Umi nodded slowly and stuck out his hand to Faizal. "Count us in."
Faizal shook it and smiled. "Now, let's go meet Rachel, your team leader."
"Who's Rachel?" Umi said.
"The woman who shot you," Wilhelm said.
"Lovely," Umi replied. He had one hell of a hangover to repay.
#
Chapter Fourteen
Planet Squire, Kalivostok System
Grid 732.1 -311.2
He never should have gone ahead to look for himself.
Colonel Clarke sighed as his tank, Apex, struggled to crawl free of the dust. His crew alternated between pushing and pulling, with only the straining of the drive and the slipping of the tracks to reward them. Around them the dust swirled. A few meters away, the hulk of a mech—they didn't know what else to call it—lay like a fallen iron giant.
Private Cunningham stomped and cursed. Private Auroch stood next to him, his massive arms hanging at his sides. The two leaned in again and struggled to push. Even the officers struggled on the opposite track.
"We need something under the tracks," Cunningham said.
"Like a tree," Auroch added.
"Do you see any trees?"
"Well, no. But a tree would help."
Cunningham threw up his arms.
"What about him?" Auroch hooked a thumb toward the mech.
"He ain't going nowhere, sunshine," Cunningham said.
Ragged holes marked where the mechanical giant had met its end. Already dust filled up the large-bore cannon. They had cracked open the first mechanized suit they came to and encountered an alien race that no one knew. It was a machine-biological hybrid. The control cab stunk of methane, and the creature was quite dead.
Clarke had wanted to look for himself.
Major Bresov plowed through the dust drift. She wiped her goggles clear. "We need to call maintenance, Colonel."
"Hook up to him," Auroch said. He pointed at the mech.
"Shut up, dum-dum," Cunningham said.
"Use the winch," Auroch added. His face, even through the dust, was turning red with anger.
"And who's gonna turn that winch?" Cunningham snapped back.
Auroch clapped his hands together.
"Major, you think Private Auroch can turn that winch?" Colonel Clarke said.
Major Bresov cocked her head. "Maybe."
Colonel Clarke walked away and left the crew. They didn't need an audience; he hated it when people watched him work. Instead he crouched next to the mech and scanned the horizon with his binoculars. Somewhere on that far edge was the Emflife armor.
Or was there?
So far the Emflife strike had felt half-assed. Instead of pushing the initial thrust, they waited. Then when they did strike, it wasn't in force. The mechs led the way with the Emflife armor just behind. Now the only thing left in the great expanse were the hulks of armor lying in the dust.
"And me," Colonel Clarke said. He scanned the horizon again. The strange evening light gave everything an orange hue. The dust whipped up in the distance. He zoomed in on the area but couldn't make anything out. "Where are you?"
Auroch grunted and roared on the opposite side of the hulk. His yells came in bursts. Then there was a pause, and another grunt, a roar, a pause.
Major Bresov came around the side of the mech. "See anything, Colonel?"
"No. Is Auroch doing it?"
"Actually, yes. Each pull gains us about ten centimeters."
Colonel Clarke nodded. That'd do. They didn't have to move far. "How is the refit looking?"
Major Bresov adjusted her helmet. "Slow. The Chariot models are simple to repair, but a few units took a good deal of damage."
"Supplies?"
"We stripped Echo Company on the ridge. So we've got plenty of spares."
Colonel Clarke felt his stomach tighten. Echo. One entire company lost. The Emflife had hit them hard and annihilated that section of line. Even though there was nothing he could have done, he still felt responsible. "Very well. Everyone goes tomorrow. We're moving in force."
"Supply as well?"
"That's correct," Colonel Clarke said.
The grunting and roaring started again.
"Get Arap on the horn. Tell him to get the columns ready. The Sixth is going to take our positions. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to make a report to the general."
"Yes, sir," Major Bresov said. She walked around the corner with a trail of dust following behind.
Colonel Clarke pulled out his tablet and wiped the face of it clean. The dust was in everything. He keyed up the record button and leaned himself against the hull of the mech. A fitting backdrop, he thought.
"Hi, Maki. We're holding on the northern edge of the warehouse facilities. See the attached maps. After the initial strike we ran into light resistance in the warehouses. Then we set up and intercepted a line of, uh, mechanized armor? I'm not sure what to call it, but see the attached photos. We also ran into a single Emflife synthetic. I'd like more infantry support; that thing was nasty."
Auroch grunted on the other side of the mech, and Clarke paused the recording. He continued again a second later.
"They should be hitting us, and they're not. We see sporadic artillery. I'm not sure if they're waiting for us to cross the distance, or if they've pulled back. But we're moving out to continue the probe in force tomorrow evening. I'll report in again. Cole out."
He keyed the recording off and hit send. The data packet would get routed through his command vehicle and go into the stargate data queue.
Cheering called out from the opposite side of the mech. There was a roar of the final drives.
Colonel Clarke walked around the corner. Auroch was bare to the waist. His chest was a slick of sweat and mud. He heaved as he took each breath, but on his face was triumph. Even the prickly Cunningham wore a grin.
"Good work! Now let's roll!" Sergeant Chibisov yelled.
Colonel Clarke crawled into the tight compartment and sat down on what had to be the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever sat on. Martinez owed him for such a shitty seat.
"Priority message from Captain Janke," Sergeant Chibisov called over the comms.
Colonel Clarke clamped on his headset. "Go ahead, Janke."
"We ran into another Emflife synthetic, Colonel."
"Losses?"
"Negative, sir. We've got it pinned."
"What?"
"Roger, Colonel. One of tanks is sitting on top of it."
"I'll be right there!" Colonel Clarke said. "Chibi! Hit it! Get us to Alpha CO now!"
***
When they arrived, Colonel Clarke tried to be the first one out, but Cunningham and Auroch rushed out first.
"Hold on, Colonel," Auroch said in his deep voice. The two guards checked out the synthetic. Then Auroch turned back. "Clear."
Colonel Clarke pushed through the hatch.
There, pinned directly underneath the tracks of a tank named Firefly, was an Emflife synthetic. Its legs were underneath the tank, while the wide track covered most of its torso. The head and arms were exposed, and it looked to be dead.
Captain Janke ran up and saluted.
"What happened?" Colonel Clarke said. He studied the creature and kept his distance. No one wanted to get close to it.
"We swept through a warehouse. One of the guys popped open a container of ore, and it came rolling out. It's not complete, couldn't walk right. But it still took down one of my guys. When it got into the street, the driver of Firefly ran it down."
The synthetic curled up one arm. Voices called out around it, and everyone tensed. Weapons snapped up.
It moved both arms onto the track and pushed. Then it relaxed.
"It keeps doing that," Captain Janke said.
"What happens if it gets loose?" Colonel Clarke said.
A look of realization spread over Captain Janke's face. "Hey! Bring up Fireball and Flipper!"
Two tanks rumbled up and trained their cannons onto the strugglin
g synthetic.
Colonel Clarke walked closer.
The bot stopped struggling.
"Sir?" Major Bresov said.
"It's fine," Colonel Clarke said. He pulled out his sidearm and waved it at the synthetic.
The oily-gear eyes came into focus. It regarded him with its oddly unhumanoid face. The skin, if you could call it that, was like a coal-black sheen of scale and grit. The body wasn't even crushed underneath the weight of the tank.
Colonel Clarke hunched down. "Can you talk?"
Private Auroch walked up next to Colonel Clarke. "Colonel, ain't safe, eh?"
Colonel Clarke was about to tell him to go back when he decided against it. He felt a bit better with the monster of a man next to him. "It's not going anywhere."
Auroch glared at it.
"Can you speak? Understand what I say?" He waved a hand and watched for a reaction. Nothing.
An arm shot out and snapped toward Colonel Clarke. The fingers were sharp, like daggers. Someone fired and the round struck the synthetic in the chest. The bullet buried itself into the torso. The synthetic didn't seem bothered.
Colonel Clarke called over his shoulder. "The one on Vasilov Prime, it dissolved once they killed it, right? Turned into iron oxides?"
"I think so," Major Bresov said.
Colonel Clarke stood and slapped the dust off his pants. "Get Master Sergeant Cernius."
"The armorer?"
"That's right," Colonel Clarke said. He stuffed his sidearm back into his holster. "Tell him to bring every variety of small-arms ammunition we have. We need to find a way to kill one of these."
The oily eyes stared up at Colonel Clarke.
"Because I have a feeling there's more. I want everything swept tonight, everything. Full armor support. Tell Cernius to hurry."
"Yes, sir," Major Bresov said. She sprinted into Apex.
"What's Sergeant Cernius going to do?" Captain Janke said.
"Shoot it, Captain. Shoot it with everything we've got until he finds something that can kill it."
***
7.4 GHZ
AQUA-NINE ENCRYPTION
ENSURE ARMOR STAYS ON SQUIRE. IF IT’S NOT TRUSTWORTHY THEN KORNILOV MUST NOT BE ABLE TO USE IT. CONTINUE TO MOVE UNITS AWAY FROM THE KVINSK LINK. NEGOTIATIONS WITH DUKE KORNILOV HAVE STALLED. THIS IS THE CRISIS WE NEED. BE PREPARED.
#
Chapter Fifteen
Planet Squire, Kalivostok System
Zhuko-Time Industries Production Facility
Shafts of light shot through the shrapnel-scarred walls. The production facility was riddled with holes. Dust sieved through the ceiling and coated delicate-looking equipment. Soldiers moved through and opened every cabinet, container, and storage bin.
"Hold the light goddamn it," Gous said. He was hunched next to an open electrical panel. Wires snaked out and were attached to his data slate. One by one he connected more.
"Just let me blow it," Veriha said.
"No," Puck said.
"You guys need help?" a soldier asked.
"No, get the fuck out of here," Puck snapped back.
The soldier frowned and walked away.
"Tomi, keep the assholes away," Puck said.
Tomi yawned and leaned up against some shelving. He was tired. Bone tired. Instead of letting him have a nice bit of relaxation while his tank was fixed, they turned him into infantry.
"Tomi, don't let the muzzle of your rifle sit in the dirt," Kallio said as she walked past.
Tomi snapped up his rifle.
A quick burst of gunfire rang out. Followed by more, and then another burst. Someone laughed, and a single shell rang out.
"They're still shooting that thing?" Waslinski said. She was hunched down with a virt reality screen affixed to one eye. There was an odd look on her face, a stoned look.
Tomi, along with the rest of the crew from Bulldog, had made a detour to see the synthetic. An angry-looking master sergeant had assorted ammunition and equipment laid out around him. Empty shell casings littered the ground. He'd shot at the synthetic a few times without much result. Then an officer had chased all the gawkers away.
"How you know there's gold in that room?" Sophia said.
"Mueller found an inventory list," Puck said.
"Where's Mick? Mick should be here." Sophia shifted nervously.
"He's keeping the LT away."
A main gun fired in the distance, followed by a handful of explosions.
"Someone found one," Kallio said softly. Her eyes looked up into the dust-filled air.
"Wait, what if we find one?" Vinovy said.
"Shut up." Puck turned back to Gous. "Hurry up."
Gous connected the last wire. He tapped at the screen. "One minute."
"Let me blow it," Veriha said. "It's gold, what can hurt it?"
"If Gous can't open it, then we're gonna walk."
Veriha looked hurt. He frowned and hunched next to the vault.
"Oh, oh!" Gous said.
The vault door shuddered. A thunk sounded from deep inside. Gous looked over his shoulder with a wide grin.
"Grenades at ready!" Puck said. "Everyone get primed! I'm popping it!"
The squad took position around the vault. Puck stood on one side with grenades in his hand.
Tomi laid his rifle on the edge of the shelving. He couldn't help but smile. Gold. Gold. It was his ticket out of the world of shit once his term was done. They had it all planned: get the gold to Bulldog, stash it with the ammo, and wait till they were back on Vasilov Prime. No one would inspect for it.
"Here we go!" Puck said. He grabbed the handle and tugged the door. It opened slowly.
Gous reached around the doorframe and tossed in a light sphere. It bounced three times and then blinked on. A warm, white light filled the space.
Three carts sat at odd angles in the center of the vault. A dozen other carts were wrecked and corroded; they lay on the floor in an odd heap. The rest of the space was empty. Gold gleamed in the white light.
"Fuck, they even left it on carts for us," Veriha said. He started stowing his demolition charge back into his bag.
"Right!" Puck said. "Let's get it!"
The squad converged on the vault. Their eyes were all on the carts.
Then the Emflife synthetic dropped down from the ceiling.
"Woah!" Puck yelled. Gunfire rang out as the squad all surged back from the vault. It was a point-blank, all-out assault. Puck lobbed his grenades. Gous fired wildly with one hand on his rifle. Rounds pinged into the walls, the floor, the carts. Kallio snapped up her sidearm and fired as quickly as she could.
Tomi aimed and fired. His rounds caught the synthetic in the chest, but they didn't seem to do anything.
Puck leaped back and the grenades went off. The sound was channeled out of the vault as a roar.
The synthetic struggled ahead. It gripped the vault door in one hand and stabbed out with a square-edged blade.
Gous tumbled back away from the blade.
There was a roar, and Hutchins slammed into the half-open vault door. Sergeant Mick rushed in a second later and added his bulk. Lieutenant Torori was yelling something to someone.
Tomi kept firing. Then he realized his clip was empty. Fuck fuck fuck.
It was complete and total chaos. The synthetic fought to get clear of the door, but every time it came to the gap it was pushed back by the sheer weight of gunfire.
"Blow it! Blow it!" Puck yelled at Veriha.
Veriha couldn't get the demolition pack out of his backpack. So he primed it in place and tossed the entire thing through the open door.
Hutchins yelled out. The veins in his face stood out like ropes.
"Clear!" Lieutenant Torori yelled.
Mick grabbed Hutchins by the shoulders and pulled him back.
A second later, Bastard plowed through the wall of the warehouse. It drove through the siding, bounced off a girder, and then collided with the door of the vault. The door clanged shut.
; Tomi stopped fumbling with his clip and tried to catch his breath.
"Out, out, out!" Lieutenant Torori yelled.
Kallio grabbed onto Tomi's body armor and dragged him toward the gaping hole that Bastard had made. They ran out in a crush of bodies and everyone leaped into cover. Then it was silent.
"How long was the prime?" Mick yelled.
"Thirty seconds!" Veriha said.
The demolition pack exploded. The roof over the vault lifted up and settled back down. Girders exploded from side to side. The vault burst, and every seam opened up. Even Bastard was pushed back a meter by the force.
"Clear it!" Mick said. He ran inside with his weapon at ready.
Tomi followed into the swirling smoke. He still struggled to load his rifle.
Kallio snapped up his weapon and finished seating the magazine. "You make shitty infantry, Tomi."
The dust swirled.
Tomi coughed and pulled up his dust mask. His heart slammed in his chest. Was it dead?
"Clear!" someone yelled.
Tomi walked up and stood next to the rest of his squad. They all looked into what was left of the vault.
"Fuck," Puck said. "Our gold."
"You idiots did this to get the gold?" Lieutenant Torori said. He stomped past them and peered into the vault. The only gold remaining was bits of flake that fluttered in the dust. "You fucking morons."
"Look on the bright side, LT," Puck said.
Lieutenant Torori glared back at him.
"We found out how to kill the Emflife," Puck said. He grinned and nudged Gous. "Eh? Eh?"
Lieutenant Torori stomped past. "Get back to Bulldog, it's done." He stopped and spun around. "And don't fucking do anything like that again."
"Yes, sir!" Sergeant Mick said. He turned to his squad and flashed a roguish grin.
***
An hour later they were back inside Bulldog. It smelled of fire retardant, glue, fresh paint, and burnt steel. They wiped the sticky fire suppressant off the walls and tried to return it to normal.
Mick spoke to Tomi. "Run diagnostics. Hess and Wellington are inspecting everything outside. We're leaving shortly."
"Yes, Sergeant," Tomi said. He felt much more at home in his driver's seat, even if it was still sticky.
"I mean, what can they do, throw us in jail?" Waslinski said.
Laughter sounded from the crew compartment.
Steel Storm (Steel Legion Book 2) Page 11