“Admiral, the station is powering up a weapons system. The signature looks the same as the weapons on the cruisers.”
“A particle weapon?”
“Yes, Sir. Another hit and we’ll be dead in space.”
Admiral Jarvis sunk back into her seat with her head in her hands. She never imagined the war would end this way, with her on her own in hostile space and picked apart by high-energy weapons.
“What about Yorkdale?”
“She’s taking fire, but we’ve absorbed the worst of it so far. If they manage to stop us, the Yorkdale won’t stand a chance against their forces.”
She looked at the tactical display showing the enemy ships, station and the planet. She gazed at it for several more seconds before spinning around.
“What about the Core? Can the Yorkdale enter an atmosphere?”
The XO moved over to intercede.
“Yorkdale is one of the early heavy transports. She can make it, one way at the very least.”
The Admiral nodded, a grim expression on her face. More shells slammed into Crusader as she continued to weather the storm of firepower. Lights and alarms flashed through the CiC, and it was clear to all of them that the time for her final battle had come.
“Get me Major Daniels!”
* * *
The Yorkdale was starting to take fire from the groups of enemy fighters that were now swarming past the defenceless CCS Crusader. The klaxons had been sounding for almost ten minutes now as impacts struck along the length of the ship. Major Daniels was still arguing with the Admiral on his communications unit. He finally stopped and took a deep breath.
“We’re never going to make it to the station. Crusader is being smashed and her weapons are out. The Admiral wants us to redirect to the surface.”
“Surface, why?” asked Gun.
“The Palace is being used as the site of Core and its transmitters. We’re to land and storm the site.”
“That’s insane,” laughed Sergeant Lovett. “We won’t even make it through the atmosphere.”
“Not true,” interrupted the Major. “The Captain says she’s capable of the trip. It will be rough, but doable.”
“You’re seriously thinking of doing this?” asked Spartan.
“We’re already changing course. If we continue to the station, we’ll be a burning wreck, and that’s not going to help anybody.”
“What about the Admiral?” Gun asked.
The group looked to the main display in the landing craft. It showed the burnings and wrecked shape of CCS Crusader driving towards the enemy station.
“I don’t think she’s coming back from this one,” said Major Daniels with a tone of regret to his voice.
* * *
“Weapons?” demanded Admiral Jarvis.
“Still off-line,” answered the tactical Officer.
“Dammit,” she replied quietly.
“There are shuttles leaving Leviathan, and they’re breaking for the planet. Projected landing zones are in the capital.”
“Cowards, Typhon thinks he can escape his doom,” she said bitterly.
“The other ships are about to move from the station, and all three have powered up their main engines.” The Admiral nodded her head satisfied she had done all that she could. She stood up and turned to the remaining crew in the CiC.
“This is it. Order the evacuation. We must save as many as we can. Helm! Give me ramming speed. If we can’t destroy them with gunnery, then by the Gods we’ll smash them with steel before they can escape.”
The XO pulled out the intercom and started the evacuation procedure. The dulcet tones of the automated distress system activated in seconds. Every part of the ship would switch to emergency lighting to help the hundreds of crew to their lifeboats. One of the main engines tore off from the impact of a heavy missile, and the junk of twisted metal broke sway and drifted alongside the pockmarked hull. The XO spotted Admiral Jarvis making no preparation to leave.
“Sir, we need to go. Going down with the ship isn’t going to help anybody.”
She turned and smiled at him.
“I’m coming, let’s go, we’ve done all we can do here.”
The XO moved to the back of the room and helped with the wounded. There were lifeboats one level along from the CiC, positioned for just this scenario. Half of them had already blasted away into space, but they only needed one more. Admiral Jarvis moved away from her seat and immediately behind the XO. A rippled of weapons fire must have struck the ship as she lost her balance and only managed to grab at a damaged computer mounting unit before hitting the wall.
“Come on, Admiral!” shouted the XO as he waited at the door.
She stood and looked back at the CiC one last time. The room was in ruins, computers smashed and a dozen small fires raging. They were close to the enemy now. She moved to the door, just metres behind the XO and did her best to look calm. He spotted her following and turned to help. She saw fear in his eyes and spun around to see the approaching enemy warship spinning out of control towards the ship. Weapons fire from Crusader must have damaged her manoeuvring thrusters and forced her away from the station on this course.
“Too late!” muttered the Admiral as the two vessels collided in a catastrophic explosion. The shattered bow of the Crusader cut cleanly through the enemy ship but the damage was done. Explosions ripped through the Battlecruiser killing anybody still unfortunate to be on board. By the time the hulk of the Battlecruiser slid past the wreckage towards the station it was torn and smashed from bow to stern. Thousands of tonnes of metal, explosives, fuel and ammunition hurtled to the enemy for one final attack.
* * *
From their position, it was impossible to gauge what was happening up in orbit. CCS Yorkdale surged through the atmosphere likes a burning meteor. Antenna and loose sections of the ship had already torn off from the massive heat of re-entry. The last any of them had seen was a great orange fireball in the sky as the enemy transit station exploded. As to whether Crusader or the enemy cruisers had survived, they had no idea.
Major Daniels and Commander Gun were both busy checking the details of the capital city. The Palace was much larger than expected, and the only landing zone large enough for Yorkdale was just outside the walled perimeter. Khan and Spartan were left to wait, and their patience was starting to wear thin.
“Come on, how much longer?” barked Khan.
“Hey, not long. Patience,” replied Spartan, but he felt just the same.
The streaks of flame showing on the displays vanished as quickly as they had appeared to show a crystal clear sky. It was Spartan’s first look at Terra Nova, and it was as perfect as he had always imagined. Clear skies, plentiful countryside and idyllic cities. It was the kind of place that made you wonder why any of them was fighting at all. A light flashed inside Spartan’s suit. It was a general broadcast from the Major.
“This is Major Daniels, I will be leading the ground assault on the Palace perimeter. Commander Gun and the 1st Company will lead the air attack against the Palace itself. All unit Captains have been given their orders. This is the highpoint of the war. If we fail, we leave Proxima undefended with no ground forces or ships to protect it. Fight to the last man to secure or destroy your objectives.”
Major Daniels stepped out of the shuttle and turned back to face Spartan and the rest of the marines.
“I’ll be leading our forces when we land. It is up to you to secure the site and disable the Core. I will bring the cavalry, and by God we’ll crush the bastards!”
Commander Gun and Captain Khan raised their fists in the air, evidently excited at the prospect of major action. Spartan watched them, but was less than exited at the prospect of what was looking more and more like a suicide mission.
“Good hunting,” were the last words he heard from the Major as the door to the shuttle clamped down shut. The internal doors closed down to seal the landing bay from the rest of the ship. It was a quick process, and in less than thirty s
econds the ship was ready to start launching craft.
“Make sure you’re buckled in, we land in sixty seconds,” said the pilot of the landing craft.
Technically, none of them would be using buckles as the craft made extensive use of magnetic seals to clamp them all into position. Nonetheless, Spartan checked his was locked and secure before running a final diagnostic check on his suit.
With a violent shake, the craft pulled out of the landing bay and directly into the planet’s atmosphere. The sound inside the craft would have been deafening if it were not for the acoustic seals on his suit. Spartan watched his internal display that connected directly to the external camera feeds on the landing craft. A massive surge of power pushed his stomach back, and he gulped at the acceleration.
“Lieutenant, message from Major Daniels. He says the shuttles from the Leviathan have been tracked to the Palace. He has received a signal that Captain Hobbs and Sergeant Morato are on board, but they are too far away to be intercepted.”
“Thank you,” replied Spartan. He tried to sound calm, but his heart was pounding at the possibility of Typhon and Teresa being aboard the craft.
They blasted towards the centre of the capital city, closely followed by more landing craft and shuttles as two full companies of Vanguards and Jötnar rushed to the Palace. The landing craft were by far the larger of the craft, and they took most of the ground fire that fired up like a deadly storm of metal. Line after line of tracer fire showed the hundreds of guns that peppered the small group.
“What the hell!” cried Sergeant Lovett as scores of rounds clattered against the thickly armoured hull.
“Don’t worry, she’s a tough old bird,” said Spartan, doing his best to reassure him.
The door gunners opened fire at any targets of opportunity that arose. Spartan watched them firing, unimpressed by the futile gesture against targets they probably couldn’t see, let alone hit. At least it gave the crew something positive to do, rather than just waiting.
“Ten seconds!” cried the pilot over the speakers.
Spartan glanced down at his suit, one final check before they landed. In his experience, this was when something truly bad would happen. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he wondered if he had ever actually been involved in a successful landing under fire. With a squeal, the landing craft hit the ground and slid almost eighty metres before they came to a stop. All the ramps and door swung open to reveal the bright light and cool air of Terra Nova.
“This is it, now move it!” shouted Commander Gun.
He was first out onto the hard surface of the Palace floor. Spartan hit the release button and jumped forward. In just three steps, he was on the ramp and saw for the first time the Palace with his own eyes. It was massive, the outer structure shaped like a giant star with multiple levels building up to a series of two towers. They were supposed to symbolise the old world and the new world, or something like that. Spartan couldn’t remember exactly what it was all about, but he did know the layout. They were on the middle ring where there was enough space to bring down landing craft and shuttles. The second landing craft came in fast and crashed into place fifty metres from the first. As its door swung open, more troops ran out.
Gun and Khan pushed out and along a wide colonnade that led to an arched section. It was the main entrance to the Palace and beautifully detailed with statues and water features. As they moved ahead, an array of alarms blasted out informing whoever occupied the site that intruders had arrived. A roar like nothing Spartan had ever heard drew his attention from behind. He spun around and lifted his arms, pointing the large metal limbs in the direction of the sound. He was both relieved and in awe to see the massive hulk of CCS Yorkdale. The great ship was still smoking from the heat of re-entry. It moved towards the outer limits of the Palace, a distance of about a kilometre from where Spartan and his party stood. A dozen fighters circled the ship, but their fire was incapable of bringing down such a mighty vessel. The Yorkdale’s batteries of turrets blazed away, and they even managed to bring down two of the irksome aircraft.
“Spartan!” shouted Gun. “To the door!”
He turned back and spotted the Commander with his entourage rushing ahead and beneath the archway. Behind him surged scores of Vanguards and Jötnar. It was the first major ground battle for the unit as a fighting force, and Spartan had no doubt it would be one of their most important. He chased after them, and the rest of his squad followed close behind. Three metres to his right ran Sergeant Lovett, and behind them another two units led by Khan. Heavy gunfire erupted along the roof of the Palace as infantry tried to halt their progress. It was light and no match for the heavy armour of the Assault Battalion.
“Sergeant, clear the roof!” he ordered.
A dozen of the Vanguards slowed their advance to a walk and aimed carefully at the enemy positions. Rapid fire from their large calibre L48 rifles easily picked them from their hidden locations. Even those taking cover were taken out of the fight by the explosive proximity rounds. Some managed to get out of the way in time, but it was enough to reduce the hail of bullets to a trickle.
“Everybody else, follow the Commander!” shouted Spartan. With a wave of his arm, he pushed on forward. Two rockets whistled down from the roof and smashed into a Vanguard. The blast tore off a leg and threw the mangled remains of the armour into one of the columns. Spartan grimaced as he ran past the body, but he would have time to mourn the casualties later. Right now, he had a battle to win and a woman to save.
As if to answer them, the great doors of the Palace swung open. It took time and Commander Gun reached fifty metres from the entrance before it was even half opened. From its dark mouth charged at least a hundred Biomechs, a great wave of every kind. The smaller ones, more like animals, surged at the front while the larger synthetic models, the cousins of the Jötnar, brought up the rear.
“Charge!” shouted Gun, and then he vanished into the middle of the horde along with his personal guard. Khan, upon seeing his commander in action also cried out and surged ahead, and the entire company chased after him. Spartan flicked the bayonet toggle in his suit, and two large blades extended from his mechanical arms.
“Vanguards, create a breach!” he shouted and stomped forward. The entrance to the Palace was already a mass of warriors, each shooting or hacking away with an assortment of butcher’s weapons. For every dead Jötnar or Vanguard, he found five dead Biomechs. He pushed on, reaching the back of Gun’s bodyguard unit as they hacked a trail of destruction through the enemy. Two large Biomechs jumped towards him, and a dozen more of the small ones rushed past to attack his comrades. In the close confines of battle, and with friends all around, he was forced to control his gunfire for fear of hitting the Jötnar. The first Biomech swung a heavy mace-type weapon. Spartan dropped down to avoid the strike and stepped in to grab the creature’s extending arm. With his right arm held low, he delivered a savage uppercut that pushed his blade up through its throat and into its brain.
“To me!” he shouted, sensing he might be quickly overwhelmed. It wasn’t a moment too soon, as the second Biomech threw itself on him only to be smashed aside by Sergeant Lovett. The creature fell to the floor and was shot to pieces by three following Vanguards. Spartan threw his enemy to the ground and stepped on towards the doorway. More Biomechs rushed in from two smaller doors to the right, but this time they moved right into the path of Spartan and a dozen Vanguards. With a terrible cry, the unit unleashed hundreds of rounds that shattered their bodies and left blood and flesh across the marbled floor. Spartan looked back to see Commander Gun and his group disappear inside the structure. The battle still raged on outside.
“Khan, bring a squad with me. Gun’s gonna get cut off!” he called out on his radio.
A small Biomech was thrown in the air, and Spartan quickly spotted Khan as he swung his weapons into the surviving Biomechs. If he wasn’t mistaken, it looked like the Jötnar warrior was enjoying himself. Spartan moved on, shooting or slashin
g at any stray Biomech that approached him until reached the side of the warrior.
“Khan, did you hear me?” he snapped.
Khan broke the neck of the small Biomech he was holding in both arms and turned to Spartan. Blood dripped from his armour and at his feet lay the corpses of five or six Biomechs.
“What?” he grunted.
Spartan struck him in the shoulder and pointed to the doorway. It looked like a scene from hell as dozens of warriors hacked and stabbed. The Assault Battalion were winning, but the casualties were starting to tell.
“Gun is inside, and we need to stay with him.”
Khan nodded and roared to his comrades to follow. Spartan sent the signal to the rest of the Vanguards, and with a final push they surged to the door. At least half became bogged down in the fighting, but Spartan and Khan managed to hack through the line of Biomechs and into the darkness of the Palace. As Spartan staggered into the large open space, it felt empty and cold, as if it had been deserted. He spun about to see only a handful of Jötnar had made it through as well as Sergeant Lovett.
“Is this it?” he asked in dismay.
Sergeant Lovett nodded.
“Yeah, they’ll break through but not yet. We can go back and help?” he asked.
“No, we have a job to do. The Major will be here with the rest of the battalion to help with mopping up. We need to shut this place down.”
He checked his schematic of the Palace and the data on the energy levels.
“We need to get down to the second sub-level. Let’s go!”
The eight warriors moved off along the grand entrance and towards a split-level staircase. A body of a large Biomech was split in half and bleeding out on the floor. Khan laughed as he passed it.
“Gun’s work!”
Spartan allowed himself a brief smile, but he was interrupted by noise ahead. Khan must have heard the same as he stopped and looked over to Spartan.
Star Crusades Uprising: The Second Trilogy Page 58
