“If they’ve painted the kamis white,” Sly said. “They’ll be hard to see against the snow.”
“Keep trying,” Alex said. “We don’t quit because something’s hard.”
Ten minutes later, the drones were visible. A large group of small hovercraft, they looked like dots far below. Fortunately, they were bunched together.
“Should I engage?” Ash asked.
“No, wait for me and Sly to catch up to your position. We’ll hit them in a cross-fire.”
“Ace, there are at least a hundred of them,” Ash said. “Half that many could destroy the entire colony.”
“You’ve got eyes on them, Ash,” Alex said. “Call it in.”
You’ll be at her position in sixty-eight seconds at this speed.
“Thanks, Nyx,” Alex said.
“Republic, this is Titan Four. I have eyes on the kamikaze drones,” Ash said.
“We read you, Titan Four,” came the reply from the starship in orbit above the planet. “Titan Team leader will coordinate the strike.”
“Let’s go with soft-alloy rounds,” Alex said. “Ash, you’ve got point. Sly, you take the east flank. I’ll go west.”
Spinning up soft-alloy projectiles, fully automatic. You’re two hundred kilometers from Tunis. The drones are half an hour from the city at their current speed.
“Now’s the time to stop them, then,” Alex said, angling down and to his left. “Sly, what’s your position?”
“Almost there, Ace,” Sly responded. “I just need a few more seconds.”
“They’re on to us,” Ash said. “The horde is starting to break apart.”
Alex could see what she meant. Just seconds before they had been moving in close proximity to one another, but they were starting to spread out.
“Hit them now,” Alex said. “Before it’s too late.”
Ash’s cannon opened fire. Tracer rounds showed the barrage of projectiles raining down onto the drones. Alex wasn’t prepared for the explosions. They blossomed like huge, fiery pillars shooting upward and crowned with dense, black smoke. There were multiple explosions, but the drones were spreading wide in an effort to avoid Ash’s gunfire.
“Here we go,” Alex said quietly.
He squeezed the trigger on the right-hand joystick. His own barrage of soft metal bullets shot out. They were heavy but aerodynamic, with small fins that helped them fly true. Alex aimed high and let the planet’s gravity pull the projectiles down in a gentle arc. The first bullets missed, but Alex quickly adjusted his aim. Explosions bloomed, and the sound rolled out toward Alex like distant thunder. He was hovering fifteen hundred meters above the ground. The drones were spreading out, trying to avoid the incoming fire from the Titans. The smoke was beginning to block their ability to target the drones.
Sly came in from behind the drones and rained fire down onto the group. Those bunched together were caught in the explosions, creating a domino effect, but out of the chaos nearly a quarter of their number escaped. They spread out, creating distance between them and forcing the Titan operators to target them individually.
“Switch me to lasers,” Alex said.
“They’re speeding up,” Ash called out.
I think the air-to-ground missiles would be more effective.
“We have a limited number of missiles, and we still have to deal with those Hunters,” Alex said. “Stick with the lasers.”
Roger that.
“Take them out one by one,” Alex said. “We can’t let any get to the city.”
“Roger that, team leader,” Sly said.
Laser cannon is charged and ready.
“Thanks, Nyx,” Alex said. “Sly, get high enough to keep them all in sight.”
He fired at the nearest drone, but its armor was magnetically shielded. The beam of red light, visible to Alex via the Titan’s enhanced optics, bounced off the drone.
“They’ve got shields,” he said.
“Switching to missiles,” Ash said.
She fired seven missiles in rapid succession. Alex saw them flying like tiny rockets, leaving pinstripe contrails in their wake. They spread out, each one targeting an individual drone and taking them out in spectacular fashion.
“You were right, switch me to missiles,” Alex said to Nyx. He expected her to gloat, or at least tease him a little, but Nyx was all business.
Air-to-ground missiles are ready. Fire as they lock onto their targets.
Alex could have let the targeting software communicate with his brain directly, but the information was overwhelming. He held it back, just taking note when a drone was locked on. He fired his own missiles, six in all. Sly was sending down more as he rose up through the air. The drones were running fast, picking up speed as they charged across the snowy ground. But they couldn’t outrun the missiles. Alex had to fly back to avoid the first and closest detonation. He felt the shockwave rock his Titan, but he knew he wasn’t in danger of taking damage.
That was close.
“Yeah, those drones pack a punch,” Alex said. “Newt, what’s your status?”
“I can see the explosions,” Newt said. “Mostly the smoke. The Hunters have slowed, but they’re still proceeding, just with more caution. They’re spreading out in a long line. A few have tried to target me, but I’m up to thirty thousand meters and they haven’t fired yet.”
“Do you have a solid number?” Alex asked.
“Forty-eight,” Newt said.
There are two more drones, Nyx warned him.
Alex gave pursuit and took them out with missiles, as Ashton finished off the final drone.
“Looks like we’re clear,” Sly declared.
There could be more hiding in the smoke, biding their time.
“Good point,” Alex said. “Sly, you stay here. Watch for anything moving. Ash, you mop up any that might be hiding in the smoke.”
“Copy that,” Ash said.
“Don’t forget there are MBS’s moving this way,” Alex warned his team. “If they have ground-to-air missiles, you go high as fast as you can. Don’t engage until you hear from me. I’m heading to the colony to coordinate the defense with Romeo Company.”
“Do your thing, Ace,” Sly replied. “We’ve got this.”
Alex hated leaving the others behind, but he was confident they had things under control. He wouldn’t be out of contact, just out of sight. He needed to find out how Romeo Company planned to defend the city against forty-eight enemy MBS’s and how Alex’s team of four FA Titans could best be deployed to help.
It took several minutes to reach the colony once Alex got the Titan back up to top speed. He began a long, spiral descent that gave him a good view of the colony. Alex didn’t know much about Tunis, but it appeared to be built right on the snow line. One side of the city was surrounded by dark green grass, but the other had a light dusting of snow. There were trees on the outskirts of the hastily constructed village. One end of Tunis was lined with reinforced landing pads, and Alex saw several cargo ships lined up in the spaceport. The colony itself was built in sections. There were warehouses next to the spaceport—large, nondescript buildings built to hold goods from building supplies to toys and games. Next to the warehouse district was an industrial space. Solar and wind power was being harnessed, water was being filtered and recycled, and there were even large-scale fabricators operated by powerful computers to create custom parts and materials needed by the colonists. A river separated the colony right down the middle. The housing, shopping, and entertainment sections were on the opposite side of the river from the spaceport.
Alex saw the drop ship offloading the MBS’s from Romeo Company onto one of the large landing pads. He opened his com-link to the command channel and radioed to Master Sergeant Brooks.
“Titan One calling Master Sergeant Brooks of Romeo Company. Do you read?”
“I have you five by five, Titan One,” came Brooks’ familiar voice.
“We’ve taken out the kamikaze drones,” Alex said. “But there
are almost fifty Zen Tech Hunters headed your way.”
“We just got the word,” Brooks said. “Romeo Company is taking the lead in defending the city. Echo Company is being rallied, but that still leaves us outnumbered two to one.”
“Tell us how we can even the odds,” Alex said.
“The best way to protect the city is to take out the Hunters before they get here. Those bastards have a long reach, though. Primex ground-to-air missiles can reach up to seventy-five thousand meters, and their laser cannons pack a punch. Is there any cover between us? What’s the ground like?”
“Flat, snowy—there aren’t even any trees to the south, Master Sergeant,” Alex said. “It’s all open country.”
“That just figures,” Brooks said.
Alex could see the master sergeant’s AT Interceptor leading his platoon from the airfield. There were three Interceptors, tank-like hovercraft, and nine Destroyers that trundled along on treads with twin cannons and thick armor.
“What can you tell me about Echo Company?” Brooks asked.
“Three Interceptors, two Destroyers, four Minotaurs, and a Medic,” Alex said. “We’re part of Echo Company, and this is our first combat engagement.”
“Who’s in charge?” Brooks asked.
“That would be me,” Master Sergeant Geller said over the com-link. “Master Sergeant Kay Gellar. We’re suited up and ready. We’ll meet you on the south side of town.”
“Outstanding,” Brooks said. “This is shaping up into a decent fight. Let’s combine our Interceptors and Destroyers at the center of the line. The Titans and Minotaurs can work the flanks”
“Works for me,” Gellar said.
Alex had to wait for the land-based MBS’s to maneuver through the city and converge on the south side of the colony. There was no time to build defenses. The Free Trade Association had founded the colony, but they had no military, and the city was constructed without thought for any type of protection. Corporate raiders were always a threat, but they usually only attacked other large business holdings. The planet was too far away from the highly populated civil worlds where attacks on the innocent would be punished. On the edge of humanity’s galactic expansion, only the strong survived.
“We’ve cleaned out the kamis, Ace,” Ash said. “What now?”
“How far out is that group of Hunters?” Alex asked.
“Still a hundred kilometers, team leader,” Newt said. “The colony will be in range in half an hour at their current speed.”
“Great,” Alex said. “We’re outnumbered and out of time.”
“What’s the matter, Ace?” came a snarky voice Alex hadn’t expected to hear. He was still circling the colony, and Oggy was part of Echo Company below him. “Are you afraid? Leave the fighting to us. You should go back to the ship and keep the simulators running.”
“Can that chatter, Oggy,” Gellar snarled. “No one speaks unless they are asked a direct question or reporting actionable intel.”
“Yes, Master Sergeant,” Oggy replied.
Alex smiled. He didn’t want to be petty, but it made him happy to hear Oggy put in his place.
“All units, all units,” a new voice broke in. Alex recognized Captain Chastain’s calm diction. “We are now at red alert. Zen Tech vessels have entered the system. Stand by for further orders.”
Alex waited, wondering what was happening.
“Nyx?”
I’m checking it, she replied. Looks like three ships. A carrier like the Republic and two escort ships.
“Dang,” Alex said. “That seems excessive.”
They’ll outnumber us in orbit and on the ground. We might have to retreat.
“You mean leave the planet to Zen Tech?”
It’s possible. They have the numbers, and we can’t afford to lose this many CDF assets.
“Doesn’t feel right to run,” Alex said.
They just want the planet’s resources.
“Which we’ve already paid for.”
The brass will find a way to get their money back.
“And what about our pride?”
It’s not worth dying for.
Alex knew she was right, but until he was told to run, he was going to fight. And a plan was already forming in his mind.
“Master Sergeant Brooks, Master Sergeant Gellar,” he said on the open channel of his com-link. “What if we try this?”
Chapter 25
Alex was hovering just below eighty thousand meters, barely under Carthage Prime’s thermosphere. Nothing was visible on the ground—just the dazzling reflection of light from the snow and ice. Alex could see the curve of the planet, and despite the daylight, he could see stars overhead.
“Are you ready?” Alex asked.
Almost. Even computers take time to crunch equations this big.
Master Sergeant Brooks had agreed with Alex’s plan. The problem with attacking the Zen Tech Hunters was their long-range weapons. There was no way to hit them without coming under their return fire. Instead, Alex had designated an area far enough from their own MBS’s but large enough that munitions would have time to reach them. The controllers had changed the programming on the Titans, allowing Alex and his team to dump their supply of air-to-ground missiles. The computers were calculating the time it would take them to fall down to the troposphere where they would be activated, hopefully directly over the Zen Tech Hunters. Their heat-seeking directional guidance would send them hurtling toward the enemy. It was all theoretical and would use up all their missiles, leaving them only the short-range projectiles and laser cannons. Still, it would strike the first blow in the fight without risking any of the CDF operators. If they could succeed in taking out half of the Zen Tech Hunters, it would even the odds.
“I’d rather fight them directly,” Ash said. “We’re much faster than they are.”
“You’re not faster than a missile,” Newt said.
“You’ll get a chance,” Alex insisted. “But let’s give this a shot.”
Almost ready. Prepare to drop munitions.
“Roger that. Get ready to drop your payloads,” Alex said.
Now!
Alex knew the other controllers would have given their operators the same order. He willed the missiles to fire, squeezing the trigger on his left joystick. There was no sound. The missiles, which rotated through a compartment and into the launch nozzle, dropped out in a stream of deadly firepower. There was no exhaust, no contrails. The missiles fell away from him, pulled by gravity through the planet’s atmosphere toward the targets far below. When the last missile dropped, an alert warning went off inside the Titan.
“I’m out,” Alex said.
“Me too,” Ash replied.
“And me,” Sly added.
Newt still had a full complement of missiles and was taking longer to disgorge his supply.
“Ash, get moving. I want visual confirmation, but don’t get too close. I don’t want you coming under fire.”
Ash had taken off before he finished giving her the order.
“I’m done,” Newt said.
“All right. Sly, you’re with Ash on the eastern flank. Newt, you’re with me.”
“Roger that, Ace,” Sly said.
They all began a slow, arcing descent toward the line of defenders.
Missiles passing ten thousand meters. Activating munitions now.
The Hunters were spread out in a long line. They weren’t in a perfect row—the uneven terrain made that impossible—but they were in good formation. Alex zoomed in his optics as far as they would go, trying to maintain enough distance from the raiders to keep them from firing at him.
The Zen Tech operators realized the danger they were in and began firing in hopes of destroying the missiles before they could reach their targets. Laser blasts and projectiles were hurled upwards, hitting some of the missiles, which exploded harmlessly in the air. Alex felt a knot form in his gut. What if they wasted all their missiles and the attack was a complete failure? He thought fo
r a moment that he might be sick, and he wondered what would happen inside the Titan battle suit if he were to vomit.
Fortunately, he didn’t find out. The first of the missiles to hit the targets did so in devastating fashion. The entire attack happened quickly. Explosions made the ground tremble and billowing smoke made it hard to see as over a hundred missiles hit the ground in the space of a few seconds. Then everything was quiet.
“What happened?” Master Sergeant Brooks said. “Who has eyes on the impact zone?”
Alex could see part, but not all of the area. What he could see was obscured by black smoke. He was just about to respond to the request, but Ash beat him to it.
“I’m moving in,” she said.
“Careful,” he warned her, but Ash was fearless. She wasn’t a fool, but caution simply wasn’t in her nature.
Alex flew upward, trying to see through the smoke. The good news was that the Zen Tech advance had stopped. Alex had expected to see several of the Hunters charge through the smoke into the open ground on the other side, but none did. It made him nervous.
“Looks like there’s some movement down there,” Ash said. “A few survivors.”
“My team will finish them off,” Oggy said. “Minotaurs, move in.”
Alex saw the Fast-Attack Minotaurs charging forward at full speed. The battle suits on six wheels kicked up large amounts of snow behind them like white tails.
“Romeo Company, hold your positions,” Master Sergeant Brooks ordered.
Alex waited for Master Sergeant Gellar to call Oggy back, but she was silent. The Minotaurs were fast, but they had a lot of ground to cover. Smoke was clearing in some areas, and Alex could see that a few of the operators in the Zen Tech Hunters were alive. Their battle suits were ruined, but a few of the men and women inside them had survived. There was a small amount of pride in knowing that his plan had worked, but another part of him felt sick. One operator that he could see through the smoke was covered in blood as he crawled from the wreckage of his MBS.
“Master Sergeant,” Alex said. “It might be better to hold back the Minotaurs.”
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