War Zone (Star Crusades: Mercenaries Book 5)

by Thomas, Michael G.

  "Forty metres ahead."

  The World Ship shuddered again as the vibrations caused by an unseen battle spread throughout her massive hull. The very ground shuddered, and then alerts flashed inside all of the CTC operatives' armour.

  "Something's coming. There!"

  All eyes shifted to a vast mechanical apparatus releasing copious amounts of steam. The unit was shaped like a large brass cylinder but with extra plates, cogs, and apparatus fitted all around the thing. It was clearly ancient and big enough to house a hundred men inside. Complex computer systems flickered with light as they performed various actions, while some of the wheels began to move. Steam hissed from a number of outlet valves. A semi-circular gantry hung over the top of the structure, and a black shape moved just before a short burst of gunfire lashed the CTC operatives.

  "Contact!"

  The mercenaries fired back, and the single body of a soldier dropped from the position to the ground. Brody moved closer and kicked it over to show a Humanoid Thegn soldier. Seeing an iron-coloured soldier, with its armoured skin and uncaring eyes, he spat at it.

  "Biomech soldiers. Watch your corners."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Fortress Alpha, Southern Depression

  They had less than ten minutes to get in position before the attack began. They had practiced this drill many times before, but this time things unfurled differently. Many of the forward scouts were missing, and contact with large numbers of mobile militia squads vanished in an instant. As Spartan watched the many Byotai running up the ramps and steps to the upper levels of the underground facility, he wondered if they'd been betrayed.

  I don't like any of this.

  Spartan checked they were heading in the right position, and then led his best mercenaries to the lower levels. To the uninitiated it might seem an odd choice, but lower levels of the stronghold, where they merged with the multiple tunnel intersection, were the largest weak point of this area. The surface was well protected by entrenched guns, hidden fireteams, and a myriad of traps and remote weapon systems. Underground was a different story. They were placed in the middle of the Eastern express shaft, and controlling this position meant stopping any forces using the express routes underground. The tactical gains to controlling this part of the underground system were what had allowed the defenders to fight on for so long, but now they would prove to be the weakness in the entire system.

  As the mercenaries spread out, they could see the defences already built. They had been in place for over a month now, but never once tested. This large section was designed to take two full maglev trains, as well as a secondary foot tunnel from East to West under the old settlements. In the past, it had consisted of wide-open spaces, maintenance ducts, and the tall rail lines that led into their wide-open space. Now that open area was a killing ground, intentionally cleared so that none could access the underground fortress without passing this point. The defenders waited behind their improvised barricade, constructed from the broken masonry hoarded underground and sections torn from a rusted and broken up maglev passenger car.

  "This is it. You know the drill. Do not let them through."

  Khan placed his Thumper on top of the rubble and looked off to the East. Powerful flood lamps filled the tunnels, and from where he stood, he could make out the shapes of the few remaining Byotai militia.

  "Hold your fire."

  He said the words slowly so that the Byotai could understand him through their translators. There were no more than fifteen, with the same number of Helions mixed in with them. Three Jötnar of the Blood Pack bulked up the position, their great size proving a massive morale boost to the terrified defenders. Last up was the single remaining unit of Khreenk mercenaries. The others had been wiped out to a man in a Star Empire ambush, leaving just these four veterans. Behind them moved one of their tracked sentry robots, and it pushed on to the right flank of the line, where it could provide enfilade fire into the approaching enemy.

  "Spartan!"

  The pair turned and spotted a unit of nine more Byotai militia. Unlike the others, these were all equipped with Helion armour and held their rifles at their shoulders. Their faces were partially hidden behind faceplates, helmets, and even a handful of complete visors. They were the last remaining squad of the Hyndla Brigade still operational in this sector.

  "Commander Knaro, you got here just in time. I thought you'd left us."

  The Byotai nodded, but Spartan could see the tension in his body. He waved with his hands, and his bodyguard fanned out along the barricade. One by one they placed their rifles on the parapet and took aim. The Commander moved to Spartan and removed his goggles. The reptilian face seemed completely normal to Spartan now after so many months fighting alongside them.

  "Spartan, my forward teams show Star Empire legionaries are entering the tunnels to the North and West. The outer perimeter was breached in minutes, but my militias are holding them back at the secondary defences."

  He placed a hand on Spartan's shoulder.

  "But, Spartan. They are coming in hard. I think this is it. The stories are true."

  Spartan opened his visor, and his bearded face could not have looked more furious to Knaro. He moved closer, examining Knaro's face carefully.

  "What do you mean, this is it?"

  Commander Knaro looked up, opened his mouth, and gasped several times to cool his body. Another scattered group of survivors ran as fast as they could from their unseen pursuers. On they came until they were past the defenders. Some turned around and joined the defensive line, but others were so physically and mentally traumatised they kept on going.

  "Traitors collapsed our escape route to the South ten minutes ago. They used seismic charges and brought down the four tunnels. My militia caught some of them, but the others are heading out to the surface."

  "What?"

  "There are aircraft in all directions. Last reports from Syala and her teams are the enemy is withdrawing all their Southern forces."

  Spartan didn't like this news. He reactivated his communications system, but as usual could reach no more than the nearby squads. Everything else was nothing but noise due to the enemy's signal jammers.

  "Withdrawing, why?"

  Knaro looked up to the crumbling ceiling.

  "They are coming here in the thousands, Spartan. The war has changed. They believe you are the key to victory now. It is as though my people no longer exist."

  Spartan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not the part about the enemy, but Knaro's thoughts on his own people. He gave him an angry glare.

  "Would you rather they were more interested in the extermination of your own people? This is a ploy to weaken us. Do not allow it. Understood?"

  Khan heard the commotion and started to move towards them. His feet made a dull thudding sound, but he made no more than a few metres before a flurry of gunshots came from the East. He barked orders to the defenders at the barricade, and dozens of weapons shifted as they took aim at the unseen enemy. All attention turned from Spartan's heated argument and towards the sounds. Spartan ignored this and continued focussing his attention on Knaro. The reptilian officer's response was to wipe his brow before continuing.

  "The legionaries are broadcasting from all directions. They will stop the attack, but not until you are killed, or handed over to them."

  "You don't believe that crap, do you?"

  Commander Knaro lowered his head in shame, and Spartan sighed with frustration. The leader of the vaunted Hyndla Brigade was perhaps the most reliable member of the Byotai resistance on Karnak, yet even he seemed to have lost the fire and the passion. Spartan looked to the militia and felt uneasy. He'd fought in plenty of battles that looked difficult, perhaps even impossible to win. Yet never had he fought alongside those he had so little faith in. Only when he saw the mercenaries he'd brought from Taxxu did he begin to relax again.

  I see.

  Knaro said no more and pushed onwards to the barricade and his own men. Though he could
n't be certain, Spartan was sure a number of the militia kept looking back at him, and the looks were most definitely not of love or admiration.

  Great, just what we need.

  He looked around, and no more Byotai were coming back, though the sounds of gunfire were drawing closer. He glanced to Khan who still had his helmet open and snorted continually with impatience.

  "I never thought it would end like this. Betrayed from the inside and surrounded by our enemies."

  Lights flickered far away in the tunnel, followed by the patter of feet. It started quietly, and then increased to such a number it was obvious the tunnels were filled with moving soldiers. Dark shapes appeared and then disappeared, but the fight was coming, and soon.

  "Funny," said Khan.

  He looked to Spartan and lifted his large eyebrows.

  "This is exactly how I thought it would end."

  The ground shook as it had done so many times recently, and dust fell from the ceiling like rain. Two of the massive flood lamps cut out, and then came a tremendous cry from the tunnels. Khan took aim with his Thumper and glanced to Spartan.

  "It begins. Let's make them pay the price."

  All eyes focussed on the East, but just as the shapes coalesced into the forms of the enemy, the ground shook with such force the entire area might have been hit with an earthquake. Entire sections of the ceilings came down right behind the defensive line, and with them the broken bodies of more Byotai. A number of the wounded rose to their feet and staggered about. All were covered in dust and rubble. Several were badly injured, presumably from the multiple blasts.

  "Spartan!" screamed one.

  A young Byotai, with a bandaged arm, and nothing more than a piece of serrated metal ran at him. Spartan didn't even realise what was happening before the Byotai hacked down at his head. Only years of training and experience helped him, as he instinctively lurched to the side to avoid the impact. The serrated metal slammed into a metal bar that formed part of the barricade with a screech of metal on metal.

  "That's enough...back off!" Spartan said.

  The Byotai screamed and cried at the same time, as though having no choice but to attack him. The jagged piece of metal stabbed again, and this time a Hyndla Brigade militiaman grabbed him and pulled him back. His reward was to stab the militiaman in the throat and then turn on Spartan again.

  "You have had your chance."

  In a single fluid motion, Spartan lifted his XC1 carbine and fired one shot. The powerful, super-heated projectile slammed into the civilian's arm, instantly disabling him and sending the jagged shard to the ground. As he screamed in agony, one of the other Byotai pulled him to the ground. More fell down, but these at least appeared to have little interest in Spartan.

  "Here they come!" Khan shouted.

  The horde rushed through the tunnels like rats deserting a sinking ship. They moved fast, with little care for the long line of defenders waiting for them.

  "Wait till they're so close you can smell them," said Spartan.

  The Khreenk robotic sentry moved up closer to the barricade, and its weapon package rose up from behind cover to scan ahead. Spartan did the same and grimaced as his internal systems tagged and identified every approaching enemy.

  "Who are these people?"

  "Technophobes!" Knaro yelled over the din of their approach.

  Spartan knew of them, but this was the first time he'd witnessed them so clearly. They were many races, most represented by Byotai civilians, ex-Red Scars, or Spires Clan soldiers. The one thing they had in common, their complete lack of uniformity. The gunfire started up, but it was wild, and the bulk of it crashed uselessly against the masonry and metal. A few of the Byotai militia responded, but Khan shouted back at them.

  "Hold your fire, dammit!"

  That was all it took to silence them, and they hunkered down, so nothing other than the tops of their helmets were visible. Or for the mercenaries who kept well down, and watched via the visual feeds direct from their rifles and carbines. Closer and closer they came until their banners were now visible. Spartan gulped at seeing the blood red and black markings made by hand on stretch fabric. If he didn't know better, he'd say they'd actually been constructed and then marked with blood.

  "Fire!"

  The mixture of weaponry opened up, lighting the tunnel as though filled with a hundred flood lamps. Scores of the machine-hating cult fell, and some turned back to flee. Spartan smiled inwardly at their failing courage. They were not mindless drones, and whatever indoctrination they'd endured could do little against bullets.

  "Target the second wave. Let the others go!"

  Those running away were perfect targets, but by leaving them unhurt meant they would run back into the shafts, slowing the progress of their comrades. Spartan clambered up to the top of the parapet and aimed more carefully. So far, the enemy still consisted of little more than this poorly armed and equipped rabble. He examined the front ranks through his scope and noticed the distant white shapes at the far end. He tried to aim at them, but each time they were clear, other shapes blocked his few.

  What is that?

  A great roar filled the open space, and when he looked to the side, he spotted the muzzle flashes from the Khreenk robot. They were nearly five metres long and blasted holes through the approaching ranks with terrible effectiveness. Spartan watched no fewer than fifteen go down before it altered its aim and fired again.

  "Spartan!"

  It was Khan's voice, and for a second he thought the worst. He looked to his friend whose Gatling cannon smoked like a short cigar from the fire he'd already unleashed. The great warrior pointed to their rear position where medics were already tending the wounded.

  "We've got trouble."

  The two main entry points to the crossroads were lit up with bewildering colours and then a series of blasts. Spartan stepped down and stopped at reaching Commander Knaro. The Byotai looked nervous, but he remained at his post to direct his warriors.

  "Knaro. Hold the barricade, no matter what happens. Understood?"

  The Commander tried to speak, but the sheer numbers still forcing their way through the tunnel had rendered him silent. Spartan grabbed his arm and shook him.

  "Commander!"

  Knaro turned, looked at him, and nodded, still unable to utter a sound. Spartan fought back his frustration and lifted his carbine above his head.

  "Mercenaries, with me!"

  The mixture of alien mercenaries and tiny number of Blood Pack warriors stepped down from the barricade. This left just the Byotai on the wall, but as the mercenaries left, Commander Knaro and his entourage moved further to the top and shouted encouragement to their comrades. Spartan smiled at seeing the militia commander moving into the role. He'd changed a lot over the last few days. Spartan just hoped he'd live long enough to see Karnak become what it could be, instead of a grave for his men. A group of missiles screamed towards the defenders and exploded along the line. Two struck the Khreenk robot, and by some fluke of timing, managed to hit it during its loading cycle. The machine exploded in a bright green flash, killing its crew instantly.

  "Form up, staggered line."

  There was no useful cover between the barricade and the rearmost entry points. All of the security booths and locker units were now part of the defensive wall, apart from a pair of stone cubes used some time in the past to mount computerised travel displays. Mercenaries fell in behind these two points, the rest spread out into a line seventeen wide. Even as they moved into position, a great number of flash bombs rolled along the floor. Dozens of them came through, exploding one after the other. Then came smoke and electronic diffusion powder that made visibility almost zero, even with the advanced optics in their suits.

  "Here they come!" Khan shouted.

  Dozens were already inside before they could be seen, and they fired their powerful coilguns at point-blank range. Four Helions were down in the first burst, and then both sides opened up, aiming at little more than shadows. Spartan mov
ed along his line, firing as he went while encouraging the odd mix of alien mercenaries. The Blood Pack warriors refused to budge a centimetre, even as bullets bounced off their armour, sometimes punching right through. One collapsed, his body shredded by scores of rounds. Spartan took his place on the line, but the enemy numbers were having a major impact in the fight. More mercenaries went down just as the dust and smoke began to clear a little.

  "Advance!"

  It was hard to move as they clambered over the bodies of the ivory-coloured legionaries, but Spartan had no choices left to make. He could stay where he was, fall back to the rear of the barricade, or move at the enemy.

  "Spartan!"

  It was Khan, and as Spartan looked to his friend, he spotted the first big rush of the enemy. There were at least thirty, and they ran forward before stopping in a line fifteen metres away. Their weapons pushed out in front, but nothing happened. Spartan didn't hesitate and took aim.

  "Kill them, kill them all!"

  The few remaining mercenaries opened up, the Thumpers carried by the Blood Pack doing terrible work. The return fire cut down yet more, and Khan groaned as the last two of his kin collapsed from their injuries. More and more of the ivory-coloured troopers moved in, yet as before they stayed in line and away from Spartan and his eight remaining mercenaries. Gunfire continued to race back and forth behind the barricade, but Spartan could hear the screams of the Byotai. He looked back as the first of the Technophobes leapt over the barricades and amongst the Byotai. Blades swung back and forth, and gunfire filled the wall, yet the standards of the enemy were on the high ground, like a scene from some ancient battle.

  We've lost this, Spartan thought.

  Knaro leapt down and took a volley to his back that tore his chest apart. He hit the ground as a lifeless mess of flesh, to be trampled on by the fleeing Byotai. Spartan shook his head and checked his carbine, when two rounds struck the cooling assembly. The weapon exploded, burning sections of his chest piece before dropping to the ground. A rocket whooshed past and exploded next to Khan; the blast so great he was thrown to the ground, landing on his back. Spartan pulled the L52C from its holster and moved towards Khan. The few mercenaries still able to fight simply stopped and kept on shooting where they were one by one they were disabled. Half of the ivory-coloured soldiers stepped aside. Through the gaps appeared dozens of brass and gold-coloured warriors with flowing purple cloaks, just as he'd seen before. One moved to the centre, his tall plume making him stand out from the rest of the honour guard formation.