Lost Systems: Legacy War Book 2

by John Walker

  Gorman tucked and turned to avoid one of the mines, then leveled out. Getting back on course took some more writhing about but he finally aimed himself properly. He lost track of time but his body ached from the strange motions and tension of being out there at all. A warning sounded on his computer and he frowned at the message.

  One of the mines moved. Not a lot but it nudged toward him as he passed it. “Um … guys? That mine just looked at me.”

  “Um … what?” Heat asked.

  “Yeah, it moved … a little.” He paused. The mine moved again, slowly but obviously. “It’s coming after me.”

  “I’ve got it,” Kelly said. “Don’t worry about it.” Gorman glanced back as the private rocketed toward the mine.

  “Dude, it’s active!” Gorman couldn’t believe he had to speak up. “What’re you going to do?”

  “Shut it down somehow,” Kelly replied. “Relax. Seriously.”

  “If that blows up, we’re both dead, man! Get back from it!”

  “Take a deep breath, Sarge.” Kelly connected with the mine and started tampering with it. Gorman held his breath while the man worked. Something sparked and the mine’s light went out. It began to drift and Kelly rocketed away. “Told ya. Piece of cake, man. Though honestly, even if it got its claws on you, I doubt it would’ve been able to blow you up.”

  “And what makes you think that?” Gorman asked.

  “Just a theory, but it seemed that it needed to cover more of its surface in metal before it would go up. There ain’t enough on us to make these things blow.” Kelly chuckled. “I hope I’m right or that was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “Yeah, probably was,” Heat said. “But thanks for taking care of it. That would’ve blown up for sure if it followed us all the way to the station.”

  Gorman forced himself to breathe easy, relaxing when he noticed how close he was to the station. As he drew closer, he put his feet toward the station and fired his rockets to slow down.

  The computer helped him find the right speed that wouldn’t cause damage to himself or the structure. It beeped until he fired the rockets hard, reducing his momentum until he gently touched down on the surface. His magnetic boots kicked on, allowing him to stand normally. It was disorienting to be stationary; he took a moment to acclimate.

  Vine slammed into the wall, nearly bouncing upon impact. The man laughed like he was lighting off fireworks at a barbecue. Gorman shook his head. “Corporal! Knock it off, this isn’t a game! Get your feet and move toward the entrance. Now!”

  “Sorry, Sarge,” Vine replied. He complied with the order, making his way toward the door they planned to breach.

  The other marines found a far more graceful landing, settling in and converging on the hatch. Gorman moved close and scanned it with his computer before getting Cassie back on the line. He needed her help if they were going to enter the facility without blowing the door wide open.

  “I’m sending you what I got from the surface,” he said. “Can you get this open?”

  “One moment,” Cassie said. “How’d you get there so fast? We thought the shuttle would have to deal with a few of the mines. I’m not reading any more explosions that way.”

  “A few?” Gorman asked. “Try dozens. Jeb’s waiting for us to get inside before he clears the path for pick up.”

  “Oh my … Understood.” Cassie paused. “I think I’ve found the door. What about now?”

  Nothing seemed to happen, and Anderson said, “Wrong one. I saw an oxygen blow about three yards that way. Want to huff it? Shouldn’t take long.”

  “Damn.” Cassie hummed. “Hold on, I’ll get the right one. No need to leave. Okay … How about now?”

  The hatch opened, air burst out in white plumes. “That did it,” Gorman said. “We’re entering now.”

  “Don’t take your helmets off,” Cassie warned. “Just in case. I regulated the environment but let’s not test it unless it becomes absolutely necessary, huh?”

  “Totally get it.” Gorman entered first, drawing his weapon. The others joined him, and they hit the panel by the outer hatch. It closed with a hiss. A square lit up beside the next door and it opened to the inner deck. “What about defenses? Were you able to detect any? Shut them off?”

  “I can’t tell,” Cassie replied. “I hoped the whole station would be open to remote control, but the network has a bunch of hardened systems I can’t access. If they have defenses, I guarantee they’ll be behind those. However, I was able to upload a map. Follow the guide to your destination and we’ll be good to go.”

  “Fantastic.” Gorman turned to Heat. “You want me to lead the way?”

  “You’ve been doing a great job so far,” Heat replied. “Watch his back and keep it cautious. We want to be out of here as quickly as possible but not at the expense of being blown away by some ancient turret still online. Fall out.”

  ***

  Anna’s Charger Squadron met the enemy head on, each side passing close with a swath of weapon-fire filling the sky. A lot of bad shots ensured no one took any damage as they reorganized and banked, preparing for some real dogfighting. Fortunately, the capital ship left them alone, moving off to meet the Gnosis.

  After watching the flight recordings from Mustang, Anna knew what to expect but experiencing their insane maneuvers in person was seriously different. As she came around to what she figured would be a perfect firing solution, her target dove suddenly, a swift motion that would’ve made one of her pilots black out.

  They’re even more maneuverable in space then. Somehow, these people found a way to practically eliminate all G force, ensuring they could hop around at wild angles. This gave them a solid advantage but not an insurmountable one. Anna knew they needed to fly smarter, more defensively but also with less regard for personal comfort.

  This fight will probably leave some bruises. As she pulled around and kicked in her thrusters, the safety straps tightened about her shoulders painfully. The universe wants me to know just how right I am.

  A series of blasts nearly caught Anna right in the nose and she yanked back on her flight stick to avoid the attack. It still singed her shields in the rear, causing a brief red blip on her HUD. The shields went from forty percent back up to eighty in short order and she was able to level out.

  Mustang One flew past her, two fighters on his tail. His wingman was zeroing in on one of them and fired guns, ripping through the shields and catching the engines on fire. Orange globes burst from the damage and the ship turned into a blob a moment later before winking out into nothingness.

  Apparently, they’ve got this under control. Anna redirected her attention to catching a target of her own. She moved in behind one of the fighters, trying to keep her distance. The moment they drew too close, the enemy went crazy, pulling off wild moves to escape an attack. Holding back seemed to give them some sort of false sense of security.

  It’s like they don’t think we can aim or something.

  Anna locked on and fired her beam weapons but only one of them hit. The blow took down her target’s shields, but it spun to the left to escape further damage and instead crashed directly into one of his allies. Finally, their ridiculous flying got them into trouble as both ships exploded in a single bright flash.

  That’s why you can’t rely on those types of maneuvers in a dense dogfight. Anna repositioned, diving below the action to avoid a skirmish dead ahead. Kicking in the afterburners, her computer warned her about someone taking her tail. She tapped her com to ping her wingman and Frank’s immediate reply gave her some confidence.

  “I’m on my way but keep moving to the left. He doesn’t have an angle yet.”

  “Got it.” Anna complied, keeping an eye on the scanner superimposed over the canopy. The ship was gaining on her, but it still seemed to be just off center. Frank’s signal appeared suddenly, and he fired a volley at her pursuer. The resulting explosion brightened her cockpit and she spun around to form up with him. “Thanks for that.”
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br />   “No problem,” Frank replied. “I think—” The rest of his comment was cut off as something hit his ship from the top, slamming into the body of the fighter. His shields fended it off, but a quick scan showed the system had dropped completely. “Wow, that was bad … Um … There’s someone above me.” He dove to avoid further attack.

  Anna spun, gritting her teeth as her head swam from the pressure. She continued moving backwards and fired at the offending ship, letting loose several blasts before deploying a missile. It made the ship fly off, but she wasn’t sure if she got them or not. Turning back around, she joined Frank’s wing.

  “Damage report,” Anna called out. “How’re you doing?”

  “Shields are down,” Frank replied. “They won’t be back without some work. Automated repair is down. Engines are only getting fifty percent power. Weapons … Well, beams are down. I’ve still got guns.”

  “We have to get you back to the Gnosis. You’re not doing anyone any good out here in that state.” Anna looked around, checking the scanner to see where the rest of her squadron was. “Chargers Three and Four, I need escort back to the ship. Can you converge on my position ASAP?”

  “Negative, Charger One,” Charger Four, Jonny Calloway replied. “We are fully engaged.”

  “I’ll take you back myself,” Anna said. “Get out head of me, Frank. I’ll hold them off.”

  They started back toward the ship and two enemies showed up a moment later. Damn it, are you kidding me? Come on, guys! We’re leaving! “You see those?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately,” Frank said. “I’m going full speed here with what I’ve got.”

  Anna checked, and it wasn’t even half speed when the engines were fully functional. “Have you diverted all remaining power to engines?”

  “Can’t really … Very little’s working.”

  “Understood.” Anna sighed. “I’m going to engage them. Just … keep moving and don’t look back.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Anna spun around and charged the two pursuing pilots, firing her guns as she went. The attack caused the two to separate and break off, buying Frank at least a little time. Unfortunately, they went after Anna with a serious vengeance, turning their dogfight into a wild dance of snap shots and tight maneuvers.

  Anna avoided a blast, banked left and hit her retro-thrusters to not collide with one of them. As they flew past, she pulled up and discharged mass drivers but pulled a clean miss. She didn’t have time to reposition, instead initiating a barrel roll and climbing as the two ships tried to take her down with some concentrated fire.

  The entire scenario probably hadn’t lasted thirty seconds but she felt like she’d been fighting them for eternity. Pure instinct and endurance carried her through the actions, and it registered deep in her mind that any motion, any minor miscalculation might well be her last. Even as she returned fire and kept them busy, she didn’t have any illusions that she could win.

  An explosion nearby knocked Anna off course and she had to struggle with the flight stick to regain control. “Looked like you needed some help,” Mustang Five called out. Alicia Quinn. “I’ve got company too but at least the odds are even. Good luck, Charger One.”

  “Thanks,” Anna replied while catching her bearings. The second ship continued to hound her but without his companion, the fight become far easier to manage. She slowed down to draw him closer, taking a risk. As he approached, she banked hard, wincing this time from the pain in her shoulders. His attack flew past, nearly taking her tail off.

  She returned to her previous course as the enemy flew past her and she had a solid view of his tail. Firing beam weapons first, she caught his shields and they seemed to shatter in a brilliant purple light. It dove but the move seemed sluggish, not nearly as quick as she’d seen so far.

  Pursuing him was easy and without much effort, Anna found herself with another solid firing solution. A second before she pulled the trigger, the ship stopped suddenly. Panic filled her stomach and she pulled up at the last second. The bottom of her fighter scraped the enemy, cutting right through her shields.

  Alarms went off, indicating a minor hull breach. Automated repair erected a forcefield to keep the cabin secure, but more damage reports flooded in. Her opponent was down, the scans showed he must’ve exhausted last of his power when he pulled his full stop so at least he wasn’t shooting at her.

  If anyone else does, I’m done. Damn it! “Charger Squadron, this is Charger One, I am severely damaged. Report.”

  “Charger Two, I’m nearly back to the Gnosis. No contacts nearby.”

  The rest of the pilots reported they were engaged with the enemy. Luckily, she still had enough power to get out of the combat zone. Providing no one pursued her the way they did Frank, she might make it. Jamming the thrusters forward, she made a break for the safety of the Gnosis. Only then did she catch sight of the ships coming after her.

  Wow, I really pissed these guys off. Maneuvers would be tricky with her damage, but she needed to do something to get out of there. They closed in and started firing. She avoided the first couple shots, but the controls became more and more sluggish until they barely responded at all. I’m not making it back in this ship.

  “Punching out,” Anna called. “I’m ejecting.” She slammed the button and held her breath. A pop beneath her sent the life pod well away from the rest of the ship. It exploded a moment later as the enemy tore through it and she began to tumble. The world outside became a blur as darkness hovered on the edge of her vision.

  Anna tapped in her SOS and tapped the thruster controls to slow her spin. Much as she wanted to pass out, doing so would likely mean death. If the life pod didn’t level out, at least more than it was, her internal organs would be scrambled by the time someone found her. Not to mention scans indicated she was floating straight toward the enemy.

  The first two taps of her controls, she went the wrong direction and temporarily made things worse. Straining, she pressed down hard to go the opposite direction. It leveled her out enough so she could relax, even a little. The next step involved compelling the pod back toward the Gnosis. A warning blared in her ears and it took a moment for the words to register.

  Ten percent fuel warning. The limited amount of pressure built up for the thrusters was meant to do little more than what Anna had already done. Ultimately, she knew she only had enough to slow her momentum, not change it completely. It was better to buy some time than do nothing but her head continued to swim, making it hard to concentrate.

  Expelling the rest of her fuel took one last press of the button and she slumped in the seat, utterly exhausted. Voices piped in over her com but she couldn’t reply, couldn’t understand them. They were there, hovering on the peripheral of her senses until blackness took her completely.

  ***

  “Casualties are coming in,” Vincent announced. “From the pilots.”

  Desmond nodded but didn’t reply immediately. They were on the verge of exchanging blows with the enemy ship. Salina tried to parlay but they didn’t seem interested in a conversation. They continued to advance, weapons hot and defenses at the ready. Whatever they wanted, they were willing to kill for it.

  This can’t be over the situation back at the planet. Desmond narrowed his eyes in thought. We tried to help those people, but they refused. I’m guessing they aren’t much of a revenge group anyway. Their mercenary mentality seems bent on stealing the information we received. Thayne did say they deleted some data. Maybe they’re hoping to take it back.

  “We’re in range,” Zach said. “Permission to fire.”

  Desmond hesitated for only a moment, just long enough to see the enemy’s weapon light up. Their beam weapon missed but that was enough to warrant hostility. “Fire at will, Zach.”

  The deck hummed as Zach unleashed a swath of destruction, beam weapons and mass drivers together. Energy blasts would hit first followed closely by the chunks of metal. With any luck, the first would cut through their shields an
d they’d do some damage in their first pass. Desmond wasn’t hopeful.

  Scans indicated they were evenly matched, so the fight might take some time.

  “Direct hit,” Zach called. “Enemy shields held. Taking some evasive action and readying our next shot.”

  The enemy returned fire, this time connecting with the Gnosis even as it moved. “Shields absorbed that shot,” Salina called. “No damage to any systems. Port defenses are down to eighty-five percent. I’m diverting power to bring them back up, but the emitters are giving me some trouble.”

  “Are the fighters holding their own?” Desmond asked. “Or are we in trouble there?”

  “They’re doing a lot of damage,” Vincent replied, “but we’ve got two down, including Charger One.”

  Desmond hummed. “I think we need to risk the bombers. Keep them close to the ship so our turrets can provide some backup. They can throw some ordnance while we do and that should make shorter work of the situation.”

  Vincent called down to the hangar for the bombers to launch. He turned back to Desmond. “Too bad we can’t find an effective way to use those mines.”

  “Not without taking a dramatic risk.” Desmond hummed, considering the options. He shook his head. “I think we’ve got this. They haven’t pulled out anything besides fighters, so we might still have an advantage over them.” The ship rumbled again. “Zach, I thought you were pulling evasive action.”

  “I’ve been trying to,” Zach replied as he fired again. “But they seem to have some kind of lock on us. It instantly diverts their weapons as we move. Even the harsher maneuver I pulled a moment ago wasn’t enough to avoid a shot.”

  “Cassie?”

  “I’m working on the station,” Cassie replied. “Salina, can you look?”

  “They do have a signal hitting the hull.” Salina paused. “I’m trying to jam it. Wait a moment … I’m picking up an energy reading from the planet near the station. Um …It’s actually disrupting the signal before I could do anything. Oh boy … It’s messing with our sensors too. Are you seeing this, Cassie?”