Orion – The future?
Jack and his five surviving comrades worked their way back through the rubble to find Lieutenant Elvidge being lifted onto a stretcher. An automated Ram lowered itself into position just four meters away and deployed its turret weapon system to provide covering fire. Private Riku waited alongside the shattered barracks wall with her heavy L48 rifle pointing toward the northern wall. Small groups of marines ran to the defenses with extra weapons and ammunition. Jack slid on the rubble, stopping next to the stretcher.
“Lieutenant?” he asked, but there was no immediate response. He twisted around to face Riku.
“How is he?”
A triple thud from a nearby mortar battery shook the ground, but Jack barely even felt the impact as he moved to the right-hand side of Lieutenant Elvidge. Riku grabbed for another clip before she answered.
“The armor’s diagnostics say there are three penetrations, but he’ll live. That’s what the medic said anyway.”
Callahan dropped down next to them as another burst tore into their position. A single projectile struck his shoulder and glanced off, embedding itself in one of the nearby walls.
“Keep your head down, you fool!” laughed Riku.
It was an attempt at humor, but the nervousness in her voice was easy to see. She turned to Jack and opened her mouth to speak when she spotted a squad of Helion soldiers rush out from cover. At first she thought they were attacking something, but then she saw the pair of Biomech creatures chasing them. The soldiers easily had the firepower to deal with them, but they were green and barely trained. She took aim, but a Helion was torn clean in half before a Vanguard marine arrived and intervened. The massive armored form blocked her path, and she was unable to help as the marine hacked the creatures apart before sending the terrified Helions back to the inner defenses. Riku turned back to Jack and shook her head.
“The rest of our unit is here, but we’re scattered over half the base.”
She pointed at the running Helions.
“I thought these soldiers were supposed to be improving?”
Jack didn’t quite understood and had to lean out from cover to look at the shapes of the Helion soldiers. Though thinner and faster than the human soldiers, the donated armor from Alliance stocks had at least bulked them out to something a little more impressive. The armor was mainly of the older PDS type used for the last two generations but some seemed to be using variants of the gear used by the Narau military. Every one of them carried the standard Alliance carbine, however, the trusted L52. Riku slammed her fist onto the top of his helm to get his attention.
“The Sarge has vanished, along with half of our heavy weapons. Lieutenant Elvidge said you were to take command of the platoon until Corporal Frewyn gets here.”
Jack looked at her suspiciously.
“He said that, when?”
She spotted something and twisted to the right before firing a single shot from her L48. Jack couldn’t see the target but the smile showing on her face showed him she’d been successful. This time Riku kept her eye on the sight while speaking.
Private Jenkell appeared with another dozen marines from their platoon. Two were struck by flying debris, but they all reached the cover of the shattered walls without injury.
“Good to see you all,” she said with a chuckle.
Jack shook his head, but before he could say anything, the screaming sound of two Biomech landers flew overhead with a trio of Hammerhead fighters strafing them as they fell. One disappeared over the outer wall, but the second crashed into one of the surface-to-air missile arrays. A series of violent explosions rippled through the base, yet somehow the lander remained intact. The petal like door hissed open, and more Biomech warriors streamed out.
“Get down!” shouted Callahan.
Jack threw himself to the floor as a stream of metal slugs smashed the masonry to powder behind him. He kept his head low and crawled to the right where he could just see the flank of the nearest lander. Callahan followed close behind as more rounds slammed into position above them.
“Reports are coming in from our other two bases. It’s the same everywhere.”
Jack looked at his friend’s face and could see the fear in his eyes. He might be taller, stronger, and scarred from whatever had happened to him in his past, but Jack suspected he never expected to be in a situation like this one. An image appeared showing the face of Gun to the side of his visor.
“Jack, this isn’t going well. Grab as many as you can, and meet me at the eastern wall.”
There were plenty of other marines Gun could have asked, but he spoke directly to him in a crisis. Jack looked to Riku and Callahan, but it was hard to tell who had faced the worst so far. Their armor was covered in dust and splatters of blood. He banged his fist down on the shoulder of Callahan where the projectile had bounced off.
“APS Corp designed the modified chest piece for that armor you know.”
Callahan had no idea why Jack brought it up, or quite why he might care about a defunct private military contractor. He crawled over to him, always keeping down low enough to avoid being seen by any remaining Biomech warriors. More explosions rocked the base, and he looked about in disbelief at what was happening.
“This is insane!” muttered Private Jenkell.
The skies of Eos were full of hundreds of different smoke trails from the falling landers, destroyed fighters, and the hundreds of aircraft that continued to duel for supremacy. No more of the larger Biomech ships made for the Marine compound anymore. Instead, they crashed down into positions up to ten kilometers away. This put them out of range of the marines’ firearms but still in easy range of artillery and fighters cover. Outside of the fortified zone, the Biomechs massed in large numbers for their next assault on the base around the crashed landers that provided cover from the defensive fire of the fortress.
Fort Macquarie had withstood the initial assault of the machines, but at a very heavy cost. Most of the prefabricated barracks had been shattered, and the large field hospital was now a hollow black husk after one of the massive machines had exploded, tearing the structure apart. One of the landing strips was strewn with wreckage, and a dozen fighters burned out in the open. The only fighter cover now available was that remaining in the air. All the Alliance facilities on Eos were under attack in the same fashion as Fort Macquarie.
Jack looked at the group of battered marines and knew he needed to take charge. His visor overlay was still functioning and showed the outer defenses were holding, and small groups of marines were dealing with the isolated pockets of Biomech warriors that remained in the base itself. Quick moving shapes were the fighters from both sides, as Alliance fighters fought against the Biomech drones that had now deployed from the landers.
“Lieutenant Elvidge has put me in temporary command of our platoon.”
“Platoon?” muttered one of the men.
Jack threw the man a grim look and then pointed to the eastern wall.
“The enemy has landed almost a thousand troops outside the base and are moving in under heavy fighter cover. We need to get out there and stop them.”
He moved to stand, but Callahan grabbed him.
“Are you insane? This place is going to fall. We need to get our people out of here.”
Jack looked at him and then to the faces of his weary marines.
“There are two full battalions here. We’ll hold.”
It was a mixture of bravado and faith, but it seemed to do the job. He was correct, of course, there were two full battalions, but not all of them were actually in the base. Most of the manpower was actually there as logistical support to manage the base, the aircraft, and to assist in the training and preparation of the Helion military. He glanced at the fortified compound’s layout and made his plans. It was based around a four-quadrant square, with a fallback bastion made from four low structures surrounded by walls. The two nearest the landing strips had been hit hardest.
That’s where we’ll g
o.
He’d made up him mind, but as he opened his mouth, an urgent flash message arrived from Gun.
“Biomechs are approaching the east wall. To the defenses!” roared Gun over the Marine Corps open frequency. It was unnecessarily loud, but Jack knew only too well how loud the grizzled warrior could get when he was fired up. Jack thought for just a second.
The Biomechs must number just a few dozen inside the perimeter now.
“Follow me!” he cried and then leapt over the broken wall and toward the eastern wall. The rest of the depleted platoon followed with Callahan, Riku, and Jenkell flanking him. They burst out into the open and found scores of warriors, including large numbers of Helions emerging from their hiding places and moving to the outer defenses. In seconds, the platoon vanished among the throng of defenders, and Jack found it hard to tell them apart. He checked his overlay and spotted the red shapes.
“Keep moving!”
Jack was fast and quickly moved ahead of the marines. He reached the inner ditch that ran a meter down and then up the other side, to see Gun with his escort of Jötnar and Vanguards moving like a force of medieval Huscarls. Platoons of marines moved to the inner walls that were raised up nearly five meters tall and topped with metal crenellations, as well as sloped roofing to protect them for falling shot and debris. Marines ran from a hundred positions as they made for the outer walls on the four sides of Fort Macquarie. Jack and his small group made for Gun when the fortified entrance to his right vanished in a red fireball. A dozen of the defenders nearest the gate were vaporized in the explosion, and body parts and pieces of armor scattered like dry leaves in the blast. Jack stumbled and almost fell but was lifted to his feet by Callahan and Riku.
“Thanks.”
Gun’s voice roared over the communications channel, letting everybody in the base know his intentions with perfect clarity.
“Protect the walls, all heavies to the breach!”
Dozens of those nearby clambered up the ramps to the walls, and the amount of gunfire increased tenfold. In the sky above, more black streaks marked the arrival of many more landers as they came down outside the base. Streaks of flame rushed up from the base to reach them as the anti-aircraft guns and missile systems did their work.
“You heard him, the breach!”
He led the marines to take cover behind any bodies, masonry, and equipment that lay a short distance from where Gun had stopped. The Jötnar and Vanguards formed up in a thin line two deep and as wide of the shattered entrance. The Vanguards aimed their powerful batteries of L48 rifles into the smoke while the Jötnar waited in fighting stances. All but one of the Jötnar was armed with bladed weapons, and Jack watched in amazement as they waited patiently. He’d never seen such calm from a group of them before. It reminded him of his friend Wictred he’d not seen in weeks. For a second he recalled Hunn, but quickly moved the thoughts away.
Come on, Jack, concentrate!
The overlay showed all the information coming into the base from the units on the wall as well as the fighters and drones overhead, and it sent a shiver through Jack’s body. Normally, fighters and artillery would have kept the base clear, but the amount of Biomech aircraft was now triple that which the Alliance could conjure up, and they were being shot down one at a time. With nothing to stop the buildup, the surge of creatures and war machines had increased to thousands of warriors and scores of the large machines. They must have been close because the amount of fire unleashed from the walls sent flashing arcs of light throughout the base. Jack looked over his shoulder at Riku, Callahan, and the others. All stayed down low and waited for what was to come.
“Attack!” roared Gun. He vanished in the cloud of smoke and dust as hundreds of the creatures swarmed in the through the breached entrance. Half of the Vanguards were pulled to the ground, yet they continued to fight even as armored plates were torn from their suits.
“Fire!” shouted Jack.
The marines added their own disciplined fire to the horde, but nothing seemed to stop them. The Jötnar ripped a dozen to pieces, but more ran past the giants and into the base. Jack stood up and fired from the hip. The others did what they could.
“Jack, I don’t like this!” muttered Riku.
The line of marines gave ground and retreated to the wrecks of two bulldogs laying a short distance back. A squad of NHA soldiers waited in a neat line and with their carbines raised. When one of the massive articulated mechanical monsters crashed through the breach, they turned and fled, with no one firing a shot.
“Take cover and hold them back!” said Jack.
Few of the marines were paying much attention now, and the disciplined firing line had broken down into small groups of warriors trying to defend the tiny areas they had retreated to. More explosions ripped through the outer wall, and a heavy round struck Callahan, leaving a fist-sized dent in his chest. He staggered down and was dragged into cover by Riku. She checked his damage that was merely superficial and then looked to Jack.
“What are we going to do? Fort Macquarie has fallen.”
Jack emptied his magazine at the horde and then took a step back. The breach was shattered and now filled with hundreds of creatures, as well as three of the massive mechanical war machines. Gunfire from the surviving Bulldogs plus several other squads of Vanguards blasted them. They succeeded in bringing one of them down with a crash. It was a minor victory as small groups of the creatures managed to climb parts of the wall. In just a few minutes, there were bitter hand-to-hand fights at every point. Streams of non-combatant and Helion soldiers ran about, but there was nowhere to hide.
What the hell are you going to do? Jack thought, watching the disaster unfold before his very eyes, even as he continued to shoot one creature after another.
He glanced in the direction of the breach, looking for any sign of Gun, but all he could see were hundreds of bodies; including the creatures, marines, and shattered armored hulks of the Vanguards. Then he saw the streaks of fire coming from the vehicle pool.
Bulldogs! We need to get out of here!
* * *
The journey through the Rift to the Proxima side of the Centauri triple star system had been uneventful. Even the subsequent trip to Prometheus through the newly installed local Rift connection had gone by without Captain Vetlaya noticing the subtle bump as they moved through to a different part of space. The formation of ships was long and widely spaced apart; the massive shape of ANS Dreadnought taking up the vanguard. Small groups of tugs and escort vessels had circled the Rift, but as they moved through the fold in space, none of them followed, just the long column of Alliance warships made their slow and steady journey to the other side. The Battlecruiser nearly made it completely through when a number of flash alert warnings flooded into the ship. One indicated a local threat, but then they were through, and the Rift collapsed behind them suddenly.
“Captain, something’s not right,” said the helmsman.
The view from the CIC should have been one of the fiery red world of Prometheus, but the external feeds showed an inky blackness with massive arcs of power jumping about. The great Battlecruiser shuddered as a great arc of blue light stuck the nose and sent sparks along the hull.
“Battle stations!” called out the XO in a calm, yet assertive voice.
As per usual the lights dimmed, and the warning siren sounded for a few seconds.
“What the hell happened?” demanded Captain Vetlaya.
They should have been near the arrival station in high orbit around Prometheus, but instead they were right on the edge of the most violent storm Captain Vetlaya had ever seen. Prometheus was infamous for its unrelenting series of dangerous storms that filled the area and made it perilous to even the mightiest warships. From her position in the CIC, she had the perfect view of the storm, and even to her experienced eyes it was truly terrifying. Clouds of energy surrounding the small fleet, and great arcs rippled around them and lashed at their hulls.
“What happened?” she asked f
rom her position again, “Why the hell aren’t we at Prometheus?”
A triple flash of energy ripped into the port side of the Battlecruiser, and the entire ship shuddered as though a full broadside of gunfire had just hit her. A few officers were forced to grab onto the myriad of grab rails fitted throughout the ship for such an eventuality. Finally, the helmsman established where they were and whirled about to face his Captain.
“Sir, we’re approximately three days from Prometheus. Something happened with the Rift when we came through.”
“What exactly?”
“I think I might have an idea,” called out Lieutenant Dan, the ships tactical officer.
“Well?” said Vetlaya with a raised left eyebrow.
“Sir.”
He brought up a video feed of the Rift behind them as they’d arrived. He paused it just before it collapsed.
“At this point, we received a corrupted and heavily scrambled message from the control station. I don’t have much, Sir, but at the same time our sensors detected high levels of radiation, levels that match the expulsion of significant quantities of gamma radiation.”
“Gamma? What caused that?”
The man rubbed his chin as he explained.
“I’ve run six reference checks, and it matches a fission explosion, less than a kilometer from the Rift entrance. Either the station suffered a catastrophic explosion, or somebody triggered a weapon as we went through.”
Star Crusades Nexus: The Second Trilogy Page 39
