by John Walker
“Yes, sir. They’re practically throwing their lives away against us. It’s getting pretty intense.”
“Understood. We’ll clear your six then head in with you. A little overwhelming force I’m hoping.”
“We’d be better off with a flank if you can manage it.”
“That would take a lot more time to get into position, I’m afraid.” Hoffner hummed. “Let’s reach out to our kielan partners and see where they’re at. Maybe they can get in there.”
Jenks sighed. “I’m on it, sir.” He sent out a ping to the kielans, hoping they were on the right frequency. A quick message met initially with static then came through so hot it hurt. “This is Vinthari Lhar Xi’Reth. Who am I speaking with?”
“This is Sergeant Jenks and we’re at the maintenance elevator. We need some flanking support on the enemy held up in here. Can you assist?”
“We attempted to take the regular elevator but it was too heavily guarded,” Lhar replied. “Show me your position on scans. We’re currently moving steadily through the base.”
Jenks sent him the coordinates through the schematic. He had to move deeper into the room and press himself against the wall. A shot bounced off the wall and nearly caught him in the thigh. One of his men cried out and hit the floor, crawling backward after taking a round to the chest. His armor stopped it but the impact knocked the wind out of him.
“Whatever we’re going to do, we have to do it quick!” Jenks cried. “This firefight can’t go on!”
“I understand,” Lhar said. “I see where you’re at and we’ll be able to flank. I’ll send you a message when our proximity closes.”
“Thanks.” Jenks looked down the hall just in time to see Walsh running back. He dropped to the ground as one of the enemy unloaded a magazine, firing thirty rounds into the room before falling back to cover. “You okay?”
“Yeah, he missed.” Walsh rolled out of the way and reclaimed his feet. “Stupid bastard let the recoil pull his shots up. Anyway, Rodriguez got the relay going. We’ll be able to lock that elevator down in just a moment.”
“About time,” Jenks muttered. “Hoffner’s outside the door and Lhar’s going to be able to flank. We should have this in no time.”
“Charge them!” The words made Jenks slump at the shoulders. He gestured for his men to fall back.
“Form a fire line on either side of the hallway! You fire at anything that comes through there, you get me?”
“We get you, sir!” The men cried in unison, forming two lines to either side of the door and a good five feet back. They heard a crowd start shouting, building up the courage to assault them. A moment later, boots pounded the deck. The first three guys through the door were turned into ground beef, their chests torn apart by rifle fire.
A couple head shots made it merciful.
This didn’t stop the others from spilling in, firing their weapons like wild men without direction of aiming. Even as the marines dropped to a knee, a couple were hit, knocked to the ground by the undisciplined attack. A good ten bodies stacked up at the door. An eleventh threw himself over the pile, clutching a grenade in his hand.
“For My Lord!” He screamed, his voice cracking as he landed on the ground.
“No!” Private Verez broke from the line, tossing himself onto the grenade. Jenks didn’t even have time to call out to the man before the explosive went off, tossing the man’s body three feet in the air and depositing it to the ground like a discarded toy. The chest cavity was empty, exposed meat glistening in the light.
“Dear God!” Jenks hit the wall. “Are there any more?”
“Affirmative, sir!” Private Pios shouted. “They’re stacking up but not charging!”
Jenks turned to Walsh. “Where the hell is everyone?”
“They’ll be here, man…they’ll…” Walsh tried to sound convincing but he couldn’t bring himself to it. He shook his head, refusing to look at the body of their friend.
More gunfire filled the halls, echoing from the Orion’s Light contingent that started firing again. Rodriguez burst into the room and nearly tripped over Verez. “Whoa! What the hell? Verez!”
“He’s gone,” Jenks didn’t want to sound so cold but he needed some answers. “What happened? Is the elevator locked down? I need a report!”
“Yes, sir! Elevator is locked. No one’s going in that thing before we get on board.”
“Finally something went our way,” Jenks muttered.
“I also unlocked the door. Captain Hoffner and his men are on their way in.”
“This is Lhar,” the kielan’s voice crackled over their coms. “Please take cover and do not fire. We are entering the area of operation.”
Jenks called out a cease fire and Walsh shouted it as well, pulling men out of the line of fire and away from the hallway. At first, only the enemy’s weapons could be heard. Then, a moment later the higher pitched whine of kielan assault rifles went off followed by a series of horrified screams.
Hoffner and his men burst into the room, quickly surveyed the situation and took cover with the others. A variety of shots littered the walls and door opposite the hallway where Lhar’s men took on the Orion’s Light. Jenks watched his scanner as blips vanished in rapid succession.
Com chatter from the kielans came out efficient and brief. They marked targets, called shots, provided one another with backup and kept track of enemy numbers. Jenks and Walsh exchanged glances. Though their own people were certainly disciplined, they rarely sounded quite so textbook.
“Not sure if I’m for this or against it,” Jenks said.
“Me either but it’s impressive and they’re ripping those pricks a new one so I’m good with it.” Walsh chuckled. “They’re down to five guys left.”
“Too bad they won’t surrender,” Hoffner added. “Stubborn bastards.”
Gunfire suddenly went silent. Jenks ears seemed to ring even as he knew it was impossible. The helmet kept his hearing protected from the loud noises but instinctively, he knew he should be hampered by all the explosions. He checked his scanner and only friendlies remained in the immediate area.
They did it!
“Come down,” Lhar said, “we’re securing the elevator area now.”
“You heard the man,” Hoffner said. “Let’s get down there. Pios and Gort.” He gestured to the body of Verez. “Police this man for return to the Behemoth. I want him ready for transport by the time we’re back.”
“Yes, sir.” The two men replied at once and went about the gruesome task. Jenks turned away. He hadn’t been able to take a moment to process what happened and truly, he still didn’t have time but as they paced down the hallway to join the kielans, he found himself drifting down a bad path.
Snap out of it, man. This isn’t the time. Verez wouldn’t want you to risk this whole op thinking about him right now.
Despite the notion, Jenks couldn’t help but remember what kind of man Verez was outside the job. He tended to make people laugh, he loved artsy movies no one understood and he always had a new fad diet to tell the men about. He didn’t commit himself to the military like some kind of lifer but he was a hundred percent committed to his job.
I’ll miss you, buddy. That’s all the memory I can afford right now. Believe me, we’ll celebrate your life properly when we’re back on the ship. See you in the next one, man. Wish us luck as we wrap this up.
***
Kale checked a quick report but he already knew the news. They were doing well against the large number of enemies. They owed a considerable amount of their success to the efforts of their bombers who took some heavy casualties along with the fighters as well. Even with the human intervention, the sheer chaos caused havoc on his people.
Four bombers, three fighters. Considering the odds, I shouldn’t be upset but I can’t help myself. Deva kept track of how many vessels they took down throughout the engagement. Orion’s Light seemed to keep their bigger guns out of the fight, allowing the other vessels to harass and scree
n for them. This meant there were still big threats but it begged a question.
Why were they holding back?
They wasted more than half their fleet in the effort and still managed to put themselves in a predicament. Even if they won and destroyed The Crystal Font and Behemoth, they were no longer a functional armada. They’d be little more than raiders by the time they figured out just how badly they’d been bloodied.
There must be a plan we’re not privy to. Krilan isn’t this foolish.
“Anthar,” Deva broke through his thoughts, “The Behemoth has pressed the other ships into the fold. It’s turning into total chaos out there. Some of the enemies are trying to flee but they’re not having much luck. In fact, they’re turning into each other. Only a small group seem to have any discipline at all.”
“The better equipped ones, I take it?” Kale asked.
“Yes, sir.”
Thaina shook her head. “They’ve been keeping out of range both from us and the bombers. The smaller, raiding vessels have been easy enough and they’re practically throwing themselves at us. Deva, are you picking up any more strange energy readings?”
“No,” Deva responded. “But those ships definitely have a lot more punch to them. Their shields alone are nothing to trifle with. Despite their size, I doubt we could punch a hole in those with one volley.”
“I guess we’ll see about that.”
Kale stepped into the conversation. “Hold on. We should coordinate the attack on those vessels with The Behemoth. For whatever reason, the Orion’s Light crews feel they have an advantage waiting us out. Maybe they believe they can let us waste energy…perhaps they’re preparing something big but regardless, let’s stack the odds in our favor.”
Wena turned in her seat. “The Behemoth is now in range for instantaneous communication even through all the interference from the battle, sir. Our connection is established.”
“Put them on the line.” Kale leaned back and forced himself to relax. “Let’s start this coordination now.”
“Sir!” Deva shouted. “Massive energy build up! Far more impressive than the scout vessel earlier!”
“Evasive,” Kale said. “Athan, get us out of here. Full reverse.”
“I’m on it, sir.” Athan finally lost some of his reserve, his casual attitude. As he engaged the thrusters to move the ship back, he seemed outright nervous. Kale understood. The other ship knocked their shields down to nearly twenty percent. A much larger burst could do considerably more damage.
“Behemoth, this is The Crystal Font, do you read? We have information to share, over.”
“This is Captain Atwell,” Gray said. “I think we’re seeing what you’re talking about. Massive energy reading?”
“Affirmative.” Kale sighed. “We’re pulling back but Deva should work with your tech officer on this.”
“Consider the collaboration started. Keep this line open. We’ll do what we can. The ship that’s pulling this off is targeted.”
“Excellent. Give them a kick for us and we’ll follow up.” Kale glared at the screen. Another secret weapon? Or just a casual disregard for your own personal safety? Seems like they’re one in the same with these people. Very well. Now that you’ve revealed your plot, it’s time we shut it down.
Along with the rest of your organization.
***
Gray exchanged a look with Adam. Orion’s Light seemed to survive on tricks and gambles and whatever they were trying to do certainly qualified. The Behemoth pinched the smaller force against the larger, creating a single, chaotic killing floor. Bunching the enemies together helped somewhat but it also made the operation more dangerous.
Not just for their opponents but the men and women operating out there in fighters and bombers. It didn’t help that the Orion’s Light crew didn’t mind sacrificing themselves for a kill either. Though they did stop such nonsense after blowing up two of their ships only to find they weren’t getting a good payoff.
They can be taught, I guess. Gray turned to Olly. “Give me an update. I don’t think we have a lot of time with that energy build up.”
“It seems to be a weapon…like their continuous beam thing but…Honestly, I’m not sure what’s strange about it.”
Clea moved over to his terminal and looked, her shoulder stiffening. “I have no idea what I’m looking at either.” She tapped a button and established a connection with engineering. “Durant, we’ve got a puzzle that needs solving immediately. Take a look at Olly’s terminal right away.”
“On it.” Durant was silent for a moment then gasped. “They’re tapped directly into their crystal to overpower a pulse weapon! If they survive the firing…I mean, the damage…it’ll be catastrophic. I don’t even know what to say about it. Devastating! How did they even figure this out? The relays and calculations…”
“Assume they didn’t figure it out,” Gray said. “Figure they have made a modification they don’t understand. They’re children with handguns and they have no idea how much harm they can do to themselves. What happens if the ship blows from that?”
“Massive shockwave,” Durant said, “and likely worse. We should pull our fighters out of there in case those maniacs actually blow up!”
Gray gestured to Adam, “make that happen. Durant, what if we start shooting at them? How unstable is this plan they’ve initiated?”
“It’s bad,” Durant replied. “Their crystal will be vibrating far more intensely than under normal operation. As a result, the entire assembly will be fragile. If it goes, it’ll go big. Of course, if all our ships are out of the way, that could be an advantage I suppose. I’ll calculate the blast radius in a moment.”
“Thank you.” Gray sighed. “Did you catch all that, Kale?”
“I did. We are withdrawing swifter and our own bombers will fall back. I would appreciate it if Durant would hurry though. I don’t want to be caught in whatever that turns out to be and I need to know how far to go and still be able to fire.”
“Too late!” Olly shouted. “They’re shooting now!”
Gray stood up and stared at the screen. “Magnify. Show me where that’s going.”
A massive purple blast erupted from one of the scout’s turrets, flashing through space and annihilating a variety of smaller ships in its path. Orion’s Light, human and kielan, each lost someone in the attack and it hadn’t even hit its mark yet. The Crystal Font performed an evasive maneuver and the energy struck the shield, grazing the port side.
Defenses flashed once then went dark.
“Kale, are you there?” Gray asked. “What happened? Are you okay?”
“Shields are down to fifteen percent,” Kale replied. “Athan’s the only reason we’re still alive I think. That’s…”
“Insane,” Gray completed for him. “Olly, how’s the enemy ship?”
“Powerless but recharging. Looks like they’ll be back up in…less than five minutes.”
“Extra generators,” Durant said. “They planned for this but in any engagement, they can’t hope for more than two or three of those shots before the fight’s over.”
“And there’s another one pulling the same nonsense,” Deva jumped in. “I’ve got them on scans now.”
“We have to take these guys out.” Gray hummed. “Redding, get us closer. I want to hammer at least one of those two immediately. Kale, what’s your thought?”
“Hit the downed vessel with everything we have then microjump when we know the other one’s going to attack.”
Durant cleared his throat. “If they don’t shoot, they can’t store the energy and have to vent it so that’s not a bad plan.”
Gray nodded, turning to Adam. “We have to get in there fast. Find out who’s out there still and close enough for a bombing run.”
Clea returned to her seat suddenly, pressing her fingers against her ear. “Say again, I can barely hear you…oh…understood. Oh no…I’ll…I’ll do what I can.” She turned to Gray. “Sir, I’ve got the intelligence agent on
my com.”
“What?” Gray felt a surge of hope. “Did he finish his assignment?”
“He’s trying to but he just found out about our bombers going for The Final Star.”
“And?”
“He’s on the ship…at the helm. Krilan’s right behind him. He’s only able to communicate with me because of the chaos going on. They’re all pretty wild over there. He would like us to not hit them with everything they’ve got.”
“That’s not wise,” Adam jumped in. “We have an opportunity to take that ship out. We know Krilan’s on board. I say we take it.”
“We cannot just kill this man!” Clea snapped. “He’s under deep cover doing this for his country! We owe it to him to try to save him!”
“He knew the risks,” Adam dismissed the concern. “Blow that ship up now and end this conflict. The agent is acceptable collateral damage.”
“Siva would agree,” Gray pointed out.
“I don’t agree,” Clea said. “And I insist we give him one more chance.”
Gray sighed, sitting down. There were other options besides blowing the ship up out of hand. The bombers could perform a strategic attack, going for the engines or jump controls. If they timed it right, they’d buy him some time but it would still be tricky. Chances were good the ship would be inoperable so the odds would be against him escaping.
“Have the bombers disable the ship,” Gray said.
“Sir?” Adam clenched a fist. “That’s a huge mistake. We can’t compromise with this man, we both know that.”
“And we’re not. We have an operative sitting five feet from him who will take care of the situation.”
“What if he’s turned? What if he’s using his connections with the intelligence division to save their skins? We shouldn’t take the risk.”
“I believe I gave an order,” Gray said. “We don’t have time to argue about it. Make it happen.”
Adam nodded once, clearly unhappy. “Aye, sir.” He turned back to his post.
“I hope you’re right,” Gray said to Clea.
“I am.” Clea maintained a determined expression but he’d known her long enough to see she was second guessing the situation. Still, he did agree with her on some level. Trellan had been through a lot only for them to destroy the ship just before he could finish his task. That wouldn’t have made for a particularly fair ending to a dangerous assignment.