Group Captain Li watched the destruction on the holostage of her command deck. The surprise attack was working so far, but she knew every Chitin craft within range would be forming up for a counterstrike. That strike could come at any moment.
“Send orders to the Scorpio. They can begin their landings. Let’s get this done and get out of here.”
Jack ran with 6th squad to the line of tactical landing ships. He ushered 6th squad into their boat and then followed them inside. The door closed behind him. He was buffeted about by the ungainly takeoff before he fixed himself into his alcove.
The TAC ship flew directly toward the moon’s surface. Cobra’s boats flew toward the western horizon. Only meters from the surface of Proxis, the boats turned toward their objective and raced along the moon’s surface. The craft landed roughly and the door crashed open. Jack was out of his alcove quickly and running toward the door, calling for 6th squad to follow.
The towering defense battery was just visible on the horizon. Jack had studied the maps of the area and knew the distance exactly. If he had been without his meat suit, it would take him thirty minutes to run that distance. His meat suit would allow him to move much more swiftly. He would be on the target in less than ten, pulse rifle range in five.
TAC ships were delivering the rest of Cobra Company to the landing zone. Griff walked out of a nearby craft, his name displayed over his shoulder on Jack’s enhanced data overlay.
Commander Griff took a few steps toward the distant defense battery, then sent a message over the meat suit’s communicator and called the squad leaders to him.
Jack ran over the moon’s jagged, glassy rock and came alongside Griff.
The distant battery lit up as massive gout of plasma was blasted into space and toward the orbiting carrier group.
“That battery is doing some major damage up there,” Griff said. “We move in. Spread out, move fast. Go.”
Griff moved off at a jog. Jack called 6th Squad to him and took up a position on the right flank of the advance.
The plasma cannon belched out another glowing orb of plasma that stretched into a teardrop shape as it raced toward its orbiting target. The muzzle of the cannon recoiled with the shot, the tip glowing orange. Its glow dimmed as the muzzle cooled. The cannon extended upwards and blasted another orb.
The flash of the Chitin defense cannon lit up his faceplate, temporarily blotting out his view. Stumbling over a jagged rock, Jack lost his running rhythm, but his suit compensated and steadied him.
His meat suit’s helmet display lit up red along the left side, a warning beep sounded, and Jack was suddenly surrounded by a hail of plasma spears. They slashed across the surface of the moon in front of him and behind him. They slammed into the Marines of first squad, who were advancing on the left flank.
Jack hit the ground and turned toward the incoming fire. Plasma spears flashed out of the darkness, their light flickering over the crystalline surface.
“Chitins,” Jack heard the panicked shout over his communicator. “Fall back. Fall back.”
Jack looked up as a Marine stood and began to back away. His pulse rifle at his hip, pulse rounds blasting out wildly at max rate.
“Get down,” Jack called out. A plasma spear slammed into the Marine’s suit, sending the soldier sprawling backwards. The pulse rifle continued firing, the rounds scattering wildly.
The plasma spears fizzed all around Jack, and he turned to face the fire head-on. Lying with his head toward the fire made him a smaller target and it allowed him to try and locate the enemy.
The plasma spear fire was coming from about one hundred meters away. Jack had been on the receiving end of Chitin plasma spears before, but there was something different about it this time. The spears seemed brighter and shorter, and they came at a much faster rate.
Jack crawled toward the spears, calling out to 6th squad to follow. In front of Jack, Marines were taking cover behind any small piece of black rock they could find. The spears slashed overhead and created a dizzying, dazzling light show. The prone Marines of Cobra Company were lit by a rapid, flickering deadly light.
Commander Griff was calling into his communicator to the company. “Awaiting intel update from Scorpio now. Hold position.”
A Marine climbed up to one knee and returned fire. His squad-mate pulled him back down to the ground. Both were hit, their pulse rifles useless in lifeless hands.
The new intel from the Scorpio was delivered to each Marine. A trench system, previously undetected, lay along the axis of Cobra’s advance to the defense cannon. The Chits were operating previously unknown rapid-fire plasma spear weapons all along the edge of the trench system. Cobra had walked right into a kill zone.
“We need to take that trench,” Griff began. A Marine, dazed by the rapid-fire spears, leaped to his feet and charged. Griff called for him to wait just as a number of spears tore through his suit, sending him sprawling, lifeless, to the ground.
“Hold, Cobra.” Griff’s voice was steady and calm. “Fall back. We assault the end of the trench line and work along the trench system. On my command.”
Griff got up on one knee, firing at the Chitin trench. He called as he fired. “Go. Go. Go.”
Jack was on his feet and running, the spears ripping through the dark all around him. He heard Marines getting hit and saw some fall. The number of plasma spears around him dropped, and Jack looked toward the Chitin trench line. They would have to move fast, but Cobra could take the trench. If they rushed the western-most gun at the end of the trench line, then they would take less fire than if they assaulted the trench face on. Once the first gun was taken, Cobra could work along the trench taking one gun at a time, instead of rushing the line and taking fire from however many of the damn things the Chits had.
Torent and Osho came alongside Jack. “Where’s the rest of Sixth?” he asked.
Osho pointed back with her rifle. “Terry took a spear. Bubble was dragging him.”
Jack opened a communicator channel to Bubble. Jack heard Bubble panting and mumbling and crying. “Report, Marine,” Jack said firmly.
“Terry’s hit.” Bubble’s voice was cracking under the pressure. “He’s out. I’ve got him. I’m falling back to the TAC boats.”
Jack scanned back along the kill zone in front of the trench and saw Marines scurrying back, crawling on their bellies to avoid the spears that slashed overhead or running in stooped positions.
“Commander Griff, come in, sir,” Jack called over the company channel. “Commander, come in.”
“I saw him firing,” Osho said. “He was giving fire, dropping to the ground, relocating, and then firing again.”
Jack scanned the kill zone. The Marines each had their identity tag displayed over them. He couldn’t see Griff.
Cobra needed to advance and Jack was in place to take them forward. He put out a company command. “We are going to assault that first rapid-fire plasma spear embankment, that kravin spitz gun. Rapid advance, fire and maneuver. Speed is the key, Marines. Let’s go.”
Jack was up and running toward the western-most point of the trench. The Chit spitz gun started up. Jack dropped to the ground and gave fire. Torent on one side, Osho on the other. Jack watched as remnants of 2nd and 3rd squad raced by. They dropped to the ground and laid down sustained fire. That was Jack’s invitation to get up and run. He was joined by members of 1st and 4th. They advanced another ten meters before dropping and laying down a heavy round of suppressive fire.
A lone 5th squad Marine ran forward with the remnants of 2nd and 3rd. They dropped, gave fire, and let Jack race forward again.
Now the fire from the spitz gun was coming from close range. Spears of deadly light flashed through the darkness, lighting up the shining shards of rock and the Marines with their busy pulse rifles.
Jack lay behind a very low ridge. It was not much of a defensive wall, but it would do for a moment to catch his breath. He fired blind, rifle over his head, pointing over the small rocky ridge
toward the Chitin line. The next wave of Marines came up and ran onwards toward the Chits.
Jack was getting ready to get to his feet, listening for the call from the forward fire team. A Marine dropped heavily to the ground next to him. The whimpering and spluttering from the Marine could only mean one thing: Bubble was back in the fight.
“Bubs, where’s Terry?”
The fractured voice was just clear enough for Jack to understand. “He’s wounded. His suit is giving first aid and taking care of him. He needs evac, boss. Commander Griff is wounded too. His communicator is knocked out and he’s supervising an evac point for the wounded.”
Jack looked back. Somewhere in the darkness was the commander and a bunch of wounded Marines. The Chitin fire had taken them by surprise and Jack knew many of Cobra Company were lost. They had already been undermanned, and now Jack wondered if they would have enough to take their objective.
“You okay?” Jack asked Bubble.
Bubble replied with a whimper.
“Good, let’s go.”
Jack climbed to his feet and charged forward, firing as he went. A spear sliced past Jack’s helmet, the flash temporarily blinding his right eye. He blinked and tried to restore vision. And then he saw, illuminated by the flashes, the rapid-fire plasma spear gun.
The spitz gun was mounted on a rotating base. Four spear launchers, much like the Chit soldier’s weapon, were mounted in two rows of two. A Chitin soldier stood behind it, turning it across the field of fire. Spears blasted from each launcher in a near constant stream.
Firing his pulse rifle at the mounted spitz gun, Jack advanced. The Chitin soldier turned the four launchers toward him as he came ever closer. The Marines rushed the gun, all firing. The Chitin fell away from the device. The gun went silent and fell into the darkness. The next gun along the trench was turned toward Cobra Company and spat out a fierce, flashing spread of spears. The spears exploded onto the glassy rock surface, spitting shards of rock from the impact. Jack tumbled forward, rolled over his shoulder, and dropped into the trench.
19
Pretorius watched the battle unfold on the holostage. Cobra was advancing slowly and had infiltrated a network of trenches defended by what the Marines were calling ‘spitz guns.’ They were defending the approach to the ground-based orbital defense battery and had slowed the Marine advance to a crawl. Boa was pinned down by a heavy fire from a similar trench and spitz gun network.
The main assault on the drydock was also advancing slowly. Too slowly, Pretorius thought. Major Cruz was halting the advance and sending scouts ahead to check for the spitz guns that Cobra and Boa had reported. Pretorius was a cautious leader himself, but he knew hesitation was as dangerous as recklessness. Cruz needed to go forward.
“Captain,” Commander Chou said. “Group Captain Li sent a fire order. A corvette scout has detected a swarm of Krakens incoming. They have Hydras with them. We are ordered to coordinate with the Pisces and the Aries and engage the Hydras. The fighters will handle the Krakens.”
Pretorius swapped the holostage view from the ground assault to the ships around Proxis. The distant swarm was closing in fast. A hundred Krakens with four Hydras in support.
“Bring the starboard battery to bear on the lead Hydra. Bring the laser coils to full power. Open fire when they are in range.”
Pretorius watched the mass of Chitin craft closing in. Aries and Pisces closed formation with the Scorpio.
“Open a channel to the Pisces and the Aries, Mister Chou.” Pretorius tugged his cuffs.
The images of Captains Baskin and Lauafa appeared on the fringe of the holostage. Pretorius kept his eyes on the image of the Chitin craft racing toward them.
“Captains, these Hydras are tough bastards, and we don’t have room for a hit and run battle here. We need to take them head-on. Concentrate fire on the lead craft. That’ll leave us one each. Take the nearest to you and kill it.” Pretorius glanced at his fellow captains.
“Agreed,” Lauafa said.
“Good luck,” Baskin added.
The Scorpio’s starboard batteries opened fire first and set a high-density field of kinetic shot on the approach vector for the lead Hydra. The Chitin craft, approaching in swarm formation, maneuvered around the deadly field. Several squadrons of fighters swooped in and ripped into the Chitin swarm, their forward lasers slamming into one Kraken after another, flank cannons flickering against the black backdrop of space.
The first Hydra to avoid the curtain of kinetic shot came into range of the Scorpio’s laser. The entire assembly on the upper and lower hulls burst to life. The laser connected with the first Hydra and the Chitin craft glowed under the assault. The lasers from the Aries and Pisces lit up and slammed into the Hydra, adding their power to the attack. The Hydra activated its focused plasma arc. It flickered across the space, twisting this way and that in a dazzling fiery arc, finally slamming into the upper port side of the Pisces, throwing up a shower of debris and fire.
The Pisces laser lost power, its beam dimming from a bright orange to a dull brown before terminating altogether.
The Hydra’s focused plasma arc activated a second time, briefly flicking toward the Pisces again before the Chitin craft gave in to the punishment from the laser assault. The composite shell cracked and the craft fell apart.
“Good shooting, sir,” Mr. Chou said excitedly.
“Target the closest Hydra. Hit them with everything we’ve got, Mister Chou.”
“Yes, sir,” Chou said excitedly. “Opening fire on them now, sir. Laser at full power. High-density shot cannon ready to fire. Giving them a salvo of high ex, sir.”
Pretorius watched the images from the battle flickering over the holostage. The Pisces was falling back to the cover of the Monarch’s guns. The Aries was slamming all its laser power into its target Hydra. It took a hit from a plasma arc and the upper hull assembly went dark. A moment later, the Hydra attacking it was destroyed in a brilliant flash.
Pretorius was suddenly thrown into the holostage. The lights on the command deck flickered and the holoimage blinked off for a moment before coming back to life.
“We’re hit, Captain.” Chou moved around the holostage and tapped on a damage control console. “We’ve lost one cannon from the starboard battery. The battery is still operational. Laser still active.”
“Keep firing. Everything we’ve got, Mister Chou.”
Pretorius watched with satisfaction as the Hydra that had hit them was destroyed, the Scorpio’s high ex salvo making contact and destroying the Hydra, already weakened by a sustained laser assault.
“Target the final Hydra and fire.” Pretorius watched as the Chitins came even closer. The Krakens were in a dogfight with the fighters from the Monarch, and several Krakens were chasing the limping Pisces. The Aries was firing on the last remaining Hydra, but was about to be attacked by a dozen Krakens.
“The Aries,” Chou said. “We should assist.”
“The Chitins are in too close to the Aries for us to give fire, Mister Chou.”
“Why aren’t they firing at the Aries?” Chou asked.
“They don’t want to destroy her.” Pretorius watched as the Krakens moved in, chased by a squadron of fighters. The Krakens attached themselves to the hull of the Aries.
“Send a message to the Aries, Mister Chou. Let the captain know they are being boarded.”
20
The trench was as deadly as the open ground it protected. Every twist brought the danger of running into a mass of Chitin soldiers. The spitz gun kept spitting out the flashing plasma spears that went slashing overhead. The Marines advanced, heads down.
Jack turned a corner and opened fire. The Chitin soldier waiting there was thrown backwards, staggering and stumbling under the pulse rifle fire. Another Marine stepped up next to Jack and added fire. The Chit fell. Dead.
“Keep moving.” Jack ran along the trench and leapt over the fallen Chit. A plasma spear flashed by his head and slammed into the tip of the trench
just a few centimeters from his head. “Keep moving,” he shouted again.
A Marine from 2nd squad caught up with Jack and ran ahead. The 2nd squad Marine shouted into his communicator. “Keep moving. Keep moving.” He ran around the next bend. Jack followed.
A spitz gun positioned in the trench filled the narrow trench with plasma spears. The 2nd squad Marine in front of Jack was thrown backwards, his suit blasted apart as the spears struck home. Jack frantically stumbled back and took cover around the corner.
“Hold,” Jack shouted. He held his hand in the signal for a halt, palm flat, fingers pointing upwards. “Hold,” he repeated.
The fire from the spitz gun stopped. Jack reached out for the fallen Marine to pull him back and out of the way. The spitz gun fired up immediately as Jack’s hand came around the corner.
Navidi came forward along the line of Marines in the trench. “What’s the holdup?” He crouched next to Jack.
“Spitz gun,” Jack said. “They’ve put it in the trench. There’s no way we can take it head-on.”
A Marine sitting behind Navidi held out an antimatter charge. “Set a short fuse and throw this,” he said, eager to move forward.
“No,” Navidi shouted and pushed the Marine and the charge back.
“That’ll take out the spitz gun alright, and annihilate the rest of us too. Put it away until we get to the defense battery.”
Jack glanced up to the rim of the trench, then looked down to Navidi. They nodded at each other.
“It’s the only way,” Jack said. He signaled his squad to him.
“I’ll go left,” Navidi said.
“I’ll go right.”
Jack gave his orders over the squad channel. Navidi did the same. Then Jack looked at Navidi.
“On three?” Navidi said.
And then together, Jack and Navidi counted to three.
Jack Forge, Fleet Marine Boxed Set (Books 1 - 9) Page 24
