His comm came to life as it received a broadcast signal. "For the glory of Rae!" a male voice shouted, then the link closed.
That was an odd thing to say. Who's Rae?
Moments later he heard laser fire coming from the mess hall. He spun and raced inside, drawing his sidearm as he went. A horrifying scene met him inside.
Tables were upturned, lasers streaked across the mess, unarmored Marines took cover. One ran for the exit but dropped as a laser took them in the back. Derek leapt behind a table and activated his internal comm. He switched it to the squad channel. What the hell happened?
Sir, the sergeant said, the message about some guy named Rae came through all our implants and then several Marines started going ballistic. We're targeting anyone who is targeting us, but we still don't know who the friends and foes are completely.
Shit. Some kind of trigger word?
Unsure, sir.
All right, fall back, we've got to get back to the Dauntless.
Yes, sir.
"Grenade!" someone in Derek's squad called out loud. An explosion came seconds later from in front of Derek, the shrapnel making a thunk noise as it slammed into the table he hid behind.
Covering fire, the sergeant ordered. Three Marines from his squad rose and fired with their sidearm at anyone who was firing in their direction while a cluster of their squad-mates made for the door. They hadn't been prepared for insurrection and as so didn't have their rifles or armor. A laser hit one of the Marines in the leg and he limped along. Two other Marines stopped to help him.
I'll cover you, Derek offered, rising and firing toward a pair of traitorous Marines firing in the direction of his squad-mates. One lucky bolt hit one opponent in the head. The enemy fire ceased as the second enemy stopped and ducked down to check on his fallen comrade.
The three Marines crouched low and ran for the exit. Derek followed at last, zig-zagging as he ran to make himself a harder target. No return fire came.
Outside Derek met up with the rest of his squad. The scene outside looked much like inside the building. Smoke billowed up from multiple directions, casting a gloom over the camp. Explosions echoed in the distance, laser fire sounded all around. His squad was once again facing enemies, this time hiding behind an APC and several other hovercrafts.
They had to get back to the Dauntless and gear up. Or the armory. He looked toward the north but the densest smoke rose in that direction. Who was in control of it? They didn't have much choice, however, for the Dauntless was parked in the center of an open field with no cover for miles around. They would be easy targets for anyone with advanced weapons. They needed to hit the armory first. Squad, we're going toward the armory. Northward.
The entire squad moved in a leapfrog pattern from behind the vehicles to behind pre-fabricated buildings and then to whatever cover they could find as they went. They didn't always encounter enemies, but they watched each Marine they spotted with suspicion. Several groups of hostiles attacked them. Some carried only their sidearm, but others carried rifles or grenade launchers and tried to target Derek and his squad. One of his men fell to shrapnel from a grenade, prompting another Marine to pick him up and carry him.
They neared the armory and found it being defended by a group of Marines. Are they the good ones or the bad ones? Derek thought. Beams of light lanced out and coilgun shells streaked through the air as the firefight continued. A figure covered in black armor strode out the main entrance. Several beams of light streaked toward him but reflected off an invisible shield of some sort. He then hurled a ball of fire in the direction of the fire and it expanded as it went, becoming a wall of fire, which engulfed his enemies. Derek recognized the symbol on the chest of the armor - Ethan.
Fire on the enemies outside the armory. The good guys are inside. He suited action to words by taking aim at the back of several enemies and firing. Before they realized they were under attack from behind they had lost several men. They retreated in the opposite direction from both Derek's squad and the armory. Once the coast was clear Derek approached the armory, where several Marines were emerging.
Ethan nodded to him as he approached. "Lieutenant, it's good you survived."
Derek saluted. "Sir. What the hell is going on?"
Ethan shook his head. "I don't have enough intel yet, but circumstantial evidence suggests the soldiers who betrayed us were sleeper agents in the service of whoever Rae is. I've seen insurrection before, even coordinated insurrection like this, but never at this magnitude. It was fortunate my men and I were on patrol in this sector when the signal came through. We heard weapons fire and saw a large group of men heading toward the armory. When we went to intercept them, they fired on us. Their mistake, but then more came while we were gearing up."
"It's widespread, then?"
"At least in this system. It's a mess in orbit - ships fighting ships, high explosive ordnance detonated inside the Nightblade's hangar and now she's about to be rammed."
"We need to get to the Dauntless."
"I agree." Ethan looked around. "I wish I could do more."
"Did you...did you hear about Emma?"
"She's not dead," Ethan said, confidence in his voice. "The commander who reported her death minutes later betrayed the Federation. We can't trust his testimony. She may be stranded somewhere or captured, but she's not dead, yet. But that's even more reason to reach the Dauntless and head to her last known location." He activated his internal comm and broadcast on the Marine frequency. Attention all Federation Marines still loyal to the Federation. Stand and fight, then rendezvous at the transports and get off-world. To the usurpers, the traitors, know this: never in two thousand years of the Federation has an insurrection succeeded for long. You are on the losing side, and I will show no mercy to you. Pray this Rae has mercy on your souls.
He switched back to the channel encompassing his own and Derek's squad. Okay teams, we're heading to the Dauntless.
The two squads of Marines made their way to the Dauntless. Explosions and the zap of laser fire continued to sound in the distance. Overhead two star-fighters engaged in a dogfight. It didn't last long - one soon defeated the other.
The Dauntless came into view, but the sight made Derek quicken his pace. A group of enemies were attacking the ship. A propelled grenade sailed through the air and exploded against the shields. A laser cannon on a tripod hammered at the shield with rapid beams of energy. How much longer would the shields hold out?
These enemies were not caught as unawares. Several pointed toward where Derek and the squads were oncoming and they turned to face them. A grenade sailed through the air. Instead of impacting on the ground, however, it sailed to the north, likely from Ethan using magic to deflect it. Next came a hail of lasers, which impacted against an invisible force as they had before at the armory, like rain on an umbrella. Forget the Dauntless, how long would he hold out?
They reached rifle range and laid down suppression fire. Derek withdrew a grenade of his own. "Ethan!" he shouted. "Give this a boost!" He tossed the grenade high into the air, hoping it wouldn't fall on him and explode. Fortunately for him Ethan heard him and the grenade went sailing through the air. It exploded on the laser-mounted tripod, sending the two Marines operating it flying. They did not get up.
"Cover me!" Derek shouted. The friendly fire increased as his squad redoubled their efforts. He ran forward, drawing his blade as he went. A figure beside him caught his eye. Ethan ran beside him. Two stray bolts of energy streaked toward Derek but were absorbed by a shield. As he neared the enemy he recognized several of the men. They were the ones who had confronted John earlier that day. What a coincidence. He targeted the big Marine who had gotten in John's face, getting ready to run him through.
The enemy Marine prepared himself by drawing his own blade. He let out an evil-sounding laugh.
Derek swung his blade down but his strike was parried by the enemy's blade. The enemy Marine moved fast for being such a hulking man and countered with rapid strikes w
hich caused Derek to stumble back and almost fall to the ground. He caught himself but barely managed to parry the next thrust from his opponent. Damn this guy was good. He was stronger than Derek. Derek dodged the next side swipe and swept out his own blade toward the hulking man's legs. The blade impacted the armor but didn't pierce it.
His opponent brought his blade down but Derek leapt to the side, narrowly missing a sword hitting his head. Then he lifted his blade and blocked the next strike. He pushed against the blade that wanted his blood with all his strength, muscles straining, motors in his armor squelching in protest. If he lost, if he gave in, if his strength gave out, he would die. Moments passed as he struggled against the superior strength of his enemy. He didn't even have the strength to speak, to taunt his enemy. All he could do was grunt with the strain.
Relief came when flame engulfed the man he crossed swords with. The searing heat penetrated his armor but the large man, being the primary victim, screamed in pain and waved his sword around wildly. Derek leapt back to avoid a stray strike but did not go in to fight further. Instead he panted in relief and looked for the source of the flaming strike.
Ashley Edgerton stood midway down the ramp of the Dauntless, waves of heat blurring her image. They must have lowered the ramp during the distraction Derek and the others caused. She cast out her hands and the air in front of her ignited. She formed it into another ball of flame and threw it toward where another two enemy Marines were still firing toward the reinforcements. The ball exploded between them and their armor ignited.
By this time the remaining Marines in Derek and Ethan's squads had begun their advance. The enemy Marines must have recognized they were losing but still did not surrender.
I want one alive! Ethan commanded through the link. Preferably two.
It might be a little late for that, Derek thought, though he kept it to himself. Many of their opponents were dead, but they might be able to find some wounded but unconscious to capture. His eyes drifted again to the two struck by the fireball. They had probably not been killed by the fire. He approached where they lay limp on the ground. He deactivated the helmet of the first Marine and scanned for a pulse. Faint. He checked the second Marine. Stronger but also faint. I've got two over here, he said through the link.
Derek heard shouting and turned to see Ethan ordering a traitor to stand down and surrender. Instead the man withdrew a grenade and stuck it in his mouth. Derek turned his face away to avoid seeing what he knew would come next. These men would rather die than surrender or be captured? They would have to watch the two they had managed to capture.
If you fellas are done out there, get aboard so we can take off, John said through short range broadcast to the group.
The Federation Marines walked, limped, or were carried aboard. The two prisoners were hauled aboard as well. Ethan was the last up the ramp, Derek at his side. Ethan paused, turned, and looked back toward the Marine base which was now in turmoil and ruin. "Such a shame," he said softly before entering the Dauntless.
Derek stopped by the makeshift brig to make sure the traitors were secure. He ordered all their armor be removed and they be thoroughly scanned and searched for any suicide implements or tracking devices. Then he made his way to the bridge. John was in the pilot chair, Ashley at his side in the co-pilot chair. Ethan was nowhere to be seen. Derek cleared his throat. Surely they had heard about Emma? "About your daughter…"
John waved a hand. "Eh, at first we shed some tears. Okay, I'll be honest, I was bawling like a baby. But then that strange order about Rae comes down and all hell breaks loose with the very fleet which pronounced my daughter dead turning out to be traitors. Nah, I don't think she's dead."
"But she is in trouble," Ashley said. "We have to find her. She could be captured or stranded and about to be killed."
Were they trying to convince themselves their daughter was still alive or did they truly believe she was? Derek had to admit they had a point in that the word of traitors could not be trusted. But if she hadn't returned, what had happened to her? "Where are we going next, then?"
"Going to rendezvous with the Independence and then go to the system Emma was last seen. Try to find some clues."
"Sounds like a plan." Derek took a seat at the sensor station. Just then an alert flashed up on the screen. The long-range sensor array had detected new contacts. "Shit," Derek swore.
"Shit is right," John said, pulling up the sensor feed on the main display. "We've got a lot of Krai'kesh contacts. There go our plans of skipping town right away." He started up the engines and began his pre-flight check. "But we have to get up there to fight. Hang on."
Yes, Derek thought. Hang on, Selene. I won't abandon you. He didn't even know if she was still alive either and he was avoiding thinking about the matter. Some part of him knew it was hypocritical to criticize the Edgerton's for their optimism while being equally optimistic, or in denial, about the survival of his own beloved.
***
"No," Martin whispered as the light from the Nightblade's explosion shone into the bridge. The Supreme Commander. Could he...did he...die? "Prioritize the Supreme Commander, Zigana. If he's alive, we must find him."
"Of course, sir, but we are detecting multiple void portals," Zigana reported. He paused. "Krai'kesh signatures."
Damn. Could their day get any worse? There couldn't have been worse time. He slapped his forehead. "Of course, the traitors are working with the Krai'kesh. That's the only explanation. How many ships can we trust, Zigana?"
"I have extrapolated the firing data, sir. Based upon how many ships have fired on us and which ships have fired on them and cascading outward I estimate twelve cruisers, twenty destroyers and thirty-two corvettes remain loyal to the Federation. Those numbers are dropping, however, as ships are destroyed. Captain Yamaguchi's ship has been destroyed."
"Damn it. What about our ground forces?"
"We lost contact with our ground forces shortly after the signal went out from the Commander. Sensor data reflects a larger than normal number of explosions and energy output on the surface and in the atmosphere."
"So our Marines are fighting for their lives too."
"It would seem so, sir."
"Order all remaining ground forces to return to the fleet. Also advise the planetary government to issue evacuation orders. We will take on any civilians who can get here before we retreat. We may need to leave in a hurry." He eyed the emerging Krai'kesh ships. They boasted at least as many ships as remained loyal to the Federation. Add the traitor ships to that number and the loyal ships were outnumbered almost two to one. He noticed a larger than normal void signature on the display. He pointed to it. "What is that, Zigana?"
Zigana furrowed his brows. "A massive ship is emerging, sir. Sensors are estimating its size as four times as large as the Independence. Its features match that of the Krai'kesh vessels."
"Bloody hell." How were they going to fight something like that? They had to, if only to buy time for the ground forces to evacuate.
The massive Krai'kesh ship wasted no time. It accelerated toward the Spirit of Zion. The loyalist cruiser fired missiles, rail-gun and coilgun munitions at the large ship but everything was absorbed. It reminded Martin of how the planet-busting gravity ship had defended itself. Nothing short of magic, and maybe not even that, would pierce that shield. When it was a few thousand kilometers from its target a beam of warped space, which appeared to the eye as darkness, connected the giant ship with the Spirit of Zion. No sooner had the beam connected than the Spirit began to shake. Pieces of ship flew off into the void. Garbled communication came through the link but it was unintelligible. The Spirit of Zion exploded as the gravity beam ruptured the power supply of the vessel. For a moment orange and red flames expanded outward before being sucked into the gravity beam. The pieces of the ship swirled around the warmed space as it careened toward the Krai'kesh ship like dust being sucked up by a vacuum cleaner. Within moments the Spirit of Zion was no more. Not a piece of it remained
in space. The giant gravity ship had consumed it whole, like some giant fish mentioned in ancient books.
Martin slumped in the captain's chair. How could they stand against such a weapon? An entire cruiser destroyed in minutes, shaken apart and sucked up, the crew having no chance to escape the gravitational field? No defense known to mankind could stand against that. "Give the order for the retreat. Communicate directly with the ships which are known Federation loyalists and order them to rendezvous at Pompero IV."
"Yes, sir, I am doing it now. When shall we shift?"
"Once all known loyalists and as many ground forces as possible are evacuated to our ship." If they survived that long surrounded by so many enemies. "Where is the Dauntless?"
"Sensors show she is still in the planet's atmosphere but is on the way out to space."
Hurry, Martin thought.
***
"Holy shit," John said. "Did you see that? An entire ship slurped up like a milkshake through a straw."
"I am more shocked at the destruction of the Nightblade," Ashley said. "Dawyn..."
John shook his head. "He's not dead. He can't be."
Ashley cleared her throat and changed the subject, clearly not wanting to discuss the chances of survival for the Supreme Commander. "The Independence is ordering all loyal Federation ships to evacuate to Pompero IV," Ashley said. "Zigana has asked that we come aboard the Independence before they depart."
"No," John said. "We have to find Emma. We're going our separate way."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ashley said. "What if where Emma is being held is crawling with Krai'kesh? We are not invincible."
John slammed his fist down on the arm of his chair. "We can't just do nothing! We can't run further away while Emma slips away. This may be our only chance!"
Ashley put her hand on John's arm. "We will find her. But use your head, you big lug. We can't just go rushing in gun's blazing. We need support from the Federation military and right now the Federation military is pulling out of the system. We have to go with them."
Ruin: A Seven Stars Novel (Dark Tide Trilogy Book 3) Page 6