Defiant (The Armada Book 1)

by Jack Hunt

  “Phoenix One, this is Eagle, I’m going to need air support ASAP.”

  “Sending two Phoenixes your way.”

  “Skinner, paint the targets for air support. Light those bitches up.”

  “You got it.”

  Taking cover inside the room, they had no idea how many were outside. Reid pulled a cluster grenade from his suit, twisted and slammed it around the opening of the door. He heard it rattle across the walkway before it exploded and the cries of the Echobi filled the air.

  Priest and Viper tossed out smoke grenades to provide additional cover. Viper scuttled over to the edge of the door and took a piece of shattered mirror to see what was around the corner.

  “We’ve got four. Two at one o’clock, the other two are at nine and eight.”

  By now a thick cloud of smoke wafted in from outside and they knew the chances of them being seen were low.

  “Bulldog?”

  “Little busy right now.”

  Reid turned to see him climbing out of a window on the left side of the building. “What the hell are you doing, man?”

  “Improvising. When I give you the heads-up, roll out.”

  “Bulldog view,” Reid muttered trying to get a better look at what he was doing. In the bottom left corner of Reid’s HUD, a video stream played of what Bulldog was seeing. The mad guy was climbing up and over the building itself. Viper continued to unleash plasma blasts around the corner without stepping out. She would lift her assault rifle and twist it around and unload. What followed after would be return fire.

  “Is it working, Bulldog?” Viper shouted.

  “Nearly there. Once second. Keep ’em distracted.”

  They were communicating with each other as though they had gone through this routine before.

  “Viper,” Reid muttered. “Your profile said nothing about working with Bulldog.”

  “That profile was wrong. We were on the same team, all six of us.”

  Reid shook his head. What else had they left out when selecting this group? Reid was focusing in on the left corner of the screen and following what Bulldog was doing when out the corner of his eye he spotted one of the militia. They obviously had the same idea, except one of them had gone around the side. A plasma bullet rang out close to his ear and he noticed Sophie had fired at the asshole. The round slammed into the Echobi, straight through its gut and blood splattered sending it down to an early grave.

  All he could hear now was ringing in his ears.

  “Nice shot.”

  “Taught by the best.”

  In the corner of his visor, he saw Bulldog creep up to the edge and toss two hover grenades. One to the left and one to the right, they dropped to approximately four and a half feet and spun furiously spraying burning plasma in multiple directions.

  “Priest, now.”

  Viper and Priest were prone on the ground when they rolled out into the open doorway and started firing upon those that had survived the initial assault. In a matter of seconds, everything went quiet. All that could be heard was the hissing of plasma as it dripped down off the walls, and burned its way through the walkway.

  Reid got up and Viper grinned at him. “Okay, you guys want to let me in on why you failed the simulation and yet now you are pulling out the kind of tactics that I would expect from my SOSR’s?”

  “A last-ditch effort,” Priest muttered.

  “What?”

  “You know, us giving the finger to the man.”

  Reid chuckled before ducking out the door. These guys were playing head games with the higher-ups. It wasn’t a case of them not being ready, or unable to win the battle that was before them in that simulation. They had allowed themselves to die. They knew that the higher-ups wanted them to perform and it was like their way of telling them to go fuck themselves. Reid wasn’t sure what to make of them now. All that mattered was they were out and they had the package.

  They hustled, and moved with purpose back to where they had come from, meanwhile Reid wanted an update on the additional Echobis heading their way from the east.

  “Skinner?”

  His voice sounded deflated. “I lit them up but our boys have been taken out.”

  Reid turned back to see smoke and fire as chunks of metal rained down. This was what Kane meant when he said they were on their own. The Echobis’ defenses were too strong and the UEDF wasn’t going to risk further loss of life. They had already begun to pull back the warships. Their rules of engagement were questionable but on a mission like this, where they weren’t even meant to be on Drozleon, anything beyond a few Phoenixes was asking for war.

  And that was one fight Earth had already lost once. They weren’t going to do it again.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Back on the ground the team began to hike into the dense jungle fully aware of the approaching militia. They were slower now because of carrying Woodpecker. He’d taken a shot to the gut, and despite the drugs being pumped into his system; he was in really bad shape.

  “Let’s go,” Reid yelled waving his arms for those behind him to move ahead. In the distance, he could hear an approaching Cataran, a vehicle that was used by the Echobi. It hovered above the ground and looked like a fortified tank from the outside. He knew it wouldn’t be able to follow them into the dense forest as it only traveled along the dirt road systems they had created. In essence, it was like attempting to take a truck through a forest, there was no chance in hell it would be able to navigate, which meant they were going to pursue on foot.

  He knew how fast they were. Eight feet high, bipedal with reptilian skin and wrapped with a metallic armor like an Egyptian mummy, these things weren’t to be fucked with even if a planet had a strong army.

  “Bino,” he said. His eyesight zoomed in on hot waves of energy pulsating from the bottom of the Cataran, behind, it was two black cages. Taurgons!

  Reid knew they had plenty of time left until extraction but they were going to need the bird sooner. He turned and sprinted after the others who were hacking their way through thick brush towards the extraction site.

  “Skinner, how long until we reach extraction point?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “Phoenix One, we have the package. We’ll be at the extraction in thirty minutes.”

  “Roger that.”

  He hurried knowing that the militants would only slow down for a short while to assess the damage and then it would be game on. Hopefully by then the Phoenix would have scooped them up and got them the hell out.

  “Let’s go, Phantom.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He shifted from his position along with Skinner and they got their asses down to where they were. Woodpecker was a big fella and moving him was no small feat. Priest and Viper were dragging him because he was still unconscious.

  They stopped briefly to get an assessment on his health. Along with the drugs being pumped into him to deal with pain, the system would provide a reading that would let them see at a glance if he could survive based on the time it would take to reach the extraction point.

  “There is a seventy-eight percent chance of survival,” the system said.

  “Here, let me give you a hand. Viper and Priest, fall back and keep an eye out for hostiles.”

  Reid placed Woodpecker’s arm over his and began lugging him through the rough terrain with the assistance of Bulldog.

  A familiar echo reverberated through the valley. He’d heard it four years ago on Lawanda after Draskan lost his son. Like a mother bear coming across its dead cubs, it was the roar of a pissed-off species screeching in unison, and for good reason, they had just walked into its nest and kicked the shit out of the worker bees.

  More firefighters streaked the sky like meteors entering the atmosphere. A brilliant display of reds, and flaming orange. Though it should have comforted him to know that Earth was waging a battle above and drawing away the bulk of those who would have pursued them, he knew it would only work for so long.

  How many
were after them now? Twenty, fifty, a hundred or more?

  “God, I hope that bird makes it to the extraction point or we are screwed.”

  They had put a good distance between themselves and the Echobi but it wouldn’t take them long to track them down once they sent out their hounds of hell — the Taurgons. Those suckers could smell blood a mile away and right now Woodpecker was leaking shit all over the place. With a gaping hole in the side of his armor, and one in his shoulder, he was being administered drugs by the suit but the system had its limitations. Right now he needed a medical bay and fast.

  They continued to dash through the deep undergrowth even as the sun began to rise on Drozleon and filter through the trees. The ambassador stopped for a second and bent at the waist, gripping her knees. She was panting hard and was red in the face. “I need to rest, just for a few seconds.”

  “You can’t. There’s no time.”

  “I must.”

  Sophie stood beside her and gave her water from her flask.

  “Bulldog, you think you can—”

  Before he had even finished speaking, Bulldog went over and told her to get on. The guy was a beast in size and Reid didn’t envision him having any trouble carrying a woman who couldn’t have weighed more than a buck twenty. Phantom took over helping Reid carry Woodpecker. They pressed on while Skinner kept giving them updates on the distance between them and the Echobi.

  When they managed to burst out into a clearing where the extraction point was, there was no Phoenix ready to meet them. Reid lowered Woodpecker and went out into the center of the clearing and tossed down a small flare. Unlike smoke, which had been used in the old days, this fired upward a blast of energy that was only visible to Earth’s craft. The problem with smoke was it alerted the enemy to their location and right now, remaining hidden was the only thing they had going for them. He activated it and stepped back.

  “Spread out, keep an eye on the tree line.”

  Now it was a matter of waiting. It was uncomfortable knowing that the line between getting out and being found all came down to how fast their craft could get there. All of them crouched down in the tall reeds; their eyes pierced what remained of the darkness, as a burning sun began to rise.

  “Thank you, Lt,” Powers said.

  He looked at her, a mask of seriousness, a face shaped by having seen one too many wars.

  She continued, “I heard about what you did in Lawanda, the people you helped.”

  Reid stuck a stick of gum in his mouth and began to chew. “Just doing my job, ma’am.”

  “I gather you will be collecting Kenji after this?”

  He looked at her and frowned. “What?”

  “Your mission. To bring us all out.”

  “My objective is to get you out. No one else.”

  She shook her head looking confused. “But I was told you would be taking Chancellor Kenji and the refugees.”

  “Then you heard wrong.”

  “I’m not leaving then.”

  Reid’s eyes widened. He was in no mood for this. “Listen, lady. I couldn’t care if you are the head of UEDF and can have my ass thrown in the brig when I get back. We have already risked our lives getting this far. In a matter of minutes from now a Phoenix is going to land over there and you are going to get on even if I have to pick you up and toss your ass into it. Do I make myself clear?”

  She nodded. “Oh, you make yourself clear. Then that’s what you are going to have to do because I promised the chancellor safety and asylum on Earth in the event the militia overthrew their government and right now that’s what has happened.” She raised her voice at him as if he might be swayed by the sound of shouting but he wasn’t. It was nothing compared to the way they yelled at him in boot camp many moons ago, or the way Gage would go off at him when he pissed him off.

  “Where are they?”

  “North of here, there is a cave system in the Garantu Mountains.”

  “Who told you we were going to get them out?”

  “Captain Kane, who received his authority from Admiral Ramon.”

  Oh, this was getting interesting. Two names thrown out and not an inkling from either one prior to undertaking the mission.

  “When did he tell you that?”

  “When I sent out the first distress signal.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Reid shot back rising to his feet as his sensors began to pick up the approaching extraction craft. He squinted as the dot came over the horizon and made its way down to them.

  “Are you seeing this, Lt?” Priest asked.

  When his eyes could make out what it was, he immediately got back on the comms unit.

  “Phoenix One, this is Eagle, come in.”

  An officer came over the line. “Eagle, this is Phoenix One, go ahead.”

  “Why the hell have you sent a Cougar fighter?”

  Cougars were the smallest fighters that Earth had, they had enough room for two people. The pilot and a passenger. A Phoenix could carry a squad, helitanks had enough room for a troop and warships could hold an entire fleet.

  “Please tell me this is some mistake? I have a man down. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

  That’s when Kane got on the line.

  “Improvise.”

  “Screw you, Kane.”

  “My hands are tied, Reid. All our Phoenixes from the Liberator are on the offensive against the Echobi.”

  “And you can’t spare one for a mission that you deemed critical?”

  “There is enough room for the ambassador.”

  “No shit! What about us?”

  “Your mission isn’t complete. You are to collect the chancellor and the refugees.”

  Reid looked at the ambassador, unable to believe they had done this to them. For the second time, Kane was screwing him over and it was liable to cost them their lives. He was notorious for placing the lives of men in danger and withdrawing at the last minute.

  “You are a serious piece of work, Kane.”

  “I just got word from the admiral.”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I wouldn’t.”

  Reid looked over at the ambassador who had only moments earlier told him that they knew on the first distress signal, long before Reid and his team arrived. How many other times had he lied? The guy was full of shit. Kane knew full well that if he had told Reid that he was going to have to extract two groups, he wouldn’t have gone. It was too risky. Even for SOSR’s. If there were two groups spread out over a vast distance, two teams went in. That was the protocol. Was he trying to get them killed?

  Right then the Cougar touched down, energy kicked up earth around it and the pilot beckoned them to get the ambassador on. The Cougar was a slick-looking killing machine. Matte blue and grey in color with a small wingspan, it was fast, effective and highly deadly in combat.

  “Well, Ambassador, your chariot awaits,” he said sarcastically with a bitter taste in his mouth. Ambassador Linda Powers looked at Woodpecker who was still unconscious.

  She shook her head. “Put your man in.”

  “No!” Reid yelled at her over the noise of the Cougar. “My objective —”

  “Lieutenant, your objective has not changed but unless you want him to die, send him up.”

  Reid wasn’t going to argue, he gave the word to Priest and Bulldog and they carried Woodpecker over to the Cougar. There appeared to be some back and forth with the pilot as to what was going on but when he got a better look at Woodpecker’s injuries he thumbed for them to put him in the back. They loaded him in and hurried back. All of them watched the Cougar lift into the air, and in a matter of seconds, light blue burners kicked in and it shot upwards and became a blip in the sky.

  They stood there for a second staring up and wondering what had just happened.

  Reid could already feel the breath of the Echobi on his neck before the Cougar arrived. Now time was running out.

  “Let’s fall out. Skinner, tap in the new coordinates.” He
turned to the ambassador. “After you.”

  At least with Woodpecker away, they could double-time it to the Garantu Mountains, twelve miles away. It was going to be one hell of a hike and by the looks of the clouds moving in, a wet one.

  Twenty minutes later, Draskan and sixty of his militants arrived at the clearing where the Cougar had landed. He sniffed the air like a dog following a scent. The Echobi were a species that were good at tracking their enemies by themselves but even better with help.

  They had already released the Taurgons which had led them to the spot.

  Draskan bent down and wiped his fingers across a leaf that was covered in blood. He put it up to his nostrils and sniffed hard. His black eyes and nostrils flared as he took in the full scent.

  The scent of humanity smelled like weakness to him.

  How he longed for the time when all Drozleon would invade Earth and bring it to its knees. So many lives had been lost in Lawanda; brothers, sisters and friends he had known since a child but most of all his son.

  Nothing cut deeper than the loss of his beloved son. He had hopes for him, to see him rise and lead their people into a victory against humanity.

  He felt a twinge of sadness, or was it anger brewing deep below the surface? The loss of his son had almost destroyed him. Being stripped of his position in the Echobi army and being treated as nothing more than a war criminal only served as fuel for what was to come. All of them would pay. Humanity and the Echobi, at least those who sided with Earth.

  As soon as he could get his hands on Kenji, the final step would be taken to overthrow an archaic system, one that was becoming soft and uniting with other races, and allowing its planet to become a host to colonization by Earth rats.

  That’s all they were to him. Rats to be crushed beneath his feet.