Star Crusades Nexus: Book 05 - Prophecy of Fire

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Our status?” asked the Admiral, almost dreading to check.

  The XO had been in the middle of a discussion with Lieutenant Vitelli. He looked to the Admiral and pointed at the tactical display where it showed the green outlines of fourteen ships.

  “Admiral, all surviving ships are still operational. We have damage and casualties on all vessels, as well as significant fighter losses. The last volley damaged the aft emitter array as well as venting four more compartments.”

  He paused for nearly two seconds before adding.

  “Firing time and accuracy has been affected throughout the ship. Damage to power systems, infrastructure, and substantial crew losses are hurting us badly, Admiral.”

  “And them?” he said, pointing at the main screen.

  Both looked to the scattered wreckage of the sixteen ships that had been lost between the two fleets so far.

  “Our scans show no survivors, Admiral.”

  He could feel a sickness welling up inside his body at this news. The feelings of betrayal burned through his chest, and he found it hard to look at the screen. The battle had been shorter than he’d expected. Instead of the careful maneuvering and skirmishing, they had simply smashed through his lines and ignored the damage he’d inflicted. He closed his eyes for a second before the XO continued speaking.

  “The Biomech fighters are finishing off what the Biomantas started. It is a slaughter out there.”

  Every part of him wanted to slow the fleet and turn it around, but with a third of his forces gone, he knew it was suicidal. He had just fourteen ships remaining while the enemy still had seventeen of their deadly vessels in action. The near destruction of a single ship had been a great blow to him, but this was something else.

  What will force them back? They must have suffered as greatly as we did?

  “What about damage? The reports from the fighter wings must be in by now. How did they do?”

  Lieutenant Vitelli moved his hands in front of the tactical display to bring up a series of schematics that showed both the ships of the Alliance fleet as well as those in the enemy fleet. Columns of data ran underneath each one showing size, mass, specification, and damage.

  “All but one of their ships sustained damage, and according to the reports from Captain Evans, they were able to destroy at least three of the emitters on the remaining ships.”

  Interesting, thought Admiral Lewis. Is that enough?

  “What is your assessment, Lieutenant?”

  The man rubbed the back of his hand on his chin twice before answering.

  “If these reports are accurate, then they will have a fleet of roughly comparable size to our own and with similar capabilities. Even their fighter numbers are not so far off ours.”

  Admiral Lewis didn’t like what he had to say, but it was as expected.

  “So if we return to battle, we can expect what?”

  He knew the answer but asked anyway.

  “Well, our newer ships are undoubtedly able to match them, ship to ship. The older Crusader class is having trouble causing enough damage before being hit by their weapons. We have found no command ships of any kind though. The fleet operates like a single living organism that reacts and improvises instantly.”

  Admiral Lewis shrugged.

  “That is something for us to consider for the future. All we can do right now is engage them with whatever weapons we have at our disposal. Why are they taking so long to destroy? Every time we damage them, they should lose a degree of effectiveness, just as we do.”

  He gazed at the previous images of the enemy ships. The shapes were almost beautiful to look at. The metal hulls were sleek, and the wide wings gave the impression they could glide through space like fish in the deep ocean. The human ships of the Alliance were the exact opposite. Their outer hulls had more in common with the brick shapes of twentieth century warships, with their thick armored belts, layered sections, and complex superstructures. The different in quality and technology was becoming more apparent, at least to him. He pointed at the Biomanta.

  “Do you know why this isn’t happening?”

  Vitelli rested his chin in his hand and nodded.

  “I have an idea, and it’s our scans of their armor that concerns me the most.”

  “How so?”

  Lieutenant Vitelli tapped the nearest Biomanta, and it enlarged to fill half of the tactical display. The name was certainly apt, as it looked surprisingly similar to the ancient Earth fish. He pointed at the central structure.

  “We are not detecting any form of individual life reading in this structure.”

  Admiral Lewis looked confused for a moment.

  “I don’t understand. You said our sensors detected life aboard them?”

  Vitelli nodded furiously.

  “Yes, but that was not entirely accurate. If you look at the data, it is clear these ships are nothing like we’ve seen before. I very much doubt they are conventional ships with AI Cores controlling them. It is something else.”

  He paused as if expecting the others to need a moment.

  “These ships, they are partially or entirely organic. The living tissue is built directly into the spacecraft itself, with mechanical components fused over the surface.”

  Admiral Lewis lifted both of his hands in protest.

  “Wait...no, wait a minute. You’re saying these ships are alive?”

  “Yes, Admiral.”

  The rest of the officers continued moving about their business, but Admiral Lewis stood in silence as he digested the information.

  “Very well, let’s assume these ships are biological. How does this help or hinder us?”

  The tactical officer did his best to hide the look of pleasure on his face.

  “Well, if their ships are biological, then their strengths and weaknesses are based on this.”

  “Well?”

  He spun the model of the Biomanta about.

  “These ships have hollow sections in their wings. We suspect these are for launching fighters and possibly for the storage of ground forces. The central section looks primarily mechanical, with biological elements like a spine running through the center.”

  “I still don’t see how this helps us.”

  Admiral Lewis looked to his XO, but Captain Marcus seemed equally uncertain.

  “Admiral, they have two potential weakness. The first is against weapons designed to kill or confuse biological matter. The second is they have no biological crew.”

  “Neutron missiles,” said the XO under his breath, “they’ve been abandoned since before the Great War. Would they even work? Our ships have been fully shielded against all levels of harmful radiation. The reinforced and shielded interior bulkheads of our ships stop them from penetrating even a few sections.”

  None of them seemed to understand quite what the tactical officer was getting at, all of them except General Daniels who had been listening intently. He nodded in agreement as Lieutenant Vitelli continued.

  “If we can get neutron weapons aboard, we could detonate them inside their shielding and damage or kill the biological components of their ships.”

  Admiral Lewis finally smiled at this news.

  “Wait, are you saying we could make use of our Enhanced Radiation ground strike missiles? What if they use layered armor, like on our ships?”

  “It’s true,” the XO answered. “The reason we don’t bother using them in combat anymore is because of the layered armor and shielded compartments. Even multiple impacts can only kill off parts of the crew in small areas. It’s usually better to make use of micro-atomic warheads to vaporize sections.”

  Admiral Lewis had already thought on it, and his creative solution surprised even him.

  “So, if we can open up hole in the hull of these Biomanta ships and insert neutron weapons, you think they could cause more damage than conventional weapons?”

  The tactical officer smiled as he nodded.

  “Exactly, Admiral, but it won’t be easy. Aft
er the second fighter attack, they pulled back their fighters to defend against missile and torpedo strikes.”

  He brought up the battle schematic that showed the fighter attacks. Just as he’d explained, the follow-up waves had experienced substantial fighter defenses before finally falling back to the fleet. He pointed back at the center section of the warship.

  “According to my data, however, their behavior and ability to repair damage, suggests a mixture of mechanical and biological to a level we have never seen. By severing the link between the component parts, we could weaken or possibly destroy them.”

  Captain Marcus pointed at the main display that showed the ever-shrinking site of the previous battle.

  “Admiral, are you planning on returning to the fray?”

  He shook his head.

  “No, not unless we have to. Even so, we have marines down on the surface, and they may need our help. We’re safe for now, providing nothing in their fleet changes.”

  General Daniels seemed to appreciate this comment as he waited there patiently. The mention of the fleet being safe allowed him to focus on the efforts of his marines on the surface, as opposed to those still in the fleet aboard the capital ships.

  “General? What about your people, is there any news?”

  He shook his head and stepped closer to the tactical display. With a brief hand gesture, he changed it to show the moon rather than the ships. The tactical officer almost protested, but the Admiral moved his head, indicating him to move out of the General’s way.

  “The first wave of spacecraft are already on their way down. We expect them to make landfall in the next ten minutes.”

  “I see,” said Admiral Lewis.

  He looked to the other officers waiting around them, including the small cadre of senior officers from the marines, as well as those responsible for the management of his Battlecruiser.

  “We may have failed in the space battle to keep the Biomechs away from Eos, but the fight is far from over. In a matter of minutes, they will land on the surface of this very moon, and for the first time will face the wrath of the Alliance Marine Corps.”

  General Daniels smiled at these words, but it was a grim smile, not one that seemed to share the Admiral’s optimism. Instead, he looked back at the display and at the three bases on the moon. Around them were the blue and green lines that indicated interception vectors for drones and fighters. Intermixed with them were scores, perhaps hundreds of ships, and they were all heading toward the ground at great speed. A number of red icons flashed about the display to mark the opening shot of the battle as Alliance fighters swarmed about the landers. He looked to the Admiral with a nervous but determined look to his face.

  “Admiral, the Battle for Eos has begun.”

  * * *

  “They are through the fighters, impact in thirty seconds!” shouted out one of the many officers in the command post.

  Gun waited in front of the large tactical display table and watched as scores of shapes moved in around their position. The majority fell in a wide pattern while a small number came down directly on the base itself. Gun tapped a button on the unit.

  “This is Gun. The enemy is upon us. Stand your ground. There is nowhere to hide on this rock. Fight well...and die well!”

  Jack looked at him whimsically as he said the last words. They were typically excessive, and he wondered quite how many of the Alliance personnel would appreciate his attitude toward the coming fight.

  “Listen to your unit commanders...and good hunting!”

  He removed his finger and tapped the button on his JAS unit to seal the visor around his helmet before looking to the marines around him.

  “My friends, this is going to get rough. Get ready!”

  Jack and the others did the same and sealed their visors and then grabbed their weapons. Everybody inside the command center did the same. Even the computer operators who would have little to do in the actual ground combat once it got underway. The first impact knocked them all off their feet, but it was the second that collapsed the roof and left wall. Chunks of masonry dropped down and would have crushed Gun if it hadn’t been for his toughened armor. Clouds of dust from the surface of the moon washed about them, scouring the paint and electronics of the command center in seconds.

  “Take cover!” growled Gun in a low voice.

  Already the dust was clearing to reveal the dark shape of one of the burning hot landers. It had crashed through the top of the building and then continued on another fifty meters before halting in the side on one of the many hangars. Five Vanguards moved into a loose skirmish line just outside the damaged structure, while a trio of black armored Jötnar smashed their way through the shattered wall to reach Gun. One nearly cast Jack aside to reach him, showing little interest in anybody else inside.

  “Colonel, are you unhurt?” asked the first of them.

  It was the first time Jack had seen this special Jötnar unit in their black colored armor. He was intrigued to see they bore the symbol of a burning sun on their chests, a symbol that was surprisingly similar to the insignia of the Helions.

  Hyperion, he said to himself.

  The nearest heard him and turned to look at his face. It took a brief moment before the warrior recognized his face, though it was impossible to see inside the thickened armor of the Jötnar.

  “Jack…Jack Morato?” he said in an odd, slightly low-pitched voice.

  A series of dull explosions shook the ground, stopping any further discussion. Gun stepped up to the ruined inner wall and looked out at the landers as a dozen managed to make it inside the Fort.

  “This is it,” he said calmly to himself.

  The sky filled with hundreds of smoke trails as many more came down outside the base or were attacked by the Alliance fighter squadrons circling overhead. More landers crashed into the ground while the marines streamed out from their hardened barrack buildings and into their prepared positions around the base.

  “Follow me!” growled Gun.

  He stomped through the debris of the collapsed wall and moved to the unit of Vanguards while his personal guard unit followed right beside him in their black armor. All five Vanguards were blasting away with their armor mounted L48 rifles. Jack climbed past several large chunks of masonry and nearly halted at the sight in front of him. Thick columns of smoke rose from where the landers had crashed in the middle of the group of landing pads. One came in too steeply and vanished in a bright fireball, instantly destroying a second lander that had already made it to the surface. More came down and landed or crashed in the open ground opposite the hangars and barracks used by the marines. Jack could see them sliding and running as they rushed to their defenses.

  This is insane.

  Jack looked down at his carbine, checking once more that it was loaded and ready for combat. He sensed he would need it soon. Each of the craft appeared to be almost double the size of an Alliance Mauler, and all had embedded their forward structures directly into the ground. Middle sections of the nearest of the landers opened like the petals of a flower in just a few seconds. Jack couldn’t see inside, but he had no problem identifying the shapes storming out from the craft itself. Sparks flashed about its metal frame as dozens of warriors leapt from the openings and down to the surface.

  Biomechs!

  He took aim at the nearest and pulled the trigger. The power of the triple charge burst through the chest armor of the closest of the creatures and dropped it to the ground. It looked similar but not identical to the images of the creatures back in the Uprising. This one move upright like a man, yet it seemed larger, at least two meters tall, thickly muscled, and protected by a metal skin of armor that appeared fused to the body. The heads were hidden inside dull iron helms that looked black in this particular light. They moved with an odd gait that marked them out as some butchered creation, a monster bred for death and war. They carried no weapons, save for the sickening blades built into their arms that extended out half a meter.

 
The small unit of marines took cover amongst the rubble near the Vanguards while the Jötnar grouped around Gun. As usual, the senior commander was at the front, and they almost had to hold him back to stop him rushing into the fray. Riku took careful aim and removed the head from another, yet dozens more came out.

  There must be fifty or sixty in each of those things, Jack thought.

  He did the math quickly in his head, and the numbers instantly sent a chill through his body.

  Over seven hundred! And that’s just the ones that made it inside the compound!

  The enemy had fanned out now, with most heading for the hangars and parked fighters. A group of perhaps twenty moved toward Gun and the ruins of the command bunker. Out in the distance, legions more of the enemy surged into the Fort, fighting at close range with the defending marines and their Helion comrades.

  “Put them in the ground!” Gun ordered.

  The combined fire of the Jötnar, Marines, and Vanguards was impressive, and half of the Biomech creatures were cut to pieces before they could reach them. Even so, those still standing, crashed toward them with no care for their own lives. The Vanguards stood their ground, but Gun and his bodyguards lurched ahead and into the face of the enemy. Alliance metal clashed with Biomech blades in something that resembled a medieval battle. Though outnumbered two to one, the Jötnar were substantially stronger and heavier built. They crashed their armored bodies and scythe-like blades into the things. In seconds they had maimed or killed every single one of them. Gun finally turned around to look at the marines.

  “That’s one lot dealt with, now for the rest!”

  He turned back and moved toward the hangars where scattered groups of marines held off the waves of creatures with careful volley fire. It took less than thirty seconds to cover the ground. Gun was at the rear of the Biomech horde before they even realized he was there. Then his bodyguards joined in, quickly followed by the Vanguards. Lieutenant Elvidge slid down next to a wrecked Lightning fighter and slammed in another clip. Jack, Callahan, and Riku stayed close beside him.