That sunk Eruk’s mood.“What? How can this be? We are winning.”
“I imagine you are, but the Voice has spoken. His words were clear. I will allow you a cycle to remove your troops from the surface and clear the space around the planet, and then I will attack.”
He almost spoke back, argued with the Ma’Arak, but there were less painful ways to commit suicide. Eruk swallowed his words, fighting off every inkling in his body.“Yes, commander. It will be done.”
The connection severed and Eruk was left alone with the Druuma. One cycle to complete everything that he had set out to do. His soldiers were spread across the planet, surrounding every city and combing street to street to find each bastion of humanity. It would take longer than that to even bring down enough transport for his ground troops. The harsh truth was some of the Horde would be left to die, a sacrifice deemed necessary by the Great King. Eruk knew better than to argue, or even to think an argument, lest the thing on his back react.
“What say you, parasite? Who shall live and who shall die?”
The Druuma twisted and turned in thought.“We all die, Cthanul. Today you will give many the honor of dying for their Master.”
Eruk looked back out at the field, in the direction the Boun had run. Somewhere in the distance, hidden by a crop of trees, a human defied the mightiest army in the galaxy. If New Eden was not going to be his greatest conquest, than at least he would get a good bit of fun in before it was destroyed.
- II -
He sprinted flat out, taking turns at random down the winding corridors. Several times he would arrive at a dead end and be forced to double back. More often than not, the creatures were already waiting for him. He preferred it that way. With his HMG held out with one arm, Dax would pour an endless spray of lead into the roaring throngs, clearing a bloody path through the alien Hive. Sometimes they would survive the gunshots and grab ahold of his ankle as he went passed. He loved that, getting to crush them under his boots like insects.
They had to be near an exit. It wasn’t possible for a ship to be this big. Josh still hung over his shoulder, bouncing like a rag doll as the hulking soldier tore down the hallways. The sun was rising over the trees as Dax and his friend broke out from the alien ship onto a small landing twenty feet off the dirt. Smoke blotted out the sky for three-quarters of the horizon, evidence of battles still being fought. Aside from the roaring wind, it was silent outside. Bodies of the dead alien crew littered the ground inside the fortress. Most had been obliterated when Thunder and Lightning rained down.
“Cho,”Dax said, breathless.“Cho, where are you?”His legs wanted to quit, begged him to stop, but Dax kept moving. He could hear the animals coming from behind, yearning to tear him to pieces. The big one, the monster that had taken down Josh, always seemed to be just around the corner. Dax could hear its feet stomping toward him, hear its ragged breath.“Cho!”
A hydra stepped into view, its three mouths spitting saliva as it charged toward the two soldiers. Dax lifted his weapon and fired, hitting the creature dead center. The heads flopped around, still trying to get at them. Dax squeezed the trigger but the firing pin snapped at air. He dropped the empty gun and pulled his pistol, putting a bullet in each of the hydra’s eyes until it lay dead. He looked up toward the door they’d come through and saw the Maneton, its white skin stretched taught over bulging muscles. More infected beasts ambled around, waiting for the alpha to make a move.
With a piercing whine, the Valkyrie dove into view, sending dirt flying in all directions. The pilot put the craft into a hover a few feet above the ground, the damaged engines screaming. Pierre and Alexa leapt from the doors, firing their rifles at creatures just behind their fleeing comrade. Dax heard the cries of pain from monsters inches from his back and ran harder, faster than he thought he could ever move. His HUD showed a carpet of glowing red dots flooding from the carrier and following him toward the shuttle.
“Come on,”Alexa shouted.“Move that fat ass.”
Dax dug deep, pulling out everything he could as he neared the edge of the landing. When he felt his legs simply stop moving, he jumped. He felt arms grab him at the shoulders and pull, dragging him into the hovering ship. They laid Josh down on the floor between the seats, holding him in place with their arms. Alexa and Pierre climbed back aboard just as the Valkyrie began to climb. A snarling creature grabbed onto to landing skids with its teeth, but Pierre planted his boot in its face and knocked it back to earth.
Liane held Dax in her arms, squeezing him through the armor. He barely had the strength to raise his hand and pat her back.
“Got any other stupid ideas you’d like to try out?”Cho asked.
Liane looked up.“The bomb!”
* * * * *
Hathani was grateful to have been born a Flek. The insect-like species of a broken moon had never been considered warriors, even by their own standards. Conflict on his planet, before it was overtaken by the Boxti, had been solved by shouting and kicking dust and simply waiting for the other party to die of old age. It was a relief to be left aboard the Hive while other creatures were forced to fight.
He had managed to hide during the sudden excitement aboard his ship, when the black armored aliens had attacked his brothers and sisters. He didn’t feel anything for the fallen. To mourn would lead to anger and thoughts of vengeance, and that was just too exhausting to contemplate. No, it was better to let the monsters fly away in their shuttle and lead the mutations with them. At least the Druumatan compelled their thralls away from members of the Horde. Hathani had no interest in being ripped apart by some psychotic monster.
As he searched the wreckage for any interesting things to steal, Hathani saw a small metal box. It was no larger than a food storage container, though it looked unlike anything he’d seen aboard the Hive. His stomachs rumbled, and he found himself hoping it was something edible, maybe even something from this strange new world. That would be a story he could tell once the others came back. Not that they would listen, not to a Flek, but it would give him something to say to them while cleaning their armor.
Hathani knelt down and picked at the metal casing, pinching it with his tiny fingers. It was cold, and seemed to be vibrating. He placed his head close to the side, listening for what could be in there. His heart raced when it started beeping. It was a beautiful sound. He couldn’t wait any longer, the anticipation was too much. Hathani grabbed ahold of the box and raised it overhead, ready to smash it open. With a pitiful shout, he brought the case down onto a broken bit of hull as hard as he could.
It opened.
- II -
“Primus, this is Shadow one-one. Can anyone hear me?”Gabriel had been at the radio for the better part of an hour, shouting until his throat hurt. Tim had managed to get the transmitter back up and running, but they couldn’t break the encryption on the channels. Every few minutes they would catch a word or phrase, but it could have been in Greek for all the good it did.
Zev paced the room, growing more frustrated by the second. Almost the entire squad held the entrance while an army of alien grunts poured fire into the building. As soon as that signal went out, the entire city emptied in their direction. Whatever the Boxti were up to, they didn’t like the idea of humans talking to each other. Mary and Tim huddled against the wall. The little girl played with her doll, oblivious to the world. Her father held his gun like a good luck charm.
Another grenade blast shook the room and dust fell down from the cracked ceiling. The main office was at the center of the tower, which afforded some protection from the attacks. It was still just luck keeping them alive. The aliens had yet to employ any more air attacks. A single bombing run would flatten the building, and all of them knew it.
“Anything?”Tim asked. He was scared, Zev could tell easily. Truth be told, they were all scared. They had no contact with any friendly forces. For all they knew, the world had abandoned them to die and jumped back to Earth.
The sergeant stopped by the lieutenant,
cracking his knuckles on the desk.“How are we looking, sir?”
Gabriel kept his voice low.“I’ve got nothing, sergeant. This is fucked beyond fucked.”He looked over at the civilians.“We’ve got to find a way out of this city.”
Zev nodded.“Shit, sir. We need a way off of this planet. New Eden is unsalvageable until we get a larger force.”He was about to say more when a private ran into the room, pale as a sheet. Zev remembered the young man from his first field exercise with the unit.“What is it, Reading?”
Private Reading’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He looked ready to collapse in a fit. Zev held his shoulder as the boy caught his breath in deep, body shaking gasps.“Sergeant. On the roof. You need to see.”Zev helped him sit in a chair and Tim handed him a bottle of water. The soldier’s hands shook as he gulped down the clear liquid.
Gabriel shouted something, but Zev was already running toward the stairs. He took them two at a time, pumping his legs until he reached the roof three floors up. The door was already propped open and another private stood outside, staring at the sky in wonder. Zev had barely taken a step out when he saw it.
Above the city, blotting out the view in every direction, hung an impossibly big ship. Spires spread out in a flower petal formation from its central hull. Even at this distance, with the hazy atmosphere blurring its features, Zev could make out a black and green tint to the armor. Nothing else mattered at that moment. Not the enemy squads on the ground fighting their way in, nor the ominous clouds hanging over nearby Solus City. Zev fell back against the roof access door, his heart pounding drums in his ears. There was nothing he could do, no action to take against something that incredible.
Then something else snapped him away. A bright flash grew on the horizon, growing in size and intensity. Zev’s gut made him move before the thought finished forming. He grabbed the lone private from the roof and dragged him back inside, racing down the stairs just in time to feel the building rock to the side as the massive explosion hit.
* * * * *
They felt the blast before the saw it. The world around the Valkyrie spun, as though the planet had just been hit with a hammer. With a roar, the roof of the carrier exploded outward like a man-made volcano, sending a geyser of flaming metal spewing into the sky. The entire structure seemed to rise up a few feet into the air, hovering in place for the briefest of moments before crashing back down into a deep crater. With a horrible groan and the sound of beams snapping and cracking like twigs, the Hive sank down and down into the earth.
Minor explosions ripped through the heavy plating of the alien vessel, breaking it down into chunks of glowing slag that arced through the sky and landed in fireballs all across the area. For miles around, Boxti and human alike watched the immense mushroom cloud grow higher and higher, marking the end of the alien fortress.
A wall of flame spread out in a ring around the fortress, vaporizing the pursuing creatures. The heat washed over the shuttle, baking the soldiers in their suits. Emergency coolant filled their armor and kept them alive, but barely. The flight fans burst into flames, tearing through the metal shrouds before sticking like darts through the passenger compartment. Cho barely managed to keep the craft aloft as they tumbled sideways through the air. He shouted over the radio amidst the heavy traffic and interference.“Mayday, mayday. This is a Federate vehicle in need of immediate assistance. Anybody read me?”
Static responded. Then a voice.“This is Torch one, vicinity November Tango 1-1-2-0. What’s your situation?”They would have cheered but were too busy holding on for dear life.“Are you mobile?”
“Fuck no,”Cho screamed back.“We’re crashing, transmitting coordinates. We’ll need pickup!”He was about to reach over to the computer when Fares did it for him. Cho had to be grateful, as he didn’t think he could have one-armed the dying shuttle.“Got it?”
The pilot took a moment to answer.“You’re right in the middle of—shit, LOOK OUT!”
Cho would have said responded, but he chose that moment to crash.
- III -
Cameron could do nothing but watch as the shattered Valkyrie tumbled into the flight path of a maneuvering bomber. There was no time to react as the two flying objects smashed together in a spray of metal and sparks. The shuttle cartwheeled down to the ground, bowling over trees before settling on its side. The Seed, knocked senseless, raced toward a small hill just outside the battlefield.
“Kaileen!”Cameron called out. His Phoenix fought against the shockwaves from the incredible explosion at the Hive, shaking the pilot in his seat. He barely noticed. All his attention fell on the smoking trail that led from the air to a small crater a few kilometers away. The aliens must have followed the collision as well, as two Hornets immediately took off after Kaileen’s wreck.
Cameron gunned the engines, giving chase. He left his fellow wingmen to defend themselves as he rushed to save his fallen love. Sweat covered his face, but he ignored the salty stings in his eyes as he closed distance with the two Y-Fighters. On his right, keeping pace, Cameron could just make out the larger ace charging in for a strafing run. Alarms sounded inside the cockpit, accompanied by strobing lights and flashing signals.
Missiles arced away from the human fighter, catching the aliens’flanks and ripping into their hulls. One Hornet split near in half from the hit, fluttering to the ground in flaming strips. Another caught the warhead close to the trees and bucked off course, crashing into the sun-oaks and breaking apart.
Boxti forces on the ground took notice of the aerial battle and began firing up into the sky, trying to bring down Cameron’s fighter. He dodged the bright bolts of energy, narrowly avoiding bursts from the Pills while trying desperately to beat the enemy to Kaileen. He’d lost sight of the crater as he dropped down below one hundred feet, but was closing in on the area.
“Kaileen,”he shouted.“Are you okay? Answer me!”
The radio crackled.“I’m here.”
Cameron’s heart soared. He caught a grazing hit from an enemy fighter but shrugged it off. His kinetic shields were holding for the moment, and he needed to focus on rescuing Kaileen. Another shot barely missed as he crested a ridge and saw the crash site. The Seed was mangled and bent, but it was clear there had been survivors. The canopy was open and the seats were empty.
“Where did you go?”Cameron asked.“I can’t see you by the bomber.”
There were sounds like gunfire, followed by a woman shouting.“My position was overrun. We had to head for the forest.”More shooting.“We’re headed for that Valkyrie.”
Cameron rolled to avoid an incoming missile. As he came back around, he saw the Boxti Ace suddenly ignite its afterburners and race skyward. More and more of the Hornets and Wasps disengaged from the humans and beat a hasty retreat. Cameron didn’t know what to make of it.“Kail, the Boxti are bugging out.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“I’ll have Torch provide cover for you guys. Just get to that Val and get off the ground. Something bad is about to happen.”
* * * * *
“I’ve got comms!”
Zev barged into the room, his face covered in plaster and dust. The mammoth fireball he’d seen must have destroyed the carrier, ending the jamming signal. He didn’t know how long it would take the aliens to react, but he didn’t need much time. Grabbing the mic away from Tim he shouted.
“Any station this net, this is Paradise Point. I need immediate evac for friendly soldiers and civilians. Does anyone read?”
After a burst of static, a voice came through. It was the best sound any of the Scouts had heard in over a week.“Paradise Point, this is School House. We are heavy lift carrying sixteen packs. How many are you?”
Zev looked at his lieutenant. Gabriel counted in his head and held up both hands, fingers spread.“Ten,”Zev said.“But one is a little girl. We can check her if the flight is full.”
“Roger, Paradise. It’ll be tight but we’ll make it work.”He said something to his copil
ot they couldn’t make out.“How’s the LZ?”
Zev sighed.“Pretty fucking hot. You armed?”
“I’ve got a pistol, but I’m a pretty lousy shot. Get to the roof, we’ll lower a ladder.”
Gabriel stepped forward and spoke into the radio.“How far away are you?”
The pilot laughed.“Five minutes. And be ready for us. We’re not sticking around forever.”
- IV -
“Will this do?”
Trik walked around the hideous homemade escape craft, admiring their work. It didn’t look like any shuttle he’d ever seen before. In fact, it didn’t look remotely space-worthy. The engines were welded on at odd angles, the hull was a multicolored tapestry of varying metals and composites, and the cockpit had parts from a half-dozen different ships. Still, he could already taste the coppery flavor of toxins in the air. They didn’t have long anyway, and there were always worse ways to die.
“I’m satisfied,”the soldier said.“How long will we have in this thing before we run out of air?”
Vim thought for a moment.“I’m almost certain we’ll be long dead before the filters run out. You see this?”He gestured to their only entrance into the suicide machine.“This is held on with epoxy. I can’t imagine it was ever meant to keep a door on in vacuum, let alone during an interspace jump.”He rapped on the side, relishing the hollow echo.“And we’re sacrificing radiation shielding for weight so we’ll have enough fuel to make it anywhere remotely close to civilization. But hopefully we’ll mutate into something that doesn’t require air to live.”He deflated as he turned toward his captor.“About nine hours, give or take.”
When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) Page 58
