Star Cadets - Soldiers of the Future 4

by Todd Mcleod

  “It’s a personal thing. Nothing that I think is going to change.”

  “What if it could? What if your personal issue was an advantage for us?”

  “Us?” Elvin asked, suspicion plainly in his voice.

  “Well, we don’t have a name or affiliation. Though we are some not so keen on this hide and wait tactic. We are people like you, that would rather fight then lay down for the aliens to overcome us.”

  “Is there really a point in fighting now, with reinforcements on the way?”

  “Reinforcements who know very little of the situation here. Ones that will have little to nothing to join in, coming into a conflict with no hope, and hitting it like water against rocks. We need to hit the aliens. We need a victory, some symbol of fighting back. We need to start the tide.”

  “What did you have in mind? Also, you realise we are under orders, right?”

  “We will let the people decide after all this is over what is treason and what is heroics. We have both something to throw at the aliens and a window to do it. I take it you would be interested in such a thing?”

  “Go on,” Elvin was intrigued by now.

  “Come with me.” Andrade led Elvin out of the main hangar down to a storage area near a mineshaft. Inside was a ship, one unlike any Elvin had ever seen before, and a small group of men. Some were soldiers, some civilians, but all seemed gathered for a purpose.

  “The fact that you want to get your friends grants you a purpose,” Andrade said, “And you are a prodigy of sorts that proves you can fight them, and your purpose makes you dangerous. I know you will let nothing but your own death stop you, and that is precisely what we need.”

  Elvin walked along the ship, seeing it as an advanced gunship of sorts. “Are these drone weapons?”

  “They are. I will admit that another reason we sought you out is you’re one of the cadets they tested the drone simulations on.”

  “I was indeed. You’re right there. I got near perfect compatibility, one of the very few that actually beat the simulation.”

  “I know. I was the one who made the simulation.”

  “I wasn’t aware any of these weapons were actually in the field. I thought it was mostly theoretical.”

  “There is a prototype. This ship is also part of it, a new craft with practical uses of the drone weapons.”

  “Where is the prototype?”

  “Well, that’s what I want out of the arrangement we seek to make with you. It’s near one of the cities, protected by a resistance cell that is pinned down. They have it ready to go, but no one there has the aptitude or training to use it. You alone are primed and ready to do so.”

  “But I’ve just done simulations. Using two sets of new tech in a real battle situation is very different. You must know that.”

  “You are all we have. Of the cadets that proved capable, only you and Vi survived the assault, and now it is just you here. We need this weapon, and you need your friend. As they are both in the same vicinity, I suggest that we team up. It’s a smaller ship and can hold four maybe five people if you go in its utility area. I suggest you go and find it, rescue your friend, and come back. With this weapon, we’ll be able to protect this location or the terraforming base, and give the reinforcements a real shot when they arrive.”

  “How do you propose I get to it? And once I activate it, the aliens are going to be all over me.”

  “Well, we do have a plan for that. We have a secret resistance cell in place, as I mentioned. They have a fair number of civilians hidden, but can’t get them out due to some kind of alien surveillance tower. I want you to take the vessel and go to near orbit where you will not be detected. Then drop in, and fight your way down to the resistance cell. Meet up with them, activate the prototype drone ship, and take out the tower from the inside.”

  “Is that all?” Elvin scoffed, “I know I’m good, but not THAT good.”

  Andrade smirked as he walked over to a cargo container and opened it. Inside was a suit of powered armour. “What if you used this?”

  “Is that a Chao-tech mark X?” Elvin said as he walked over, “These are for elite drop troops.”

  “Which I believe you are training to become? Tell me you don’t secretly know how to use one of these.”

  “It’s true I might have snuck some log time in an earlier model on base, but I don’t have clearance for such a suit.”

  “What part of this has anything to do with clearance? This is about breaking all the rules to do something because we can, and because we have to.”

  Elvin looked at the suit, knowing very well that he could use it. “What about the drones, though? I have only basic knowledge.”

  “We won’t have a launch window to get out without being stopped until tomorrow at 0800. The drone you’ll have to pick up as you go along, but I’ve got all the specs and simulations for the dropship. How good do you think you could get in the time we have?”

  Elvin turned to Andrade with a grin. “By 0800, I will be a damn expert.”

  Andrade laughed. “Good man! We have a lot of work to do, so let’s get to it, shall we?”

  CHAPTER THREE

  In the holding cell the trio waited. Various aliens came, mostly workers. Food was brought, or what it seemed the aliens’ best interpretations of what was needed to keep Humans alive. It was a kind of nutrient paste that if the aliens had decided to design it to taste bad, they couldn’t have done it better. Vi forced herself to eat what she could, knowing she would need her strength.

  “Do we have any idea what they are going to do with us?” Vi asked.

  “We obviously have information that they want,” Geiz commented, “but I will die before I talk.”

  “They might not need you to talk,” Faiz said, “From what I have gathered about these aliens, they communicate mostly non-vocally. There is some kind of manner they converse using tones and clicks I have not yet been able to decipher. However, it appears that they have some sort of neural link with their technology.”

  “Then how will they get the information from us?”

  “From our minds directly,” Vi said, “We had an officer corrupted. It was as if they had implanted some kind of command, and the more he seemed to think about it the more it drove him mad. It was like a mania, and it was destroying him.”

  “That is likely what happens when they put something in,” Faiz explained, “Our subconscious is somewhat malleable, in that we are trained to accept and process new input. Even though what they put in is alien, it takes time before the brain rejects it. Think of it like a foreign body in a nervous system. You introduce something small, it takes time, and the body eventually expels it.”

  “What about when they take something?”

  “That is a bigger thing altogether, Vi. Our minds are like vaults with our memories and skills. We are meant to express our thoughts through our biological outputs. That’s why it was so hard to develop technology that could take inputs from Human minds to machines. The aliens seem able to easily implant things into people, but taking it seems much harder. I’ve not seen the process by which they do it, but I have seen people in other cells be taken. These were people like us, unharmed and steadfast, their ideals to not let any of our intel be known. But when they returned they appeared to have suffered brain damage. To the level and permanence, I do not know, although I would surmise that if they take us and try to implant they will succeed, and if they extract we will be in very rough shape.”

  “Then we’ve got to get out of here before that happens.”

  “But how?” Geiz asked, “We have nothing, no chance.”

  “Elvin,” Vi said, her voice confident for her own benefit not just the others. “He will come for me.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “He always has my back,” Vi said with a smile, “Always.”

  * * *

  The dropship left the mine during a guard rotation, climbing up to the ionosphere, moving into position, then plunging back
deep to the planet below. The resistance cell was waiting and already doing their job. They had established a beachhead and were ready to assist Elvin when he got there. This was not the final battle, not the end of a long conflict, but to Elvin, it felt as important. He’d already done much to fight the aliens, killing one of the hunters, as well as the scout. He had escaped with many, creating a safe place for those who survived, but he wanted to do more. It didn’t feel good to always be on the run, but it felt good to take the fight to the aliens. He knew he would do some damage, and like the night they invaded; those attacked would not see it coming until it was too late.

  The ship was a well-kept secret from most of the Human base. It was something that was stored in a secret facility near the mine. Apparently, Andrade had taken over a scout and supply run in order to get the ship. He’d worked on it in secret, readying it for precisely the reason it was going to be used today. Luckily, with the priorities to command being what they were, an unproven and prototype ship was not of much strategic importance. Elvin admired the work that Andrade and his followers had already done. They apparently had heard of his leading in command with Stevens, and though he was not convinced, they were.

  The information and simulation data Andrade had provided was intense. It was a challenge, but precisely the kind that Elvin thrived on. He learned by throwing himself head first into things, and more often than not came out the other side better and stronger. There was no intel at all about the prototype ship, but due to the rather rapid timetable of the invasion, the fact they had what they did was a miracle. Elvin was convinced he was as ready as he could make himself, and everything else would be a challenge left to chance and fate.

  He leant over a view screen, and on the other side was Andrade. He looked at him with apprehension in his eyes. “I must admit that even though I planned this, I am filled with anxiety over it all of a sudden.”

  “Well, you’re not used to the stakes becoming real. It’s easy to plan and make promises, but when it’s actually time to put them in motion it is a new thing entirely. Don’t worry, though. You did your part. Now it’s time for us to do ours.”

  “I have nothing but faith in you, and I trust that whatever you find down there, you will not falter in your purpose.”

  “You are right,” Elvin answered with a nod, “Vi is a person more important to me than most people regard family. We’re not just friends, not just rivals. It’s hard to explain, but it’s as if our destinies are linked, and I know that I have to do this. But don’t worry, our objectives and your mission is part of this, and it will be done. You can bank on the resistance getting those civilians out, and I will be back with the prototype ship. I am glad to be fighting. I feel like I do nothing for the people of this planet in waiting and running.”

  “You feel responsible for many, don’t you? The soldier’s duty to protect those they serve?”

  “That is part of it,” Elvin admitted, “I feel in my blood that I have a responsibility to finish this. But more so I feel responsible because I can do something. In my head are tactics that can rival theirs, and with me are forces that can match their might. I have to do this because I can, and I might be the only one able to. If we do not push them back here, at least a little, it will be a matter of time until we are forced to give up. Humanity is built to fight for itself, and it’s high time they learnt it. I want a victory against them, something that will really stick in their craw.”

  “You’re right. We need this so badly right now.”

  “I will do my best,” Elvin said with a smile, “I promise.”

  “We’re closing in on the hot zone,” one of the pilots called back, “It’s about to get rough.”

  “See you soon, my friend,” Andrade replied with the most confident smile he could muster.

  “See you soon, Doc,” Elvin replied.

  The militia had made their move on the ground, and the alien infantry was moving to take them out. They were holding the line but could not advance any further. The aliens had a mighty stronghold and a lot of forces to protect it. No one could figure out how to break through. Elvin knew the time for tactics and subterfuge was over. He was on the dropship, going down himself to cut through the line and strike at the alien tower before rescuing Vi.

  “We’re four minutes to rendezvous site delta,” one of the pilots said as he perched over the controls. There was heavy fire coming from below, and if he was not careful it would make the trip decidedly shorter than he had intended.

  “We’ve got fighters,” the co-pilot shouted out, “They seem to know what we are trying to do.”

  “I anticipated this.” Elvin stood up, strapped himself into a standing seat in the dropship, and activated the controls. A holographic display surrounded him and showed him a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree view around the dropship. Ahead were two-dozen small but heavily armed alien fighters.

  “Rail drones are behind us,” Elvin said as he raised his arms, “Deploying now.”

  Behind the dropship six long missile-like drones followed. Upon Elvin’s order they deployed wings, the fronts opening up like the mouths of technological crocodiles and charged with energy. Elvin stretched out his arms. The drones reacted at his command, and moved forward, and out to protect the dropship. As the alien fighters closed in, the rail ships launched lightning fast bolts of plasma energy, shredding the first line of alien fighters, forcing the others to bank out, and try and get behind the ship. Elvin waited, knowing they likely thought the ship was more defenceless from the back. Some ships went the other way, intending to attack from the front again to get the dropship in a crossfire.

  Elvin smiled. “That is not going to work.”

  Three of the rail ships spun around, their thrusters keeping them in pace with the dropship. Three fired behind and three fired before it, eviscerating the alien ships from all angles.

  “You got them,” the co-pilot shouted, “Excellent work!”

  “I don’t think the aliens would be convinced this would work,” Elvin said, “I think there’s more.”

  “Power source,” the pilot shouted, “Someone is firing!”

  Elvin reacted in instinct, drawing the rail ships below the dropship and forming them together as a magnetic shield. The massive laser blast hit the rail shield, tearing through on an angle, clipping the ship, and tearing through one of its thruster assemblies.

  “We can’t take another hit like that,” the co-pilot said.

  “We can’t even take that one,” the pilot answered, “We’re losing control.”

  “We are close enough anyway.” Elvin replied, “Before they recharge, prepare for the drop.”

  “But we’re still part way over the skirmish zone,” the co-pilot explained, “There’re a lot of combatants down there.”

  “I know.” Elvin stood up, reaching out his arms. A loader system began to attach weapons and armour to his drop armour, prepping for what was ahead, “Drop me, and get out of range of that ion cannon. That is an order.”

  “Understood, Sir, and good luck.”

  “I don’t need luck.” Elvin replied, liking that in this situation, though he was a cadet, people were calling him Sir, “Luck is for those unprepared to take their own destiny in their hands. I have training and resolve. That is all that I need.”

  “Give ‘em hell,” the pilot said, “Ion cannon projection recharge in twenty seconds.”

  “Understood,” Elvin said as he looked forward, the machines finishing arming him, “Drop.”

  The bottom drop doors opened, and planet gravity took hold, pulling Elvin out. He fell rapidly, using his heads up display to look at the surroundings. The ship banked up heavily, climbing at a sharp angle to the lower command base on the surface. As the ship hit the sharpest part of its escape angle, another shot streaked through the sky. The remaining rail drones took the brunt of it, causing the ion blast to narrowly miss the dropship. By the time another shot would be ready they would have reached safety. Elvin was relieved. The p
ilots were good men, and the first to stand up and volunteer for what many others thought was a suicide mission.

  As the dropship moved across a darkened chaotic sky, the ground resistance soldiers bore grave faces as they prepared their weapons and armour. They were battle hardened and seemed to know what awaited them. A light suddenly lit up the sky, a streak from nowhere that arced toward them as if guided by fate. The blast arced and struck the ground, a whirlwind of anti-grav displacement energy and light fading away to reveal Elvin, standing in full armour with his weapons ready.

  “Battle report,” Elvin ordered, “What is our status?”

  A grizzled old soldier in battle worn armour with a red cloak walked forward, nodding to the newcomer. “You are the soldier we were expecting? You are so young.”

  “I was chosen for my past deeds and my abilities. You wanna stick to rank, or do you want to get this done?”

  “My apologies, Sir,” the man replied, “I’m Sergeant Chang, and I am currently in charge of this battalion. Will the dropship be landing?”

  “That was the intent, though we had to improvise a bit. The ship is damaged, so we will use what you already have captured. The last push will have to be made from the ground.”

  “We still have many men and armaments,” Chang explained, “We are under siege by their infantry and have little luck moving forward. They have entrenched themselves on this world and are beyond anything that we have fought before. We have held them at bay as long as we could, but we have to get the civvies out of here. They are in high-speed hover transports. We need the diversion to move them, as well as the tower to be taken out. Do we have any new tactical data?”

  “The time for tactics is behind us. It’s time to take stock of what we have and push with all we’ve got.”

  “We will do our best, I assure you. Though your enthusiasm is encouraging, we have had many losses against the aliens, but few victories.”

  Elvin walked over to the side of the makeshift command area, looking out at the lands beyond. The aliens had indeed taken over. There were outposts, towers, and features he would expect to see in a massive beachhead. There was a myriad of fires and chaos happening below. He turned back to Chang and the others.