Victors

by T. R. Cameron

  Chapter Five

  Kate brought the Pandora on a looping course to cover the launch of the shuttles from the Washington. The two small ships nosed out of the shuttle bay one after the other and slipped into a side-by-side formation. As they descended toward the planet, she piloted her ship in lazy circles around them, keeping her sensors sweeping in all directions for potential threats.

  Even with this constant vigilance, she was almost too far away to help when torpedoes slashed in at the lightly armored shuttles.

  “Commander,” yelled her tactical officer, and Kate growled, “I see them.”

  She threw the Pandora into a roll and dove into the path of the missiles, absorbing the explosions on her starboard side.

  “Where are they?” she asked.

  Lieutenant Santiago Diaz said, “Incoming, 280, seventy-three low.”

  Kate oriented on the main display and saw the designators for two enemy vessels deep in the atmosphere.

  “Why didn’t we see them before?”

  “Too much sensor interference, Commander Flynn,” replied her ship, the avatar of Pandora materializing near the screen. As always, she stroked the furry creature around her neck, and it appeared to luxuriate under her touch.

  “Can we boost sensors?”

  “Negative, Commander. They’re already at full.”

  “Commander,” Diaz said, “the ships are breaking off and heading for the planet.”

  “They’re daring us to follow. They must have more support, or a trick up their sleeves. We’ll stay with the shuttles.”

  Kate connected to the Marines and said, “Saint? Sinner? What’s your plan?”

  “As there are four groups of enemies, and only two shuttles full of Marines, we’ve decided it is a mathematical impossibility to engage all of them at once.”

  Sinner laughed. “Did you do that math all by yourself, Saint, or did Surfer need to help you?”

  “I’ll have you know I’m excellent at math. I can do addition, multiplication, and many other things. But what I’m best at is subtraction.”

  “So, have you figured out how to subtract some enemies, then?” Kate asked.

  Saint’s crisp enunciation came back over the channel. “Our highest chance at success lies in attacking the two elements furthest away from the colony, the south and east groups. We’ll set one shuttle down behind each and attempt to attack their rear echelon and punch through.”

  “Why not just land inside the colony?”

  “Because that would be logical, and Saint doesn’t do logical,” Sinner quipped.

  Saint made a tsk-ing sound at his partner and replied, “Two reasons. First, it’s predictable, and I’d prefer to sow a little confusion before we fully engage them. Second, the colony would need to lower its defensive shield for us to land inside, and there’s always the possibility enemy ships are waiting for just such an opportunity.”

  Kate frowned. “Good thinking. It’s alarming to consider there might be more than just the four ships we’ve seen detailed to this assault.”

  “They certainly brought a large number of ground troops, according to the data from the Washington. Far more than we faced in the Gibson system.” Sinner sounded entirely undisturbed by that fact.

  Kate frowned. Something wasn’t quite right. She sent the worries back into a holding spot in her brain to await further developments and focused on what she could control. “Okay, transmitting a flight vector now. Be on the lookout for enemies as we descend.”

  They made it halfway to the surface before the two ships reappeared to cause trouble. They approached from radically different angles, reducing Kate’s options. She reached down and caressed her display, sending a barrage of energy weapons at one and a full flight of torpedoes at the other. Then she twisted her ship and intercepted their attacks on the shuttle, catching the final torpedo an instant before it would’ve eliminated half of the Marine force.

  Kate grimaced at the ships on the screen as they reoriented. “That was too close. Let’s kick it up to full and keep your eyes open for incoming missiles. Pandora will watch for you to go evasive and make sure you don’t ram us.”

  The main display showed one of the Xroeshyn vessels break off its attack and fly away at top speed, trailed by the Pandora’s torpedoes, which were closing the gap despite the enemy’s efforts to avoid them. She flipped her ship along its vertical axis and accelerated toward the closer Xroeshyn vessel. It launched a full salvo of weapons at the Pandora, which depleted her forward shields but didn’t penetrate. No commands were necessary as Diaz fed additional energy into the weakened defenses, reducing coverage intensity on the other planes of the ship.

  “My turn,” Kate growled, and locked the enemy in her sights. She stabbed down on her controls and all her forward weapons fired, accompanied by torpedoes launched from each broadside, curving in tandem toward the enemy.

  The enemy ship put up a strong defense. Its energy weapons chewed into the incoming missiles as it spun to distribute the damage from her laser and plasma cannons. The enemy pilot impressed her by triggering thrusters at the last second, bouncing vertically out of the spot where the torpedoes would’ve ended the ship had the pilot’s reflexes been slower.

  The torpedoes flew out wide after the miss, reacquiring their target and sliding onto new trajectories to attack it. Kate’s smile was grim. As much as she appreciated the advanced weaponry of the Pandora, it set into stark relief the lack of the same in the rest of humanity’s fleet. Even with their entire combined force at hand, the battle for the Xroeshyn system was likely to be a bloody one for the humans.

  Pandora gave a discreet cough from where she stood near the main display. It jarred Kate from her reverie, and she refocused to see the shuttles were again at risk. In the distance, the second Xroeshyn vessel had evaded the torpedoes once again and was now dragging them back on its own attack run at the Marines.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Kate murmured, and threw the Pandora on a direct vector toward the second ship. The other took advantage of her flight to pepper her aft shields with laser fire and torpedo impacts. Kate was slammed back into her chair as if something had kicked the ship, and she looked over at her tactical officer.

  “Last torpedo seems to have had two parts. The first explosion buckled the shield and allowed the second to hit us. Minimal damage,” Diaz reported.

  “That’s a weapon the Xroeshyn deployed near the end of the war with the Domeki. It proved only mildly effective, as most often the first stage would fail to penetrate a shield, leaving the weaker second stage to also fail to do so. They’re either running out of munitions or you’ve pushed them to rediscover technologies they hadn’t yet used against you.”

  “Wonderful,” Kate said, and fired her forward weapons and another salvo of torpedoes at the ship threatening the shuttles. “Standby for cannonball,” she said. Seconds later, she snapped, “Armor.”

  The Pandora’s hull changed in an instant, switching from a glassy finish to something that looked like hardened slabs of newsteel. The distance evaporated as energy weapons and missiles battered the enemy ship, then the Pandora blasted through it. The crew felt only a rattle, as internal systems moderated the impact, and the Xroeshyn ship disintegrated around her. Pieces flew in every direction. The Pandora raced out of the conflagration, her hull already shifting back to its normal state. Somewhere deep in the inner workings of her ship, the capacitors that made the armor possible began their recharge cycle.

  “All right,” yelled Diaz, and Kate couldn’t help but grin at his enthusiasm. She held her own inside and redirected the Pandora again, racing toward the other vessel. With its numerical advantage eliminated, the enemy ship turned tail and dove toward the ground.

  Kate looped back to protect the shuttles. As they neared the surface, Kate was forced to intercept additional weapons’ fire. “Saint, Sinner, be advised that they have heavy weapons, including anti-air capability.”

  “Well, they brought all the toys to this part
y, didn’t they,” said Sinner.

  “I like toys, especially toys that go boom. How about we take them away from the birds and teach them how to use them properly?”

  “Sounds like a plan, man,” replied Sinner.

  Kate shook her head and killed the channel. She doubted she’d ever understand the ability of the Marines to be so calm heading into a dirtside battle. Sinner’s shuttle was the first a land, at the rear of the southernmost enemy advance, about two klicks away from the steadily advancing soldiers. Kate escorted Saint’s shuttle to its landing position behind the east group, and then circled while Pandora’s sensors cataloged the ground forces.

  “Pandora, can we eliminate the other two groups?”

  “Negative, Commander. It’s against my programming to fire upon individual beings.”

  “What?” exclaimed Kate and Communication Officer Lynda Peterson together, Diaz’s own, “Huh?” coming an instant after. She gathered her wits and said, “Could you explain that please?”

  The avatar nodded. “Without descending too deeply into the belief system of the Domeki, Commander, the best way to explain it is that such a fight would be dishonorable.”

  “Dishonorable,” Kate breathed. “Okay, I get that, I suppose. But it seems a little extreme to modify your programming,” she stumbled over that word, “instead of relying on the judgment of the captain.”

  “In the heat of the moment, Commander Flynn, the possibility of making a dishonorable decision rises. The Domeki believed it important enough to plan against that possibility.”

  “Even in circumstances where the ship might be lost?”

  “Even so, Commander.”

  “Why were we able to fire at the people in the caverns, where we found you, then?”

  “You weren’t firing at the individuals, Commander. You were firing at the heavy weapons emplacements.”

  “Gotcha,” Kate said and directed the Pandora toward the nearest force. As she saw the aliens arrayed underneath her, she understood the need to take the commander out of the loop. It was all too easy to justify using her ship’s weapons on the marching soldiers, as it would protect the individual humans they’d come to defend, and the Marines that were in her charge. She considered herself an ethical and honorable person, but those concerns spoke far more softly when the horizon was filled with marching beings intent on murder.

  She locked in on a rolling missile launcher and paused an extra beat, so the operators would know they’d been targeted. As the barrel swiveled toward her, she blew them from existence with the Pandora’s laser cannons. Rifle fire peppered her shields but had no possibility of penetrating. She repeated the process three more times until all the heavy weapons from the northern group had been eliminated.

  Then she did the same for the group to the west.

  “Guess we should go hang out near the colony,” she said and twisted the ship onto an appropriate vector. She searched for the other enemy ship as she flew but failed to find it. Lieutenant Peterson connected the Pandora to the Marines’ combat armor. “Status?”

  “Deployed, perimeter secure,” replied Saint.

  “Same,” said Sinner. A signal light flashed on her console, and she added Cross into the conversation.

  “Kate, I’m going to need some help up here. Like right now.”

  Chapter Six

  “Button up the shuttle,” Saint commanded, and the pilot closed the deployment ramp his team had used. Around him, the six Marines under his command were arrayed to defend the perimeter.

  “Surfer, take point. Char, you’re rearguard. I’m in the middle. Everyone else, fall in.”

  They’d planned their maneuvers on the descent to the planet, and his team of righteously angry warriors was ready to rock-and-roll. They moved with a hasty economy, a perfect balance of caution and action. Their professionalism made him proud, as it always did.

  “Sinner, be advised we’re beginning our approach,” he said over the channel connecting him to the other team’s leader.

  “Affirmative, Saint. Us too. Anticipate contact in twelve minutes.”

  “About the same here. Simultaneous strikes still look like a viable option.”

  “Noted. Get moving old man.” The connection died on Saint’s laughter.

  They covered the ground toward the rear of the advancing troops without incident, but at the first enemy sighting, the Marine in the lead signaled the team to deploy in a protective pattern. They’d been following the beaten-down trail left by their foes, and moved to either side of it, weapons bristling in every direction. Surfer spoke softly over the comms, “They have a team up ahead, whether rearguard or ambush I cannot tell.”

  “How many?” Saint asked.

  “At least five that I spotted. Knowing their history, probably more like eight.”

  “Or sixteen,” Saint murmured, and repeated the report to Sinner.

  She sounded irritated. “We’re a little behind but noticed the same here. It’s at a narrowing that would make it a pain to go around.”

  “Okay,” he replied, “let’s do what we’re here for. We’ll engage in two minutes.”

  A double-click was the only acknowledgment from Sinner, and Saint organized his troops.

  “Easy and Key, you’re on overwatch. All directions. If anyone seeks to join the party, let us know.” Sniper Isabel “Easy” Styler and her spotter Case “Key” Jameson moved to the center of the path and crouched down, doubtlessly already engaged in adjusting their internal displays for a full 360° view with maximum sensors.

  “We’ll do two teams of two. Standard leapfrog maneuvers from cover to cover. If you see an alien, kill an alien.”

  “What will you be doing, Gunnery Sergeant?” Lance Corporal Hugo “Huge” Galano asked with a yawn.

  “I’ll be in the back sipping on a cold beer, of course.”

  That drew a short laugh from his Marines as they got down to business. The first pair advanced to new cover, protected by the second. When they reached maximum range, they switched to individual movements rather than teams. They were in position to charge forward and engage when something prickled at the base of Saint’s neck.

  “Everybody freeze,” he ordered, and his troops went still. He magnified his sensors, looking for what had tweaked him, and caught the faintest glimmer of metal where metal shouldn’t be. He toggled his comm. “Sinner, we found a possible trap. Be careful.”

  A double-click came in reply.

  “Char, device ahead at your two o’clock. Check it out.”

  Corporal Charlotte “Char” Alard, in the forward position of the leapfrogging teams, fell to the ground and crawled toward the thing he’d spotted. As she got close, Saint called up her display in a window on his own. She switched to magnified optics to examine the device, and then used passive sensors to pull in any signals coming from it. Her helmet swiveled to investigate a point across the advance path.

  “It’s a beam of some kind. The suit can’t pick out its dimensions or locations. Best bet is probably to go around.”

  Saint replied, “Negative. Who knows what other traps they left behind? Clearly, they prepared for our arrival, which reduces our odds of success considerably. Everyone, fall back to my location. Deuce, get on the comm with Sinner and let her know what we found. Easy, time to show us those gunnery skills you’re so proud of.”

  She moved forward and lay on the ground, rifle nestled into the shoulder of her armor. A moment later, a bolt of energy flew from her weapon to the device, and the entire space between and around the two traps was filled with explosions and shrapnel. They waited for the dust to settle, and it revealed rocks, boulders, and jagged metal munitions sprayed across the kill zone.

  “That was nasty,” said Deuce.

  “Indeed,” Saint replied. “Update the other team.”

  They moved forward a hesitant step at a time, unwilling to abandon the plan even though all of them no doubt felt the same tingle of fear Saint did. Then they discovered the next booby-
trap, which was larger than the first. He activated the comm. “Another one, Sin. I don’t think they like us very much.”

  “We don’t have any along our route yet,” she replied. “Maybe it’s just you they don’t like. Wonder if we could end this war by handing you over.”

  “I think you’re mistaking me for Captain Cross.”

  Sinner laughed. “Perhaps they hate you both. Could be time to give up this life of action and adventure and open that starbase bar you’ve always wanted.”

  “Well, once we get rid of the beasties who keep blowing up the starbases, I’ll take that under consideration.”

  “Contact,” Sinner shouted, then the channel fell. Mere seconds later, the enemy reached out and touched Saint’s Marines.

  The initial assault came in the form of energy blasts easily ablated by their armor, but not without leaving scorched surfaces in their wake. “Return fire,” Saint called as he dropped and rolled to the side. His dodge preserved him from the hardened object that whipped through the space where his helmet had been a moment before.

  “Watch out for projectiles. Big projectiles. Take cover.”

  His troops sent their own barrage back at the aliens. One of the enemy soldiers fell, the shot catching it right at the junction of helmet and chest plate. It was a design flaw that the overlarge helmets worn by the Marines avoided, but only provided a tiny window of opportunity. Despite aiming for it several times, Saint had yet to hit it.

  “Char, Deuce, lay down some grenades. Everyone else, advance to closer cover.” The explosions began before he had finished his commands, and his people ran forward under the protection of fragment sprays, percussion devices, and thermal gel that splashed out in all directions before catching fire. The birds ahead stumbled back from prepared barricades, three of them aflame and fully occupied with extinguishing the blaze. The others maintained discipline as they retreated, taking shots at the cover locations and exposed portions of the Marines. The range reduced their accuracy enough that neither could inflict significant damage on the other, and there was a pause as the defenders moved behind a second set of redoubts.