We’re going to need that soon enough, Ursht thought, taking a slow breath as the rumbling of the oncoming Kalu raising dust in the distance turned into black carapaces.
They do look like massive wolves, he thought as he yelled “Fire!” at the same time.
Rail cannons bellowed and lasers darted back at the HAPA’s.
The five-hundred-meter gap between the two ridges was a light show, missiles added their touch to the fray as Ursht got on a channel with Holloway.
“Looking for supporting fire five hundred meters in front of my location, need to flatten a ridge out some,” Ursht said.
“Understood, dialing in,” Holloway said, Ursht could actually hear the tapping of the universal keyboard. There was a whining noise of a star-ship rail cannon sending a whole lot of pain in Ursht’s direction.
The first round was on Ursht’s side of the ridge, the round hammered into the ground, exploding with its penetrator round and making the Kalu’s ridge shake.
“Adjust another fifty meters back,” Ursht said, firing as he gave corrections, hearing Holloway tapping again.
“Sending,” Holloway reported, a few moments later a round buried itself in the top of the ridge, killing three Kalu and turning it into a spray of rock and Kalu bodies.
“Good effect on target, repeat, move first from position left to right from that point to fifty meters back,” Ursht said, hearing not one but multiple artillery pieces firing.
The rounds hammered into the ridge, detonating and taking its lip off, giving the Commandos a clear line of fire into the advancing Kalu.
They took advantage of it, not caring about bursts to take out the Kalu that popped out over the ridge. They clamped their fists onto their triggers and the battle became up to the ammo runners to keep the HAPA’s from running out of rounds.
Here and there the Kalu got a lucky shot in, hitting arms and taking out guns. One of the great things with the HAPA’s weapons being above their heads, was that the Commandos that were about a foot and a half lower them, could stay in cover as they fired, using their arms cameras and the camera above their heads to see what their fire was doing.
It kept casualties lower but there was still those here and there who got an unlucky hit, going down.
Commandos pulled them free, one of their number jumping into the HAPA and seeing if they were operational. If they were, they got back on the line and took their place.
The Kalu fighters seemed to be getting interested by all the action and were coming from the other landing locations. It was going to get real hot real fast.
Ursht opened a channel with Kolva.
“How is it looking?” He asked, making sure to not move that much as an ammo crew slapped feeding arms into his back, hurling rounds into his internal magazines.
“We have about half of the ships rigged, how long do we have?” Kolva asked.
“We can hold for another ten minutes, tops,” Ursht emphasized, the weight of Kalu coming to bar on him was like the waves from the growing Planner Sea. For now, it was manageable, but Ursht knew that was going to change very damned quick.
“We will not be able to rig all of the ships. You should have your people use artillery on them to take away their resources,” Kolva grunted, clearly not pleased with destroying potential loot, but his warrior side won out in the calculation.
“Understood,” Ursht said, his opinion of Kolva rising slightly.
“We will be free in five minutes,” Kolva promised.
“We will hold for five more minutes; commanders get your people ready to move back to the tunnels!” Ursht barked, more Kalu fighter swarms were coming from the directions of the other Kalu camps.
“Commanders, you are free to use the nuclear warheads,” he told the commanders of the HAPA’s keeping the Kalu fighters off of their brother HAPA’s.
“Holloway, nuke load, get us some fucking breathing room,” Ursht barked.
“Yes commander,” Holloway said. They were at the three-minute mark already as HAPA’s missile pods locked into position, firing their slender loads.
They raced up towards the Kalu. They didn’t care for the missiles, they were the Kalu, and they would wade through the fire and claim their enemy’s heads after all.
The missiles split into three warheads, blossoming into destruction, at the heart of the Kalu formations.
The shock waves rocked the HAPA’s only a few falling over. The Kalu warriors, racing to close with the HAPA’s, were tossed across the battlefield.
Holloway’s rounds made their arrival known, billowing waves of pressure, fire and destruction followed by smoke rolled through the Kalu formations, hurling the rocks, dust and Kalu that were in their range.
“We’re done,” Kolva said at six minutes.
“Pull back!” Ursht barked, to the uninitiated the HAPA’s would look like they were breaking, turning like a flood of metal hulks and racing away from the battle. They were actually organized into their units and this was their normal marching pace. Those on the line fired missiles down onto the stunned Kalu.
Ursht looked to the skies. The Kalu fighters were in disarray, for now. He knew that they would get their shit together all too soon.
The mass of fighters coming from other camps weren’t in such confusion.
Even as a part of him wanted to stay and fight, his training ruled. He needed to live to fight another day. Sure he might kill a lot today, but it would spend all of his forces.
He had lost a hundred and fifty-seven people.
He wouldn’t get many more by staying.
“Commander, we’re pulling back,” Hod said.
“Then I guess we should be following them,” Ursht fired his missiles, emptying his pods before heading for his tunnel.
The HAPA’s covering the skies dissolved into the tunnels as well.
The last one cleared the tunnel, rushing past Ursht as he watched the hydraulics of the tunnel’s opening close as lasers struck the ground around the opening.
“Commander?” Hod asked, her words serving to get Ursht moving.
“Have someone ready to collapse the tunnels if they make it in. Pass the word, we’re going to Charlie,” Ursht said.
‘Yes sir,” Hod started passing the word and Ursht disappeared into the world of information that told him of the fighting happening across his planet.
Chapter Oolta
Ershue disappeared behind Bregend’s fleet, Cheerleader was powering for the planet as fast as possible. Boot was similarly powering to catch up with Bregend. Falhu had been given nearly a week head start towards Oolta.
Reports from the system showed that there was a force of fifty-thousand Kalu shops powering for the high gravity and sandy world.
The remaining nearly three hundred thousand ships were heading for Drvntrni as fast as damned possible. Bregend wasn’t that worried about Drvntrni, first because all of the inhabitants lived underwater, second because everything on the damned planet looked to kill its inhabitants. The Kalu were going to have a bad time when they landed. The sentients wouldn’t need to do anything, the native creatures would wear down the Kalu forces.
It would be three days until Bregend’s fleet got to Oolta, another day until Boot caught up, and another two until the Henry classed Destroyers caught up with them all. Then Bregend would look to taking the smaller packets of Kalu head on.
***
It was three days later and Falhu was already on his way to Drvntrni. A third of the fifty-thousand Kalu had been stopped from getting to Oolta’s surface, the gravity was too strong for Planetary Rail cannons. Though mines didn’t need to worry about the same issues.
Another seven thousand craft didn’t make it to the surface, well more accurately, they made it to the surface too fast. The planet Ooltar was one point seven the gravities of Earth. Making it nine gravities more than the Kalu’s normal gravitational equivalent.
Orvunut, using specialized powered armor that turned them into walking tanks of HAPA cannons
and missile pods meandered down to the Kalu landing areas and piled the firepower into the Kalu that were trying to slog it through the planet’s sand.
Kalu were meant to run fast over firm ground on lower gravity worlds. The sand seemed to eat them as they heaved themselves forward. The thicker atmosphere absorbed their laser fire and Kalu fighters were more likely to run into one another than hit the Orvunut tanks, or the Commandos that had been stationed there for a number of months.
“Commander Geh, if you have any targets I would be happy to send them a gift from the fleet,” Bregend said over a channel to the Planet’s Commando Commander.
“Sending,” Geh said, her voice rolling, deep and slow. The Orvunut were damned smart people, but they talked like molasses dripped from a spoon.
Targets illuminated the map.
“Domal, spread those targets around. Wilma have the fleet come to bear on the planet,” Bregend said.
His orders were carried out, and rail cannon batteries fired on their preselected targets. Their masses turned into cherry-red droppings, striking the target areas with brutal force. Dust rippled out from their impacts as craters appeared from their landing sites.
After twelve minutes the remaining three million Kalu strong force was turned into less than half that.
“The Orvunut can easily clear the remaining Kalu from the surface. We will try starving them first. We know that the Commandos will be needed in other systems to protect them. You are good fighters. Many of our own wish to join your ranks in helping push the Kalu back. Will you allow them to fight alongside your forces?” Commander Geh’s voice came out in a computerized synthesizer. Reading her body language was a lot faster than her actual ability to form words.
“Are you Certain Commander?” Bregend asked seriously. Yes, he wanted those forces, but he didn’t want to pull them from Oolta if he could help it.
“Yes Commander, we have gamed this situation out, this is one of the better and we will be fine. Thank you for your concern,” Geh’s computer voice came back.
“Very well, we are honored with your offer of assistance. We will send down ships to collect your people as soon as it is safe.”
“I will have one of my aide’s contact yours when we have secured a spaceport for your shuttles to land,” Geh cut the channel, it wasn’t rude but rather a high point of respect in the Orvunut culture. Everything they did was an economy of motion. If they spent more time on something, then it was because they thought they were dumb.
Bregend checked his reports. The Kalu had made it through Parnmal and AIH, the main force was moving on to Chaleel. Salchar and Commander Whorst were chasing right after them.
He looked to his own concerns, once Falhu was in Drvntrni he would have three directions in which to go; Rosho, Hada or Urshval.
Rosho would allow Bregend to harass the ever living hell out of him. Something he had learned well in Kalu space. If they went to Hada then it would take them to the overpopulated moons of Geraz three. It would not be pretty at all. They were late comers to the Union, so they had less forces on the planet’s their cannons were just getting installed and their moons had little atmosphere and gravity.
The last choice was Urshval. The planet Urk and its moons Ud and Uek were well populated, but they were the fifth biggest group of traders in the Union. They’d joined the Union quickly once they’d gone through all the terms with a fine comb.
They had one of the first mercenary units, which had called themselves Future Securities Incorporated watching their asses. They also had a hundred and eighty thousand Commandos spread across the planets.
“Let the dice fall where they may,” Bregend said, wiping his tired face. Dal fired occasionally according to the coordinates that Commander Geh fired up to Domal and he fired right back down with very physical results.
To the Kalu, Bregend might seem like a god of wrath and destruction. To him, he was a man trying to save a boat that had been beset on by a massive wave, but was now facing much smaller holes punched through its sides.
“Kyle, send a message to Boot, tell him to move on towards Drvntrni. We will hold here to grab the forces Ooltar is willing to part with and then follow behind him,” Bregend said, his voice sounding tired and weary.
“Yes sir,” Kyle said.
“Mills, make sure everyone gets some down time. I want them fresh for when we come up on Falhu,” Bregend said, looking to his reports from the Henry-classed Destroyer. It was time to do some real damage.
***
The dark of space was ripped apart and a flood seemed to come hurling out of the blackness.
“Well I don’t think Falhu’s going to like this,” Boot said to himself, seeing hungry and tight expressions mirror his own. The Henry classed Destroyers with their four capacitors had busted their asses off from their first battle to the nearest supply point and all the way to the nothingness between Oolta and Drvntrni.
Seventy-eight ships, turned to four-hundred and fifty-seven. The newest ships went to join them. The HCD’s grouped around the heavier ships of the line. They all had at least three capacitor banks as per Bregend’s orders. His own Dal led one of the larger pyramids.
Boot could have added Pretak’s hull to those pyramids, but someone needed to command the remaining ships that were formed up, ready and had asteroids strapped on their hull. Every carrier in his formation was a hull filled with Commandos and without a single MEF, bomber or jumper. All of them were slotting into the HCD’s with precision.
Boot’s pride at the entire evolution made him want to laugh and pat people on the back.
It was one of the most complex maneuvers he had ever seen but every single person was working to make sure that it went according to plan.
Five hours later and Bregend opened a private channel to Boot.
“Start wormhole generators, let’s kick this thing off right,” Bregend said. He sounded a hell of a lot better after the sleep and forced rest he’d been practically ordered to take by Boot after Oolta.
“Sounds like a fine idea to me,” he looked to Dlai, his second in command.
“Me too,” she said with a smile.
“Mister Dennison, power up our wormhole generators. Welick, be ready on those weapons. Asa run a final check on all the buckling cables for my piece of mind. I don’t want an asteroid going the wrong way,” he said with an amused display of his manipulators.
“Yes sir,” Asa smiled as the set to work.
Chapter victory comes at a cost
Falhu watched as the fleet of fifty-thousand ships headed towards the largely water covered planet he had found.
He was down to around two hundred and forty-five thousand ships, a fourth of his original strength, and all too many of them had been destroyed by the Free Fleet’s attacks.
He was heading towards Orshpa, he needed to report on what he had done and ask for new orders. A long the way he would sow his fleets across the inhabited worlds he came across.
“We have a wormhole opening in our fleet,” one of the aides said.
“Free Fleet!” The words came out like a curse that Falhu wished had never existed.
He watched as his fleet plowed through the tens of wormholes that had appeared directly in the largest concentrations of his fleet.
After a number of seconds asteroids came through the wormholes, spreading out as they cleared the event horizons and adding to the wormholes already considerable body count.
All the Kalu could do was get out of the way.
Sixteen points around the Kalu opened into wormholes.
Pyramids started coming out from them, each numbering around twenty to thirty. All of them lay along the fleet’s acceleration path and off to either side.
“Kill them!” Falhu said, they were actually within range of his ships for once, he wasn’t going to let this go to waste. The meager remaining missiles shot out from the Kalu ships.
Their lasers started firing, and Kalu ships disintegrated.
The laser c
annons that had been on less than a fifth of the Free Fleet ships he had faced before were mounted on most of the ships which looked to be.
“Are those Destroyers?” Falhu demanded, his claws ripping through the decking.
“They appear to be,” an aide replied. Falhu yelled in frustration and tore a console apart with his claws and mouth.
“DESTROY THEM!” He growled, anger raging in his eyes and through his body.
They had taken their weapons of war, and turned them against their true masters. This would not stand!
The destroyers released smaller crafts; the fighters, bombers and Jumpers of the Free Fleet were within missile distance of the Kalu.
Their Pyramids vomited fire from their laser cannons and rippled out missile launches.
The smaller crafts used the covering fire to pull themselves together into formations and get in close to the Kalu formations.
Waves of stunned and defenseless Kalu were wiped from existence, becoming nothing more than navigation hazards as Free Fleet ships dove into the formations.
They reminded Falhu of Kalu on the hunting plains in their prime, cutting down the enemy and prey with impunity.
His fleet took out a ship here and there but they simply moved behind their fellows, regenerated their shields and took up a new position.
His anger from before was removed as he looked at the beauty of their warfare, of their economics.
For someone that had been born, trained, and lived to fight battle, this was art to him.
Kalu ships fell like forests before a fire.
“Flush all Kalu fighters!” Falhu barked, seeing that they moved through his formation with such impunity.
Someone passed the word. It took the fighters five minutes to launch, in that time another wormhole had appeared, all made of ships of the line, all of them releasing a barrage of missiles.
The new ships were unknown, but the ones that had emerged, he knew their capabilities. They were citadels of war, but he knew they could be destroyed with enough fire brought onto them and they could be boarded.
From Furies Forged (Free Fleet Book 5) Page 31