“Protect it from what? The Skils have gone to ground, and Captain Olik is still chasing them.”
“You’re right,” said Alexis, “I don’t know what I was thinking. Screw Fletcher. I’m not leaving our people alone down there.”
She grabbed her weapons and began walking away.
“Hell, yeah,” said Hawkins, “Now we’re cooking on gas.”
They were halfway along the platform when a flash of light caught their attention, and they looked up to see a massive ship descending into the Trench. Valentine instinctively raised her weapons to defend herself, but then she spotted the fighters moving around it for cover.
“That’s a heavy lander. The marines are here,” she said happily, “The first of more than a hundred thousand warriors. We’re gonna need them. The deeper we dig, the harder this fight will get.”
The ship didn’t take long, and soon it was sweeping in to land just a hundred metres away, and in the middle of the landing ground the Novas and IAB marines had fought so hard to clear. The fighters buzzed overhead, turning away at the last minute.
“Here they come,” said Hawkins.
A handful of shots from hidden positions inside the trench walls struck the spacecraft, and the fighters answered them. Gatling guns and missiles slammed into the diamond cliff, sending showers of diamond rock down to the landing grounds. Valentine lifted her shielded arm to protect her from the small fragments.
“Bloody hell!” Kallias grumbled, “Give it a rest!”
The ship settled onto the platform quite slowly, and even then, its engines continued to roar. The jets from the thrusters burnt into the metalwork, leaving black marks, and then began to ease off.
“They’re taking it easy because of the weight,” said Alexis, “I bet the crew is petrified they’ll drop through the platforms and to the diamond rock deeper into the trench.”
“Can you blame them?” Kallias asked.
The flames died down, but before the engines had time to fully slow down, the massive side doors of the transport opened up. Unlike the landing craft and Jackals, these doors were massive and slammed down, creating ramps big enough for armoured vehicles. Valentine expected to see marines, but the first out was a warrior even bigger than Olik, and flanked by four similarly massive warriors. They were encased in assault armour and carried Thumpers in their hands.
“General!” Valentine said in surprise. Her right hand moved up in a salute as he moved closer.
“Novas. What are you doing outside?”
Alexis stepped next to Valentine as the General stopped in front of them. Normally, Valentine felt like a tank, but next to him she seemed so puny.
“General Gun. We were ordered to guard the platform and to await…”
He looked around and noted the various squads of IAB marines still clearing a way for more craft to land.
“The IAB is more than capable. Let me guess, you stepped where you shouldn’t?”
Alexis gulped and then nodded.
“Yes, Sir. It was my…”
General Gun lifted a hand.
“I’m not interested.”
He lifted his massive arm and pointed towards the trench wall. To Valentine’s surprise a unit of marines was already there and had moved a wheeled Bulldog mobile gun armoured vehicle into position. Its main cannon was pointing directly at the diamond wall. The vehicle paused, and then the main gun fired, blasting a massive hole into the structure. Valentine looked to the other Novas and shrugged in surprise.
“As usual, Captain Olik has run into a wall that he cannot breach,” said General Gun, “and needs rescuing. Care to join me?”
Another Bulldog was now in position, and it joined in as they blasted their way through like a pair of mining moles. It didn’t take long until part of the exterior structure collapsed and revealed a large hexagonal structure behind it. Crossbeams helped to support part of the passage, but most of it had been left completely open. One part of the right cracked and split apart, sending shards crashing all around them.
“Our orders were to stay here, General. Lieutenant Fletcher wants us…”
The General started to laugh.
“We didn’t spend a fortune on building you to have you waiting around with your fingers up your ass guarding a landing strip now, did we? For the price of a platoon of Novas, I could have a battalion of regulars.”
He pointed to the breach in the wall.
“I’m going inside with five companies of marines. Do you want to stand here, or do you want to come with me?”
Alexis opened her mouth to speak again.
“General. There’s more to this. We were forced to stay here after refusing illegal orders.”
General Gun snorted.
“I’ll hear about it after the fighting is over. For now, I’ve got thousands of marines in action, and any more delay will see many more deaths. Novas, you will join my forces.”
Valentine looked to Alexis who gave her a quick nod.
“Good,” said Valentine, “Now we can do what we’re supposed to do.”
Alexis exhaled with relief and stepped forward.
“You heard the General, let’s go.”
They chased after the troll like warrior and inside the breached diamond wall. From outside it had looked quite small, but now they were inside, it was obvious that the shaft was massive. A badly damaged rail ran along the ground in the middle and vanished off into the distance. The Novas pushed past the marines who were already moving at a slow jog. Numerous smaller shafts ran off from the sides, and some even dropped down lower into the planet. Each time they reached sections that split off, the marines would move off into them. In less than fifteen minutes dozens of squads were working their way through the labyrinthine structure.
“Not much further,” said Alexis, “We’re two hundred metres away from the Captain’s position.”
Valentine checked her overlay and the growing amount of data it contained. Every single man and woman underground contributed to the three-dimensional model, with data on the tunnels, rooms, structures, and of course their own positions. The other Novas and IAB marines were pinned down three levels below and fighting in nearly a dozen separate areas. Red markings showed the confirmed positions of enemy soldiers, and as she watched, they multiplied in number.
“Uh…Corporal,” said Hawkins, “Look how many there are of them.”
Valentine also checked, and then nodded while the red markers increased second by second.
“That’s not good.”
“Keep moving,” said Alexis, “This is looking rough.”
They made it another fifty metres when a section of the floor ripped open, and a massive blast shook the tunnel. Two marines at the front took the brunt of the blast and were half melted by the brutal explosion. Valentine skidded to a halt and covered her face. Chunks of diamond rock fell all around her, and then came the creatures. They were through the marines in seconds, and then forced their way back into the passage, hacking and stabbing as they went.
“Bring them down!” yelled a Jötnar as it stopped next to the Novas. The mighty warrior opened fire with its Thumper even as the creatures swarmed over two of its kin. Another section in the ceiling broke apart, and three of them fell on top of her.
Overload!
Tex made the quick adjustment, and then she fired. The energy blast hurled her attacker high into the air, and then she was back on her feet. With her right weapon damaged, she aimed with the carbine she’d been loaned and opened fire. It seemed so puny in her hands, and yet it was more than capable of killing her foes. The cannon flashed again, and then Kallias moved to her side and joined in.
“Yeah!” he yelled, “Now we’re talking.”
Many of the marines scattered in terror as the hairy, bear like beasts overran their position. Alexis remained firm and called out to the others.
“Stand your ground. Cut them all down.”
Their firepower was brutal in the close confines, and soon a few
marines joined them. As they caught the upper hand, the last few enemy warriors melted away. In seconds just the dead and dying were left on the ground.
“Right, keep moving. We need to link up.”
The Novas blasted their way through the debris partially blocking their path and moved to reach the others. It took several minutes, but finally they dropped down to the next chamber and found themselves alongside a Maverick who had stopped in front of another partially collapsed ceiling. It had brought down the wall to the right and exposed another set of tunnels that the marines moved into.
“Novas, about time you made it down here. What took you so long?” The Maverick looked back to them.
“Hawkins thought he saw Elvis back there. He was wrong,” said Valentine.
The Maverick marine burst out laughing and then smashed his armoured fists together. It was a strange sight, though to the Novas it was just another armoured figure having a good chuckle at their expense.
“Love it!”
He turned back around and pointed ahead. Part of the massive ceiling had collapsed, with entire sections hanging down like blades into the floor. Valentine moved to the edge and looked down. The damage was significant and revealed a ravine cut into the diamond rock.
“It’s deep. Active scans show three kilometres down, maybe more,” said Valentine.
The wreckage had created a broken bridge across the deep chasm. There were large gaps, and small sections buckled and twisted under the monstrous weight.
“We have to get across.”
“No,” said a firm, almost angry voice.
They turned back, and there was a bloodied General Gun. He moved to the edge and shook his head.
“Olik is that way.”
He pointed down into the darkness.
“We’ll go first,” said Alexis.
“Good. Time for you to earn your pay.”
The Novas stepped forward, and as they stepped gingerly over the wreckage, Hawkins looked to Valentine.
“Pay? We get paid?”
She laughed, and as she did so, she slipped and tipped forward. At the same time, a bright red beam of light cut past her, melting part of her shoulder plate and then hitting the wall behind her.
“Get back!” Alexis yelled as a volley of fire erupted off into the distance.
The Novas struggled back, taking cover behind the towering chunks of shattered diamond rock. The General was a little further behind, while a platoon of his marines spread out and sought cover as well.
“Talk to me,” he roared in frustration.
“There’re enemy soldiers down there, and they’re using heavy weaponry.”
The beam of light punched through the tunnel once more, catching a marine as he lifted his head up for a better look. The beam burnt through his face, leaving a lifeless corpse to drop to the ground. General Gun snarled and turned to face Alexis. At the same time, his marines opened fire and began to advance through the rubble. They kept on moving, but it was clear it would be slow work.
“We’ll keep pushing forward in here, but we cannot hand the initiative over to the enemy. Scans show two parallel passages heading further down.”
He nodded to the right where several smaller shafts split away from the main tunnel.
“Take a squad of my marines with you, work your way around, and deal with them. We have to reach Olik.”
“General. Those passages do not run anywhere near Olik.”
“No, but they intersect them. Find a way through, and break your way into one of the parallel passages. An engineering team will go with you.”
Valentine looked to her left as a dozen marines inched their way towards them. They’d only just arrived and many bore marks from the fighting.
“Yes, General,” said Alexis, “We’ll do our best.”
“No.” He grabbed her by the shoulder, “Your best isn’t good enough. Get it done.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He moved away and called to his marines. They flocked to his position, firing as they went, and one even ran past carrying a company standard. Two beams of red light reached out to them, and one stopped suddenly as the marines blasted away. Alexis sighed, and then leaned in closer to the other three Novas.
“Val, you up for this.”
“You’re kidding, right? We need to get this done.”
“Hell, yeah,” said Hawkins, while Kallias merely grunted.
“Okay, let’s get moving.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Trench, Ekati Alpha, The Ski’lig Territories
Valentine moved alongside Alexis as they worked their way through the much smaller passage. Three marines stayed close by, with Hawkins and Kallias behind them and the rest of the marines bringing up the rear. Many of the marines carried heavier weaponry than normal, with some now holding automatic grenade launchers and rocket systems, weapons Valentine had not seen them use before. She ducked under a protrusion above her, and still the hardened rock scrapped her armour, leaving bright cuts in the metalwork. This tunnel was quite different to the others, with rougher walls and an unsupported ceiling that left her feeling on edge.
“Look at this invasion,” said Hawkins, “It…is…crazy!”
Valentine glanced at the planetary scans and smiled to herself.
“You’re not wrong. That’s fifteen infantry landers on the ground at six different locations. I’d say close to forty thousand marines are already inside, and the second wave will hit the ground in less than an hour.”
Hawkins whistled.
“That is what you call overwhelming force.”
“What other way is there? Scans showed millions of lifesigns down here. Best case is we’re outnumbered ten to one, assuming we get all of our landers onto the surface.”
“Valentine’s right,” said Kallias, “Either we keep the pressure on them and force them to surrender this rock, or they’ll just dig in and beat us with time and numbers.”
“Or maybe we shouldn’t be here at all,” suggested Alexis, “How can this be worth a massed invasion? It’s a lifeless rock.”
“For us, maybe,” said a disgruntled Hawkins, “But there’s loads of space to soar in here. Maybe to them, this is home.”
Valentine nodded as she listened.
“And our scanners confirm almost breathable air another three hundred metres down. I tell you, these mines are just the surface of what’s going on here. And then there’s this stuff.”
She ran her hands along the green algae like matter on the walls.
“This stuff is becoming more common the further down we go. This planet is a world of mysteries.”
“And we’re turning it all to rubble,” said Alexis.
Kallias seemed far less concerned and laughed as he lifted his cannons upwards.
“Then they’d better surrender, and fast, or there’ll be nothing much left of it!”
He bumped fists with Hawkins, and the unit continued forward.
“Lance Corporal,” asked a marine private, “Can I ask you a question?”
Valentine looked back at him and nodded.
“Is it true that you were marines before?”
She smiled, though he probably couldn’t tell.
“Yeah, I was a marine. I still am.”
“So how did you become…”
“A machine?”
The man laughed, and Valentine could sense the nerves in the man’s voice. She knew it wasn’t nerves in talking to her, but almost certainly from the dangerous mission inside the alien world. As she looked at him, she noticed the difficulty the marines were facing as they struggled under the heavy gravity. It was far less difficult for her with her powerful artificial limbs, though she could still feel the effects through her torso and lungs.
“No, a metal god.”
Alexis whistled in amusement.
“I’d say the Private is getting sweet on her.”
That amused Valentine greatly. She started to answer, and then stopped as they reached a spl
it in the tunnel. One part descended rapidly, while the other turned away to the right.
“Wait,” said Valentine as Tex highlighted possible sources of heat, “We’ve got something nearby.”
“Where?” Hawkins said.
He stepped out in front and looked ahead.
“I’ve got nothing ahead…”
He spun about and then shook his head.
“Or behind.”
Kallias tapped the ceiling with his guns and then muttered.
“No, nothing up there either, Val. Maybe you’re…”
He stopped as he noticed his comrade looking to the translucent floor. There was more of the green matter in clumps on the ground. One by one each of them did the same, with two of the marines activating flashlights on their weapons.
“I see it,” said one.
“Get back!” Valentine yelled.
All but one marine moved away as the floor shifted and pulsed, and then split open as a charge detonated. The marines and Novas were showered in debris, followed by a dozen shapes charging from below. They were people, humanoid in shape, and covered from head-to-toe in thick, natural looking clothing rather than sealed suits. They were taller than the marines but much slighter in build. Their heads were covered in heavy helmets, with blacked out screens where the eyes should be, much like early welding masks. They all carried hand weapons and slashed and stabbed as they came. Two marines fell instantly, and then the enemy was all over them.
“Kill them!” Valentine screamed.
The Novas fired first, followed by ragged volleys from the marines. The battle was over in less than ten seconds, leaving three wounded marines to be patched up with gel sealant, and Hawkins with more damage to his chest armour.
“What the hell was that all about?” Hawkins asked.
Alexis bent down next to one of the dead. Its suit was ripped open, and she pulled back part of it to reveal a pale, pallid looking skin, like that of a person that had avoided sunlight all their lives. She continued and finally removed the helmet over its head.
“What is that thing?” asked a wounded marine, “It looks like the head of a goat. Is it a demon?”
A marine laughed, but it was nervous laugh, and Valentine could tell they were all on edge. Alexis sighed and released it, but not before holding up one of its arms. On the thick clothing were worn down marks near the wrists.
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