Earth Eternal (Earthrise Book 9)

by Daniel Arenson

  "I can take 'em all with one arm," Addy said.

  "No," Marco said. "We need to be smarter. We need to do what we did back in the Marauder War."

  Addy tilted her head. "You plan to abandon me to captivity, then go gallivanting across the galaxy with your friends?"

  "No. Never again, Addy." He held her hand and looked into her eyes. "I will never abandon you again."

  "And I will never say 'gallivanting' again. That literally hurt my tongue."

  Marco smiled thinly. "Back in the Marauder War, we commandeered one of the marauders' ships. While we were gallivanting, we were able to pass as marauders for a while. So here's my plan. We attack with the mechas. Full force. But that'll only be a distraction. During the assault, you and I will commandeer a saucer. Then, while the mechas are still fighting, we'll make our way down to the pyramid."

  Her eyes widened. "We'll have to find somebody else to fly the mechas."

  Marco nodded. "Yes. We'll choose two marines as pilots. You and I should be the ones who fly down to Earth, who face the Tick-Tock King. That'll be the hardest part of this plan, and we're the two most experienced soldiers here. We're the soldiers who found and killed the scum emperor. You're the soldier who raised Earth in rebellion, and I helped find the Ghost Fleet—"

  "While gallivanting," Addy said.

  He nodded. "While gallivanting. The bottom line is: facing the Tick-Tock King is our task. So we'll hand the mechas over to two other pilots. We'll grab a saucer. We'll go down there. We'll get inside the pyramid and find the Tick-Tock King. And we kill the fucker."

  Addy nodded. "That last part is my favorite."

  They returned to the lunar valley.

  They stood before their marines in the shadows of the mechas. Before them mustered the best warriors from Earth—from Green Earth, the Earth that had been. Each man and woman here had fought many battles. Many were veterans of the Scum War. All had fought the marauders. They were humanity's best.

  It's so strange that we lead them, Marco thought.

  He remembered himself and Addy a decade ago, mere corporals, joining Lieutenant Ben-Ari's elite platoon, the force tasked with finding and killing the scum emperor. Back then, Marco and Addy had been the most inexperienced soldiers in the group, two teenagers, terrified to be among such vicious killers, among the military's most decorated warriors.

  Today he and Addy were captains—higher ranking than Ben-Ari had been that day years ago. Today they were war heroes, the famous soldiers who had slain the scum emperor, who had defeated the marauders, who would now lead the charge against the grays.

  Deep down inside, Marco still felt like that young, scared boy. It was hard to believe he would be turning thirty next month. That he was divorced. That he had lost two children. That his body was covered with the scars of many battles. That now he commanded—not just stood among, but led—Earth's elite task force.

  He looked at Addy. She stood there, wearing the same spacesuit as he did, black and coated with graphene armor. Behind her visor, her face was stern, proud, framed with blond hair. She was every inch the warrior, tall and strong and noble. With her shoulders squared and chin raised, she looked like the famous Addy Linden who had raised Earth in rebellion against the marauders, who had inspired millions to fight.

  But Marco knew a different woman. He knew the Addy who cuddled with him at night when the nightmares haunted them. The Addy who joked about hot dogs and freaks because silence was too horrible, too filled with fear and memories. The Addy he had met at a planetarium twenty years ago. The Addy he had grown up with. Who was his best friend. His lover. His other half. The Addy who was the love of his life.

  When my world collapsed, you were there for me, Addy, he thought. You were always there. We'll never be apart again.

  And now the fear grew stronger than ever. Because Marco had already lost so many. His friends, Beast and Caveman. His commanders and mentors, Corporal Diaz and Sergeant Singh. Women he loved—Manisha, Kemi. He knew death was so common in this cosmos of war. He knew that their lives were so fragile. Even his. Even Addy's. And he could not bear the thought of losing her today.

  Perhaps more than he feared for himself, even for Earth, he feared for Addy.

  If she should die, I would lose all meaning to my life, he thought. Love in war is fear distilled.

  He spoke to their marines.

  "We came here to save Earth. We came here, and we saw what Earth could become. We came here to find a dystopia: our planet desolate, our species deformed into cruel beasts, all the hopes and dreams of humanity turned into nightmares. This all happened. But this can still be changed! Today, a million years past our time, we will face this dark future, and we will change it."

  The marines all stared at him, eyes somber, ready to fight. He saw their fear but also their determination, their courage.

  Marco continued speaking.

  "On Black Earth, there is a city of grays—the creatures who call themselves the Sanctified Sons, the mutated spawn of humanity. In the center of that city is a pyramid. Inside the pyramid is the creature some call the Oracle, others the Time Seer, and some call the Tick-Tock King. We will kill him today. And once we kill him, the grays will lose their ability to time travel. Our Earth—Green Earth—will be saved. Between us and that pyramid wait thousands of saucers."

  One of the soldiers, a sergeant with long red curls and green eyes, spoke up. "Sir, how can we get past thousands? We could barely defeat those krakens."

  "The mechas will no longer be our primary invasion force," Marco said. "We have perhaps overestimated their power. They are badly damaged now. Relying on them to reach the pyramids is too risky. But they can create a distraction. We will engage the saucers head-on. In the chaos, we will commandeer a saucer. Captain Linden, myself, and fifteen volunteers will board the saucer and attempt to reach Earth. The rest will remain in the mechas, attempting to break past the defenses using sheer force. If one of our groups fails, the other will continue with the mission."

  "So we split up," said the redheaded sergeant. "One group attacks with brute force. The other group sneaks in."

  Marco nodded. "Exactly."

  "Sir?" the marine said. "I'd like to volunteer for the sneak assault. Sounds like more fun, sir."

  They divided into groups. Marco, Addy, and fifteen marines joined the squad tasked with commandeering a saucer and sneaking down to the pyramid. The other marines, numbering a hundred and eighty, would remain to fight in the mechas. Two among that latter group volunteered to pilot the mechas instead of Marco and Addy; both had years of experience fighting in Earth's smaller mech-suits.

  Before they entered the mechas, Marco addressed the marines again—final words before the battle.

  "We've all fought aliens before. We fought scum. We fought marauders. We showed humanity's strength. Yet now we fight an enemy more terrifying. Now we fight ourselves. Here is not only a warning of what Earth might become—but of what humanity might become. Today we face two paths. One path leads humanity to the stars, to hope, to civilization, to light. Another path leads here—to evil, to desolation, to despair, to a cruel and twisted mutation of humanity festering on a ravaged world. Today we choose the right path! Today we choose hope! Today you are all soldiers of light!"

  Addy stepped forward and raised her fist. "And today you fuck grays up the ass! Kill those fucking assholes! No soldier retreats! No soldier surrenders! If any one of you sons of bitches hesitates for a second in battle, I will personally ram my fist down your throat and yank out your goddamn fucking balls. We will show the enemy no mercy. We will win!"

  "We will win!" they cried.

  "Kill those fucking gray cocksuckers!" Addy shouted. "For Earth!"

  "For Earth!" the marines cried back.

  As they entered the mechas, Marco leaned toward Addy.

  "I have to admit," he whispered. "Your speech was crude, but it did a better job of riling them up."

  Addy patted his cheek. "That's why I raised Ea
rth in rebellion against the marauders, while you were busy gallivanting." She kissed him. "My sweet little gallivanting poet."

  Inside the mecha, they suited up for war. They grabbed railguns, the latest in HDF tech. These assault rifles fired regular bullets, but they were powered by electromagnetic force instead of gunpowder, allowing the bullets to travel much faster with far more energy. If a regular assault rifle could fire through a brick wall, railguns could fire through a tank. These weapons made their old T57 assault rifles, the guns that had won the Scum War, look like peashooters. They strapped on tactical vests filled with magazines and grenades. They wore graphene body armor, the material harder than diamonds. They slung jetpacks across their backs. Finally they grabbed laser blades for slicing through the hulls of enemy ships.

  When they were ready, Marco and Addy stared at each other.

  "Do I look like a killer?" Addy said.

  Marco nodded. "Always."

  She grabbed his head with both hands and gave him a deep kiss, ignoring the cheers from the marines around them.

  "Let's go kick ass, everyone!" Addy shouted.

  They all cheered louder.

  The engines rumbled.

  The two mechas took flight, soaring off the lunar surface.

  They charged toward Earth. Toward thousands of saucers. Toward near-certain death and a sliver of hope in the dark.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Kaiyo and Kaji, two ancient mechas, were five hundred years old. They were rusty. They were cracked and filled with holes. Kaji was missing two limbs, while Kaiyo had lost his hammer. Centuries ago, they had been among the greatest weapons in the galaxy. Today they were relics.

  Today they charged to new glory.

  They stormed toward Earth headfirst, cannons firing. They had come from a million years ago. They had come to kill. They were humanity's last hope.

  Earth grew closer ahead. The blue marble, cradle of humanity, had become a lump of coal. Its oceans were black with filth, and islands of plastic floated on its oily surface. Soot covered the continents. All plant life had perished. The polar caps had melted. All that remained was a blackened, charred sphere, dead but for a single city.

  It was desolation. It was despair. It was the most precious planet in the cosmos.

  And from that planet they flew.

  They came charging toward the mechas. Thousands of them. Tens of thousands. The saucers.

  Addy, Marco, and their squad of marines flew inside Kaiyo, the male mecha. They stood inside the giant robot's head, staring through a viewport at the battle.

  Beside Marco, a sergeant stood inside the sensor suit, connected to the mecha's massive body. However the sergeant moved, the mecha moved. Nearby flew Kaji; another marine was piloting the female mecha.

  Ahead swarmed the saucers. Closer. Closer. A thousand kilometers away. Five hundred. A hundred.

  "Remember, we move quietly, in darkness," Marco said to the squad. "We grab a saucer in the chaos. We blast open the airlock. We do it quick and easy."

  Addy sneered. "Show them no mercy. Give them nothing but death. You are soldiers of Earth!"

  The mechas opened fire.

  Kaiyo thrummed as his cannons blasted. The shells slammed into the charging gray fleet. Several saucers exploded. Myriads kept flying toward them.

  The saucers flew closer. Fifty kilometers away. Ten. Five.

  Space exploded.

  The mecha jerked so violently Marco fell, and Addy fell onto him.

  "Get off!" He shoved her. "You weigh a ton."

  They struggled to their feet. The battle raged everywhere. The saucers were firing all their guns. Blast after blast hit the mechas. Hole after hole pierced the giant machine. Fire blazed. The saucers streamed like schools of fish, swarming up and down, surrounding the two mechas, blasting their guns. Everywhere was fire and light and shattering metal.

  "Fire!" Addy shouted. "Cut through them! Kill those sons of bitches!"

  The mechas fired their cannons. Each blast tore through the lines of saucers, taking out dozens, maybe hundreds of the starships. Hundreds more replaced the fallen. It was like two humans running through a swarm of hornets, firing handguns, stung every step. A chip of armor fell off Kaiyo. Kaji lost her second arm. Blasts rocked the machines.

  "Get us closer!" Addy shouted hoarsely. "Charge, charge! Tear through them!"

  Marco grabbed her. "Addy, we have to deploy!"

  She was sneering, staring out the viewport, waving her fists as if she were still flying a mecha. "Break through! To Earth!"

  He could barely hear her. The battle was deafening. Explosion after explosion rocked the mecha. The machine jolted so madly they fell again. Kaiyo's leg tore free and tumbled through space, plowing into saucers. The pilot screamed. Earth was barely visible past the swarm of saucers.

  Nearby, Kaji had lost her cannons. The female mecha was reduced to fighting by swinging her one arm, knocking saucers aside like a woman swatting at flies. Countless saucers kept firing their lasers, peppering the mecha.

  Kaiyo rocked again. Explosions blasted against them. The mecha was burning. Kaiyo swung his own arms, tearing through saucers, but the enemy seemed endless. The mighty mechas were falling apart.

  "Addy!" Marco grabbed her and shouted into her ear. "We have to deploy! Now!"

  She nodded.

  They ran.

  Their squad of marines ran behind them.

  The mecha jolted. Blasts shook the machine. Fires raged everywhere, and cracks raced across the hull.

  The squad reached the airlock at the back of the mecha's head. The marines closed the visors on their helmets.

  Marco stood on the edge for a second, staring, eyes hard.

  The battle blazed before him, thousands of saucers flying everywhere, firing, shattering, an inferno above Earth.

  He leaped out into Hell.

  Behind him, Addy and fifteen other soldiers followed.

  Their jetpacks roared, and they flew through the storming, furious, blazing battle.

  Marco could barely make up from down, left from right. The formations of saucers flew everywhere. Laser beams flashed all around. Explosion after explosion lit space. Behind him, the two mechas were struggling to charge forth, to break through the swarm, to reach Earth with the marines inside. Another explosion rocked Kaiyo, and the massive mecha nearly split in two. Holes gaped open in its chest, revealing marines inside—screaming, burning, dying.

  Marco kept flying.

  Addy flew at his side. Their marines flew with them. Their jetpacks left trails of fire behind.

  "See that enemy formation?" Marco said. "Fly to the saucer at the back."

  "Why that one?" Addy said.

  "It's small. Less grays aboard. Come on!"

  They flew.

  Above them streamed a squad of saucers, blasting out lasers. Fire lit space. Marco glanced behind him to see Kaiyo split in half, showering sparks.

  Fuck.

  "Forward!" he shouted.

  Kaiyo's top half, head and arms and flaming torso, came falling toward them.

  "Forward, forward!" Marco cried.

  The squad streamed forth, blasting their jetpacks. Marco and Addy flew at the lead. Behind them flew the fifteen marines. The top half of Kaiyo was burning, a hellish monument the size of a starfighter carrier. It came crashing down toward them.

  "Forward!" Marco shouted at the top of his lungs.

  They blasted forth as the ravaged mecha fell.

  Kaiyo's flaming head took out the back of their squad.

  Marines screamed and were gone.

  The remains of Kaiyo fell below them, burning up as they crashed toward Earth. Addy and Marco kept flying. With them flew only eight marines.

  "Make it to the saucer!" Marco said. "Hurry!"

  Kaji was still fighting, keeping the saucers occupied. But the female mecha was crumbling, burning, losing more and more chunks of metal. Her remaining leg crumbled.

  Marco focused on reaching the saucer.
<
br />   He flew closer. He was only moments away.

  And the enemy saw them.

  Three saucers streamed toward the marines.

  Lasers blasted.

  The beams took out one marine. A second. A third.

  "Kaji, we need help!" Marco shouted into his communicator.

  The saucers flew around them. More lasers fired. A fourth marine died. A fifth. The squad was now down to just Marco, Addy, and three others.

  The saucers flew upward, then prepared to swoop and slay them all.

  "Kaji!" Marco shouted.

  And through the battle, Kaji flew.

  The female mecha was just a torso, a head, and one arm. Burning. Scattering parts. But still Kaji fought. She swung one flaming arm, an arm the size of an office tower, and sent saucers flying.

  If any more saucers had intended to attack Marco and his marines, they were now charging at Kaji.

  Explosions rocked the mecha.

  Her torso shattered open, spilling out marines.

  They gave their lives to save us, Marco thought. To save Earth.

  He kept flying.

  He saw his destination—the small saucer ahead. Slower, smaller than the others. He gritted his teeth and slammed into the hull with a thud and terrifying pain.

  Addy thumped into the hull a second later.

  Three more marines hit the hull with them.

  They crawled toward the airlock. They got to work at once. Their laser blades made short work of the lock, and the door swung open.

  The marines leaped inside, railguns firing.

  The grays were waiting for them.

  The lanky, wrinkled creatures stared with their black eyes. They raised guns and fired. Electrical bolts slammed into the marines. One man fell from the airlock, chest burned open, only for another saucer to slice him in two. Marco took a blow to the shoulder. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but he stood his ground. He fired his railgun.

  His bullet ripped through a gray. Addy fired with him, shouting hoarsely. Their last marines—only two men—fired their guns in a fury. Grays fell. Lasers and bullets flew back and forth. A blast tore the arm off one marine, but the man stayed standing and howled, firing his railgun with one hand, tearing down more grays.