy was nowhere to be seen. He’d bugged out completely but that didn’t mean there weren’t additional targets. Charger was facing some heavy resistance still and since they were already there, Dennis and Shane jumped in.
Drones swarmed the area, putting them into a defense hell of crazy maneuvers and desperate shots.“We’ll fill in with you guys,” Dennis spoke to Charger.“Hopefully, we can get those damn bombers in position and get rid of these drones. There are fewer of the aliens now than us so they’re going to redirect their efforts.”
“Not for long,” Nolan Coplansaid.“We’re thirty seconds from our deployment. In a few minutes, I’m hoping to see a whole lot of drones floating around out here with no further guidance. Stay tuned, folks. There’s about to be a really big boom.”
***
“Enemies are opening fire,” Salina announced, still eternally calm.“Concentrated fire.”
“Evasive!” Desmond gestured at Zach. The pilot slapped the controls and a half moment later, the ship jerked hard during the maneuver, nearly tossing people from their seats. A tiny shimmer indicated a shield graze but the beams seemed to fly right by.“Damage report. What happened?”
“Reports of minor injuries,” Salina said.“Automated repair seems to have dropped offline when we pulled that maneuver but I’m rebooting it now. Should be back shortly. Other than that, we’re good.”
Desmond nodded.“Great work, Zach but we’re going to have a lot more of that. Open fire, everything we’ve got.”
Zach initiated an attack sequence, firing all their weapons at once. All at once, some of the lights dimmed temporarily and Desmond glanced back at Salina for an explanation. She held her hand up to buy a moment as she checked but meanwhile, the attacks found their mark, slamming into one of the smaller vessels.
Cassie took over for Salina,“Direct hit from the mass drivers, energy weapons and at least two of the missiles. It appears their automated defenses took down the rest of the volley. Their shields are… at… wow, thirty percent. They’ve experienced some hull damage from concussion. I estimate another solid hit like that would disable them at the very least.”
“Gottamove,” Zach grunted, working the controls like a concert pianist. The ship once again jostled the crew as it bolted to the side. This time, they didn’t evade all the attacks and the ship shook violently from another blow.“Damn it!”
“It’s okay,” Desmond said.“Focus and return fire. Take that ship out.”
“Minor damage in the hangar,” Salina said.“Medical is reporting more injuries. The lights dimmed earlier due to the way we’re manually regulating power to enhance the shields. If Nathaniel wasn’t massaging them, that last hit might’ve caused more damage. In fact, it would’ve likely impacted our maneuvering thrusters.”
“I’ll be sure to thank him later,” Desmond replied. He clenched his fists as Zach fired again, another full volley of everything they had. The lights didn’t dim this time but he heard a strange zap to his left, like an electrical spark going off.“Did you hear that, Salina?”
Salina tapped her computer and grunted in annoyance.“Navigation circuit was overloaded but it’s already switched to the secondary backup. I’m routing repair to the primary. Tertiary is still operational as well but I’d rather not rely on only one additional backup considering it’s the only thing keeping us mobile.”
“Direct hits,” Cassie announced.“Shields have dropped… engines are no longer operational. That ship is done!”
“Initiate thrusters,” Desmond said.“Full speed. Make us a moving target.” He turned to his own screen and looked over the environment. The planet was nearby and a single natural satellite orbited it nearby. Rocky debris hugged the moon, acting as a curtain. More than a hundred tiny asteroids remained close together, a tight group held firm by gravity.
“We are at full speed,” Zach reported.
Desmond hummed. He remembered something from the academy about targeting computers. They were fairly accurate and made combat a lot easier for the most part but they could get confused. Pilots flying smaller ships needed to take some manual control to pick their targets when more than one presented itself.
If they shared technology with the aliens, then there was a good chance they had similar limitations. The next decision he made might be the most dangerous but it would afford them a little breathing room in the fight with three other ships. Somehow, they had to even the odds without exchanging blows.
That wouldn’t work out long term.
“Set a course for their moon,” Desmond said.“Get us as close to those rocks as you can.”
“Sir?” Zach said.“Those things are pretty close together. They look small from here but according to my scans, they range in size from our fighters all the way up to a scout… vessel… ah…”
Desmond smirked.“Very good. I’m glad you worked that one out.” The ship shook from another blow to the rear.“Set course and get us there fast, if you please. We’re slugging it out right now but that’s not sustainable. We have to tip the odds somehow and giving them more things to shoot at seems like a pretty good idea.”
***
Heat prepared himself to take his shots at the shuttle, waiting for the word to go. The cannon annihilated a boulder nearby, shards of stone flying in every direction. Topper called out for his team to go and the three of them popped up, firing their weapons into the stationary space craft.
Shields began to glow, absorbing the weapon’s fire. Those are meant for ship to ship combat. There’s no way we’re getting through those with personal gear.
“Incoming!” Gillet shouted, gesturing behind him. Drones swooped in, strafing the ground around them before they could even move. High-pitched, rapid-fire blasts cut echoed off the rocks and distant cliffs. They didn’t stop with the marines, sweeping over the shuttle as well.“What the hell? Why’d they suddenly decide to come after us?”
“We must be a credible threat now,” Heat said. He got on the com.“Lieutenant, I recommend we fall back toward the facility and let these guys deal with the drones.�
�
The cannon went off again and the drones came around for another attack. Heat and his men had to give up their position as their cover was trashed. They made a low hop to the next embankment and away from the attack. Coms filled with static for a moment and when they came back, shouting filled his ears.
“Cut the chatter!” Heat shouted. It took a second time to get them to calm down. That’s when he noticed what had happened. Lieutenant Topper’s life sign was negative. His last position put him in the vicinity of the last turret strike. Private Wheeler was with him and had also been cut down.
God damn it!“Listen up. I’m marking a rally point and I want everyone to make their way their now. Go!”
Heat marked an area between the shuttle and the facility. He wanted to remove the threat of the aliens before dealing with the automated defenses but that didn’t seem practical. Besides, the drones were giving them cover now. They could focus on the primary mission and ignore the enemy.
It would’ve been better to just watch our backs and go forward. The Lieutenant got greedy attacking that shuttle. He wouldn’t voice the thought but it might come out eventually anyway. The post-op briefing would definitely delve into the decisions made on the mission and considering they had already lost two men, one an officer, meant scrutiny.
The men arrived within a few moments and they were clearly rattled. Heat needed to get them back on track and focused on an achievable task.“We’re going for the facility,” he said.“This is what to expect: a small technical and two turrets. The vehicle has beam weapons but the missile canisters are empty. The emplacements are still active.”
“What then?” Gilletasked.“Even if we take them all out, how’re we getting through the doors? And what if those drones come back?”
“They’re fast but our weapons can down them. I shot one when we were still on the shuttle.” Heat pointed at three men.“Dorian, Kelly and Bosh, you’re on air detail. The rest of you will on the lookout for alien interference while we try to get in the door. Those bastards are locked down by the drones right now but they won’t be for long. Any other questions?”
