War of the Exiles

by Michael G. Thomas

  Our drones. About dammed time. Good work, Khan.

  Even in this small skirmish, he found his mind drifting for a second. The last report from Khan had been optimistic, with nothing but air attacks around Melantias. Already the commandos had delayed the enemy, and he knew that every minute would give Khan and Arana more time. Though seventy kilometres from Melantias, he could already hear and feel the meaty thud of artillery and aircraft fire.

  We'll bleed them, old friend, and when they do reach the walls, they will already be weary and low on supplies.

  The drone provided much more than simple overhead imagery but also thermal data, as well as signal strength of radio frequencies. Just a few seconds looking at it showed Spartan what he'd dreaded from the start. A large portion of the enemy had bypassed the rail system and was following the advance party of Red Scars through the wilderness.

  "All units converge on my position. I want air defences established on the approaches and overwatch positions on the high ground."

  Spartan then activated his communications system and sent a burst data request via the drone. By using the device overhead, he could use direct-line communications and decrease any chance of being intercepted.

  "Spartan, good to hear your voice. We're eight hours from sealing the last breaches in the walls. Everything else is ready."

  Spartan felt relief at the sound his old friend, though immediately noticed the sound of gunfire in the background of the transmission.

  "What's happening there?"

  "Red Scars. Some of them must have got past you and are moving into position. We'll take care of them. Don't worry. There's still no sign of their heavy weaponry. I assume we can thank you for that?"

  Syala said something, and Spartan shook his head as she looked at the same imagery on her overlay. Although her armour and equipment was completely different to Spartan's, she still had the CTC Secgrid system piggybacked onto hers.

  "As soon as they known the track is damaged, they will know where we are. They can fix the track in an hour, max. The clans need the rails to move their heavy equipment and supplies. They will fight to protect the system."

  "I know," said Spartan.

  He thought for a moment before continuing.

  "Scans show a major build up here, and they are trying to get past us and on to you and the city. We'll do what we can, for as long as we can."

  "Understood," replied Khan, "Don't do anything stupid."

  Spartan laughed.

  "I won't do anything you wouldn't do."

  * * *

  Fortress of Melantias, Stone Teeth Hills, Karnak

  Khan was hot, his body aching, and his lungs bursting. It had been a long time since he’d exerted himself as much as today. The Southern wall of the bastion had been overrun with the great hordes of Nakoma, and the creatures and warriors of the Anicinàbe were now meeting his own warriors amidst the mortars, artillery, and dugouts that littered the middle of the temporary fortification. Off to the left the creatures of the enemy were through the trench and at the wall. Nearly a third of the Byotai settlers and Exiles had already retreated through the small sally ports he'd had positioned, desperate to escape the blades and handguns of the ferocious and psychotic looking Red Scars.

  Cowards, they need to fight!

  Khan didn't even consider moving backwards, even though he was now surrounded on three sides. Hundreds of Red Scars had dismounted to climb up the bastion ramparts. It had turned into a bitter close-range fight, the defenders on the walls continuing to shoot at anything they could see off into the distance. Standing at his flank were his retinue of five Blood Pack warriors, as well as the Iron brothers.

  "Khan, to your left!" said Lieutenant Yunn.

  Yunn was the shorter of the two brothers, but they sounded and acted the same, so much that Khan considered them to be one person with two bodies. He didn't hesitate though and twisted a fraction, putting ten rounds into the three approaching Anicinàbe. The Thumper might have been an unsophisticated weapon, but at this range tore off heads and limbs with equal ease. More Anicinàbe Red Scar soldiers turned and ran from him, and Khan started laughing.

  "Run, the best decision you've made all day."

  From the Southern rampart a group of eight Spires soldiers appeared, cloaked in their standard robes, and their faces hidden behind respirator masks. The lenses glowed red, giving them an evil, sinister look. In their hands they carried the fearsome long-barrelled Jezzails, and lifted them high. Khan tensed as they cut down the first of the Red Scars retreating. Khan was stunned.

  "What?"

  Another six were cut apart, and then more Spires soldiers were there, taking cover at the top of the rampart and shooting at the defenders and Red Scars with equal abandon. He was so surprised he didn't notice the dozen or so Red Scars that reached him, and then ran past before throwing themselves down into the sections of vacated trenches. Khan looked back at them, only then realising they were not shooting at the defenders. They were pulling themselves down and away from the sights of either side’s guns.

  Suicide units. The Spires are using them as meat shields. That's why they have so few weapons. The poor bastards!

  Khan had no love for the Red Scars; they were a people at least as brutal and violent as the Spires, but this was something else. Khan snarled at the blind cruelty being demonstrated and then took aim. This time he tagged the Spires soldiers only, even though they were further back and in cover.

  "This is Khan. Ignore the Red Scars. They are being used as gut bait only. Concentrate on the other units."

  Arana answered immediately.

  "Are you sure? I have three units of Red Scars approaching the only remaining breach in the wall."

  Kanjana, who was with Arana at the wall, and helping liaise with the many disparate units sounded just as sceptical.

  "Khan, the Red Scars are animals. They are as likely to cut and kill you for helping them. Stay away from them."

  Khan snarled through his teeth, knowing an incorrect decision could cost them the defences.

  "I know. But they might have a use. Put Olik and the Blood Pack behind the breach. They will plug the gap, if needed. I will take responsibility for what is happening out here."

  A four-wheeled vehicle hit the Southern bastion rampart and lifted up high in the air, crashing down inside the defensive cordon. The few remaining Byotai scattered as a group of Spires jumped out and opened fired, shooting from the hip. Two Byotai were killed as they ran, and then the small group of Spires spread out.

  "To me!" Khan yelled.

  Khan fired until his clip was empty and then ran directly at them, his retinue at his flanks. The Spires clan warriors had never seen such as assault. In seconds were all either dead or fleeing, joining the hundreds of others now streaming South into the dust cloud and away from the sporadic shooting coming from the wall. Khan removed the head cleanly from the last remaining Spires soldiers, stopping to catch his breath. The enemy was retreating all around him, all except the hundred of Red Scars who waited, looking furtively at the motley collection of defenders.

  Okay, this is...weird.

  Khan activated his communications unit.

  "Kanjana, I need you here and fast."

  "Understood."

  Khan then checked on his comrades and was happy to see that although all of them were battered and their armour bloodied and scratched, they were all still on their feet and alive.

  Where the hell is Spartan? He's missing one hell of a fight.

  * * *

  70Kms South of Melantias, Karnak

  The sound of thousands of individuals preparing to move sent a continuous stream of shudders through the ground. Spartan kept as low as possible and looked down from their position at the side of the many large boulders. Even one was more than enough to hide an entire platoon of soldiers.

  So, this is it, one commando platoon versus two entire clans. Sounds fair. Khan, my old friend, you're having it easy this time.

 
; The depression moved them below the line of sight of the horizon, and the hundreds of boulders mixed with dust made it the perfect place to hide. In the middle of the depression was the pair of Maglev tracks, and at their sides a cleared open space nearly a hundred metres wide. There were dozens of caves and crags, and the mercenaries had already moved their Skiffs near the fronts of the caves, ready to push inside and out of view at a moment's notice.

  A loud howl signalled that a hidden scout unit was approaching, and Spartan froze. Though only a few centimetres above the rock, he now relied completely upon the advanced three-layer chromatophore plating fitted to the surface of his M-3B armour. Since their arrival, the armour had shifted in tone until almost completely matching his surroundings. To the right he spotted them in the distance, perhaps five kilometres away. It was a trio of three-wheeled scout vehicles, presumably based on some of the many looted civilian vehicles taken from the Byotai.

  What are they doing down there?

  He had a perfect view of the Zuni and Kolchan clans moving slowly along the Maglev system. Escort vehicles were on each side of the line, the track system itself used to carry the bulk of the forces. The line of cars was massive, and Spartan counted dozens of the massive bulk carriers he'd read about on their way to Karnak. He spoke to Syala.

  "Those are designed to carry machinery over long distances. Now look at the modifications."

  He tagged specific sections of the vehicles, stopping to concentrate on the raised section in the middle of each car. There were more Zuni soldiers nearby, and he was struck by how the clan warriors had combined the look of their Spires comrades, but with uniforms and more flamboyant headgear. They couldn't have looked more different, and he suspected that was the only reason for the particular look.

  They really do think they're superior, don't they?

  Spartan looked again at the transport cars and moved along, checking the substantial modifications.

  "That looks like a lookout post with gun ports attached. They are not taking chances."

  Syala looked at it carefully for a second.

  "Yeah, I think you're right. They knew raids like ours were possible, so they've up armoured their transports. Not as useless as Kras thought."

  The name of the Byotai leader sent a shudder down Spartan's spine. He was all too familiar with the repercussions of what Kras had done. The Byotai leader was a classic reminder of never risking everything in a dangerous gamble. The Byotai now held Karnak by the thinnest of margins. Spartan spotted a single clan warrior opening a hatch and looking out into the distance.

  "There must be more than a hundred soldiers in each, and they are tough, really tough. We can't hurt those things with our weapons. At least not without sacrificing our entire force."

  Syala deactivated her faceplate for a moment so that Spartan could see her face.

  "They will follow wherever we lead."

  Spartan knew she was trying to help, but deep down Spartan doubted the mixed force would be willing to lay down all of their lives to fight the clans. This was not their world, and though they'd been paid a great deal of money, he suspected they would also like to be able to spend it.

  They aren't dying out here in this wilderness.

  "We will do what we can, and then withdraw and live to fight another day."

  The two turned their attention back to the banners and insignia of these two new factions. They were unlike the clans he'd met before. He estimated their numbers were similar to those of the Exiles they had brought with them. There were supply depots back at the depression, but footage from the drones showed they were empty of all but a minor garrison. They had been constructed by the clans, and though large in size, were clearly temporary.

  "Okay, so they were not planning on staying, that much we already knew, and it matches the reports and what is in front of us. These numbers are insane, and they are what, a day from the walls?"

  He looked off to the left where there were scores of Byotai ground vehicles moving in three long columns. At their flanks were small groups of scouts, each looking for signs of traps or enemy units. The enemy was making good use of the rail system, as well as the dusty tracks that ran parallel with it to the North. Far off to the South was the city of Montu, and its underground rail network system that controlled the system in all directions. The double line of the Maglev rails running North and South were the only ones to interest Spartan at the moment. That single advanced rail system allowed Maglev trains to travel around Karnak at great speeds, or to help move heavy loads with the minimum of energy. Left unchecked it would allow not just this attack, but constant logistical aid to a major siege.

  "If they keep that rail system operational, they will be able to ship troops and weapons to Melantias every hour. No defences can stand against continuous pressure like that."

  Something unusual caught his eye in the middle of the convoy.

  What are those?

  Spartan altered the optical magnification on his visor. The view shuddered until the stabiliser kicked in and gave him a static, perfectly focused image. A section almost three hundred metres long was blocked off by a series of flat haulage cars filled with the equipment of war. Most were nondescript, but he spotted and tagged ten carrying large sections of heavy metal machinery the size of a crawler. The design was much like the siege weaponry he'd seen used in ground battles before. All of the units were fitted to an oversized metal body, bristling with studs and extra plates. Though not particularly unusual on Human planets, Spartan would never have expected to see Anicinàbe equipped with such weapons.

  That is not good. Those cars are so massive they are using both sets of Maglev lines. They must be the Zuni clan.

  Spartan had not seen the two new clans before, but the reports said the Zuni clan was one of the many fragments of the extinct ancient Anasazi civilisation, a precursor to the modern Anicinàbe. Unlike their kin, the Zuni considered them to be the noble heirs to the ancient empire, and still clung onto their methods of war. Where the Anicinàbe long ago moved to hit and run warfare, the Zuni still relied upon ground combat and heavy weaponry, much like the armies of the Confederacy back in the Uprising.

  That thing must be at least three hundred millimetres in diameter, maybe more.

  The size reminded Spartan of some of the Human super-heavy siege weapons of the war of humanity. Back then, these heavy weapons were the epitome of power, but not now. The weapon system was simple in design, but Spartan knew how dangerous such heavy siege mortars or howitzers would be in battle. A careful look confirmed there were ten of them, each fitted onto a trailer unit that itself was attached to a rail car sitting silently on the Maglev rail.

  Spartan slid back behind the series of boulders and down the dust dune until he was well out of sight. On the other side, also well out of sight were his squad of twelve, as well as two of the Skiffs. He moved down and walked to towards them. The Khreenk soldier from the Dynax Alpha Team grunted, his voice then changed by the sophisticated voice changer. Their translator systems were by far the most advanced. They had seen the same imagery as Spartan, due to the ad-hoc shared networking of the Secgrid system.

  "Those are Hesloss M7 superheavy rocket-assisted siege guns. Designed and manufactured by the Zuni clan. We bought two from them years ago. They are bad news, Major."

  Spartan took in a short breath before speaking.

  "I know. I tagged ten of them. But they have plenty more things we need to worry about."

  "Yes," said the Khreenk mercenary, "The Zuni are here in force, and we will have to do something about them."

  Spartan shook his head and looked behind him to the North where large numbers of the enemy were already moving away. These forces were following a different set of tracks that would follow a rougher, yet more direct route to Melantias. From that direction a low rumbling sound was already beginning to fade. Spartan nodded towards it and waited as the Khreenk soldier activated a unit on his backpack. A small device extended up on a long flexible,
transparent cable, like a thin snake unfurling from its hiding place. The top lifted up over the boulder and sent live video back to the rest of the unit.

  "No, my friend, I'm much more concerned with those," said Spartan.

  They all looked on in silence until Syala said what they were all thinking.

  "Lizards? Are you kidding me?"

  The Khreenk warrior laughed quietly.

  "So, it is true. The Kolchan are here, and they have brought their beasts with them."

  He turned away from the footage and back to Syala and Spartan.

  "The Kolchan live among these creatures and learn to hunt and ride them as children. They can cover more than a hundred kilometres in a single day, only resting at night. They will move swiftly and arrive with the energy to attack the walls."

  Spartan ran his hand along his chin. Syala continued to watch the creatures, trying to count them before finally giving up.

  "There are hundreds of them, and not all are mounted."

  "True," said the Khreenk, "I have never seen this, but it is rumoured they have trained many of their native beasts to travel with them, to carry equipment and sometimes even to fight."

  Spartan sighed as he double-checked the overhead imagery one last time. The immediate threat to Khan and his friends was this wave of Kolchan warriors. Combined with the Red Scars already near the walls, they would be able to throw thousands against the defences. He then brought up the imagery of the guns and the vast legions of the Zuni clan.

  "The Zuni, Red Scars, and Kolchan will have enough between them to cripple Melantias and turn it to a wasteland. Once those siege guns are in position, the wall will be breached, and the civilians will plead for their lives. I doubt Nakoma will have to even lift a finger to end the battle."

  Spartan's helmet was open, and though concerned, it was easy to see the beaming grin, even through the messy beard he now always sported.

  "Khan will hold, no matter how many soldiers hit the walls. But not even he can hold against heavy siege guns. So we even the odds and hit the siege engines."