Hard Nova

by Casey Calouette

  McCloud had been on enough dropship training to know how good the pilots were. With every dip and rise, he knew the dropship was losing the interceptors. While it felt like hell inside, it was the only way out.

  “They’re not firing on us,” the copilot called.

  “Jesus!” the pilot yelled. “Look at them all!”

  The dropship braked hard, the engines going into full reverse. Then they just hovered and drifted slowly in the wind.

  McCloud clicked loose from one harness and craned his neck to see outside. A single Qin interceptor hovered a hundred meters in front of them. A dozen more zipped through the air and disappeared into the clouds. All of the Terran Union interceptors were gone.

  The stationary interceptor wiggled its wings and lowered its nose.

  “They want us to land,” the pilot said. “Captain?”

  McCloud looked at his men, thought for a quick moment, and decided there was nothing more to be done here. “Ground cover?”

  “We’re just above the tree line.”

  McCloud sniffed and checked the action on his rifle. “Take us down.”

  The dropship banked gently and slowly worked lower.

  “Everyone lock and load,” McCloud said. “We’ll get down and make for the tree line.”

  “Missiles inbound!” the pilot screamed. “Fuck! They’re ours!”

  A Terran Union interceptor rocketed past with flames trailing from both wings.

  The dropship rolled hard and plummeted down. The engines groaned, metal strained, and the prayers of the copilot were on the open comms.

  “I’m crashing us! I can’t lose that lock,” the pilot mumbled.

  McCloud raised his eyes up and nodded to Cross. “Get ready!”

  “Why did they shoot at us?” Jack squealed.

  “Because if the Qin get us, then they can turn the orbital defenses on.”

  Jack blinked hard.

  The dropship roared down. Just at the last second, the pilot pulled up and then slammed the ship into the ground. Fire-retardant foam flooded the compartments, followed a split second later by air bags. The metal screeched, and rock exploded around it. One wing was sheared off and the engine on it tumbled off into the sky.

  Jack finally broke free of his harness and tumbled across the floor before bouncing with the dropship. He was covered in foam and wedged underneath an airbag.

  The pilots were both silent. McCloud assumed they were dead. Then the dropship came to a gentle rest.

  The internal speakers blared out, “EXIT EXIT EXIT EXIT.” One door flew off as the explosive bolts popped. The other door fizzled and was locked in place.

  “Out!” McCloud yelled. He released his harness and climbed into the cockpit. The pilot groaned, while the copilot was obviously dead. He passed the pilot out of the cockpit and tested the comms but found it was dead.

  Behind him, Cross dragged Jack out and pushed him outside. The other rangers took position around the dropship.

  They’d landed on a rough gravel bank that dropped off sharply behind them. In front was a gray slope that tapered into scrubby trees about a hundred meters away.

  McCloud leaped down with a crunch and unslung his rifle as he turned. “Why aren’t we moving?”

  Then he saw why. A single Qin interceptor hovered fifty meters away, directly in between them and the treeline. A stubby arc cannon crackled. At this range it would vaporize everything except the wreck itself.

  An amplified voice boomed from the Qin interceptor. “Lay down your weapons and put your hands over your heads.”

  McCloud racked a fresh round into his weapon. He didn’t intend to go without a fight.

  ####

  Sergeant Major Wallace Holly pulled off his helmet and wiped sweat off of his brow. His fingers brushed against dried blood, and he plopped the helmet back on. He looked up through the tree cover and scowled. It was a shit show when they’d crashed, it was a shit show when they’d tried to fight to the main drop zone, and it was a shit show when they were ordered to relieve the rangers.

  “The fuck is going on up there? What happened to our Furys?” Major Bell, the battalion XO, said.

  Holly spat into the dirt. “We got comms yet, sir?”

  Major Bell shook his head.

  Private Turcic propped up an antiaircraft rocket onto his shoulder. He followed from side to side with the aperture.

  “It would behoove you to save that round, Private. They’re too fast,” Holly said. They’d watched the Qin interceptors ever since they’d swarmed the area. They were too fast and too nimble for the shoulder-mounted antiaircraft rockets.

  “Hey! That’s one of our dropships!” Turcic yelled.

  Holly spun around and watched as the Terran Union dropship went into a sharp dive. “Major?”

  Major Bell was already on his feet and grabbing for the comms handset. “The hell is going on?”

  Then the rockets blared past and the TU interceptor flashed through the air, wreathed in flame. It tumbled through the sky and disappeared over a ridge. A line of missiles rippled through the air and slammed into the ground about the same moment the dropship did. Debris shot into the air and rained down the slope.

  “Would ya look at dat,” Sergeant Triest said.

  “Battalion!” Holly bellowed. His voice was legendary among the Ninth Army, some said even the loudest in the entire Terran Union. “On your feet!”

  All through the tree line, the remnants of the battalion came to life, though at this point it was a basically an understrength company of light infantry.

  Major Bell pointed up the ridge through the tree line. He keyed up the company comms and transmitted the order locally. “Get moving! Sweep up and out, that’s our rangers!”

  Turcic kept following the Qin interceptors with the stubby-nosed launcher.

  “Drop that thing, dammit,” Holly yelled at Turcic.

  “They’re slowing down, Sergeant Major. Hell, that one just stopped!”

  Holly spun and stared up the ridge.

  There, a few hundred meters up, was a Qin gunship hovering just above the ground. Its tail was pointed right at Turcic, the nose right at the dropship.

  Major Bell clapped Turcic on the shoulder. “As soon as we reach the tree line, you fire!”

  Turcic grinned. He closed his other eye, licked his lips, and waited as the infantry sprinted through the scrubby trees.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Gavin McCloud peered across the stony ground and judged it’d take ten seconds. Ten seconds to get close enough to hurl a grenade at the stationary Qin interceptor. “Grenades ready, swing up on the flanks. It can’t hit us all at once.”

  Jack stammered and grabbed McCloud’s arm. “Are you stupid?”

  “We can’t surrender,” McCloud snapped. “If they get us—“

  Jack shook his head. “You are that stupid. They need us alive. Which means that gunship can’t shoot us.”

  Cross looked up from his weapon. “He’s got a point, Cap.”

  “So, what, we stroll out?” McCloud said. He still hadn’t gotten over his dislike for what the xeno engineer had gotten him into.

  “Actually, I was thinking we’d run.”

  Could it work? McCloud stood up straight and took two steps away from the wreck. His heart beat faster; it was like staring down a rhino.

  The Qin interceptor remained right where it was. Everything about it spoke of restrained violence. The wings wavered slightly in the mountain breeze.

  “Get the wounded. We’re gonna walk right past. Jack, you’re sure they need us alive?”

  “Positive.”

  The rangers grabbed the unconscious pilot and started walking to one side of the Interceptor. Jack was with that group. Gavin and Cross walked on the opposite side. The interceptor wavered between the two, first pointing the arc cannon at one then the other.

  The speakers blared again. “Lay down your arms!”

  Jack cupped his hands and yelled back. “Shove it up your ass!�
�

  McCloud broke into a trot. The two groups were almost past the interceptor.

  The gunship roared backward and halted twenty meters from the tree line. Another interceptor broke from the clouds and hovered on the flank of the first.

  The first interceptor set down with a crunch. The cockpit slid up and retracted into the hull. A black-suited pilot hopped down with a pistol in one hand. The helmet was oversized and the face was totally obscured. The suit itself was misshapen.

  “Don’t move!” McCloud yelled. He snapped up the weapon and walked carefully forward with Cross at his side.

  The other rangers raised weapons and halted.

  The pilot slowly undid the helmet and dropped it off. A raven-haired woman stared back, her eyes cold. She tapped the pistol on her leg as if bored. “Where are you going to go? You’re trapped. Lay down your weapons. You’ll be treated with dignity.”

  McCloud drew a bead on her chest. “Drop your weapon, pilot.”

  The pilot cocked her head. She shook it slowly. “Our troops will be here soon enough.”

  “Keep moving!” McCloud yelled. He kept the rifle pointed at the woman and walked right past her.

  The second interceptor swung low and bounced once off the ground. The arc cannon came to life; wisps of steam danced on the nose of the plane.

  The pilot yelled over the noise of the other interceptor. “I was told to take you alive, but if that failed, to make sure you were dead.”

  McCloud halted and realized the bluff was called. “Shit.”

  A triple-tailed rocket suddenly rose up from the tree line. Each blasted in a different direction before charging at the interceptors. One smashed into the grounded interceptor, the other into the hovering interceptor and the last disappeared into the clouds.

  An explosion rippled out from the first unit. The shock wave blasted out, and the pilot was thrown to ground where he tumbled like a rag doll.

  The second interceptor buckled and bounced once before the arc cannon fired into the air. Then it too exploded in a cloud of debris and slender black panels. They rained down into the gravel and clattered to the ground.

  McCloud and Cross both dropped to the ground and waited for the wreckage to fall. The other rangers did the same; only Jack still stood and gawked at the burning interceptors. The pilot struggled to stand.

  “Go!” McCloud yelled. He and Cross sprinted past the burning wreckage. He kicked the pistol out of the pilot’s hand and dragged her away from the wreck.

  “Where did that come from?” Jack said. His hands shook at his side, and the blood was just returning to his face.

  McCloud rushed past Jack with the pilot stumbling behind. “The infantry, that’s where.”

  Jack turned. There, emerging from the tree line, was a ragged line of infantry. He trotted behind the rangers and gave one final glance behind him.

  An enormous groan sounded from the clouds. Then a Qin dropship swooped low with flames bursting from a hole in the underbelly. Armored soldiers tumbled out and crashed into the ground. Then the works slammed down and a shock wave tore through the air. The third missile had hit the mark.

  McCloud gripped his weapon, and when he saw that there weren’t any survivors, he kept going. He led the way into the tree line, passing soldiers without saying a word.

  Beneath a stunted spruce tree he found a major with a frown on his face. McCloud saluted. “Captain Gavin McCloud, Fifth Rangers, or what’s left of them, sir.”

  The major studied McCloud for a moment. “Major Bell, 119th Infantry Battalion, or what’s left of them.”

  “Our relief,” McCloud said dryly.

  The pilot struggled to break free from McCloud’s grasp. He let her go, and she fell to the ground. Her face was knotted up in anger and pain. “You’ve got no idea what’s coming for you.”

  “I’m sure, honey,” Cross said. “Why don’t you fill us in?”

  The pilot crossed her arms and looked away.

  “Once we reach the front, we’ll transfer her to the MPs,” McCloud said to Cross.

  “There’s not much of Claymore left, Captain. It’s been a damned mess since the drop, and it’s only gotten worse. We were hit coming down, and by the time we made it to the drop zone, they’d sent us back up to relieve your unit.” The major scratched at the stubble on his chin.

  A sergeant major stomped up with his arms swayed out to the side. “Major, ready to move out.”

  “But won’t they just bring more troops into the drop zone?” Jack said.

  The sergeant major gawked at Jack for a moment. He leaned over, puffed himself up, and jabbed a finger at Jack. “Did you not pay attention to the damned briefings, soldier? We’ve been training for this for—“

  “Hold on, Sergeant Major Holly,” Major Bell said. He looked at Jack. “Locksmith?”

  Jack nodded as he backed away from the menacing-looking sergeant major.

  Sergeant Major Holly leaned back and seemed to shrink a bit in size. “Apologies, sir.”

  Jack stammered out a “Don’t worry about it” and broke eye contact with the sergeant major.

  “Move ’em out, Holly. I’ll explain this to our friend,” Major Bell said. He stretched with a groan and followed the rest of the infantry.

  Holly moved down the line and bellowed out orders. They set out slowly down through the scrubby trees. Fires burned on the stones behind them as the dropships smoldered.

  “I mean, we’ve got what, millions more upstairs?” Jack said. He stumbled on some roots and caught himself on a tree. He looked over at Cross and McCloud for some support.

  Major Bell spoke. “Son, there’s enough up there, but once the Qin, or whatever the hell you want to call these…these…traitors.” He paused and glared at the captured pilot. “Once they take a front, we move assets elsewhere. They’re tied up here, and we’re taking ground elsewhere.”

  A comms tech ran up to Major Bell and gave a quick salute. “I’ve got a bounce. Microasteroid transmission, it won’t last for long.”

  Major Bell snapped up the handset and, just before talking, he handed it to McCloud. “I have a feeling you need this more than me.”

  McCloud walked alongside the comms tech and keyed up Ranger Command. It only took a single connection and he was speaking with General Pullings.

  “Get to a dropship. Now. You have eight hours. The 119th is to get you there. They are your escort. We’re going to run an orbital bombardment and send down a dozen wings of Furys right after. The only things coming back up are the seriously wounded and you. That’s an order, Captain.”

  McCloud gripped the handset so tight that his knuckles went white. He’d been a fighting soldier, not someone who was shipped back up with the wounded. “General—“

  “Gavin, it’s my call. It’s not your father’s. You’re more critical to this invasion than you can imagine.”

  “They say Claymore is falling. What if the drop doesn’t go through?”

  There was a pause.

  “Blend in with the enlisted. The locksmith is to destroy his keys immediately. Get a different uniform. Stall detection as long as possible.”

  “Yes, General,” McCloud replied in a solid voice.

  “Put on your second in command, Captain, and good luck.”

  McCloud glanced over at Cross and handed him the handset. Then he made his way over to Major Bell and Jack. “Major, we need to get to a dropship and now. They’re going to extract us.”

  At that moment, they crested over a flinty ridge. There, stretching out before them, was the hell that was Claymore. Artillery barrages thundered everywhere. Armor battles lit up the plains. Interceptors flew overhead and rained fire down into the trees.

  Jack stopped and stared with wide eyes. “Well, at least we’re getting out.”

  Major Bell shook his head. “Yes, but that’s Claymore, and we need to get to the center.”

  “Wait, we have to go there?” Jack said with a squeak in his voice.

  McCloud cl
apped Jack on the shoulder. “Smash your keys, Locksmith. Orders from up top.” Then he set off down the ridge.

  ####

  Cross looked up and watched McCloud set off with the locksmith at his side. He keyed up the handset and listened for the encryption acknowledgement.

  “This is Sergeant Cross.”

  The voice on the other end sounded distant. There was just a touch of lag. “This is General Pullings. You’re the second of the Fifth Rangers?”

  “Correct, General.”

  “What’s your record, Sergeant?”

  The comms tech fidgeted. “Can ya talk and walk, Sergeant?”

  Cross nodded to the man. “Sniper training, General. I’ve fought at Troy in ’15 and ’19, during the Hook Rebellion in ’17, came in at the end of Brittany in ’20, and finally Nuevo Mexico in ’21.”

  “Do you understand the situation, Sergeant?”

  Cross paused for a moment. Claymore falling, or the deal with locksmith? He wasn’t used to having a discussion with one of the highest-ranked officers in the theatre. “That Captain McCloud and the locksmith are essential?”

  “That’s correct, Sergeant. They’re essential to us and the Qin.”

  Cross didn’t reply.

  “If we get them, we can control the orbital defenses. If the Qin get them, then we lose that control. If the Qin regain control, the entire fleet could be lost. Do you understand where I’m going with this, Sergeant?”

  Cross knew exactly where the General was going. They wanted him to shoot the man who’d saved his life. Shoot the man who’d been his friend for years. Shoot the man whom he trusted more than anyone else. “Speak plainly, please, General.”

  “If at any point Captain McCloud or the locksmith are going to be captured, you will shoot them.”

  “Is that an order, General?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does the Sky Marshall know?”

  There was a pause again. “This isn’t a decision the Sky Marshall can make. This is the only child he has left. I’m not going to ask him to make that decision.”

  “Understood.”

  “Will you obey that order, Sergeant?”