by Ben Winston
“You mean Ariel and I are cousins?” mKail asked.
Cr'ale nodded. “Yes, second cousins, actually. My daughter Tr'anet was your Grandmother. Ariel's Grandfather was my son Pa'tre.”
“So, where are they now?” Ariel asked.
“As I said before, Tr'anet was killed in the same incident that killed her parents. Pa'tre was assassinated by agents of the Trade Federation, but we could not prove it. Both of them are remembered in the crypt below the palace on Aldus Forward, along with your parents and Ariel's mother, Et'telle.” Cr'ale replied.
mKail approached Cr'ale slowly, and hugged him. “Thank you, Sire.”
The tired looking man smiled. “You can call me Grandfather now, Granddaughter. It has been far too long in coming, and for that I am very sorry.”
“My apologies for interrupting your Majesties, Ariel, there is a priority one communication request from Admiral Hs'ean,” Cole said into the room at large.
“Put her through please, Cole,” Ariel said immediately.
Hs'ean's image appeared in the middle of the room facing Ariel. “Highness, we have detected several imminent hyperspace events outside the system. I would say their scouts are arriving.”
Ariel nodded. “Or it could be harassers sent in before the main body. Either way, our time's up. I'm on my way.”
Hs'ean bowed, and her image disappeared. Ariel turned toward the room. “I would love to continue this, but I have an annoyance to deal with. Dad, be sure to leave your com open in case something unexpected happens. Bri'tell, get your people into position, and lock down the estate. mKail, let's get out of here.”
Ariel and mKail gave one last hug and kiss to those staying behind, and ran for Cole, who was sitting just outside the back door. As she ran up the ramp, she noticed that her team was already suited up, and doing final weapons checks.
She slapped her team leader on his armored shoulder and nodded to him before she followed mKail into her stateroom to change.
As soon as Ariel and mKail had cleared the ramp, Cole had lifted off, closing the ramp as he gained altitude. He was under full emergency power, and the Marines that were outside stared in open mouth wonder at how fast the ship ascended into the sky. Of course, before the Tides of Mars had cleared the atmosphere, Cole had engaged the cloak, making the ship simply disappear to those still watching.
I.S.A. Tides of Mars
Earth space exit vector (in transit to Divine Light L5 parking Orbit)
Her Imperial Highness, Princess-Guardian Ariel Moran-Parker, Commanding.
Wearing her form-fitting body armor under a standard duty uniform without rank, Ariel slipped into her seat on the small bridge.
“Did I miss anything, Elltee?” Ariel asked her pilot.
“The Admiral would like for you to contact her, other than that, no one is shooting yet.”
“Thank you, would you please connect me, Cole?” Ariel said.
“Highness, I think we might have a problem,” Hs'ean said by way of greeting.
“It's way too early to be telling me that, Hs'ean. What's up?” Ariel replied.
“Those scouts we detected. I don't think they were scouts at all,” Hs'ean replied. “They are cloaked and hyperbolic so their energy emissions are almost non-existent. There are no scan emissions coming from them at all. What little information we got on them suggests small troop transports, however, we can't rule out some type of missile. The worst thing is that they seem to be micro-jumping in system – which is how we can detect them at all.”
“Fuck me! How soon will they get to Earth?” Ariel asked.
“If their rate of progression remains constant, within minutes of the main fleet arriving,” Hs'ean replied.
“Can you venture a guess as to what their targets are?” Ariel asked.
“Well, there isn't enough of them for a planetary invasion, and they all seem to be converging on one place, so if they are missiles, then there is a strong chance they are trying to destroy the planet. However, I don't believe that's the case,” Hs'ean added.
“Why not?”
“Well, I grant you that they had intended to do just that with the mass weapon, however, we removed that as an option. I doubt that these could be missiles simply because they believed the mass weapon wouldn't fail. Also, if these were missiles of some sort, then they wouldn't be micro-jumping into the system, they would have simply rode hyper all the way to the target. That would have amplified their damage a thousand times, no, these have to be troops sent to stage an assault on your home,” Hs'ean finished. “They are all headed for Nevada.”
“Fuck!” Ariel said in frustration. “It looks like I'm going to be left out of the fight up here. Can you give me any troops to supplement my guys already down there?”
“I can give you a battalion of Regulan Guard assault troops, three companies of Marines and one wing of fighters. I'm gonna need everything else up here,” Hs'ean replied. “However, I doubt I'll need any ground assault gear, so you can have as much of that as you want. I can also send an automated supply warehouse down with you.”
“A what?” Ariel asked, confused.
“It's a device that's capable of mass producing almost everything to equip ground forces. Obviously it can't do tanks and heavy equipment, but it can do armor, pulse rifles and the like. If you can get it a source of hydrogen, it can even do some of the heavy stuff, but it's slower,” Hs'ean replied.
“I'll take what I can get. You do know I've got the Emperor down there too, right?” Ariel said.
“Yes, I do. I wish I could send more with you, but the Regulan Fleet has yet to arrive. If I sent more troops with you, I wouldn't have enough to repel boarders, or to board enemy ships. As it is, I won't be able to do both at the same time,' Hs'ean replied, worriedly. “Colonel R'Hea is in command of the Regulan Guard battalion. I don't know her at all, but she's supposed to be pretty good.”
Ariel nodded. “I understand, Admiral. I'm just nervous about doing this with only two and a half battalions. I suppose though, if that won't get the job done, an entire division probably wouldn't be enough. Good luck, Admiral.”
“May the Goddess guide you, Highness,” Hs'ean said, and broke the connection.
“Cole, please open a secure channel to my father, Bri'tell, Cr'ale, and Colonel R'Hea of the Regulan Guard.” Ariel asked. “Turn us around, we need to get back there.”
“Already on it, Highness,” the Pilot said, grinning.
Ariel grinned back at her. “Smart ass!”
“They are online, Ariel,” Cole said to let her know her call was ready.
“We have a huge problem, people. It seems that the Slavers have sent an assault force of unknown size ahead of the fleet,” Ariel began, and told them the whole story of the ships they had originally thought to be scouts.
“Colonel R'Hea, We're going to need everything you brought with you from Aldus Forward. Hs'ean also gave me a wing of fighters, and three companies of Marines. She's sending down what she called an ASW or Automated Supply Warehouse.
“Colonel Janis, please speak to General McCallister and explain the situation to him. If any of his people are still outside the shield when the attack comes, they are most likely going to be dead. That warehouse will give us some other options for his troops.
“R'Hea, you're in charge for this little party. Hs'ean's already got the Marines scrambling to get loaded, so they should be leaving in just a few minutes,” Ariel finished.
“Highness, when will the enemy arrive?” Colonel R'Hea asked.
“We can't get an exact fix on that because of the micro-jumps. At least an hour and a half, but no more than two hours. If we need to get anything ready, we need to get it done now,” Ariel answered.
R'Hea said. “Most of our heavier equipment is still on the Brandiwine. I will call the ship down so we may unload our equipment.”
“Whatever you need to do, Colonel. If you need me to hurry something up, just let me know,” Ariel replied. “I'm sorry I don't ha
ve a better place for you to go, Grandfather.”
She could hear the smile in Cr'ale's voice. “Nonsense, Ariel. This is as good a place as any, and a damn sight more comfortable than most. Even Colonel R'Hea was impressed with the fortifications. We will be just fine here.”
“I appreciate your vote of confidence, Grandfather, but no matter how you slice this, it isn't going to be pretty. We can only hope that we're facing a bunch of scared slaves, and not seasoned mercenaries,” Ariel said.
“Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst, Ariel. Might I suggest mixing our people in with General McCallister's people? It'll help them get used to the equipment, and hopefully train them a bit on the fly. Colonel R'Hea's people should stay together because they've been trained as a unit. But the rest of us could spread out and try to keep the Earth troops from getting killed,” Luke suggested.
“That's a very good idea, Colonel. Thank you for taking my unit's training into consideration,” R'Hea replied. “Let us know when you need the shield lowered to get the Earth troops inside.”
“Will do, see you dirt-side, Sweetheart,” Luke said before signing off.
“Bri'tell, you haven't said anything at all, any suggestions?” Ariel asked.
“No Highness, I've been busy issuing orders. We already have one of the ASW's down here, but another will be most welcome. I've already got ours turning out nine pallets of class three pulse rifles, ten sniper sets, and twenty four pulsers. When it finishes those, I'll have it start cranking out power units and ammunition,” Bri'tell replied. “Colonel, do you want anything special cranked out?”
“What do you plan to do for armoring the new people, Master Chief?” R'Hea asked.
“My thoughts for that were to use the second ASW exclusively for armor. We do have a hydro source for it once it gets here, so that shouldn't be an issue. Tech-Corporal Uhris tells me it shouldn't be a problem to have the unit etch the soldier's Earth rank insignia on the right shoulder guard,” Bri'tell replied.
“That'll do, Master Chief. Once you get your munitions and what food you think we'll need, if you have time, could you get us some of those hover tray mounted medium pulse lasers? I know we have some already in place around the estate, but a few portable ones could be useful,” R'Hea said.
“We can kick out food after the fighting starts, you'll have your platforms, Colonel,” Bri'tell said, confidently.
“Colonel, do you want Tides of Mars on the ground as heavy artillery or up with the fighters?” Ariel asked.
“Good question, Highness. I'd actually forgotten about your ship. That could be a nasty surprise for the enemy. For now, please land like you would normally. I'd like to see what I have before I get everything set in place,” R'Hea said, thoughtfully.
“Okay, we should be back there in a few minutes,” Ariel said.
“We'll get things rolling here, Highness,” R'Hea replied.
An hour later, Ariel looked out over the area of the estate and was amazed with what had been accomplished in so short a time. A maze of bunkers and tunnels had been dug by specialized remotes. Very few of 'her' Marines would be directly exposed to incoming fire. Those that would be exposed, were the ones riding the hover sleds with the heavier weapons.
Those hover sleds were a wonder all of their own. What amounted to the equivalent of one of Divine Light's point defense cannons, mounted on a hovering platform, could raise and lower itself on command. It would have been better to get them hooked up with remote targeting but they simply hadn't had time.
General McCallister was all for the plan that included his Marines. He did warn Luke that there might be a few spies in the mix, and that they would try to steal as much of the technology as they could. Luke grinned and said let them try.
The US Marines took to the new equipment like they'd been trained in it. The comment from most of them was that it didn't actually feel much different than the armor they normally wore into combat, with the difference being the helmet and the targeting systems.
Colonel R'Hea asked Ariel to park the Tides of Mars on the top of the bluff overlooking the entire compound. With the armament of the ship, it had full coverage of the entire battlefield, and could instantly shift fire to where ever it would be needed. It also had the added advantages of its stealth systems as well as its own shielding.
Nine standard Marine assault shuttles had been spaced evenly around the outside of the walls surrounding the estate to add their firepower to the ground assault. The drawback to that was that until Tides of Mars started firing, the shuttles would be the attacker’s primary targets.
Cole was acting the part of Air Traffic Control for the battle zone, as well as targeting for his weapons systems. He assured Ariel that with only one squadron of fighters to control, he could easily handle both duties.
The United States, informed of the impending attack on its soil, initially tried to dedicate more military support to the area. Ariel simply reminded them that they had been trying to stop Ariel's people from coming and going and had failed completely. She also pointed out that her ships hadn't been firing back.
Conceding her point, they agreed to clear the air of all commercial and military air traffic, and to quarantining the area surrounding the 'Embassy' in an effort to limit the number of civilian casualties. They had activated the National Guard units in the surrounding areas as well as got troops moving from several nearby bases to offer what support they could.
Ariel cautioned them that their weapons would most likely not have any effect on the attackers and recommended that they avoid contact with the enemy and just try to keep the civilians out of harm's way.
She had no more got off the phone with them then she heard the rapid fire booming that signaled the arrival of several inbound vessels. The Republican Forces had arrived.
Chapter Twenty
Moran-Parker Estate,
Henderson, Nevada, Earth.
Sol Sector. (Horon-A sector)
Ariel quickly understood why the ships had been micro-jumping. But even before she could react, Cole went into action issuing an alert to all long range weapons systems while he swung his turrets into position and began firing.
All of the ships had been tractoring objects behind them. When they had entered the atmosphere, they released about half of them. The asteroids they released weren't huge as asteroids go, but they were certainly large enough to do a hell of a lot of damage to the shield and the surrounding area. As it was, unless they could be blown into small enough pieces for the atmosphere to burn them up, they were going to be a problem.
“Hostile Missile launch!” Cole replied. “Radiological Warning!”
“They're tossing fucking nukes?” Ariel said. “Bastards!”
“Unknown Launch, multiple vectors. Missiles on hypersonic intercept course!”
“Let me guess, New Mexico, and Area 51?” Ariel asked.
“Affirmative, Ariel. It looks like the black bag just got opened. Analysis of the missiles reveals a two stage warhead. Alone, one missile would be little more than a distraction. But two or three hits, in rapid enough succession would put them through the shield. All in all, it's a very good design considering the technology of the planet.”
“Well, of immediate concern, are they going to be of help here?” Ariel asked.
“I believe so, the asteroids and the hostile missiles aren't shielded, and the ships don't seem to be equipped with point defense weapons. They should be able to do telling damage on the missiles and kinetics at least,” Cole reported.
“Kinetics?” Ariel asked.
“Unpowered mass/velocity weapons. The asteroids are considered kinetics because all the damage potential they have comes from speed and mass. You're old slug thrower is considered a kinetic weapon,” Cole explained. “Stand down from radiological warning – all missiles destroyed.”
“Okay, I think I get it. Still, I'd keep up the AA fire. The less that makes it to the ground, the better off we'll be,” Ariel replied. “I noticed
that not everything they were pulling was released, what else are they towing?”
“Cargo pods. I would venture a guess that they either have extra troops, weapons, or a combination of both,” mKail said quietly beside her friend. “This is actually a pretty smart move, provided they can get everything to the ground.”
“I'd hate to be the troops in one of the pods. They way those ships are juking around, even in armor, that's got to be a suicide ride,” Ensign Yunger said softly. “Ah, I spoke to soon.”
On Cole's screens, some of the remaining pods could be seen to open up, and hundreds of small armored figures jumped clear before the pod was released. In some cases, the pods were released before all the troops could get out.
“That can't be good for morale,” Ariel said rhetorically, causing a couple of her folks to chuckle.
“Unit identification confirmed,” Cole reported. “Anhandres Hell Jumpers Elite Mercenary Brigade, assault teams Alpha and Delta.”
“How many troops is that, Cole?” Ariel asked.
“Count so far is six-hundred eighty-eight. If both teams are here at full strength, the total will be close to twelve hundred, plus their equipment,” Cole reported.
“This is going to be a fight, Highness. Although, I always thought Anhandres was Pro-Empire. This would be the first time he's ever authorized a mission that was directly against us,” R'Hea added via the comms.
“Perhaps he didn't. Isn't it usual for a mercenary unit to challenge their adversaries before battle?” Ariel asked.
“That has been the tradition, Highness, but there is no rule anywhere that says they have to do so. If they're pissed off enough, they might have chosen to issue their challenge face to face,” R'Hea added.
“Hmm, I wonder. Who's the nominal Commander of the Brigade?” Ariel asked.
“General Anhandres Creel. It is also his tradition that he never sends a unit into battle that he wasn't leading. Until now, it has always made his troops fiercely loyal to him,” R'Hea added.
