“Then it appears our fate is fixed,” said Cyprianus. “We either die here or we expose the treachery of Garibaldi by winning the impossible battle.”
The drone continued down the darkened tunnel. The telemetry feed was steady and seemed to be unimpeded by the high concentration of iron ore in the soil. Aurelius switched off the audio feed. It was unsettling and more than a little distracting. He set the translation software to work on figuring out if the chittering was some sort of language, then went back to watching the feed from the drone cameras.
As the machine entered the intersection of two tunnels, Aurelius got his first glimpse at one of the T’kri’t’ek. It had a green carapace and was roughly the size of a ground transport vehicle. The exterior glistened like it had been lacquered and looked thick enough to stop most projectile weapons. They had six appendages with the front two ending with large scythe-like points. They used the scythe-like tips to dig and seemed to possess remarkable dexterity as they rolled the detritus into balls. Their heads were massive and triangular with multifaceted eyes. Aurelius was no expert on entomology, but these things greatly resembled something he read about in the history archives of ancient Earth.
“What in the name of the Gods are those?” he said aloud without thinking.
“They look like some sort of Praying Mantis,” said Cyprianus. “It was an insect from Earth before pollution killed most everything on it. If I recall correctly though, ours were small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Nothing like this.”
“Were they dangerous?” asked Aurelius.
“According to the archives,” said Cassia, chiming in on the COMM line, “they were apex predators of the insect world. Very little was capable of preying on them. There were numerous types.”
“That is not comforting in the slightest,” said Aurelius.
“It shouldn’t be,” replied Cassia. “They were most commonly known to be ambush predators.”
“Lovely,” added Cyprianus.
“Anything else?” asked Aurelius.
“Yes,” added Cassia. “Some of them could fly.”
There was nearly a dozen of them digging additional tunnels. As they would excavate a large portion of dirt and rock, one of the creatures would secrete some sort of adhesive goo and roll it into a large ball about six feet in diameter. Once the ball of sludge and dirt were completed, the creature would pick it up and carry it off down a side tunnel. As one creature departed with its load of grime, another would take its place from the tunnel. It was supremely efficient.
“Have they seen the drone?” asked Cyprianus.
“It does not appear so,” replied Aurelius. “It seems as if they are oblivious to anything other than the task at hand.”
The drone grew steadily closer to the creatures as they continued their task without noticing the intruder in their midst. Aurelius managed to get the drone less than ten meters away from the creatures and they still gave no sign of being aware of the drone’s presence.
“Still nothing,” said Aurelius. “These things appear to be completely unaware of the drone. They are completely focused on the job they are doing. Either they are absolutely focused on their work or these are not the creatures that attacked the colony.”
“If not them,” answered Cyprianus, “then what did?”
“Perhaps there is more than one type of these creatures,” offered Aurelius. “They are insectoid. I suppose it is possible that they possess a caste system, like the ants of ancient Earth.”
“That is logical,” agreed Cyprianus. “We shall have to see if there are others before we can make that assumption. It is a good theory.”
With a quick nod towards Cyprianus, Aurelius continued with the drone. Rounding the corner, he followed the line of workers as they carried out their bundles of earth and stone. There was an extensive line of the creatures moving off towards the south, away from town. Aurelius knew from the maps that there was a small valley south of the main settlement. It was likely that these creatures had tunneled out to the gorge so that they could dispose of the detritus from the digging without revealing their presence from the air.
“Damned clever,” muttered Aurelius.
“Are they hiding the dirt and rocks?” asked Cyprianus. “Smarter than I gave them credit.”
“It would appear so,” said Aurelius, darkly.
The on-board scanner on the drone indicated that the tunnel opened to the valley in approximately three hundred meters. Aurelius didn’t need to see where they dumped the debris. He was looking for the rest of the creatures. If there was more than one kind, as he suspected, then there was a hive. Where there was a hive, there would be a queen. That would be where they took the people of the colony. If there were any survivors, then that is where they would be.
Backtracking, Aurelius took another side tunnel that seemed to show signs of heavy usage. Now he was only seeing the occasional worker moving around on some type of task. The workers completely ignored the presence of the drone. One passed within less than a meter of the machine and made no sign of acknowledgement. Aurelius was beginning to suspect that the workers were of limited intelligence.
The scanners on the drone indicated that it was picking up faint human life signs. Just as he was starting to dial in the sensors and the signal was growing stronger, something came streaking into view. The drone had just rounded a corner in the tunnel that the instruments indicated led to a large subterranean cavern when a blur of movement entered the frame and the signal was lost. Whatever took out the drone was moving incredibly fast.
“What the fuck was that?” said Cyprianus. “Did they shoot down the drone?”
“I’m replaying the footage at a much slower speed,” answered Aurelius, adjusting the controls.
Running the images at one quarter speed, Aurelius started the feed at ten seconds prior to signal loss. Both Cyprianus and Aurelius studied every frame looking for whatever had destroyed the drone. In the frame, they could see the drone begin to round the corner of the tunnel. At first, there was nothing there, and then the wall of the tunnel seemed to come alive.
There was a blur of something that seemed to be coming out of the wall at high speed. Aurelius dialed the replay speed down to one tenth and let the software automatically clean-up and sharpen the images. What appeared to be just more dirt and rock on the wall seemed to slowly morph into the shape of a mantis creature. This one was much smaller than the workers and moving with drive and purpose. Even at one tenth speed, it was tough for the camera to keep up with the movements.
It was as if the creatures could either turn invisible or had a natural chameleon-like ability to blend into its surroundings. By the time it had become fully visible; Aurelius could see that it was about the size of a Terran draft horse or roughly half the size of the workers. It had the same scythe-like appendages that it was clearly using as weapons, but beneath them was another set of limbs. These ended in two six-fingered hands. It looked like they were dexterous enough to use weapons.
“This changes things,” muttered Aurelius.
“It does, indeed,” replied Cyprianus.
“This type is clearly built for war,” said Aurelius. “They are perfectly adapted for fighting.”
“They also know that we are here,” added Cyprianus.
“Praefect,” interjected Casca over the COMM channel. “We are reading movement below ground. A lot of movement. They are coming!”
“Sir,” said Valeris, “shall we prepare to firebomb the tunnels? We can take them out before they hit the surface.”
“Negative,” said Aurelius. “I picked up human life signs on the sensors. There are survivors down there.”
“Praefect Aurelius, this is Agamemnon Control,” said Cassia over the command frequency. “Air support is launching now. They will enter atmosphere in thirty seconds.”
“Copy, Agamemnon Control,” acknowledged Aurelius. “All cohorts fall back to the main formation. Move!”
“Cohort IV, on me!�
� bellowed Valeris. “Cover the Praefect’s flank!”
The IV moved into formation between Aurelius and the entrance to the cavern. They faced the crater, locking weapon systems and initiating targeting scanners. They would fall, to a man, before they allowed their Praefect to be attacked.
“We all move,” called Aurelius. “Fall back to the main force.”
“There’s no time!” shouted Casca over the COMM line. “They’re breaking through the ground all around the area!”
“All units!” roared Aurelius. “Agmen formate!”
Instantly, the three allies began forming up into the square. It had to be modified to encompass all three instead of two cohorts, but the legion was prepared for that. They had drilled the formations into the heads of every Principes from the very first day of training. Never hesitate when orders were given in combat. The formations were the heart of the legion. It was what gave their discipline the chance to shine.
“Agamemnon Control,” called Aurelius. “Second wave is a go. Repeat, second wave is a go. Command given for phase two drop.”
“Copy, Praefect,” replied Cassia. “Phase two drop order is given. All dropships are moving into position. Orbital insertion in twenty seconds.”
“Understood,” said Aurelius.
He calculated that their reinforcements would not be a factor in this fight for nearly five minutes. That was an eternity when the fighting on the ground was as intense as this was expected to be. That meant that half of the legion was going to have to hold the field of battle until then.
“All cohorts!” called Aurelius. “We must hold the line. Our brothers are coming. Engage Scutum systems!”
Across the display, Aurelius could see the cohorts were complying with his commands. Scanners were showing him that the T’kri’t’ek were swarming up out of the ground in massive numbers. There were more enemies than the computer could track. It was a veritable sea of creatures swarming up as if from the depths of the Underworld, itself.
From the heads-up display, Aurelius could see that every formation was now surrounded. They could not break ranks without being overrun and obliterated. Battle reports indicated that the legion was pouring out an incredible volume of fire, but it seemed to have little or no effect on the T’kri’t’ek.
“Praefect!” shouted Casca over the comm. “Arcus machine guns have no effect on them. Saggitta systems are likewise useless. Their exoskeleton is heavily armored. Even the Spatha Cannon does minimal damage.”
“What are these things made of?” replied Aurelius.
“Scanners indicate it is something biological,” said Casca. “Their exoskeleton is like ballistic armor known as Kevlar. It reflects the impact of the projectiles.”
“What about the Spatha?” asked Aurelius.
“The Spatha beam is so powerful,” answered Casca, “it passes completely through them with only minimal damage. They seem to heal quickly. Anything short of a direct headshot only slows them down.”
“Then we must take the fight to them in another way,” said Aurelius. “If it is our blood they seek, then they shall find it more difficult to take than they imagined. Prepare to shift to the Orb Formation and draw steel.”
At that moment, thousands of the warrior T’kri’t’ek burst out of the entrance to the tunnel. They swarmed around the cohorts, cutting off any chance of retreat or escape. The Square Formation with the Scutum shields online kept them at bay, but it was clear that they were testing the strength of the shields, searching for a way inside.
“Fratres!” bellowed Casca. “All cohorts, standby for Orb Formation. Synchronize shield generators for shield-wall cohesion!”
One by one, the cohorts began checking in, acknowledging the preparatory command. Cyprianus nodded once to Aurelius and drew his own Gladius.
“All cohorts,” called Aurelius. “Form two lines within the Orb. Front rank draw your Gladius. Second rank draws the Pilum.”
“Yes, Praefect,” called out the Centurions over the COMM channel.
“Make the transition to the Orb as quickly as possible,” added Aurelius. “We’re going to try something that has never been done before.”
“Praefect?” said Casca, sounding anxious.
“What are you planning, Marcus?” asked Cyprianus, turning to face the younger warrior.
“Something new,” replied Aurelius, frowning in concentration.
Bringing up his optical interface, he quickly began sketching out the broad strokes of his plan on the Command Network. Only the command rank officers could see the battle plan as he laid it out.
“Marcus, this is very dangerous,” said Cyprianus. “If they are not perfectly on target, then the shield-wall will fail.”
“I trust my men,” replied Aurelius. “They will make their mark. The Iron Legion can drop on a single coin from a hundred miles up.”
“Are you sure?” asked Cyprianus, looking uncertain.
“Legatus,” began Casca, “we have the utmost faith in our legion. They will make the drop.”
“So be it,” said Cyprianus. “Give the command.”
Aurelius nodded gravely. They both knew the risk involved with this plan, but if it worked the way he knew it should, it would eliminate the need for the second wave to fight their way to them. They would be instantly reinforced.
“Second wave!” called Aurelius. “Adjust your drop trajectories. Designate your landing zones quickly. Associates drop inside the Orb Formations on the ground. Repeat, your drop zone is inside the Orb Formations!”
There was a moment’s hesitation, and then the cohorts began checking in with their affirmative responses. In less than a second, Casca had already established drop protocols to where each unit would land. Two cohorts would land inside each formation. The timing was going to be very tight but, in theory, there should be enough room.
“Fratres!” called Casca. “Keep your formations tight and drop by the numbers. Once you hit the ground, get clear of the landing zone. Form additional ranks within the Orb.”
“Drop Group Two,” called Aurelius. “Stagger your drogue chute deployments. We cannot make this work if everyone lands at the same time.”
“Timing calculations are running through the simulator now,” added Casca. “Staging information should be appearing on all of the Centurion’s heads-up displays.”
“All ground units!” shouted Aurelius. “ORBEM INSTRUITE[16]!”
The reaction was both instantaneous and glorious to behold. It happened so seamlessly that the T’kri’t’ek didn’t have time to capitalize on the movements. The Legion shifted from one single rank in the Square Formation to a much smaller double line in the Orb. Although it made the drop zone much smaller, it reinforced the line. It would give the cohorts that landed time to form up without fear of attack. They were going to buy their brothers time to make planetfall.
Above them, Aurelius could see the first of the drogue chutes beginning to deploy. All around them, the T’kri’t’ek continued to make feints at the shield-wall, testing the strength of the field. Whenever they would get too close, one of the front ranks would strike a swift blow with their Gladius. It was enough to keep the T’kri’t’ek from getting too close. It was holding them back, but it would not last long.
“Centurion Flavianus to Praefect Aurelius,” called a voice from the COMM line.
“Go ahead,” answered Aurelius.
“Shall we begin heavy ordinance drops to collapse the tunnels?” asked Flavianus.
“Negative,” replied Aurelius. “We detected faint human life signs in the tunnels before we lost the probe. We can’t risk collapsing the tunnels until we are certain that the survivors have been rescued.”
“Copy, negative bombardment,” said Flavianus. “Request permission for strafing runs on the enemy positions.”
“Granted,” said Aurelius. “Check your fire and keep it clear of the cohorts. Begin attack runs when ready.”
“Copy,” said Flavianus. “Aquilinus Wing, you have yo
ur targets. Begin strafing runs in target designated areas.”
Aurelius could see the fighters streaking overhead and begin taking runs on the T’kri’t’ek with their heavy auto-cannons. The initial effect was devastating on the T’kri’t’ek. The fighters were cutting wide swaths of carnage through them with relative ease. Within seconds, the T’kri’t’ek responded. The warrior bugs began launching themselves into the air using hidden wings that folded into the top of their carapace. The droning of their wings sounded like a plague of locusts, thrumming their way into the sky.
All around the battlefield, drop-troopers were hitting their marks, landing perfectly inside the boundaries of the Orb Formations. To Aurelius’ horror, the flying T’kri’t’ek began targeting and attacking the dropping armor. The legionnaires tried to fight them off but were no match for the agility of the airborne T’kri’t’ek. Aurelius could only watch helplessly as the scythe-like appendages of the T’kri’t’ek punched through the heavy armor and ripped it apart as if it were made of paper.
“Get them on the ground now!” bellowed Aurelius. “All cohorts cut the drogue chutes. Drop where you can.”
Aurelius knew that it was only slightly better for them on the ground, but it was suicide to stay in the air. If they could get them on the ground, then they at least had a fighting chance. They could fire their jump-thrusters and hopefully reach the relative safety of the Orb Formations. Beacons were disappearing rapidly off the heads-up display, indicating that they were losing men faster than they were reaching the ground.
Almost directly above his position, Aurelius saw two of the T’kri’t’ek attack an armored legionnaire and rip him in half before he had time to cut his drogue chute loose. Aurelius watched in horror as the beacon for that trooper vanished from the display and a cloud of red mist settled slowly towards the ground. Large drops of blood began peppering the surrounding ground and left crimson spots on his visor.
“Praefect!” called Casca. “The T’kri’t’ek are landing inside the Orbs.”
“Second ranks!” shouted Aurelius. “Ad Tergum Vertite[17]!”
Lost Legion- Blood and Honor Page 9