“Good work, be patient. Get some mines out there.”
Jack looked back and spotted an object sailing through the air toward him. He reached out in the nick of time and caught the proximity grenade. It was just the same as the four currently attached to his thigh rig.
“Jana, pass me your grenades.”
The young marine reached down and rolled two of the objects over to him. She deliberately kept two back for her own use. Jack lifted the first and twisted the activate band to command trigger mode. With that, he hurled it off to the right and in the shadow of the largest rock. Twenty seconds later, he’d fanned them out in front of them, each of them set to the same setting.
“All done, Corporal.”
“Good, now we play the waiting game.”
He glanced to his left and checked that Jana was there. As was becoming routine for operations he was involved with, he half expected to see her dead or mutilated. It wasn’t that he’d become morbid over time. It was simply a combination of experience and fear. He’d seen people he knew butchered in each of these operations, even the small ones, and this was far from small. They were outnumbered ten to one, and he knew only too well that those kinds of odds didn’t suit them.
“Rifle team, I’ve got movement,” said the Sergeant over the secure channel.
Jack lifted his weapon to the right of the rocky cover so that the barrel pointed at the narrow chokepoint. He instantly spotted the movement of a pair of Thegns. Both were armed with forearm firearms and kept their heads low.
They’re learning…the bastards.
He was so tempted to pull the trigger, but self-control, mixed with experience and training, reminded him to stand his ground. He might kill them both, but the others would simply melt back into the mountainside. Few made it this far, but there was always the chance a handful could reach the planetary weapon system and damage or disable it. General Gun had reminded them more than a dozen times that if the weapon was disabled, it would give the Biomech a window, no matter how small a window to conduct their plans. Few doubted that the plan would involve a system-wide invasion.
“Jack, you ready?”
He nodded at Jana and looked back at the Thegns. More than a dozen had now moved out from the crevice cover and began to spread out in the clearing. All of this advance party was armed with firearms, and all were being very cautious.
Why? It’s not like they are lacking reinforcements, Jack wondered.
He’d never been close enough to examine them like this before. Every single time he’d been in contact with them, they had either been shooting or stabbing at him. Like most marines, he’d assumed they were nothing more than pre-programmed or trained animals. More of them continued to stream out, and then came the shape that made his entire body shiver. It was one of the Decurion war machines. The fearsome eight-legged thing scuttled out from cover and moved along the flank of the unit. Jack looked back toward Corporal Frewyn and the rookies who would provide the covering fire for their withdrawal. He couldn’t see them, but both were tagged on his visual overlay. He looked back and continued to tag targets to share with the other marines.
There are only two of us out here. What if we can’t get back?
It was the fear of any blocking force to be trapped, and this was a scenario Jack had been through before. It was one thing to engage the enemy at range with firearms, quite another to hold back a concerted Biomech assault. He felt his pulse begin to quicken again before spotting a new icon on his overlay. He concentrated on it and used his retina to select the information for the object.
Combat drone. About damned time!
According to his information, the unit was waiting out of sight just two hundred meters away. It was sending information to the marines on the enemy positions, but even more importantly, it carried a payload of laser-guided micro-missiles.
“Stay frosty, people. Let them in,” said Sergeant Stone.
Half the Biomech unit was now out of the crevice and moving through the central part of the clearing. If they made it much further, they would have a chance to break out and move into the dozens of small tracks and gullies along the base of the mountain. Then there was a noise, a grinding metallic sound, followed by another of the machines appearing from the blackness. It was flanked by a small group of Thegns, as well as a larger, more substantial looking Thegn. This one was almost as big as Gun and carried a large gun in two hands. It pointed toward the mountain and muttered something in an alien tongue. Jack watched them, noticing how those at the periphery had dropped down low as if expecting something.
Something’s wrong. They’re spooked.
“Sergeant, what’s happening?”
A short crackle muffled the first few words from the grizzled Sergeant.
“…do not engage. Wait for my signal.”
The enemy was clearly attempting to jam the marines’ communications. Like the weapons and armor they now used, it was all based upon lessons learned in their combat against the machines. Radio frequencies had been supplemented with direct-sight laser communications via drones and satellites. Although never one hundred percent effective, it did mean they could usually reach somebody, unlike the terrible disasters that occurred in previous engagements.
“Thirty more seconds. Two-thirds of them are out.”
A howling screech came from the larger Thegn, and it ducked to the side and behind a series of large rocks.
“They’ve made us!” said Jack, “Do it, now!”
Jana took aim with her L52, and Jack did the same. As one, they opened fire at the Thegns in front and to the left of their position. Three were cut down in seconds, and many more were hit with stray rounds. Jack almost raised himself up to shoot as he noted the bloody impacts of the high-velocity slugs. Each one hit with a satisfying thump.
“Keep firing,” said Corporal Frewyn.
Jack’s magazine ran dry, and he reached down to grab another. It slipped into position, and he activated the high-power mode. A fusillade of small arms fire came back from the Thegns and hammered into the rock, each shot sending tiny pieces of sharp rock in all directions. Jack threw himself down, but more of the shots ripped into his position.
“Jack, we have to get back!” Jana shouted.
He looked up at her. She took aim, but two rounds glanced off her shoulder, leaving scorch marks and flashes of hot metal behind her. Jack indicated to those behind him.
“We need help here!”
There was nothing, and Jack leaned around the rock and fired three wild shots in the direction of the enemy. He had no idea if he’d hit anything, but the tactical overview presented a full image of the battle to him. He could see dozens of the enemy, and as expected, they had fanned out and were inching closer to him. He spotted a trio making a rush toward him.
No you don’t!
He was scared but equally angry at their attempt to attack or kill him. Jack looked at the icons showing the grenades lying in wait amongst the enemy. All it took was a double acknowledgment from his eyes, and the further two exploded with a bright flash. Five icons representing Thegns flickered and then disappeared, and Jack found himself counting the confirmed kills.
Seven, come on, plenty more to kill.
Now he leaned around the corner and took careful aim. The group of Thegns was much closer now, and even more had surged in from the crevice. Two quick shots decapitated a pair of them, and then a round rushed back and removed the top of his cover.
“Screw this!” he muttered, more to himself than Jana.
Jack broke cover and scrambled back, zigzagging as he ran.
“Jana, fall back, now!”
He made it eight meters and then slid behind another series of rocks. These were only a short distance ahead of the Corporal and his group of rookies. As he slid down, a group of black tipped muzzles extended out and then answered with a bewildering roar. All blasted away in fully automatic mode, putting down a curtain of fire sufficient to allow Jana to also escape.
&nb
sp; We can’t hold them off, not like this.
Jack moved into a kneeling position and again raised his weapon. The Thegns had now filled two-thirds of the open space, and the Decurion machines were nowhere to be seen. He didn’t hesitate and activated the final two grenades. Both exploded, yet the damage caused seemed insignificant compared to the numbers of warriors. A streak of fire rushed overhead and struck one of the rookies, who slumped down over the natural barrier and fell to the ground. Jack spotted dark blood running from his smashed head and did his best to ignore the damage.
“Jack, thirty seconds,” said Corporal Frewyn.
It was impossible to see the marine from where he was sheltered, but the visual overlay on the visor marked his position. Jack sensed the nerves in his friend, but also the cool, dispassionate way that he spoke to them.
He’s changed. He doesn’t feel anymore.
“One last volley, give them everything we’ve got!”
Jack and Jana were already loaded and lifted their weapons over the low cover. The roar of the gunfire was barely noticeable over the din of the return fire from the Thegns. Jack moved his eyes just a fraction and watched as scores of the things moved closer and closer.
“We’re going to be overrun!”
“Calm down, Private,” said Sergeant Stone over the intercom, “Now!”
The L52 carbine fire came down like an avalanche from one side. With no immediate cover, the Thegns were cut down like animals. Yet it was the unusual collection of alien weaponry carried by the Khreenk that did some of the most horrific damage. Unlike the marines, the Khreenk were a combat unit of individuals. Their armor and equipment reflected their history, and while some carried simple kinetic weapons, there were others with weapons of unknown origin. Streaks of green and blue energy crashed into the Thegns and burned through them, turning their bodies to ashen dust. Jack shook his head in horror and amazement.
“Private Morato, keep firing,” said Corporal Frewyn.
Jack was already on it. The training was the only thing that could possibly work in such an environment. His weapon came to his shoulder and in went each clip, one after the other. He took aim, fired, and then moved onto the next. The battle became nothing more than a series of disjointed images to him now. Some of the Thegns managed to clamber out of the killing ground and rushed Sergeant Stone’s own squad. At least two marines fell before the Thegns were cut down. Jack was hit again, and miraculously his armor managed to deflect a bullet. Even the Decurions were smashed to pieces by broken metal from the variety of guns until finally the order came.
“Cease fire!”
It was Sergeant Stone’s voice. And Jack was convinced he could almost sense a degree of sadness in the man’s tone. One by one, the surviving marines rose to their feet. Jack almost laughed upon seeing the familiar face of Jana, still alive, yet white with shock. Corporal Frewyn remained, as did Sergeant Stone and the Khreenk. The flanking force moved down from their position and joined the rest in checking the bodies for survivors. A handful of the Thegns were still moving, but mercy killings by the marines soon stopped that. Jack moved out into the open and looked back toward the tear in the rock where the enemy had emerged. Bodies littered the place from the failed assault, and even he felt a little guilt at the way they’d performed such efficient butchery.
“What is it, son?” Sergeant Stone asked on seeing his face.
“This fight, it was barely a fight, was it?”
The Sergeant’s face hardly altered as he looked at the young marine.
“Son, no fight ever is. They ain’t here for an honorable war with flags and uniforms. This is genocide, plain and simple. Either we stop them cold, or their numbers and technology will wipe out every single one of us.”
“Sergeant, you need to see this,” called out one of the marines.
A handful of them moved to the crevice and to the man pointing at the body of the last Thegn. He bent down and pulled the figure up from the ground.
“What the hell?” Jana muttered.
“My father told me about these,” said Jack.
Sergeant Stone’s cheek twisted a moment before he spoke.
“Yeah, I know these. They aren’t Thegns. These are closer to the things we saw in the Uprising back home.”
Two marines lifted the body so that the others could see it. At first glance it was another bipedal warrior, one of the many types of foot soldiers used by the enemy. But this one was not a fully synthetic creature. It was much closer in size and build to a Helion or T’Kari. Its armor had been fixed directly into the flesh, leaving brutal marks and damage. The face was partially mutilated, and plating had been buried inside to connect to its bone structure.
“Yeah, they built these from the bodies of prisoners. If you ask me, they must have built these during their trip from Eos.”
Jack looked at the creature and felt his throat burning, as if he was about to retch. It wasn’t the creature that made him feel ill. It was that the enemy had managed to capture people on that world, a place where he had been fighting. The battle had been brutal, but the removal of people was something he’d never considered or even heard about. Sergeant Stone threw the body to the ground and looked into the dark crevice.
“If you ask me, I’d say they took these to replace the losses from fighting us in the assault on Eos.”
“I thought we called that a victory, Sarge?” asked one marine.
“Watch your mouth, marine,” Corporal Frewyn snapped back.
Sergeant Stone pushed his carbine into the darkness and was instantly rewarded by the shape of two more of the creatures. Both lurched out from cover and stabbed at him with blades built into their arms. He grabbed the first and yanked it out from cover, and then jumped into the gap to drive the bayonet on his carbine directly into its chest. The first scrambled about, but with plenty of marines there, it was shot to pieces while pinned to the ground.
“Secure this area. Jack, Jana, you’re with me!”
Jack swallowed quickly, checked his magazine, and then moved in right behind the Sergeant. The crevice was just wide enough for an armored marine, but not much bigger. He moved forward, ever watchful of signs of the enemy while simultaneously trying not to step in the bloody remains of the creatures Sergeant Stone had killed.
“I’ve got movement. Keep your eyes…”
He went down as a Thegn dragged him to the floor. Immediately behind him was the metallic shape of the large Thegn. Jack didn’t have time to think. He just aimed center mass and pulled the trigger. The carbine vibrated as it sent a high-speed stream of projectiles that clattered and smashed into its form.
“Jana!” he yelled.
She couldn’t get past him and so placed her carbine on his shoulder and added her own fire. Deep inside the rocky crevice, the sound boomed just the same as when shooting inside a building. The Thegn absorbed most of the damage, and a line of holes ran from its thigh up to its collar. But instead of moving back, it grabbed the fallen Sergeant who was still stabbing at the Thegn that had ambushed him. The speed and strength of the injured Thegn commander was impressive, and in the blink of an eye, it had the Sergeant in a headlock right in front of its body. Jack lowered his carbine and put a single round into the creature still on the floor. It shuddered and then twitched in its death throes.
“Do it, Private. Take the shot!” Sergeant Stone ordered.
Both Jack and Jana took careful aim at the larger Thegn commander, but neither pulled the trigger. It continued moving from side to side, and the reduced space made it impossible to get around.
“Let him go!” cried out Jana, her voice a mixture of rage and fear.
“This is Private Morato. We’ve got the enemy Thegn commander. He’s taken Sergeant Stone hostage.”
The veteran marine struggled, but the strength of this enemy warrior was too much for him. The more he struggled, the harder the thing squeezed him. Instead of fighting it, he looked back to Jack.
“Don’t let it take me,
son. Do it!”
Jack nodded and activated the high-power mode on his carbine. Jana saw what he was doing and glanced over to him.
“Jack, you can’t.”
He shook his head.
“No, there’s nothing I can’t do.”
He took aim to the left of his Sergeant’s head and squeezed the trigger. At this range, the blast was deafening and their vision partially obscured from the shattered dust and debris. Chunks of rock hit both the Thegn and the Sergeant, but it was enough to buy Jack the time he needed. He released his carbine, and it dropped down to hang on its sling. In one fluid motion, he snapped out his bayonet from its sheath and dived at the two. The Thegn still held the marine, but he’d fallen to the side and was struggling with the man. Jack grabbed at its left arm and then stabbed in a plunging action toward its neck. Even though it held Sergeant Stone with its right arm, the warrior was quick enough to deflect the strike to avoid the killing blow. Instead, the blade slid down and struck in its upper arm.
“Help me!” he cried.
Jana was already with him and tugging on the Sergeant. She pulled as hard as she could, but the grip from the Thegn was more like a machine than anything living. She pulled back her leg and kicked at it before finally being rewarded. The battered Sergeant slid forward and fell down on top of her, leaving Jack alone against the bleeding and badly wounded creature. He stepped back and adopted a fighting stand. He feet were spaced apart, and his left hand kept close to protect his face. In his right, he held the blade in a pick-grip, the blade pointing down to the ground. Then the thing began to cackle. There were no words, but it shared more in common with a laugh than any other sound.
“What the hell do you think is so funny?”
The creature dropped its wounded arm down and pulled out a serrated weapon as long as Jack’s arm. The metal was dull, but the edge looked razor sharp. Again it made that sickening sound, and Jack realized this might finally be it, the end he’d expected for months now.
“Jack, stay down,” said a familiar voice.
He had no chance to do anything and was yanked backwards and past Jana. In his place moved one of the Khreenk. It filled the crevice with its armored form and took aim with a squat, wide-barreled firearm. It made a single thud sound, and the entire center of the Thegn vaporized, leaving the remainder of its body to slump to the ground. The Khreenk turned its head around, and its visor changed from black to semi-transparent.
Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy Page 34