Too fucking bad someone’s feelings aren’t as powerful as a nuclear missile.
The asteroid’s surface gained a new crater and sanitizing Edwards from the universe.
Chapter The Mound
Kurft was finally up to date on everything that was happening around the mound. The Kalu hadn’t taken long to rush towards their primary position. It had kept a lot of them alive when the Fleet hammered the crap out of their parked ships. The fighters and bombers thinned out the remaining Kalu starships hovering over the planet’s trees.
The PDS and HAPA’s were keeping the Kalu fighter swarms occupied.
He’d lost five hundred HAPA’s in a few short days and it didn’t look like it was going to get any better. The forward trenches of the Mound were engaged with the Kalu heavily, the artillery’s guns never paused, crews shifted out in parts so that they could keep the guns going. A number of the guns had to be completely replaced when they burned through their control circuits or the coolant couldn’t keep up. The Fleet shipped down all the rail cannon parts they could.
Rail cannons along the armored walls above the trenches were having the same issue.
He had the AI’s generate a schedule to change out Commandos and Free Fleet personnel. The cooks had strict orders to always have warm drinks and food ready for those coming in and those about to go out.
“Have a talk with the ranger groups and see if they can do anything about the Kalu foragers. I know that they can eat almost everything, but from their biology we know that they get colds and the runs. Let’s see if we can’t get something into their diet that doesn’t quite agree with them,” Kurft said to Fal.
“Yes Commander, I think his teams will only be too pleased,” Fal said, sounding quite happy to ruin the Kalu’s days.
No one, not even a soldier or a warrior hell bent on bloodlust was going to have a good day if they needed to pop a squat every few hours. Kurft let out a grunting chuckle at the thought of Kalu looking like a bunch of dogs out for a walk.
“I’m a little shocked,” Fal said, pulling Kurft out of his thoughts and wondering if the Ershue could read them.
“About what?” Kurft said as they walked around the command center. Kurft hated to be sitting still and Fal made climbing through the lower limbs of the artificial tree as simple as walking.
“I’ve heard the stories and I seen the videos from veterans. I kind of thought that they were one of a kind, and while they are each their own person. It is easy to see their similarities with the other Veteran Commando units you brought along. They might complain a bit and mutter about their shit deal. Though when the shit hits the fan they’re like grim juggernauts. They put their armor on and get to work,” Fal said, respect in his voice.
If he keeps thinking that way he might have a future as a Commander, Kurft thought, all too many officers before the Free Fleet had seen their soldiers as nothing more than pawns for their bidding. They showed them to do something on the map and they expected it to be done that way. They didn’t see the obstacles in their way, to them they were idiots wandering around in a field. Not trained killers ready to look after their friend to their left and right.
“Fal, I think you’re doing the newer units a disservice, everyone has been on the front lines. It’s hard for everyone. The Veterans have learned of ways to deal with that combat. For most of us it’s embracing the reaper as our true master and Salchar being his conduit. The veterans don’t simply go about this as if it’s another job at the office, doing the same thing day in and out. They go out their expecting their enemy and uncle Murphy to do everything to fuck with their day,” Kurft let that settle in Fal’s mind.
“The newer troops are still thinking about their training and worrying about fucking up. Once they’ve been bathed in fire a few times they’ll realize their instructors were right and they’ll stop trying to imitate Commandos, they’ll be Commandos,” Kurft continued his pacing, Fal pausing for a half second as he thought on Kurft’s points.
“Kalu are pushing hard in sector five, HAPA’s are already reacting and moving to the walls to support,” Poj reported, Fal felt his wings open in alarm, Kurft’s body tensing as he eyed the door.
Damn I wish I was out there fighting the fight. He remembered the message that Bregend, his Commander, and good friend had sent him after he’d voiced his own feeling about being in command. The trust and respect in Bregend’s words hadn’t been sugar coated, they’d been just what he needed to keep him in the command center and watch as his people rushed into danger.
“Very good,” Kurft said, his voice harsh, he looked over the main screen to see what was happening.
“We’ve also been able to trace some of the camps the Kalu have been making,” Fal said, drawing Kurft away from the screens.
“Very good, let’s keep observing them for a day or two, to see what they do, the Fleet needs that information for other battle plans. Then we’ll give them a new kind of rain,” Kurft’s voice hard, he saw Fal wince as well as some of the other Ershue.
“I wish we didn’t have to bombard your planet, but.”
“I know, we all do, its just that we’ve protected our planet from everything including ourselves for so long that its an almost gut reaction,” Fal said, imitating a human smile, it was weak, as was his wings attempt at brevity.
“When the Kalu are gone, I promise I’ll do what I can to help Ershue, all of Ershue,” Kurft said, looking into Fal’s eyes. The Ershue twitched a bit, they did not like looking in one another’s eyes as it was usually what happened when they looked at the animals that tried to kill them.
They were usually prey.
They’ve come a long way to get to this point, Kurft thought, proud to be standing next to a race and planet that had been able to prioritize their needs in order to fight a battle to save their lives and the lives of their people.
I hope it won’t mess the entire planet up after this, he thought before shaking his head. He had to first make sure that they won.
“We have break-ins in sectors one, seven, twelve and fourteen,” Poj said, her voice increasing in volume. Kurft marched to face the main screen, his eyes darting over it to read the situation.
“Drop a nuke load onto each of the breaches, push the Kalu back,” ue said to the artillery.
“Send a warning to the Commandos in those areas, have radiation meds ready to go. Bring up the reserves and have them ready to move,” Kurft pointed to Poj, his eyes still looking over the main screens.
“Inform the commandos that they are pulling back to the second line,” he pointed to Fal who started rattling out orders. “This isn’t going to be their first push and we really should have pulled back earlier than this, we’ve got a hell of a lot of frontage to cover.” The last part was mostly to himself.
HAPA’s rushed out of the opening hangar doors, right into the Kalu’s fire, their own guns up and firing as smoke haloed from their missile pods, coming down among the Kalu pressing through the lines breaches.
The reserve that had been sitting in the second line of the trenches now stepped up and started firing as the first line grabbed their gear and ran back to them.
In most places it was organized, in others it was chaos where the Kalu had broken into the lines and were fighting Commandos in hand-to-hand combat.
It was getting messy and fast.
The nukes went off, mushroom clouds putting an end to the Kalu’s advances, the HAPA’s and reserve units piled in the firepower and kept the Kalu off balance. Units that had been on the front lines moved to help out their comrades in killing Kalu in the trenches while pulling back to the second line.
It took some time, more time than Kurft had hoped, but less than he feared. Thankfully the Kalu seemed to have pulled back and were regrouping for an attack.
“Activate all of the booby traps in the first trenches, wouldn’t do to have the Kalu use them,” Kurft said.
“Yes Sir,” Poj said inputting the codes that turned the first trenches
and the area around them into a death trap.
“Pull back the HAPA’s but keep them on alert. The frontlines and the secondaries should be able to handle this. How are the standby reserves looking?” Kurft asked the main screen panning out from the highlighted second group of entrenchments.
“They are in the third line of entrenchments and waiting,” Fal said.
“Good,” Kurft said, nodding in approval. His people had reacted with speed and efficiency. He knew it would go on as the battles lasted longer and they got less sleep.
For now, they were safe and ready if the Kalu decided to attack.
“They’re coming.”
Didn’t have to wait long, Kurft thought, watching on the feeds as the Kalu ran up the mound’s sides, getting blasted with PDS and pushing through it, their lasers taking out the PDS where they could. The Commandos fire helped give them pause, but it wasn’t enough to stop them. The artillery waited before raining timed rail cannon rounds onto the Kalu which turned them into holed and bleeding armor grinding to a sudden halt.
Kurft watched, seeing if there were any breaks in the defense.
“Fal, how are we looking for artillery shells and missiles?” He asked, continuing his stroll and Fal moving through the fake tree.
“Well Commander, our numbers are good, we have…”
***
“Don’t take this wrong Ben, but damn if Physics isn’t a bitch,” Salchar said. Ben had plotted out the new route of the surviving Kalu fleet heading for the jump point as well as Orshpa’s fleet if they were to meet up with them. The Free Fleet would be too late, and if they used their capacitors they’d get minutes on their targets. Using Wormhole generators would take too long.
“No offense commander, but I was thinking something along the same lines,” Ben said.
“Well then, seeing as we aren’t going to be giving them any parting gifts. We should work on getting a gift ready for their arrival on the other side. Plot a course for Parnmal, we’ll pick up our Commandos before heading down the corridor,” I said, the bridge turning into action as my orders were carried out and the fleet informed of my decision.
I looked to Ben who understood my glance having worked with me for so long.
“Two hours until we reach Parnmal Commander,” he said.
“Good,” I said, sitting back in my seat.
“So what do you think?” I asked Rick as I looked at the map of the corridor. The intelligence department had cracked the codes of the Kalu fleet and with ours being right in-between the two fleet’s we were picking up everything.
“It looks like he got them all riled up. If it was just so they would turn away from Parnmal, I don’t know, but we both know that he is going to need to do something to bleed off their bloodlust. It did look like he was telling them that the next inhabited system they got to they would make a demonstration of their might on,” Rick said rubbing his face. We had aged years in months.
Guess that’s why we get paid the big bucks. Hell I wonder if I even do get paid, I thought, my mind wandering due to a lack of sleep.
“I kind of hope that they do,” I said looking to him.
“Yes, it would be rather nice if the Kalu were stupid enough to try and take Avar Interim Hermanti,” he said with a rare thoughtful smile. My own face mirroring his.
“Vort, send a message to Commander Ursht, make sure that he is ready in case the Kalu decide to make a visit. Tell him that we will be there to assist shortly,” I said, tapping my lips in though. I didn’t have a crystal ball, but my mind was trying to sort through the possibilities of what might happen with the Kalu.
“Yes Commander,” Vort said, but his voice was distant from my absorbing thoughts.
My screens pinged with a message from Yasu, I checked it and try as I might, I couldn’t help but look back at my boy in his crèche.
It’ll be safer for him, I thought, knowing that I was only trying to justify it to myself. I felt as if part of me was being pulled away. Sure I would know that he was safe, but hell if I didn’t want him to be by me all the time so that I could personally watch over him.
This was going to be one of the hardest few hours of my life.
“Rick could you call me up a shuttle. I’ll be going to Floater and then on to Parnmal,” I said.
“Can do,” Rick said. Working on my request as I went and grabbed the crèche. Then I walked out of the bridge, looking into the box the whole walk down to the shuttle bays and on the ride over to Floater.
Chapter Avar Interim Hermanti
Ursht looked to the battle masters, they were gathered in the same hall that Krom and Salchar had fought the first time.
He had been sure he would lose his position for calling down someone of the stars to help the proud Avarians.
Now he was the leader of the Commando regiments across the planet and part of the forming committee that overlook Asul City’s growth.
“So the Kalu are coming here,” Jahli said rather than asking, all of them had seen the reports and the information coming from the Free Fleet.
“Yes, the Commandos are ready and waiting. Our defenses are solid,” Ursht said.
“So why do you come here if your own city and people are safe?” Kolva said from his position.
“We wish to hunt together,” Ursht said looking to the other clan leaders, they leaned forward in interest.
“We have room in our defenses and bunkers for your people and the Free Fleet looks to protect all people. As AIH has signed a treaty with them all of our people, not just the people that follow Salchar are subject to their reassurances.” Calling it Protection would have just started a fight with these proud men.
“When you say you want to hunt together, will you give our people powered armor and railguns?” Kolva asked, his eyes widening in greed.
“Railguns yes, they don’t have the nerve ports for the powered armor, it is too late for that,” Ursht tried to keep the bite out of his tone.
After all it was you that didn’t want them to come to the Commandos in order to get proper training with the powered armor. The other leaders in the room still saw the Commandos as being Salchar’s and Asul’s people.
“What is your battle plan?” Jahli asked, he had the second biggest clan to Asul city and he had looked to upgrading his own city to give his people better living conditions. He did trade closely with Asul, they were the most prosperous city afterall and Jahli had a defense agreement with them. A number of his fighting capable youth had joined the Free Fleet and the planetary Commandos under the command of Ursht.
“We open the hunts up for all, on the Kalu,” Ursht couldn’t hide his thin smile as he looked to the clan leaders. They had limited the hunt as they realized that killing their prey and would leave them starving unless they let them recuperate.
It was a big blow to the Avarian honor. They were hunters, trackers and taking away their hunt was not met with the happiest of sentiments.
The Avarians had come up with a weapon that had a bag on the end of it and carried a dye that would leave its mark on the prey. That way they kept their skills sharp for when hunting season was called and they could show their mark on the prey with their own distinct color in their fur or on their shell.
“Well that would be an interesting hunt,” Traz’s voice rumbled, sharing the hungry look in Ursht’s eyes, opening and closing his hands in anticipation.
The other two leaders were also leaning forward in their seats; many would be happy to hunt. It lived in their blood and souls.
“Asul have already armed their hunters with their weapons and promised that any Kalu killed by the hunter will be claimed as theirs. The Kalu’s armor is made from rare and refines materials. The shipyards will pay well for their weight. We will also be supplying explosives in case any of your hunters might want to test some traps out,” Ursht saw the pleased smiles on all of the Avarians in the room. Traz stood from his chair and walked to Ursht’s position as talker, he put his right hand on his shoulder
and tilted his elbow so that it was covering his face.
“Dasva will join you in your hunt,” he said. Ursht held his arm in the same fashion and they touched the back of their arms.
“It will be my honor to hunt with you and yours,” Ursht said, holding Traz’s eyes as one would hold those of a worthy opponent.
Traz let out a barking laugh as they lowered their arms. He made his way to the halls doors, his muscles rippling as he pushed the doors which took four Avarians to open.
“Dasva goes to hunt the Kalu!” He barked.
There were stunned looks as that sunk in, it quickly turned to cheers that filled even the hall of clan leaders.
Ursht looked to find Kolva with the same salute, they touched the back of their arms.
“Let us see which city gathers the most kills,” he said in challenge.
“I trust Asul’s hunters will gladly take the challenge,” Ursht said, their arms lowering to reveal satisfied smiles.
“Kolva’s clans will also join the hunt!” he bellowed, cutting through the noise of Traz’s clans.
Ursht touched arms with Jahli.
“Let us make up for the lost hunts,” Jahli said.
“May our people hunt together for a hunt to be talked about for ages,” Ursht said, both of them lowering their elbows.
Jahli brought with him not only his clans, but the awakening facilities that the priests looked over and their champions protected.
“The awakened will join the hunt,” Jahli’s voice wasn’t loud but it cut through the yells and cheers.
It was greeted by the savage war cries of the awakened.
Ursht walked to the entrance of the hall, marching out, his Commandos falling in behind him. There was no stopping the rush that filled him. All of AIH was united in one cause, hunting the Kalu that came to their planet.
***
I stopped walking in the corridor, looking to the statue of Henry. Yasu stood with me, tears in both of our eyes.
“How about Henry?” I asked, looking at the statue, our hands finding one another, taking strength from the other.
From Furies Forged (Free Fleet Book 5) Page 29