Gnosis: Legacy War Book 1

by John Walker

  Dorian hummed.“If they bring that shuttle with them, we’re going to be in a rough spot. Especially with Bosh down.”

  “Not when Raptor gets here.” Heat pulled up the pilots on his com.“Raptor One, this is Sergeant Heathrow on the surface. We require immediate and continuous air support. Do you copy?”

  “This is Flight Leader Dimitri Gerrit. I’m afraid we lost Raptor One. We’re on our way and should be over your position in the next couple minutes. Hold tight.”

  “There you go,” Heat turned to the others. He raised Vine next.“Drones are offline. Anything preventing you guys from getting your asses over here in a hurry?”

  “No, sir. We’re on our way.”

  “Everything’s coming together. Time to wrap this up and go home, guys.” Heat turned and started down the tunnel.“Just follow me.”

  ***

  “Drones are down,” Vincent reported aloud.“Rhino took down the platform and we’re receiving reports that the drones are no longer fighting. They’re just… drifting out there. We did it!”

  “Hold off on that,” Desmond replied.“Zach, get us back to orbit. I want a full report from the marines. If they need help, we’re finally in a position to give it.” He turned to Cassie.“Did you help them get through the door?”

  “It was opening,” Cassie replied.“But then we got into the final brawl and I lost contact with the surface. Too much interference. When we get closer, I’ll definitely be able to check. I’ve got the protocols for their HUDs still.”

  Desmond leaned back in his seat and turned to the damage report. Nathaniel was estimating three days of repairs before they could leave the system. Supplies would easily hold for another month and longer if they took to rationing. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Earth would assume they were dead after a week.

  “Congratulations, sir,” Vincent said, keeping his voice low.“That was an insane battle and you pulled it off.”

  “I wouldn’t have even tried it if the planetary defenses hadn’t already beaten down our opponents. Hell, we would’ve shown up to find ten of them here… or worse, they would’ve already looted the Orb and been gone.” Desmond shook his head.“Frankly, I feel like I got lucky. It does seem that our focus on military tech won the day.”

  “At first, I considered their tech better but now I’m leaning toward simply different.” Vincent shrugged.“Charger squadron reported some straggler fighters but they’ve been dealt with. We lost a couple of ships as well. I’m compiling the casualty reports now and should have them in the next half hour.”

  “Thanks,” Desmond said. He looked at the view screen at the fast approaching planet.“When we arrive, have another shuttle deployed with marine reinforcements. They can help mop up and finish this op up. Allocate all available resources to repairing the ship. Get some strict adherence to shifts though. Exhausted people make mistakes.”

  “They’re going to be motivated.” Vincent started tapping on his screen.“Everyone will want to go home.”

  “That’s why it’ll be our job to temper their enthusiasm.” Especially considering the cargo we’ll have. I’m pretty sure that’ll raise tensions a bit. Considering what these aliens were trying to do to get it, I’m feeling a little twitchy about bringing it on board as well. Or taking it home. We were a target worthy of a split attack before but with two?

  Desmond shook his head at the thought and forced himself to consider the rest of the current operation. They had enough going on without worrying about the future too. He’d have plenty of time for that on the ten hour trip home and after everything he saw, he’d have a lot on his mind indefinitely.

  Chapter 10

  Heat led the way into the hallway, moving to the left the moment he passed the fallen doors. The smooth floor was shiny and scans identified it as a type of manufactured metal. Light barely touched the apex of the arched ceiling, which towered nearly two stories above them. Whatever they needed to get inside that place must’ve been massive.

  The hallway went on for nearly three hundred yards with the first set of doors fifty yards from the entrance. They’d have to cross the distance without cover but if something happened, there was enough height to make a hop possible. Heat set the doors as the first rally point and ensured his guys knew to stagger their line by ten feet, on the left and right.

  Hugging the wall, his scanner picked up motion through a set of doors at the end of the area. Beyond that, a massive energy reading emanated from the center of the complex, which seemed to branch off a mile in each direction under the rocks. According to the scans, two main hallways made a plus sign in the middle and smaller corridors branched off.

  If it was anything like Gamma Alpha, many of the rooms would be for research. Various offices would make up the rest along with lab space for researchers and technicians. He imagined the place used to be bustling with people all intent on devouring the knowledge they gathered from their Orb.

  The lack of life made the place feel eerie, like an abandoned tomb.

  “Sergeant Heathrow, this is Commander Bowman.”

  “Go ahead,” Heat replied.

  “I’m checking in. How’re things going down there?”

  “We’re inside the facility marching toward the largest energy reading. I suspect it’s their Orb. Be advised, there is an alien presence in here. They seemed to get the door open before we got inside.”

  “Okay. You’ve got some reinforcements on the way. They’ll touch down shortly.”

  “Sounds good. Thank you, sir.” Heat nearly reached the doors.“Is there anything else you need?”

  “No, go ahead.”

  “Thank you.” Heat set the connection to stand by and paused at the door, looking it over for any means of opening it. There wasn’t a panel or any other protrusions indicating a method to access it so he continued down the line. They didn’t have time to investigate anyway. The enemy still represented a credible threat to mission success.

  Unless Charger took out their shuttle. Then the fight would essentially be over. The marines could sit back and starve them out if they had to. However, Heat fully intended to take the facility by force. No one knew how far away their base of operations might be. They could have reinforcements already on the way.

  Moving further down the hallway, a firefight broke out up ahead. Someone shouted and a moment later, an explosion shook the floor. Heat scanned the area, specifically looking for a report on the structural integrity of the facility. He didn’t want to be buried alive in there but it came back showing they weren’t in any danger.

  The place appeared to be built to withstand a serious bombing and even though it must’ve been ancient, something kept it up. Whatever robots maintained it were doing a fantastic job. Dust clung to the walls but the bones of the building remained strong. The notion of these automatons working after the end of the world felt eerie.

  Everyone’s dead but their legacy lives on in this monument to their technical successes.

  “Contact!” Gorman kept his voice low despite the fact his helmet obscured his speech.“Non hostileI think.”

  A figure slipped out of the door at the end of the hall, watching behind him. He didn’t notice the marines until he’d taken a good ten paces. They aimed their weapons at him and when he turned around, a cry of surprise tore through him and he threw his arms in the air and dropped to his knees.

  “You… You are…” His English was heavily accented but easy enough to understand. His dark hair was cut short and his blue eyes seemed to glow in the low light. He was slight of frame, wearing a blue jumpsuit like the other aliens they’d encountered.“You are humans, yes? Soldiers of Earth?”

  “Who the hell are you?” Heat asked.“Are you surrendering?”

  “Surrender…” The word didn’t immediately register but when it did, his eyes widened and he nodded.“Yes! I… Well…I was a prisoner of the Tol’Anbut I’ve escaped! They’re pinned down, battling the turrets in an attempt to take the Trindisha. I very much suspe
ct they will lose that fight.”

  “You didn’t answer my first question.”

  “I’m… in your tongue… hm.” The alien looked down in thought.“Ah! I am a Doctor. Researcher. Studier. Um… my name is Thayne Rindala.”

  “And why did these people capture you?” Gorman asked.“Or… whatever they did to bring you here.”

  “I am an expert on the Trindisha. I’ve dedicated my life to their study. I discovered the hive connectivity of them, how they communicate with one another and through that, I was able to determine their locations all across the galaxy. The Tol’Anhave been searching ever since but they are dangerous!”

  Heat narrowed his eyes.“The ones outside won’t be anymore. I’d like to believe your story but I’m afraid we’re going to have to restrain you until you can be questioned.”

  “This I understand, much as I find it… um… regrettable? Yes. That is the word.” Thayne held his hands out.“Please… just keep me away from these fiends. They are murderers and worse! They must be stopped.”

  “Yeah, we intend to do just that.” Heat gestured to the Doctor.“Gillet, take care of him. The rest of you come with me.”

  They advanced down the hallway past the doctor while Gillet cuffed him. The door remained open from where Thayne came from and they peeked in. Whatever fight was going on had stopped and a body sat not five feet away, lying on its back. Other Tol’An agents were blown to pieces here and there, making the scene absolutely ghoulish.

  “What the hell did this?” Heat shouted back at Thayne.“What’re we about to walk in on?”

  “Automated defenses… turrets in the ceiling and there was a robot vehicle in the center of the room but it has been dispatched. I think, at least. I broke free and ran as quickly as I could.”

  “Lovely.” Heat sighed. He tried to scan the room but didn’t come up with anything hostile.“I’ve got nothing. Gorman?”

  “Same. Whatever’s in there is obscured by some kind of interference.”

  The energy readings from what Heat assumed was the Orb started to mess with their instruments. It would only get worse before it got better. A distant rumble represented a ship coming close. There were too many options for who it could be so he brought everyone up on the com to ask.

  “Who’s here?”

  “Our shuttle’s arrived with Vine and Anderson. Raptor’s also overhead now. We have air superiority.”

  “Thanks.” Heat cast his gaze about the room, trying to determine where the turrets might fire from. The bodies had been blown to pieces so finding a specific vector was difficult. Without scans, he couldn’t be certain either way and there weren’t any holes in the floor. Only the bodies took the damage.“We have to draw some fire.”

  “I’ll do it,” Gorman said.“I can get across that room in a hurry and there appears to be cover on the other side.”

  Indeed, the room itself was mostly wide open but there were a few panels of what appeared to be computers here and there. If one hurried, they could get to the other side and press themselves against one of the metal cabinets. However, without knowing where the turrets were, it would be difficult to find protection there.

  Heat said as much.

  “What do you want to do then?” Gorman asked.“We have to get through here somehow.”

  “Why didn’t you guys hack these things?” Heat shouted back again.“You got through the door readily enough.”

  “These are… How do yousay…” Thayne really struggled to find the words.“Grid hop? Um… Independent? No, no… Oh! Off the grid! They are not on a network. They cannot be accessed remotely and their control systems are hard-coded into the devices. Only the original operators can get through their defenses.”

  “Why?” Gorman asked.

  “Because they would have some kind of friendly beacon to keep them safe.”

  Gilletshoved past them and hurried into the room before Heat could stop him. Turrets from the four corners popped up and began shooting at him. He hopped about, using his jump jets in short bursts to increase his mobility. Heat was right about the cover, it wouldn’t help and after a quick hop around the entire room, Gillet came back out the door.

  The gunfire stopped.“There,” Gilletsaid.“You know where they are now.”

  “Great work.” Heat whacked him on the shoulder.“Not exactly what I was hoping but I guess I appreciate it.” He turned to the others.“We know what to shoot now so I guess we do another hotfoot routine and take them out. I’ll mark targets on your HUD and you guys start shooting. We need to make short work of these for whoever’s out there.”

  “I’ll do it again,” Gilletsaid.“I’ve got the lay of the land… so to speak.”

  “You’re crazy,” Gorman replied.“But good luck, man.”

  “Just don’t miss.” Gilletdrew a deep breath.“Here I go.”

  Heat aimed at the far side of the room on the left. Gillet dashed forward and the turrets dropped again, unleashing a torrent of fire after him. The marines battered at the emplacements but by the time Gilletwas nearly around the room, they didn’t seem to do any appreciable damage.

  “Cease fire!” Heat shouted, giving Gilleta chance to duck back into the room.“That… didn’t work.”

  “So glad I went out there then,” Gilletpanted.“What’re we going to do? There’s a bunch of bodies in there… Looks like they tried to take these things down with force too. Also, I think I got hit on the shoulder…”

  Heat checked him over and there was a black mark where one of the energy blasts struck him along the way. At such close proximity, scans worked to indicate that the armor was still fully functional. It must’ve been a graze. He stepped away.“You’ll be fine. You don’t even need repairs.”

  “We can try rockets,” Gorman said.“I’ve got two left.”

  “Anyone else?” Heat asked. No one spoke up.“I don’t think this is a brawn situation. We need to figure out how to shut these things down, even if that involves busting some power lines or something.”

  A low hum came from the opposite side of the room, like a motor whirring up. They aimed their weapons through the door and Heat tried to scan it. Interference made it impossible and he cursed, contemplating their next move. Whatever that is won’t be good and if we can’t get by these damn turrets, what’s next? Go around?

  A wheeled robot rolled into the center of the room and began to police the alien bodies. Heat exchanged a look with Gorman who shrugged.“What the hell is that thing going to do with them?”

  “Recycling, I believe,” Thayne said.“It makes sense given the surprising lack of vermin and other creatures in this facility. We didn’t find any organic tissue in the area so we assumed they must keep the place very clean. Sterile in fact.”

  “Lovely…” Heat hummed.“We need another way around.”

  “We couldn’t get through that door thing,” Gilletsaid“No panels.”

  “Wait!” Thayne called out.“I can get you through the access ways. There’s a trick to it, you see.”

  “And can we get to our destination through there?”

  “Yes,” Thayne replied.“The complex passages link up and form a continuous path. There’s no incomplete paths. Er … You call them…um…dead ends! That’s it. Please, assist me with getting there. I will help.”

  “Release him,” Heat said.“He’s unarmed and wants to help, let’s give him the chance.”

  Gorman didn’t seem particularly pleased at the prospect but complied, helping the doctor up and taking the restraints off. The man immediately hurried over to the door they passed and swiped his hand along the edge of it. A square that had looked just like the wall began to glow green and Thayne drew a couple of symbols on it.

  When he finished, the door slid open and he stepped back.“There you are. This is a normal office. The place we were attempting to cross was a major control room. You should not encounter any stationary defenses but there may be additional automated response units. We did take care of one outside before making
the dash in.”

  “How did you avoid those turrets at the door?” Heat asked.“They popped up the second we got too close.”

  “I figured out how to spoof them but it was too late for some of the Tol’An. They were overly eager to get at the door, despite my warning.” Thayne frowned.“In any event, we should be able to advance now. Shall we get to the Trindisha? I’m of the opinion all of us would like to leave this very dead planet.”

  Heat stepped up and checked inside, noting there was nothing but a desk and another door within. He walked in and moved to the other side of the room. The door slid open as he approached, revealing a slightly larger office with more desks and a couple of blank monitors hanging on the walls.

  “There are computers in here,” Gorman said.“Hey, Thayne, do you think you can access them? Shut down the turrets or any other automated defenses?”

  “That might be a good idea,” Thayne said.“The Trindishawill not fit through these doors. We’ll need access to the control room so we can get it out of here.” He approached one of the desks and started tapping away at the surface. It lit up, coming alive as he worked.

  Heat marveled at how the previous race that lived there used their technology. Common surfaces became interfaces, saving space and resources. He wondered how it worked but his curiosity was idle at best. Humanity might well have already been able to do such a thing but it made it no less interesting.

  “Oh dear,” Thayne said.“It seems that they truly wanted to keep that device here.”

  “What’s wrong?” Gorman asked.“What did you find?”

  “It seems that the automated defenses are the least of our problems at this time. They have a countdown… Aum…device…explosive? Is that what you call destructive items?”

  “Wait.” Heat joined him.“You’re talking about a bomb. Where is it?”

  Thayne gestured around him.“This facility, the entire building, it seems they’ve set it up to be quite the destructive device. If what I’m reading is accurate, then when it unleashes its fury, this will be a mighty crater. Large enough to be mistaken for a meteor strike of enormous magnitude.”