Carthage Prime

by Toby Neighbors

  “Radar’s up,” Nyx heard Lieutenant Cooper announce as she headed out into the cold.

  It didn’t take long to find the other controllers. They were in the drop ship, and they followed Nyx back to the multipurpose building. None of them had heavy coats, and being out in the freezing weather was unpleasant. Nyx knew that if they got stuck outside, they would die from exposure. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but there had been no time to gather warm coats and heavy boots for the sixty controllers who left the safety of the Republic to go planet-side and assist their operators.

  The operators were all in their MBS’s, which would keep them warm and ready just in case the camp was attacked. It also freed up space in the barracks for the controllers to sleep. When Nyx returned to the multipurpose building, the first reports from Tunis’s long-range radar were coming in.

  “Eight drop ships,” Lieutenant Cooper said. He was holding an old-fashioned over-the-ear headset with one hand, keeping one of the ear cups pressed to the side of his head. “Military grade. They’re all on the same trajectory.”

  Master Sergeant Brooks’ counterpart stood up again. “Confirmed. Brooks just got word from the Zen Tech carrier that eight ships were being deployed to his location. He assured them that the space pad was clear and ready to receive all eight ships.”

  “Outstanding,” Captain Chastain said. “Zen Tech has already lost two companies and at least as many drones. If we take out eight of their drop ships, they won’t have the will to keep fighting.”

  “It would be a devastating loss,” Lieutenant Cooper said.

  “They’re the aggressors, and we have the mining rights,” Chastain said. “Plus, we saved the FTA colony, so that’s all good press for us. As long as this surprise attack goes well, we stand to gain a significant victory.”

  There was a feeling of quiet desperation. The entire plan hinged on Nyx’s idea. She had really been just trying to give Alex a reason to spare the lives of the survivors. They hadn’t discussed it, but she could hear the trepidation in his voice when the gung-ho operators wanted to rush in and kill anything that survived the missile attack. He had contributed as much to the plan as she had, and Captain Chastain had molded their crude idea into an actionable strategy with a real shot of working. All that was left to do was wait and see.

  Nyx unmuted her mic and whispered, “Alex, you should wake up now.”

  She heard a groan in her headset.

  “Can’t rub my eyes,” Alex replied. “Oh, this sucks.”

  “Sorry, but the drop ships are on their way,” Nyx said.

  From across the room, Lieutenant Cooper announced in a loud voice, “We’re picking up the drop ships on our radar now. Eighty thousand meters and descending.”

  It crossed Nyx’s mind that everything was happening fast now. She had been getting bored waiting before, with the tension and fear weighing down on her. She had even wished the attack would just begin so that they could get it over with—yet now that it was starting, it seemed too soon.

  “There are eight drop ships,” Nyx said. The other controllers were whispering away beside her. “Military grade.”

  “Does that mean they have weapons?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, and armor,” Nyx said. “You’ll need to target their engines and watch out for return fire. I don’t know what type of ship it is, and we can’t know what type of weapons they’ll have.”

  “All right. At least we know they’re coming.”

  “That’s right. We have the ships on radar now, so if any escape, I’ll help you keep track of them.”

  “Roger that, and thank you. I better touch base with my team, he said. Dang, my nose itches.”

  She laughed. She wasn’t sure if he really meant it or if he was just trying to lighten the mood. It seemed impossible that he could be trying to comfort her before flying into harm’s way himself, yet she thought that maybe he was.

  “Be careful, Alex.”

  There was a slight pause, and then she heard his voice. It sounded small and far away.

  “Always.”

  Chapter 29

  “Titan team,” Alex said. “Sound off.”

  “Titan two, standing by,” Newt said.

  “Why’s it so dark?” Sly said.

  “The sun’s going down, you dolt,” Ash said. “We’re ready, Ace.”

  “Good deal,” Alex said. “You all get word on the raiders?”

  “Eight ships,” Newt said.

  “Military grade,” Ash added.

  Be careful, Alex.

  Nyx’s voice in his mind was a comfort. Even though he couldn’t actually hear her voice since the messages she sent were carried through his INC and transmitted straight into his brain, he could detect the concern in her voice.

  “Always,” he said, trying to sound confident.

  “I wish we were already in the air,” Ash said.

  “Yeah, that would be better,” Sly agreed.

  “Just stay cool, people,” Alex said. “We might get lucky and not even need to engage.”

  “You really think that?” Newt said.

  “Like Master Sergeant Gellar says, Newt: hope for the best, but plan for the worst.”

  “The worst would be that only one or two ships get destroyed in the initial attack,” Ash said.

  “We can’t do more than we can do,” Alex said. “The first few ships shouldn’t be a concern. We’ll label them all anyway—Alpha through Hotel—and assign each of us at least one. Ash and I will take two, just in case.”

  Designating Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, and Hotel. They’re passing fifty thousand meters.

  “Thanks,” Alex replied. “Any chance the other controllers have the same designations?”

  We’re sitting side by side, getting a radar feed from the same unit. Captain Chastain already designated the drop ships.

  “All right,” Alex said over the team channel. “Time to get ready. Make sure your Titan has all systems activated and that you are ready for takeoff. Ash, you have targets Charlie and Golf.”

  “Roger that,” she replied. “All systems ready. I have Charlie and Golf.”

  “Newt, you’ve got Echo.”

  “What do I do if Echo gets destroyed?” Newt asked.

  “Then you help me,” Alex said.

  “All right, sure, team leader,” Newt said. “All systems are green, and I have target Echo.”

  “Sly, you’ve got Foxtrot.”

  “Foxtrot and ready to rock,” Sly said.

  “I’m taking Delta and Hotel,” Alex said.

  The drop ships are passing twenty-five thousand meters.

  “Thank you, Nyx,” Alex said. “All right, make sure you’ve got ears open on the command channel. No unnecessary chatter.”

  They all acknowledged his order. Alex felt strange giving his friends orders. In his eyes, they were equals, but someone had to coordinate their efforts. He wouldn’t have minded if it had fallen to someone else, but for the moment it was his responsibility. He had done everything he could to get them all ready. All that remained was to wait and see how things unfolded.

  Master Sergeant Brooks called for radio silence when the drop ships reached twenty thousand meters. Alex was looking up and had the Titan’s optics zoomed in. The sky was a soft pink color as the sun set. He hoped it wouldn’t become fully dark until after the attack. The lack of light would only make things more difficult, and he didn’t want any accidents.

  At ten thousand meters the ships came into view. Alex had no idea how high they were, but he was sure they were still very far away. They were descending in a regulation spiral. The sight of eight war ships approaching made him nervous. If they knew about the ambush, they could strike first, from the air, and wipe out the Ahzco forces. Alex thought that perhaps Ash and Sly would survive. He almost wished that Newt were in the colony, hidden among the warehouses the way he was. But it was too late to change anything.

  Soon he could hear the whine of engines. What s
urprised Alex the most was that he also heard—or felt—the EM waves from the ships and perhaps from the Zen Tech battle suits, as well. Their technology was different from Ahzco’s, but it all used power the same way, and each of the advanced fighting machines used computers to help operate the sophisticated devices. He wanted to ask his friends if they heard it as well, but he didn’t break radio silence. The drop ships were getting close—only a thousand meters up and still descending. If they were planning to attack, they would have to break formation soon.

  As the lead ship descended to five hundred meters Alex could tell the vessels were spaced several hundred meters apart. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, they would land and wait to deploy the MBS’s they carried on board, but he doubted it. The first ship slowed slightly as it hovered over one of the landing pads. Then it came down as the next ship began to move into position.

  They’re buying it, Alex thought to himself. He realized they had a chance—a real shot at making the ambush work. The second ship, Bravo, landed, and Alex felt himself mentally urging the others to descend. It landed just as the first ship opened the large hatch on its side. Alex couldn’t see it from where he was hiding. The MBS’s on board, Zen Tech’s state-of-the-art Viper-class battle suits, came gliding out. They looked like coiled serpents with their heads raised, ready to strike. The third ship had just landed, and the fourth was hovering twenty meters above its designated landing strip when the first explosion ripped through the Alpha ship. It blew apart, sending shards of concrete and metal flying in all directions. The ground shook from the explosion, and a fireball flashed upward as black smoke billowed up.

  The hidden Ahzco MBS opened fire on the vipers as the second landing pad exploded. It was a sudden and complete shift from calm to chaos. The third pad blew, and then the fourth. The ship designated Delta was only fifteen meters up and tried to pull away, but the blast from below engulfed the ship. It went down but didn’t explode. The Vipers inside were set free, and after getting free of the drop ship, began to fight back.

  “Go, go, go,” Alex said. It was an order to his fellow Titans, but also to Nyx.

  He walked forward two strides so that he was in between two massive warehouses with nothing overhead. The repulsers kicked on and the thrusters fired, shooting Alex straight up in the air. The four remaining drop ships were scrambling. Echo and Foxtrot were close to the carnage and trying to pull away. Both ships were under fire from Ahzco forces on the ground. Alex saw missiles racing up. Echo was too slow and exploded over one of the warehouses. It crashed down, bursting through the roof of the building and breaking apart. Alex was sure that a fire had started in the warehouse and hoped there was nothing explosive or flammable inside.

  Foxtrot was running and had outpaced the fire from the ground forces. It was skimming the treetops and never saw Sly slip up from behind and fire two missiles at close range. If he hadn’t kept ascending, his Titan would have been caught in the backlash. The missiles impacted the drop ship’s exhaust and sent fire billowing out, just a second before the entire ship exploded.

  “Foxtrot’s down,” Sly said.

  “Echo too,” Newt said.

  But Golf and Hotel were turning, their guns pointed down toward the ground troops. Alex raised his left arm, pointing toward the approaching ships, and fired missiles. A chattering of automatic projectile fire roared from the drop ships as both pulled up and apart from each other. Chaff filled the air above the fight, and the missiles were fooled, shooting through the smoke and detonating on the far side over the forest.

  “They’re running,” Ash said.

  “Not for long,” Alex replied. “Newt, you’re with me. Sly, stick with Ash.”

  “Yeah, try and keep up,” Ash said as the four FA Titans raced after the drop ships in the twilight of Carthage Prime.

  Chapter 29

  The Titans were fast not because they had large engines, but because they weren’t as heavy as a traditional ship—but the military-grade drop ships from Zen Tech weren’t slow. They had massive engine capacity that could take them out from the surface of a planet and into outer space. Alex saw the drop ship drop low and knew that if had a chance, it would deploy the Viper MBS’s. That was their main objective: once the operators were out of the ship, it would turn and fight. He couldn’t let that happen.

  “Missiles, Newt,” Alex said.

  “Roger that,” his companion replied.

  They fired two missiles each. Alex saw the contrails as the rockets shot toward the drop ship. The ship dropped a thermobaric warhead and used its repulsers to push the large vessel into the sky. The bomb detonated on the ground and sent a wave of fire rolling across the rugged landscape. The Titans’ heat-seeking missiles were drawn to the fire and exploded on the ground, sending up fountains of charred topsoil, black smoke, and steam from melting snow.

  The drop ship twisted in the air and faced the Titans. Alex and Newt took off in different directions as two missiles were launched toward them.

  “Nyx!” Alex said.

  Deploying flares. Pull up!

  In many circumstances, Alex could control the Titan’s functions without help. His INC gave him full control of the MBS, but when he was under fire, all he could focus on was flying. Nyx had to do the rest.

  “Don’t lose the drop ship,” Alex said.

  He was taking a page out of the Zen Tech pilot’s playbook. He dropped low to the ground and skimmed just meters above the surface. He was familiar enough with the terrain to know that south of the city, the land spread out in a long, flat plain.

  The flares worked!

  Alex was about to respond when an explosion not far away stole the words from his mouth. There was a tightness in his chest, and fear clawed at him like a wild animal stuck in a trap.

  The drop ship is attempting to land again. She’s two kilometers ahead of you. Switching to night vision.

  Twilight had quickly shifted to full darkness. There were stars overhead but very little ambient light on the surface of the planet. Fire from the attack was far away, and the colony had very little outdoor lighting. Yet with night vision, Alex could suddenly see everything. The image in his brain was slightly different—a monochrome image, but sharp. He could see the drop ship descending. He needed to get the vessel higher so that when he took it out, the crash would kill the operators inside. He raised his right arm and pulled the trigger on the Titan’s joystick. A stream of soft-alloy projectiles went screaming toward the ship. Some hit the thick armor, doing little damage, and others hit the ground. Alex wasn’t hoping to bring down the drop ship—in fact, he was trying to get it up. The vessel was the most vulnerable on the ground, and taking fire was enough to get it moving again.

  It’s running, Nyx said.

  The Zen Tech ship took off with a roar, but Alex didn’t care. He worked his jaw, trying to get the words out of his mouth.

  “Newt?”

  There was no answer, and his eyes filled with tears. He felt them spill over and run down his face.

  His MBS is down. I don’t know if he’s okay.

  Grief was even more debilitating than fear. Alex knew that for the moment he had to set it aside, but knowing what needed to be done and having the strength to do it were two completely separate things. Alex circled back toward his friend and teammate. Coming under missile fire at close range was exceedingly dangerous, and if not for Nyx’s fast reaction, Alex might have been killed. He could only hope that Newt survived.

  Alex, the drop ship is getting away.

  He could see wreckage on the ground. The Titan seemed mostly intact, but Alex could see charred and twisted metal. One of the gun placements was missing, and smoke was rising from the fallen MBS.

  Alex?

  “Okay,” he said, his grief suddenly boiling into total rage.

  He turned again and gave the Titan full power. He shot ahead like a bullet. The drop ship was screaming through the night, trying to get enough distance from him to set down somewhere on the planet. Alex cou
ld hear the chatter from the spaceport. Echo and Romeo Companies were in a pitched battle with the Vipers that had escaped from the fourth Zen Tech ship that crashed but didn’t blow up. He could only imagine how difficult the smoking hulls of the ruined drop ships made the battle. With fires burning, not to mention the roiling, black smoke, night vision would be impaired.

  The fleeing drop ship was nearly ten kilometers ahead of him and once more descending for a rapid landing and deployment. Alex had heard of ground-based forces training to disembark as rapidly as possible, but being a Titan operator, he hadn’t done that type of drill himself. He was flying with both of his arms extended over his head so that the weapons he controlled were pointing forward, ready to fire. The drop ship was hard to see in the distance, but it wasn’t out of range of his missiles.

  “Firing missiles,” Alex said, as much to himself at to Nyx.

  Target locked.

  Alex knew what was about to happen. The drop ship was low to the ground. As soon as he launched the missiles, a warning would go off in the cockpit of the drop ship and the pilot would evade. The mini rockets propelling the Titan’s missiles were designed for short flights and didn’t have a lot of maneuvering capability. Alex knew the pilot would have just enough time to fire his counter measures and evade the missiles. He waited a full second, then fired his auto cannon into the air, above the drop ship. There was no warning about the rain of projectiles, and the pilot flew straight into them. Most were stopped by the ship’s armor, but the pilot was giving the vessel full power to escape the missiles, which opened up the ship’s armored exhaust ports. Several of the high-caliber projectiles found the ship’s weakest area and tore through the exhaust and into the engines.

  “Yes,” Alex said, as black smoke went flooding from the ship’s exhaust.

  It’s running. Looks like perhaps it’s being recalled.

  The ship was wounded, but not disabled. It was climbing hard and fast. Alex followed. It made sense that the Zen Tech officers would try to salvage what they could from the trap they had stumbled into. But Alex wasn’t through. He followed the ship upward, biding his time for the perfect shot.