Give it another thirty minutes and the Khreenk will be on the ropes, and for what? To buy me time to reduce these ground forces before they can make planetfall.
A new alert flashed up, showing a breach in the armor-plated mission module toward the rear of the destroyer. Lieutenant Morgan sent orders to the damage teams while continuing to check the status of the battle.
“That was the Ark. It hit ANS Crusader, but the damage was minimal. We got the tail end of the strike, but it still tore open a hole big enough to land a Hammerhead inside.”
“Contact!” said the computer system in a loud alert.
A number of red diamonds appeared on the holographic display around the flanks of the Biomech Ark. First there were two, and then they multiplied and morphed into something completely different. The computer system attempted to reclassify the new targets, but even the Ark came up as unrecognized on the scanners.
“What in the name of...” muttered Commodore Hampel.
Lieutenant Morgan tapped the shapes and crosschecked them with their own databases. Image after image flicked past, but only a small number matched the details already contained in the Alliance databases.
“The Ark, it’s partially disassembling itself. It looks like large sections of the rear are actually additional warships. I’m detecting eight more Sawfish and at least another Cephalon command ship.”
He moved about nervously and then looked back to his commander.
“Scratch that. There are more than two-dozen Sawfish, another Cephalon, and two Ravager class Battlecruisers. The Ark has reduced in size by almost twenty percent.”
Both of them watched the imagery with an odd mixture of surprise and fascination. Never before had an enemy shown such advancements in technology and robotics. For any officer it would have been almost exciting, but to them it was an enemy with almost super-human technology and resources.
“Incredible. Just incredible,” said Commodore Hampel.
There was a sense of awe to his voice that made Lieutenant Morgan a little nervous.
“True. But they die just like everybody else.”
“Indeed so. Nonetheless, we need to understand them if we are to beat them. They must have constructed the ships directly into the apparatus of the Ark. So for the last centuries they have been harvesting the comet itself to construct a new fleet and a myriad of weapons for this war.”
“That makes sense,” said the Lieutenant, “The record states that only a modest number of the Biomechs escaped at the end of the war. According to the Helion account, the majority was pushed back through the Black Rift in their final battle.”
Commodore Hampel smiled.
“Well, if we believe what their accounts have to say, we’d think the Helions defeated them man for man and scattered them to the wind. We know better than that though, don’t we?”
He looked about the CIC and at the officers as they went about their job of fighting the devastating battle of Spascia.
“These Biomechs are not stupid. They knew their end was coming, so they put plans into action. I suspect the truth is more like they withdrew their main force to their homeworld, and then shut themselves away to rebuild.”
He then pointed to the icons of the ships in the current battle.
“The remainder were scattered to prepare the ground for their return. Some traveled to different worlds like ours to ferment revolts and potentially rebuild their armies. The rest, perhaps even their leadership made for C34 as it left the system. It was a long-term plan, but now it’s coming to fruition.”
He looked at the model of the Ark once more. There was something else changing with its structure, and for a moment he couldn’t tell what it was. Only when the small spikes pushing out from its outer surface did it become clearer.
“Look, the station is deploying something.”
Lieutenant Morgan’s attention was taken to a set of new targets off to the right.
“Sir, Biomech fighters are closing on our stern. Give me a moment.”
There was need to intervene as his executive officer directed two nearby Lightning squadrons to intercept. It was fast, efficient, and deadly. They unleashed missiles in salvos and quickly cleared a path toward the destroyer. Commodore Hampel tried to hide a smile as the destroyer guns blasted the last three fighters just as they opened fire themselves. A sound like the patter of rain on metal ran along the flank of the ship but set off no sensors. He looked back at the display, squinting as he tried to assess the capabilities of the ever-changing Biomech weapon systems.
“What about that Ark? Tell me we’re bringing it down.”
Lieutenant Morgan rotated the Ark model and pointed to its frontal area.
“It is still operational, though we have inflicted substantial superficial damage to its outer structure. Particle beams are causing considerable damage to the armor, but most of our ordnance is being detonated before it can penetrate inside.”
He pressed two buttons and then stopped as if he’d just seen some terrifying demon. Commodore Hampel looked carefully at the shape of the Ark and picked out movement around its rear. The Lieutenant shook his head in disbelief.
“It would appear additional transports are being unloaded. Wait, scanners are detecting ports opening all around the Ark.”
He turned around.
“I think they’re preparing for the next stage.”
Commodore Hampel tapped the button that connected him to the entire fleet.
“All ships, the Biomech Ark is about to act. This could be a prelude to a major attack. Get closer to the enemy and keep them busy. You have to give them minimal opportunity to intercept your ships.”
He looked back at the battle closer to Spascia. The forces of both sides were heavily intertwined with Sawfish, Biomantas, Crusader, and Liberty class ships engaged in a battle more reminiscent of the line battles of ancient Earth. Gunnery exchanges took place at close range, while fighters from both sides tangled in a dogfight that included hundreds of small craft.
So they have reinforcements, and this Ark is changing form and function. It’s time to let the ground pounders to some work. We’ll use these ships where they can do the most good.
He glanced to the XO, his grim expression clear and obvious.
“Okay, it’s time to turn this around. I want my secondary plan put into effect immediately. This fleet must be maintained for the coming fight.”
Lieutenant Morgan looked surprised.
“Sir? We can hold for at least another ten minutes.”
“Perhaps, but this battle will not be decided in ten minutes. We’re outnumbered, and Spascia needs our help. We must get our ships away from those particle beams.”
He tried to look less nervous, but it wasn’t working.
“Prepare the ship for atmospheric combat. Things are about to get very interesting.”
The XO raised an eyebrow, but he’d already made his thoughts known.
“Aye, Sir.”
Commodore Hampel selected the commanders of every squadron remaining and brought up the video feeds for each of them.
“It is time. All ships capable of atmospheric combat will follow us to our rendezvous vector. From there, we will establish a mobile reserve to support the ground troops under Colonel Gun while inside the atmosphere. Ground-based fighters will provide us with additional cover.”
The XO watched him as he checked the positions around Spascia.
“All other ships will execute order Beta Six, skim the upper atmosphere, and meet out of line of sight of the enemy. I want a secure orbital position in less than an hour.”
He licked his lips as he visualized their positions over the next hour. The larger or more heavily damaged ships would be forced to engage in a cat and mouse game in orbit around Spascia. It wouldn’t be easy, but as long as they avoided the Ark, they would be free to operate independently.
Unless the Biomechs send their remaining ships after them.
That wasn’t necessarily a bad thin
g though, and he wondered if the Biomechs would be stupid enough to leave their transports and ground forces vulnerable for so long. In his mind, he could see groups of Alliance ships launching swift strikes against transports as they made their way down to the surface.
We can only hope.
“We are in this fight for the long haul, and I want this fleet kept intact. Bring in your fighters and get to safety. There will be no heroics, just the calm professionalism expected of all Alliance officers. Good hunting.”
* * *
Jack leaned back and looked up to the alien sky. He’d spent time on many worlds from Hyperion and Kerberos, through to Helios Prime, and now this rock. Each of those worlds had something unusual about them. With Hyperion it was the jungles and creatures, both of which were as likely to kill you as the atmosphere. Terra Nova was the home to the greatest wealth and decadence in the entire Alliance. Kerberos was a hive of industry, engineering, and some of the most suspiciously black market dealers and smugglers he’d ever known. Even Helios Prime, with its stunning skylines and massive structures had at least been the pinnacle of alien engineering and success.
But not here!
Of all the planets he’d visited, he never expected he would face the largest battle in his life on a planet famous for just one thing.
“Bloody ruins, nothing but bloody ruins. This entire place is ridiculous.”
He hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but he was finding the place less inspiring by the minute. Corporal Frewyn laughed at yet another complaint from Jack and stopped what he was doing for a moment. He looked from the robot container and back to Jack. There were a number of containers strewn about, and a technical unit was busy testing two of the SAAR combat robots. Both sat motionless, like a pair of tracked metal statues, yet taking up no more space than a Vanguard marine. They were short, barely taller than a man’s waist, yet looked deadly in both design and construction. The paired weapons mounted centrally on a rotating mount topped off the killer machines.
“What are you complaining about now, marine?”
Jack stayed flat on his back and took in a long, deep breath of air. It felt slightly damp to him, like the feeling you got when in a place below sea level where it was warm. It wasn’t a feeling he particularly liked. He twisted a little to look at the Corporal, and the outer section of his armor groaned and creaked on the stone as he moved.
“I can understand Helios Prime. It’s the capital of an entire race and this supposed Orion Nexus. What I don’t get is, why we’ve put so much down on this planet? Isn’t the only thing worth controlling here that thing?”
He looked back and pointed at the barely visible peak, now covered in low cloud mixed with dust. Dull yellow beams tried to punch through the mist, but even the most powerful proved unsuited to the task. The massive ground based weapon was impossible to see right now, yet everybody on Spascia knew the importance of such a powerful weapon to the coming war.
“Private Morato, are you causing trouble again?” Sergeant Stone asked.
Jack looked about but was unable to find the Sergeant. He finally moved out from where he’d been talking with an Alliance officer next to the wall. The nearest SAAR robot powered up and drove off, all under its own power and control before vanishing off down the street. Jack watched it move away and then turned his attention to the annoyed looking Sergeant.
“Uh...no, Sergeant. Not at all.”
The sound of chattering people and excitement caught all their attention. A pair of Jötnar in full JAS armor stormed past, along with a dozen or more Helion soldiers. Jack sat up and found himself speechless at seeing lightly armored Helion synthetics moving out in the open. It reminded him of Vadi, one of this odd race that was effectively the Helion equivalent of the Jötnar. Not as big but still strong and bulky, they had been ostracized on Helion worlds, but now it seemed some of them had been given a role to play in the coming fight. The gear they wore looked as though it had been hastily cobbled together, and Jack very much doubted it would do any more than keep them warm.
Still, it’s better than keeping them locked away and hidden from the state.
“What’s going on?” Corporal Frewyn asked.
"Well, for starters, it looks like the Helions are getting more pragmatic every day."
A flight of Hammerheads screamed overhead, leaving a vapor trail that ran off into the distance. Right behind them moved a Marine Mauler, the heady, square shaped landing craft with engines at each corner and bristling with turrets.
“Have you heard the news?” Riku shouted.
The young marine balanced precariously a floor up and on what remained of the smashed floor to the higher level. Riku leaned out and waved over to Jack to get his attention and lost her footing. She slid but caught an exposed girder just before she would have dropped to the ground. Jack looked up to her and shook his head, half with amusement and half with thanks that she hadn’t been hurt.
“What news? What’s happening?”
She began to speak, but with their visors open, the barrage of sonic booms and screeching engines blocked out everything she said. Something like a thunderclap echoed through the ruins of the city, and reverberated so many times, it actually shook the foundations. Jack spotted others pointing up, and he followed their hands to see the colored shapes appearing in the sky. His pulse instantly quickened, and he could feel the adrenalin start to course through his veins. Sergeant Stone shouted something at him, but he still couldn’t hear. With the tap of a button, his visor locked into position and drowned out the booming sounds. It was replaced by the shouts of the Sergeant.
“Marines, to your positions!”
Riku vanished from her position, and Frewyn, Callahan, and Jenkell appeared from where they had been resting and ran toward the outer wall on the lower floor of the building. There were clear paths for them to follow, and Callahan grabbed Jack’s shoulder and forcibly yanked him in the same direction.
“This is Colonel Gun. Admiral Pezal has been killed. The Spascia Fleet is falling back to regroup. They’ve done their part, for now. Now it’s up to us. We have to weaken them before they can bring in more troops. We can expect planetary assault shortly. Be ready!”
It was short and exactly as Jack would have expected an order to be from his old friend. More marines ran to their allocated places while armored vehicles moved from the streets and into their prepared positions they had hidden from immediate view. Incredibly, the ruins of the city looked almost deserted in less than sixty seconds. Even Jack was impressed.
“Here they come!” Jenkell shouted.
The unit’s medic had been hiding, hunched down behind the window frame where her carbine rested against the old, smashed stonework. Jack looked at her, but she quickly pointed with her left hand to the sky. It was lower than before, and Jack could see the dark shape, wreathed in flames and trailing smoke as it traveled through the thick planet atmosphere.
Another planet, another attack.
A moment of panic shocked his system, and he felt as though he couldn’t breathe. That one feeling immediately froze his chest seemed to create the condition he feared so much.
Breathe, damn you!
He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. It took a superhuman effort, but when he opened his eyes, he could feel the air moving through his lungs and saw the dark shape of a warship as it thundered overhead.
“What in God’s balls is that?” Corporal Frewyn asked.
As the flames began to subside, the huge shape became clearer and easier to see. It was hard to gage size without other ships in the vicinity, but the basic components were clearly not alien.
“It’s one of ours!” Sergeant Stone called out.
There was certainty in his voice, and even Jack found himself busy looking at the shape to try and determine the type and status of the vessel. Sergeant Stone was standing out in the open with his hands on his hips, looking directly up at the shape of the starship. Jack could see flashes of light on his fac
e as additional ships dropped in through the atmosphere, each wreathed in flame from the high-speed reentry.
“What are they doing here?” Frewyn asked.
A bat shaped vessel appeared next, its form completely black due to the silhouette and the smoke that trailed behind it. Arcs of light flashed about it as it tried to make use of its particle beams. The Alliance ship leading it fired back with traditional light auto cannons of some type and instantly blew chunks of its body. The marines waved their weapons in the air in delight as the pursuing Biomanta twisted and then plummeted from the sky. Three Hammerheads followed it down and strafed the machine as it tried desperately to recover. Even though it dwarfed the size of the Alliance fighters, it had sustained too much damage to put up much of a fight.
“They’re going down,” said Jack quietly.
He and the others watched with sickening curiosity as it shook under the weight of heavy gunfire. Pieces broke off from its hull, yet it refused to drop out of the sky. The fighter pilots must have smelt blood because they moved in even closer to try and finish it. The Biomanta then managed to fire a short burst of kinetic gunfire at one of the Hammerheads.
“Whoa!” yelled a marine.
The gunfire chased along the wing and struck one of the engines. The small blast ripped a chunk off the wing, and the fighter spun out of control toward the ground. Only moments before impact, the cockpit burst open, and the crew module blasted up into the sky, well away from the wrecked fighter. Two more moved in to take its place and continued firing at the almost indestructible warship. Jack looked to his left and right, wondering what was going on. He spotted the massive gun mounts of the hidden anti-air system that had been buried inside the ruins of the city block his unit were defending. The mount itself was moving, and he could see it tracking the Biomech ship as it moved across the sky.
Why aren’t they firing?
He didn’t have to wait long before the gun mounts of the Helion 10th anti-air ground forces opened fire. The tracer fire reached up into the dusty clouds as they did their utmost to pick out the attacking Biomechs. Three streams of cannon rounds battered away at the nearest Biomanta as it dropped to below a thousand meters. The ship leveled off, trailing three separate streams of thick black smoke. It shuddered as the ground units hit it hard, and then as quickly as it had arrived, the warship tilted over on its side.
Star Crusades Nexus: Book 07 - Battle for Helios Page 13