Durack turned his fleet to address the Barques pursuing him. He winced slightly when the screen revealed forty Hevinian warships in front of him. The screens revealed twenty Barques and twenty Jaguars and as powerful as those vessels are they were still outgunned by the remaining Kaedian ships. Durack smiled as the screens revealed the markings on the Barques. This was what he lived for, the power to control the battle. His supreme confidence in his abilities surged through his body powered by adrenaline he felt he could take on the universe and crush it.
He addressed the fleet. “Kaedians. Before you is the Earth Defense Force that destroyed your brothers and sisters at the Battle for Earth. This is our
opportunity to exact revenge. We will proceed in the standard attack formation. Good hunting.”
As the words left his mouth his instincts told him something was different. The enemy was not running away. Why do they not fear us, we have superior firepower, our screens are stronger and yet they remain facing us. What are they waiting for? His answer came as the acid in the sticky bomb in the ship to his left had completed its task and the gas was released into the ship. The ship’s ventilation system distributed the odorless highly combustible gas throughout the ship. As soon as the pressure in the cylinder dropped below one hundred psi the firing pin in the igniter was released and slammed into the small explosive charge. The flame fueled by the oxygen in the explosive compound blasted into the ship igniting the gas inside causing a massive ship-wide explosion.
“Incoming fifty plus missiles,” yelled his Navigator. Durack shrugged off his surprise at the unexplained loss of a ship.
“Deploy decoys and defensive missiles. Launch full missile attack at the Earthers now,” he screamed. His command and control screen showed two more of his ships disintegrate in unison. What is going on? he wondered.
The sticky bombs were doing their work well. The second round of Hevinian missiles fared as well as the first with five missiles getting through to their targets. Durack watched in fascination as one of his ships blew up a split second before the missile hit. From the Command Center on Orion, Tom watched as the Kaedians launched their attack. Even with ten ships left they presented a serious challenge firing two waves of forty-four missiles at the Brigade. The Brigade had not waited and had launched its own missiles. Again, the waves of missiles flew at each other with impunity. Four Barques and four Kaedian attack ships were destroyed. Stalemate. Frulé was reminded of the days when wooden sailing ships pulled alongside each other and simply pounded each other until one was destroyed. Another wave of missiles launched from the Brigade was repulsed by the Kaedians with no losses. Suddenly two of Durack’s ships exploded and vanished. With no explanation for these losses, Durack decided that now was the time to leave. He turned his fleet around and ordered a focused attack on the center of the Brigade line. Twenty missiles were launched targeting the three center ships. As they were released, Durack ordered a second launch then turned what was left of his fleet into a close line astern and launching more missiles followed the missiles in at light speed. The strategy worked, the focused missiles took out oncoming Brigade missiles and punched a hole in the Brigade formation. The defensive screen overlapping the three center Barques could not hold against the onslaught. The Barques were
obliterated and two Barques on either side were damaged but survived. The second wave of missiles finished off these two Barques and widened the gap allowing the Kaedian fleet to pass through a dazed Brigade at ninety-three miles per second and disappear into the meteorite field.
As they left Durack turned to his Communications Officer. “Order the scout ship to initiate his secondary orders now.” As he spoke the last of the sticky bombs went off and another of his ships disintegrated.
Dresden sat in the scout ship hovering near the Orion. This was his first real assignment since being assigned as a brand new Third Officer to Fleet Commander Durack’s unit. Durack had accepted the scout ship only because it came with an experienced combat pilot. However, when Dresden gave a brief on the vessel at a pilot’s meeting he began to appreciate its capabilities.
When the Orion was discovered, Durack saw a use for the little scout ship. Dresden had been ordered to depart the fleet and shadow the Orion orbiting Kryton, to observe, and report only if the ship left orbit. It had been this ship that Karnat had failed to identify as it entered the field. Dresden slowed down and pulled up alongside the Orion completely invisible. He enjoyed the game of cat and mouse where the mouse was playing the cat. He was far ahead of the Kaedian fleet but he fine-tuned the BICORE system until he could pick up both Kaedian and Hevinian transmissions. As the system translated the Hevinian messages Dresden became concerned. It was obvious the Hevinians knew of the fleet and were preparing a trap with the Orion as the bait. He reached to toggle a switch to send a
transmission but hesitated, his orders were clear. The Vice-Commander had personally ordered him to remain undetected and not to communicate unless the Orion left orbit. If he sent a message he might be compromised. Besides his Commander was obviously aware of the trap and had a contingency plan. He remembered his father’s words: “Trust those officers over you. They know more than you think.” So, he waited while he received data from the BICORE system as it monitored the battle. It soon became obvious that the Kaedians were on the verge of defeat. He felt sure he would soon receive orders to depart the area and rejoin the fleet. Instead, he received orders to carry out his secondary mission. What secondary mission? He waited for a few seconds then received the rest of the message. The message simply stated: From Fleet Commander Durack -Destroy the Orion.
He was stunned and sat very still for five or six seconds absorbing the significance of what he received. He knew and accepted the possibility that his
Commander could order a suicide mission if there was no other choice. But here there were other choices, the fleet could escape and was in no danger. Why would Durack order the Orion destroyed? He thought of his training and the answer came back immediately, it did not matter. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind trapped by tradition he knew he was being deliberately sacrificed for the good of the Empire. Suddenly years of duty and generations of mindless devotion took over and he turned the ship away from the Orion. Calculating the force needed to activate the weapon in the nose of his vessel he increased speed away from the Orion. He needed to be far enough away to build speed up to one quarter light speed to impact the hull with enough force to detonate his weapon. Dresden was pleased at how calm he was. The BICORE system informed him the correct distance had been achieved. He turned the Cleb around and pointed it directly at the unsuspecting Orion. As he sat staring at the Orion he allowed himself a moment to mentally dictate a farewell message to his father and send it. It would take weeks to reach him but it was important for his father to know he did his duty well. He set the accelerator to maximum speed. He closed his eyes as the scout ship hurled him at the Orion. He reached light speed as the Kura-ruba resin covered nose of the tiny ship sliced through the particle beam screen and slammed into the hull of the Orion over the propulsion room. The Cleb’s hull collapsed onto the detonator of the bomb and it exploded ripping out the entire after-section of the Orion.
Inside Orion, everyone was knocked off their feet as the shock wave passed through the ship. Alarms began to howl as one section after another began to collapse. Commodore Querrion immediately knew his ship was lost and issued the order to abandon ship. He turned to Tom, “I think we had better go now. Come with me, there are life pods on this deck in the passageway,” said the Commodore.
The two of them raced out of the Command Center and down the corridor. The emergency lighting threw weak pools of light on the deck just bright enough for them to see where they were going. They reached the pods just as the other crew members were closing the doors on the other two pods. The XO had waited for his Commodore and was holding the door open for them.
“Hurry Commodore,” he said urgently in Hevinian. “Get in,” sai
d the Commodore. The XO hesitated. “I am not going to do anything heroic. I will be right with you. Now get in.”
As Tom and the XO climbed into the cramped space of the life pod the Commodore turned to a wall mounted console and rapidly entered a code, hit another button then joined the others in the pod. He secured the door, strapped in, and pulled down the eject lever. The released life pod slid down a tube and was ejected into the void just as the Orion exploded. The two other pods containing the other crewmembers departed at the same time. Two seconds later the men inside the pods were held securely by the restraints as they were thrust forward as the pod was hit by the expanding pressure ring from the exploding Orion.
As the last in the line of Kaedian ships racing away from the battle field, Durack witnessed the completion of the scout ship’s secondary mission as the Orion disintegrated. The shock wave pushed debris out into the Galaxy and hid the escape pods. Durack smiled; even though he had failed in his mission to garrison the planet, he had destroyed the Orion. That he would claim the Krammar overrode any previous orders and gave him no choice but to attack and destroy the Hevinian Supply Ship. He would get a promotion thanks to the sacrifice of the men who died. He did not spare a thought for any of them including the young Cleb pilot. They were just another stepping-stone on his career path. He was so focused on his future that he didn’t notice as the fleet passed through a debris cloud that was once the Kaedian colonist’s ship. The Zenon had completed her part of the plan well. As they left the meteorite field Durack ordered what was left of his fleet to return to the main battle fleet. Even with the Orion gone he knew Kryton was now under the protection of Hevinian Commonwealth forces and therefore off the Kaedian radar for colonization, for now.
Alone in his room onboard the command troop ship, Vice-Commander Krabb had checked himself in the mirror. He agreed he looked very impressive, as a Commander should. He began to see himself as a great military leader. Maybe this assignment will be good for my career after all, he thought. His senior officers had kitted him out with the traditional Kaedian black combat uniform, body armor and a helmet. They gave him a crash course in the basics of firing his pulse beam weapon just enough that he would not hurt anyone near him. They carefully attached his nice new shiny rank badges to his collars and helmet.
24
Assault Continues
From the air above the village the two Jaguars were circling as their onboard systems searched for any signs of the enemy ships. For ten minutes they saw nothing then, in a clearing in the center of the forest, two ships materialized and hundreds of assault troops began pouring out at a run, quickly disappearing into the thick cover of the trees. Kris released two missiles at the ships, splitting one in half. The other shrouded and vanished off his screen.
“Andrew this is Ray, two ships have landed in the forest two miles east from you. They have discharged about five hundred assault troops. The Kaedians appear to have particle beam weapons and upper body armor. We will attempt to thin them out before they reach you.”
The assault troops on the ground were too busy to notice they had been abandoned. When the doors opened Krabb led his men as they poured out into the forest and he felt the adrenaline rush overriding his fear. Then the man beside him screamed as the steel jaws of a bear trap crushed his leg just below the knee almost severing it. Blood poured out onto the ground as the man writhed in agony. The trooper behind him shot him in the head without hesitation.
Looking at the Commander he said, “Don’t worry, Sir, I would do the same for you,” and he ran on.
The Commander turned and resumed running with the rest of the men. Another man stepped in a trap, a third began yelling trying to rip off his body armor. He had tripped the wire holding a hornet nest and it had fallen on him. A hundred or so angry hornets had penetrated under his armor and were stinging him; he was no longer concerned about the battle. Suddenly as the hives fell more troopers found themselves distracted by the hornets and failed to notice the traps. The air became filled with the sounds of steel snapping together followed by howls of pain. As effective as the traps were, they did little to deter the advance but the effect was demoralizing and it made the troops slow down and be more cautious. To his right Krabb saw fifteen men get mowed down by cannon fire from a Jaguar firing blindly into the forest. The large caliber rounds were tearing up shrubs, trees, and men without impunity.
Krabb almost threw up when a severed arm hit him in the face spewing blood all over him. Another man ran into him running in the opposite direction with half his face missing. The adrenaline in Krabb’s body no longer diluted his fear, he was terrified, he pushed the man away and ran on into a clearing. He looked up as a Jaguar appeared over the trees. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the nose iris open and the targeting sensors on either side glowed like cat’s eyes in the dark. He watched fascinated as rapid explosions erupted from the iris, he never saw the six rounds that slammed into his chest. The large caliber rounds tore him apart and he was dead before he could react to the pain.
Kris had been moving slowly over the forest taking sporadic incoming fire that was being deflected easily by his screen. The forest floor was so thickly covered by foliage both he and his system were having difficulty finding clear targets. He had just decided to use Ray’s clear-cutting method when he spotted a flash of light coming from the center of a clearing. His system identified the target and at the same time Kris saw that the man was clearly a high-ranking Officer by the fancy insignia glittering in the sunlight. A quick burst took him out easily. Probably did the rest of the men a favor, he thought. Letting him go into combat with his insignia gleaming clearly indicated they hated him.
The assault took a turn for the worst when the Kaedians reached the edge of the forest. They were expecting a lightly manned temporary camp, which was confirmed by the primitive booby traps encountered in the forest. Instead; they found an armored berm topped by metal fortifications. The camp was manned by several hundred troops in the blue uniforms of the now famous Earth Defense Brigade. The advance halted temporarily at the edge of the forest but they were being pushed by the cannon fire from behind by the Jaguars. The Commander tried to call in air support but received no reply. They were on their own. There was no choice; they either attacked or were mowed down from above by the Jaguars. The Commander made the last choice he would ever make. He had lost at least a hundred men in the forest. The lucky ones were those who ran from the hornets. His men were firing at the berm waiting for the order they knew must come.
“Karrraaar!” yelled the Commander and rushed out into the open field as his men followed without hesitation. They fired as they ran aiming to keep the defenders down so they could assault the berm. Sergeant Baznort heard a click and a twang on his left; he instinctively looked down just as the mine inside the jack-in-the-box popped up and exploded just below his waist. The searing pain that racked his body was caused by the steel balls shredding his left side just below the body armor. As the pain subsided, he could see several other troopers being cut down by the mines then his world went black.
Sara watched from behind the metal as the mines did their deadly work. The Commander leading the attack was bowled over by a mine that malfunctioned and exploded only an inch above the ground twenty feet away from him. The steel balls smacked into his right ankle. His combat boot took the brunt of the force but the tendons were crushed. He forced himself up and hobbled toward the berm. Small gaps began to appear among the attackers. Andrew spoke into his
communicator and the tanks opened up. The huge BAL Particle Weapons spat out a twelve-inch ball of energy that exploded when it hit the first thing it encountered, in this case a Kaedian trooper. The energy released killed and wounded more troopers in a twenty-foot radius. Even though the tanks were firing at a rate of ten shots per minute taking out dozens of troopers at each shot the assault did not falter. As a man went down another took his place in front. By the dozen they fell until by the time the leading troopers reached the
berm less than two hundred were left. They split up and using the steel barricade as shelter made their way toward the tanks on either side. Concentrated fire from the advancing troops on the ground forced the defenders to keep down.
The southwest corner of the berm was reached first and a trooper placed armor piercing grenades under the tank then leaped out of the way. The explosion destroyed the tank killing the crew instantly and made a huge hole in the berm. With the tank gone the pressure on the advancing troopers on the right was taken away and they renewed their efforts. Using the tangled mess of metal that was once a tank for temporary protection, fifty or so men of the assault force regrouped to launch their assault into the village. The tank at the northwest corner was also destroyed opening another hole on the berm. Andrew quickly ordered a withdrawal from the berm to the secondary defenses. With a roar, the Kaedians rushed into the village only to be met by a hail of small arms fire from the defenders crouched behind the secondary defensive line. Many of the rounds were absorbed by their body armor but the attackers were still losing men by the minute but so were the defenders and gradually the southeast end of the defensive line started to crumble. Andrew yelled into his communicator for them to retreat. Sergeant Deming and three other Brigade members held off the troopers while the rest of the defenders escaped into other defensive positions in the village. Deming was hit in the shoulder and collapsed under the barricade. The other Brigade members kept firing until one by one they were killed by the Kaedians.
Of the five hundred attackers that began the assault only a hundred or so made it into the village but they could be enough to overrun it. They laid down a killing field of fire into the village not bothering to search for targets of opportunity. Andrew wanted to turn on the attackers in the village but he was busy dealing with over fifty troopers advancing toward his position. Just as he began to see his position as indefensible a Jaguar screamed into the fray, its single cannon blazing away shredding the attackers.
Altis-5: Book #2 of the Sleeper Series Page 22
