Star Crusades Nexus: Book 05 - Prophecy of Fire

by Michael G. Thomas

  “No, listen to this!”

  “Earthsec Militia has been activated, and all units are to report to their local barracks.”

  The holographic image vanished, and a buzzing sound from the Commander’s aged datapad drew his attention to his thigh. The man lifted the unit, examined the display, and then placed it back in its small pouch.

  “As you can see, we are in a perilous situation out here, so far from the might and power of the Alliance. Governor Trelleck wishes to meet you both.”

  “Trelleck?” snorted Khan.

  “Yes, the Governor of Sol.”

  “Why?” Spartan asked.

  Commander Stanley grinned, but Spartan could see through his expression, and it was one of amusement, mixed with a little arrogance.

  “That is between you two and him. I suspect he wishes to seek your counsel with regards to these machines that have landed on Mars. You are the two most experienced warriors in the whole of Sol, after all.”

  Spartan watched Khan lift his right hand and instantly knew what he was going to do. Rather than let him get them both into serious trouble, he stepped in his friend’s path and nodded politely.

  “That makes sense. We have more than a little experience. Perhaps the Lieutenant could join us? He fought in the Uprising as well.”

  The Commander looked taken aback that Spartan had agreed so readily.

  “Of course, why not?” he said, slightly confused.

  After a short word with the officer, he moved back to the window, and the shape of Earth appeared once more. He seemed entranced by the shape of the object.

  “Earth is more than the home place of humanity, Spartan.”

  He looked back at the grizzled warrior and his monstrous companion.

  “It is the most important planet in the galaxy, and together we will return it to its position of preeminence above all other worlds.”

  Khan moved alongside them and looked out, just as the planet disappeared from view again.

  “So, we’re going to Earth?”

  Spartan took in a long breath and waited for the object to return.

  “It looks that way.”

  * * *

  For the first time in the battle for Eos, the sides were equal. Fourteen of the Alliance’s most advanced warships faced off against the deadly Biomantas of the Biomechs. Although they had moved past them on the first pass, this time would be different. As the ships altered course to move to a higher attitude, they effectively slowed to almost match the speed of the Biomech forces. From this height, the ships were now well away from the thin atmosphere of the moon and spread out in wide formations. As before, the Alliance forces were led from the front by the two massive Battlecruisers, with the remainder of the fleet drawn up into two columns behind each ship.

  The red nosed fighters accelerated to their maximum combat speed and set a direct course for the nearest of the Biomech warships. Super-heated flames roared silently from their twin engines in the coldness of space. Behind them waited the fleet and the dull orb that was the moon of Eos. Around them two Battlecruisers moved all remaining fighters from the fleet in large groups.

  “Now!”

  Captain Jim ‘The Hammer’ Evans hit the button on his fighter. Nothing happened to him, but all around them moved off the shapes of scores of shuttles. Every single one was empty and being operated by remote. He waited until the counter ran down to zero before tapping the next button.

  “Alpha group, with me!”

  He hit the boost control on his fighter and instantly felt the surge of power as he slid in the back of the fighter cockpit. His Lightning fighter was one of twenty similar fighters that covered the right flank of ANS Royal Oak. They rushed ahead, along with half of the other fighters toward the closing formation of Biomantas. Alpha Group included a small contingent of Maulers, as well as four shuttles equipped with missiles. It was an improvised force that increased the size of the fighter force by almost double.

  “Captain, flash message from Captain Harper. They are powering up their weapons.”

  “Affirmative.”

  The plan was rough at best, but he still remained confident it would work. They continued to push past the capital ships and on toward the force of Biomantas. Captain Evans looked at the schematic of the closing ships and smiled to himself at the sections indicating damage.

  Good work, guys.

  The earlier run passing their fleet had caused a number of casualties, but more importantly, they had raked every ship in their force before vanishing off around the moon. Only now did he realize quite how much damage they’d caused. According to the clock, he was just three minutes away from weapons range, yet he knew the Biomech ships could hit him the minute he came into sight.

  Why aren’t they firing?

  He looked at his fighter disposition once more, in case any had gone astray. The swarms of fighters were exactly where they should be, and the decoy shuttles were out in front. One light vanished on his screen, then another.

  There, they are taking the bait!

  He made direct contact to Captain Harper, his CAG aboard ANS Royal Oak.

  “Captain, they’ve started.”

  “Good work, you know what to do. The assault wave will launch as soon as you hit the first targets.”

  “Understood, out.”

  “All fighters, this is Alpha Leader, move into position!”

  It was a short yet simple command and was acted upon instantly. Groups of fighters broke away, setting course for their targets in the middle and rear of the fleet. Unlike before, fighters moved around the flanks rather than attacking directly. This simple change gave the capital ships a clear line of sight to the Biomantas for their surprise. Captain Evans couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing when the big guns started their bombardment. Unlike before, the particle beam emitters were being used on a much lower powered firing mode and in a more dispersed pattern, so they could deliver long bursts of energy. Rather than seeing substantial explosions on the targets, there were hundreds of much smaller flashes across half of the Biomanta fleet.

  That should keep them busy enough. Now it’s our turn!

  “All squadrons; start your attack runs.”

  The fighters moved closer and closer to the predatory Biomech ships. The shuttles were now almost all gone from the repeated defensive gunfire of the enemy vessels, and it was the turn of the actual fighters to take the damage. Two vanished in the first twenty seconds, and then the nearest ship was in range. Captain Evans targeted the damaged locations from the raking attack run and sent the data to his wingmen.

  “Fox One!” said the first of the pilots in the formation.

  It was a brevity code used to indicate the launch of a semi-active radar guided missile. First one missile launched, and then there were more than thirty, all of them heading directly for the Biomanta. Impacts from the particle beams caused continuous damage and scorch marks to the surface of the ship, and though half were shot down, at least a dozen struck in and around the damage already sustained. The fighters split apart as they traveled past the damaged ship.

  “Good work, Alpha Group, onto the next wounded bird.”

  * * *

  Jack gazed out of the window at the side of the Mauler with a look of stunned disbelief on his face. Many more craft moved with them, along with a much smaller group of Biomech fighters that struggled to keep up with the accelerating Alliance vessels. The mixture of marines, Jötnar, and Helion soldiers was bizarre but nothing compared to the look of joy he could see on Gun’s face. Jack’s body ached from the battle and the battering he’d sustained, yet even after all they’d been through, he couldn’t for the life of him see why Gun would be so happy.

  “Glad we got out of there?” he asked finally.

  “Huh?” muttered the battered Jötnar, “No, not much point in staying behind to die though.”

  Jack thought he could see something resembling regret on the warrior’s face. The craft shook violently, and the alert s
ensors started to blast. The interior speakers activated to the sound of a worried pilot.

  “We just took a major hit. The gun targeting system is offline. We need gunners!”

  Another impact shook the craft, and it lurched to the left before the pilot could right it. A patter of rain ran along the hull, a sure fire guarantee of gunfire hitting the thick armor plate.

  “She’s a strong bird,” said Gun with amusement while looking at the marines inside the craft. “Well, maybe somebody should get on them?”

  Jack and Callahan were the first to deactivate their clamps and fixed their straps to the rails overhead, in case another impact threw them about. A Navy crewman and a marine from another unit moved to the corners where small hatches led to the gunnery control turrets. Jack pulled himself to the rear starboard turret and clambered inside. The strapping was similar to the seating in the Mauler, and it only took a few seconds to get into position. The gunnery system was based on the tried and tested yoke system, but the computer system was offline.

  Great! What about the servos?

  He pulled on the yoke, and the entire gun turret mount to his side moved quickly and smoothly.

  Okay, that’s a start.

  The visual display system was also offline, so he pulled on the shutter lever and opened the plating. It revealed the view from the tiny array of thick transparent layers. They were protected from dangerous radiation, but even so were far less useful than using the conventional display system. In the center was a grid marking the angled and distances for type of ammunition.

  “Here they come, three targets, seven o’clock!”

  Jack swung the turret mount around to find him staring at a pair of Biomech fighters. Both flashed repeatedly as they fired bursts into the flank of the armored Mauler. Jack leaned a little to the left and pulled the trigger. The turret shook slightly, and the quadruple gun system released a cloud of hardened slugs at the attackers. The burst was way off.

  Come on, you fool. Hit them.

  He took aim once more, and just as one was about to move from sight, pulled the trigger again. This time a few rounds struck the fighter’s engine mount, and he cried out with satisfaction as it split apart into three large sections and vanished into the night.

  “Yes!”

  The other fighters disappeared from view, and the Mauler shook as yet more rounds clattered into her armored hull. Jack’s stomach turned each time they were hit, but none made it through, and he was able to take aim at another fighter moving in to launch a rocket at point blank range. This time he didn’t even have to lead the target, and it exploded into a thousand pieces as his hardened shells smashed into the engine and weapons of the fighter. Scattered debris clattered uselessly against the Mauler, and then they were free.

  “Good work, people. We’re in orbit. Now for the rendezvous.”

  The passengers cheered, but Jack remained silent. From his position, he had the perfect view of the Alliance fleet. The others might think the ships were waiting patiently for them, but he could see the reality. All around them were the vast shapes of cruisers and Battlecruisers intermixed with Biomanta warships. Fighters screamed about in all directions, and arcs of light flashed all about them. But it was not the ships or the guns that caught his eye, it was the explosion-riddled shapes of a dozen Biomech warships that he couldn’t believe.

  They fought them head-to-head…and survived? he wondered incredulously.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Particle beam weapons were finally used in open battle in large numbers at the battle of Eos. Although a tactical victory for the Alliance, the Biomech warships had demonstrated their parity with the Alliance in terms of firepower, technology, and tactics. For the first time, Alliance ships were able to deal with any foe on equal terms. The reality of these deadly weapons was that battle could be decided in minutes and at impossible ranges. Many predicted this would mean the end of kinetic weapons. Only the great struggle for Helios would answer that question definitively.

  Direct Energy Weapons – An Introduction

  ANS Conqueror shuddered as a massive volley of explosive shells slammed into her thick armor. The spaced plating did their work and absorbed a large amount of the impact before the damage spread inside the vessel. The weight of gunfire was beginning to show though, and her hull was pockmarked with a thousand small impact craters.

  “Roll her and present our underside!” snapped the XO.

  Admiral Lewis nodded with satisfaction. The ship was equally protected on all sides, and so far they been struck hard on the topside and right flank of the Battlecruiser. By performing a rotation, they would be able to move the fragile damaged sections out of the line of sight and place fresh armor to face the remaining Biomantas.

  “What’s our status?” he asked, though the tactical display showed him most of the data he needed to know. He just wanted to hear the words, to know from somebody else’s mouth that the battle was going the way it appeared.

  Lieutenant Vitelli highlighted the primary ships still involved in the main space battle before speaking.

  “Serenity and Olympus are gone, Admiral. The enemy is down to four of the Biomantas and the Ravager. The rest are heading to the surface of Eos in flames.”

  He should have been happy at the news, but he knew the captains and many of the officers on board those ships. Captain Alyani Tinychai of ANS Serenity had encountered the T’Kari Raider so long ago in T’Karan space, and now he was gone. Admiral Lewis could only hope against hope that enough of the crews had escaped before the ships finally blew. He was down to a dozen ships and nearly half of his fighters were either lost or had landed and were currently beyond repair.

  “What about the marine extraction?”

  “It’s done,” said a familiar voice from the side doorway of the CIC.”

  He turned to see the still armored form of General Daniels enter. He wanted to race forward to greet him, but that would have looked bizarre in the middle of a battle.

  “Great work, General.” It was the best he could manage while half of the officers in the room whooped with pleasure at the return of the officer. Right behind him followed a handful of marines, as well as Colonel Gun. All had removed their helmets or slid back their visors to reveal their faces. Gun could barely squeeze through the doorway and managed to tear a pipe off the wall as he moved inside.

  “What are your casualties?” asked the XO.

  The General shook his head bitterly.

  “You don’t want to know, Captain.”

  Lieutenant Vitelli highlighted the last four Maulers as they approached ANS Royal Oak.

  “Admiral, the last four birds will be aboard Royal Oak in less than three minutes.”

  “Good,” said the Admiral under his breath.

  He turned about and stared with his tired eyes at the moon below them. It was a place he’d never expected to see in his lifetime, yet alone fight a series of deadly battles.

  “Then it is time to leave this place.”

  “No!” called out one of the marines.

  Admiral Lewis was not accustomed to disagreement and looked about the group before spotting the man. He was lightly built, but the face and the eyes reminded him of somebody he knew well.

  “Morato?”

  “Private Jack Morato, Admiral.”

  “Spartan’s son?”

  Jack nodded.

  But there was no time for pleasantries, and he looked back at the tactical display showing the ongoing battle. It wasn’t necessary for him to micro-manage the action, but he was determined to maintain a firm grip on what was happening.

  “I want that carrier brought down.”

  He selected the Fleet-wide channel that connected to all captains and fighter controllers.”

  “Move the fighter squadrons in to protect the frigates and then bring down that carrier. All other ships are to eliminate the remaining Biomantas! I want this battle ended, and quickly!”

  Once the responses came in, he turned his at
tention back to the marines.

  “Private, you were saying?”

  Jack took a step closer to face him.

  “Admiral, a group of Khreenk assisted in the battle. They came back with us on the transports.”

  Admiral Lewis looked surprised and turned his attention over to General Daniels, who simply nodded in agreement.

  “And?”

  “Well, Sir, they said the Biomechs troops are only a short distance from the Helion settlements. Give it another hour, and they will leave the Fort and move on to the next target.”

  “Really, you know this for certain?”

  General Daniels walked to the tactical schematic and tilted it to show the surface of Eos. The main Fort was now completely red with smaller patterns around it. He slid it to the right and pointed at four green areas.

  “These are the nearby underground habitation quadrants and industrial sites. As we left, my drones detected elements from the Fort already moving away and heading for these locations.”

  Gun growled at this.

  “They’re screwed then. Two marine battalions couldn’t hold them back, and you saw how useful the Helion Army was.”

  The disparaging tone came over as more insulting than he may have intended, but it did its job. The imagery certainly supported the assessment of the marines, and the Admiral didn’t like it.

  “Assuming we can win this battle, there is nothing we can do to help them. I have orders for us to join the defense force around Helios at full burn with any ship that remains. How long would it take to take on and defeat the Biomechs on the ground?”

  General Daniels almost choked at that.

  “Defeat? They smashed us on our own ground. We could return and attack their forces in hit and run strikes, but that won’t help the Helions. We need to stop them decisively and in less than an hour.”

  He placed his chin in his hand, considering what they were telling him. He had a long-term requirement to assist at Helios, but the defeat on Eos was a stain upon the honor of the Alliance. Even worse than that, was the potential loss of the moon and all of its civilians.