by Ben Winston
Over their private comm, Ariel tried to reassure her. “Just remember, sweetheart, the suit will get you down safely. All you need to worry about are the idiots shooting at you.”
mKail nodded. “Now, I’m regretting not going through drop training. Something I’m going to have to correct very soon.”
“It’s okay to be afraid, mKail. I’ve never really done this either. Besides, we already went over this, one of the others can keep me safe until Cole lands,” Ariel said.
“I learned long ago that fear must be challenged and defeated at every opportunity or it will eventually kill you,” the pale woman replied. “Where you go, I go.”
The bay doors opening ended their conversation. Ariel turned and waited for Cole to tell them to go.
Battle armor is more like an exoskeleton that dynamically increases the performance profile of a human body. It has its own internal power supply and life support systems that could take care of its occupant for up to a week. It had a powerful combat computer that could link into the command network as well as a full communications suite. With the optionally installed jump pack, it was like its own air or space craft.
Perhaps its most important feature was the medical suite. If the occupant was wounded. The limited artificial intelligence could sedate or medicate, seal off a wound thus stopping bleeding, then set up a neuro-shunt field to block the nerve impulses to the brain, thus letting the occupant fight to return to a medical officer.
When the order to jump came through though, these thoughts were far from Ariel’s mind as she stepped out of the craft and began to fall toward the desert floor roughly three and a half miles below.
Since the suit had been given the frequency of the cloaking device on the freighter, it was visible to Ariel even this far up. The shield frequency wouldn’t do the marines any good until it was time to board the ship. Then the suit had to alter its own shield to that of the ship in order to pass through it. The down side to that was that since the ships weapons were tuned to pass through the shield of the ship, then they could pass through yours too.
Not that surviving a direct hit by one of those cannons was a possibility, but the suit’s shield did help limit the damage of near misses.
Ariel’s suit began warning her that she was coming up on five thousand feet. The suit would begin slowing her down soon, in preparation for a ‘soft’ landing. When the suit begins to slow the marine down, it also makes them a target. The slower the fall, the better the target.
She brought up the combat computer, and charged her pulse rifle. Noting, as she did so that her computer was already identifying targets. She still wondered why the big freighter hadn’t opened fire. Perhaps it didn’t have guns installed?
That faint hope was shattered when the ship began shooting at the incoming shuttles, completely ignoring Cole, proving the stealth systems on the ship worked well. She said as much to Cole.
“Cole, the stealth systems seem to be working really well, they’re completely ignoring you.”
“I agree. Tuyen and I are dropping in for a strafing run. I’m going to try to take out those guns. In the meantime one of the shuttles got hit, but reports they should be able to land safely. They did manage to drop all of their marines, and are going to set down a few miles away,” Cole reported.
Ariel spun around until she located the wounded shuttle. IFF had it tagged as CAS (Combat Assault Shuttle) seven, from the Divine Light; her code name was ‘Claim Jumper’
“Godmother to Claim Jumper, do you still have shields and your cannon?” Ariel asked using her call sign.
“We still have the cannon, Godmother, the shield generator is toast along with the main reactor. We’re leaking radiation, which makes us a good target, so I was going to put down, and try to get the issue fixed,” the shuttle Commander replied. “Hopefully before all the fun is over.”
Ariel now understood the reason for the ‘a few miles’ comment. There was a possibility the reactor could detonate. By design, these reactors didn’t function like reactors on Earth. In the case of emergency, the shuttle itself could be used as a tactical weapon. While it wouldn’t spread the toxic radiation of an Earth nuke, the blast would be just as big; somewhere in the five-hundred kiloton to one megaton range.
“Understood, Claim Jumper. Proceed, and good luck,” Ariel replied.
“Thank you, Godmother. Claim Jumper out.”
“How’s everyone else?” Ariel asked.
Cole replied since he was in effect the battle coordinator. “Everyone reports taking fire, but no one else has been damaged. All troops have been deployed and should hit the ground in two to three minutes.”
Ariel watched as Cole strafed the big ship, taking out several weapons emplacements, and the ship that remained on her top deck. Leaving only the ground-based, crew-served weapons positions.
She lined up her rifle on one of the guns that was far enough from the ship to be outside its shield, and set the selector to ‘auto’. She wouldn’t get a target lock since her jump pack was juking her around in an effort to avoid enemy fire. So she used ‘fixed’ sights, and fired when she thought she was on target. All around her the sky was filled with marines doing the same thing she was doing.
She imagined what it would look like if someone was wearing sunglasses with special lenses. Would it look like some kind of eldritch lightening that would restore faith in some forgotten deity? Or would it look like hell itself was finally attacking the heavens. Either way, it had to be a frightening site to anyone that didn’t know what it was.
Ariel fired a grenade at her chosen gun emplacement, and was overjoyed when it blew-up destroying the gun and the slavers that had been manning it. She shifted her fire over to another crew-served weapon and began firing again, this time she led off with a grenade. She and another trooper had picked the same target, and between the two of them, it didn’t last very long.
She heard mKail softly swear under her breath, and spin to find her friend. She found mKail not very far away firing wildly at a well concealed gun that looked to be her chosen landing spot. Ariel quickly popped off another grenade and added her fire to mKail’s.
The gun had been firing blindly, trying to hit mKail before she grounded in the foxhole with them but had only managed fringe hits. When the crew saw the grenade, they scrambled to get out, but the continuous fire from both mKail and Ariel killed both men only seconds before the grenade detonated, shredding their bodies and destroying the gun.
One gun was still in operation by the time the marines hit the ground. Between the fire from the gun, and the rifles of the crew from the top deck, about half the assault force immediately got pinned down in their kill zone. The remaining marines, including Ariel and mKail, concentrated their fire on the gun while the now landed assault shuttles began shooting at the slavers on the ship.
The gun was actually captured but both slavers had been killed in the fighting. Once the last gun fell, external fighting seemed to stop. Now the nerve-wracking interior fighting would begin. What amazed Ariel was that, since they started firing, Ariel’s force had lost four marines. The slavers had lost about twelve or more. None had been captured; considering the fact that they were destined to stretch their necks on the gallows anyway, that wasn’t too surprising.
Cole sat down near Ariel and dropped his ramp. Ariel, ‘her’ marines, and a few extras from the assault force climbed aboard and Cole jumped them up to the top of the ship to begin working their way down.
Once everyone was in place the assault commander sent the ‘go’ order. Ariel knew that, below her, at ground level, the marines were blowing hatches and beginning the assault of the ship itself.
With the firm endorsement of the Assault Commander, mKail forbade Ariel from leading her marines in this part of the assault. Commander Rajier wanted Ariel to return to orbit, mKail wanted Ariel to at least stay in Cole. Ariel agreed to stay near Cole. Rajier and mKail accepted the compromise before she overruled them completely and just did whatever
she wanted to do.
However, Cole had the final word on the matter; when the upper assault team left the ship he closed up, and lifted off to fly a CAP in case any of the other capture ships decided to join the fight.
“That was sneaky, Cole!” Ariel teased in frustration. “Why didn’t you mention flying a CAP during planning?”
She nodded her head towards the living areas of the ship. “Come on, mKail, let’s get out of these suits. Most of the party’s over for us now. Cole’s over-ruled all of us!”
“I didn’t believe I had to, young one. Since I’m the only ship, in our group, capable of providing the CAP I assumed it was obvious that I would be doing it. Therefore, there was no reason to mention it,” Cole replied reasonably. “The discharge of so many high energy weapons in so short a time has attracted the attention of a US spy satellite and a Chinese ‘Weather’ satellite. I’m ordering the assault shuttles to engage the camomelian functions of their armor.”
Totally unaware of the mental discussion, mKail nodded her agreement. “Cole is a very astute entity.”
“Thank you, mKail. Coming from you, that is a great compliment,” Cole replied via the ship’s intercom.
Ariel gleaned from Cole that ‘camomelian’ was an ability built into the armor of the shuttles that allowed the pigment of the armor to be altered. When it landed, the flight computer scans the landing area as a matter of course to ensure there are no obstacles in the landing area that might harm the ship. This data was also used to supply the armor with the information it needs. It was a form of camouflage that mimicked the area around it almost perfectly. It also used almost no energy to implement, compared to a cloak that would use massive energy, and eventually overheat anyway. To the naked eye, the assault shuttles would be very hard to see. Cole himself had a variant of that armor built into his hull.
“Is the freighter’s displacement cloak still up?” Ariel asked, as she entered her quarters to remove the battle suit. Ariel would still wear the skin-tight, lightweight body armor under her clothes, just in case, but there was no real reason for her to remain in the heavy armor.
“Yes. I don’t think even the slavers are that stupid,” Cole replied out loud in her main room.
Ariel chuckled. “Don’t ever under-estimate the stupidity of slavers. Hell, of any human for that matter; we all make mistakes, some of us more than others.”
“As far as I can tell, you have not made any mistakes,” Cole replied.
Now, Ariel outright laughed. “You are far too forgiving. I overlooked the need for a CAP on this operation. I should have contacted my parents immediately after the Righteous Fire incident. I know they had to be worried sick. I’m sure they still are now, but I have to finish this before I can call them. Even if I could, it’s the middle of the night there now.”
“For a commander that has no combat experience at all, you did a damn good job planning this one; especially on so short of a notice. Assault Commander Rajier even commented on that in her notes. As far as calling your parents, you were a little busy at the time. We were all trying to cram as much information into your mind as we could in as short a time as possible. I honestly believe that a lesser person would have had a mental breakdown by now, but not you, if anything, you’re stronger than before,” Cole replied. “Ariel, you are my Liege Lord, friend, and the closest thing to a lover as I can get. I like to think I know you better than anyone, so please listen when I tell you that you need to quit stressing about the small mistakes for now, you’re doing great as you are.”
“I hope so, but Dad has always told me to not worry about the big stuff; it’s always the details that’ll bite you in the butt.” Ariel had just finished fastening the molecular seam on her skin suit when the commander of the retrieval team she’d sent for Argus and Jess called in.
“Godmother, this is Goldilocks. We have a small problem...”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Combat Location; Battle of the Merchant’s Profit.
Sahara Desert, Algeria (near border with Mali)
North-Western African Continent, Earth, (Sol III) Horon-A Sector.
“What do you mean by ‘problem’?” Ariel asked.
“The crew blew their way into the Captain’s quarters, and the Captain’s wife has been wounded. We’re evacuating her up to the Divine Light, but Captain Tyrr is insisting he go with her,” the marine finished.
“Damn!” Ariel swore. “Put him in chains, as per the plan, and bring them both up to the top deck. We’ll take them up to the Divine Light.”
“Will do, Godmother. We’re on our way. Goldilocks out.”
“Cole?” Ariel called.
“We’ll be down in twenty seconds, and I’m warming up the auto-doc,” Cole replied.
“Good, I’ll meet them at the ramp. I just hope Argus will listen to me,” Ariel said as she closed and fastened the ship-suit she’d been putting on. Stepping into her shoes, she was out of the room before Cole could answer her.
“Rajier?” Ariel called, dropping the call signs.
“Yes, Highness?” the woman replied.
“We’re making an emergency run up to the ship; I would like you to finish up here if you would. How many and where are the others that need a ride?” Ariel asked as the ramp began coming down.
“The final count of wounded is eleven. We’ve been taking them to the shuttle Hermes.”
“Okay, I’ll call them and see if anyone needs a ride. Thanks Rajier, good hunting,” Ariel said as the ramp dropped. Argus was carrying Jess, and he ran up the ramp. Ariel directed him into the first room on the right. A medic had been waiting to get the auto-doc closed up and working on the woman.
After securing the captain's wife, the medic touched Argus’ shoulder. “Captain, Her Highness would like you to go back out to the hold for a few minutes. You can come back later.”
“But ...” he started, only to be interrupted by the medic. “Look, do you really want to antagonize the woman who’s trying to save your lives? Don’t worry; Cole and I will be right here, we won’t let anything happen to her.”
“Cole?” Argus asked confused in his grief.
“The ship, now go, the Princess needs you!” The burly medic pushed Argus out the door and into the hold.
“We’ll do all we can for her, Captain, I promise,” Ariel said, as he reentered the hold. “However, I need you to watch this. Cole?”
A hologram of Argus appeared right beside him. It looked at him and winked before running down the ramp yelling. An alert Marine at the bottom of the ramp shot him in the head, killing the hologram instantly. He and another marine pulled the body back into the hold, as a small bot began cleaning the blood off the ramp. The ramp rose a bit so Cole could float over to the medic shuttle on anti-grav.
As the holographic marines pulled his dead, holographic, body back into the ship, Argus stood there staring at it. “What ...” He cleared his throat, “Uh, what was that for?”
“That, my good Captain, was entirely for the benefit of the prisoners. They saw you get killed, word will get back to the guild that you’re dead so they shouldn’t come after you for a while,” Ariel said. “I’m not a fan of the theater myself, but I thought the performance wasn’t half bad.”
Argus had a confused expression on his face, and was starting to get that ‘thousand yard stare’ so Ariel took his arm, and guided him back into the small infirmary to be with Jess.
Once the door closed, Ariel clapped her hands together. “Okay! Let’s get the wounded onboard and get back to the Divine Light. So we can get them up to the Life Station! Let’s move it, people! Cole, please plot a micro-jump to the ship, these folks need help.”
After collecting all the wounded from the small, short battle, the I.S.A Tides of Mars lifted off the planet, turned, and disappeared in a flash of light.
Tides of Mars
Book II - Conflict
Conflict – Book II
As Ariel and her friends get ready to start making a differen
ce, the Senate decides to do it for her and declares war on the Empire. Ariel learns more about what it means to be a leader, and the state in which the people of the Empire have been living. She has a hard time dealing with becoming the icon of hope for trillions of people when she is having a hard time just defending her own home. She learns quickly when the republican fleet arrives to kill her and her grandfather, and take over the Empire.
Chapter One
Landing Bay Delta
Command Super Dreadnaught, I.S.S. Divine Light
210 degrees south, 43 degrees west trans-solar orbit
Sol System, Horon-A Sector.
The marines from the Divine Light were performing a mop-up of the attacking slavers, when the Tides of Mars arrived, and called in for priority clearance to land near the Life Station. Flight control assigned them to landing bay Delta since the normal bay for the small assault ship had been damaged in the fighting. Admiral Hs’ean was there to meet Ariel and discover how the battle went.
“Sorry, we had to land you here, but the two main bays were damaged in the fighting,” Sean said.
“Actually, I think we’re closer to the Life Station here anyway, so that worked out at least. Admiral, I’d like to introduce Captain Argus Tyrr, late of the Dolian Medium Freighter Merchant’s Profit. Captain, this is Admiral Hs’ean, commander of His Majesty's third fleet,” Ariel said making the introductions.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Admiral. To be honest, I never expected to be doing so without irons on my feet and wrists,” Argus said as he bowed to Sean.
“I think it’s a sign of our times, Captain. Welcome aboard,” Hs'ean replied returning the bow.
“Captain Argus, could we pick your brain about this assault? We’d like to know if we got everyone, or if there’s more on planet we simply haven’t found yet,” Ariel asked.