by Chris Fox
"That's risky, sir. It will take time to disassemble the radio. The smart thing to do would be to scrap it after we broadcast, then just bug out." Her lips tightened, but she kept back whatever else she'd been about to say.
"It is a risk, I know. But if we leave the radio, we lose the chance to send intel back to the fleet. It's not like we can replace it."
"I don't like risks, sir." She stepped away from the radio, nodding at it. "But if you're going to do this, then its ready to go."
Burke licked his lips, then tapped the Transmit button. "Fleet Command, this is Lieutenant Burke from Alpha Company. Unit integrity has been compromised, and we have survivors in need of extraction. We're trapped behind enemy lines, and may be unable to respond after this transmission."
He tapped a series of keys, linking his comm to the transmitter, and uploaded all seven hundred terabytes of data. It included the footage from the battle, more from the market, and the reports Burke had compiled.
"It's transmitting. We'll know in about thirty seconds if it's sending. The connection will time out after that, if it can't reach the Gate," Nuchik explained.
"I know how the radio works, Private," Burke snapped. He gritted his teeth. It wasn't her fault, but he was pushing thirty hours with no sleep and his patience had been gone hours ago.
They waited. The screen finally flashed No Connection.
"Damn it," Burke roared, slamming his fist into the wall with a hollow thud. He closed his eyes, forcing calm. "Pack it up. Let's get the hell out of here. We'll try again in six hours."
Chapter 19- Signal
Nolan finished annotating the holo, noting his estimates about the speed and strength of the Ganog elites that had squared off against their mechs. That data would make its way back to Kathryn eventually. He had no doubt that she and her people would find a way to exploit it, building fantastic new weapons to help even the odds.
Beep, beep, beep. His comm flashed the incoming transmission icon. Nolan accepted it, watching as the holo resolved into a familiar face.
"Is that Burke?" Hannan asked, giving up the pretense of sleeping. She walked over to watch the message.
"Yeah, and that's not good. They'd have their senior most officer make the broadcast," Nolan said, watching the playback. "Hey, Annie, can you go grab T'kon?"
"Yes, sir." Annie set down the ladle she'd been using to stir the stew, then rose and trotted out into the shop.
"He'll move after sending that message," Hannan said. "You know that."
"Yes, which means we need to get there fast." Nolan picked up his gauntlets. "Get suited up."
"You sure going in on foot is a good idea? We might need some real firepower."
"The mechs will draw too much attention, and we don't have time to make it there and back. We need to get to Burke, ASAP."
T'kon ducked into the room. "You've found your people?" he rumbled.
"We have a fix on their position," Nolan confirmed. "They just broadcast using our Quantum Network. They'll move, and quickly. We need to get there now if we want to have a chance to link up. How quickly do you think Krekon and his Saurians can get there?"
"They are likely already mobilizing. Krekon will release his red-scales. Saurians will swarm that location, pinning his prey until the melter can arrive. We must be swift if we wish to beat them there."
Nolan was already moving. "Annie, stay here with Lena and Aluki. Hannan, you're with me." He moved the panel aside, grunting at the weight. It was heavier than it looked, and he reassessed his estimate of T'kon's strength.
He moved into the alley, using his wrist comm to bring up a route to the signal. "It's two-point-six clicks away. We can run that in about sixty seconds. T'kon, can you pick the safest route?"
"Follow me. Run, humans." T'kon began to sprint, weaving out of the alley and into the next.
Nolan was quickly winded, feeling the effects of the slightly heavier gravity. His conditioning kept him moving, and he sucked in quick little breaths as he ran. Alleys blurred by. Hannan pounded a parallel course behind him.
T'kon came up short at the base of a shattered stairwell. He leapt up, catching the edge of the second floor. "Give me your hand."
Nolan did as he asked, tensing as the Ganog flung him up onto the second floor. Nolan rolled to his feet, catching Hannan as she landed next to him.
T'kon followed, crouching next to them. "The signal came from the building ahead."
Nolan scanned the area. There was very little movement, just a large pile of worm-like insects, and a single alien weaving drunkenly down the rubble-strewn street. The building had been boarded up with rusty girders, and Nolan couldn't see inside.
"Nine o'clock, sir," Hannan whispered.
Nolan looked where she'd indicated. "Damn it," he whispered back. "The first pack of Saurians is already here. I count six. T'kon, how tough are these guys? Think we can take them by surprise?"
"They are ka'tok. Worthless against a Ganog elite. Unfortunately, I dare not reveal myself. If Krekon finds out I am here, he will bring the full might of Takkar's fleet down upon us." T'kon removed a large slug thrower from his holster, sighting at the first target. "I find it curious that there is only one pack. It is unlike Krekon to be so careless. We will use conventional weapons. Ready yourselves."
Nolan nodded at Hannan, who eased her rifle from her shoulder holster. Nolan withdrew his particle pistol, sighting down the barrel. "Fire."
T'kon fired first, his pistol giving a deafening crack. A split second later everything above the Saurian's waist was vaporized into a fine red mist.
"What the hell kind of rounds are you using?" Hannan demanded over the comm.
"Explosive." T'kon's tone was smug. "I've been hand-loading them all morning. Definitely worth the effort."
Nolan opened up with his particle pistol, catching a Saurian in the face. The reptile dropped without a cry, tumbling to the rusty alley below his perch.
Hannan's rifle barked, and another Saurian dropped. The rest scattered, diving into the shadows.
Nolan dropped back into cover. "Hannan, circle around to the right. I'll go left. T'kon, see if you can keep them busy while we get into position."
He didn't wait for an answer, leaping from the rotting floor and landing heavily in a pile of rusty rubble. Fortunately his armor shielded him from the impact. Nolan surged to his feet, sprinting along the wall. He came up short at an alleyway, advancing slowly, straining to hear any sign of the Saurians--but they were overpowered by the roar of T'kon's slug thrower.
Nolan risked a look around the corner, then fell back into cover. A bright red flash came from the shadows near the doorway leading into the building. It sizzled past his head, vaporizing the wall behind him.
He dropped to one knee, firing blindly around the corner. "They've got me pinned," he whispered into the comm. "Hannan, can you get a bead on them?"
"Hang tight, sir." Plasma fire came from about forty yards away, and a high-pitched scream came from one of the Saurians. "Can't reach the last two, sir. Looks like they're dug in."
T'kon popped off another few shots, and Nolan did the same. The last two Saurians were keeping their heads down, playing for time--time that Nolan knew he didn't have. The other red-scales would be arriving soon, and behind them would come Krekon.
The sharp report of a high-caliber rifle echoed through the buildings, then it fired again. Nolan darted a glance around the corner of the wall just as the second body slumped to the ground, headless.
"Nolan, is that you?" called a gruff male voice.
"Burke?" Nolan called back, creeping from over.
"Yeah, it's me. Nuchik, we're clear. You can come down." Burke stepped into the open, his armor a pristine white. He popped his helmet, giving Nolan a mocking smile. "I know you're from the 14th, but I didn't expect your gear to go south that quickly. No wonder Command never gave you anything. Look how you treat your gear."
Nolan wasn't sure if he was joking or not.
"We
must depart swiftly," T'kon called from his perch. "Listen."
In the distance, engines screamed through the buildings--the same engines they'd heard the day of the battle.
The enemy was mobilizing.
"We can catch up later, Burke." Nolan turned on his heel and started sprinting back the way they'd come. "Let's move, people!"
Chapter 20- Demonstration
Krekon yanked the lever, extending the cruiser's ramp. Hot, rusty wind swirled around him as his ship descended toward the slums below. Ka'tok scattered into the shadows, fleeing his wrath--but they were inconsequential, and could be hunted later if needed.
He stepped out the side of the transport even as it glided toward a wide alleyway, and landed in a crouch, his boots shattering rubble. He opened all four nostrils, building a tapestry of scents. The smell of Saurian blood was overpowering, yet he picked out something unexpected.
Not these new races--he expected the pungent human, and the acrid Tigris. No, the unexpected scent was Ganog. A warrior had been here, yet his body was not among the fallen. The scent was maddeningly familiar, but too faint for Krekon to identify.
The cruiser landed in a spray of gritty debris, kicking up a high wind that muddied the scents. Krekon's fur darkened, and he fixed a scowl on the vessel. This was the second time today he'd witnessed Saurian incompetence. He would need to kill one in front of the others, or the problem would worsen.
Krekon returned to his examination, pausing to kneel next to the first body. This one was unusable. The head had been shot, bursting like a kek sore. The next body had been cored through the chest by an explosive round, but the head was intact.
"What secrets do you hold, ka'tok?"
Krekon knelt next to the body, placing two fingers against the the corpse's brow.
An electrical charge flowed from his fingers, linking with the lingering charge in the corpse's brain. The cells were dying, the neurological impulses nearly gone. Krekon glided along the pathways, searching for the most recent memories. This one had seen a flash of blue plasma, discharged by an unfamiliar pistol. That pistol was held by an armored figure.
Krekon studied the memory. This armor was dirty, but under that dirt were specks of the purest white. The armor hadn't labored through many battles. It had been coated, dulled, as a disguise. That disguise might fool a casual observer, but Krekon recognized the style of armor. It belonged to these new aliens, the Coalition.
He rose from the corpse, seeking the next. The third was also unusable, the head exploded just as the first had been. Were these aliens familiar with melters? Did they realize the dangers posed by a freshly deceased mind? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was their preferred method of killing. He didn't yet know enough to determine the truth of it. It was even possible the warrior had warned them, despite the taboo of speaking to non-Ganog about the secrets of metabiology.
Krekon stalked to the next corpse, kneeling to touch the still-warm brow. Its mind was intact, but it had died without seeing its assailant. The last two were the same. Useless.
He bared his fangs, his fur going scarlet. Somehow these humans had ambushed his best hounds. They'd escaped back into the shadows, scurrying like pokpok.
"Sissus!" Krekon bellowed, whirling to face the cruiser. He stalked in that direction, moving to meet the Saurian who hurried down the ramp.
The Saurian knelt at his feet, forehead pressed to the ground. Krekon waited several seconds, enjoying the sight. "Rise. Explain to me, Sissus, why you sent only one pack to engage these aliens. Where is the rest of your clutch?"
"Apologies, Master. I thought it prudent to move swiftly, and sent my fastest pack. I believed they would be sufficient to distract your enemies until the rest of us arrived. Clearly I was mistaken."
The Saurian continued to grovel, and its tone was properly subservient. Krekon was mollified. For now. He stalked up the ramp and into the vessel, tossing his spear onto the rack against the wall. Sissus scurried in after him, bowing repeatedly.
"The only way the enemy could have reached the scene this quickly was with help. They've met someone in the market--a Ganog. If they are using the locals for assistance, then we shall remove the locals." Krekon's fur darkened to a bitter red. Soon, he'd be able to vent his fury.
"What would you have us do, Master?" Sissus asked, eyes downcast.
"Execute everyone within a quarter cycle's walk. All of them," Krekon roared, smashing an armored fist into the metal wall. "Have their bodies brought here. I will sift through their minds until we find what we need."
Chapter 21- Go to Ground
Nolan tightened his dirty cloak around him, hurrying down the alleyway. The squad was strung out in a ragged line, trying to avoid notice as they threaded past the edge of the market. No one spoke; they kept their heads down until they finally reached Aluki's shop.
Instead of circling around to the panel in the back, T'kon led them straight through the front door. More than one shopkeeper eyed them suspiciously, and Nolan had no doubt that word would soon reach the enemy that they'd been sighted here.
"Why are we risking this?" Nolan called to T'kon. He hurried forward, moving into step with the larger alien.
"The kill squads will come soon." T'kon stepped over a passed-out alien, quickening his step. "Stopping here is a terrible risk, but I will not leave Aluki. Krekon will do worse than kill her."
"Wait," Burke demanded, moving to stand in front of T'kon. The alien stopped, and Burke pointed accusingly up at him. "You're telling me that you know hostiles are inbound, but you're taking us through a very public market to rescue a single alien? Nolan, you cannot be okay with this. We need to get out of here. Now. Before those transports arrive."
"You haven't been listening," Nolan snapped, shoving Burke away from T'kon. "If these kill squads get Aluki, they'll bring her to Krekon. He can pull secrets from dead people, remember? He'll learn everything she knows, and she knows entirely too much about us. So we save her, and then bug out. Got it?"
Burke's only answer was a sour nod, but he stepped out of T'kon's path.
Nolan followed T'kon toward Aluki's shop, through the fluttering cloth corridors, winding their way closer to the workshop "So where are you planning to go? Do you have some sort of safe house set up?"
"You've mentioned a safe place, a place where you are storing these mechs of yours." T'kon finally stopped, turning that bestial face Nolan's way. "We get Aluki, and we hope we can reach this bolthole undetected. If we can't--if Krekon's kill squads follow us--then we'll die."
"Fair enough." Nolan followed T'kon into the workshop, moving to grab his pack. He hoisted it over his shoulder as Hannan did the same. "We had the benefit of the storm then. I'm not sure how we can get there now without attracting notice."
Burke stepped inside, and Nuchik trailed in after. They moved to stand in the far corner of the workshop, as far from Nolan as they could get while still being in the room. Their expressions were stony, their gaze unwavering as they stared hard at him.
"Hannan, go grab Lena and Annie. Tell them to pack whatever they can in sixty seconds. Then we're moving out. We'll break into teams, and circle back to the safe point."
Hannan nodded, giving Nuchik a hard glare as she left the room. Nuchik met that gaze just as fiercely.
"T'kon, can you find Aluki?"
"Of course." The Ganog ducked out of the room, leaving Nolan alone with Burke and Nuchik.
Nolan stalked over to them, standing in front of Burke. "You've clearly got a problem. Let's hear it, Lieutenant. You've got sixty seconds to vent, then I need you to pack up your bullshit and focus on the mission."
"You want to know what my problem is?" Burke took a step closer. His eyes blazed. "Reval died to give you a chance to make it back to the fleet, but you screwed up that chance. You got yourself shot down, and Reval died for nothing. Alpha Company died for nothing. You've defaced your armor, you're already working with aliens we have no way of vetting, and you've given away valuable intel. You're a disg
race, Captain. The only reason you made it into the 1st is that you've cozied up to the Tigris."
Nolan breathed through his nose--long slow breaths. "You finished?" he asked.
"No, I'm not finished." Burke's tone rose, carrying well past the room. "There's a reason you wound up in the 14th, Captain. You're a piss-poor officer from an undisciplined unit. The only reason you had the opportunity to play hero in the Battle of Earth was that all the better men were dead. I still remember when command dispatched the 1st to hunt down the Johnston. It's a pity we didn't catch you."
Nuchik didn't say anything, but she crossed her arms and moved to stand with Burke. That made her stance pretty clear.
"Time's up, Lieutenant." As Burke had, Nolan put all the emphasis on the rank. "Now it's my turn. You're a good soldier. You get the job done. Alpha Company is very good, some of the best people I've ever worked with. But you know what? You're arrogant. You're shortsighted. You believe that humanity can win this war--can win every war--all by themselves. You don't get that we need allies. You don't get that the reason you lost friends in the Battle of Tigrana was the Gorthians, not the Tigris. They orchestrated that war. They duped both sides. Had you caught the Johnston, odds are good that Earth would be a wasteland and our species would be all but extinct."
Nolan stabbed Burke in the chest with a finger. Burke tensed; His face grew ugly, just a tiny push away from violence.
Nolan didn't care. "Our armor is defaced because we're guerrillas now, Burke. We're not mech pilots who get to retreat safely to the fleet when the battle is done. We're working with locals, because we don't have a choice. If we don't trust them, we die."
"If we do trust them--"
"Shut up, Lieutenant." Nolan leaned closer. "If we do trust them, they might betray us--or they might help us survive. And we need that help, make no mistake, just like we needed the Tigris to win against the Gorthians. If we hadn't trusted them--our worst enemies--we'd have been wiped out. Now, this conversation is over. Unless you plan to mutiny?"