by John Walker
If we don’t find a way to stop them, they’ll sweep through our planets anyway. And I won’t be in any position to stop them. Alon felt guilty about the losses of his colony every single day. He struggled with the idea he should’ve thought of something. His bravery in saving Gunny and Hans bought him a ride in the military.
But watching his people die at the hands of the Kahl made him feel like a coward.
I wonder how many of the people would’ve died in an effort to escape. He thought about trying to get in the bunker. Maybe one or two would’ve made it. That wasn’t my fault. He tried to tell himself that but it rarely helped. Part of the problem came down to the fact he couldn’t talk about his issues with anyone.
Not even a psychiatrist. Any records might be turned over to the military and he didn’t want to find himself thrown out. He had to redeem himself somehow. Whether that meant dying a glorious death with other men or helping to preserve their civilization, he didn’t necessarily care.
Well… the death part isn’t really on the menu.
Gunny stepped aboard, moving to the pilot’s area. The others sat amongst him, men he befriended over the past two months. They were chattering about the mission, excited to try their new toys on live targets. Alon couldn’t get behind that sort of feeling. Not after he’d seen the Kahls in action once.
The two new people sat next to him. He hadn’t met them yet. “Hi.” He extended his hand. “I’m Alon Dess. Sergeant Dess.”
“Corporal Martin Tiller,” the young man said while shaking his hand. “This is Corporal Vesper Williams. You been with the ship for long?”
“Since the beginning.” Alon watched Gunny as he took his seat. “I’ll tell you the story when we get back from this.”
“So rescue mission, huh?” Tiller asked. “Sounds pretty straightforward. Won’t be too big of a deal to collect a couple people I’d imagine.”
“Scans aren’t working,” Alon said. “So it might be harder than you think. With those animals out there trying to stop us, this might be a real fight.”
“With these things?” Vesper patted her rifle. “I would be surprised if shootouts take very long.”
Ah, they’re overconfident because of the weapons. Alon smirked. He pulled on his helmet. “Yes, well. The good news is your armor can take three direct hits before it has to recharge. So keep that in mind before you go charging someone. They’re designed for deflection, not absorption. Do you understand the distinction?”
The two put on their helmets, which made communication a lot easier. Sound from the engines died down though once they departed the hangar that wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
“I don’t,” Vesper replied, “I mean, they take hits, right? That’s what armor does.”
“Absorption is the idea you can just take direct hits over and over like a ship might,” Alon explained. “Deflection is taking a blow while you’re in the act of evading an attack. The tactics here do not involve charging enemy positions. We still utilize cover, still take and hold positions. Basically, your normal training with better toys.”
“I can dig that,” Tiller said. “I’m psyched, right?” He belted out the last statement, bringing out a hooah from the others.
Alon rolled his eyes, grateful his helmet hid his general disdain for their excitement. He wanted to be part of the war. He didn’t look forward to participating in combat. That was a necessary side effect of involvement. And it’s the only thing I’m good at. Otherwise, I’d be happy to sit on the ship to evaluate data.
“We’ll be hitting the atmosphere in five minutes!” Gunny shouted. “From there, it’s an eight minute trip to the surface. Won’t be pleasant either. We’re taking it fast so hold your lunch! None of you bastards better puke in your helmet. Take it off, I swear to God! None of us will smell it.”
“Yes, sir!” the entire troop shouted at the same time. Alon excluded. He leaned back in his chair, preparing himself for the g-force. He’d been through hundreds of simulated drops. Only five real ones. They weren’t that bad but some guys had a real hard time with them.
At least we don’t have to jump out of a moving vehicle at five thousand feet. Alon didn’t particularly care for heights. The tallest jump they tended to make was off the ramp of a ship at ten feet. Not the best thing in the world, but at least he got over that concern fast. Now to work on feeling dizzy on the fifty floor of a building.
That wasn’t to say he hadn’t experienced a real drop before. The other soldiers insisted on attempting a higher jump in the armor, one they had to use parachutes for. That had been the worst day of his life. He’d never needed to attempt such a thing in the militia and his fear of heights nearly paralyzed him.
Fortunately, Gunny got him through it. Hard as the older man was, he had a soft spot for Alon after their experience at the colony.
“Hey,” Tiller leaned close, “you see what these things can do to a person yet?”
Alon nodded. Fortunately, the young man couldn’t see his grave look. It probably wouldn’t help his morale. “You won’t believe how bad it is.”
“Really? Like…”
“Like I can’t prepare you by saying.” Alon was about to say more when Gunny shouted his name. He looked up to see the man wave at him to approach the cockpit. “Sorry. Gotta go. You’ll be fine.” As he stood, some of the others clapped him on the back with a customary oo sound, like he’d done something wrong in a classroom.
“Hey.” Gunny pulled him into the cockpit area. “We’re heading for orbit now but take a look. The enemy seems to be sending a ship down. You got a better look at what they had before. That basically the same thing?”
Alon peered out the cockpit but the thing was way too far away to make out. He leaned over the copilot for a view of the scanner. The silhouette was unmistakable. He’d never forget that thing for the rest of his life. If Andrews had been their pilot, he figured he’d say the same thing.
“Yeah, no difference.”
“Okay.” Gunny patted Andrews on the shoulder. “We’re going down in the forest near the last known location. When we do, you have to get your ass moving in case they feel frisky and want to turn you into fireworks. You got that?”
“Yes, sir,” Andrews replied. “Just like last time.”
Alon knew Andrews well. He considered him a friend after what they went through together. They were closer to the planet than their opponents. This is a race to find the people. But not just that. It’s our first real engagement against these people. If the other soldiers aren’t itching for a fight, I’d be damn surprised.
“Sir,” Alon turned to Gunny, “have we attempted to contact the people we’re here to save?”
“Not yet.” Gunny smirked at him. “I get where you’re coming from but we’ve got to break atmo first. Then we’ll be able to mask our signal, at least a little bit. Gotta keep from letting these buggers know where we are, right?”
Alon nodded. “Should I return to my seat?”
“Stay up here. I might have more questions. Just hang on tight. This is going to be bumpy as hell. Hopefully those newbies back there hold it together. We’re heading for the surface fast.”
I hope I can handle it! Alon pulled on the wall strap to keep him in place then grabbed the safety bar with both hands. His weapon hung at his hip, slapping his side. I’ve never had to do this without sitting down. The ship shook violently as they entered the atmosphere. Gear rattled around them, clattering against the walls.
Alon reminded himself over and over that it wasn’t a panel or any of the controls making the noise but just bits that weren’t part of the ship. They broke through the cloud coverage, looking out over a vast, dusty plain. Over the hills to the right, trees towered over the land, untouched by harvest, growing wild.
Sun just came up over that region, casting a brilliant glow over the region. Alon’s eyes watered. When he arrived at his previous colony, he sat in the cargo area. He didn’t get to see the descent. Since then, he’d seen the plan
et near the dry dock plenty of times but it lacked any sort of real splendor. It was just a desert.
For whatever reason, that didn’t impact him. Perhaps the stress of impending combat did the trick. Whatever the case, he couldn’t take his eyes off the way the sun hit the branches of trees. It seemed like they were glowing, as if they might be…
“Hey!” Gunny nudged him. “You okay?”
“Sir?”
“I was talking to you. Were you zoning out?”
“Just… taking in the scenery, sir. That’s all.”
“You think we’re here for a little sightseeing? We your cruise line, Sergeant?”
“No, sir. Sorry.” Once again, Alon thanked God for the helmet. He felt his cheeks burning. He cleared his throat. “What, uh… what was the problem?”
“I want you to take the newbies with you. You’re on search one. I’ll take search two. Hans get search three.”
“That a good idea? I mean, I barely know those people. I’m not sure what they’re capable of.”
“You’ll find out. You and Hans are the only two I trust to give them a real evaluation. Their records seem solid but make this count. We won’t be too far apart anyway.” Gunny tapped the terminal to his left. “Attention, this is TCN Gunnery Sergeant Stefan. Kyle Burgess. Lysa Vanden, please respond?”
Andrews let them know they’d put down in less than five minutes. Alon took one last look at the horizon before heading out to the others. The enemy ship would put down momentarily as well. Engagement would happen no matter what. One way or another, there would be a fight.
These corporals better hold their own. Alon didn’t like the idea of being in charge of them. He had nearly protested the rank he’d been given. Well, today I have to prove I should’ve… or that they made the right call. And just maybe, get a little payback for what happened to his friends back home.
Chapter 13
“Opening fire,” Ronin called.
Titus held his breath as the weapons discharged, the first real life test of their weapon systems. The beams lanced out from the cannons, quick flickers that made immediate contact with their target. Tension filled the bridge as he awaited the scan results. Did we hurt them this time? Did the upgrades work?
“Direct hit,” Violet announced. The brief pause made Titus clench his fist. “Enemy shields dropped by six percent!”
Titus sighed, clapping his hands. “Keep going, Ronin. Don’t let up. Jane, you’re on flight. Get us moving for evasive.”
“Soldiers are landing,” Rhys announced. “They’re reaching out to the archaeologists. However, they’re not going to be alone. The enemy sent some people too.”
The Kahl ship opened fire, beams tracing the darkness between them. The blow caught the Triton in the lower bow as they climbed in an effort to avoid the assault. Ronin returned the shot, blasting away with their turrets as well as the swivel cannons. They exchanged a quick array of over a dozen shots before passing one another.
We survived, Titus thought. That’s more than could be said for the destroyers in that first fight. “Report! Shield and weapon status!”
“Shields are holding at eighty percent,” Violet replied. “Weapons still at maximum, power sir. We’re seeing a slight decrease in engine capacity due to the drain from the assault. Engineering is reporting that’s not expected and are looking into it now. Scan of the enemy vessel puts them on par with our defenses.”
“Rear weapons have discharged,” Ronin added. “They seem to have limited effect on the target.”
“Sorry about that, sir,” Jane said. “I’m getting the hang of how to evade those things.”
“Don’t sweat that one,” Titus replied. “Bring us around for another pass with the main cannons.” That was the best test we could’ve hoped for. “Violet, if the enemy hails us, let me know right away. ETA for another attack run?”
“Thirty seconds,” Jane said.
Titus turned to Rhys. “Opinion?”
“The destructive power I’m seeing on my terminal…” Rhys shook his head. “I never would’ve thought it was possible for a ship to take so much let alone shields. That exchange… more than thirty blasts to each vessel… it would’ve annihilated most battleships. I don’t know what to say.”
“Now you know what we’ve been up to,” Titus replied, “and why it’s so important.” The ship came around, facing off with the Kahl again. “Give them everything, Ronin. Hammer away.” The direct assault may not have been the best option but part of it came down to posture. The first couple exchanges, he didn’t mind making direct.
Afterward… well, he had a plan for that.
The weapons fired again. This time the enemy ship attempted to dodge while shooting back. Titus smiled at the motion. When they started the brawl, the Kahls seemed to think they’d have an easy go at them. After taking a punch to the face, they learned it wouldn’t be so easy.
“Jane,” Titus said, “as we pass them by, pivot with full maneuvering thrusters. Ronin, tear into their thrusters. Give them a real kick to the ass.” Just as the Brekka had done during the first battle with the Kahls. Titus had been thinking about it for some time. This situation let the enemy think they’d have a leisurely turn before they kept up the frontal assault.
This guy’s arrogant enough to buy this false sense of security. The next attack caused the ship to shake this time with a solid enough blow to give them a good knocking. The good news came from the fact Ronin gave as good as they got. As they once again passed by the vessel, Titus held fast to his seat.
“On my mark,” Jane announced. “Three… two… one… turning.” The engines whined deep within the Triton as the maneuvering thrusters fired at full burn. They spun, moving swift enough that even their highly advanced artificial gravity strained to keep up. A heavy amount of g-force shoved Titus into his seat. “Firing retro thrusters!”
The ship slowed, an action that made the g-force all the more intense. Ronin cried out, a strangled sound that drew a wide eyed look from Titus. The man leaned back in his chair, hands pressed to his face as they finished the maneuver. He was not firing.
“Jane!” Titus shouted, “open fire!”
“Aye, sir!” Jane complied, tapping the secondary weapon controls. The enemy’s rear came up in front of them. They slammed them with a serious barrage, one that lasted for a solid five seconds before the enemy battleship veered away. As it pulled out of range, the Triton moved to maintain their firing solution, picking up speed.
“Ronin!” Titus called. “Are you okay?” The pilot didn’t respond. “Rhys, get Medical on the line. Get some people up here to help him. Violet, how’d we do?”
“Enemy ship took some damage from that one. Their shields have dropped below fifty percent. They are moving away at a rapid pace, back toward the planet.”
What do you hope to accomplish with that? Titus rubbed his chin. They were still struggling to catch up, to get on their rear again. “Hit them with our turrets. Give them whatever you can.”
“Sir,” Rhys leaned in, “are these people sore losers?”
“I… don’t know.” Titus shrugged. “Why do you ask?”
“Because if they’re heading to the planet, what if they intend to bombard the area where our soldiers are operating? Our people? It’s the kind of move the desperate might pull to distract us from hitting them. We might be too busy trying to save people to finish them off.”
“Then what?” Titus asked.
“They could focus on getting back in the fight. With our shields hovering around eighty-five percent, they’re at the disadvantage. They need us to focus our attention elsewhere for a moment. Get a breath before they dive in for what I’m sure they’d hope is a coup de grace. My opinion is they weren’t expecting us to hit so hard.”
“I agree.” Titus sighed. “Get the soldiers on the line. Tell them they are in a major time crunch. They have to get those people out of there right away. Risk comm traffic if necessary.”
“Got it.”<
br />
“Maximum speed,” Titus said. “Crawl up their tailpipe if you have to but I want another firing solution with the main cannons.”
Time to finish you off, Renz. Show you what blind adherence to your warrior culture buys you.
***
Kivda arrived on the bridge in time to be thrown against the wall. He bounced off before dropping on the deck, whacking his head on the grate. Shouts around him sounded distant as he shook off the daze. A strong hand hoisted him to his feet. He found himself looking into Renz’s face.
“Are you hurt?” Renz shouted.
Kivda shook his head. He couldn’t quite speak yet.
“Take a seat.” Renz stepped away. “These creatures are far more dangerous than I anticipated. The maneuver they just pulled off was much like the Prytins we’ve faced. Nimble ships with pilots unconcerned for safety.”
Kivda joined him as the ship shook again though this time far less violently. He secured himself, pressing his hand against the throbbing pain on his head. Pulling away, he frowned at the dark-navy stain of blood on his palm.
Scalp wounds always bleed, he reminded himself. I’m not seriously injured.
“Did you speak with them?” Kivda asked.
“Yes, we demanded their surrender. They refused.” Renz raised his voice, “Drop lower! Get out of their gun range. Those turrets are only there to keep our shields from rapidly recharging!”
The crew knows what to do, Kivda thought, but if he’s shouting like that, then this situation has thrown them for a loop. Which meant everyone underestimated their opponents. My own men may make the same mistake. Damn it! He reached out to the shuttle to warn them. Static filled the speaker.
“Inda!” Kivda shouted, “what’s wrong with the comm units? Why can’t I reach the surface?”
“Damage to the line,” Inda replied, “we’re working on it presently. It won’t take long, sir.”
