The entrance was wide enough for two of them side by side, but that was still something of a squeeze for Z’Kanthu. They moved into the darkness, emerging into the rear of the department store. The suits' sensors picked up more than a dozen body signatures as well as movement further inside.
“Looks like we have friends in here,” said Khan.
Z’Kanthu stopped, moving back a little into the shadows.
“I am detecting the Core; it is within two hundred meters. I can go no further until we have a safe route through,” said Z’Kanthu.
Khan nodded happily.
“Good. Now it’s time for the diversionary diversion.”
Z’Kanthu said nothing, and Khan almost looked disappointed that nobody had found his play on words amusing.
“A diversionary…ah, forget it.”
He looked to Olik and the other two Jötnar.
“We need this to look like a diversion. We keep them busy, but nothing too excessive.”
He then concentrated his attention on Olik.
“That goes especially for you. Understood? When Spartan attacks, they will think his attack is the main event.”
“And then we move in and secure the Core,” added Olik.
Khan looked back to Z’Kanthu.
“Stay back. If they find you, we’ll be in trouble…fast!”
“I understand. I will wait until you return.”
Khan activated his weapon and checked the ammunition feed. Satisfied he was ready for action, he threw a quick glance to his comrades.
“Now, let’s show these machines what an attack looks like.”
The four lurched ahead, giving little consideration to noise as they moved. It took less than thirty seconds to reach the center of this part of the structure, and they were nearing the central shaft that was surrounded by a pair of winding escalators. From here, they could look up and down the different levels of the store. That was when the gunfire started. Small lights flicked about, and Khan tagged them via the overlay in his helmet.
“Bring them down!”
The four Jötnar moved into a line with three meters between each of them. Khan fired first, and then all of them were shooting. Using the networked targeting platform, they were able to share tagged targets and quickly moved between them, spreading their fire effectively at scores of potential targets. Three Thegns dropped from a higher level and vanished beneath them. The more Khan fired, the more his shouting increased.
“Watch out!” Olik yelled.
Two Thegns appeared from the floor below them and clambered over the ledge, hurling themselves at Khan. The third Jötnar, a young warrior called Knaprig pushed out to take the impact. The two fell to the ground in a heap of metal and flesh. Another Thegn joined him to attack with what looked like two-handed hammers. Though primitive looking, they were fast and ripped chunks of metal from Knaprig. Olik moved to help him, but Khan waved him off. Another Thegn landed on the back of Tajt, but he twisted about and slammed his fist into its face.
“Stay back!” Khan snapped.
Tajt leaned to one side while Khan took aim and removed the head of the first Thegn with a short burst. A pair of Thegns moved from cover at just the same time and was cut apart by stray rounds from the burst. The second Thegn with the hammers rolled to the right and dodged his fire, and then struck Knaprig so hard he removed the Jötnar’s right arm from the shoulder. Tajt charged it down and smashed his fist so powerfully through the Thegn’s head that he crunched its skull against the armored hide of Knaprig. The wounded Jötnar grabbed the dying Thegn and tore its head from its shoulders, casting it aside like a ball in some violent sport.
“Bastard!” he howled.
Olik tried to step closer, but three more Thegns appeared from under the ledge and jumped at him. Two were armed like the earlier attacker while a third carried a weapon more akin to a thermal shotgun. Its wide muzzle glowed white, and then Olik found himself staggering back. He looked down and found a hole the size of a man’s head through his armor and pushing into his chest. He felt a weakness in his body and dropped to a knee. Just as the metal of his armor touched the ground, Khan grabbed him and pulled him to his side.
“Put them down, all of them!”
Knaprig climbed to his feet, blood still dripping from his shoulder and continued shooting with his L56 Mark III. He was forced to rest his weapon on a nearby cabinet, but more attackers forced him back. He refused to relinquish his weapon and spun it about, using it as a club with his left hand.
“Give ground…slowly.”
Khan helped Olik as they attempted to move back a few meters. More Thegns appeared, but they kept themselves well hidden and relied upon their ranged weapons. The Jötnar kept their cool and demonstrated superlative discipline as they went back one step at a time. The exchange of gunfire was devastating, and after a few more seconds, Khan had lost his weapon and sustained damage to his legs and chest armor. A normal human would have been unconscious about now, but not Khan; he seemed to be enjoying it.
“Spartan,” he said calmly, “They’ve taken the bait. It’s your turn.”
* * *
The entrance itself was wide and marked out by a dozen double doors, half of which were shattered. Spartan lifted his boot, kicked one open, and stepped inside. The marines moved in around him and then the gunfire started. The first two rounds struck Spartan in the flank, but he kept moving forward and screamed at the Thegns as he fired. A platoon of Alliance marines was a force to be reckoned with, and in less than a minute, the entire front of the apartment block was secure. Half of the marines dug in behind cover while the others inched forward under their watchful eye. Teresa and the rest followed them in and moved close behind the ground Spartan had taken. A number of corridors ran off into the distance. At the fair end were scores of lights from the defenders.
“Marines, push on!” Spartan ordered.
The veteran warrior moved into the open, and a number of the enemy soldiers took the chance. As soon as they tried to shoot, they were cut down by precision fire from the small number of marine sharpshooters equipped with the classic L48 rifle. Spartan was right at the front and directing fire into the Biomech position. Even though they seemed to be keeping them busy, there was little ground being covered. Improvised barricades made from furniture, debris, and even bodies now blocked the access points to the rest of the complex at a dozen points. The Thegns kept down low in the cover, exposing themselves only long enough to shoot back. Spartan seemed almost impressed.
Interesting, the Biomechs are learning how to protect territory. Very interesting.
He looked back and signaled to Captain Rivers.
“Send them in.”
The Captain looked to Teresa. She did nothing more than offer a quick nod. He sent the signal and was immediately answered by the crashing of glass. A tracked robotic vehicle not much bigger than a Ram moved in. It easily pushed over the broken glass and surged ahead toward the enemy. The motorized turret fixed into its chassis gave the mounted weapons plenty of movement. It made it to within ten meters of the Thegns before taking fire.
“Now!” Spartan said.
The machine was mainly designed to be operated remotely and still required a manual override to activate its guns. The vehicle slid to a stop, and the turret swiveled about to track a single Thegn that had moved slightly out of cover to watch. Three rounds struck its hull, and one managed to block off a section of one of its tracks. Then the guns opened fire. The first was the 40mm grenade launcher. It released a pulse grenade into the blackness and tore the Thegn apart with a burst from its L56 Mark III gun system. As the body slumped to the ground, the pulse grenade flashed and sent white and blue sparks in all directions. It was a non-lethal weapon and used for distraction and effect only.
“Forward!”
Spartan pushed on even further and now reached the last useful cover before the open ground. The Thegns put down considerable gunfire to keep the marines back. The SAAR robot limped forward, m
oved past him, and then accelerated toward the barricades. A fusillade of gunfire tore it apart just a meter from its objective, and it crashed into the defensive position with a crunch. Even with its tracks shredded and its body shattered, the gun mount continued to function on a single axis. It moved from left to right, sending bullets past the barricade until a metal machine reached out and ripped off the turret.
“Walkers!” Spartan called out.
“Yeah, we know,” replied Teresa from further back.
The machine lashed out from its hiding place and dragged the wrecked SAAR robot into the blackness. More Thegns popped up and returned fire on Spartan and his forward team. Two more squads fanned out to put pressure on the entry points to the apartment block. Like the one near Spartan, they were all very well protected. That was when Spartan spotted the first hostage. He lifted his hand and the gunfire slowed.
“Look,” he said, extending a hand toward the barricades.
“I see them.”
The glittering of razor-sharp blades marked the arms of at least one of the eight-legged machines. Between its powerful limbs lay a bloodied but still living woman.
“She must be one of the workers,” said Captain Rivers.
Even though he and Teresa were further back, it wasn’t hard to make out the shapes at the Biomech defenses.
“What now? It’s pretty clear what happens next.”
Spartan closed his eyes and sent the signal. Then he opened them and looked at Teresa.
“It’s Z'Kanthu’s turn.”
* * *
Khan watched patiently from his hiding place. The four Jötnar should have been dead, especially after the pounding they had taken during the withdrawal. Khan had expected they would run into gunfire, but nothing quite like what they experienced. The fire assaulted them twice during their withdrawal, and he could count over twenty dead or dying Thegns, but against the costs or wounds to him and all his comrades. The attacks had abated in the last few minutes, and they’d given up enough ground before breaking ranks and retreating out of sensor range. Now they waited, trying their best to ignore the pain.
“Come on, Spartan, give us the word.”
“I haven’t seen one of their soldiers for nearly ten minutes now,” said Olik.
“We cannot take chances,” said Z'Kanthu, “If they suspect I am nearby, they will redirect all their efforts against me. This must happen at the right time. We can do this only once.”
Khan nodded and glanced back to the position they’d abandoned. It looked like a killing ground from back here, and he knew if they still had numbers, then they would be badly punished for trying again.
“What about the reserve?”
Olik looked back and shook his head.
“Still not here. According to the scanner, they are less than a minute away.”
Khan didn’t like that part.
“Khan, can you hear me?” Spartan asked.
Khan felt a great weight suddenly lifting from his body. His pulse began to slow until he heard the pained breathing of his friend.
“We’ve got them pinned here. Send in Z'Kanthu. We can’t hold them indefinitely.”
“Understood, Spartan, enjoy the show.”
He looked to Z'Kanthu who took one step away from his position.
“So, it is time.”
Khan took one of the guns from his wounded comrades and tapped Olik on the shoulder.
“Are you ready, Brother?”
Olik laughed, though not as loudly as he might have earlier. The damage to his chest armor was substantial. Luckily for him, the damage to his body was minimal, but it had reduced his ability to sustain gunfire in a major fight.
“Then we shall go. Z'Kanthu, lead the way.”
The massive metal machine lifted himself up to his normal height so that his head almost scraped the raised ceiling of the large department store. He moved with a grace that was disproportionate to his size. Khan and Olik followed a short distance behind, but they were forced to speed up to a jog to match his movement. They passed the area of the previous battle and turned sharply to take a connecting tunnel that would move them right behind the Biomech forces at the apartment complex. Khan spotted the icons popping up as his suit picked out heat signatures ahead. A handful of shots came down but easily missed them.
“Spartan, we’re halfway there. Targets detected. We’re engaging them.”
A gantry five meters up filled with Thegns, and then promptly vanished as Z'Kanthu vaporized them with his main weapon. He didn’t even stop and crashed through one of the walls.
“Khan, can you hear that?” Olik asked.
Khan was almost running as they appeared inside a much wider and taller open space. Inside it was clearly some sort of foyer area, yet it was too heavily damaged to easily identify much of the material.
“There!” Khan said.
At the far end were dozens of shapes, as machines and warriors surged out to create a wall to protect whatever was behind them. Z'Kanthu took aim and fired. Four Thegns vanished in a blue fireball but more took their place. The skittering shapes of the arachnid warriors broke out from the line and climbed the walls and floor to cover the distance. Worse though was the screaming sound coming from further behind them. Z'Kanthu altered his stance to prepare for the onslaught and shouted to Khan.
“They are calling for help. This is what Spartan needs.”
Khan took aim with his weapon and began to wonder if it was the best plan they could have come up with. He could see hundreds of enemy troops, and right now they were all heading toward them.
“Spartan, do it!”
There was no more time, and all three of them opened fire with everything they had. The massive multi-barreled cannons of the Jötnar did their work, but it was the guns of Z'Kanthu that killed the enemy in great numbers. Khan glanced back in the direction they’d arrived from and could only think of his two wounded comrades and the marines that still hadn’t arrived.
They’d better be ready, or this is going to be one hell of a bloodbath!
Z'Kanthu continued firing, but the Thegn and arachnid warriors were now halfway across the floor and ceiling and heading right for them. Khan could see they were already taking a big risk. Anymore and they would never get back in time.
“Olik, we have...”
Two metal blades punched through the chest of the Jötnar from behind and then wrenched apart, attempting to tear Olik in half. He spotted the blades extended out from his body and grabbed the tip in his armored hands and threw himself to the ground, forcing the blades from his body. He groaned in pain but continued to punch and kick at the Thegns and machines moving around him.
“Olik!” Khan howled.
He spun about and threw himself at the shape of a Biomech that had been lurking inside the shattered foyer. The machine smashed him aside like a toy and moved in on Z'Kanthu, who was now at risk of being completely encircled by the approaching Biomech warriors.
“Khan, I believe my plan has suffered a setback.”
They were the last words he said as scores of Thegns ran at him with all manner of edged weapons. Z'Kanthu had no intention of surrendering and cut a swathe through them until the other Biomech reached him and hissed something in their native tongue. The warriors continued to surround them, but the attack stopped as quickly as it had began, with just the two mighty machines facing off against each other. Khan groaned and rolled over from where he’d crashed into the wall.
“Spartan, we’ve got a problem here. A big problem!”
CHAPTER TEN
The Jötnar of Prometheus and Hyperion performed the role of heavy infantry in the Biomech War. They had operated in groups before, but their deployment to Spascia, Helios Prime, Prometheus, and Mars proved once and for all that it was they, more than any other, that could provide the perfect warriors for the Alliance. Unlike the heavily trained and conditioned marines of the Alliance Marine Corps, the Jötnar were born warriors, with a toughness, speed, and strength ma
tched only by the Vanguard Marines. Some speculated that this trend might see a new class emerge, one of a warrior elite that could provide an entire stock of warriors for the future. Some saw this as the ideal, but most dreaded the day that might come, one where only the strong would be given a voice in the Alliance. Would that be so much different to the promise offered by the Echidna Union in the Great Uprising?
The 1st Jötnar Battalion
A group of four Helion soldiers inched their way past the hundreds of dead Thegns and shattered machines. One of then stopped and vomited before being helped by the other three toward the Jötnar. Behind them moved a pair of Animosh warriors, but both groups kept a wary eye on each other as they moved toward Gun. It was the Animosh leader that spoke first. Like the overwhelming majority of Helions, he had to speak via a translator.
“Colonel, our forces are taking heavy casualties. We cannot...”
Gun placed his armor-plated foot on the head of a fallen Thegn foot soldier. He was balanced precariously atop the shattered remains of a ruined Bioray lander. Dozens of dead Thegns lay around the exit points, the few still alive hastily finished off by his bodyguard. He looked at his prey and pushed down hard with his foot. There was a sickening crunch, and the head tore off and rolled to the ground. He bent down, picked up the head, and raised it to the sky. Explosions off in the distance lit the face of the thing with frequent flashes, and he roared. It was a bloodcurdling howl filled with excitement and bloodlust. The Jötnar around him lifted their arms and weapons and joined in, much to the confusion of the NHA soldiers moving to new positions. As they filed past, they watched the monstrous warriors waving their weapons and then kept on moving, each trying to avoid catching the gaze of the super-human fighters.
“Don’t tell me you cannot. If you can breathe, well, then you can.”
He pointed to the barricades being hastily improved.
“Get the Khreenk back here to assist. I understand they have equipment we can use. This world must stay under our control. Do you understand?”
Star Crusades Nexus: Book 07 - Battle for Helios Page 17