Star Crusades

by Michael G. Thomas

  The defensive fire obliterated most of the bolts, and even those that made it through were severely damaged by the cloud of exploding shards. Valentine ignored the attacks, relying on the interceptors, and fired three shots with her cannon. She turned as another group of Ski’ligs came in from the entrance of the cavern.

  “Hostiles, coming in fast!”

  Others emerged to join the attack, and soon scores of the armoured creatures were heading right towards them. Some remained further back and continued firing, using volleys of aimed fire to pin the Novas into position.

  “I don’t like this!” Alexis said as she continued to fire, “They’re holding us here.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” replied Jablonsky, “We kill them wherever we find them. And then we push on. We have to destroy those weapons.”

  Valentine tracked from left to right, sending one blast after another off into the distance. The XHEC-1 cannon proved its worth time and time against as she cut them down. But for every Ski’lig she hit, another two appeared, and soon the mass of airborne warriors circled overhead in a menacing formation.

  “Cut the bastards down,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “I want…”

  A shower of light and smoke surrounded them as the Ski’ligs dumped something directly above their position. The light spread out, much like a pattern of flares fired from a spacecraft.

  “They’re dumping countermeasures,” said Alexis, “Prepare for close-ranged combat. Hold your ground.”

  For some like Kallias, they simply lowered their aim and waited, but the rest activated their close combat weapons. Valentine smashed her fists together and then spoke to Tex.

  You know what to do.

  The joints and movable plates on her right arm adjusted as the hand changed shape. The fingers bent away in a sickening fashion that would have left her hand shattered had it been Human. In less than a full second it had transformed into a brutal looking mace, top heavy, and covered in small ridges. At the same time, the petals on her left arm spread out into a combat shield. It took a little longer than the mace to form, but only a little.

  “I’m blind,” said Valentine as she found it impossible to see through. Tex flipped through multiple scanning modes, but none could fully penetrate the cloud, though it was already beginning to fade.

  “Wait…here they come!”

  The shapes came in hard and fast, like a mass of diving falcons heading for their prey. They flitted about in small groups of two of three, using their speed and numerous hiding places to cloak their advance as they surged towards the Novas. Off in the distance the other lances were fighting back, and even in the fog Valentine could make out the muzzle flashes and bursts of energy from cannons.

  What the hell!

  Two creatures came right at her, but they were not carrying firearms. The pair held a glistening lance with the tip pointing right at her. She fired again. Kallias and Hawkins both joined in, sending a mass of fire at the enemy. A few fell to the ground, but three managed to break through, slamming into the unit with all their speed. The impact breached the circle, and Valentine found herself face-to-face with one of the warriors. It hissed, but Valentine was having none of it. Without waiting, she slammed into it with her shield and knocked it back. Right after that she brought the mace down onto its head, crushing its neck, and leaving it to fall lifelessly to the ground.

  “Yeah, next!” she said confidentially.

  But as she turned to the right, two more whooshed past, and this time neither of them stopped. They slammed their lances into whatever targets they could find and left the weapon embedded where they were. Sergeant Jablonsky fired continually, but it wasn’t enough to stop the lance hitting him hard in the upper arm. Bandu took another in the left hand that ripped part of the limb away, leaving him armless and stunned. He pointed with his remaining limb and opened fire at the fleeing Ski’lig.

  “Those grenades are impressive,” muttered Valentine as she spotted another Ski’lig coming in for the kill on its own. She carefully took aim and unleashed a powerful burst from the cannon. The creature pulled away at the last minute and dived to safety.

  “Sergeant!” Kallias yelled, “Hold on.” He tried to pull the lance away from the man’s armour, but the shaft snapped, leaving a section sticking out from his armour. Both struggled and then pulled it free, leaving terrible scoring in the plating.

  “Look at it,” said Kallias, “Look familiar?”

  Valentine blasted away and then threw a quick glance at the weapon. The lance head was long and narrow and made from a dark metal. But the thin line of serrated bumps running from the tip interested her the most.

  “Diamond tipped lance point, with more along the sides. They’re using this stuff for weapons. And it’s hard enough to punch through our armour. This cannot be normal diamond.”

  “Bastards,” snarled Tsarkov, “And trust me, there’s nothing normal about this place.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Valentine, “Maybe we need to use it for some of ours?”

  There was little time to continue the discussion as the battle quickly shifted. They were potentially in a poor tactical position as the creatures came for them. The steep forty-degree gradient made it difficult to move, and the winding trail burned into the diamonds rock took an age to traverse. But that mattered little, as the lance remained locked into position. Rather than use the ground, the Ski’ligs hung from the roof hundreds of metres above and from the walls, while others circled like birds of prey and fired down at the invaders.

  “Incoming!” Kallias said, “They’re coming out of the bloody walls!”

  Valentine’s eyes opened wide in horror as they swarmed out like bugs. Even worse, the overload warning sounded on her cannon, leaving her with just her arm-mounted machine pistol. She aimed and fired once as spikes screamed past her. Her interceptors blasted away, and this time managed to clear any from striking her.

  Phew! That was close.

  “I’m hit!” Hawkins yelled.

  Valentine glanced across and spotted the pair of half-metre lance spikes embedded in his armour. A third had punched through a gap in the plating and jammed into his shoulder.

  “Crap, they did a number on you, brother,” said Kallias.

  “Lean back!” Valentine said.

  She continued to fire with her right hand, using the left to help her comrades. Hawkins did as ordered, and Valentine gripped two of the lances and yanked them out from the metal. Sparks shrouded them as they dragged on the hardened plates, and then she tossed them aside.

  “I’ve got the last one.”

  Hawkins lifted his left arm and then brought it down from above, snapping the projectile off, leaving a small section embedded in the plate. It wasn’t much, but enough to interfere with the movement of his right arm if he wasn’t careful.

  “Pretty,” said Valentine, “Very pretty.”

  “Hey, if we get out of this, I’m leaving that right where it landed. I’ll be talking about it for years to come. It will be a conversation piece at every damned party.”

  “Cute,” said Valentine, “First of all, you have to survive this fight. Now keep fighting before they turn you into Swiss cheese.”

  She turned back to focus on the enemy as shots continued to rain down around them. Most were staying away to avoid the Novas’ overwhelming short-range fire, but that left them vulnerable to their other weapons and their upgraded tracking.

  Tex, drop the cannon down to rapid fire. Let’s burn them.

  An indicator blinked for the weapon as it reduced its output significantly. She then took aim and fired at a group diving down towards them. Instead of single massive blasts of energy, she now fired short bursts, like a heavy machine gun putting down suppressing fire.

  There! Have some more!

  Valentine was quickly caught up in the moment as she turned slightly, letting the pivot mount on her shoulder do more of the work. Short streaks of light cut down the enemy, but still they fired down. Two other lances worked t
heir way down the steep incline, all while being attacked relentlessly from above.

  “Okay, keep moving, but watch your corners.”

  They started the slow descent, but it was difficult going, with one false step sending them falling and into the sharp diamond rocks. They were all now well aware these were so much more than fancy crystals. They were weapons capable of shredding their armour. Valentine stepped over a fallen Ski’lig just as she spotted movement near the badly damaged, yet still functional cannons.

  “Oh…crap. I’ve got new contacts. Ski’lig heavies deploying around the gun batteries.”

  “Heavies!” Colston said, “These are the big guys?”

  “No.” Tsarkov took aim, “They’re the bastards with the heavy weapons.”

  Valentine looked to the area they were coming from and audibly gasped. There were at least ten of them, and they used the broken debris from the destroyed gun battery to take cover. The remaining turret fired again, sending its burst of red energy away into the darkness of space.

  “Suppressing fire!”

  She fired a single shot, and then the entire area around the weapon erupted in a cascade of small explosions and flashes. For a second it looked like she had hit something important. It was such a heavy blast the resulting shockwave washed back into the cavern. Damaged pieces of the diamond rock split way from above and dropped down like arrows towards the Novas. Something flashed to the left, and a Nova in 1st Lance broke apart as several massive spikes crashed onto him. Valentine gasped, and then shook her head, as the one-armed man was pulled free. His Rhino armour was crumpled and shattered, entire sections missing.

  Madness!

  Something streaked overhead, and the IFF system warned her of approaching units. Before she could turn her head, a stream of automatic cannon fire ripped past their position. This was not the kind of fire one might expect from infantry, and that told her exactly what it was.

  “About time!” she said, as she turned around.

  “Hell, yes!” Tsarkov said, “Now that is what I’m talking about.”

  They watched as three Alliance Jackals stopped about two hundred metres further back. Their top-mounted missile systems fired salvos of explosive rockets into the remaining battery and the Ski’lig heavies. It was joined by the pairs of turret-mounted cannons on each side of the bows. It was a brutal show of power, and the Novas cheered as the avalanche of fire hammered into the defences. The circling Ski’ligs headed for cover or scattered to avoid the worst of the fire, granting the Novas a brief respite.

  “Help them out,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “The buggers are on the run now!”

  Valentine twisted to the left and fired her cannon into the wreckage of the Ski’lig defences. The high-energy shots wreaked terrible damage, and she nearly cheered as two heavies struggled to fall back, while a third was trapped under falling debris. But then to her surprise she spotted others leaning out from the wreckage, and they returned fire.

  “Bastards!” she snarled, changing the focus of her fire. The other Novas did the same as a furious firefight raged on.

  “We’ve been reinforced!” Kallias said.

  Valentine glanced backwards and smiled as the side door opened on the nearest Jackal. Dozens of dark shapes leapt out from the dropships and to the ground. Two of the dropships expelled nearly fifty IAB marines each, and no sooner had they hit the ground, and they opened fire. Rather than using conventional weapons, they used a carbine version of the cannon fitted to Valentine’s shoulder. Although relatively short-ranged, they were deadly in the confines of the cavern, and the expert aim of the marines claimed scores of kills.

  “Beautiful,” said Sergeant Jablonsky, “Now let’s move.”

  With the additional cover provided by the marines, they could adopt a looser formation, and moved or leapt down the steep embankment to finish off the last of the enemy. The ground levelled off as they reached the lower level, and two other lances spread out to cover the width of the cavern. There must have been twenty or more Ski’lig heavies, and Valentine was forced down to one knee as she braced against the fire.

  “Bloody hell,” said Kallias, “Do they never give up?”

  Both of his dual L48s buzzed away as the chain-fed guns put salvos of explosive rounds into the debris. Armour and body parts ripped open, but as one fell, another would take its place. Hawkins fell, and Valentine reached for him as streams of fire hit her armour. The interceptors could barely cope, and soon her armour bore five metallic spikes in the chest and shoulder. She staggered back and collapsed onto a sharpened spiked. It punched into her upper leg and thigh, leaving her pinned there.

  “Lance Corporal!” Private Colston called out.

  He stepped across to help her as more shots crashed around them. Two embedded in his torso, and then a thirst sliced off two of his robotic fingers. One would have struck his face, if not for a burst of defensive fire from his interceptors. He was still hit by a spray of broken fragments and groaned as they hammered into his arm. He then paused and waved his middle finger at them, shouting obscenities and returning fire. Only then did he bend down next to her.

  “Lance Corporal, you still with us?”

  She tried to move, but something was holding her there. Warning sensors sounded, and then came the concerned voice of Tex.

  Damage to motor assembly, rerouting. Ruptures to backup harness, and you have…

  Just patch it and move on. We’ll look at it all when we have time.

  “Just pull me up.”

  Colston nodded, grabbed her upper body, and tugged. Part of her leg plating ripped away, exposing the motor system below. Incredibly, none of the major motive parts seemed heavily damaged.

  “You can still move?”

  Valentine took a step, and then spotted movement. A pair of Ski’ligs dropped from the ceiling right for them. She waited, and at the last moment turned, using her arm shield to deflect the attack away. The alien warrior slid off, hit the floor, stopping in front of Kallias.

  “Hey there!” He laughed as he placed all four muzzles of his arm cannon to its torso and opened fire. The effect at this range was truly terrifying and left his lower armour plating in gore.

  “And goodbye.”

  “We need cover!” Alexis said, “This is too much.”

  Now that Valentine was back on her feet, she continued to send down bolts of energy from her shoulder cannon. Her left shield kept doing its job and deflected some fire, absorbing the heavier shots.

  “No,” said Jablonsky, “We can do this. Hold your ground. Help is coming.”

  Valentine looked up again, but the marines were on the high ground, putting down covering fire rather than coming closer. They were tough, but they faired badly against such heavy fire. The IAB used similar armour to conventional marines, though with a few hardened plates and upgrades, plus a semi-synthetic skin that could seal over time. But what really caught her eyes was the way they glistened and blurred as she looked to them. Their armour was secret, but she knew it contained some form of layered skin that could adjust its colour over time, much like a chameleon. It was slow, but as the battle raged, they looked more and more like their environment.

  Incredible.

  Yes, it is, said Tex, IAB Shadow armour using patented chromatophore technology. It uses a three-layer outer skin that can colour to almost any hue in just over a minute. It is quite…

  Enough. That is for another time!

  “The cavalry has arrived!” Colston said, “And just in time!”

  Valentine grunted as more fire crashed around them. She could see the three lances of Novas, more than two-dozen elite warriors now scattered and pinned down in the diamond fields of this lifeless, barren rock. She opened fire once more and was instantly hit by a mass of fire from the rocks.

  Forty-eight hostiles, said Tex, They are bringing in reinforcements as well. Our position is not looking good.

  Thanks a lot, Tex.

  You are more than welcome. Perhaps some mu
sic might help you fight harder?

  Valentine laughed as she blasted two alien troopers, and then lifted her right arm to spray fire from her machine pistol. The muzzle flash blinked away, and she was rewarded by seeing a pair of the heavies scuttle back into the cover of the broken weapon batteries.

  “Why doesn’t the fleet put some fire down here and help us?” Private Peterson complained.

  Kallias glanced across to him while still firing.

  “Are you kidding me? You want ships hundreds of kilometres away to bring down shells from their bombardment cannons into this valley? They’d be lucky to hit the valley, let alone this shaft. Trust me, Rhino armour ain’t doing nothing against those shells. We’re on our own down here, Pal!”

  But then the next dropship swept overhead, taking fire from the enemy. It waited nearly ten metres off the ground as it put two complete platoons of robotic Grunts into action. Though a little smaller than the marines, they moved more quickly through the diamond rocks and into battle. Many were cut down, but most simply rose back to their feet and continued the advance while continuing to fire.

  “Outstanding,” she said happily as the first squad of robots surged past the Novas and towards the few remaining heavies, “They’re everything I thought they’d be.”

  “Holy crap,” said Kallias, “They’re insane!”

  The machines moved so quickly and with so little concern for their own welfare, a number of them even sustained damaged from the diamond rock. Sparks followed them as they moved at speed, and at an angle that would be impossible for a Human to match. Ski’ligs fired on them, and as they fired, they exposed their positions to the waiting Novas.

  “Novas…light em up!” Sergeant Jablonsky said, “Burn the bastards out of their hole!”

  3rd Lance started firing first, and soon all of them were blazing away. The other two lances did the same, and for the first time since arriving, the initiative shifted to the Alliance. The machines crashed into the defenders, and in seconds the line had broken.