The man is certainly green, and no doubt he comes from a privileged background. Even so, he was decisive, and his primary concern was for the mission. I just hope he has as much concern for the men and women under his command.
Two fireteams led the way, with Jack and his comrades forming the unit to the right. He scanned the open ground and felt a chill through his chest. The open space was nearly two hundred meters of killing ground, and nothing but the odd rock for cover.
“Corporal Frewyn, get your fireteam forward and secure the vehicle pool. Everybody else maintain your progress. Check your fire, all targets must be clearly identified.”
The remaining two fireteams of eight marines moved at a quick walking pace. The hexrotor drones buzzed in front of them at a height of no more than a hundred meters. They provided top down reconnaissance, but even more importantly, they were able to detect mines and explosives; a weapon the Helion insurgents, under the training of their Animosh masters had turned to in a matter of weeks, following their defeat on Helios.
“Come on, move it!” said Corporal Frewyn.
He might have been the oldest and perhaps even the wisest member of the four-man fireteam, but Jack could never take his rural accent seriously. As far as he was concerned, it was like a farmer trying to give him orders. Even so, he knew the man understood his job. If it hadn’t been for his drinking problems, the command of this team might have been his. They moved a good distance away from the other marines and ran into the vehicle pool. It was of modest size with a low concrete type wall around the perimeter, and five large-wheeled earthmoving vehicles waited under a layer of dust. Frewyn and Riku slid down behind the first vehicle. Jack and Callahan ran further to the left and dropped down behind two large storage sheds. No sooner did they reach cover than they were hit by the staccato sounds of automatic gunfire.
“Get a drone over there, now!” shouted Corporal Frewyn.
Jack had already selected the nearest three of the eight hexrotors in the area and gave them orders to advance on the direction of the gunfire. One was destroyed almost immediately, but the others used their speed and agility to avoid the fire and move around the site, pinpointing the enemy position. As each target was spotted, it was tagged, and the details uploaded to all Alliance units in the area.
“Good work,” said the Lieutenant, as the rest of the marines moved off to the left of the motor pool in a head-on approach to the structure. They were still a hundred meters further back than Jack’s unit.
“Drones show seven targets, all biological and at least one heavy weapon emplacement,” Private Callahan said, checking the data as it came in.
The marines spread out behind the small outbuildings and low wall two hundred meters from the compound being used by the enemy. It was a three-story structure that lacked windows. The walls were sturdy and a low meter-tall wall protected it. Lieutenant Daniel Elvidge looked up from behind the storage unit at the target. Off to his right he could see the four dark shapes of Corporal Frewyn’s fireteam. According to the stats on his overlay, they were carrying three L52 Mk II carbines and a single L48 sharpshooter support rifle.
“Corporal Frewyn, I want your team to provide sniper fire, as and when you have eyes on the target.”
He then looked to Sergeant Stone.
“I won’t risk any of our marines. We will use fire and maneuver with the remaining fireteams to get into position around the compound, understood?”
“Yes, Sir,” he snapped back smartly.
He moved to the other marines to move them on to their objective, allowing himself the briefest of moment to look back at his new Lieutenant.
He might not be much to look at, but he respects the men and the mission. How bad can he be?
The return of machine gun fire from the top floor of the structure sent some of the marines scurrying for cover, but it wasn’t being aimed at them. It was against Corporal Frewyn’s unit off to the right.
Good, that’s what they’re there for.
“Marines, move out!”
CHAPTER THREE
The coming of the great comet was seen as the final stage by many of Echidna’s followers. Most had vanished or lost their faith following defeat at Terra Nova and Hyperion. The news of Biomech ships on the increase, and the mysterious comet, gave new impetus to a growing group of neo-Echidna cults. Rumor had it that the faithless would be punished, especially those that had turned from the cult. The more the Alliance clamped down on each group, the greater the resistance and desire to protest.
Holy Icons
Admiral Lewis took a long draught of coffee and looked back at the new imagery from Terra Nova. It showed an extremely grainy image of an astronomical object named C34A. It was hardly worth of such a major object, but that was its current designation. The data wasn’t particularly interesting to him, but the target was.
So, this thing is heading for Helios, and it just so happens it will be passing by us in less than two days. If only we were closer, we might be able to help.
The information on the loss of ships in the Helion taskforce was of concern, though he had little, if any respect for the Helion military command. The fact he had now been assigned the job of cleaning up after their failure rankled him. They might have been crippled by the period of infighting on Helios, but the revolution had been won, and from what he could see, the space forces of theirs were far more numerous than those of the Alliance.
Yet they continue to fail, and now I have to risk our ships for them, again.
The reports from the ships in his fleet were already there, and he was satisfied all his captains were ready for what he had in store for them. The list was impressive, especially with the arrival of ANS Valor to replace the heavily damaged ANS Savage from the battle with the automated fleet near Helios itself. His Strike Group had been expanded, thanks to the intervention of Admiral Anderson. Six more Hunter class frigates ships had joined the recently promoted Commodore Hampel to give the fleet a more substantial escort. Even better was the replacement of one of his Crusader class with a brand new Conqueror Class Battlecruiser, ANS Royal Oak. She wasn’t the first ship to have used the name, and as befitted her ancestors, she had been optimized for fleet defense as a fully-fledge fleet carrier.
Just look at those hangars, he said to himself with a smile.
Like all the new generation of warships, the Crusader and Conqueror class were built around the principle of a universal design. The basic hull was the same, but the mission units could be changed in dock to optimize the designs for different roles. His own flagship, ANS Conqueror was a general-purpose warship, much like the standard Crusader design. All the ships in the fleet could operate small groups of fighters and also carried Marine units on board. ANS Sentry and ANS Valor were equipped with marine transport mission units to allow the transport of more warriors. ANS Royal Oak, on the other hand, only had the space for a single company on board; the remaining space was used for hangar space and point defense units.
The first carrier of the Alliance, and she’s mine!
He took another sip and checked her statistics. They were impressive. Automation had reduced the total crew to just under one and a half thousand personnel plus an air group of six hundred. She could carry a tailored air group of up to forty aircraft, including all the current fighters, plus the new X57 Avenger fighter drones. After gazing at the units and spacecraft aboard the ship, he tapped his communication unit. With just a few presses, he started a video communication file.
“This is Priority One message to Admiral Anderson, commander of the outer territories and regional governor.”
He paused for a moment, composing his thoughts.
“I have checked the data sent via your office and that of Terra Nova High Command, and had my staff cross-reference it with our scans in this area. I can confirm C34A will arrive at the calculated hour. The distance from my current position will make interception impossible by all but a single frigate on patrol.”
He went to
continue, but then spotted something very strange about the data that had just arrived from the T’Kari surveying ship that was halfway between the moon and the C34A. The more he looked at the data, the more he couldn’t believe his eyes. He reached out and hit the pause button on the device, retuning his gaze to the image of the comet and the projected path. It would pass nearby to the moon and then on for its rendezvous with Helios. All of this was known and confirmed, except that something in the last six hours had changed. Instead of continuing the message, he hit the button to Captain Shaw, his adjutant.
“Get the senior commanders here; I want a war-briefing in fifteen minutes.”
He didn’t even bother to wait for an acknowledgement. He moved back to the video communication and restarted it while grabbing for his jacket.
“New information has just arrived on my desk and is on its way, along with this message. I had been preparing the fleet for an operation to deflect the object, but something is different...according to the T’Kari surveying ship, C34A has altered its course by three degrees.”
He stopped for a moment, still not quite believing what he was seeing.
“The comet is on an approach vector for Eos and will be here in six days.”
He had to stop and think for a moment. Even as he had been speaking, the pages of assessments from the tacticians on the ship had arrived, and it all made for extremely uncomfortable reading. He slowed his breathing, calmed down, and continued.
“My officers are already assessing this data, but based on a first look, the comet will be able to enter orbit around slingshotting past us and on to Helios.”
He lowered his head and rubbed his brow.
This can’t be, surely not?
He lifted his head and looked into the screen, now wishing the distances were much shorter and that he could speak with Admiral Anderson in real-time. With the local Rift generator station destroyed, he was months away from either Helios or the Rift back home, and it suddenly filled him with a feeling of distance and loneliness.
We’re out here on our own. We have to help ourselves.
“This is no normal comet. It is under the guidance of a third party, one with vast resources, skills, and incredible technology. It is heading for Helios, and for some reason is going to perform an orbit of Eos before continuing on. I can only think this is for one reason.”
Again he stopped, his heart pounded in his chest.
“Admiral, there’s a reason why the Helion fleet was smashed so easily. There is more to this object than we were led to believe. In six days, it will be close enough to Eos...close enough to...”
To do what? You can’t be serious? He thought, barely believing what he was saying.
“...to potentially launch an attack on the moon itself.”
He leaned back in his tall chair.
“Either way, the 4th Heavy Strike Group will prepare for all eventualities.”
* * *
They inched forward from the first industrial vehicle and took up position behind a stone-faced bunker. It was open on the one side and filled with spare parts and heavy tooling. A thick layer of dust ran around all of it, cleared only by the heavy boots of the small group of marines. There was no more cover from the vehicle pool to the low wall running around the refinery plant storage blocks. Further back, the rest of the platoon spread out and inched forward in pairs, two covering while two moved. It was slow work, not helped by the sniper fire coming from the balcony on the third floor.
“Down!” Jack shouted.
He might not have been in charge of the squad, but the others listened to him. There was no time for worrying about seniority in a situation like this. Worrying about a rigid command structure would get people killed. The timing was perfect, as a volley of close range gunshots came in from the right. Jack dropped to one knee and twisted about his waist at ninety degrees, taking aim down the sight of his carbine. Through the low-magnification scope on his weapon, he could see the shape of an Animosh fighter. The cloak was the same as they always wore, but this one had his head covered in a sand colored scarf and wore thick goggles to protect against dust. He aimed at the fighter’s chest and squeezed the trigger. Three small red puffs marked the impacts, and the fighter was down.
Damn drones didn’t spot him!
He looked at his Corporal, who nodded a silent thanks before accessing the communications channel.
“Lieutenant, we’ve just been hit by a sniper on the right flank. Private Morato brought him down, but there might be more,” said Corporal Frewyn.
“Understand, Corporal, good work. Keep them busy. We’re moving in.”
Jack looked at the stonework in front of him that blocked his line of sight to the enemy in the multi-story building. The tagged overlay showed their seven outlines, but technically he could not see them. As he moved his muscles in his left leg, another burst of gunfire ripped into the small amount of cover he’d managed to find.
“Corporal, what’s the plan?”
The older man threw him a short glance.
“You heard the Lieutenant; we provide covering fire so the other squads can get closer to the building.”
Another burst of a dozen rounds shattered the stonework above their heads, sending chunks of masonry down on them. It wasn’t sporadic gunfire but targeted and precise shooting designed to suppress them.
“Yeah, right!” snapped Jack, and he dropped down even lower.
“Looks to me like the only one getting any covering fire is them.”
Frewyn checked the drone information and noted no more targets had been identified in the area. Jack could see the concern on his face. The man might have been the most experienced in terms of training and age, but the command of a small squad seemed to confuse him. Finally, he looked to his squad mates.
“Be careful and try and pin them down. The others need our help, and right now we seem to have their attention.”
Jack reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Frewyn, are you sure? What about that guy back there? There could be more the drones didn’t spot.”
More fire clattered about them, and even Jack flinched at the fire. As before it was coming from the building, yet it was sporadic and wild.
“I don’t have a choice, now do it!”
The Corporal had finally found his voice, even if Jack found it hard to accept such foolhardy orders. He inched around to the left of the small structure and waited with his carbine up to his shoulder. Private Riku did the same on the right-hand side, but she had the larger bulk of the L48 rifle. The two looked at each other. Riku nodded first. They moved just a few centimeters around the cover and took aim with their weapons.
“Wait,” said Jack, a sly grin on his face, “I have an idea.”
Riku shook her head. She was all too familiar with Jack’s cunning plans and amazing ideas. In her experience, they tended to revolve around doing the unexpected and getting bruises at the same time.
“Well, what is it?” she asked.
Jack lifted a hand, telling her to give him a moment. He used his computer to select two of the nearest hexrotor drones. One was only a hundred meters from the building, doing its best to avoid the odd stray shot fired by the insurgents whenever they caught a glimpse of its small frame. Jack gave it a tactical order and then called out to Frewyn.
“Corporal, I need a drone override!”
Frewyn didn’t even check the order. He acknowledged the request and authorized it. Whether it was simply down to trust or just not knowing what to do, the order went through, and the drone twisted in the air as if an invisible hand had reached out, grabbed it, and then hurled it toward the ground. Just before it hit the dusty surface, it lifted up and rushed toward the balcony. Jack watched the view from one of the other higher drones with a look of nervous excitement on his face.
“Go, do it!”
The mechanical unit traveled at almost fifty kilometers per hour when it shattered through the double-sized window frame where the insurgent
s were sniping.
“Uh...Jack...what the hell?” chortled Private Riku.
All of them were now watching as the drone smashed its way inside and crashed into the room. The drone was no larger than a family dog, yet the speed of its attack and the fragments breaking off from the six ducted fans sent chunks of metal and plastic in all directions. Jack could barely contain his glee at the violence and destruction it caused.
“Now!” he cried.
Private Riku’s shot moved first from her weapon, but it was Jack’s that reached the target quickest. The muzzle velocity of the L52 carbine was higher than any other marine weapon in the inventory. Three magnetic projectiles struck the window frame around the enemy position on the top floor to no effect. Private Riku’s much larger explosive charge ripped through the wall and exploded in a small puff inside. A single body was blown from the window and dropped the three stories before crashing to the ground. One more came up as a KIA, and suddenly they were down from seven fighters to five, and the room had started to burn.
“Nice covering fire!” laughed Jack.
His amusement was short-lived though as dozens of rounds came from a balcony ten meters to the right of the original one. It was filled with the insurgents.
“They bugging out!” said Frewyn with a sense of relief and excitement.
Two handled what looked like a heavy machine gun, but rather than stopping, they moved in the opposite direction to what looked like a fire escape, except it ran around the rear of the building. In seconds, the enemy had vanished, and there were no obvious threats in front of the marines. That was the moment when Jack’s Corporal finally understood what he had to do.
Star Crusades Nexus: Book 05 - Prophecy of Fire Page 4