Star Crusades Nexus: Book 08 - Wrath of the Gods:

by Michael G. Thomas

  Again he turned his attention back to Teresa.

  “We need to see Z’Kanthu. There has to be a way to end this, once and for all. We cannot let this cycle continue indefinitely. Even if we manage to stop them, they will be waiting, and I can promise you this; no matter who wins on Helios, the enemy will have agents and machines hidden somewhere. Long after we’re dead, they will try this again and again till they win.”

  Khan punched his hands together in agreement.

  “Spartan’s right. We need a plan, a real plan, a war winning plan.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  The modern Marine Corps experienced the same punishing siege warfare as its cotemporaries in the Uprising. This new professional military was very different to the divisions of warriors that fought on worlds such as Euryale, Proxima Prime, and Hyperion. The armor had been improved, access to firearms variants, and even more powerful weapons were now available to them. The Vanguards were now a common sight on the battlefield, as were entire companies of Jötnar in their own armor variants. The traditional heavy armor models were still known as Jötnar Assault Suits and matched them well to the Vanguards. The newly created 24th Regiment, raised on Prometheus and recruited from the ranks of Jötnar throughout the Alliance, was something else entirely. This regiment was completely synthetic and armed with close fitting body armor based on the Alpha armour used by the Corps. These diverse warriors, combined with the latest Hammerhead, Bulldog, Mauler, and SAAR combat robots, were a new kind of military built to take on and defeat any enemy.

  Great Battles of the Confederate Marine Corps

  ANS New Carlos, upper atmosphere of Spascia

  Commodore Hampel rose from his bunk and rubbed his eyes. The alert buzzed gently, yet even its reduced volume pounded through his skull with the impact of a hammer. He shook his head and reached for his secpad. A countdown flickered on its screen, and when he brushed it aside, it revealed a continuously updating schematic of the enemy dispositions over Spascia. It was then he noticed it wasn’t his alarm that had woken him; it was an alert from the CIC. He tapped the video communicator on his desk.

  “What is it?”

  “Commodore, we’re detecting changes in the enemy fleet,” said Lieutenant Morgan, the ship’s XO.

  “Such as?”

  He was already looking at the secpad and the arrangement of capital ships around the Ark. He needed no more information to understand that the fleet was relatively invulnerable while positioned in that way. There were no Alliance ships anywhere near the enemy fleet; all his own ships were either on the ground at safe locations, or still in the air around Spascia. It had been the only way to preserve his fleet, by bringing the ships down to the planet itself. Those unable to assist had been sent back toward Helios Prime to regroup with Admiral Lewis.

  “They are moving Sawfish and Bioray warships into the upper atmosphere.”

  “Well, we’ve been waiting for them. I’m surprised it’s taken so long. Have you contacted Admiral Lewis or High Command?”

  “Yes, Sir, flash traffic has been sent to both.”

  He pulled on his tunic and threw back a single glass of cool water from the dispenser at the side of his desk. It tickled his throat as it ran down but did its job of quenching his thirst for now. Commodore Hampel pulled on his hat and marched straight out of his quarters and into the passageway. A pair of Marine guards saluted as he left him room, but he was in such a rush he only managed a barely discernible nod.

  “Are they coming for us?”

  “I don’t think so. Their course will bring them in toward the Biomech positions to the east of the ruins. So far there’s no obvious sign they are heading for our ships. With our dispersed positions, it would be easy.”

  He walked as quickly and calmly as he could, but the seriousness of the news sent adrenalin surging through his body. The fighting over the last weeks had been unlike anything he could have expected. Instead of acting as a fleet, the dozen remaining capital ships had operated as carriers and ground batteries, supplying firepower and air cover wherever they could. Though not ideal for the task, the Crusader and Liberty class of warships were capable of atmospheric flight, but the prolonged operations had consumed vast fuel and ammunition resources, as well as nullifying all their direct-energy weapons.

  “Send the alert to the other ships; I need everything we have in the air and over the old city ASAP. This is it. This is the attack we’ve been waiting for. We cannot let Old Spascia fall!”

  He took another four steps before the ship began to shudder and groan. ANS New Carlos had stayed airborne since entering the atmosphere weeks ago, yet even at a height of twenty kilometers from the surface, the effect of gravity and the density of the atmosphere made the ship slow, plodding, and difficult to maneuver. Even so, as the ship fired its engines, he was pleased to detect the motion of the vessel as it moved in the direction of the city.

  How far away are we?

  He looked at the secpad and made a mental note of the location of his own ship as well as a Crusader and three more Liberty destroyers nearby.

  Yes, you might land more troops, but you’re gonna pay one hell of a price to land them at this city.

  He rounded the corner and toward a pair of double doors leading into the small CIC. He walked through and directly into the path of his XO.

  “Get me through to General Gun. He needs to know what’s happening.”

  Lieutenant Morgan pointed at the nearby video projection running on one part of the large holographic display unit. He couldn’t argue about the sophistication of the technology, or even the degree to which it allowed a smaller crew to operate such an advanced vessel. Still, he’d seen what happened to ships under stress, and he was beginning to wonder how they would manage if this single unit was damaged or failed in combat.

  I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?

  “Commodore, we’re ready,” said a familiar voice.

  He moved closer and spotted the face of the General and his entourage of grubby-looking warriors. Jötnar in the overly bulky JAS armor waited nearby with a mixture of heavy and close combat weapons. As the image stabilized, he could see the damage to their armor, and it wasn’t just the odd individual; this damage showed on every single one of them. They were near a bunker complex with multiple towers and a deep trench off to the General’s flank. Even though it was incredibly dark, the flares flashed every few seconds around him and bathed the position in vivid white and yellow light.

  “What’s your status, General?”

  Gun nodded and looked to his left where an officer was asking him something. It didn’t take long, and then he was back. Another streak of light filled the background, and a pair of bodies was thrown high in the air from a blast. More and more of them came down, and even Gun seemed to shake from the impact.

  “As ready as we’ll ever be.”

  “General, you’ve got the reports on their movements?”

  The Jötnar nodded.

  “Yeah, they’re sending in the next wave. This is the biggest one yet. If you ask me, this is it. They mean business.”

  “That is my understanding,” explained Commodore Hampel.

  He touched his moustache as he watched the scene.

  “I am bringing everything I have left to bear on this one. You won’t be on your own in this battle. Everything the Alliance has that can fly is making for Spascia City, as we speak. When those Biomech bastards arrive, they’ll pay one hell of a price.”

  A series of explosions rippled about Gun, and he looked to the side and lifted his arm to point. As he moved the pintle gun mount on his shoulder, it tracked and then flashed and rumbled a dozen times. Gun glanced back to the screen.

  “That time is now. Let them come, I say. It’s time we decided this, once and for all!”

  * * *

  Three Sisters Fortress, Old Spascia City

  Two nights had now passed at the Three Sisters, and still the Biomechs had refused to attack in force. They’d had just as
much time as the defenders to prepare, and their underground trench works were no less sophisticated than those of the marines. With each passing day, both sides became further and further entrenched, making all out assault even more fruitless than the day before.

  The fighting hadn’t ended though, not by a long shot. It wasn’t that they hadn’t stopped the artillery strikes and sniping, but the grand assault everybody had expected simply hadn’t arrived. Small groups tried to penetrate defenses at key points, but on every occasion they were beaten back. After days of this kind of fighting, a good many marines had decided the Biomechs were not interested in taking the mountain by force. Instead, they intended on waiting them out and simply wearing them down through fatigue, and lack of food and ammunition. It was a cool and calculated plan, but as each day ended, it became clearer the defenders were living on borrowed time.

  A triple volley of heavy guns sent high-explosive rounds directly into the heart of the defenses. Two exploded out in the abandoned streets, and a third hit one of the abandoned structures half a kilometer west of the Three Sisters. The round shattered and sent burning fragments in all directions. The structure was solid and easily brushed off the weapon. Flashes of light from the explosion lit up the entire city block, and anything not already burned to a crisp quickly caught fire.

  “Incoming!” called out an unseen marine.

  Another four rounds came in and hit around the city, yet even this level of attack didn’t wake up the marines still sleeping. After weeks of combat, they had become adept at resting when they could, even during sporadic attacks like this. It was the third fireteam’s turn to take watched, and Jack and Jana had joined a pair of rookies to get some rest. All four lay curled up in their armor, each with their weapons close to hand. A single SAAR robot sat patiently like a large dog as it watched over them. The single weapon system on its back tracked from left to right, continually checking for signs of danger.

  The bunker had been untested in battle so far, but the thick roof and stowage compartments at least allowed the marines some degree of security. The vision slits provide a good view of the eastern approach, sited to allow those inside to shoot over the lower outer walls. The position of the bunker was part of the line joining two of the towers while the third lay directly behind them toward the river. Fog lights were carefully position to light the killing ground cleared around the fortification. The lights on inside the defenses were low-level red lights that could only be seen from inside, and only barely.

  “Helion patrol coming in, Sir,” said one of the corporals.

  “Open the gate,” said Lieutenant Elvidge, that night’s officer of the watch.

  A pair of marines pulled on the metal pulleys to lift the thick metal gateway. It was a low-tech solution, but one not easily bypassed with advanced technology and robotics. As it reached the halfway mark, the metal screeched. There were some dents and imperfections in the steel runners, and it made a sound like nails being dragged across metal.

  “What the hell?” Jack said.

  He jumped up and promptly rolled from where he’d been lying down and dropped to the dusty ground. His legs were frozen stiff, and no matter how quickly he tried to move, he still hit the ground with a thud. As he lay there groaning, Jana opened her eyes but remained on her side. She looked down at him and smiled, but he couldn’t make out her face in the pitch-dark condition. Only when a flare burst above the base, did he see her looking down at him.

  “What’s it like out there, Sergeant?” Lieutenant Elvidge asked.

  His voice was slightly interrupted by the sound of the chains, but Jack could still make it out. He sat up still on the floor and shook his head. This low down he couldn’t see what was happening, so with a groan he stood up, stretched his tired legs, and hobbled to the main viewing slit overlooking the doorway. There he spotted the Lieutenant and a pair of Khreenk warriors. A small NHA patrol, each dressed in the dull uniforms that were now more like brown than the original flamboyant yellow. With only red lighting, their clothing looked closer to the grays and blacks of the marines. They carried thermal rifles on their shoulders and wore lightweight packs filled with provisions and spare ammunition. Their heads had been covered with colorful tall helms, but now were replaced by a simple combat helmet taken from the marine stores.

  “Sir, they’re coming this way, and fast,” said Sergeant Stone.

  It was only a few words, but they were enough to make Jack’s pulse quicken. He looked back to Jana and the two rookies. All three were watching him expectantly. Light from the pylon-mounted searchlights scanned back and forth and cast long, deep shadows in the ground. Corporal Frewyn ran into the bunker before any of them could speak.

  “We’re up!” he said excitedly.

  The two rookies were on their feet in a flash and fumbling about for their magazines. Corporal Frewyn, ever the stout character, waited calmly as the others got themselves ready.

  “How’s the arm?” Jack asked.

  The Corporal grimaced, tilting his head in the direction of the wounded limb.

  “Not great. Still, after you’ve been on this rock for a while, you stop noticing things like that.”

  The crump of distant artillery brought all of them back to the harsh realities of the grinding attritional campaign that Spascia had now become.

  “We’ve got bigger things to worry about, right now.”

  Sergeant Stone moved toward the rear of the bunker, with Lieutenant Elvidge close behind. Two-dozen marines assembled in a loose line at the rear of the bunkers and stood smartly to attention. The officer’s visor was up, and the flashes of artillery and flares lit up his face, casting hard-edged shadows across his cheeks.

  “Marines, this is it. We’ve just had word from Commodore Hampel. All units have been activated. You can…”

  He was cut off by a great shrieking sound. He looked back, and the bright reds and yellows of hundreds of rounds of artillery and rockets arced overhead, reached their apex and then came down like rain all along the defensive zone. Not one block was spared as the mixture of ordnance came down one after the other. A screaming sound came from further away, and Sergeant Stone pushed the officer to one side as a multiple warhead split and rained fire down on the bunkers. A few unfortunate marines and Helions were caught out in the open and tore apart in the blink of an eye. Explosions ripped through the complex, but the damage was minor. Lieutenant Elvidge picked himself up and nodded toward Sergeant Stone.

  “They’ll have to use something a little more impressive than that kind of artillery if they want to breach the Sisters.”

  “Sir!” Corporal Frewyn said.

  He lifted his arm and pointed at a dozen blue trails high up into the sky. Each could be followed back to positions deep inside the enemy lines through the city.

  “Why aren’t the counter-battery guns firing?” Jack asked.

  Sergeant Stone cleared his throat.

  “Because it’s time, son, because it’s time.”

  He pointed in the direction of the mountain, not that it could be seen from their current position. Additional lines of bunkers and gun positions blocked their view, and even if they could see out and beyond the eastern walls, all they would see were the smoke covered bridges and the mountain beyond.

  “They are saving themselves for the assault.”

  Then he looked back to Jack.

  “Trust me, when this one starts, you’ll thank them. They can put down a lot of fire in a short amount of time.”

  A high-pitched whistle came from the left, quickly followed by a formation of seven Animosh riders.

  “What are they doing here?” Jana asked.

  The seven small craft vanished off into the blackness of the night, with nothing but the odd explosion highlighting them against the sky.

  “Animosh, I thought we’d heard the last of them,” muttered Jack.

  The little craft were more like motorcycles than anything else they’d seen. Jack’s first experience of them was back o
n Helios Prime during the first stages of the revolution. The Animosh were the Helion paramilitaries and had used the flying bikes to hunt down rebels. With small, flat-ducted fan engines at each end they were noisy but incredibly maneuverable.

  “This time they’re fighting with us,” said Lieutenant Elvidge.

  Sergeant Stone looked to the officer and shook his head.

  “Until how long, Sir?”

  “Until we win, or they die. Either way, we’ve got bigger problems today.”

  A triple volley of flares soared up into the sky, and at the same time the klaxon changed to the emergency alert. This one was different, and the change in the postures of the marines was instant.

  “The breach alert!”

  The sound could mean only one thing; the defenses had been penetrated already. Lieutenant Elvidge put one foot onto an ammunition locker and pointed his sidearm to the bunkers and trenches. Jack looked at him and noted with a modicum of amusement how the man had changed. His first impression had been of an insignificant officer, one with little experience and a lot to prove. Now the man looked as hardened and experienced as any he’d seen. His armor was dented, and there was a bullet impact mark on his shoulder that should have taken his arm off.

  He’s changed.

  “Marines, to your posts. Remember Gun, not one step back!”

  Jack and Jana moved to their post, and Corporal Frewyn joined them. Another four marines moved in alongside them and lifted their L52 carbines onto the cool stonework. Jack and Jana lifted their own weapons. Frewyn did the same.