Nemesis (The MechaVerse Trilogy Book 2)

by Jeremy Cunkle

  Their first mission was an armed reconnaissance patrol of the local region around the mountain, but the reality was that if possible they would avoid combat altogether. The Omnos squad pilots were fully aware of their need to gain real flight experience as rapidly as possible. Up to now they had only flown in simulators that they logged thousands of hours in. They also needed to practice using the AI they would all share, named Argos. It was a duplicate of Aurora’s original source code albeit without her customized hacking abilities, instead utilizing modifications tailored for both the needs of a group as well as each of their individual strengths. Because they intended for Kurtis and Aurora to handle all of the hacking, the AI they shared did not specifically possess the abilities, thereby leaving more than adequate resources to support the extensive needs of all three of their Mech armor simultaneously under any situation.

  For their venture, Commander Ultor assigned them a small task force of two squads of MARS units for them to team up with and practice maneuvers. The veteran StormCrow pilots were there to babysit them and make sure their vaunted new heroes did not die or do anything stupid before saving them all, every bit as much as they were present in order to show them the ropes, a fact not hidden from either side. The Omnos squad members were eager to show the StormCrows their capabilities and earn their trust in the same way that Mikkhael had. The rebel’s. for their part, were eager to see the capabilities of the new Mech armor measured directly against Mikkhael’s ability. Everyone was well aware that he had set the bar impossibly high for them; but the Omnos squads Mech armor were the second generation as well as possessing a few tricks from lessons learned.

  Alyona took point in her DawnsLight, a modified version of Starkindler that suited her style and needs. DawnsLight had been intended to share the point position with Starkindler, but that opportunity would have to wait until Starkindler was rebuilt. The all-around capability of her unit made it ideal for vanguard action, and with Mikkhael out of commission, she was now in command. Vera trailed behind her maintaining a quarter of a mile interval in between them, serving as the signals and intelligence officer while Kurtis remained behind at Mount Olympus. In a wing formation behind Vera’s Atalanta were a squadron of Furies led by Xilan.

  Furies were the smaller and most commonly mass-produced of the two types of MARS units employed by the StormCrows and most rebel factions. Ideal for most situations, their tough frames, and steady reliability even after taking extensive damage rendered them excellent for sustained combat operations. Furies lacked the ability to fly or even glide; their biggest limitation, but they were agile and light for their size, able to move across the harsh Martian terrain at relatively high speeds. Since nearly all rebel factions tended to operate around their bases, their lack of an ability to traverse sizeable distances was not a very big problem.

  Kiryl’s Intrepid, led a squadron of Justices under the command of Ulric, who had been relegated to training duties after nearly being killed along with Eve and Mikkhael. Ulric’s heavy Mech armor, the bulkier Justices, were composed of stronger composite armor than the Furies and had the added benefit of electronic shields. Their weapons deviated from the norm and were projectile based, leaving their fuel cell reactors responsible for dealing with powering the engines as well as one other feature not commonly found on rebel units, energy shields. The Justices were the brawlers and heavy hitters, holding the line when all else failed or providing the firepower needed to knock out the PDF tanks and other heavily armored units. They were slow moving but strong, relying on their more nimble associates to provide them with intelligence and reconnaissance information and anything that required being fleet of foot.

  The joint task-force headed out in a double wing formation along the pre-planned patrol route, Argos using preloaded maps to plot relay points on their HUD’s as they tried to cover a variety of different terrain. After nearly three hours of steady travel, against the advice of their minder, Lieutenant Jacobson, who strongly objected, they veered towards a break in the tall volcanic mountain range occupying the horizon nicknamed Hells Gate. It would take them another two hours to approach the pass and determine if anyone had used it recently. If any PDF troops were performing similar land based patrols into their territory, they would most likely use that pass.

  It was cheaper and more effective for the PDF to perform their patrols on the ground using their inexpensive, mass produced units the same way soldiers had done since the dawn of man. Chimera transports were enormous and slow, constantly struggling to stay aloft in the low air pressure, making them easy targets and only ideal for large operations or rushing reinforcements to an area. Easy to spot, undefended and weakly armored due to the requirement of their overly large engines, they were another weak point in the PDF war machine, and if shot down while in transit often meant the loss of every Mech armor on board. All of that boiled down to if they did come across any hostiles, it would likely be a patrol similar to their own.

  Another hour passed in in unbroken silence until Vera sighed in frustration at the slowly approaching mountain pass. “Damnit all. I hope Kurtis can get Aurora working again ASAP. Argos doesn’t have access to the satellites the same way she did. My sensors are completely blind right now. We could be completely surrounded right now and not know it.”

  Alyona’s reply over their squadron’s private channel was instant and curt. “Radio silence is to be maintained unless an emergency situation occurs. We are now in hostile territory; it serves no advantage to compromise ourselves here. The StormCrows are watching us, set a better example.”

  Vera huffed in reply but did not otherwise reply, recognizing that Alyona was right. The stress of the situation had them all keyed up, each looking for an outlet in their own way. They were entering the area most likely to have an enemy presence, and everyone’s fight or flight response was steadily gearing into full swing, pumping them full of adrenaline and other natural chemicals even before anything untoward occurred. Vera’s warning about being blind served to reinforce the Omnos squad’s alertness, this was not the simulator and there were no do overs. The message got through as they diligently set about scanning their assigned sectors. The formation passed slowly between two large hills, moving carefully through the broken and dangerous terrain before spilling out onto the open plain in front of them, clumped up more tightly then they should have been. Luckily, there were no PDF waiting to take advantage of the simple mistake.

  Alyona signaled a formation change over line of sight laser comms, and like an eagle spreading its wings the mixed units behind her spread out in a picket line. Vera and Kiryl brought up the rear, waiting to see where they would be needed if combat occurred. Her long-range sniper rifle and lighter armor meant that her Atalanta was better suited to a supporting role. Kiryl’s heavy Intrepid brought up the rear and would immediately head to the thick of danger, the moment any presented.

  The StormCrows continued to fan out into a three mile wide curved arc on each side of Alyona, just in overlap of each-others weapons. This way they could cover the most ground as they visually searched for recent signs of PDF in the area, but rapidly be able to support anyone who needed it should a combat situation develop.

  Everything was appearing mundane and routine when Ulric found heavy tracks that were recent enough the blowing dust had not yet filled them in. The dust acted similarly to snow back on Earth, filling in and covering any tracks after only a few hours. Vera scanned her sensor displays; quietly cursing to herself as radar, LIDAR, and infrared all pinged in normal ranges.

  Argos was the first to notice the danger, simultaneously notifying the Omnos squad members. “Threats detected. Approximately two PDF squadrons are laying in ambush behind a set of low hills west of our current position that is now marked on your HUDs, distance five miles. If we retreat, it is probably a fair assumption that they will attack and they have the angle between the pass and us, meaning that we cannot outrun them. Also, they know we are here.”

  Each of the three pilots
felt a thrill run down their spines among other mixed emotions. While they had not intentionally sought out combat on their first mission, the experience would serve them well in identifying what they were capable of, never doubting anything other than a favorable conclusion. Utilizing unhackable line of sight laser comms, they relayed what Argos ascertained to Ulric and Xilan, who agreed with their conclusion that to retreat would mean they would be attacked from behind. They convinced themselves that their decision was made for them. They would stand their ground, they would fight.

  Argos plotted a plan of attack, the StormCrows moving into a double wing formation, this time flowing into place with an ease that belied their inexperience, as Argos directed everyone step-by-step where to go. Alyona assumed point of the left wing, taking charge of the squadron of Furies in preparation to flank the PDF and attack from behind, while Vera moved to a vantage point that allowed for her to have a clear line of fire. The Justices began trodding heavily towards the base of the hills, Kiryl moving adjacent to them but overall acting independently. The Justices would crest the lee side of the tallest hill, appearing as the most significant threat backed up by Vera, and then Kiryl would appear from the East, overwhelming anyone unfortunate enough to be in his path. He would capitalize on the chaos, destroying as many enemies as rapidly as possible while the sturdy Justices held the enemy attention and Vera in a supporting role for both teams. A minute after his attack, Alyona and the Furies would attack from the West and commence cleanup, thereby minimizing their casualties. Their plan was simple and effective, and absolutely no one suspected how it would go so wrong so quickly.

  A knoll presented itself as an effective sniping point, so Vera spun up Atalanta’s reactor to full power, engaging thrusters while charging the electromagnetic coils of her sniper rifle and shields. She would remain undetectable by the PDF, but because of the non-stealthy StormCrows, they already knew there were enemies in the area headed directly towards them, she would simply be one more blip on their radar screens if they did somehow detect her. Argos identified the knoll as a position that provide her with a clear line of sight in range of her rifle, allowing her to provide enfilade fire down upon the majority of the PDF positions without endangering her allies.

  Atalanta nimbly climbed its way to the top of the knoll. “In position.” Vera relayed over their squad frequency as she assumed a firing stance, bending the knees to absorb any recoil, leaning the Mech’s weight into a tripod under the barrel of the oversized rifle that automatically deployed, the feet of which dug deep into the rocky soil. Both arms of her Mech armor wrapped around the oversized rifle, providing stability for it as well as additional energy for its coils, able to conduct energy through magnets in the arms to the coils in the rifle, one of the many lessons learned from Starkindler. Alyona and Kiryl each activated their afterburners at different apexes in their approach, closing the gap quickly between their position and the waiting trap they were attempting to counter-spring. A timer counted down the fifteen seconds in the corner of their HUD for when Ulric and his squadron would engage and distract the PDF.

  The strategy was suitable for the situation; no mistakes had been made on their choice of decisions. However, they were not facing off against run of the mill PDF units. Unknown to them, the enemy patrol was part of the Hellfire Brigade, the special force tasked with “managing” rebel activity in their region in support of the regular forces, brought in after Mikkhael erased multiple bases and their occupants off the map, staring down multiple division sized elements in the process. Argos had been unable to take into account that there might be more to the situation than was immediately apparent due to the AI’s inexperience and lack of satellite resources that Aurora had relied on in order to gain the upper hand.

  As soon as Alyona and Kiryl barreled around the sides of each of their respective hills at full speed, another pair of previously undetected PDF squadrons quick booted their reactors from rest mode. They had been waiting in a secondary ambush, set apart from the first group with their reactors idled in a cold state to avoid detection, using the other two squadrons as bait. The five seconds it took them to activate their reactors and engage the Omnos Squad significantly altered the landscape of the battle.

  What had been calculated as a simple fight with the odds strongly in their favor instantly devolved into free for all chaos where the only one equipped to deal with the result was Kiryl. Further complicating the situation, one of the PDF reserve squadrons lying in wait was compromised of highly skilled veteran mercenaries from Earth. Their Mech armor rated in between the PDF and Omnos squad capability wise, while just their presence alone added significant support to their allies fighting abilities.

  Alyona was the first to react as she was practically on top of the two hidden squads that were in the process of quickly booting up, her DawnsLight out of pure reflex destroyed a pair of Slayer’s nearest her with ease, but due to the overwhelming numbers around her, she was abruptly forced to a complete stop and then a hasty retreat, thereby losing all momentum and suffering a few moments of complete vulnerability as she was caught at the edge of the ambush. The loss of momentum as she engaged her backburners to escape nearly proved her undoing before her fight against the tyranny of Mars Industries had even begun.

  If the reserve squadrons had been able to fire immediately, Alyona would have lost DawnsLight in that moment, or in a best case scenario have taken crippling damage. As the situation unfolded though, Argos was able to provide her with enough warning that she pushed DawnsLight into a brutal turn, the g-forces knocking her temporarily unconscious even as DawnsLight boosted the IV drug cocktail to critical levels in an attempt to keep her alert. Afterburners still at full, the weight of the g-forces pushed her deep into the pilots chair that molded around her, doing everything in its power to keep her alive. Unconscious and unable to pilot, Argos took charge for her, using both of the main weapons to destroy a third Slayer straight in front of them and then proceeded to barrel DawnsLight through the small hole in their formation that appeared with its destruction.

  As nearly every single one of the PDF turned to track, engage, and then destroy the primary target that just appeared alone and defenseless in front of them instead of the approaching Justices as intended, Xilan and his squad of Furies poured over the top of the hill, firing the instant their weapons cleared the crest and angled into position. The surprise was effective, and the numbers quickly evened as PDF units exploded where they stood. Recognizing the situation for the disadvantage they were in, the Furies also engaged their backburners and retreated along with Alyona behind the temporary safety of the hill.

  Kiryl never slowed or wavered in his role, his faith in the capabilities of himself and Intrepid were absolute. He never faltered in his one man/machine onslaught. With the PDF responding to the sudden appearance of DawnsLight, which they mistakenly recognized as Starkindler and therefore prioritized above all else, he opened up with everything at their disposal and did not stop. A steady stream of high explosive cannon shells, missiles, and sub munitions poured forth, tearing apart the vulnerable enemy formations from behind. His sustained fire dropped three Slayers in rapid succession and wounded several others to various degrees. When the surprise pair of squadrons began spooling up their reactors, he simply turned and engaged them as his next targets, focusing on the more deadly mercenary units first. Ulric’s squadron of Justices crested the hill to find nine Mech armor of various types moving to surround and bring down Kiryl, and that somehow they were being overwhelmed and pushed back against the terrible fury of Intrepid.

  Watching in horror from her vantage point as their simple plan devolved in slow motion, Vera prioritized assisting Alyona first. Her first shot raced across the plain, striking one of the first Slayers in the back that had no opportunity to react to her sudden presence, knocking it forward from the force of the impact, removing it from the fight. She followed by loosing a pair of her large Mech killer missiles towards the Mercenary units that were fiercely a
ttacking Kiryl before fluidly acquiring her next target. Guided by Argos, the missiles targeted and struck two of the mercenary units that had come all the way from Earth just to die on Martian soil. Their shields were multiples times more capable than the PDF units they were escorting, but still proved inadequate against the powerful custom munitions. The missiles detonated against their shields, explosively collapsing them, critically wounding the pair of units that then detonated from secondary explosions. Rifle charge reloaded, her second shot struck the largest, and therefore probably the leader, mercenary unit in the back of its head, destroying the head and leaving the rest of the unit vulnerable, which Kiryl took advantage of and finished off.

  She adjusted to fire at the adjacent unit that was slightly wounded. Its shields collapsed after a broadside from Kiryl, but the pilot was still in the fight. She was lining up her shot when another Mercenary pilot quickly reacted to the new threat she posed and engaged her. Even from the long distance separating them, the veteran pilot was able to place several accurate shots that struck against Atalanta’s shields, doing substantial damage with its powerful weapons. Vera fought the urge to panic as her shields dropped, triggering alarms that filled the cockpit with a cacophony of distracting noise as additional alerts notified her of being acquired by a targeting laser as well as incoming fire all blending in with a steady tone notifying her the rifle was ready to fire. Putting extra emphasis on calming her mind, she slowly took a deep breath, pushing aside all of the noise and chaos, and then released the breath and the trigger at the same time. The blast of the sniper rifles third shot had been over charged by 30%, racing across the distance between the two foes at a speed impossible to see or dodge by any human, landing against the shoulder of the Mech armor, explosively bifurcating the arm from the body. The impact knocked the mercenary unit down onto its back through sheer kinetic force, shields collapsing explosively around the Mech armor as critical systems failed.