Nemesis (The MechaVerse Trilogy Book 2)

by Jeremy Cunkle

  Everyone turned from the map to stare at Drogdyn, who instantly went from confident to embarrassed, blushing at the attention, ever the self-conscious type who functioned best in the background. “Thanks to the Omnos squad and their frequent engagements of the PDF surrounding Alba Patera, there is one fact that’s become exceedingly clear. The vast majority of their Mech armor and drones appear to be severely outdated to say the least. We believe they are old, block B models.”

  “Block B what?” Dr. Hesken asked.

  Chief Thorsten explained. “The military has to make everything more complicated and create different names for everything. Instead of referring to an updated model as a new generation, they call each generation a block. The first generation, Block A, was wiped out during The Reckoning. Block B came afterwards; they are almost ten years old. Most of the units we fight are Block C. Block D are being sent against the WinterSong because those Chinese bastards are crazy strong. The newest generation, just coming off the line, are Block E. Luckily we have not come across any in our sector… yet. Each block, typically, has a slightly upgraded reactor, armor, and a third category, such as sensors or missiles; the PDF have remained consistent with those development cycles.”

  Nodding gratefully, Drogdyn continued to explain. “The PDF are also using more drones and infantry for this operation then we have ever seen before. To date, there has been no sign of the HellFire brigade, which we are certain is still in the area, and also no sign of mercenaries or any of the more capable types of units.”

  “That is because they are being held in reserve for the attack.” Captain Cartwright confidently replied. “The Romans were masters of warfare. They used green and untrained troops at the front of their formations to blunt the attacks of their enemies, saving their skilled veterans for when it mattered most. Colonel Mathias is right, whatever is happening, General Akari is behind this and will not be easily stopped.”

  Throughout the meeting, the four Omnos squad members remained silent, letting the others do the talking. Three days had passed since the supply convoy battle, and they were still exhausted. The maintenance required by DawnsLight and Intrepid, after the battle, was so intense, that the lead mechanic, Soren, had asked for another fifteen mechanics, and technicians just to service them. Nearly every munition in all four units had been expended, and when combined with their other battles, the reserves brought from Earth were being depleted rapidly. Another ten technicians had been hired just to run the munition fabricators, full time, in order to replenish their reserves.

  Word had gotten out about how NightHawk had sortied, and how Kurtis had saved not only them, but the supply convoy too. The Lazarus faction had repeatedly thanked the four of them for how tenaciously they fought against those overwhelming odds. All leading to the obvious question, that had so far gone unasked.

  As Alyona moved to remedy that situation, because no one else had yet, Chief Thorsten beat her to it. “What exactly is the Lazarus faction doing about all of this by the way? It’s their damned base. There’s no guarantee of the PDF’s next action. They won’t take all of those losses laying down. Will they even look our way, let alone attack us next?”

  The rest of the meeting proceeded to detail the defense of Kerrak. Colonel Mathias led the discussion, fully in his element. He replaced the regional map with one that showed a recent satellite view of the rebel base at the edge of the mountain. Tags identifying different defense emplacements began populating the side of the map along with other information. “For the last two weeks, a large amount of the materiel the Lazarus faction have been moving to their outpost, has been evenly split between supplies to outlast a siege, and weapons to defend the base. They have moved several thousand troops into the base, which is an outsized portion of their total strength. Nearly all of their defensive turret platforms, missile launchers, and artillery cannons are being newly installed on the outside of the mountain. Also, they have assured me that they are reinforcing the outpost with nearly all of their mechanized offensive forces. Yes, they have been relying on the Omnos squad to defend their reinforcement and supply convoys headed to the outpost, but they are determined to make the PDF pay a high price if they eventually attack the base.”

  Commander Ultor turned to Captain Cartwright. “What are we doing to help?”

  “We have sent twelve Furies and six Justices to Kerrak already, with another squadron of each nearly ready to go. By the way, that leaves us with less than fifty MARS units at Mount Olympus, a low enough number that it leaves me worried about our own defenses, should matters come down to that. Several hundred of our troops have volunteered and left to serve as infantry and to man the heavy defensive weapons. We still have a very large store of weapons left from Mikkhael’s acquisition of the Mass Cargo Freighter outside the mining town of Abadon, and the Omnos squad members have made similarly generous contributions. We are in the process of finishing the last of the weapon transfers to the Lazarus faction. Lastly, the Omnos squad members have offered their services assisting in the defense of Kerrak, and Mount Olympus, if required in the near future.”

  Alyona and the other Omnos squad members were shocked by the size of the force the StormCrows were contributing. For several years, the StormCrows had served as the dominant faction in their hemisphere. They attacked the PDF head on with extreme lethality. This late into the rebellion, the evidence of their dedication to the cause was evident, their power slowly being eclipsed by other, younger, factions. At its peak, the storied halls of Mount Olympus contained hundreds of MARS units. The rows of empty maintenance bays and empty hangars in the mountain were standing testament of better times. Replacing even a single unit was difficult, meaning that the force the StormCrows were contributing was truly substantial.

  Commander Ultor nodded affirmation, showing no signs of remorse at risking such a large portion of their offensive force. The Furies and Justices would have not been sent without his permission, so the conversations had already taken place at some earlier time. Commander Ultor used the likely loss of a few of the units to drive home the importance of his next question. “What is the update on recruiting new pilots and building new units?” He asked, cleverly sidestepping the issue of Salvatore, the hidden hangar, and the thousands of new recruits already hidden deep underground. For those who did not know about what was hidden underneath their very feet, they assumed Commander Ultor implied new Furies and Justices, while those who did know, believed he was asking about the Salvatore model.

  Jack Lu, head of the internal security division stood, coughing quietly as he did. For the first time drawing attention his way as he slowly adjusted a pair of Old Earth glasses before speaking quietly, but forcefully. “We switched to a policy of directly pursuing new recruits around six months ago, as instructed. Using the sympathizers in the domes, we have been able to identify thousands of high-priority recruits. It takes the internal security division a few weeks to research each candidate of course, and we have been paying particularly extra attention lately, when performing our background checks and vetting processes, meaning that there is a moderate delay when we eventually recruit someone. On top of that, we place them under direct surveillance both before and after we recruit any individual. Ironically, the one division most in need of additional power is security. Even shorthanded, we are unwilling to compromise on our recruiting process, for either our division or for our faction.”

  Mr. Lu paused dramatically before continuing, “Between the arrivals-of Starkindler, the PDF enacting forced conscriptions in the domes, and other various factors-our ability to recruit has never been higher. Currently, there are several hundred highly qualified pilots in the pipeline at various stages, as well as hundreds more engineers and technicians. Dr. Hesken has asked for more medical personnel, and we have been able to fulfill that request. I am pleased to report, that for the very first time, we currently have dozens of pilots trained and ready to fight and are only waiting on Mech armor to do so, and with hundreds more in various stages of
readiness behind them.”

  Chief Thorsten stood, sounding defensive as he followed Mr. Lu’s report with an update on the construction of new MARS units. “My teams have doubled the number of simulators the pilots in training have available, and are continuing to build more. On top of that, they have updated most of the older simulators, and we continue to maintain them to display as high a level of realism as possible. We have hundreds of men and women assigned to each shift, working around the clock to build more MARS units as quickly as we can. Before the raid on Abadon, we were desperate for supplies and raw materials, and much of our manufacturing equipment was old. During the last few months, those problems have been fixed and there will be a few new Furies and Justices coming off the production lines in weeks. ” He said, ignoring any mention of the Salvatore model.

  Commander Ultor nodded gratefully, and then changed topics, “What of allies? How are other factions contributing to what is happening at Kerrak?”

  Colonel Mathias answered that question. “The German PPF have sent a force of infantry, heavy weapons, and a small number of Mech armor to Kerrak. They are worried about what happens next, and possibly rightly so. I can hardly see this being the last major attack in our region. The Lazarus faction has informed us that the WinterSong and Russian factions are withholding support as they are both heavily engaged elsewhere.”

  The tension in the room increased palpably, but there was nothing they could do about the fact that so few allies were contributing to their collective mutual defense. They moved on to the next matter at hand. Commander Ultor turned to Drogdyn. “And the PDF? What do we know?”

  As the StormCrow Chief Intelligence Officer, Drogdyn replied confidently. “It’s like nothing we have ever seen before. The number of Chimera’s making daily drops at each of the FOB’s is only continuing to increase, and all three are receiving regular supplies via anti-grav train. We thought about attacking the trains, but each is heavily armed, armored, and being escorted by a half dozen Reapers along with other types of drones. Speaking of drones… the FOB at the point farthest from us, and therefore most difficult to attack, appears to be specifically built to accommodate large numbers of Reapers and other flight based drones. The first of the FOB’s is receiving large shipments of heavy artillery, missiles, and siege equipment, including Scorpions and mobile defense platforms. The newest FOB, the one being constructed between Kerrak and the rest of the Lazarus faction bases, is being flooded with Mech armor. All three are receiving large numbers of combat infantry and drones. Our spies in Hellas and the other factory domes are reporting that huge numbers of new drones are being built, and that the compulsory enlistment of infantry is increasing. Overall, their strategy seems both simple and effective.”

  “Why so many drones and infantry I wonder?” Chief Thorsten asked. “Mech armor might be more difficult to build, but they are by far the most effective weapon platform for fighting on Mars.”

  “Because of the treaty with Titan,” Colonel Mathias quickly answered. “The PDF are limited to the number of Mech armor they can build and field at any one time, and the pair of space cruisers in orbit maintains their unwilling compliance. That and Mars Industries does not want Titan giving us rebels any more assistance than they already have. Titan has long threatened to begin giving the various rebel factions better MARS unit schematics, and especially more powerful reactors to work with. Mars Industries wants to avoid a costly arms race, and instead overwhelm us with their numbers, which they can easier afford. Infantry and drones aren’t as tightly regulated by the treaty, leaving them as the best way the PDF have of increasing the size of their military.”

  Sensing a natural conclusion to the updates, now that everyone was brought up to date with the current military situation, Commander Ultor turned to Chief Thorsten. “How is Starkindler coming along?”

  The members of the Omnos squad perked up at the question, leaning in to listen closely to the answer. “The armor plating and the frame are nearing completion. The Omnos squad brought with them many of the materials we were in desperate need of, such as a new reactor that we simply would not be able to create. Kiryl has informed me their fabricators are currently tied up for the next week at least, repairing their own units and making more munitions. We need as much time with those things as possible. I would like to say we are on schedule to complete the build in a little more than two months, but that date may slip.”

  “Is there any possibly of getting our hands on any more of those fabricators? They are far superior to our own.” Colonel Mathias asked Chief Thorsten, pointedly ignoring the Omnos squad members.

  Alyona answered for the Chief, ignoring the slight. “Each fabricator costs over forty million credits and requires a large number of special materials and specific skills to build. In addition to the two Mikkhael brought with him, we were only able to bring with us another eight. We have highly profitable investments back on Earth that funded the construction of our units and supporting material, but even our financial resources are currently maxed out.”

  “So everything comes down to a play for time, and that is the one thing the PDF don’t appear willing to give us right now.” Captain Cartwright drawled slowly, succinctly summing up their situation.

  Commander Ultor ignored the statement, maintaining eye contact with Chief Thorsten. “You are saying Starkindler will not be ready before the PDF attack Kerrak then, is that what I’m hearing?”

  Clearly wishing he had a better answer, Chief Thorsten answered, “Aye Sir. I wish we could get it done in time but there is no way. Starkindler is already my top priority, and I have more than enough manpower. It’s just a matter of getting the work done now.”

  Knowing that any further questioning or accusations would be pointless, Commander Ultor turned to the doctor. “Dr. Hesken, how is Mikkhael doing? We have not had an update in some time.”

  “Physically, Mikkhael grows stronger daily. He now undergoes several hours of physical therapy every day. His cancer levels are lower than any of ours, thanks to all of the stem cell treatments and other aggressive treatments the Omnos squad members brought with them. Although he will have to have anti-cancer medication for the rest of his life, and pay particular care to avoid any kind of excessive radiation exposure. My teams have just begun using a hyperbaric chamber treatment regimen on him. The initial reports are that his body is physically thriving under the new regimen.” Dr. Hesken said, pausing as she considered saying more but chose not to.

  It was obvious to everyone that she was holding back information. The report was far too positive, and she mentioned his physical condition multiple times, unconsciously placing far too large an emphasis on his physical updates. Therefore it was no surprise when Commander Ultor raised an eyebrow and followed up his original question, “And his mental condition?”

  Dr. Hesken huffed aggressively, and then deflated. “The same. Mikkhael is in his current state as much because of mental problems with his loss of identity as he is in a coma. Even if Chief Thorsten finishes rebuilding Starkindler, I am not sure that he’ll be able to pilot it. The will to fight, let alone live, seems to have completely left him.”

  Her honest reply struck a chord in all of them, especially Commander Ultor who had been the one to ask him to save his daughter, losing Starkindler and Aurora in the process and thereby falling into his current problems. He grunted softly, embarrassed and ashamed, and was about to move on when all four of the Omnos squad members stood up simultaneously.

  Alyona spoke for them, “Get Starkindler rebuilt. You do your job, and let Mikkhael do his. He’ll be ready; his fight is nowhere near finished yet.” She said before turning and walking out of the room, the other three members behind her.

  They had work to do.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN – ARMS RACE

  “Demons laugh when you talk of next year” – Japanese proverb

  General Akari entered the The Mountain’s situation room. The Mountain was the semi-official name given to PDF headquarters
. Throughout the Mountain were situated nearly a dozen situation rooms capable of handling the support personnel necessary for a major operation such as the one currently underway in the Alba Patera region. Due to the sheer number of campaigns taking place across Mars, fighting to push back the various resurgent terrorist factions, many of the situation rooms were not only in use, they were being staffed around the clock. Such was the one he entered, dedicated to overseeing the trio of FOB’s being built for the ensuing attack on the Lazarus faction outpost named Kerrak, located in the Alba Patera region.

  As he entered through the guarded, double check point that served as the only entrance to the situation room, General Akari recognized a change in the room’s atmosphere from his shear presence as everyone tried to work a bit harder now that he had arrived. Once inside the room, in front of him and off to the side, a half dozen plutocrat Generals stood around a projection table. Each of the other Generals had their personal aide’s close by in order to explain what was happening, all pointedly ignoring his arrival, which only served to make their attention even more obvious. Several stern faced Mars Industries Party representatives moved silently throughout the large, open room, monitoring everyone in for loyalty and compliance. They served as a constant reminder to all personnel that no one could escape the Party’s reach.

  In a half moon shape surrounding the projection table were a hundred different workstations. The workstations were set out in groups of five, each one making up a cluster of workstations dedicated to a single priority such as monitoring friendly forces engaged in battle, with multiple clusters divided into groups of various sizes. The cluster for logistics was one of the smallest, only possessing ten total workstations or two clusters, while the group dedicated to monitoring the battlefield was the largest, with six clusters. Only a third of the stations were currently manned as the operation was still in a phase of build-up, preparing for when the order to attack would finally be given.