Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy

by Michael G. Thomas

  “Fire!” Sergeant Stone ordered.

  Jack and his nearest comrades had no time to worry about the pit behind them. Hundreds of new targets appeared as the Thegns moved from cover to cover. This was no simple wave attack. It was a carefully timed assault, using every inch of available cover. Jack aimed at the first target, fired, and then moved to the next. Even as he tracked to his right, he noticed the first Thegn he’d shot was still alive and took aim back at him. Something tugged. He found himself on his back, and Gun looking down at him.

  “Watch your head, Jack.”

  The mighty warrior turned and ran back toward the pit, his guards following right behind. Some of the Khreenk join in, and a vicious hand-to-hand brawl broke out as the first Thegns reached the surface. Jenkell helped Jack to his feet as he watched in awe at the figure of Gun. He didn’t just kill or incapacitate nearly a dozen of the enemy, but he then leapt down into the pit and vanished.

  “He’s insane,” said Private Jenkell.

  Jack shook his head.

  “No, he’s a Jötnar. That’s what they do.”

  Feeling calmer and more levelheaded, he moved back to the line and took aim. This time he made sure he put one of the enemy down before moving to the next target. Decurion war machines crept about, all of them staying low and scuttling about like spiders before leaping out and overrunning the outer defenses. Two of them reached Jack’s position and jumped over their shattered wall. The first landed right behind him and stabbed at his back. A pair of Khreenk warriors blasted it apart with large, short-barreled cannon that they carried low about their hips on gyro-stabilized mounts.

  “Thanks,” was the best he could manage.

  The second machine landed further back and unfortunately for it, directly in the path of a single Jötnar warrior. With a yell and a roar, he grabbed one of its arms and then blazed away with his multi-barreled cannon at the machine. In seconds, the thing was a smashed ruin. More Thegns now reached the line, but the marines return fire was so great, not a single one was able to climb over.

  “Keep up your fire!” Lieutenant Elvidge cried out.

  Jack looked to his right and spotted the officer, with Sergeant Stone nearby. Both were directing the marines who lay crouched along the wall like some ancient Earth battle. It was all close range, and both sides were taking casualties from the stray rounds. Movement caught Jack’s eye, and he glanced left, but it was more marines running ahead to join the rest on the line. Two dropped down along side him and lifted their guns to fire. The first took a blast to the face and snapped backwards, the impact killing him instantly.

  “Shoot, damn you!” Sergeant Stone shouted, for what must have been the hundredth time.

  More Thegns moved nearer and nearer until they were just a block away and exchanging continuous gunfire. Even as they fought back, it was clear the marines’ numbers and ammunition must have been suffering. The center of the line was already firing at a reduced rate when mortars knocked out its two remaining machine guns. Two Thegns climbed over the tripods, and Jack raked them from the side with his carbine. Both fell, and he reached down for his next clip, to find them all gone. Sergeant Stone spotted his firing and nodded in acknowledgement.

  “Good shooting, Son, keep at it.”

  Jenkell passed over another clip and pushed it into his left hand.

  “Make it count.”

  A salvo of mortar bombs crashed into the defenses, and one of the SAAR robots exploded in a bright flash. Two nearby Rams also exploded, and their cargo of ammunition caught fire and blasted apart in all directions. Then came a sound none of them had ever heard, a kind of warbling, high-pitched screeching that would have caused any of them not wearing helmets to crawl about on the ground. Jack pulled back the loading level on his L52 and took aim. The sight of the last wave of enemy warriors stunned him. Hundreds of Thegns lifted up from their cover and rushed in a final great surge for the marines’ defenses.

  You can do this, aim low and squeeze.

  Jack fired and the emergency alert activated in his visor. For a moment he was dumbfounded, and then he realized it was an overheating transformer in the coilgun. Just as he’d been trained to, he pulled out the bayonet from his sheath and slid it onto the notch, as the wave of Thegns crashed into the wall. Heavy gunfire from behind them scattered the Thegns, but more came on. One threw himself at Jack, but in a single stabbing action he stepped back and thrust into the thing’s throat. It gurgled incoherently before being pulled off and shot by Jenkell.

  A moving shadow covered Jack as he looked for another target. He looked over his shoulder and watched the bulk of Gun and his guards emerge from the pit. They were all covered in blood and gore. With one arm extended, he pointed to the outer barricades being held by the marines.

  “Run them all down!”

  With that simple order, he set off along the ground and jumped over the defenses, right into the mass of Thegns. His guards did the same, each hacking and shooting simultaneously.

  “Marines, advance!” Lieutenant Elvidge added.

  Jack didn’t even realize what he was doing as he rose to his feet and climbed out of cover to join the crazed Jötnar. More marines did the same, and then they were rushing across open ground and through the scattered line of Thegns. Jack moved one foot in front of the other, his carbine out in front, and his eyes focused on keeping moving. He legs felt like jelly and his heart pounded, but every step took him away from the firefight and closer to his comrades who were running about wildly.

  A single one of the Eques walkers stood its ground and blocked off the debris-strewn street. Two marines vanished in a blast of gunfire, but the Khreenk flanked the thing and put down such a weight of fire that its badly damaged body was forced to face them. At that moment, Gun and the rest charged at it with guns blazing.

  “With me,” said Sergeant Stone.

  Jack had lost sight of the marine for the first part of the counterattack, but now a full platoon of marines was advancing down the side street and picking off any stray Thegns they could find. Occasionally, one would rush them, and a mixture of bayonets and gunfire soon finished them off. Meter by meter the marines pushed on until the defenses were clear, and the Thegns were broken and falling back into the city outskirts, their attack smashed and their forces fleeing for fear of total annihilation.

  As Gun tore the electronics from the very heart of the fallen Eques, the enemy’s forces withdrew as fast as they could move. He watched with a mixture of pride and pleasure as his exhausted warriors chased them to the very edge of the city and out into the open. Only then did he give the order for the remaining fighters and drones to hit them.

  They’ll be back, and this time they won’t be stupid enough to try a direct assault.

  He looked up to the sky.

  How many more soldiers do they have up inside that Ark?

  A dozen Alliance fighters screamed overhead and then split into three groups. All moved down low and fired long bursts of fire at the ground. Some anti-aircraft fire came back, and at least a missile battery that must have been ten or more kilometers from the city struck one. It served as an important reminder that the battle was far from won. He looked out at the ruins of the city, the place where the Helions, Khreenk, and humans of the Alliance had made their stand, and held. He dreaded to think what the casualties had been.

  Gun looked back at the mountain and smiled as scores of automated guns continued to blast away at the small number of remaining enemy aircraft. Most of the higher peak was covered in the black smoke trails of the Helion rocket batteries that continued to bombard the retreating Biomechs. The figures of several officers approached, the nearest one being Lieutenant Elvidge.

  “Colonel, I think we’ve done it.”

  Gun smiled.

  “Your marines fought well, Lieutenant. Pass on my praise.”

  He raised his eyes and spotted the distant shape of the enemy’s forward base, their orbital Arks from where the battle for Spascia was being foug
ht.

  Yes, we saved the city. Now the battle for this world will truly begin.

  * * *

  Spartan didn’t waste time, and as soon as he spotted the vast numbers of warriors stream away, he moved ahead. A handful of Thegns defended the open ground, but he also knew about those much higher. He ran ahead and slid to the right behind a fallen Decurion. Teresa was alongside him and lifted herself up from the metal to look at the gently moving shapes.

  “What now?”

  “We give them something to shoot at.”

  He turned around and waved to those moving into position behind them. Four bright yellow lamps announced the arrival of a pair of SAAR robots. They trundled forward and out in front where the marines were waiting. As soon as they were in the open, a great volley of gunfire tore down at them. The first was knocked out instantly, but the second was able to rotate its tracker and perform a full radar and acoustic assessment of the area. Spartan watched with a wry smile as the data circulated through the visor overlays of every man and woman present. He looked to Teresa who waited ever so patiently.

  “See, I said the tech would work.”

  Few probably realized at that very moment that the networking technology was based on a system developed in their old private security company. Like all other assets owned by the Corporation, they had been taken on by the state. Spartan had caught most of the details during his trip from Earth to Mars, and it had angered him greatly. He hadn’t spoken about what had happened yet to Teresa, not even about her new position in the Marine Corps. She looked at him and knew exactly what he was thinking about.

  “The tech is good. That was never the problem.”

  She looked back to the heavy response coming back from the enemy. It was deadly, but nothing as strong as when they’d first arrived. Spartan waited just a little longer to give time for the remaining SAAR robot to finish its sweep. The machine even managed to unleash three bursts up high into the shadows before it was knocked out.

  “Now! Put them down.”

  Marines surged from their hiding places and lifted their weapons high. The enemy was almost all tagged and instead of aiming at the targets, they simply fired at the pre-stored locations on their visors. Over half the Thegns were killed or wounded, and the rest immediately pinned down by the accurate suppressing fire.

  “Follow me,” said Spartan.

  He and Teresa inched past the fallen enemy and around the side of the over shaft. Even as they moved, they could make out the broken metal girders ahead where something heavy had fallen through. They reached the double metal doors that were barely attached to the frame and hanging to the sides. Inside was filled with a thin mist that all but obscured their vision. Spartan looked to Teresa and spotted Captain Rivers and five more marines who had joined them. Projectiles clattered about them, but once past the main opening they were relatively safe.

  “So, is it in there?” asked the Captain.

  Spartan checked the details the Biomech had given him. It wasn’t much, but the energy configuration inside the mist matched what he had been given exactly. For the briefest of moments, he wondered if this might be one of the easiest ways he’d come across for him to be captured, but then completely discounted it.

  “Yeah, it’s here. Your guys, are they ready?”

  “Guys?” complained the nearest.

  The visor on her helmet flipped up to reveal a pale white face and piercing white eyes.

  “We’re not guys, Spartan. Not all of us. The name’s Corporal Tindall.”

  Spartan grinned with just the right side of his mouth.

  “Of course not. You’re ready though, aren’t you, Corporal Tindall?”

  In answer to his question, the marines pulled out their standard issue tactical bayonets and slid them onto the lugs of their carbines. The blades were razor sharp and serrated along the cutting edge. The mere sight of the sharpened metal sent a shudder through Spartan’s body. There was something cruel, almost primeval about such simplistic weaponry.

  “Always,” answered the Corporal.

  “Let’s do this.”

  Spartan moved into the mist first, ignoring the gun battle still raging behind them. The mixed overlay of his visor integrated thermal imaging and infrared, producing a sophisticated combination that allowed him to see nearly ten meters ahead. A warm, partially glowing object was obvious nearly fifteen meters away and partly buried under cool metal objects. He looked up and tracked the damage leading into one of the shafts that went right up to the surface. The area around them looked like a large loading and storage area, quite possibly designed for the retail premises located around them.

  “Spartan, look,” said Captain Rivers.

  The man had moved off to the right of the open space and past one of the many thick columns supporting the low ceiling. Metal storage bins were stacked throughout, and some had been tipped over or ransacked. Then Spartan noticed the odd shape in the direction of the Captain’s hand.

  “What is it?”

  Teresa moved past him and stopped, dropping to her knees.

  “I’ve seen one before. It’s part of a Biomanta. The vessel must have crashed on the next level up.”

  She pointed to the shattered ceiling above the broken parts of the spacecraft. The shape was impossible for Spartan to make out, but Teresa appeared certain of what she’d found. Chunks of the vessel looked as though they’d been ripped out, and multiple Decurion war machines moved all over it, continually checking for signs of danger.

  “Get down!” Corporal Tindall called out.

  A great flash of white light moved along the far side of the storage hall and struck around the marines. At the same time, a large number of Thegns emerged from the wreckage and fanned out in a mirror of the marines' own position.

  “This isn’t working!” Captain Rivers complained.

  Spartan took aim, put a burst into a Thegn, and then ducked down as three rounds narrowly missed his armored head. Teresa spotted the puff of dust near him and struck him hard in the chest with her fist.

  “Don’t do anything stupid. I’ve only just got you back.”

  Spartan winked at her and then glanced down to his thigh, checking the electronic component given to him by Z’Kanthu was still intact. He had no idea exactly what it was, but from what he could see the metal housing was scratched but undamaged.

  * * *

  Z’Kanthu was surrounded, and this time he had no idea how, or even if he could survive the fight. At first, the Thegns and Decurions had tried to force him to yield, but after killing his fourteenth Thegn something had changed. One of the Decurions had damaged his left leg, and another managed to tear a section of his gun system apart, instantly rendering his targeting system inoperative.

  Khan left his wounded comrades to the protection of the marines and raced out from cover to help the battered machine. By the time he reached him, Z’Kanthu was on his knee. Two Decurions stabbed at his torso while a dozen more Thegns blasted at close range, each shot ripping off chunks of metal.

  “I thought you said...” started Khan.

  He grabbed one of the Thegns and spun it about. The half creature, half warrior looked at him with an expressionless stance, which Khan found even more repellent than normal. All it took was a quick snap, and its neck was cracked with sickening efficiency.

  “...these Biomechs wanted nothing more than to take you alive?”

  He moved on to the nearest Decurion that continued to attack the Biomech, even as Khan grabbed a leg. The machine snapped at him and stabbed with a single leg. Khan kicked it and then threw himself on the machine. The two tumbled down to the ground where they stabbed and struck each other like a pair of industrial pile drivers.

  “Khan!” Knaprig yelled.

  Tajt and the wounded Jötnar staggered away from the continuing gun battle and extended the combat blades from their armor. The short, slashing weapons pushed out like little scimitars from mounts along the back of the wrists. Tajt dove headlong into t
he fight and embedded both his fists into the first Thegn he found. Knaprig, on the other hand, was reduced to fighting with a single arm. It seemed to increase his rage even more as he ran amok, stabbing and kicking at those attacking the fallen Biomech.

  “Stay down!” Olik called from further back.

  The injured warrior was suffering with his chest wound and leaned against a pillar, picking off any Thegn that moved into his sights. Occasionally one moved in on him, but the concealed marine marksmen quickly finished them off. Just after he fired, he heard a scream and looked up and behind. A Decurion had made it to the next level and had butchered two marines where they stood. A third was trying to wrestle it, but he had no chance against the machine’s power. Olik made to move, but three Thegns reached him due to his distraction, and he was forced to fight with his own blades. Even as he fought, he managed to connect on the secure channel with Teresa.

  “Colonel, we’re running out of time here.”

  * * *

  Spartan took aim once more, but a fusillade of gunfire crashed around them. He ducked back, and sparks and flashes jumped about the hidden marines. He looked to Teresa and then the marines. It was some time since he’d seen such large numbers of them, yet even though their armor was new and improved, they were essentially the same as when he’d left the Corps. Even the L52 carbines hadn’t changed, not that it bothered him. They were amongst one of his favorite weapons.

  “We need to use some good old fashioned shock and awe,” he said quietly.

  Teresa felt her heart almost stutter at this. She knew him well enough to know that meant something wild and dangerous.