by Mark Wandrey
“Bet that will be quite a show,” Minu said. “And the station?”
“It has the ability to move about between the stars, but it exists in the variable Lagrange points. When the trinary system finally destabilizes, the station will be destroyed.”
Everyone in the CIC remained silent, watching the spectacle of the three dancing stars as it played out in digital simulation and relayed images.
Minu marveled that such a thing could exist, and that The Lost had found a source of unequaled power in this awesome destruction. And somehow, her father had once been here to see it.
“How do we get to the station through that?” she asked.
“It appears to be a matter of timing,” Pip said. “The solar prominences follow a somewhat predictable oscillation pattern. Given another few hours to observe, I will be able to predict a window.”
“Somewhat predictable?” Aaron asked skeptically. “What if you’re wrong?”
“There is some danger to the ship,” Lilith said. “However, since the Kaatan-class was designed with field refueling in solar photospheres in mind, we should be safe from all but a direct impact.”
Minu glanced at Pip who was running some figures through a transparent, simulated computer. It wasn’t that Minu didn’t trust her daughter, but Lilith had infinite faith in her somewhat untested abilities and that of her ship.
“Okay,” Minu said. “Let us know when you have enough data.”
* * * * *
Chapter 12
April 22nd, 534 AE
Planet K, Contested Territory, Galactic Frontier
Gregg ran through with his personal platoon, low and moving quickly to the side, to clear the Portal for the men who were close on his heels. Planet K was just as he remembered, hot and wet. The Portal they were using was on the extreme eastern edge of a major industrial complex, the vast swamps that surrounded the city only kilometers away. The Portal was in a sprawling building that looked sound, and that was good. Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance, threatening to bring one of the common downpours.
The commander of the Rangers and his platoon sergeant led him over to the side where a pair of non-human, standard, combat transports sat. A bevy of the little hedgehog-like Akala clustered around a holographic battle projection of the city, chattering animatedly. Gregg couldn’t tell if they were excited or pissed. Who could when it came to the Akala? They only seemed to have those two emotions, and they could switch between them at blinding speed.
Behind Gregg, the first of the Ranger combat transports began coming through the Portal one at a time. These carried the scouts and a scattering of special weapons/shield teams in case their landing was opposed. The heavy equipment and materials to sustain the coming siege would come later, once they established a secure perimeter.
“We have eagerly awaited your arrival,” the Akala commander said without formality as Gregg approached.
Gregg bowed as he would to an equal and removed a tablet, syncing it with the battlefield network the Akala had already established. The situation looked much like it had when he met the little beings two weeks earlier to discuss the deployment.
“Humanity is happy to provide service to the Akala.”
The little beings beamed at each other and nodded excitedly.
“As the terms of our contract stipulate, we will conduct the main assault against the Portal Spire to allow your forces to dislodge the Leesa defenders from their firebases around this industrial complex.”
“We are in agreement,” the Akala commander said. “Our combat teams have been quietly moving through this unused Portal for three days and are deployed near the swamps, awaiting your assault.”
“My forces will require about two hours to transit through the Portal. I will notify you when we’re ready.”
The meeting completed, Gregg walked quickly back to his battalion commanders. The new tiger-striped jumpsuits with their symbolic red star logo, reminiscent of the Chosen stars, stood out distinctly from the black jumpsuits of the Scout commander and his team who waited nearby.
Now that the Scouts and Rangers were separate, distinct branches of the Chosen, a lot of the tension between the divisions was gone, but that didn’t mean the Scouts liked the Rangers. Before Minu formed the combat branch, the Scouts were the glory hounds. You wanted action, you joined the Scouts. Now the Rangers held that mantel. In many ways, the Scouts were searching for their heart. Gregg intended to use his old branch to the best of their abilities.
“Good afternoon, men,” he said as he approached.
They all nodded respectfully, even the three-star in charge of the Scouts.
“The Akala are eager for us to do their fighting for them, so we’d better get ready.”
Everyone laughed, lessening the tension. His battalion commanders had their tablets out, ready to receive orders.
He turned to the Scout commander. “I’m hoping your people can get me some solid intel on the Leesa outposts.” The Scout commander grinned and nodded. Gregg kept the smile from his lips, glad he’d read the man correctly.
Two hours later, he watched the last support transport lumber through the Portal. The newest weapons the Rangers fielded weighed down the open-framework machine. They were the chief reason Gregg settled on First Division for this deployment. It wasn’t an easy call taking the main rapid response division off Bellatrix; it was the best-equipped unit and included some of the most experienced Rangers.
A kilometer from the Portal building, one thousand Rangers in four battalions stood outside the small industrial building that held the secondary Portal. Thirty standard troop transports and ten shiny Lancer multi-role fighter/transports waited for the call to action.
“Begin deployment,” Gregg ordered the battalion commanders. The three men and one woman nodded and ran toward their combat teams.
Of the four, the newest was Teresa Perez, the Kappa battalion commander or BatCom. He’d only signed off on her promotion a week ago, largely based on her piloting ability and mastery of air operations. Kappa was home to the division’s ten Lancer squadrons, split into two wings of five.
In the more than a decade since Minu had first conceived of the hybrid fighter/transports, the Chosen’s science branch had developed them into the most formidable small craft in use around the Concordia. They got far more offers to buy the craft than to hire the Rangers.
Luckily, First Jacob had not needed convincing that the Lancers were an invaluable asset to humanity and should never be exported. The shock rifles were likewise considered sacrosanct, but that was mostly thanks to Minu’s vehement insistence.
With a scream of gravitic impellers, the Lancer squadron vaulted into the sky just as warm rain began to pour. They broke into three elements, five moving to escort Beta and Delta battalions as their much slower transports took to the air. Two moved off to provide close air support to the Scouts who were verifying the enemy disposition, and the final three took up combat air patrol positions, or CAP, above the heads of the main force element.
All but the three on CAP carried a full platoon of Rangers, thus allowing them maximum flexibility in their multiple roles. With a full military complement on board, they would not be able to convert completely to fighters, but it was a compromise they were willing to make. Gregg’s Alpha Battalion and the remainder of the troops from Kappa remained at the temporary base around the Portal, ready to respond depending on how the battle developed.
“Human force commander,” the Akala contacted him over their secure radio link, “we have engaged the first Leesa firebase.”
Gregg acknowledged and checked his virtual battlefield. The map showed all twelve of the Leesa firebases scattered around the strategic points of the industrial complex with the Portal Spire almost dead center.
Minu would have called it a typically conservative Concordian defensive deployment. She’d nicknamed it ‘The Spider’ for its web-like appearance. She’d also taught them that its weakness was the way it spread out its li
mited resources and led to the over-ease of strategic withdrawal. Conversely, the smaller firebases were open invitations for overruns.
Gregg received updates from the Scout teams which added further texture to the virtual battlefield. He was beginning to think there wouldn’t be any surprises in this operation. Of course, his hopes were premature.
As planned, the Akala engaged Leesa firebases designated Twelve and Nine. They were within five kilometers of each other on the same compass heading. They expected the enemy commander to respond with reinforcements from Firebases Four and Six which were directly behind the two under attack.
Gregg anxiously watched the data feed from the sensors deployed by the scouts. He was about to give up on the diversion when he detected movement. The snake-like Leesa were leaving Firebases Four, Six, and the Portal Spire and slithering quickly toward the fighting. They were moving in widespread, squad-size formations. He smiled and shook his head.
“Scout team leader to Ranger Command, do you see what I see?”
“Affirmative,” Gregg replied. “Please show them the error of their ways.”
Gregg could almost imagine the predatory grin on the faces of the five two-man scout teams as they brought their shock rifles into play.
He was too far away to hear the sizzling crack of the deadly, precise plasma weapons, but the sensors showed the alien squad members beginning to fall. Their staggered and strung-out formation kept them from immediately realizing that their rearmost members were under attack. By the time they noticed, half the reinforcements were already dead.
“Beta Company,” Gregg ordered, “take Firebase Eleven.” The five platoons deployed from the light transports almost a kilometer from their target and quickly moved into place without shields or electronics, all but invisible to modern Concordia technology.
They knew from past working experience that the Leesa depended heavily on technology to do their looking and fighting for them. The first two platoons of Rangers rushed as one, ninety-six men activating their shields as they ran. Before the defenders knew what was happening, the Rangers were over the ceramic concrete barricades and among them.
The Leesa resembled T’Chillen but didn’t have their cousins’ size and formidable physical strength. They were more like the Rasa in build and no real match for the humans. The firebase was overwhelmed in less than a minute, and no word of the attack leaked. Gregg nodded and keyed his mike. “Leapfrog; take Firebase Two.”
Two more Second Company platoons raced past their brothers who were cleaning up Firebase Eleven and streaked for the next one. The final reserve platoon and the company command moved up to cover them just beyond the newly-conquered base. This time, the Rangers only made it far enough to activate their shields.
Trios of beamcaster fire lanced out, striking down a half-dozen soldiers before the others had time to respond. Something about the configuration of the weapons fire made Gregg’s blood run cold. But in the heat of the ambush, he couldn’t put a finger on the specifics. The survivors took what cover they could find.
The reinforcement platoon responded instantly with heavy beamcaster fire, as indicated by their training. The withering fire against the pinned soldiers lessened but did not abate despite the rapid ablation of the firebase’s superstructure.
“Second Battalion, Fourth Company,” Gregg ordered, “abort second attack, move to reinforce First Battalion, Second Company, under heavy fire from Firebase Two.” As the leaders acknowledged the orders, he glanced at a status readout. His own First Battalion First Company was still setting up the new weapons system.
The severely damaged building began coming apart at the seams as two companies of Second Battalion, Fourth Company joined the fray. A second later, the side of the building facing the pinned platoon of Second Battalion exploded outward as three massive robotic walkers crashed through.
Gregg cursed and slammed a fist on the table he’d been using in the CP. He should have recognized the three-beamcaster heavy weapon configuration. The three-legged squad walkers smashed through the remains of the building they’d been hiding in and advanced without hesitation on the pinned down platoons like rampaging monsters. Without Gregg having to say a thing, the troops redirected the fire of every weapon at the first of the three walkers.
“Close air support,” Gregg called to his combat controller, then turned to the logistics coordinator. “All battalions, prepare to withdraw!” Gregg called out as they cut down the first walker. “I repeat, we are falling back.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded the Akala commander over their radio link. “We have a contract, human!”
“You have a contract for us to assist in removing Leesa elements, nothing was said about Mok-Tok shock troops!”
“Mok-Tok? There are no Mok-Tok on this world.”
Gregg’s fingers worked across his virtual battlefield and pulled up a live feed of the second and third Mok-Tok shock troopers crashing forward just as two Lancers screamed in and stitched them from leg to head with beamcaster and shock rifle fire. “What the fuck is that, then?” As if to put an exclamation point on his statement, the broken walker disgorged a trio of the hulking, hairy, half-bigfoots that raced with startling speed into the midst of his stunned soldiers. At least a dozen Rangers died before they could burn down the massive aliens, even at point-blank range.
“Impossible!” the Akala complained. Another section of the virtual battlefield came alive, this one near the Akala’s attack force. There wasn’t enough data to be sure, but Gregg would be willing to bet a month’s pay that more Mok-Tok walkers were now chewing the shit of out the feckless Akala soldiers.
“You argue with the impossible if you want. The contract is void due to the actions of a higher-order species, and we’re withdrawing. If you want to assist in an orderly withdrawal, I recommend you begin falling back to the Portal quickly or you can deal with the Mok-Tok all by yourselves.”
He cut the connection and turned to his logistics coordinator. The Chosen waited, the four green stars on his sleeves standing out against his black jumpsuit. “Begin moving resources through the Portal immediately.”
The Logistics Chosen turned toward the Portal building just over a kilometer away. He raised his radio link to his ear and froze. A line of brilliant blue light connected the building to the sky, seemingly bending back over their heads and off into the distance. A millisecond later, fire and fury enveloped the building.
* * * * *
Part IV
* * * * *
Chapter 1
April 19th, 534 AE (subjective)
Dervish Star system, Galactic Frontier
The Kaatan-class starship dropped between the three stars, immersed in the unimaginable forces surrounding them on all sides. The CIC was silent as everyone watched in awe. Lilith had configured all the walls as displays, giving the humans and the Rasa the effect of floating unprotected through the maelstrom, instead of safely inside a powerfully-shielded starship.
“Shields are approaching maximum dissipation,” Pip warned.
“Standing by the tactical drive,” Lilith said, her voice cold and emotionless. She was most like when they first met her when flying the ship in combat or danger. The more required of her as the ship’s mind, the less room she had for her humanity.
Minu knew all too well how merciless her daughter could be when wrapped in the full throes of controlling the Kaatan. Minu glanced at Pip and saw the muscles working in his jaw. If Lilith had to use the tactical drive, he would be forced to endure the timeless living hell he’d experienced during his first trip through the nothingness when his implants were active.
“Prominence at five hundred kilometers, I’m attempting to avoid.”
The solar prominence was nearly as large as a planet, arching across their path toward the closing energy station and threatening to overload the already-strained shields. As they’d planned, Aaron interfaced with his piloting controls and started working with Lilith to finesse their cours
e around the prominence. For a minute, they were navigating between thousand-kilometer thick filaments of hot plasma. If any of them suddenly jumped and contacted the ship’s shields...
Then they were past and in the clear. Lilith slowed the ship as the station grew before them, and its real scale became apparent. Lightning bolts of pure energy ricocheted between the filigree, collecting terawatts of power every second.
Now that they were through the danger, Pip was again working on his computer, studying the station intensely. The displays flashed as they examined the station until, suddenly, an area on one of the radial cylinders was enhanced to show a ring of docking bays. “We have our destination,” Lilith told them, and the Kaatan changed course.
* * *
The final approach to the station went without incident. They could see a dozen massive docking bays surrounding the hub, each easily big enough to accommodate three of the Kaatan-class ships. There were two other bays, but their interiors remained dark, providing no clue about whether anything was hidden inside.
“The station’s flight control has acknowledged our ID code,” Lilith told them. “We are automatically docking.” Invisible gravitic beams took hold of the pierced ball shape of the Kaatan and moved it gently into the brightly-lit bay.
Retracted against the gleaming, white walls were numerous gantries and booms, and as soon as they passed the outside wall, the inside of the bay began to configure itself. In less than a minute, a cradle formed in which the ship nestled, safe and sound.
“That’s handy,” Pip said as the ship’s drive systems began powering down.
“Atmosphere is established outside,” Aaron reported. “No doors; must be force fields.”
