At the same time, five other major conglomerates or partnerships found themselves under attack in the coming days.
The Westerly Three Complex Crew had thoroughly stirred up the different headquarters on Earth. With Moretti’s codes and information, it was easy for them to strike at the heart of these different groups.
The chaos continued on as the corporations, sensing blood in the water, started to attack one another through different means, turning their attention inward.
“The freighters will enter orbit in just three days. It’s time we got rid of some of this pressure. Trina, notify the Defender Armor units. They’re to move into the defenses tonight. Have our scouts start hitting the gangs from the rear. Time we stirred up the slums a bit,” Dominguez said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Trina said.
The Westerly Three Complex Crew had been training up with the Defender Armor for months now. There were two forces’ worth of people in armor, some two hundred thousand trooper-trained individuals.
Now, with their new orders, the underground bases went to work.
Dominguez looked out of the command center windows as people donned their armor or moved into their different groups, getting their briefings. Those who were on alert moved to the elevators that shot them up toward the surface.
Hatches started opening in the different bases the Westerly Three Complex owned as drop-ship hangars were revealed underneath, with drop-ships ready to launch at a moment’s notice.
In hidden tunnels, the scout personnel, who were modeled after the groups that Tyler had trained, started to move around the gangs that had been attacking them.
A few of the bases were under attack, someone doing a drive-by on an armored truck with an old heavy machine gun firing at the wall.
They’d do this all times of the day, hit and runs.
The changes that the Westerly Three Complex Crew were going through weren’t missed as there was increased activity; they didn’t know what was happening internally.
Gangs started to arm themselves up. If the Westerly Three Complex Crew was falling apart, then, as the biggest dog in the slums, if they were to get a portion of the Westerly Three Complex Crew’s grounds, then their own gang’s standing would shoot up.
“Time to clean the rats out.” Dominguez turned to leave the command center. “’Bout time I got suited up.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
VCF Hope
Earth Orbit, Sol System
10/3556
“Looks like they’re still trying to get us to stop,” Archibald’s communications officer Murtle said.
“Oh, no more offers to buy us?” Archibald asked.
A number of the corporations had been asking whether they were interested in getting hired by another corporation. Their offers were incredible, offering everything under the sun as they wanted to get a hold of one of the Victor Corporation’s freighters and the Alcubierre drive. If they could get the ship and then reverse engineer the technology, then their companies would see a massive increase in value. If they could only get the ship to go between systems, the money made off trade alone would be incredible.
Archibald and Lela had entertained these offers as they moved in-system. It was a kind of cover, after all.
They had even filed to offload their wares on some of the stations around Earth to make it look less suspect. Even though they had both come at the same time.
Now it looked as if the corporations weren’t willing to play any more games. This was their system and they wanted to know what the two freighters were really doing here.
“We have customs patrol boats headed for us, telling us to stop moving or they will open fire,” Murtle said.
“Very well. Weapons, be ready if needed. Navigation, keep us going. Make sure that everyone is suited up and in secure positions. I want the security team ready to repel boarders.” Many of them were from the EMF and they knew how to use a weapon, so they’d made a few sets of powered armor to give them some greater protection, along with weapons.
If the customs agents wanted to press their luck and try to board, they wouldn’t get a kind greeting.
We’re just three hours out from making orbit. Archibald looked over the information available to him.
“Dominguez says that she is ready to launch the first load if you want it,” Murtle said, looking to Archibald.
“Let’s be about it then. Sensors, keep a bead on those custom boats.”
“They’re firing over our bow,” Sensors reported.
“Well, fire back.” Archibald’s reply was calm and measured.
Dodson, who was at weapons, took a breath and nodded. “Yes, sir.” He flipped a cover off a switch underneath his console and then flicked a switch underneath.
Deep thuds could be heard as simple-looking containers on the Hope revealed the weapon systems inside.
Three missiles fired out of one of the containers as rail guns were run out, allowing them to fire in any direction.
The Novum’s containers blow-out panels were activated, revealing the weaponry underneath as they fired on the other customs boat.
The boats didn’t have any close-in defensive systems and were turned into flying scrap by the missiles as the freighters continued on their path.
“Well, that’s going to give a few people a shock. I want updates on the containers coming up. Get our tugs out there, ready to receive the containers,” Archibald said. Automated tugs exited the freighter as containers were systematically moved and clamped together, creating openings in the freighters for more containers to be slotted in.
Archibald looked at the sensor readings as the first drop-ships, holding a container underneath them, used acceleration rails, soared into the skies as their engines kicked in and pushed them to punch out of Earth’s atmosphere.
Across the Westerly Three Complex Crew bases, drop-ships seemed to shoot out of the ground while people looked on in confusion.
The people in the slums went to ground, feeling that something was up while people from different greenhouses gathered up their supplies and were picked up by drop-ships and flown back to the Westerly Three Complex Crew bases.
The exodus had started, but Archibald knew it wouldn’t be a quiet one.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Westerly Three Complex
Earth, Sol System
10/3556
Drop-ships headed up out into space as fast as possible. As soon as the launcher was free, another craft was loaded and shot out.
Drop-ships sped to pick up people who had made agreements with Dominguez as she passed word to more people to see whether they were willing to leave Earth behind or not.
Many of them agreed to and they were added to the list of people to be gathered up.
Her scouts were in the city, in different perches, watching for how the slums and other gangs reacted.
Soon enough, she got a response.
“We’ve got a bunch of trucks moving up on the main headquarters. Looks like it’s the Diesel Heads,” a scout reported in to the headquarters command staff. Their voice was calm as they relayed a video of the armored trucks racing through the slums, leaving behind trails of red dust.
“Artillery, I’ve got you some targets.” Dominguez turned to the artillery commander.
“Yes, ma’am.” They spoke into their headset but everyone could still hear them. “Artillery Park One Alpha, this is fire control command. I have new targets ready and waiting your bombardment. Sending you locations as they update. Relay to scout team. Once targets are confirmed, you are free to fire.”
“Fire control, this is Artillery Park One Alpha. Thank you for thinking of us. Orders confirmed and understood.”
The scouts and the artillery park commander talked to one another, firming up where the rounds would land.
On the main screen, suddenly dust clouds appeared as explosions rocked the ground, tearing apart buildings.
The artillery were using laser-guided shells that the sco
uts were aiming to strike the lead element of the Diesel Heads’ convoy. Rounds continued to hail down, coming at the rear of the convoy.
After just a few minutes, the members of the Diesel Heads had either fled into the slums on foot or in ones and twos, or they were part of the smoking ruin that lay in the slums.
“We’ve got Faceless heading for FOB Echo.” Another feed and another scout reported to the FOB but in the command center, they were linked to operations across Earth.
“Looks like everyone’s come out to play,” Dominguez said.
Phillips grunted beside her.
“We’ve got movement from the corporations.” Trina looked to Dominguez.
“What they bringing to the party?” Dominguez moved to her command table.
“Fucking wasps,” Trina spat.
Dominguez looked over to the group that was in command of the aerial forces.
The man there grabbed a microphone. “This is flight command. Be warned—there are wasps in the sky. You are cleared—weapons hot. Take the bastards out.”
Dominguez nodded. Things just became more complicated.
Wasps only operated inside a planet’s atmosphere, but they were fast little devils and they had at least heavy machine guns mounted on them. Some sported internal missile racks. They could only hold about two missiles, but it would only take one good hit to bring her drop-ships back down to the ground.
“I want the air defenses online and checked! None of them get close to a launch point!” Dominguez barked.
The battlefield was shifting once again.
The corporations wouldn’t get involved in what was happening in the slums, but seeing that there was a clear connection between the Westerly Three Complex Crew and the Victor Corporation, a corporation that could be a problem in the future, they wanted to get rid of them. There must be something useful on Earth if they were willing to send two of their mega freighters to retrieve it.
The corporations had a number of different weapons under their control. After the Harmony War, there had been a massive military production fad with people buying up all kinds of “protection.” With the recent hostile activities between the different corporations, they had been keeping them ready.
Now that a juicy opportunity had come, most of the corporations were allying with one another in order to deal with the Victor Corporation first. Afterward, they’d likely bargain or turn on one another to try to gain advantages, though they were sure that they didn’t want whatever the Victor Corporation was coming for to get off the planet.
They didn’t realize that the Victor Corporation was coming to gather their people and retreat from the Sol system.
Even if they said that, the corporations wouldn’t believe them.
So they would have to force their way out.
“Looks like there are some freighters and other ships that are looking to get in on the action. Archibald is asking for orders,” Trina said.
“Shoot them down. If it’s not ours and it comes into our area of operations, it shouldn’t be alive.” Dominguez’s voice held no mercy.
“Yes, General,” Trina said, getting back to work.
Dominguez continued to look at the different groups attacking her bases. “I’m taking command on the move. I’ll be up top.” Dominguez grabbed her helmet and pulled it on over her short hair. The helmet locked to her powered armor as she headed for the elevator.
Her security detail armored up as well, falling in time with her.
“Understood,” Trina yelled at her. She wasn’t a combat leader but a resource manager. She had been great at managing the different assets that they had and was a fair hand at military strategy, but Dominguez was a trooper first and foremost.
With her NIAI, she could continue organizing the battlefield while fighting.
They exited the armored area and jumped onto one of the waiting elevators. Personnel, drop-ships, containers: all of it was getting moved around. The underground base was a hive of activity.
Families of the Westerly Three Complex Crew went first. After all, it was less likely that they would find themselves under fire.
They were secured in the containers with life support systems. Once they were locked in place, the containers would link together, allowing them to pass from one to another. Till then, it was a bumpy ride up to the freighter.
The elevator stopped as it reached the headquarters base above ground. It was a series of four- and five-story tall buildings with a surrounding wall. It wasn’t the chaos that one might expect in the slums but had been laid out and built up by the troopers when they were defending Earth from the Harmony Forces.
It just happened that the Westerly Three Crew moved in before anyone could do anything and the troopers who had been fighting removed evidence of the base before all of the corporate types could find out about it.
None of them knew of the extensive underground renovations.
Artillery fired, but they were drowned out by the noise of a drop-ship with a full container shooting off into the sky, following the trail of ships arcing into the heavens.
Another drop-ship rolled in across the slum. Its cannons fired, sowing fire on a gang that was trying to get close to the base.
The drop-ship climbed and move to meet with a group of other drop-ships that were headed toward the nearer corporation-controlled cities where wasps were coming out of.
Anti-air defenses were pulled out from their dust covers.
Close-in defense systems were uncovered and checked as they spun up, looking into the skies for threats.
Strong points where the Westerly Three Complex Crew had been were changed out. The fatigue-wearing crew members headed below as the Defender Armor-wearing members checked the mounted weapons system, waiting for contact.
Dominguez looked over it all, seeing the flights of drop-ships that were moving to engage the wasps and the fights that were happening in the slums as different gangs met one another on their way to the Westerly Three Complex Crew bases.
The drop-ships and the wasps finally intersected one another. The wing formations split apart as chaos ensued. Missiles and rounds were traded back and forth. The wasps weren’t as heavily armored, but they were fast. Albeit not that deadly.
The drop-ships were more maneuverable than the combat shuttles, their armor and weapons greatly improved. They could shrug off direct missile and round hits as if they weren’t much. It was only if they were hit in a weakened area, like their engines or their air intakes, that they could be brought down.
Ships and debris crashed into the slums below as recovery teams were sent out to bring back the people and destroy the drop-ships.
The wasps might not be that deadly against the drop-ships but they got past them quickly enough and started to rake the bases.
Weapon mounts spat out rounds, filling the skies with rounds to cut down the wasps.
Quick rotating and firing defensive systems shot out ball bearings to tear apart the missiles that were launched. The explosions illuminated the sky and made many people duck as the blast wave rolled over them all.
Dominguez walked through it all, not worrying about it in the slightest as she moved up to the third floor of a building to look out over the slums.
People were evacuating away from the Westerly Three Complex that had closed their doors and bared their fangs.
“Looks like everyone is going for it.” Trina relayed a map to Dominguez, which showed the different gangs moving on the greenhouses.
They found the greenhouses but all research and everyone who worked there was gone.
Only those who had made deals with the other gangs were left behind.
Dominguez ducked as a wasp flew past the building, low and fast. Its cannons ripped into the walls of the building before running into a cone of defensive fire and exploding, raining down onto the slums below.
“We’ve got fifteen hours until we can get everyone out of here. I want platoons of Defender Armor out and moving in the slums,
disrupting the other gangs. If they have left their hidey holes to attack us, then we hit them in their bases,” Dominguez said.
“Yes, General.” Trina passed on the word as Defender Armor units were reorganized and artillery retasked.
The artillery roared as all of the bases opened fire.
The gates opened as the different groups in Defender Armor moved out. Dominguez moved down to the first floor and moved out with one of the platoons to see how things were on the ground.
Phillips wasn’t pleased but he didn’t say anything, following behind his general.
With the armor, they were as fast as a car, faster in the slums where roads were hard to find and most people with cars had to run through different makeshift buildings to try to move forward.
Dominguez checked her rifle and moved with the fourth section of the platoon.
“Mission is to advance until we come into contact with the enemy. We’re to attack and disrupt. If targets of opportunity are found, we will be given new orders to hit those groups.” Their second lieutenant briefed them on the move.
They all sent back acknowledgement as they continued to move.
Drop-ships and wasps continued to fight in the skies but it was clear who the winner would be.
A wasp tried to escape above the platoon, only to have a drop-ship’s missile on its ass. It did what it could to try to escape but it didn’t have a chance. Its engines were blown out and the wreckage tumbled through a three-story building.
A wing of drop-ships rushed overhead, moving toward the gangs that were converging on them.
They’d prepared their battlefield well in advance. Nothing moved through the Westerly Three Complex without them knowing about it.
Over the last couple of months, they’d had to put up with attacks at all times of the day from random mortars and weapons fire to ambushes on their convoys. Westerly Three Complex Crew now wanted some of their own payback.
Don’t fuck with a trooper’s beauty sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Enemies on All Sides (Maraukian War Book 4) Page 14