Artifact: Rise Of Mankind Book 6

by John Walker

  “What will you search for next? The secret to immortality?”

  Krilan smirked. “You really do have quite mouth. You’ve made me change my mind.” He turned to one of the guards. “Assemble a scouting party and bring Wyan with you. Let him be of some use down there in our first contact with the world below.”

  “Captain,” Brilin spoke up. “I’m picking up a kielan broadcast message. This planet is under quarantine. They’re talking about some kind of virus which may have wiped out the population of this place. I’m scanning for it now.”

  “Yes, do ensure we won’t be contracting some horrifying disease,” Krilan said. “Or if we need hazard suits before going. In fact…” He chuckled. “Issue the suits to the men but not Wyan. Let him be your early warning sign that something’s wrong.”

  Wyan shook his head. “You’re a real monster, Krilan. A sick bastard.”

  Krilan balled his fist but refrained from hitting him. “Practicality and monstrous behavior tend to go hand in hand I suppose. You have your orders, men. Go.”

  He returned to his seat and peered out at the planet again. Eyes narrowed as he wondered at what the message meant. Surely, they didn’t hide it in a diseased hell hole or they’d never be able to get their items back. No, this felt like a ruse, another defense mechanism to keep criminals away…and it may have worked most of the time.

  The average pirate didn’t have sophisticated enough scanners to detect the subtleties of an airborne disease. They’d know soon enough, even if their sensors didn’t pick it up, Wyan would catch it. The man probably needed to die despite Krilan’s growing interest in him. They’d likely have to kill him before they proceeded much further.

  He’d defy them at every time but then perhaps that’s what Krilan liked about him so much. No matter how helpless he remained, he held up his integrity and duty. Though Wyan only worked as an admin, contrary to his belief, he would’ve made an excellent soldier. At least in the loyalty department.

  “My Lord,” Brilin spoke again. “I’m reading an energy build up…a jump! Someone’s coming!”

  “What?” Krilan stood suddenly, cursing. “It can’t be…the Earth ship? But…how? How would they have followed us? It’s impossible to have tracked us here, isn’t it?”

  “From all the technology I know, yes,” Brilin replied. “But sure enough, they will be here in five seconds.”

  “Battlestations!” Krilan cried out. “Launch our fighters and get those defenses taken out. Our shuttle needs a direct path to get to the surface. This needs to happen much quicker now and we’re going to do whatever it takes to claim our prize. Double the number of men we’re sending down! Hurry, there’s no time for stalling!”

  ***

  The Behemoth appeared in the system, raising their shields immediately. Gray recognized that not too long ago, they wouldn’t have been capable of becoming combat effective so quickly after a jump. The way it impacted their systems, both electrical and biological, meant they needed a moment to recover from long distances.

  A few upgrades went a long way.

  “We’ve got them!” Olly shouted. “On scans, just over three hundred thousand kilometers away. They’re approaching that planet there.” He brought it up on the view screen, a blue world with white clouds surrounding it. “They’ve got fighters launched and…sir, they’re attacking the satellite defenses.”

  “Redding, accelerate to full speed,” Gray said. “Are all weapons online?”

  “Yes, sir, we’re ready to fire,” Redding replied. The ship rumbled as the engines roared the life. The door behind them opened and someone joined them on the bridge. Gray glanced back to see Durant gazing at the screen.

  “What can we do for you?” Gray asked. “Shouldn’t you be in engineering?”

  Durant shook his head. “No, I believe I can be of more use up here with the tech officer performing scans.” He moved over to one of the computer terminals near the pilot’s seat. He began tapping away. “While you attack, I can modulate defenses and weapons. This should ensure we have more time to react to whatever we discover.”

  “I have a question,” Adam said. “What about our fighters? I read the report and they were outmatched in that fight. The enemy could take much heavier maneuvers than they could, surviving forces that would’ve killed our people. They’re not drones either. How do they dampen the inertia so well?”

  “More efficient magnets,” Durant said. “That’s the only thing I can think of without one to study. We might be able to compensate for it to give ourselves a boost but it will require a retrofit of the current ships in our hangar. I’d say they should stay out of this fight to avoid being shot down. Those dogfights will be quite one sided, at least in space.”

  “The pilots won’t be happy,” Adam muttered. “They’re going to want in.”

  “Tell Revente to have them stand down,” Gray said. “We’ve got this fight. Durant, our guns were having a hard time targeting those fighters. What can you do for that?”

  “Hold on.” Durant frowned. “The aiming protocols are out of date…oh wait. It’s the most recent software you have. I can update these. You’ll have a much easier time with the fighters in a few moments.”

  “Is now a good time to do an upgrade?” Redding asked. “We’re about four minutes from a fight.”

  “This is going to take less than a minute,” Durant said. “And besides, I wrote the original protocols. They’re ready for the improvement, believe me.”

  “Go ahead,” Gray said, though he had a feeling his permission was a little late. The scientist took more liberties than the captain would like but the Behemoth could use the help. The Orion’s Light may not have a government behind them but their technology and ruthlessness gave them some small advantages.

  Gray turned to his computer and noted they were nearly within firing range. “Target their engines,” he said. “The thrusters specifically.”

  “No!” Durant turned quickly. “Sir, they will have the most protection at those points.”

  “What?” Gray scowled. “How? They can’t emit as strong a field around the thrusters.”

  “They use the thrust to enhance the field,” Durant explained. “As in the heat being cast off by the thrusters are being absorbed by the shields and making them tougher there. I figured it out in the last battle when I did a scan.”

  “That would’ve been good information for a report,” Adam said. “Sooner than now I mean.”

  “I’m sorry, we’ve been rather busy.” Durant shrugged. “The good news is the targeting software is now upgraded and ready for use.”

  “Thank God for small favors,” Redding muttered. “Permission to fire when in range?”

  “Granted,” Gray said. “Let’s just test the waters first since the thrusters are off limits. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  The defense satellites exploded in orange bubbles, winking out into the darkness. Gray winced. That’s not a good sign. They’ve got a clear shot to the surface. He checked and sure enough, a shuttle was on its way down. Damn it, this is going to be really close! We have to stop them…one way or another.

  “Tell Marshall we need Marines on that planet,” Gray said. “If the enemy’s risking a trip down during a battle, then whatever they want, they can’t have.”

  “Yes, sir. But…if those fighters turn to the shuttle…”

  “I know, we’ll escort our people and hope Durant’s upgrade makes short work of those bastards.” Gray nodded. “Send out the call. We have to have those guys up in less than three minutes if we hope to catch up to our enemies.”

  “I won’t let you down over here,” Durant said. “When we start shooting, I’m ready to make the most of it.”

  “Makes me feel better.” Gray sighed. “Prepare for some precision flying, Redding. Looks like we’re going to be multitasking on this one.”

  ***

  Hoffner strapped in as the shuttle lifted off. The briefing didn’t go very well. Marshall didn’t want him to g
o, stating it was too dangerous to risk a captain when the chances of getting to the surface were so low. It wasn’t that the Lieutenant Colonel didn’t care about the men or feel they were expendable but he sometimes erred on the side of ‘command practical’.

  Which ended with an argument between subordinate and commander.

  “I’ve been leading them into shit storms for too long to simply tell them through inaction that I think they’re going to die,” Hoffner told him. “I’m sure you remember what it was like when you were in my position. Imagine morale if I told them they were on their own.”

  “They’d likely understand,” Marshall replied. “They’ve worked with you a long time and they understand command structure.”

  “And the reason they’d understand is because they know I would never make such a suggestion without it being beyond necessary…like we were about to lead another attack somewhere. But this is the time, right here and now, where I need to be available to those men and show them that we have total faith in this mission.”

  “But we don’t.” Marshall sighed. “I doubt I can talk you out of this. What if I gave you an order?”

  “Then I guess you’d be filing my court martial papers because I’m going down to that planet with those men.”

  “You’re a stubborn bastard, William.”

  “Sorry, sir.” Marshall shrugged. “I’m sure you recall our conversation when you were recruiting me for this post.”

  “Yes, yes, you were all about the men then too.”

  “It’s important to me. Those guys…they’re shit on by the navy most of the time. When we go out on assignment, we’re the unsung heroes. Pilots get the glory, the guys on the bridge take the credit for successful missions and the only time we’re noticed is when we screw up. Luckily, Captain Atwell is a lot more fair than all that but regardless, I’m the one they trust. I’m going.”

  “Just…I know you’ll be fine when you get to the surface. It’s whether those ships take you out before you get there.”

  “I’ll put my faith in the Behemoth’s guns,” Hoffner said. “Just like the other men going with me.”

  “Godspeed, Hoffner. Don’t get killed out there.”

  Hoffner gave his men a different briefing, one that was straightforward and to the point. He let them know that there was a chance they might not make it to the surface of the planet. They all worse environmental suits just in case they survived the initial blasts that might get through to them. Regardless, none of them even flinched when he gave them the warning.

  Everyone mounted up, strapped in and prepared themselves for the fight to come.

  Some of the pilots wanted to fly escort but they were denied the privilege. Apparently, there was an unfair advantage the enemy had, one that made them more than a match for the Behemoth ships. They explained it had something to do with maneuverability, which would do the trick. Now the marines had to risk an encounter with them.

  Good times. Hoffner took a deep breath and mentally prepared for the flight. They left the hangar and stayed close to the Behemoth as it charged toward the planet. The massive ship planned on screening them the whole way, using turrets to fend off the enemy pilots. He held on to his rifle as the ship began to pick up speed. Here we go.

  ***

  “Shuttle is away,” Clea said. “They’re accelerating to full speed.”

  “Guns ready?” Gray asked.

  “They certainly are,” Durant replied. “We’ll tear into those devils, I promise you. They’re not going to cause any real trouble for our marines. When they get too close, these targeting protocols will easily anticipate, lead and destroy them. I’m focusing on the capital ship now.”

  Clea looked at her scanner and noted that the Orion’s Light ship had turned to engage them. Any moment they’d unleash their relay cannon and try to tear through their shields. Their own main cannons could retaliate but the smaller guns were reserved for fending off the enemy pilots. They’d been supercharged since Durant arrived so they would’ve been good to focus on the bigger vessel.

  “Captain,” Agatha called out. “The enemy ship is hailing us.”

  “Ignore it,” Gray said. “Open fire when they’re in range, Redding.”

  “I’m turning guns over to Leonard,” Redding said. “I’ll be a little busy keeping the ship close to the shuttle to be shooting too.”

  “I’m on it.” Leonard leaned over his console and tapped the controls. “Bringing targeting online…and…we’ll be in optimal range inside of thirty seconds.”

  Clea focused on her scanner, looking for the enemy pilots. They had to be coming soon and when they did, she wanted to monitor their gun batteries. She couldn’t quite share Durant’s confidence, not until she saw them in action. That was the difference between living with theory crafting and reality.

  When one faced the latter, the former lost some of its credibility.

  The academy taught her to trust her math and instincts but she’d seen both fail too many times to not believe in random elements screwing everything up. These pilots not only had superior technology, they were good at their jobs. That combination made it harder for her to simply believe an AI upgrade that took less than a minute would do much against them.

  I hope I’m just being cynical.

  The blips appeared on her screen and she sat up straight. “The enemy pilots are incoming,” she said. “They’re advancing on our shuttle.”

  “Durant,” Gray said, “I hope you’re ready for them. This is not the time for mistakes.”

  Clea put their shuttle on her screen, watching as the fighters closed in on it. The automated turrets spun in place and began firing. At the same time, the shuttle deployed countermeasures, devices coded to be ignored by friendly scans but played havoc with targeting, like portable jammers.

  The enemy pilots began flying about like angry bees, swarming to keep away from the turrets. Clea held her breath, hoping as Gray did that Durant’s upgrade worked. She felt skeptical until one of the small ships burst into a massive orange bubble. The leading worked. I guess I shouldn’t have doubted him.

  “That’s one,” Durant called out. “Seems that we have eight more to go though.”

  “Shuttle will breach atmosphere in less than five minutes,” Clea added.

  “Durant,” Gray said, “we have to have those fighters handled before then.”

  “I’m doing what I can!” Durant devoted his attention to his computer.

  “Opening fire!” Leonard nearly shouted, finally showing how new he was to working on the bridge. Rarely did anyone raise their voice and usually it was only Olly. This might not have warranted a shout but as the floor rumbled and every gun they had fired, Clea wondered if Durant’s improvements would come into effect.

  She opened a second screen on her tablet, one to scan the enemy ship’s defenses. The first volley struck them dead on just as they returned fire, their relay cannon lancing out. It hit them on the port side, away from the shuttle, but this time, it only did minimal damage. The cycling shields did the trick, at least for now.

  Another fighter went up. The shuttle began firing its own weapons, trying to fend off the aggressors. They couldn’t score a target lock on them but they fired blindly anyway, nearly taking them out several times. Clea turned to the orders issued to the weapon crews. Adam had them swap out the warheads from their standard missiles with the payloads from the bomber’s ordinance.

  That should make quite the impression. Clea hummed. I wonder when they intend to throw those at the enemy.

  Gray moved over to Leonard’s station and leaned over him. “Target here, here and here. Earlier scans showed the first one might be their life support and providing they keep engineering by those thrusters, we could take that out too.”

  “And the last one, sir?” Leonard asked.

  “What I hope is the bridge,” Gray replied. “Carry on.”

  Clea returned her attention to the fight outside where the shuttle weaved about in a mad dash
attempt to make it to the planet’s surface. She could only imagine how wild the ride must be for the passengers, each one strapped in and unable to do anything but hope they made it to their area of operation.

  ***

  Jenks made over a hundred combat drops. The first ten made his stomach flip but eventually, he eased into them until they represented nothing more than a mild discomfort. Most of them were performed without having to worry about being blown out of the sky. They tended to be deployed while pilots fought each other.

  This drop was completely different. Their pilot, a crazy bastard who clearly felt no pain when it came to pushing his inertial dampeners, veered about to avoid the attackers trying to take them down. They weren’t the only threat either. The Behemoth’s turrets were blasting away, sending out enough ordinance to crowd the space around them.

  Definitely enough to make anyone feel a hint of anxiety.

  And we haven’t even broken the atmosphere yet.

  If the enemy ships could follow them, they’d be in trouble. When the shuttle’s turret began firing, he knew they were either getting desperate or somehow hopeful they might get lucky. Windows around them continually lit up, near misses from the enemy, their friends or their own weapons, Jenks couldn’t tell.

  “Atmosphere in less than a minute,” the pilot sounded bored.

  He’s cold as ice. Jenks loosened his grip on the harness of his seat. His knuckles began to ache. Tapping the side of his helmet, he brought up a tactical screen of the fight going on outside and immediately regretted it. There were still six fighters trying to take them down, each one being chased about by energy blasts from the Behemoth.

  Their own turret, controlled by the copilot, caught one on the side, knocking its shields out just as the Behemoth blew it away. Five to go, Jenks thought. The good news was their maneuverability would be for shit when they got into the air filled environment of the planet. Such maneuvers might work with zero gravity, but air would tear those things up.