When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars)

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When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) Page 48

by Korenman, Adam


  Gabriel shook his head.“There’s too much interference. We need a more powerful antennae to broadcast. The radio station isn’t too far from here. If we hook up to their line, we can reach the TOC and figure out where to regroup.”

  “The fallback position was supposed to be here.”

  The lieutenant shrugged.“That was before here was the middle of the fight.”

  They continued their movement through the school in silence. Zev counted out his men in his head. Only twelve survived the retreat from the frontline, including him. There was no telling how the rest of the company had fared, or even the battalion. A Boxti signal had jammed the radios almost immediately after the shooting started. The sound of battle carried on outside, never growing further away.

  A young private led the group, rifle at the low ready as he crept steadily forward. He had just reached another intersection when the wall ahead exploded inward. Dust filled the hallway, blinding the soldiers. Zev shouted for everyone to drop to the ground and wait. He hit the floor, trying to keep from choking on the plaster in his mouth. Voices could be heard shouting from outside. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it sounded like orders barked at soldiers.

  The first creature stepped over the broken wall gingerly, as though into a pool of water. It stood seven-feet-tall, with two thick arms and four legs. Breathing through slits on its side, the creature scanned the area with three eyes arranged on the lower half of its face. The head sat perched on a slender neck that moved back and forth like a cat’s tail. Though its feet were bare, the alien wore brown and yellow armor over most of its body. It carried a massive a quad-barreled machine gun in its arms and swung it around with ease.

  More and more Boxti entered the obscured passage, each stranger than the last. Zev made out five different species in the squad of thirteen. Most carried a bull-pup weapon, but two hauled a heavy machine platform and another what appeared to be a rocket launcher. They spoke in low voices, in what sounded like the same language. A few hissed and clicked in their own tongue with members of their kind, but all listened to the four-legged leader.

  Zev’s platoon stayed quiet, allowing the enemy to completely step into the hall. Luck was on their side, and the aliens walked off in the opposite direction. Zev saw the opportunity at the same time as his platoon leader. The hall was narrow, big enough for two side-by-side but no more. Better yet, it was long. The Boxti had stepped into the perfect fatal funnel. Moving as smoothly as possible, Zev brought his rifle to bear and slipped the fire-selector from safe to semi. He willed his squad to do the same, smiling as he heard the soft clicks of the metal switches flicking over. The platoon sergeant was just taking aim on a target when Gabriel let loose.

  The lieutenant’s first shot struck home, punching a hole in the back of the rear security soldier. Its spine severed, the lizard-faced alien dropped to the floor dead. Immediately the rest of Shadow opened up. Bullets filled the hallway from floor to ceiling. Every inch of space became a torrent of hot lead and splintering bits of plaster. The lead alien dove through the wall to find cover, screaming with rage as his squad was torn to pieces.

  “Jo’GRAW!”

  Zev’s neck hair stood on end.“Find cover!”

  Bright purple bolts tore through the air. The Boxti heavy cannon spat out hundreds of rounds at the Terran soldiers. Zev rolled to the side as a volley came at him, eating through the floor where he’d just been. As he regained his footing, a bolt tore through the soldier on the far side of the hall, splitting the young boy in half. He died instantly, his face locked in surprise. Zev’s gritted his teeth, a roar building in his throat. Charging around the corner, he fired his rifle at the remaining creatures. Two fell under the spray of bullets. A third raised its weapon too late and caught the butt of Zev’s rifle to the skull. The sergeant kept running straight at the last alien, the slender necked creature with the massive cannon.

  Zev dove into the enemy, his fists swinging like hammers into the creature’s midsection. His knuckles bled but he felt nothing, driving the Boxti heavy gunner into a corner. It caught his left arm mid-swing, hurling him across the room. Zev pulled a combat knife from his vest, baring his teeth. For a moment it appeared the alien was unsure how to react, then it drew its own dagger, a sickly looking black dagger. The two soldiers circled each other, looking for an angle to attack. The beast grinned, or seemed to anyway. The human had no idea how to judge emotion on that train wreck of a face.

  Over his shoulder, Zev heard the firefight continue in the hallway. His platoon had pushed the aliens out of the building and exchanged shots with their remaining forces in the street. He turned his attention to the lumbering beast. It was hard to tell if his fists had any effect on it. The knife, he was sure, would.

  “Scroh, najak dju mohan,”the Boxti hissed through a mouthful of needles. It began to stalk closer and closer, its feet moving swiftly over the debris-littered ground.

  Zev inched forward, his left hand up in a defensive posture. The attack came without warning. Lunging forward, the Boxti shot out its arm, the black blade cutting the air with a shrill whistle. The human stepped to the side, the edge of the knife grazing his cheek, and brought his own weapon up and out. The tip nicked the alien’s chest and drew a bead of yellow blood.

  They unleashed a flurry of attacks. The creature struck out, then countered Zev’s attack. Another swipe went high and the platoon sergeant returned with a boot to the creature’s breathing gill, eliciting a deep groan. A bare foot came out of nowhere and struck the human in the head. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and for a moment he lost his opponent. The next thing he knew, the black knife came up and straight at his left eye. Zev spun around too slow and the edge drag a deep line across his face.

  Blinded by the blood, Zev reacted on instinct, charging into the attack and stabbing furiously. First came the metal on metal of his knife hitting the alien’s armor. Then he felt flesh give way under his blade, hot liquid pouring out over his hands. The Boxti soldier howled in pain, struggling to get away from its enemy. Zev screamed as well, his body shuddering with each strike. He didn’t stop until the alien dropped to the ground, dead. The platoon sergeant fell backward into the cracked wall, sliding down into a seated position. He felt strangely cold, despite being soaked in sweat from exertion.

  Lieutenant Gabriel appeared in front of his eye, grabbing ahold of his shoulders.

  “Sergeant Perez, can you hear me?”The officer’s voice sounded muffled, far away.“Sergeant!”Zev felt hands squeezing his shoulders and arms, running down his legs. His boots were unlaced and loosened. A part of his brain recognized that they were checking him for injuries. Aside from whatever had happened to his face, he felt fine. Zev’s head lolled to the side, seeming of its own accord, and he looked down at his chest.

  Buried to the hilt into the left side of his torso, the black blade protruded six inches from his cracked chest plate. The armor fell away easily, but the knife stayed in place. A dark stain surrounded the handle, growing slowly. Zev tried to laugh, but his body had taken over control of him. His fingers twitched as blood flow slowed to his extremities. Darkness encroached on his vision.

  “Medic!”Gabriel shouted.“I need a medic now!”The lieutenant pulled the first-aid pouch from his left shoulder, tearing the packaging open with his teeth. He twisted the cap off a syrette and plugged it into Zev’s thigh, holding it there for five seconds, then bent the needle and hooked it onto the soldier’s shirt. Gabriel pulled a sealed packet of Neofoamas, squeezing all of the gel around the wound. The agent went to work, foaming into a sterile, sealed pack around the knife.

  Zev’s breath came in gurgles and wheezes. The blade had punctured a lung, and pink froth bubbled near his lips. Gabriel used a cloth from the kit to wipe his sergeant’s mouth.

  “Come on, sergeant,”Gabriel said. He took the soldier’s hand in his, squeezing tight.“You can’t be out yet. The fight’s just getting started.”He looked up, his eyes wide.“Someone get over her
e! We need to move him.”

  A masked man came running around the corner, a fireman’s axe strapped to his back. He looked like he’d just marched through Hell. His clothing was scorched and torn, covered in blood of various colors. As he dropped down to Zev’s side, a smaller person peeked out from behind the wall. The platoon sergeant, delirious, waved. The little kid waved back.

  “Who are you?”Gabriel asked.

  The man pulled down his bandanna. He had a few week’s growth of beard and his lips were cracked and bleeding, but still he smiled.“Timothy Madison.”He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a first-aid kit. The lieutenant popped the case open and removed a syringe.“I knew you would come,”the man said.“We were waiting, but we had to find a safer place.”

  “We?”Gabriel looked around. He hadn’t seen the smaller figure shuffle up behind Timothy. He did a double-take when he realized she was a little girl.“Your daughter?”

  Timothy nodded.“Mary.”

  “Nice to meet you both.”The officer lined up the needle with Zev’s lung, took a breath and slammed the point in. Zev growled but didn’t move. Gabriel pulled the plunger clear of the syringe and waited. After a second the sergeant sucked in a deep breath. Gabriel took tape from the kit and stuck the makeshift air tube in place. Satisfied, he motioned for Timothy to help him lift the injured soldier.“We have to move, this place is swarming with ground troops.”

  “Where’s the shuttle?”

  Gabriel looked confused.“What shuttle?”

  Timothy pulled his daughter close.“Aren’t you a rescue?”

  “We’re the ones who need a rescue,”the officer said.“Come on, we’re headed to the radio station. We should be able to hole up in there, at least until the cavalry arrives.”They lifted the sergeant to his feet, each taking an arm on their shoulder. With the remaining soldiers providing cover fire, the squad began to move across the destroyed street toward the distant broadcast tower. All around them, the sounds of war grew louder.

  * * * * *

  Finding the entrance to the carrier had been easy. Thunder and Lightning had opened wide, jagged holes in the metal hull. Getting inside, however, had taken time. Using rope from Pierre’s kit, the Archangels descended down into the upper deck of the alien ship. Josh sent Alexa on point. Even with the armor adding some bulk to her frame, the young soldier moved with the grace of a dancer. Her rifle led the way, rotating around corners and snapping to any sudden noise or movement.

  The team moved in unison, like a single body. Every step was made together, every turn controlled and coordinated. It took only a few hours to clear two floors and move down. The going was extremely quiet. In fact, they hadn’t seen another living soul since waking up that morning. No one made any comment, but a single thought was on everyone’s mind. Where are all the bad guys?

  Josh walked in a constant state of amazement, his eyes drinking in the sight of an alien vessel. It was nothing like he’d imagined. Human ships were tightly organized, with every available space utilized. Most felt rather cramped, even though they looked enormous. The alien carrier was built more like a factory or refinery. Rooms and walkways ran in a circle around a wide open central cavern. Pipes and machines of every shape and size filled the interior, all running to a central spire that hung down from the shattered roof. The corridors were large and round, with dim lighting and odd nooks and crannies. The walls looked as though they were carved out of some animal’s body, textured and ridged and a sickly crimson.

  Every hundred feet, the interior wall of the corridor disappeared to deliver a breathtaking view of the inner structure. Thunder and Lightning had done their job, coring the structure and allowing Josh’s team to infiltrate. The orbital strike had also destroyed whatever plumbing system seemed to have been set up. Shattered pipes sprayed multicolored sludge in thin waterfalls that landed on the ground far below. Looking over the side, Josh fought the vertigo-inducing twenty-story drop.

  “Josh,”Liane whispered. She pointed down to the opposite side of the ship.“I can see some ships on the floor.”

  Sure enough, there were nearly a dozen broken Hornets and Wasps littering the ground below. Josh followed the trail of debris to a jagged hole that lead to the bottom hundred feet of the carrier. Intel suggested that the lower floors contained the hangar and engines, though Josh didn’t understand the logic. Vibrations from machinery that size would make launching fighters near suicidal. Still, the bomb they’d been given was meant to go in the center of the engine room, and that appeared to be near the ground floor.

  “Hold,”Pierre hissed. He had taken point as they wound their way down the halls, but now was frozen in place, one fist raised at shoulder level. Slowly, Pierre lowered himself to a knee, aiming his carbine around a corner.“Contact, sixty meters.”

  Josh crept over to wall, sliding down until he was on the ground next to Pierre. He edged out, peeking around the corner. There, milling about in the middle of the corridor, was a bird. At least, it had been.“Is that a gull?”

  Pierre nodded.“Paragulls. Never seen one this big.”

  The four-winged creature, normally the size of a dog, had mutated into a skinless monster as big as a bear. Its wings were folded along its back, connected by bulging muscles. The normal scoop-shaped beak had split and elongated. The gull seemed to have talons ripping out of its face. It was eating the remains of some poor critter, though Josh couldn’t make out what.

  Pierre turned his head slightly, never taking his weapon off the hideous bird.“What should we do?”

  Josh bit his lip.“Fares, can we jump over the side? Rappel down?”

  Fares leaned over the ledge, scanning the cavernous room.“I wouldn’t recommend that, sir.”He sent Josh a message via their helmets and a small box appeared on the HUD.

  Josh focused on the area until the image zoomed and enhanced. More gulls patrolled the space inside the hangar, their bat-like wings spanning nearly twenty feet.

  “We could shoot our way through,”Cho suggested.

  “And alert everything in the carrier that we’re here?”Josh shook his head.“This is only the third level of twelve. We need to get the package to the engines,”Josh said.“I’m open to ideas.”

  Fares shrugged.“Open assault won’t work, and it’s too risky to fly across that much open space. I’m sorry, Josh. I’ve got nothing.”

  “LT,”Liane called out. Josh walked quickly to her position overlooking the hangar. She pointed with a finger to the ceiling.“There are catwalks leading to the spire. We could climb it.”

  Pierre laughed from his spot near the corner.“Impossible.”

  Liane ignored his comment.“It’s only angled down for about twenty feet, and then we can use those bolts as handholds. If we move slowly they won’t even notice we’re there.”

  Josh traced the route in his head, weighing the options. Fighting down level by level would take time and ammunition, both of which were in short supply. His HUD streamed data from the fight outside, and it wasn’t going well for the Terrans. If they could knock out the carrier, it might buy the momentum the military needed to rally their forces. This route was incredibly dangerous but afforded the best chance to arrive at the target unnoticed. If they came under fire, however, they’d be sitting ducks. And if those gulls turned on them, it could get even worse.

  “See,”he said to Dax.“This is exactly why having only seven soldiers is a liability.”

  Cho nodded.“So, how do you want to do this?”

  Josh felt a tightness in his chest, just like back on Kronos. His heart pounded in his chest as though he were running a mile-a-minute. Inside the suit, he was sweating. Dax must have sensed his anxiety, because suddenly the big man appeared. He put his hands on Josh’s shoulders and stared at him through the visor.

  “We can drop over the side.”

  Alexa looked over from her perch in the rear.“Rappelling is too slow.”

  “Exactly,”Josh said.“We’re gonna glide.”

  Cho
shook his head.“There’s no way we can maneuver in here.”

  “This place is huge, Cho.”Josh waved his arms, gesturing to the rest of the carrier.“We need to clear ground and leave this floor to the birds. Every second we’re in here, more people are dying out there.”He waved Alexa and Fares over.“You two head down first. Find us a safe landing zone.”

  Fares eyed the drop with trepidation.“And then?”

  Josh rolled his shoulders and neck.“We find a safe route to the engines, then we blow this shithole off the planet.”

  - XIII -

  An explosion shook the cell, knocking Mara to the floor. She hit her head against the sink, leaving a gash that oozed blood down her cheek. Laser fire echoed in the corridor outside and the smell of smoke and ozone filled the air. The Nangolani scientist sat down on her bed, holding the blanket against the wound. Another bomb rocked the prison ward again, this time much closer. She could hear voices approaching; angry, shouting voices. Mara curled into a ball and retreated as far into the corner as possible, praying to Darna Wo, begging for a swift death. The door to her cell slid open, letting in tendrils of smoke.

  The man who entered wore a dark green uniform with black pants and boots. The armor on his chest bore the symbol of JohGal, two stars rising in unison over the crescent of Nangol. In his hands he carried an automatic rifle, the barrel glowing red. He looked down at Mara with coal black eyes and a humorless mouth.

  “Are you Mara Nox Booren?”he asked.“I am Trik Downakan. I’m here to rescue you.”His accent placed him as a Nofan Pas native. Thankfully he spoke her dialect. He offered a hand and helped her to her feet.“Hanweh Shodon has heard of the deception created by Emperor Anduin. The Domin are divided, half siding against the other. The Magistrate has ordered the deaths of all political prisoners and the swift apprehension of the rogue fleet.”

  Mara could scarcely understand. She had sent a message to the Domin, but it had never crossed her mind that he would choose the path of violence. It appeared her discovery had caused a long dormant divide in the classes to break open. Domin were sworn to serve the Empire, but Hanweh was different. She was humbled by his actions on her behalf.

 

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