“Hell, yeah!” Hawkins said.
Others joined in, and Valentine could feel her body struggling to succumb to the pressure of the crowd. But just thinking about his words unnerved her. She’d heard similar opinions before about the Jötnar, and their massive size and strength. Some even now objected to them fighting alongside regular Humans, and there had even been occasions where they had been refused combat support or air cover by those wishing to denigrate them.
“Lieutenant,” she said before realising she’d even spoken.
“Last question, Lance Corporal.”
“I…uh, the stories you’ve heard about the Ski’ligs.”
“Yes?”
“What do people know about them?”
“Nothing specifically, other than a nomadic species that has caused damage and loss of life in two systems. The media is being kept away, but that hasn’t stopped some members of the military from leaking information.”
He ran his fingers through his hair and nodded along.
“They know there’s an enemy that can control minds, and it’s spreading like a disease. I don’t know how, but a terror is taking hold. And that’s why once we’ve swept through Epsilon Eridani, we will pursue them as far as we have to. None of us are coming home until the job is done. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir!” replied the Novas as a single unit.
“Excellent. Then grab your gear and get loaded up in your Jackals. We’re going through the Rift soon. Dismissed.”
He turned and walked away, and soon the platoon NCOs moved about in front of their troops. Sergeant Jablonsky appeared right in front of Tsarkov and Alexis.
“Your soldiers are ready for this?”
“Yes, Sergeant,” they replied in unison.
“Good. Grab anything else you need, and get aboard in ten minutes. Dismissed.”
Alexis turned and looked to her small four-man unit.
“You all up for this?”
“Hell, yeah,” said Kallias, “It’s time for those insects to get what’s coming.”
“Hawkins?”
He simply nodded in reply, leaving just Valentine.
“I’m good to go,” she said more quietly than she’d expected.
“You’re sure? If you need to sit this one out, say so.”
“You’re kidding me, right? 1st Platoon has a few things to say to our alien friends.”
“You bet your ass we have,” laughed Kallias, “Man…they are gonna wish they’d never set eyes on us!”
The Novas were already moving away as Valentine walked towards their waiting Jackal. She almost made it when a hand grabbed her arm.
“Val.”
She turned back to find Alexis standing there, while the others moved quickly to drag spare equipment onboard.
“Everything okay?”
Valentine smiled.
“Of course.”
She looked to Valentine’s arms.
“With all the new hardware onboard, you went for the old standby?”
“The combination works for me,” she said with a wink, “Plus, I like melee. So, what’s the point in going full Kallias on it?”
“Hey!” said the Private as he moved past.
They watched him walk away, and Valentine nodded to the change to the design. Though ostensibly the same as before, the newly upgraded system made him look more conventional, even with his strange limbs.
“That’s much better,” she said as Alexis nodded.
“The new armour has been simplified. Four limb mounts, an integral helmet mount, plus mounting points on the shoulders and torso for upgrades.”
“Agreed,” said Valentine, “1st gen was getting out of hand, and Kallias has benefitted from the upgrades. The 1st gen arms were just gun mounts instead of arms. This is more like a normal arm that’s half made of guns! Subtle.”
Kallias moved to the ramp up into the dropship as the voice of the redoubtable Captain Regina filled every corner of the spacecraft.
“We’re entering the Spacebridge to Epsilon Eridani. The Rift control station is recording a little turbulence, so make sure you’re buckled in. ETA, ninety seconds.”
Valentine lifted an eyebrow at that.
“Is that from the damage caused by the Ski’ligs on Deimos?”
Alexis shrugged.
“Who knows? It’s all well over my pay grade. All I do know is that half the colony is still in ruins. Frankly, I’m amazed they can open a Spacebridge at all.”
He stopped at the top of the ramp and looked back to them. As always, he had gone for the heaviest weapon loadout he could. While some went for mixed combinations, he always elected for dual weapon mounts. His arms hung down like the other Novas, but from the elbow they were nothing more than paired L48 rifles, stripped down and built into the fattened structure. This meant they were short and fed by a magazine feed to each arm. He could unleash a veritable torrent of explosive fire at short to medium ranges that little could stand against.
“At least this time I’ve got hands, kind of.”
He made a gesture with one arm, and a strange assembly extended out from above gun barrels. It was a hand, little bigger than a normal Human one, and fitted with three skeletal fingers. It was enough to manipulate tools and doors, but a far cry from something like Valentine’s robotics hands.
“Put that thing away!” Valentine laughed, “Trust me, nobody wants to see that!”
Kallias chuckled as Hawkins moved to his side and thumped his friend on the shoulder.
“She’s not wrong, Kallias,” he said, tapping the claw like hand.
“Hey. When you’re in the thick of it, you’ll wish you went for guns over a few extra fingers.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Fingers can be handy.”
The two laughed together as they moved into the dropship. Valentine watched them both go, and found her eyes drawn to the changes in their gear. Hawkins’ body armour carried additional plates as normal that were mounted to his armour via the front and rear upgrade mounts. It left him looking much bulkier than the others and slightly reduced his mobility. His carbines were missing, presumably inside the ship. Like almost half of the Novas, he’d gone for conventional limbs, known as tactical limbs. They were strong, armoured, and featured a fully articulated hand capable of close combat and the use of conventional weaponry. His shoulder mounts carried additional interceptor packs, each little larger than an ammunition box and fitted with thirty tiny muzzles, twenty at the front and ten behind.
“You didn’t go for the extra interceptors?” Alexis asked.
“I’ve got just the front interceptors. They’ve worked for me so far.”
She tapped her chest. Just below her neck were two interceptor mounts, both pressed against her armour, and looked like two armour plates. They formed part of the frontal upgrade mount that was popular with the majority of Novas.
“If you change your mind, we have spares inside. Let’s go.”
Valentine trudged behind Alexis and looked to her own upgrades. Each of them had their ideas on how they wanted to fight. Alexis was no different, with a tactical limb to the right, and the same heavy weapon arm as Kallias on her left. Once inside, she looked about the interior of the Jackal. Mechahawk was no ordinary dropship, but the upgraded AD-72 model, itself originally a Mark II. It was the heavier Special Forces version. The ramps were wheeled and not part of the dropship, and the space saved had allowed the entry hatches to be widened for use by Novas. The dropship carried additional heavy weapon turrets for use by the passengers. The interior space was compartmentalised by half size blast barriers. They separated the Novas from the others, and also provided splinter protection if and when they came under fire.
“Ah, it feels like only yesterday we were here.”
Valentine looked inside and spoke to those already in position. There were compartments for twenty-eight Novas, and half were already occupied with men and women from 1st and 3rd Lances.
“Hopefully this time it wi
ll go better,” said Alexis, “Follow me.”
Alexis moved to her designated place and waited as each moved to their own seats. Valentine was next to Hawkins and waited as the post and locking harness attached itself to her Rhino armour. The dropship could fly upside down in a planetary atmosphere, and she would be perfectly secure. No sooner had she made herself comfortable than Tsarkov and his half lance entered. Bandu followed behind, along with two new recruits.
“Welcome to Mechahawk,” said Alexis as she turned away from the other three members of the lance. Tsarkov muttered something in reply. He then went to the other side and waited as the clamps moved into position. The other three followed and waited in silence.
“Uh…did I miss something?” Valentine asked.
Alexis looked towards Valentine as the dropship shook violently.
“Whoa!” said one of Tsarkov’s new recruits, “Easy on the controls.”
“It’s okay,” explained Valentine, “That’s just us passing through the Rift. The Captain said it might be a little rougher than normal.”
One of the two looked at her but said nothing at all. He was quite stocky, with a strongly built torso and a completely hairless head. There weren’t even eyebrows, giving him a bizarre artificial look. It was obvious something had happened, but Valentine chose to say nothing. The last thing she wanted was some incident aboard the dropship with people she didn’t know.
“Private Holston, the Lance Corporal spoke to you,” Alexis said in a stern tone, “And every soldier in the Novas is a brother and sister. Show her the respect she has earned.”
The short man looked to his own leader before staring right back at Alexis. He still said nothing, and Valentine could sense the rage building. It was the kind of feeling she frequently felt herself, but over time had learned to control it. The man took in a short breath, and then spoke.
“Sorry, Acting Corporal. I didn’t hear you.”
Alexis fully detached her harness and stepped across the cramped interior of the Jackal. Valentine tensed up, half-expecting thing to turn sour, and a fight to break out onboard the dropship. She then leaned in closer to the man. He chose to remain straight as an arrow, and Valentine was sure she could make out a snigger coming from him.
“Don’t play games with me, Private. We’re going into combat. If I can’t count on you, then you can stay right here. And if you try anything in combat, I’ll frag you myself. Do you understand?”
The man opened his mouth, but his comrade alongside him stamped on his armour foot. The impact was so great it would have broken a man’s foot, and instead left dents and scratches along the metalwork.
“Yes, Corporal.”
“Better.”
She turned and walked away just as Sergeant Jablonsky entered and moved towards the rear of the passenger area.
“Problem?”
“No, Sergeant. The Private here was just saying something to the Lance Corporal.”
“Well…out with it, man.”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
He then looked to Valentine who did her best to hide her smile.
“Thank you, Lance Corporal.”
“You’re welcome. Private.”
“Good,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “Three lances is pushing us to the limit in here, but we’ll make it work.”
“Why are we loading up so early?” asked one of the new members of Tsarkov’s unit.
“Want to take that, Lance Corporal?” replied the Sergeant.
“Yes, Sergeant.” Valentine barely concealed her smile. “We’ve lost contact with patrols in the system. Last time that happened we entered the system just after ANS Kraken.”
“Kraken,” said the man, “Wait a minute, I know that name.”
He considered that for a few seconds, and then looked to his comrades.
“That’s the same ship as this one, right? The ship that went missing?”
“Oh, it didn’t go missing. Kraken was shot out of the sky the second she arrived.” Valentine looked to the floor of the dropship, “And if that happens to you, trust me, you’ll want to be in the dropship, and not in the rec room having a snack. There’s not a lot worse than being sucked out into the abyss.”
“You’re not wrong there, Val,” said Alexis, “It’s now SOP when entering a hostile area to be locked and ready to drop. One of the benefits of dying more than once, you start to learn from your mistakes.”
Hawkins laughed at that. “Well, not everybody.”
“True,” said Valentine, much to his amusement, “Some of us just keep on dying!”
A few of the other Novas laughed as Sergeant Jablonsky looked away and spoke into the intercom built into his half-sealed helmet. Valentine could hear some of the words, but she intentionally looked away instead of listening in.
“We’re through,” said Sergeant Jablonsky suddenly, “Escorts and fighters are pushing ahead. Now we’re in the hot zone. Stay sharp. It’s a lot worse than we thought.”
“Worse?” Valentine asked.
“Sensors have picked up a lot of debris and flotsam around Eridani Prime, much more than expected. There’s not much here but wreckage near the Rift. The carriers are sending out fighters to investigate. There should be two patrol squadrons out here somewhere.”
“What about us?”
“We’re going to investigate the anomaly.”
“Anomaly?”
The Sergeant shrugged.
“Who knows? Could be wreckage, or it could be a Ski’lig fleet. So settle in for the next few hours.”
CHAPTER SIX
Alliance Heavy Starcarrier ‘ANS Izumo, Epsilon Eridani
27th May 2475
Lieutenant Jack Peterson tensed up as the outer doors opened, and he could see space for the first time. He was a skilled pilot, but this was his first ever mission into an active warzone, and he could feel the nerves. The entire squadron had been officially a training unit until a month earlier, and now they had been rushed to the ship as part of her growing fighter complement.
And what a ship!
Jack looked off to his left towards the thick internal bulkhead ribs that gave away her age. ANS Izumo was a world apart from the newer ships in the fleet, with a design built for the smaller and lighter fighters of the Confederate era. Over time, the old warship had been upgraded and refitted and was more than capable of handling modern fighters. Perhaps the most impressive upgrade of all her powerplant and propulsion system had been upgraded with the same technology used for the latest Alliance cruisers, allowing her to travel faster than light along with the rest of the fleet.
Jack looked to the line running along the ground and to the open doors of the massive hangar. Izumo was fitted with two sets of hangars, both served by the magsled the fighter currently sat on. Unlike the more modern carriers that could fight in the line with powerful particle weapons, this ship was designed to operate purely as a fleet carrier. Her onboard weapons were defensive in nature, and her massive fighter wing provided the real defence.
I can’t believe it. This is for real. We’re going into combat!
Jack nodded towards the next fighter and shook his head as he watched the deck crew remove the safety locks from the missiles. It was rare enough for them to fly with live weapons, and today his fighter was heavy laden with a mixed spread of ordnance. The fighters had been made to wait inside the armoured hull as they passed trough the Rift, and now all he waited for was the final command to launch.
“Peterson, you ready?” Lieutenant Ajax asked from the adjacent fighter.
“I’m good to go,” he replied as confidentially as he could.
“This is the big time. I’m gonna get me some insects!”
Jack smiled to himself. They knew enough about their enemy to know the threat they presented. More importantly, they had all seen the imagery of Mars and its moons. The devastation wrought by this alien race was horrific, and every one of them wanted some payback for what had been done.
“Launch!” said t
he voice in his ear.
The fighters pushed ahead without any input from him as he was thrown out of the ship. By the time he was granted manual control, there were two other squadrons in space.
“Fireflies, form on me,” said Captain O’Hara, “We’ve got work to do.”
Jack pulled on the main stick and adjusted the thruster power to move into formation with the other seven fighters. They were all relatively new, fresh from Terra Nova, and only recently attached to the reactivated Starcarrier. The fighters’ dull colour was offset by the vibrant yellows along their short wings, reflecting their squadron name.
“Keep your eyes open. We’ve got a debris field directly ahead. We’re to conduct a sweep and clear of the area and clear space for the heavies.”
Jack glanced back over his shoulder. He could make out at least a dozen cruisers, plus numerous escort ships, light carriers, and at least two battlecruisers. On top of that were supply ships, transports for the ground forces, and the separate squadron of the IAB that kept a distance from the other ships.
“This ain’t no survey mission,” he muttered to himself, “We’re out here looking for trouble.”
His finger ran along the safety release for the main trigger.
And I’m ready for that!
He could see the other fighters formed up to his right, with the squadron leader taking the lead position for them to follow. A second group of fighters moved off to the left and followed a wider orbit around the planet. It would take them longer, but they would be well placed to provide backup for the Fireflies, if needed.
“Debris field ahead, switch to active sensors, and watched your quarters. I don’t want to see anybody smoked by rock ice!” said Firefly Leader.
The fighters split apart into a wider formation, giving them plenty of space between each craft. Jack’s active scanners could pick out objects the size of a small stone in space, but at the price of letting anybody in the area know he was there. With each passing second, the fighters picked up more and more data, and the networked computers pooled that information to create a clearer view of the field of broken metalwork. It took almost a minute before Jack spotted something that sent a chill through his body.
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