War's Reward (Free Fleet Book 6)

by Michael Chatfield

  “Good shit,” Bregend said, he would have slapped his second on the back, the man was a damned wizard at reading his mind.

  “Sometimes you wake up having a shitty day, sometimes someone else goes to bed having a shitty day,” Bregend said to himself, triggering a series of explosives and watching as bombers looking like meteors streaked through atmosphere.

  The bombers symbols changed, their bays open and their ship-killers on the hunt.

  Bregend dismissed his headache, watching the counters wind down.

  “Reserves, pull yourselves together, you’ll take lead as we push back,” Bregend said, getting affirmations from the various Commandos.

  ***

  The plan was working again, all of the fighters were out in the open, the lead units were actually in the odd holes and pressing forward. Kalu fighters ruled the skies and raked the defending Commandos as they passed.

  Falhu watched as his forces came in from all sides.

  He heard loud cracks above, he looked to see streaking meteors glancing off of the planet’s atmosphere.

  He tossed his mane, surely that was his ancestors blessing their battle.

  The ground seemed to shake he looked to find the source of the noise, it was around where the south and Eastern forces were coming through the valleys. It afforded the best cover.

  More sounded to the west and south.

  He watched as the hills of the valley exploded outwards, raining down on the Kalu to the south-east.

  The West area exploded in glistening shards, the ice packet exploding with the charges underneath. The engineers who made those explosives believed in more is better, especially when the commander wasn’t looking.

  The ice didn’t just break, but boiled away into steam as directed charges converted water into plasma.

  The northern expanse was perma-frost ground and rocks, no ice to work against the Kalu. It was also the largest open front unobscured by hills, valleys or icebergs.

  “Close with them, kill them!” Falhu barked, his words were answered with the odd blinding clouds that made his computers go haywire, erupting in the Kalu fighter swarms.

  These weren’t the low-yield blasts of the Free Fleet fighter ships; these were much more powerful. They didn’t toss Kalu fighters, there wasn’t anything left with their rippling-clouds of destruction.

  He looked up to the sky, realizing that it hadn’t been his ancestors blessing this battle, it had been the Commandos.

  He opened to give an order no Kalu had given before, to retreat. He looked at an alert on his computer, his mind on another plane from his body.

  He saw a cone explode open, points of light covering a massive area.

  What kind of beast are these Commandos?

  Nuclear light bathed the skies and northern pass. A few extra warheads had been dropped into the southwestern valley and the west ice-field.

  Overkill didn’t relate to Kalu, they had no quit.

  Had being the operative word.

  Thousands of Kalu were left dazed, thrown, injured and confused, others ground to a halt lest they might be claimed by the same explosions.

  They watched as Commandos, rose from their holes, yelling and charging, walking through their own destruction and laying waste to anything Kalu.

  A Kalu started running away from the outpost, heading for another war-clan, some tried to join the fight against the Commandos. Yet the majority had watched as they chewed away at their ships, they’d seen the destruction around outpost nine and now around one. Falhu was dead, as were most of the primes and leaders that had taken honor in being the first to close with the Commandos.

  For the first time in recorded histories, both of the Union and the Kalu, the Kalu ran.

  It wasn’t a full rout, but for an enemy that had never broken before, it only doubled the volume of yells coming from outpost one.

  There were still many more Kalu to Commandos, but in that moment, outpost one was safe.

  ***

  The Kalu had finally started hunting down the various units deployed around the Ershue jungle.

  The Kalu had been slowed with various poisons, killing a good number of them, or making them useless for battle. Kurft would have hunted down the various groups that had been poisoning the water and food that the Kalu used, long ago.

  They had done one hell of a job, even blowing up supply dumps holding armor, fuel and supplies. Now their time had run out. Kurft had ordered them all to ground. While they knew the jungle as well as they knew themselves, the Kalu had numbers and speed.

  All too many had died in the Kalu’s extermination. The parties held on for as long as possible, usually calling artillery down on themselves, killing as many Kalu as possible.

  Kurft didn’t know if he could have even done that.

  While the Kalu were hunting the scouting parties, the mound was working to shore up their defenses, the Kalu had left them alone for a couple of days and they weren’t sitting on their hands. Old trenches were leveled and new ones made.

  The veterans used their know-how to improve the positions, if he got eight more days then he would have a line as strong as the initial trench system that had stood when the Kalu had landed.

  His eyes dropped to the boards which listed people as walking wounded, those having treatment and those resting.

  It was a damning list, nearly all were walking wounded in some way, lasers were powerful in close range, the claws and fangs of the Kalu sharp as plasmid edged blades.

  Kurft’s hand moved to his shoulder and head, he sported new scars there, running from his scalp into his trapezius muscle and down his shoulder.

  The Kalu hadn’t survived the experience but Kurft would never forget the panic and fury of that moment.

  The chair had patched him back together and his people were doing their best to keep him penned in the command center.

  Fal walked up to Kurft’s side, one wouldn’t know that he was still missing his arm and wing unless they studied the shift power applied through his arm or the way he looked at it, moving his hand with a thoughtful look.

  “Word has come from higher,” Fal said.

  Kurft looked to his second in command, inviting him to continue.

  “Reinforcements are being shipped from Oolta and Drvntrni to Ershue, we’ll also be getting supplies from traders moving in,” Fal said, a weary look in his eyes, but the glimmer of a smile on those same features.

  Kurft wanted to jump, hugging and yelling his excitement.

  Instead he restrained himself to a small smile

  “How long until they reach us?” He asked, the levity evaporating.

  “Four days,” Fal said, getting a frown from Kurft.

  That can’t be right.

  “How?” He asked instead of telling Fal he was wrong, he doubted the Ershue would report anything wrong.

  “They’re heading out of Oolta’s gravity well, the HCD’s pick them up in shuttles, head back towards Ershue, toss the shuttles out into the gravity well, the ships here grab them and bring them the rest of the way. As that’s going on the HCD’s go back and do it all again,” Ershue said.

  “Seems the fleet got bored of just flying around, now they’re playing high speed ballistics with shuttles,” Kurft said, trying to sound annoyed even as new energy filled him and he grabbed his data pad.

  He pulled numbers from the report Fal had waiting in his message queue.

  If I get those reinforcements, then every attack the Kalu pull won’t mean using my reserves. I could get some tactical depth.

  “Do you have the lists for supplies?” Kurft asked, not looking up.

  A new message appeared on Kurft screen.

  “You should have it now, looks like basic replacements for lost weapons, including PDS. Also a shed load of HAPA’s, parts and ammunition for all systems,” Fal said.

  “Looks like Christmas came early,” Kurft replied, scrolling through the supplies list.

  HAPA’s were big machines and they could ta
ke a lot of punishment. Though they were also big friggin targets and the Kalu recognized them for the threats they were. They attracted Kalu’s attention like vultures to carrion.

  The mound had a large supply of the armored hulks, but that was when they had started defending Ershue. Now they were pulling hulks out of the battlefield to strip them for useful parts and the small machine shops were turning their mangled alloys into refurbished condition, cutting into ammunition production.

  Ammunition was used more than water; they were the currency of war. Kurft had been safeguarding those supplies, front lines and quick reaction forces got full loads, those in secondary positions were cut down to half or less.

  ***

  Hunting Kalu was, shitty. To put it mildly.

  Though even as the Avar found themselves opposite to the Kalu, they had one very similar trait.

  They loved to hunt.

  Ursht and his Commandos had broken up into groups, shadowing the Avarian clans as they scouted out the Kalu, baited them and led them into a Commando ambush.

  It was a risky gamble but the Kalu didn’t give up prizes easily.

  “It looks like Traz kicked things off,” Ursht said, keeping the sigh out of his voice. While Traz was backed by a number of Avarian warriors, they thought themselves somewhat invincible, skirting the line between dangerous and suicidal just a little too much to put Ursht’s mind at ease. It felt like he was watching over Krom again.

  He shook his head, amused at the thought.

  “Holloway how we looking?”

  “Close to my target zone,” Holloway said. The artillery commander had started coming out of his shell after the massive action at Asul.

  “Good,” Ursht said, looking over his HUD to check over the Commando positions. It had taken them four hours and a shuttle ride to get to this hunting ground.

  It was a nice valley with a small stream running through it. No vegetation was to be seen, dirt that was more like sand than anything life-sustaining. It still hadn’t had enough time to recover from it’s drought.

  If Ursht had found one thing from AIH’s new water supply, it was that life found a way. Plants recorded in clan histories were sprouting once again.

  His eyes moved from his daydreaming to the quickly moving Avarians, they were hard to pick out in their paint, but Ursht had trained not only to blend into the environment, but detect others trying to hide in it as well.

  They jumped from boulder to boulder quickly, not pausing in the slightest.

  The Kalu made their presence known as they charged into the valley, making a wide turn due to their mass.

  Oh fuck, that’s a lot more than a thousand, Ursht thought, reminding himself to have a few severe words with Traz after this particular hunt.

  “Coming in hot, watch for friendlies, ready PDS.” While the numbers surprised Ursht he had long started living by the mantra, ‘hope for the best but for the love of all things holy prepare for the worst’.

  He got green lights from the commanders along the sides of the valley.

  One of the Avar was clipped by the Kalu laser’s, shrieking in pain and they went down in a tumble. Ursht winced, but thankfully the Avarians kept moving and the Commandos held their fire. Ursht needed to make sure that they were all in the valley before he well and truly closed the door on them.

  Three more of the hunting party were clipped, the Kalu firing wildly, their hits more luck than actual accuracy.

  “Kalu are in,” the scouting force watching the mouth of the valley said.

  Ursht waited, the lead Avarian crossing his position, the others not far behind.

  “Fire,” Ursht said. His words acted as the command for the artillery four thousand kilometers away, the PDS acting like rocks and Commandos movement orders. All the parts had been waiting for some two hours since setting their trap. They uncoiled like a spring, getting into action. Guns rose over the boulders they were using for cover, the Avarian hunting group jumping into cover and adding their fire to the Commandos.

  The Kalu reeled, their momentum and numbers pushing them forward into the bloodbath.

  Ursht saw the kinetic rounds hit before he heard the screams of the atmosphere they’d punched through.

  The ground shook as round after round walked fire from the valley mouth to just outside of danger close for Commandos.

  It went on for a few minutes, Commandos pausing the Kalu advance as artillery ripped the main body apart.

  Then it was all over.

  “Check them and start policing up the gear. Scouts report anything in the area that looks remotely Kalu. Those impacts are sure to gain some attention,” Ursht said, holstering his cannon arms, asking his HUD to find Traz.

  He was panting behind cover, Ursht could see the excitement in his eyes.

  “Did you see them all, that was one of the greatest hunts I have ever partook in!” Traz said. He was usually calm, but being an Avarian himself, he loved battle.

  “You should have let me know that you were trailing five thousand Kalu instead of just a thousand. If I didn’t already consider the idiotic tendencies of the Avarian we would all be dead,” Ursht said severely cutting into the Avarians fun.

  “We led them, you killed them, I see no problem,” Traz said, his tone becoming curt.

  “Either we talk, communicate what’s going on, or one of these times neither of our forces are going to make it out alive,” Ursht said, hoping to get the point across to Traz.

  “We had a good hunt, we killed many, I do not see the problem,” Traz said, his muscles twitching, Ursht could see his hunters agreed with him.

  “Fine, then we will be taking our gear back. If we can’t work together then it will be best if we let you free,” Ursht said.

  “Fine,” Traz said, turning and waving at Ursht.

  “You’re forgetting something,” Ursht said.

  “What now?” Traz asked, getting incensed.

  “That, is ours,” Ursht pointed to the rail gun in Traz’s hands and the plasmid weaponry on his belt.

  “These are now mine,” Traz said, his anger reaching new heights.

  “No, they’re the fleets, we gave you them on the stipulation that you fight with us. As we are parting ways, we will take our supplies back, I will send orders to remove them from Dasva as well.” Ursht really didn’t want to get into things with Traz right now, but it had been coming with all the risks Traz had been pulling. He’d got fourteen Commandos killed two hunts ago.

  If he wasn’t on the team, then Ursht sure as hell didn’t want to give him weapons that could be used against him as well as the Kalu.

  “Hod?” Ursht asked on a private channel, his visor kept Traz from seeing his facial features.

  “Take you outside and you piss off friggin Traz!” She grumbled even as a few Commandos around Ursht looked at the obvious tension. She worked through the complaints, then turned back to her work of moving through the Kalu bodies. They were known for playing dead a time or two and attacking the scavengers.

  A few rail guns went off, Ursht didn’t even flinch he trusted those at his back, Traz and his hunters ratcheted up on the tension scale. Their eyes darting to the Commandos around. They’d heard the tales about the fortress that their camp had been turned into, not many believed it but they’d seen these Commandos in action not twenty minutes earlier, they were competent, armored and a worthy opponent.

  Traz shook his head rubbing his head and spitting on the ground. Obviously not liking what was about to happen. Ursht didn’t move but he checked where his handholds were and the nearest cover.

  “I am sorry,” Traz said, the words surprising Ursht and the other hunters.

  Avarians and those that knew enough about Avarians looked to the chief. The Avarians in the fleet would accept their fuck-ups, Awakened were stiff-necked as all hell, the people that acted as the hunters on AIH wouldn’t back down no matter what.

  Ursht waited for the other shoe to drop but Traz continued lowering his gun.

&
nbsp; “We were testing your people. We put your group in a bad situation to see how you would react. I thought it might be more violent. I expected you to roll over like weaklings, but I tricked you and gained great dishonor for my clan from our tricks,” Traz said, the Avarian hunters had enough honor to look shamefaced.

  “We will give you our weapons if you require them, yet we hope to work with you again,” Traz’s playful grin was back on his massive face. “Cause let’s face it, this is the kind of hunt that will be talked about for generations!” Traz said, getting laughs from the Avarians.

  Ursht rolled his eyes. Avarians feeling one another and subjecting them to shitty conditions to make sure they were worthy allies wasn’t a new trick, it had probably been around for as long as Avarians started punching one another.

  With Traz’s admission he was leaving himself open to lose substantial honor not only within his clan but throughout AIH. He stood to be challenged by people within his own clan for supremacy.

  Either Ursht accepted his apology, knowing that if Traz went back on his word then he would bring such dishonor on his clan that they were seen as non-entities.

  “I have a feeling you’re going to give me a lot more headaches on our hunting trips,” Ursht sighed, opening his helmet and rolling his eyes as he extended a hand to Traz.

  He thought he saw a flash of relief in Traz’s face, if it had been there it passed quickly. Traz braced his arm and relaxed, looking to the whole world like he was just watching the world go by, rather than seeing Commandos combing through a valley of Kalu, readying their equipment for the next ambush grounds.

  “I think we should try and get a bunch from that large mass moving to the northwest,” Traz said.

  Ursht snapped his helmet shut and consulted his HUD.

  “Looks good to me, you good for ammunition and supplies?” Ursht asked.

  “Take a bit of water and some more grenades.” The hunters moved anxiously, Avarians by the majority damned well loved making shit blow up. It probably said something bad about their psychology, but Ursht knew the pull of seeing something just disappear in fire and shrapnel was better than any damned magic trick.