Nemesis (The MechaVerse Trilogy Book 2)

by Jeremy Cunkle

  She turned her head to the side, taking one last pull from a nozzle hanging from the top of the cockpit, chewing slightly as she downed the disingenuously named Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) “Fresh mountain berry” flavored nutrient goop.

  “Athena, prepare to engage,” she ordered.

  At the command, the nozzle hanging from the ceiling retracted and the lights in the cabin dimmed, switching to high-contrast mode, while the straps surrounding her, and the chair she sat in, automatically tightened. In the background, the thrum of Atalanta’s reactor roared, blazing with full power. Vera’s world reduced itself to the colors of black, green, blue, and red, as the brightness of the displays became mollified, replaced by the high-contrast screens and the red of alerts sounding. Many of the supplemental displays on the side of the cockpit switched to low-light mode, rendering them nearly black. If she turned her head and looked at one of the displays, scanning their dedicated read outs, cameras built into the displays would recognize where she was looking and instantly switch to the appropriate level of brightness.

  Vera pulled the HMD over her eyes as Athena began a verbal countdown. “Enemies in range in 30 seconds…29…28…”

  She screwed her eyes shut, blinking rapidly several times as her brain needed a few seconds to interpret the image from the HMD. With seventeen seconds left, she lifted her arms in front of her, her Mech armor mimicking her movement, aiming the rifle towards the first indicated target.

  Kurtis’ voice spoke through small headphones built into the side of the HMD, speaking directly to her, Alyona, and Kiryl. “The first wave is mainly comprised of the older and outdated Wasp class of drones, fire at 1/10th power to destroy them. Beginning in the fourth wave, you will begin facing SkyHunters, the updated class of Mech killing drones known previously as Reapers.”

  “Affirmative,” The three pilots replied as they simultaneously acknowledged the instructions.

  “Godspeed,” Kurtis whispered softly, wishing them luck.

  Vera locked onto her first target, one of the first drones arriving in range, knowing that at that moment, Alyona and Kiryl were doing likewise. Her primary role in the squad was that of a sniper, meaning that she would be in her element during this fight, and there was no way she was about allow the other two to outperform her. On top of that, they were destroying unmanned drones, so she did not have the guilt associated with destroying a human operated machine.

  The Wasp class drone continued on its approach, blissfully unaware that it was being targeted for destruction, still nearly forty miles away from the edge of the mountain. It needed to close within twenty miles in order to use its underpowered missiles, if the first ranks were even armed at all and not merely fulfilling their role as fodder.

  The massive laser rifle in Atalanta’s hands could destroy the Wasp from a distance of nearly one hundred and fifty miles, but the Omnos members were not about to give away their full capabilities this early in the battle against incredibly outdated opponents. Vera sighted the weapon and locked onto to the target. She was instantly greeted by an overlaying pair of vertical red bars outlining the Wasp to either side, with a horizontal bar appearing just underneath the small drone, all pulsing red, accompanied by the tone announcing lock on.

  Vera inhaled out of habit, an action meant to steady an old projectile based rifle within her physical hands and one that had no bearing on the Mech holding the laser based equivalent, and then fired as Athena finished her countdown, announcing, “1…0…”

  Without watching the Wasp simply cease to exist as the wide beam of highly focused laser energy sliced it in half, Vera directed her aim to the next target, indicated by the glowing green arrow on the right side of the image shown via the HMD covering her eyes. Athena assisted her aim, moving servos in Atalanta’s arms microns at a time to compensate for the change of direction involved when covering forty miles of open space.

  Less than two seconds later, Vera acquired her second target, another Wasp. She spent another second and a half locking onto the target, and then fired the laser rifle again, eliminating that target, already moving to the next.

  In less than a minute, the entire first wave of drones, minus the Growlers that had broken away early on, were destroyed by the three members of the Omnos squad.

  Argos machine learning code realized that the Growlers were ultra-high priority targets, and forwarded the information to Athena, who immediately identified them with bright red ultra-high priority tags on the Omnos squad HUDs. Algorithms in each Mech armor then instantaneously piped the tags to their users HMD’s.

  Athena simultaneously increased the power levels in the sniper rifles to 40% in order to accommodate for the range of nearly one hundred miles, as well as the better defenses on the Growlers themselves.

  Vera never hesitated, remaining within a trancelike state as she was the first to understand the importance of the bright red tags appearing in the distant horizon of the HMD image. She innately recognized that the power output of the rifle increased, but there was no kickback on laser weapons, so she simply filed the information away as she locked on the first Growler and fired, destroying it.

  She continued methodically eliminating the Growlers before turning and engaging the second wave of drones, again composed mostly of outdated Wasps, which were already closing in on the forty-mile marker designated as their minimum defense zone.

  After the destruction of the second wave of Wasps was complete, Vera glanced at the bottom right of the HMD image, checking the power reserves of her laser rifle. Three bars were displayed. The first bar designated the reserve of power generated by Atalanta’s reactor, showing that there was more than 90% left. The second bar linked to the standby battery on the elevator she had used to reach the top of the mountain, showing 94% power remaining. The third bar was linked to the base located three miles below her feet, which she was linked to via a long power cable. The green bar pulsed a steady 100%, designating that it was the primary source of the rifles power and that she could continue her counter-attack as long as the temperature of the rifle optimal.

  Vera destroyed another pair of Wasps before glancing at the bottom left of the HMD image where a single bar and supplemental temperature readout were displayed. The temperature read 12° C, while the bar was still at its full capacity and subtly pulsing green every three seconds.

  Every time Vera fired the laser rifle, the associated temperature gauge rose incrementally, but with the temperatures still in entirely optimal setting she was free to continue her counter-attack for the duration. Coolant from a tank encasing the rifle was cycled via a hose into a reservoir encompassed within the safety of the hide, just as she was. At any point, she could flush the coolant with the contents of a spare reservoir that was exposed to the frigid air on top of the mountain, in turn cooling it down, providing a last ditch lifeline.

  For now, all systems remained entirely optimal as she continued counter-attacking the incoming drones, not allowing a single one to pass the minimum defense zone.

  * * * * *

  General Akari stood within the PDF command and control center nicknamed The Mountain. His stance radiated an aura of pride and determination, watching as the millions of different parts he had set in motion moved of their own accord towards their set objectives. This time, there were no plutocrats or Party overseers in the command room to interfere. This game of life and death was finally limited to him and Commander Ultor, and all the handicaps had been removed. Their constant struggles as they fought against one another for the last ten years had all led to these next few moments. They would play their final game now, and only the victor would remain.

  General Hafnos had dispatched a full company of heavily armed Marines in full battle gear to accompany General Akari as he entered the control room. The Marines forcefully removed those who would only get in General Akari’s way, using the blanket authority of General Hafnos position as Special Operations Commander to do whatever was needed in order to obtain the necessary results. Afte
r accomplishing their task, the Marines remained on standby within the control room, reporting to General Akari in the absence of General Hafnos. They would let no one unnecessarily disturb or interrupt the unfolding operation that would likely decide the fate of their planet.

  In front of General Akari, the hundreds of individual battles comprising the conflagration that was continuing to expand on the outskirt of the galaxies tallest mountain, were displayed on different sized monitors throughout the room. Every seat for a technician within the control room was filled, with hundreds of additional technicians on standby, ready to relieve those currently working. General Akari watched over every aspect of the battle, directing and controlling the human and metal wave slowly approaching the mountain with the finesse of a maestro.

  Seeing that the time was appropriate, SGM. Anderson approached his General with the first critical update. “Sir, the first three waves of unarmed Wasp drones fulfilled their role as fodder, locating enemy defenses as planned. However, it appears three of the newest terrorist Mech armor that have been plaguing previous operations are on top of the plateau of Mount Olympus. The terrorists appear to be equipped with some kind of high potency laser weapon. Their camouflage masks their exact locations for now, but we are rapidly narrowing down their locations the more they continue to fire. The three units have destroyed the first three waves of drones far faster than we anticipated, and will prove a nuisance for subsequent waves.”

  “What about the fourth and fifth waves? They are armed, are their weapons making it through the mountains defenses yet?” General Akari asked.

  SGM. Anderson looked down, not meeting the eyes of his General. “So far, the three terrorist units have shot down everything we have thrown their way before the drones have even entered weapons range. Even the Growler’s in the first waves have been lost.”

  After a quick pause, General Akari strode forward, keying the microphone attached to the lapel of his uniform dress coat. He keyed the frequency that allowed his voice to transmit from speakers in front of every technician’s station. “All waves of drones are to approach the mountain from below the line of fire from the terrorist units on top of the plateau. Once the drones close on the mountain, the SkyHunters are to prioritize the three units, destroying them, while the Wasps serve as decoys. Additionally, the terrorists want to employ chaos on the battlefield as a weapon, it is time they had a taste for themselves. Engage the transponder spoofs on half of all drones, assigned at random.”

  * * * * *

  Kurtis stared at the screen in front him, blinking rapidly as his mind raced to interpret the sudden changes. Realization dawned, and he had a sinking feeling in his gut as he immediately keyed the squad frequency. “Battle tempo change incoming! The PDF found a way to spoof their drone types on the radar returns; they are onto us and are already changing their strategy to account for your presence! Get ready! This will just be the first move!”

  A muffled “affirmative,” from Alyona who was breathing hard was all the reply he received. A quick glance at DawnsLight’s monitor, displayed on his right, showed that her vitals were elevated but all systems were still bright green, meaning that she was quickly wearing herself out from the stress of rapidly eliminating numerous targets but otherwise perfectly healthy. Checking Kiryl’s vitals showed much the same result. Only Vera’s vitals remained steady as the kill count next to her image displayed that it was nearly as high as Alyona and Kiryl’s combined. Their dedicated sniper was a complete machine, a master of her element.

  As he continued monitoring the battle, Kurtis watched in horror as the next several waves of inbound drones all dropped below the level of the plateau. The laser rifles could not depress as much as necessary to shoot them down. On top of that, with no reliable way to identify which of the enemy drones were the more potent SkyHunters and which were the much less capable Wasps, their battle strategy of minimizing the amount of power used in each shot based on the type of drone being targeted became instantly useless. He muttered under his breath as his hands flew over the keyboards, working with Argos to bypass the enemy spoofs, knowing that they were the first critical component to fix in order to get his friends back in the fight.

  Farther away in the mountain, Drogdyn and his team immediately noticed the loss of support from Kurtis and Argos as they desperately fought to stave off the increasingly potent cyber-attacks.

  TWO HOURS T.U.A.

  Alerts sounded in Kiryl’s cockpit as the seventh wave of drones suddenly crested the lip of the mountain. He held the laser rifle with the right arm of his titan sized Intrepid, physically the largest Mech armor. As soon as the drones entered his line of sight, he pulled the trigger of the rifle, of which he had set the default power to 30% of its total output, vaporizing a Wasp with the overkill.

  Over the last ten minutes, the successive waves had gotten closer and closer. Now, the enemy drones were less than two miles away, having penetrated far beyond the minimum defense zone. Kiryl was stationed behind Vera, the rear point of a triangle formation, and the drones were flying at their maximum speed, making them incredibly difficult targets to hit. He jerked his arm to the left, tracking another Wasp with the laser rifle that moved by extension, requiring several seconds of painstaking concentration until he was finally able to lock on to the target and pull the trigger.

  He watched with satisfaction as the image displayed on his HMD showed the wing of the Wasp fall, sheared away by the focused energy of the laser, before he began adjusting his aim to find the next target.

  Just then, proximity alarms began blaring in conjunction with alarms announcing incoming ordinance. Until now, the drones had been unable to fight back, but that situation had obviously changed as the sky in front of him became filled with dozens of missiles attacking locations across the plateau at random. He never deviated from his task of destroying the drones, knowing that every second he did so more missiles would fill the air. Instead, he gritted his teeth and bit down hard, focusing on tracking the first SkyHunter that entered his line of sight while ignoring the missiles and their subsequent explosions.

  The power ratio of the rifle automatically boosted itself to 70% as the targeting algorithm confirmed the presence of the SkyHunter and adjusted the output necessary for a kill shot. The aviator piloting the SkyHunter must have had an alarm indicate that it was being targeted, because the large and highly capable drone suddenly began filling the sky with chaff, flares, and then initiated a series of brutal evasive maneuvers that would have killed a human pilot. Kiryl relied on Athena’s guidance assistance more than he wished to admit as he continued tracking the SkyHunter, following the large drone as it flipped and pulled brutal turns in order to throw off his aim. Only when the drone passed too close to Alyona’s hide was it suddenly destroyed. The Avenger class Gatling guns on the outside of the hide had activated, annihilating the SkyHunter in a flurry of metallic malevolence.

  Kiryl yelled angrily in frustration as he began tracking his next target. A countdown timer appeared on the top right of the HMD, showing less than a minute remaining until the next wave of drones appeared, while a number on the top left showed that there were still over seventy drones remaining in the current wave. He grit his teeth as he destroyed another Wasp, knowing that at the current rate, his small squad was quickly going to be overwhelmed.

  Just then, a shockwave crashed into the side of the hide. One of the Avenger turrets had destroyed an incoming missile at dangerously close proximity. To his chagrin, Kiryl realized that the annoying tone buzzing angrily in the background had been the brace for impact alarm.

  As he continued struggling to track and eliminate the current wave of drones, they were suddenly joined by the subsequent wave, the inexorable countdown having completed its task. The sky darkened with the sheer number of drones flying overhead, all firing their missiles and attempting to drop their bombs on the now located hides in which the three Mech armor were taking cover.

  Unexpectedly, Kiryl grinned to himself as he b
egan humming a line from one his favorite songs, pleased with the turn of events. He pulled the trigger of the laser rifle again-and-again. With so many targets flying around in close proximity, there was almost no way he could miss. And the enemy drones having to dodge one another while they flew overhead in close proximity with one another created ever more complicated flight paths for one another as they sought out paths to avoid crashing into each other, slowing them down and making them easier targets

  The number of enemy targets began dwindling rapidly as he repeatedly fired the laser rifle, along with support from Alyona and the ever stolid Vera. After another minute, a new alarm appeared over the image displayed by the HMD, alerting him to the fact that he needed to flush the rifles coolant reservoir, swapping it out with the coolant on standby. Kiryl keyed the command and the coolant swap completed. He watched in satisfaction as the temperature gauge for the rifle immediately dropped into normal range once again.

  He resumed firing the laser rifle and then had a sudden idea. “Athena, I can hold the rifle with Intrepid’s right arm just fine, take over control for the left arm. You have full authority to aim, and kill, with the weapons on the left arm, as well as full command of the mini-rockets. Also, it appears that we should prepare to begin unleashing our missiles. We need to clear the airspace before the next wave approaches, ASAP.”

  “Affirmative,” Athena said. “Left arm has been engaged, firing now.”

  As the timer in the top left of the image displayed by the HMD continued steadily winding down, the one responsible for tracking the interval between waves of drones, Kiryl nodded with satisfaction as he felt the left arm cannon fire both of the attached cannons. He strained with the added effort of controlling the bulky laser rifle with simply the right arm, but his aim remained true with assistance from Athena, and there was no measurable difference between the time needed for him to acquire and eliminate targets with only the one arm versus when he used both.