Hard Nova

by Casey Calouette

  “Are we holding?” McCloud said.

  “For now.”

  “Marines are taking ground. The assault on site Chicago will begin tomorrow. We’re waiting on the armor.”

  McCloud nodded. Chicago was the code name for a major industrial district that was the old colonial capital.

  “We’ve got air superiority for now,” General Cavendish said. “Bombers are out now searching for launch sites so we can keep them down.”

  “Well, I’d say we’re on schedule. For now, it’s holding the ground and getting the boots down. Admiral Moss, how are the landing ships doing?”

  “Well enough. Losses were higher on the initial wave than expected.”

  “Keep them moving. We’ve got to get boots on the ground. Expect counterattacks and a stout defense. We’re still figuring out why humans are fighting us and not the Qin.”

  He continued. “We’re all pressed for time. So I’ll keep this brief. We’ve secured every single orbital defense platform on the surface of the planet.”

  The arrayed generals gasped, cheered, or simply looked stunned.

  McCloud raised up a hand. The officers quieted. “Doctor Shan is going to briefly explain exactly how that happened. Doctor?”

  An elderly man with an oversized set of glasses looked at the screen. His eyes were unfocused, nearly blind. “Brief? At my age, Sky Marshall? I’ll try.”

  McCloud looked on and remembered that through it all, he still had a son on the ground. The infectious enthusiasm was dampened.

  “A locksmith deployed a custom-made digital weapon into the Qin planetary defense control network. In a few minutes, it spread to every single location on the planet.”

  “Can I deploy my bombardment platforms?” Admiral Bell, commander of the naval barges, said.

  “Is it safe? Can they regain control of the platforms, Doctor?” McCloud said.

  Shan shook his head. “Not without installing new command systems or capturing the locksmith and that Captain.”

  McCloud felt his heart skip a beat. “Capture? Explain please, Doctor. I thought these were all secured.”

  Doctor Shan raised a slender finger up. “We placed a lock on the system, but every lock has a key. The locksmith made himself one half of the key, and an army officer the other half. One layer is DNA, the other a retinal scan. They need to capture those two, and capture them alive.”

  General Aker spoke up. “We’ve got an extraction mission running now, sir.”

  McCloud looked down and was at a loss of words.

  He’d pushed aside his concerns as a father; he was just one of many fathers watching as sons went off to war. Only in this case, he had a more direct role then most. For a second, a memory of his other children flashed, but he put it away. They were gone. Taken so many years before.

  “Kane?” Admiral Moss said in a low voice.

  McCloud snapped his eyes up to the screen. “Continue with your areas of operation. Bring up a quarter of your orbital platforms, Admiral Bell. Once we’ve confirmed that they can’t fire, bring up the rest. Once we’ve secured orbit, we’ll bring in the fleet. And everyone remember, this just makes things a bit better, but it doesn’t make it easier. We still have to secure these sites before the defenders blow them. I’ll see all of you at the morning brief. General Aker, get the locksmith and that officer into orbit and onto this ship right away.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The screens went dead.

  “The Hammer is moving into position,” Admiral Moss said. “It’ll be ready to deploy in a month.”

  McCloud nodded and looked down at the table. “I pray we won’t need it.”

  “As do I. But remember, Kane, it’s my call when to deploy it. If we fail—”

  “Then we destroy the planet.”

  ####

  A packet of data, slender as a glass needle, shot away from the Terran Union starships. It pierced the clouds, filtered down, and struck a waiting radio dish. Moments later, it propagated through a dozen systems.

  Claire looked up from her tablet and glanced over at LaCroix, the TU naval officer. The man squirmed and looked away from the interrogation.

  A Qin stood on small legs and leaned over a three-dimensional display. Its gray skin glistened in the bright lights. It slid data on the display from side to side.

  A human soldier was strapped down tight into an interrogation chair. Every time the Qin slid data, the man groaned. His mind was being catalogued, the data collated.

  “We need to secure the locksmith at the origin of the virus,” Claire said. “Alive.” She tried not to focus on the locksmith they’d captured. He wouldn’t survive much longer. “And the commanding officer of that unit as well. They used a DNA key with a biometric buffer.”

  The Qin stopped. “Clever. Do you concur, LaCroix?”

  LaCroix swallowed hard. “I do. Now when do I get—”

  “When this is done, you’ll get what we agreed upon,” the Qin snapped. “Now, send three wings of Stingray to that site. Nothing gets off the ground. I trust we can secure them?”

  “Yes. We’re securing the site now. The 113th Regiment is moving into position.”

  The Qin looked away from Claire and back to the display. “This is just a moment to deal with. Don’t forget what the true goal is.”

  Claire glanced at LaCroix and felt disgust, though she wasn’t sure if it was because of the traitor or for herself for using him.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Jack Cook ran down the hall with Cross at his side. The two men entered the massive chamber where the pulse cannon was housed. The echoes of gunfire and explosions rebounded through the chamber. The noise was intensifying.

  Cross held his ear and listened. He grabbed Jack by the elbow and stopped him. “We need to get you rigged up to ascend.”

  Jack frowned and looked up the angled rock face of the chamber. “Up there?”

  Rangers sprinted into the chamber and huddled behind hastily prepared positions. “They’re coming in!”

  “How are we—”

  Cross pointed to the wall.

  A pair of rangers were working up the wall. At first, they carefully planted the gel packs, but as the weapons fire grew closer, they quickened the pace. They first slapped on the pack and then looked away as an exothermic reaction both burned it into the stone and set it tight like cement.

  Jack took a step back and started to sweat. “I don’t like heights.”

  “Shut up.” Cross knelt down in front of Jack and silently checked each of the anchor points on his body armor.

  An explosion roared down the hall. A squad of rangers raced just ahead of a fireball. Two of the men were too slow, and the roiling mass of flame overtook them.

  “Oh my God,” Jack said.

  Cross grunted.

  “Alpha, Delta, front! Echo, up’n’out!” Captain McCloud called on the open comms.

  Two groups of rangers ran from the back of the chamber and took position with the rest of the troops. A third group ran to the rock wall and started rigging up ropes. The first few started climbing up the freshly anchored pitons.

  Cross pushed Jack away from the line of sight of the main corridor. More rangers sprinted past with a portable heavy machine gun. One lugged the base while the other cradled the gun. The last man held an almost empty can of ammunition that jangled as he went by.

  “Don’t fire! Hold till they’re inside!” Captain McCloud yelled. He stood at the edge of the barricade and looked down the defensive line. “We break by threes. You folks know the drill. Up and out. Up and out.”

  “Why don’t we just blow the door?” Jack said. It seemed ridiculous to try and hold the passage when it would be easier to just seal it shut.

  “We don’t have the charges to do it,” Cross said. He checked the shoulder attachments and nodded at Jack. “You’re clear. Let’s go.”

  The chamber grew silent. A dim sound of metal tracks and footsteps grew louder. The rangers prepped gear, laid out ammuni
tion, primed grenades, and watched.

  Captain McCloud kneeled down, raised his weapon halfway, and gave a quick grin to his rangers. “Give ’em hell.”

  Cross started clipping on the first few lines. He threaded the main line through the body armor rig.

  Jack watched the line of rangers. Almost all of them were in position on the firing line. Only a few held back at the rear entrance. He swallowed hard and looked up. A line of rangers were swaying and climbing the rough rock wall. A moment later, he regretted it. The sensation of climbing made him want to get sick.

  “Cargo is ready,” Cross said in a low voice. Then he looked at Jack. “Just hold on.”

  Just when Jack was about to protest being called cargo, the assault came.

  A ripple of explosions roared through the long corridor. A split second after, soldiers in heavy body armor swarmed through the gap. They sprinted with massive armored arms pumping in front of them. The suits were a dull blue and melded into the swirling smoke.

  “Hold!” Captain McCloud called. “Hold!”

  The ranger on the heavy machine gun leaned back and gritted his teeth.

  More of the armored suits pushed through the distant gap. They were closing and fast.

  Cross stepped back and turned without saying a word. The straps went tight, and Jack sailed up. He closed his eyes tight and clenched his teeth. The motion rocketed him up and he flew past all of the rangers climbing up. Now he understood the cargo reference—he was just like a sack of potatoes. He just hoped someone was going to catch him up top.

  ####

  “Fire!” McCloud yelled.

  The line of rangers opened up in a clattering burst. It wasn’t a full auto stream but a very selective pop-off of rounds. The assault rifle fired a heavy slug with an explosive penetrator in the center, and it made short work of the Qin-designed armor. The opening line fell, and the Qin armored troops just behind took cover in the doorways.

  “First line!” Captain McCloud yelled.

  One-third of the rangers broke off from the firing line and sprinted to the far wall. They rigged up and were climbing up right behind the first group.

  “Captain!” Cross called. He tucked low next to the ragged wall of rubble. “We need to—“

  “Dammit, I know,” McCloud snapped. He gave a quick glance down the line and felt guilt. He always prided himself on being the last one out. It pained him to leave his men.

  “Shin! Take the last line out.”

  Shin raised a fist and followed it with a quick salute.

  McCloud ran toward the wall and suddenly felt heavy. Fatigue washed over him as the adrenaline seeped out. Was this it? The end of everything he’d dreamed years for? For almost all of his life he wanted to repay those who’d taken so much from him. Repay them for a mother. A brother. A sister.

  “Dammit, Cross,” McCloud said. He slung his weapon at his side and snapped on the rigging lines. Cross hooked on to the opposite line, and the two rangers climbed up.

  “More coming!” Shin bellowed out.

  The Qin-armored humans suddenly reared up out of the cover of the doorway and rushed ahead. Three fell immediately. One of the attackers stumbled ahead; rounds pocked his armor and penetrated his arms, and finally the suit fell to its knees. At that last moment, it threw a grenade and then keeled over.

  The grenade sailed through the air and took a lucky bounce and landed right on the opposite side of the barrier. One ranger leaped on it while three others leaped way. The calls of “grenade!” sang down the line.

  It exploded in an almost flameless ball of energy. Laced bits of shrapnel flared out, white hot, and tore through the rangers. At the same moment, more of the Qin charged in.

  McCloud stopped climbing fifty meters off the ground. His fingers slid the rope up to the edge of his descender. His place was with them.

  “Captain!” Cross said loudly. “The sooner we’re up, the faster they can go.”

  McCloud shouted and climbed as quickly as he could.

  The rangers fired and flowed into the gap. They slid back a few bodies and took their positions where the men had fallen. The heavy machine gun pounded out rounds. It sounded like a steam hammer every time the bolt cycled.

  More Qin-armored humans tumbled, but still they came. The pace was frantic now. They seemed like mannequins as they ran, like lumbering drunks.

  “I’m out!” a ranger called. He grabbed a wounded man and dragged him back.

  McCloud didn’t dare look down. If he did, he knew he couldn’t climb anymore. Instead, he looked up. Jack was just being pulled over the edge.

  “Two and three!” Shin yelled.

  McCloud snapped his head back down. Then he knew it was too late. More rangers climbed below him; there was no way down.

  Almost all of the rangers broke away from the line. Shin leaned back with his hands on the heavy machine gun. The barrel spouted out flame and sent rounds down the hall. At one side was a heap of grenades. Incoming rounds ricocheted off the makeshift barrier.

  The roar of a dropship rumbled down into the cavern. A second later was the rippling fire of the interceptors.

  McCloud climbed until his muscles burned.

  A new explosion rocked the chamber. The comms went wild in McCloud’s ear.

  “They’re coming from the tunnels!”

  From the rear of the cavernous chamber, a new group of Qin-armored troops surged in. The few rangers left guarding that entrance fell in a hail of fire. The enemy swarmed in, firing wildly at the rangers waiting to scale the wall. Rounds stitched and hammered into them.

  McCloud climbed. He had another fifty meters to go. Bullets ricocheted past him. Fury quickened his pace. He was helpless to do anything but escape.

  A cloud of dust exploded right near McCloud’s face. Shards of rock stung his cheeks. A man below him called out in pain. The ranger beneath did as he was trained—he cut the dead man loose. He wasn’t the only one. The rangers were falling.

  Shin rolled on the ground, scooped up a grenade in each hand and pitched them into the advancing line. The grenades sailed and clattered on the floor. Both detonated short of the enemy troops.

  The enemy line stopped firing on the climbing rangers and focused on Shin. The lieutenant had stooped to grab another set of grenades when the first rounds hit him. A moment later, the piled grenades next to him exploded. The heavy machine gun flipped into the air and landed twenty meters away.

  McCloud climbed. The chill air coming from above whipped the air around him. More rounds slammed into the cavern’s edge. Hands reached out. One. Two. He pulled and clasped an arm, and suddenly he was in the light of day. It was titanium white outside and the air was cold.

  Rangers were firing down into the mass of enemy troops below. McCloud rolled on the snow-crusted stone back from the edge and joined them, firing down below.

  A man in a flight suit ran up and shook McCloud on the shoulder. “We gotta go, sir! Now!”

  McCloud looked back at the dropship. They were loading wounded Rangers on board. Jack stood on the edge and was helping to lift the wounded up. A second dropship was just a hundred meters off, waiting for the landing site to clear.

  “I’ll get on the next one!”

  The man didn’t reply and sprinted back. A moment later, it rose up and the second dropship came in.

  McCloud turned back to the edge and continued firing. Two rangers struggled to climb but soon fell under the combined fire from below. Now only corpses hung from the line.

  Cross pulled out a knife and looked over at McCloud.

  “Do it, Cross,” McCloud said. He stood and stepped away.

  The knife hissed through the first cord and then the second. All that was left were a few frayed ends swaying in the wind. Cross looked down into the darkness then slid the knife back into the sheath.

  A line of interceptors cut through the wispy clouds and roared past. A ripple of explosions rumbled up through the canyons below. A second group stood far off and cov
ered the approach from the south.

  The dropship came in quick, flared at the last moment, and set down with the jets still cranked wide open. The pilot had no intention of staying any longer than necessary.

  McCloud clicked the safety on his weapon. He grabbed Jack by the shoulders and half-tossed the smaller man into the dropship.

  “Hey!” Jack said. He landed in a heap and scurried out of the way of the rest of the rangers.

  A dozen rangers climbed inside. Captain McCloud was the last man in. He leaned against the wall and scowled at Jack Cook.

  “Incoming raiders! Secure now!” a crewmember yelled. He clasped on his harness.

  McCloud latched in and plugged his commset into the dropship’s intercom. Immediately his ears were assaulted with chaos.

  “Contacts! Inbound! Fuck me, look at ’em all!”

  “Going deep V, rush for the point, correct into delta.”

  “More on the point. Deploying drones.”

  “They’re jamming outbound. Encrypt to wicked-seven. Repeat. Wicked-seven.”

  “Bailing out!”

  “Get low, dropship! Head for Claymore. Repeat. Head for Claymore. We can’t cover you.”

  The dropship banked hard. The engines groaned.

  “Hold tight!” the pilot called on the open comms. “Holy shit!”

  McCloud gripped the straps tight and glanced at his rangers. They all looked fine, or at least wore the mask of being fine. Jack, however, looked like a wreck. He was half tangled in his harness with his legs slewed out as he tried to brace.

  “What’s happening?” Jack yelled.

  The dropship engines cranked up another notch, and the whole craft swung almost completely sideways. It went vertical, pivoted, and then went into a rapid dive. At the very bottom it pulled up so quick that McCloud felt consciousness drifting away.

  “We’re gonna die!” Jack said. He was half out of his harness and barely hanging on. Cross had one hand on Jacks chest harness and was holding on tight.

  Cross yanked on the harness. “Shut up.”