The high energy laser cannon from the Fleet ships burned against the Chitin Leviathan in a constant and devastating attack. The Leviathan responded with its plasma cannon and near constant assault with its plasma arc, the barbed plasma whip slamming into the Monarch carrier again and again.
Pretorius could see the Chitins were focusing their attacks primarily on the Monarch when not defending itself against the combat drones and the assault craft. The Monarch had taken heavy damage.
“Captain,” Pretorius’ scanner commander called out.
But Pretorius already knew. Appearing on the holostage was a new signal. A Chitin Leviathan moving in from grid Eight, Eight, Twelve, moving rapidly toward the combined carrier group from below.
Group Captain Li appeared on the holostage. “Another Leviathan incoming. We are leaving. Full speed ahead, head straight for our current target and give it everything you’ve got. That Leviathan is sitting between us and our escape route to Eros and I would very much like to destroy it as we head home. Li out.”
Pretorius didn’t want that Leviathan firing at him as he ran for home. The Leviathan had taken heavy damage but was still a huge threat. The incoming Leviathans were a bigger threat but they weren’t in range yet.
“Head straight for the Leviathan, full engine burn, and keep out forward laser assembly on full power. Divert all weapons system power to the forward laser assembly.”
Pretorius watched the holostage and the images of all ships turning head on to the Leviathan. The two carriers at the center of the group, their high energy lasers beating into the Leviathan. The remaining destroyers and support craft surrounding the carriers. The fighters were flying home, landing in the side landing bays of the massive carriers as the group accelerated toward the target Leviathan.
Pretorius fired the Scorpio’s lasers, the beams lighting up, appearing to connect instantaneously with the Chitin craft.
The Chitin plasma weapons slammed into the Monarch. The ships were to close together for combat drones to be used so the Chitin plasma arc was free to slash away at the Monarch.
“Stand by to roll the ship,” Pretorius said. Show that Chit our starboard battery as we pass. Give it a kinetic hail broadside. See if we can’t finish it off.”
Another new signal appeared on the holostage. Another new Chitin Leviathan. It appeared at grid Eight Eight Ten, directly ahead of the group. And then another appeared, just coming into sensor range, at their tail.
“Kravin Chits put is right where they want us,” Pretorius said. The Scorpio began its flyby of the Leviathan. It rolled in time to put its starboard battery on target. The side of the Scorpio lit up as the high density shot cannon belched a violent hail of shot in to the Leviathan at point blank range.
The Leviathan succumbed to the Scorpio’s final assault and began to glow along the fracture lines than rippled over its hull.
“Flank speed,” Pretorius shouted. “That Chit is going to blow.”
The combined carrier group accelerated away. The frigates and corvettes leading the way, the destroyers just behind and the two carriers, the biggest ships of the fleet, bringing up the rear as even at full engine power they still were the slowest ships.
The monarch was marginally slower than the Overlord, and was falling behind. Li appeared on the holostage.
“Monarch’s engines are failing. I’m down to fifty percent power. All ships, evade incoming Chitin Leviathans at all costs. Scatter and run dark. Get back to Eros as quickly as possible, but avoid contact with those incoming Leviathans.”
Li’s transmission ended. The holostage showed the Chitin Leviathan explode in a furious ball of destruction. The expanding detonation wave slammed into the engine assembly of the Monarch, pitching if forward.
Pretorius watched in heart sinking silence as the Monarch tumbled, and broke apart, the engines erupted as the reactor was breached.
“This is the Overlord,” Group Captain Wellard appeared on the holostage. “You heard Li’s order. Scatter. Go dark. Get home. Wellard out.”
Pretorius set his heading at a point of empty space and continued to burn engines at full power exceeding flank speed duration.
“Reaction chamber seals reaching critical, Captain,” the drive commander called out.
“Shut it down,” Pretorius leaned on the holostage. “Shut it all down.” Pretorius stood up. He tugged his cuffs. He opened a ship wide channel. “All hands. The Scorpio will go dark. Silent running protocols in effect. No ship wide communications. No electromagnetic activity. Ship’s company to observe silent duties.”
Pretorius ended the ship wide call and then nodded at his command crew to initiate the shut down.
Commander Chou brought Pretorius a combat log. Pretorius flipped through the holopages. “Four Leviathans for one carrier, one destroyer, a number of support craft and krav knows how many lives,” Pretorius said as he signed the log. “Better release a communication buoy. Let our Marine team know they need to find their own way home. Better let them know not the call for assistance, this area is crawling with Chits.”
19
The long tunnel from the landing bay to the main compound was teeming with Chits. They rushed forward into the fire from the pulse rifles.
The men holding the pulse rifles had been prisoners only hours before. Now they were expected to be soldiers. Butcher pushed them into the mouth of the tunnel and shouted at them to fire.
Jack looked over to the tunnel. The prisoners were firing in a chaotic and uncontrolled fashion. Some were firing off single shots and taking an age to re-aim and fire again. Other prisoners were firing on full automatic, the bursts scattering wildly along the tunnel, many of them slamming uselessly into the tunnel walls.
“Organize that firing line,” Jack shouted over.
Butcher walked toward Jack. Fury on his face. “Fix the kravin ship so we can get out of here.”
“Those Chits are going to get in here and kill us all if you don’t organize that defense.” Jack pointed with the field polarizing unit he was checking for damage.
“They are getting slaughtered,” Butcher said, not looking back. “Anyone can fire a gun. Point the right end at the Chits and they die. It’s not that hard, soldier boy.”
Jack handed the field polarizing unit to Canton for him to return to the transmission housing.
Jack stood up. “That is a probe. The Chits are counting your guns. They will come in force any minuet and they will smash through that rabble of a line. And when that first Chit hits the line that sorry rabble will disintegrate and we’ll all be killed. Let me put some Marines in that line.”
The rifle butt hit Jack hard on the side of the head. “Shut the krav up and fix that boat,” Butcher said.
Jack felt the pounding headache come on from the blow and the ringing in his ears drowned out all other noise.
Laidlaw shoved Butch back hard. “How are we going to get out of here if you smash in skull?”
Butcher raised the pulse rifle and aimed it at Laidlaw’s face.
“He’s right, Butch,” Torent said stepping over. “We need them both if we want to fix that boat.”
Butcher lowered his rifle. He fixed Jack with a fierce scowl. “Fix the boat.”
“I haven’t got enough time, if you don’t hold the Chits,” Jack said wiping the trickle of blood off the side of his head.
“He’s right about that too,” Torent said. “Let me pick a few Marines to stand in the line. They can fight good, Butch.”
Butcher looked sideways at Torent. He was filled with suspicion. As he walked away with Torent Jack heard him agree.
“Ok,” Butcher said, “pick a few Marines, but I want my guys aiming rifles at their heads. If they try anything I’ll have them all killed.”
Torent nodded. “Don’t worry, Butch. They’ll do what they are told. They don’t know how to think for themselves.”
Jack watched as Torent picked out a small group of Marines. They were mostly the freshest replacements. The
y might not have the fighting ability of some of the more seasoned Marines but they would listen to Torent and not try anything to fight against the prisoners standing behind them.
Torent walked along the line of Marines pushing them into formation. He had a rank of Marines kneeling in a line, their pulse rifles aimed along the tunnel. A line of prisoners stood behind them.
Torent went along the line of prisoners. Jack could see him giving basic instructions on how to handle the Fleet Marine Pulse Rifle. Jack hoped with a few good trained Marines in the front of them the prisoner’s ineptitude wouldn’t condemn them all to death.
“Here they come,” Torent shouted.
Jack watched as his old friend knelled down in the line of Marines. Torent was a good combat leader, capable and brave. He called out instructions to the small group of Marines and the prisoners behind them.
“Hold. Wait for it. Stand by. Pick your targets. Controlled bursts. Aim for the head. Wait.”
Jack turned from his repairs. He had a clear view out of the landing bay and along the tunnel to the main compound. It was dark in the tunnel but Jack could see the familiar sight of a mass of advancing Chitin soldiers.
“Fire,” Torent shouted.
The front rank of Marines let out short bursts. Jack watched as they fired, re-aimed and fired again, short and precise actions that created havoc in the line of advancing Chits.
The prisoners fired as wildly as ever, their shots were badly aimed and uncontrolled. Jack hoped Torent would keep the Chits back long enough for the repair to be completed.
Jack didn’t need much longer for the repairs. He landing craft was ready to go, but Jack wasn’t just fixing the boat. He had another plan. He was rigging the landing craft for a surprise. Jack was in control, and in a short time he would have his prisoners strapped in their seats and heading back to Eros.
“Hold them, “Torent said. “Keep up the fire.”
Jack looked along the tunnel. The Chits were falling back. A prisoner stepped forward, shoving a Marine aside. He began walking into the tunnel, firing wildly, laughing manically and shouting at the Chits.
“Get back in formation,” Torent shouted.
The prisoner walked on. “Shut your mouth,” he said. He fired wild and sustained bursts into the tunnel.
“They are falling back,” Torent said. “Cease fire.”
The Marines stopped. The prisoners slowed their fire and eventually stopped. The prisoner walking into the tunnel carried on firing and walking forward.
“Get back in line,” Torent said.
The prisoner kept walking.
Butcher stepped into the tunnel. He raised his rifle and fired, the single round slamming into the back of the prisoner, sending him sprawling forward.
Butcher walked over to the fallen body and reached down to collect the fallen rifle. He then fired another round into fallen prisoner.
Jack watched, unsurprised by the ill discipline of the prisoners. He hoped the line of Marines mixed in with them weren’t in more danger from the prisoners than they were from the Chits.
20
Jack a little left to do to fix the landing craft. He was almost done. But he knew that at any moment the Chitins would try and attack again.
Butcher was clearly pleased with the defensive work of the Marines and his prisoner gang. He pushed more prisoners into the line with pulse rifles in their hands. They looked nervous and unsure to Jack. He would have told these new press ganged troops to practice fire a few rounds into the tunnel before they were required to fire at real life Chitin soldiers in a full attack.
Jack walked to the rear of the landing craft and pulled another access panel away. He placed it carefully on the ground. The rear of the landing craft was near a group of prisoners and Marines, all being watched over by Butcher and a group of armed prisoners.
The captive prisoners were lying about on the ground. The Marines were kneeling, hands on their heads. Jack counted the prisoners with pulse rifles and the number of Marines kneeling on the ground. It was an even split, but the prisoners had all the guns.
Butcher came over to Jack, pulse rifle aimed and evil in his eye. “Guess you are the prisoner now. What’s it like to be on the other side. Not so eager to bark orders at me now are you, soldier boy,” Butcher jabbed the pulse rifle into Jack’s ribs.
Jack saw the look of fury on a nearby Marine’s face. Jack knew if he gave the order the Marines would attack. They could disarm and kill many of the prisoners holding the Marines captive. Some Marines would die too, but Marines knew the risks.
But Jack wasn’t prepared to give that order yet. He looked at the angry Marine and gave the slightest shake of his head. The angry Marine relaxed. Jack had given him an order, a non verbal and subtle order, but an order never the less. An order to hold position.
Jack may not have a weapon. His Marines did not have their weapons. But Jack was in no doubt about who was in charge of this situation. He was. Jack was still the company commander and he was still following his own strategy. Jack needed to fix the landing craft and defend the landing bay. So far he had managed to work toward these goals. Jack also had one other duty, to return the prisoners to Eros. He hadn’t achieved that yet but he was going to do everything in his power to make sure these prisoners did get home the Eros.
“You better hurry and fix this thing,” Butcher said, “or you’ll be stuck here for good.”
“This is the last step,” Jack said, “and then I can fire up the reactor.”
Butcher smiled a dark and cruel smile. Jack read him perfectly. He was happy to hear he would be leaving this prison soon, and he was excited that he would finally get to kill the soldier boy, Jack Forge.
“Thank you for helping,” Jack said to Canton. He dropped down a control panel from the reactor assembly and pointed at it. “Let me know when this goes red, then reduce the inputs here,” Jack demonstrated the sliding action Canton would need to use.
Canton nodded. “Watch out for Butcher,” Canton said. “I think he means to leave you behind when you’ve fixed his escape craft.”
“I think he means to kill me,” Jack said. “But I mean to take him back to Eros.”
“Might as well kill him here,” Canton said. “He’s going to be executed in a few days anyway.”
“I’m a Marine, not an executioner,” Jack said. “I’m here to save you lot from the Chits.”
Jack drained the power from the sub unit and diverted it to the electromagnetic pulse distributor for the main reactor shunt. He was nearly ready.
“I don’t know why I’m helping you,” Canton said. “If you get me back it’ll only be a matter of time before they execute me too.”
Jack looked at Canton. He had the look of an honorable man. “Have you been through the full legal process?” Jack asked.
“Not yet, but it’s just a procedure at this point,” Canton said. “They have set me up. They killed my wife and blamed me, just because I took an alternate view on the war with the Chits. The current government doesn’t like descent in the ranks.”
Jack liked Canton, but the man was a prisoner, and a convicted murderer. Jack couldn’t let himself take a side. Jack had to get all the prisoners to Eros. Everything else was beyond Jack’s control.
“You might as well kill me here and now,” Canton said. “I loved my wife. It destroyed me when she died. They couldn’t take anything else from me that I loved more. To be honest, they killed me when they took her life.”
Jack nodded. “I’m finished here now,” Jack said. “You can go and sit with the others.”
Canton smiled at Jack. “It’s been good to do some work again. Thank you,” he said and then walked back to the rest of the prisoners.
Jack walked casually around the landing craft. Laidlaw stood at the forward landing strut, re-attaching a loose panel.
“Stuart,” Jack called out calmly. He tipped his head toward the boarding ramp of the landing craft.
Laidlaw stopped what he was d
oing immediately and stepped over to the landing ramp. Jack reached out and pulled Laidlaw on to the ramp. He took a small remote unit from his pulse pistol holster on his hip and held it in his palm. He let Laidlaw see it.
“You ready for this?” Jack asked with a smile.
Laidlaw nodded with a look of grim determination on his face.
Jack tapped the small button on the remote.
The feedback pulse from the reactor shunt hit hard. Jack felt the pulse slam into every nerve in his body. His teeth rattle in his jaw. His hair stood on end and he nearly fell over from the dizziness.
Laidlaw reached out and grabbed hold of Jack to steady himself.
The pulse filled the landing bay and knocked every last man to the floor. Jack and Laidlaw were protected by the landing ramp but they still felt a thump from Jack’s improvised energy weapon.
“Go, now,” Jack said. He staggered forward. “Secure the weapons.”
The prisoners and the Marines were lying in heaps around the landing bay. Some were twitching but most were still, out stone cold. Jack wondered if he’s set the charge to strongly, he hoped he could get some of his Marines back to their feet. Jack began gathering pulse rifles from the prisoners and he kicked every Marine, shouting at them to get up.
Torent was groaning and climbing to his hands and knees.
“On your feet Marines,” Jack was yelling at the Marines who were writhing on the ground, groaning, their senses having been assaulted by the pulse blast from the landing craft. Jack had no time or sympathy for their pain. They were Marines and they needed to get on their feet.
The prisoners hardly moved at all. Every one of them was out cold. An idle life had made them predisposed to lounging about. None of them made any great effort to shake off the blast. Only Butcher moved. He groaned like all the rest but was making some kind of effort to get to his feet. Somewhere in his bewildered mind he knew he had been attacked. Jack guessed the eagerness to escape was overcoming his propensity for idleness. Jack grabbed the pulse rifle from his hands.
Forged in Battle (Jack Forge, Fleet Marine Book 5) Page 9