Star Crusades

by Michael G. Thomas

  They passed heaps of storage containers, and towards the half open door leading to the ship. There was no need to duck as they passed inside to the partially lit vessel. Valentine looked back at her and nodded.

  “I’m staying here. In my experience, there’s nothing worse than having nothing to do. I need to keep my body and mind occupied.”

  Hawkins looked to Alexis and raised his eyebrows as though he was sharing a secret with her. Valentine, however, found her eyes drawn to the large ship inside the landing bay hidden away deep inside the colony. The space was big enough for at least three similar ships, and as she looked up, she could make out the armoured hatches that led to the surface. There were recently added turret installations fitted along the side of the deep shaft that she suspected must be close to three hundred metres from the surface.

  Tex, how long have they been here for?

  She asked the question, and to her surprise there was no answer.

  “My Cortex,” she said in surprise.

  “Yes,” said Alexis, “They’ve all been upgraded. You need to be plugged in for a full diagnostic and firmware upgrade before it can go live again.”

  Valentine touched her head again and felt a little queasy.

  “Firmware upgrade? What about his personality?”

  Alexis seemed almost amused by her question, but as she looked into Valentine’s eyes, she could tell her friend and fellow soldier was being completely serious.

  “Oh…well, you’ll need to speak with the techs. From what I understand, our settings and history will not be changed.”

  “We’ll see about that,” said Valentine.

  They moved on further and into the full glare of a trio of powerful spotlights. That lit up the flank of the Alliance warship, revealing every mark and dent on her hull, as well as picking out the hard edges and weapon systems fitted throughout.

  “Nautilus.” A smile formed across Valentine’s lips, “She’s been repaired?”

  Seeing the ship was a minor thing for most, but it was more than enough to take her mind off what she had just learned. Nautilus had been their home in the previous year, and she could see from the work that had been undertaken the ship had seen a lot of action. There were also changes she didn’t remember from the last time she’d seen the ship.

  “As good as new,” said Private Hawkins.

  Valentine moved towards the left side and looked up at the hull. She could see where armour had been replaced and the surface resealed.

  “Repaired and rebuilt perhaps, but never as new. And this entire underside has changed.”

  “That’s correct,” said one of the techs working nearby. He placed down a diagnostic panel and nodded towards the ship, “The entire underside has been reinforced for planetary insertion, and the landing gear uprated for heavier landings. If you ask me, the Morato kind of makes the Jackal redundant now.”

  “Maybe,” said Alexis, “But what happens when you need subtlety?”

  The tech looked up and down at her, starting with her feet, and then looking at every piece of augmentation before reaching her face. On any other occasion it might have felt a little uncomfortable, but he wasn’t gawping at her form. He was looking at her armour, enhanced limbs, and overall bulk.

  “No offensive, Corporal. But you are walking tanks. I think subtlety went out of the window a long time ago.”

  Alexis laughed, and as she looked to Valentine, she found she was laughing, too.

  “Okay. You might have a point there. But the Jackals still have a place. Sometimes a single lance is all that’s needed to complete a mission.”

  “Amen to that,” said Valentine, “Sometimes less is more.”

  The man shrugged in partial concession, and then looked up to the ship.

  “She’s been outfitted with more weapons along the lower hull.”

  “I see,” said Valentine, “Looks like a mixture of point defence turrets and two small cells. They look too small for anti-ship weapons.”

  “Oh…nicely spotted. That’s part of the tranche two upgrades. These cells are half-size, for supporting fire. They can be outfitted with rockets, smoke charges, and short-range laser-guided missiles. That, combined with the upgraded lower amour should make combat insertions a little more palatable. Plus, she’s packing the new IS drives. Faster and longer ranged.”

  “Corporal!” shouted a familiar voice.

  Alexis thanks the man, and then signalled for the pair to follow her.

  “That’s the Sarge. He’s waiting for us.

  Valentine remained still and looked back to Alexis.

  “Okay…something is happening here. Tell me.”

  Alexis chuckled.

  “The Sergeant can explain it better than me. Come on.”

  They moved around the ship past even more marines, and then to the waiting Sergeant. He was there, along with the two other Novas, one of which was Acting Lance Corporal Tsarkov, a man who always seemed to have it in for Valentine.

  “Nice to have you back with us,” he said with a forced smile, “Enough bed rest?”

  “Nice,” muttered Valentine.

  The Sergeant looked to Tsarkov and slowly shook his head before looking to Valentine.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see you back for this op. Your report said you were scheduled for R&R on Earth. If you ask me, it’s well earned.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to get back to normal as quickly as possible.”

  “Good,” he said with evident relief, “1st Company is padded out with newbies. I need people I can rely on out there. We’re leaving by the end of the day, have you caught up?”

  “Not quite, Sergeant. I spoke briefly with the Captain, but he had to leave before we could discuss any details.”

  “I see. Well…the short end of it is pretty much what you might expect. After nine months this moon is still in ruins. The Ski’ligs sure ran a number on us, and they left damage that is going to take over a year to repair. But that’s not where we come in. Walk with me.”

  The Sergeant beckoned towards the ship as they moved around it.

  “For the last nine months, High Command has been mobilising assets in our old territories. We have been pulling troops back from Helios and beyond. I mean serious numbers of assets.”

  “So the outer colonies are undefended?”

  “Some, yes. But most in Command believe we need to deal with a problem closer to home. There’re rumours that troops have been mobilised from the 1st, 2nd, and 7th Divisions and are already on their way here.”

  “The Terra Novans are deploying off world?” Valentine asked bewildered, “That’s…very unusual.”

  “Plus you said the 2nd are coming? They’re the Old Terrans, right?” Alexis asked.

  “Yes, one double-sized regiment, with more marines from Mars, Earth, Lunar, and other orbital colonies. Like I said, this is a major operation. We’re talking entire Army groups.”

  “For what reason?” Valentine asked, “We beat them here in Sol. Surely one taskforce can clear Epsilon Eridani of whatever Skils are left?”

  Sergeant Jablonsky looked away for a second as two marines approached. They spoke quickly, while Hawkins moved in closer and almost whispered into her ear.

  “No way, Val. Command wants more than that if you ask me, a lot more. We can’t just let them burn Deimos to the ground and leave them be. They want more.”

  “More? More what?”

  “We’re not going to retake territory, we’re gonna hunt them, wherever we find them. I heard we’ve had ships out at Eridani for months now. Sometimes the Skils get a few hits, and the rest we do. It’s like the Wild West.”

  Sergeant Jablonsky cleared his throat as he turned back to his Novas. He was just in time for Hawkins to forget his place and lift his hands as he spoke.

  “We going on the hunt, Sarge? Gonna bag us some Skils?”

  “That’s enough, Hawkins. We’re not here to speculate. We’re here to get ready. No
w…go and get to our barrack space and get ready. Remind the others.”

  Hawkins’ nostrils flared, and then he turned and moved away.

  “Yes, Sergeant.”

  “Harsh,” Valentine whispered.

  “Oh, don’t worry about him,” Alexis said with a wink, “He likes to be pushed around, trust me.”

  Valentine wasn’t quite sure what she meant, but then the look on Alexis’ face removed any ambiguity. Her eyes opened wide as she grinned.

  “Really, him? You’re serious?”

  “Hey, you work with what you’ve got. And he’s got…”

  She visibly shook and then laughed as the Sergeant nodded towards damage along the inner walls.

  “Anyway, the Ski’ligs. Analysis of the siege has continued for months. The fighting spread further than any of us expected, and so did the damage. Deimos is in a real state.”

  Valentine stopped at the wall and ran her artificial fingers along the marks. She could make out the deep indentations from shrapnel and gunfire.

  “They weren’t just here to kill, they were here to try and cripple the entire colony. You might be surprised to know most of the casualties and damage were caused by the Fallen, not the Ski’ligs.”

  Valentine considered that for a moment and looked at the ship for a few seconds. The signs of damage were well hidden, but she could still make them out. The Morato Class ship was one of the few the Alliance had constructed that could be considered even remotely close to aesthetically pleasing. Her streamlined hull was more Helion than Human, and her armour and power systems had many similarities with the Byotai. In fact, the only part that matched other classes in the fleet was the weapons.

  “That makes sense.” She recalled those last hours of fighting, “Most of the attacks were wave assaults right at our lines.”

  “Yes,” said Alexis, “My thoughts, too. The Ski’ligs seemed to always take cover and let others do the fighting for them first. What does it matter, though? Deimos will get patched up, and I assume we’re leaving soon to clear Epsilon of their taint.”

  “The Ski’ligs are a bigger threat than we ever thought possible,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “I mean the biggest threat since the Biomechs.”

  Valentine did not seem convinced.

  “We held them off with a pretty modest force. I don’t think…”

  “Thinking is irrelevant, Lance Corporal,” he snapped back more harshly than he’d intended, “Once in physical contact they are able to turn an ally into a foe. You saw how they brainwashed entire ships filled with civilians. Fleet Command and the Council are terrified of this alien threat.”

  “Of course. Imagine what would happen if they landed on Prime or Kerberos?”

  “Or Terra Nova,” added Alexis, “They could turn our populations against us, and that’s a war we lose even if we win. And that’s why our military is almost ready to go back in?”

  “To Epsilon Eridani?” Valentine asked.

  “Yes,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “We already have scouts out there, and that’s where we come in. Apparently, we will secure the system first and use it as a jumping off point for our campaign.”

  “Wait, you’re serious? I know the Captain was talking about this when we first beat them, but I thought the plan had been scrapped?”

  He smiled, but before he could say more, a squad of Mavericks moved past. They made even the Novas seem tiny, and yet for all their size of nearly three metres, they were able to move with the same speed and grace as a Marine. Valentine looked up the to the heavy weapons built into the armour and shook her head.

  “What I would give to have one of those.”

  Alexis looked towards the Sergeant as he stepped back to let them through. There was a quick glance, almost furtive, and then the machines had moved past.

  “All things change with time, Lance Corporal. You of all people should know this best of all. Now…High Command wants the Ski’lig threat neutralised, not just stopped. There’s a public will to take this further, and we will see it done.”

  “What do you mean, Sarge?”

  “I mean we’re not just retaking our lost territory. We’re taking the fight to them, and we’re going in with a full invasion force.”

  Valentine could scarcely believe what she was hearing. She’d assumed they would be landing troops throughout the Eridani System and installing garrisons. There might even be a little combat as they mopped up any remaining Ski’lig forces. But this sounded like something much, much bigger. Even Alexis appeared surprised by the news.

  “You’re saying we’re going after the Ski’ligs? We’re actually taking the fight to them?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying. We underestimated them before, saw them as insectoid intruders and little more.” He shook his head, “No longer. Now we’ve got the ships, the soldiers, and the resources to do what we couldn’t before. Now, I…”

  He stopped as he spotted Lieutenant Jack Fletcher moving along the deck with a small group of NCOs nearby.

  “One moment.”

  He moved away, leaving Alexis and Valentine alone for a moment. Valentine looked to her friend and shook her head.

  “I’ve only just slid out of bed, and we’re going to war…again.”

  Alexis nodded feverishly and placed one hand on Valentine’s left arm. It was clear she was excited at the news, and even Valentine had to admit the thought of heading off to new lands to pay the Ski’ligs a visit was quite attractive. After all, they had devastated Alliance territory, now it was their turn to fight back.

  “Sister.” Alexis stared into Valentine’s eyes, “We’re going to war, and this time we’re not going to have our hands tied behind our backs. It’s payback time, and we’re not going there to take prisoners.”

  “Good.”

  Alexis continued to smile.

  “We’re gonna hunt down every last one of them and burn their world to ash. Are you in? Or do you want to take that transport to Earth for some R&R?”

  All Valentine could think of was that last moment with Jane charging at the Ski’lig leader, her final sacrifice to kill the unkillable beast. She thought about it for so long that Alexis must have thought she’d changed her mind.

  “Val? You having second thoughts?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Valentine said in a confident tone, “You had me at taking the fight to them.”

  “Excellent. Then come with me. It’s time to get you suited up. Did anybody tell you we’ve got upgrades?”

  “Upgrades? What kind of upgrades?”

  “Two kinds,” she said with a wink, “One for business, and one for…well. Everything else.”

  “Okay. I’ll bite. Show me.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dragoon Class Frigate ‘ANS Coventry’, Epsilon Eridani

  Captain Zacharias held his breath as he looked back to his crew. They hadn’t been given much time, but it had been enough to get the surviving members of the crew into position. He’d entered the system with eighty-eighty officers and men, and had lost a quarter already in the space battle. Some had been killed in the fighting, with others trapped in the hull or blasted into space.

  Sixty-six against that monster, what can I do?

  He knew their chances were almost zero. But he also knew that a ship-to-ship battle would have seen them all dead in a matter of seconds. Each was only too aware of the fate that awaited those captured by the enemy, a life of servitude and betrayal as they were thrown against their own friends.

  Whatever happens, we will choose the moment of our doom.

  His fingers gripped around his pistol as the inner blast door hissed open, and in walked a boarding party of six Ski’ligs.

  “Now!”

  Chief Engineer Thompson tapped his Secpad unit, and a fraction of a second later two charges detonated. He’d installed two of them, one on each side of the passage and hidden behind the maintenance panels. These improvised explosive devices hurled half a kilogram of ball bearings that sprayed th
e enemy, killing or maiming the entire party instantly. Captain Zacharias gasped as he watched them thrown to the walls or to the floor. There were more shapes behind them, but while some remained upright, others dropped down on one leg or lifted arms to shield their bodies.

  “Good work, Chief.”

  He then nodded to his Executive Officer.

  “Forward!” Commander Campbell yelled, “We take the fight to them!”

  A cry rang out from the men and women abandoning their own ship. They surged forward, those at the front spraying fire into the alien ship. A few of the terrible spikes struck one man, and he fell backwards to the ground. Captain Zacharias bent down alongside him as his crew swarmed into the ship. There was only a modicum of artificial gravity, and it was much darker than anything inside an Alliance ship. He had to strain his eyes as he struggled to see what was happening.

  “Captain,” said the man with all the effort he could muster, “Don’t let…”

  He gasped and then faded, leaving his final words unknown.

  “Bastards,” muttered the Captain, as he turned back and aimed with his pistol. He fired once, twice, and then emptied the magazine at the cold, heartless creatures.

  “That’s the style!” shouted the Commander as he led them into battle with the few Ski’ligs still standing. Those able to fight were cut down by fire, and the others struggled to drag their wounded bodies away. But in the close confines of this part of the ship they lacked the ability to escape.

  “Inside!”

  Only a few of the enemy remained able to fight and were quickly overwhelmed by the enraged crew of the crippled Alliance ship. The gunfight turned into a brutal melee, and in seconds it was over, but it was not the end. As they stripped the enemy dead of their weapons or tended to their wounded, another three shapes moved out from the shadows and blocked the passage. They were bulkier than the winged Ski’ligs that had tried to board their ship. As well as being bigger, they lacked wings, and featured an external skeletal structure that provided additional protection in battle. Their firearms had to be carried in two hands and were connected by feeds directly into the body.