Pursuit: Rise Of Mankind Book 5

by John Walker

  Rudy nodded. He agreed but it didn’t set well with him. The idea that they were about to be involved in a ground conflict turned his stomach. He’d been in plenty of scrapes, most of them with the Behemoth but this one was way outside his comfort zone. He hadn’t fired a hand weapon at a person in a long time.

  So long he couldn’t remember.

  This is going to work out. We’re on course for a simple engagement. The people we have with us are good and that tech is going to provide us quite the advantage. Durant’s a genius. We’re going to be okay.

  Crandy’s voice crackled over their coms. “This is insane, you guys realize that, right? If there are dozens of them, we’re going to be screwed!”

  “How can there be dozens?” Jessy’s voice answered.

  “Because that’s how they operate! I’ve seen it. They have far more people than brains. A bunch of brainwashed idiots with nothing to lose! That’s what we’re facing.”

  “Relax,” Jenks said. “Just means they won’t have any self preservation when we start shooting. Makes them a lot easier to kill.”

  “Says the marine who’s probably killed more people than I’ve met,” Crandy grumbled.

  “Be quiet,” Walsh’s voice came up next. “They’re about to land.”

  They saw the ship off in the distance, nearly a mile away. It came in fast, avoiding more shots from the cannon which stopped firing when they plunged into the trees. A moment passed before Durant spoke up into the microphone, his tone grave as he reported his findings. Rudy once again held his breath.

  “I’m afraid they’ve brought thirty-six people in there,” Durant announced. “Prepare yourselves. At a normal rate of speed, they should arrive in less than fifteen minutes.”

  Here we go. Rudy tried not to think about the enemy’s numbers. He focused on the weapon in his hands, on what his task was and staying alive. In the next thirty minutes, he and his friends might well be dead…or worse. The only thing they could do now was hope and fight with everything they had. Worst mission ever.

  Chapter 12

  The Behemoth made their jump finally, leaving the system and following Clea’s coordinates. As soon as they arrived, Gray was on his feet, standing beside Olly. The younger man performed a system scan while Leonard mapped the solar system for them. On a screen to the left, they saw the star and the different planets orbiting it.

  “Contact,” Olly said. “Large capital ship orbiting the second planet.”

  Gray frowned. “What’s the origin?”

  “Um…” Olly performed a database search. “Unknown. But they do have a symbol.” He put it on the screen, two circles intersecting. “There you go.”

  “Any ideas?” Gray turned to Adam who shrugged.

  “I’ve never seen it.”

  “Hail them,” Gray said. “Let’s see if they want to talk. And what’s on that planet?”

  Olly paused. “Our people must be down there. I have their shuttle on scans.”

  “Get them on the line too.”

  “No response from the unknown vessel,” Agatha said. “I’ve got Clea on channel seven.”

  Gray went to his station and brought Clea up on his speaker. “Report. What’s going on down there?”

  “Sir, we may have found the data,” Clea answered. “I’m glad to hear from you. We’re about to be attacked by a group of zealots calling themselves Orion’s Light. They followed us here from the pirate planet, intent on taking…well, whatever they want.”

  “I see. They don’t seem to be firing.”

  “They’ve landed a force on the planet to take the facility intact.” Clea paused. “I’m searching for the data while the others prepare to defend the location. We’ve got turrets and decent hand ordinance but numbers are lacking. We’re looking at over thirty combatants.”

  “We’ll get you some help, Clea, standby.” Gray turned to Adam. “Work with Marshall and Revente to get some people down there ASAP. Agatha, give them one more try on hail. Tell them if they do not back off, we will open fire.”

  Agatha relayed the message and Adam went about his task. Gray turned to Redding and gestured. “Get us in range for an attack. I want to be ready to hit them the moment we have to. Olly, can you tell us how they’re armed?”

  “Like the pirates.” Olly sighed. “Potentially worse. Their shields are on par with our own. They can take some hits…and they might be able to dish out some serious damage. Plus, their hull…it’s made of something particularly powerful. I think it’s designed for ramming.”

  “Again with the ramming!” Gray clenched his fist. “Okay, work with Redding to plot the best places to hit them. I want maximum damage potential when this goes hot. Sound the alert through the ship and get all pilots on ready. Those people down there don’t have a lot of time and if we don’t get them some reinforcements, they’re going to have a real bad day.”

  ***

  Revente gave the briefing in person, a rarity as most of the time they received their mission parameters while in the cockpits of their fighters, waiting to launch. Mick carried his helmet under his arm, standing amidst his fellows on the hangar deck. Each of them exchanged glances, unsure about the change in protocol.

  As the Group Commander took his place in front of them, he addressed them quickly. “Team, we’re sending you out in support of efforts against a different kind of enemy. Not the one who invaded Earth or the new culture we encountered. These people are zealots, a fringe group bent on toppling governments.

  “I’m bringing you together this way to express the gravity of the situation. While this ship may not seem all that imposing, they have weapons we’re not entirely familiar with yet. We already know they have the same beam cannon the pirates used to take the Behemoth’s shields down quickly. What other tricks they’re hiding up their sleeves, we don’t know.

  “Use extreme caution as you fly today. You’re not up there for attack but rather support. If they throw something at the Behemoth you can shoot down, do it. If they have fighters, you’ll engage but until you’re directed, do not assault the vessel directly. Wait for the shields to go down and the command. Bombers squadrons are to steer clear of the Behemoth and wait for orders.

  “Do you have any questions?”

  One of the pilots raised his hand, “sir, do we have any idea of what the enemy defenses are like?”

  “They have shields on par with our own,” Revente said. “Their hulls are also well armored and the bow is shaped for ramming. Next question?”

  “Do we have clearance for Targets of Opportunity?”

  “Negative. Wait for orders or call in what you see. I’ll make the decision on the fly.”

  “Why not try the bombs right away?”

  “We don’t want to waste ordinance,” Revente replied. “Throwing those away would be pointless if the shields just stop them.”

  No one else spoke up and Revente nodded. “Get to your ships and good luck.”

  Mick led his people to their fighters and boarded his own. They were the first with clearance and launched right away. As they left the ship, they pulled far enough away to avoid any secondary explosions from splash weapons. Directing themselves to face the enemy, he took in the threat.

  They looked like most capital ships, long with weapon ports and a section near the middle for the bridge section. He noted they still hadn’t broken orbit, still hadn’t acknowledged the threat the Behemoth posed. Engagement might change their attitude. Something about their disregard annoyed Mick.

  I hope you guys don’t have anything to back up this arrogance.

  Revente pinged them all, his voice filling their helmets. “The hull’s opening,” he said. “Looks like there’re fighters after all.”

  Wow, for a fringe group, these guys are well funded! Hosting fighters isn’t cheap!

  Mick checked his scanner and counted twenty total flying to meet them. The Behemoth crew still outnumbered them but perhaps that didn’t matter. The Orion’s Light only needed to hold the
m off long enough to get what they wanted from the planet then they could flee. They must’ve believed whatever they’d find on the surface could be worth losing some of their own.

  “As they clear their vessel, you’re clear to engage,” Revente called out. “Keep it tight and remember, we don’t know what they’ve got. Your shields might not help. Keep it cautious.”

  Like hell.

  Mick radioed to his own wing. “You heard him. Let’s pair up and tear them down. Watch how they approach. It may tell a lot about them.”

  They separated out into groups of three. Six pulled off from the whole, heading toward the Behemoth. Mick scowled and called it in. One of their wing broke off to face those stragglers as the rest of them continued their approach on the mainstay of the enemy fighters. Distance closed rapidly, numbers plunging on the scanner.

  The enemy opened fire, purple blasts tearing past Mick’s ship. He veered to the left, his wingman following closely. He jammed the throttle forward, initiated the top thrusters and plunged forward, redirecting to gain a firing solution. The enemy was fast but he just managed a good couple shots at the one lagging behind.

  A series of pulse blasts caught the tail, igniting the engine. The ship began to spin just as an explosion popped the fuselage. It went up in an instant, annihilating the cockpit before the pilot could pull the ejection handle. His two companions turned, engaging with Mick and Shelly.

  Hitting his thrusters, Mick tried to pull away but it became apparent his pursuers matched him in speed. Shelly directed him to pull up, to draw them away. He yanked on the stick, his thrusters pulling his nose up. One of the two fighters climbed after him, the other tried to stay on Shelly.

  Mick saw his scanner out of the corner of his eye. Shelly hit the reverse thrusters and dropped behind her attacker. Blasts made Mick wince as she took out her target. The one behind him fired, nearly tagging him if not for a quick evasion. He dodged with a jolted thrust pushing him down just enough to avoid destruction.

  Disengaging his engine’s safety link, he initiated the left thrusters, spinning his vessel while still maintaining his momentum. Depressing the trigger, he fired in his opponent’s path, scoring a direct hit to the side. Shields flared but the ship reacted, a knee jerk reaction pulling him away from his pursuit.

  Mick re-engaged the safety on his engines and struggled against the inertia, even as the dampeners whined while compensating. He turned to his scanner, noting he was clear. Shelly closed in, reforming on him while he tried to get a visual of the target.

  Explosions around him caused a major distraction, other fights broken out all across the sector. He noted at least three of their own had been taken out even as they were maintaining a solid upper hand. “I’ve got him!” Shelly called out. “Trying for our six again!”

  “Break left and let’s put him in a crossfire,” Mick said. “Go!”

  They burst away from one another, flying hard in a semi-circle. The enemy came between them and realized his mistake too late. He tried to plunge out of the way but Mick and Shelly fired at the same time, lighting him up from two directions. An orange ball erupted them went out, leaving nothing behind of the ship.

  “Great work.” Mick turned to get back into the fight, leading the way toward the others. “Looks like we’ve got some mop up still. Let’s do this.”

  “Right behind you,” Shelly paused. “Behemoth’s about to engage. We need to steer clear of that nonsense.”

  “Panther Wing, regroup. Form up on us for another push.”

  The other ships closed in and he quietly thanked heaven they were all still with him. He didn’t want to lose a pilot his first time out as commander and certainly didn’t want to explain to Meagan what happened. As they plunged toward the remaining enemy, the scanner said only a half dozen remained.

  Mick watched as one of Tiger Wing tore through one of the enemies, very nearly colliding with the debris. He winced as the ship barely pulled up in time, shields flaring as it contacted the jagged edges of metal. Another ship jet across his path and Mick had to pull up to avoid them.

  More pulse blasts erupted around him. The dogfight turned totally chaotic. He let the targeting computer decide who to shoot at, pulling the trigger when he got tone. A hit, but not fatal. The enemy drifted away but did not eject. Another of his comrades finished him off. Only three opponents remained but instead of falling back or surrendering, they headed straight for the Behemoth, pushing to full throttle.

  “What’re they doing?” Someone’s voice crackled in Mick’s ear.

  “They’re going straight for it?” Shelly sounded shocked. “Why? What do they hope to accomplish?”

  “Sensors read an overload in their reactors,” Mick said. “They’re turning themselves into bombs! Get after them and finish them off before they get there!”

  Every fighter started in on pursuit, pushing to full throttle. A few random shots nearly hit but the enemy was moving too fast. They had only a few more chances before the ships-turned-missiles reached their target. Mick didn’t know what kind of damage they’d cause but he didn’t have any intention of finding out.

  “Revente, you’ve got a problem we’re trying to solve,” Mick called out. “Three fighters incoming hot. They’re suiciding.”

  “Roger that,” Revente replied. “Take them down but we’ll get the defenses ready for it.”

  I hope that’s true, Mick thought. We’ve tried this tactic before to great effect.

  ***

  Redding moved them into position and finally, the enemy broke orbit, directing themselves into the Behemoth’s path. A blue field erupted around them, indicating their opponent had raised shields. Olly called it out, letting them all know a real fight was about to begin. The fighters had already engaged.

  The Orion’s Light ship made up their mind. No communication, just a straight fight. They didn’t even know what they were up against and still planned to throw down. The notion made Redding shake her head. Why not at least try to talk? Why not see what someone had to say? Buy some time for their attack crews on the planet but no, they went straight to escalate.

  “Scans are in,” Olly said. “They’ve got pulse cannons equivalent of our own and…yes, those beam weapons we encountered with the pirates.”

  “Weapons?” Adam asked. “Do you mean they have more than one?”

  “Yes, sir, they’re sporting two.” Olly shook his head. “Nasty combo.”

  Gray hummed. “Do you have a range on them?”

  “According to our last encounter, they needed to be at close range,” Olly said. “If we remain at least twenty-thousand kilometers distant, they’ll be forced to only use their pulse weapons. But…I have some bad news.”

  “Can’t wait,” Redding muttered.

  “Their engines are powerful. I’d say they’ve sacrificed a lot of luxury for extra generators and power. They’re smaller than us but they’ve got equal defenses, slightly superior firepower and more maneuverability.”

  “And if they’re truly zealots,” Gray said, “then there’s a good chance they lack much in the way of self preservation. Did you get us any good targeting?”

  Olly shrugged. “I mean, the whole ship’s made up of energy relays and weapons. I can’t find any particular weaknesses. We’re going to have to beat them down, sir.”

  “You heard him, Redding. When they get in range, light them up.”

  “They’re hailing us, sir,” Agatha said. “They’ve demanded our immediate surrender.”

  Redding turned a wide eyed expression to Gray. “They’re serious, aren’t they?”

  “I’ll let you give our answer, Redding.” Gray leaned back in his seat. “Fire at will.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Redding turned to her station, marking a series of proposed targets. Olly guessed on them but they were better than nothing. One aimed for the bridge, another what he believed to be a weapon relay and another, the presumed life support system. Wow, you’re pretty vicious, Oliver. Let’s
hope this works.

  The computer lit up, lights blinking to indicate they were within range. Redding fired, launching the cannons in stages. As she counted them off, the second barrage following the first at a good ten seconds. The third, ten seconds after that. This allowed her to have a downtime of only fifteen seconds for the recharge before she could shoot again.

  All the work the engineers did back on Earth provided the extra power to make this possible, to enhance the weapons and optimize the energy output. The first of the blasts connected with the enemy, splashing on their shields. She reversed their thrusts as the second pulse beams struck home.

  “Direct hits,” Olly spoke calmly but Redding heard the tension in his voice. “Shields holding. I'm reading eighty percent.”

  “Not bad,” Gray said. “Keep our distance, Redding.”

  The enemy returned fire, shots slamming into the Behemoth, causing the mildest of trembles. “We’re holding…ninety-five percent. Enemy is gaining.”

  Leonard cleared his throat. “Captain, I’ve laid in a course for a microjump. According to Lieutenant Darnell’s calculations, their special weapon has a forty-five degree angle arc so if we end up behind them, they’ll have to turn to get a shot off."

  “Understood,” Gray said. "When they're within range, perform the jump and lay into them. Maybe direct shots to the thrusters wont' be as protected.”

  The ship shook again, this time more violently. “Another set of hits,” Olly said. “Shields are down to eighty percent, recharging fast.”

  Redding fired again but held back the second and third barrages. The enemy was closing fast, at nearly full thrust. She watched the sensors closely, waiting for the last moment to engage the jump.

  “Those special weapons are powering up,” Olly said. “They’ll have a firing solution in less than five seconds.”

  “Jump,” Gray said. “Now!”

  Redding slapped the button, gripping the edge of her console. The ship trembled, shimmered and a moment later, the view screen changed, depicting the enemy’s rear. “Try that, you bastards.” She fired, this time every cannon at the same time directly into the enemy engines.