When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars)

by Korenman, Adam

  The mortars ceased, and Zev observed the damage. Another fifteen soldiers lay on the ground, and more were down inside the tents on the far side. He couldn’t tell from where he stood, but he guessed at least half of a platoon was gone. It was startling to think how different the situation had been only a day before. A full third of their strength had simply vanished, and they had themselves to blame. This never would have been possible if they maintained an offensive posture. The soldiers wouldn’t have walked into the open like that, allowing the enemy to capitalize on the attack.

  Voices shouted outside the gate. The enemy approached. Zev closed the door to the barracks and walked swiftly down the hall. His soldiers had moved cots in front of the doors and prepared defendable positions at key choke points. The cobwebs were shaken off, and the unit stood ready to make this assault too costly for whatever unit had chosen to attack. Zev figured it had to be Delta, which meant a platoon of shooters. It didn’t matter. It could be a battalion out there, the tactics wouldn’t change.

  “Ready yourselves,”he called out.“No one breaks us. We are Alpha, and we own this house.”

  The soldiers cheered, rallying for the fight. This was it, the end of the road, and they were prepared to make it a night to remember.

  - X -

  Cameron had been daydreaming. He thought it might be due to the oxygen deprivation, but he was finding it harder and harder to concentrate as the hours went on. More than once, he looked outside the canopy and saw George’s escape pod on his wing. In those brief moments, he’d believed his friend was still alive. But the mirage only lasted a moment before reality came crashing back in. He would check the filters, make a quick call out on the radio, and then relax back into his stupor. It wasn’t the best way to wait for death, but it would have to do.

  The collision alarm sounded. Soft at first, as the object in question was far enough away not to warrant immediate action. It was just the computer saying,“hey, you might want to turn at some point in the near future, if you don’t mind me pointing it out.”Cameron checked his radar, forgetting it was powered down. That meant the alarm was from the auxiliary. He couldn’t see behind him, and didn’t want to risk using any more fuel. His air filter read six hours remaining, but he couldn’t use it as an accurate gauge. It fluctuated every few minutes as the system prepared a new guess at Cameron’s time of death.

  Cameron giggled, a tear running unhindered from his eye. He weighed the options and decided to turn on the radar. He knew he was biding time against the inevitable, but having some active control over the end of the line was keeping him moderately sane, for the time being. He flicked the master power back on and waited while the computer rebooted. It took several seconds longer than normal, and Cameron wistfully imagined he would yell at the Chief on the Berlin when he got back and make him replace the damned thing once and for all.

  When the radar screen winked to life, the collision alarm sounded in full, lights flashing that the Phoenix was in immediate danger. Cameron watched as a large red dot appeared on the screen, racing toward his ship. Before he could make any decisions, something slammed into his fighter from behind and pushed him forward. He looked up and lost his breath.

  He was back underneath the Boxti frigate. He could tell from the marks on the underside of the sensor array that this was the very same vessel that had dragged him into Blue Space. It was a medium-sized craft, about five times as big as his Phoenix. From his position, he could see the impact his fighter had made to the alien hull. How is this possible, he thought. The best he could guess was that their ships must be able to travel through the same wormholes at will. Like those space whales near Eros.

  In any case, Cameron wasn’t about to look at the situation as anything other than a miracle. He took a sip from his water line, draining the last few drops, and strapped back into his seat. If the ship tried to exit without him again, it would be sorely mistaken. No matter where it went, he was riding this fare all the way home. He looked at the filter readout, grinning at the flickering numbers. Two hours and dropping.

  “Well,”he said aloud to no one.“Wouldn’t be fun if this was easy.”

  * * * * *

  The fort had fallen silent after the last mortar landed. Josh and Dax, hugging a wall just outside the perimeter, listened for any signs of life. More than likely the enemy had gone inside to weather the attack and would hole up now that they figured the rush was imminent. It wasn’t what he would prefer, but it was exactly as he’d planned. Now he had to wait for reinforcements from Alexa. She would remain in her perch with two other sharpshooters and make sure anyone who poked their head out lost it.

  “That went well,”Dax said with sufficient humility. Sweat dripped down his face in thick lines as he slowly caught his breath. He laughed and punched Josh’s shoulder.“How many do you think are inside?”

  “Have to figure at least another platoon, and all of them are gonna be revved up.”He checked his rifle, making sure nothing had been damaged in the jump from the truck.“We’ll lead with grenades, roll in two-by-two. Should make it easier to clear the fatal funnel.”He spoke about the entrance to any confined space, a choke point that always seemed to attract bullets.“We need to breech and clear as quickly as possible. If they can fall back, it’ll just make the last few rooms nearly impossible, and we can’t wait them out if we hope to win.”

  Dax looked off at his soldiers sprinting the last hundred meters.“You really think we can pull this off?”

  Josh nodded, more to affirm the idea for himself than for his friend.“It’s just crazy enough to happen.”

  * * * * *

  The ride was not an easy one. Cameron’s entire body shook as the frigate dragged him through hyperspace at unfathomable velocity. He could see the exit opening in the distance, a small point of darkness that rapidly expanded. It was an amazing sensation, riding the turbulence in a small fighter. Aboard even the largest carrier, Blue Space could be a rough journey. Cameron couldn’t help but feel some excitement at being the only human to ever survive this. If, he reminded himself, he did end up surviving. It felt like riding huge swells on a surfboard, each break dropping his stomach to his feet. As they neared the slowly opening maw, Cameron saw something round and clear zip passed his port side. Before he could try to find it, the frigate roared forward.

  Light exploded in front of his eyes and they were out, rapidly decelerating to stride levels as the vortex closed behind. Around their ship, other Boxti vessels appeared. Cameron marveled at the precision of their exit. When Terrans launched an invasion this far out, they had to pick a rally point to meet up after the journey. Cruisers and Carriers often arrived only a few hundred meters off target, but smaller ships could be flung dozens of kilometers away. The aliens seemed to have perfected faster-than-light travel.

  Cameron powered down his ship as low as possible. He had hoped the frigate was traveling alone and that he might escape once they exited. There was no way to prepare for arriving with a full battle group. Ten other frigates fell into rank, engines strumming. As they finished their cool-down sequence, two cruisers exited larger gates, followed by an enormous hive carrier. This close, Cameron could see ornate designs embossed on the armor of each vessel, as individual as the armor of old English knights. A final vortex churned, spewing out a massive warship. The frigate shook like a leaf from the intense wake. Cameron could only stare on in wonder at the monstrous dreadnought, anger burning inside as he remembered the horror of Tallus. With the flagship’s arrival, the fleet moved out toward a cluster of planets far off in the distance.

  Something stuck in his mind. The formation of the surrounding worlds, the stars, everything looked familiar. Curiosity overcame fear, and Cameron activated his radar. Immediately the chart populated and gave him coordinates. This wasn’t just a another system. Growing far out ahead, he could see the blue fire of Eros. And closer still, a populated planet.

  New Eden.

  * * * * *

  Josh and Dax hugged the
side of the first building, weapons at the ready. Two soldiers from Dax’s fire team moved in close, practically stepping in each other’s footprints as they approached the entrance. With only two flashbangs remaining, the room clearing would have to be fast and violent. Specialists Valenzuela and Burko were the fastest shots in the squad. Standing there, an entire platoon of rifles waiting, Josh felt as though his stomach would leap through this throat.

  “Breech and clear,”he said.

  Burko stood in front of the door while Dax prepped the flashbang. A mixture of phosphorous and explosives, the grenade created an ear-shattering concussion wave and unbearable light meant to flood the senses. Anyone caught unaware would be completely vulnerable until their vision cleared. Dax nodded and Burko stepped forward, planting all his weight into a thunderous kick aimed at the door. The wood splintered and exploded inward, sending shards in every direction. Burko quickly stepped out of the way as Dax tossed the grenade.

  Seconds later a massive bang shook the ground. Shouts could be heard from inside as the effect of the grenade took hold. Josh and Dax charged in, flowing through the doorway in opposite directions. They took shots at the enemy soldiers as quickly as they sighted them, dropping three in seconds. Burko and Valenzuela were through the door moments later, covering every inch of the room in fire. A round snapped past Josh’s ear and he jerked his sights over, sending a salvo into the chest of a tall enemy fighter. Simunitions skipped off the floor, peppering the wall and door frame.

  Burko pushed in past the upturned cots, firing at anything that moved. Suddenly a soldier leapt up, planting his knife into Burko’s stomach. The suit activated, and Dax’s support gunner fell to the ground. Valenzuela shouted, firing round after round into the Alpha troop. As quickly as it began, all was silent. Ten soldiers lay on the ground, faces as peaceful as sleeping children.

  Dax ran over to his downed soldier and checked him, but Burko was already“dead.”

  “Shoot,”Dax said.“We got a little less than a squad. They must be holed up in the rest of the building.”

  “Then let’s keep moving.”Josh stepped over to the next doorway and paused. He touched the handle and looked over his shoulder to see everyone behind him. With his team ready to move, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, rifle already up and firing.

  * * * * *

  From her perch on the ridge, Alexa could see all of the battlefield and yet nothing. The buildings had been barricaded from the inside, and she could only sit and listen to the popping sound of rifles and the dull crump of grenades as Josh and his team fought through. Two of her soldiers, Gordon and Naren, crouched by the smoking truck and provided cover for the breech team.

  Something moved in the window on the second story of the barracks. Alexa looked through her sight and spotted an Alpha soldier peering through the boards, looking down at the two riflemen. She waited for him to get bold and place his rifle out the window, opening up his face for a shot. Her finger slid down to the trigger, applying just a small amount of pressure. She took in a breath and held it. Her pulse beat louder in her ears and slowed down. When she felt her heart pause between beats, she fired. The round struck the soldier in the visor, knocking him back into the window. Boards were immediately thrown up to block anything else from getting in.

  “Target,”Sergeant Felix said, laying on the ground to her right.“Good shot. Do we know what the count is?”

  Alexa shook her head.“Figure at least a platoon left.”More muffled explosions echoed from inside the building.“Hopefully they’re clustered up and they can just smoke them out with grenades.”

  “What’s the plan if the fire-team gets killed?”

  She thought on that for a moment.“We’d wait here. They have to come out eventually. If the game’s still on, we’ll take as many as we can before we’re overrun.”

  Felix laughed.“Hell of a plan, boss.”

  - XI -

  Charley tapped on his screen, trying to jog it into working properly. There was some sort of glitch in the furthest quadrant of the system. A mass of objects had appeared, started moving, and then disappeared. It didn’t make any sense. He’d flagged the Room Leader almost ten minutes ago, but she wasn’t responding. He bet she’d fallen asleep again. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  “Stacey,”he said to the woman in the console to his left.“Can you do me a favor?”

  Stacey popped her head up. She had a bright enough face to be considered attractive, but not too much happening upstairs in Charley’s opinion. Still, she was a more pleasant table companion than some other techies he’d known.

  “What can I do for ya?”

  He bit his lip.“I’m having a rendering issue in Q949. Can you double-check, see if there’s anything being reported? Maybe an observer malfunction?”She disappeared behind her computer for a minute, and all he could hear was the sound of keys clacking away.

  “Where’s observer 5172?”

  “Yes,”he said.“That’s the right quadrant. Check what it’s reporting.”

  Stacey looked over her computer at Charley.“No, I mean where is it? The unit isn’t reporting anything anymore.”

  “What?”He tapped in a command to the OCM, but the program confirmed the satellite had simply disappeared.“What the hell is going on,”he said to himself. Charley looked around for his overweight boss, but she was still MIA. Undeterred, he picked up his comm line and phoned SP.

  “You’re going to get in trouble for skipping the chain of command,”Stacey warned.

  Charley smiled.“I’m a rebel, what can I say.”The line connected.“This is New Eden Node. We have an anomaly blackout in Q949. Given the situation on Tallus, I figured it was worth reporting.”

  “Thank you for the heads-up,”the woman on the other end replied.“We’ll get a team to investigate. Keep us posted on any changes.”

  Charley hung up the line. He couldn’t shake that feeling, that unease he’d had when speaking to Commander DeHart. He reconnected the line to the operator at Boden Pass near his home.“Operator? Can you connect me to 1311 Norfolk Ave? I need to speak to my wife.”

  * * * * *

  The Boxti tore through space at stride speed. They formed a X, the carrier in the center. Leading out in front, charging with engines burning, the dreadnought sought its target. New Eden grew in size as the flotilla drew closer.

  Aboard the Alpha warship, inside a circular command center, the Boxti Warlord sat in his chair and thought. Of all the species he’d fought, there was something unique about these fleshy creatures. The skill they’d shown around the burning planet had been extraordinary. Quite beyond any of the thralls the Horde had amassed. The humans’unexpected aggression had been returned tenfold by the armada, and the honor of the vanguard fell to a worthy champion.

  The Warlord Eruk djun Tolan had been a part of the great Hand of the King battle group since his graduation from training. He was one of the privileged to have been joined with the Parasite and be allowed to retain most of his essence. Though his mind often went over to the Druuma, he was trusted to carry out commands without oversight. It was truly an honor to be on the frontline of the great conquest, seeking out the unknowing and converting them to the cause. Unlike some of the indoctrinated, he was a true believer in the journey. He read the Grol‘Nahja every day, touching his face to the cold glassy floor of his quarters before dressing and leaving the room. If he were ever to allow a moment of pride, it would be to think himself worthy of becoming one of the Clerics when his usefulness on the battlefield ended. The Parasite would laugh whenever that thought entered the warlord’s head. Only the purebred Boxti were allowed such an office.

  He looked down from his perch at the other creatures on the bridge. Built by a race of lizards a generation before, the dreadnought differed from other vessels of the armada. Its walls were textured like the inside of a tree, and the scent of still water permeated the corridors. Of the dozen or so species crewing the ship, none minded the strange atmosphere.

&
nbsp; The navigator, an insect-like creature with ten spindly legs, adjusted their speed as they approached the alien moons. He knew they had not yet been detected; every satellite they’d encountered had been summarily destroyed. It was all according to plan. The planet by the row of gas giants had been used as a message of retribution. Now would come the ultimatum, as had been given to countless civilizations since the first days of the conquest. The Warlord had given thought to allowing one of his subordinates in the armada to be the voice of the Boxti, the Chiefs and Blood Guards of the smaller cruisers perhaps. Perhaps he was allowing himself the sin of pride by taking the responsibility on himself. But who better to spread the message than a Ruall such as himself?

  The main planet was large, perhaps not the best choice for the point of contact, but this order came from the Acolytes’High Command. To question such a decision was unthinkable. So the Warlord relaxed and prayed, not so much to quell doubt as to reinforce his mind for the task ahead. These humans would have a chance to join the Horde, an honor for which he thought them most unworthy. If they did not accept the terms of the fleet, they would be wiped out. It had been so for many others before, and would be for countless others until the final days of the conquest.

  So said the Clerics.

  - XII -

  Alpha did not want to go quietly. Josh hadn’t expected an easy run, but these soldiers fought as though possessed. A small part of him sympathized. These were, after all, fellow brothers-in-arms defending their home turf. When it was all over, they would be comrades once again. In their shoes he would do the exact same. For now, he forced himself to think of them as the enemy.