12
Magnus had just finished setting his BATRIG’s self-destruct sequence and was climbing down the side when Czyz and Rohoar burst out of the substation. Marines went flying from the doors as the two Jujari appeared, lunging on all fours.
“Everyone, get clear,” Awen yelled, but Magnus still couldn’t see her. Had they left her somewhere inside the building? “The facility is going to blow!”
Then Magnus saw her, straddling Rohoar’s back like a child might try to ride their dog. Had he not been so preoccupied with keeping his team alive, he would have smiled. The Jujari made it three more strides before a series of explosions rippled down the substation. The exterior walls buckled as torrents of orange fire burst through the seams, blowing the plate metal apart like old rubbertrex tires under too much pressure.
“Awen,” Magnus yelled, but the explosion’s roar drowned out his protest. Rohoar, Czyz, and Awen flew forward, backlit by the bombastic release of energy. Magnus’s visor adjusted for the sudden brightness a split second before the shockwave slammed into his body. He fell backward but quickly righted himself—eyes searching for Awen’s vector.
Her body lay amongst a pile of burning debris forty-five meters away. The two Jujari were close by as well, both gaining their feet. Magnus was about to order them to help her when he saw Abimbola’s mech step beside Awen and reach down.
“I have you, daughter of dau Lothlinium House,” Abimbola said. “It is time for us to leave.”
“Thank you, Abimbola,” Magnus said.
“Thank the gods,” the Miblimbian replied.
“Technically, it was Azelon who provided the mechanized armament system,” TO-96 said on a private channel to Magnus. “Giving praise to her seems far more fitting.”
Magnus ignored the bot’s point of clarity. “’Six, is there another switch in this base?”
“If you are referring to a way to activate the PDS manually, no, I’m afraid not,” the bot replied.
“You’re sure.”
“I am 100% certain, sir. The only other way to activate the shield is from within CENTCOM, as previously discussed.”
Magnus cursed, then opened up the squad channel. “Fire teams, fall back to the skimmers!” Acknowledgment icons ran down his comms window, and everyone began heading toward the gap in the wall. Doc checked in on Rohoar and Czyz, but both Jujari seemed fine. Miraculously, everyone’s biometrics appeared nominal—aside from elevated heart rates and blood pressure.
Magnus stood beside his BATRIG as Abimbola lumbered past, followed by Titus. But Titus turned and started laying down a base of fire as the rest of the squad headed toward the breach.
“Go,” Titus said to Magnus. “I’ll buy us some time.”
“No hero splick, Titus,” Magnus said, pointing a finger up at the mech’s operator.
“I have no intention of becoming a martyr, LT,” Titus replied. “Just holding back the buckets until you say the word.” There was a brief pause as Titus seemed to be working through the suit’s systems. “Might wanna stand back.”
“For what?” Magnus took a few steps away from Titus’s BATRIG and then blocked his visor with an arm as half a dozen missiles launched from the backside. At first, they streaked upward like Vordic fangback snakes hissing at the night. Bright white engine cones traced lines through the darkened sky. Then the missiles pulled high-G turns and pointed back toward the ground, spreading out as they did. This was Azelon’s variable warhead missile system, on display for the first time. Magnus guessed that Titus had selected the multiple target option, given that the six missiles were careening toward different points inside the base.
“Run,” Titus yelled.
Magnus backpedaled, kicking his way through the rubble in the breached wall and turning toward the open sand. A moment later, six blasts billowed against the sky’s black canvas, shooting out flames and fountains of sparks. Titus opened fire with his GU90M and swept it back and forth, surely making every Marine think twice before closing on the monster in the breach. Mystics know I would, Magnus thought as he ran.
“Come on, Titus,” Magnus said. “That’s enough.”
“Copy that.” Titus’s mech icon began moving away from the wall on Magnus’s topo map. Meanwhile, the rest of the unit was advancing across the open field and making good time. He glanced at HUD to check the countdown timer, noting the self-destruct sequence still had thirty-three seconds to go.
More blaster fire erupted from the walls, hunting down the gladias with renewed enthusiasm.
The futility of the whole operation frustrated Magnus. Here he was, trying to kill Marines in order to save the planet from annihilation. They were just trying to defend themselves, and Magnus had no choice but to fire back. He hated the fact that the end really did justify the means—but it’s a backassward means, he thought.
“A little help?” Magnus asked Titus.
“On it.” Titus aimed his RTD10 and fired. The weapon’s muzzle flash lit up the battlefield, bathing the sand in light. Bodies detonated along the wall as Titus swept the weapon from left to right. Magnus thought he heard Titus yelling from the cockpit but couldn’t be sure over the noise.
Titus’s assault had the desired effect—the enemy’s blaster fire momentarily subsided. But Titus’s barrage also gave the enemy a specific target, one that pointed their focus toward the northern shoreline. Blaster rounds were closing on the gladias retreat, and several members took direct hits to their shields.
“Don’t slow down,” Magnus ordered—as if anyone needed the reminder. But he knew encouragement was imperative. “Keep moving. Keep moving!”
He glanced at his BATRIG’s timer. It had nine seconds remaining. Plumes erupted on either side of his feet, showering his armor with superheated sand. Magnus’s leg muscles burned even with his servo assist, but he focused on the ledge ahead and willed himself forward. Gladias were starting to drop behind the boulders’ cover, vanishing from view as they skirted down the embankment.
The timer reached zero. Magnus looked over his shoulder to see a series of missiles shoot skyward as the breach filled with smoke. More than a dozen white lines soared overhead, disappearing from the reach of the base’s fires and floodlights. For a second, Magnus wondered if the software had been faulty—hadn’t Titus’s missiles turned down sooner than this? Then, as if appearing from the clouds like lightning strikes, the projectiles slammed into the mech with laser-guided precision.
The explosion made the horizon look like a small starship had lifted off. Fire billowed out from the wall, blowing everything and everyone off the ramparts. Bodies disappeared in the red plumes, as did the watchtowers, gun emplacements, and sniper nests. The air crackled as if torn apart, and debris blew out in an artificial sandstorm.
Magnus looked ahead and saw the ledge a few paces away. There was no time to run down the embankment, so he leaped. His body flew through the air, backlit by the exploding BATRIG, and then crashed into the sand some eight meters below. His servos whined, and he heard something crack. As his body rolled to a stop, he checked his HUD. The sound wasn’t a bone—just his suit’s right knee joint. I can live with that, Magnus said to himself, looking at the suit’s diagnostic alerts.
With fire still swelling into the sky from the explosion, Magnus ordered everyone onto the sea skimmers. Abimbola set Awen down on her back, and Magnus grabbed her hands. “Can you stand?”
Awen nodded. “Yes, I believe so.”
“Good.” Magnus helped her up, hugged her, and then watched Titus’s mech slide down the boulders. “Titus, Abimbola, get out and grab skimmers.”
“But we just got these,” Titus said, already opening the cockpit.
“And I hate giving toys back,” Abimbola added.
“Well, if I know Azelon, I’m sure she’s making more. Plus, it’ll take a while for troopers to put these things down.” That statement gave Magnus an idea. “Hey, Azie? Any chance those BATRIGs have some sort of sentinel mode?”
“Indeed the
y do, sir. Would you like me to activate it for you?”
Magnus smiled. “By all means. And I want to make sure the tech doesn’t fall into Repub hands, at least not until this whole mess is sorted out.”
“Understood, sir. I will initiate appropriate preventative measures.”
Magnus thought of how his BATRIG auto-destructed and imagined the impact of two mechs going nova at the same time. For the Marines’ sake, he hoped none were close when it happened.
Magnus thanked Azelon and then made sure everyone had a sea skimmer before picking out the one he’d arrived on. He ordered them off the beach just as several defenders started firing on the north shore from observation posts along the antenna’s base. Their aim was much better because, unlike the Novian armor and battle mechs, the sea skimmers lacked a telecolos finish. Magnus punched the throttle and surged past the surf, accelerating toward the rest of the squad.
“Sir,” said TO-96. “I’m detecting movement from the island’s east end.”
“What kind of movement?” Magnus asked.
“Considering the fact that the objects appear to be moving across the water, I’d say either fighters or—”
“Kestrels,” Magnus said. “Dammit.”
“Should we be worried about something?” Awen asked.
“Kestrels?” Abimbola said. “I am guessing you do not mean the small bird of prey.”
“I mean the Republic KT40 water speeders,” Magnus replied.
“I’m guessing they have guns,” Titus said.
“And light shielding,” TO-96 added. “I have the unit’s full specifications list and training manual pulled up. I might add that the manuscript’s introduction is written with an extremely cheerful tone, congratulating users on their new—”
“’Six,” Magnus yelled. “Shut up!”
“My apologies, sir.”
“We need their icons on our HUDs,” Magnus said. Azelon complied, populating the NBTI with new enemy targets. “Listen up, people. The Kestrels don’t have a wide field of fire, but they can turn like a bull mutt on a rattler.”
“Do bull mutts turn quickly?” Czyz asked.
“I believe that is the implication, yes,” Rohoar answered. “Though I suspect it depends on the veracity of the rattlesnake in Magnus’s analogy.”
“As I was saying,” Magnus said. “They are only shielded in front, so if you can get to the side or aft, you’ll have a better chance of taking out the pilot or damaging the stabilizers.”
“Then we’d better look sharp,” Titus said. “Because here they come.”
Magnus’s HUD showed five Kestrels converging in a V-formation about 500 meters back. The enemy’s first shots streaked past Magnus’s skimmer and threw three water spouts into the air. The spray beat against his helmet, but he was moving far too fast for the water to impede his vision. Two more shots split through the white caps and ended against a massive wave.
“Awen and Nídira, give us some protection,” Magnus said. “The rest of Bravo Team, peel off and double-back. Everyone else, stay with me. Assault formation with 100-meter spread. And for mystic’s sake, watch the crossfire.”
Everyone in Bravo Team but Nídira split off while the two mystics raised a Unity shield. Magnus accelerated to take the lead and watched as Alpha Team moved out to his right and left. In his HUD, the enemies split up. Two Kestrels shifted to intercept courses in a flanking movement, while the remaining three vehicles moved into attack formation, focusing on Magnus in the center of the line.
The next blaster rounds struck the Unity shields. The energy blew out in dazzling prismatic splotches that were simultaneously soaked by the skimmers’ torrential wakes. The defense rendered the enemy fire ineffective but beautiful.
On his HUD, Magnus watched Dutch and Haze turn left with a Kestrel running an intercept course on their left flank. Just when Magnus thought the pair might get sideswiped by enemy fire, Dutch’s sea skimmer slowed, creating a gap ahead of the enemy. It was a brilliant maneuver, one that forced the Repub pilot to choose which target to go after. Either way, Magnus knew the Kestrel was beaten.
The pilot chose Haze’s skimmer, most likely because it was closer in range. He banked left after the gladia, and as soon as the Repub pilot committed, Dutch accelerated and opened fire with her NOV1. Even from two klicks out, the blaster rounds glimmered across the waves and slammed into the Kestrel’s stern. Sparks danced on the vehicle’s tail before it succumbed, folding into the waves.
“Nice shooting,” Magnus said.
Following the same strategy, Silk and Doc spread apart on the right flank. This time, the Kestrel followed the slower inside skimmer. Silk opened fire as the pilot closed on her right side. Magnus noticed her shield’s power drop to 10% before a spray of NOV1 erupted on the Kestrel’s starboard side. Magnus zoomed in just as the Repub pilot was blown from his speeder and tumbled into the water at over 175 kilometers per hour. The pilotless Kestrel clipped Silk’s skimmer and sent her flying.
“Silk,” Magnus shouted, watching her icon divert from her vehicle and then stop in the sea. “Doc!”
“I’m on it,” the medic replied.
The three remaining Kestrels continued firing on Alpha Team until they came up against the Unity shield. The lead pilot nudged his speeder’s nose against it and then fired point-blank.
“You got something more, Awen?” Magnus asked in a way that he hoped invited her to do something creative. He could practically hear her smiling over comms.
“Maybe,” she said.
Magnus looked over his shoulder just as the Unity shield stopped in place. Two of the three Kestrels slammed into it and detonated as if they’d struck a granite wall. The third, however, went wide, avoiding the wall and the exploding debris, and then came back in line. When the pilot fired again, Awen and Nídira’s wall had dissipated, and the blaster rounds struck Rohoar’s skimmer. The Jujari roared as he flew into the waves. Magnus only hoped the Novian armor made the high-speed impact survivable.
“I’ve got this,” Magnus said. He looked over his shoulder again, gauging the Kestrel’s trajectory, and then squeezed his skimmer’s brakes. The vehicle lurched, and the rest of the sea skimmers flew ahead. The last Kestrel had no time to react, and screamed past Magnus less than two meters away. As soon as he could see through the spray left behind by the passing vehicle, Magnus pegged the throttle, and the sea skimmer dashed forward. Then he raised his NOV1, used his bioteknia eyes to help assist aiming for the one-handed shot, and squeezed.
The blaster rounds bit into the twin hydrofoil stabilizers, cutting them out from under the craft. Without them, the Kestrel skipped along the wave tops, bouncing like a skipped stone. Unlike a rock, the hops of which got shorter and shorter, the Kestrel’s leaps became higher and more unstable, until its final jump sent it tumbling through the air only to crash into the bottom of a deep roller.
“You good back there?” Awen asked.
“Fine.”
“Magnus,” TO-96 said. “Watch out!”
A sixth Kestrel appeared out of the darkness and fired on Magnus. He didn’t even have time to respond to the bot’s warning before blaster fire blew his skimmer’s tail off and sent his vehicle sideways into the water.
Magnus felt his insides pitch as his body spun through the air. Then Magnus struck the water with the force of a skiff hauler hitting him in the chest. He gasped as everything went dark, including his HUD. Had he not cried against the pain that jarred his body, he would have guessed he was unconscious. Instead, he was suspended in the sea, unable to tell which way was up.
As soon as the pain subsided enough to move, Magnus swished his arms and legs in an attempt to regain some semblance of control. Then his HUD rebooted, and the Welcome prompt initiated. Before icons populated his vision, he heard several voices yelling his name.
“I’m here! I’m here,” he replied, taking several deep breaths.
“I’ve got him,” another voice said. Magnus was still too groggy to place the
speaker, but it was familiar. “Just hang tight, Magnus.”
Another few seconds passed before soft light appeared, turning the watery space over Magnus blue. Then a body crashed through the ceiling in a mighty throng of bubbles. The figure turned left and right before spotting Magnus, then lunged. Magnus took the offered arm, groaning against the pain in his head. There was a sudden jerk, and then Magnus was on the surface, kicking to keep his head above the deep swells.
“Can you reach the skimmer?” Titus asked—if Magnus’s head doubted the speaker, his HUD finally registered the personnel roster.
Magnus looked up and saw the recovery bar affixed to the skimmer’s belly awash in the repulsor lights and salt spray. “Yeah, I think so.” He kicked both legs hard and reached for the bar. His first attempt failed when his gauntlet slipped from the rung. But his second attempt succeeded, and Magnus pulled himself up with some assistance from Titus below. He climbed atop the skimmer and swung himself into the pilot’s seat. Then he reached down to aid Titus as the gladia straddled the body in front of the vertical stabilizer.
“Good to go,” Titus said. He wrapped an arm around Magnus’s chest and tapped him twice on top of the helmet. Magnus took a second to prepare his gut for the acceleration and then punched the throttle.
* * *
“Anyone have eyes on Rohoar?” Magnus asked when he had finally caught his breath and his head cleared.
“Rohoar has eyes on Rohoar,” the Jujari replied. “And he is riding with Abimbola, who is certainly upset with having so much Jujari up his ass.”
Magnus laughed. “I’m sure he is.”
“He did not mean it like that,” Abimbola replied.
“Of course he did,” Titus added. “And”—the gladia paused for a second while he sounded preoccupied with a task—“now I have a picture of it.”
“I am going to feed you to my pet rathmonolith when we get back to the Dregs, Titus,” the Miblimbian replied.
“That’s fine. But this pic will live forever on the galaxy’s servers.”
Ruins of the Galaxy Box Set: Books 1-6 Page 178