"You better get clear, Bill. We don't know what to expect here."
Bill looked out the airlock for a moment. "Based on the cone size of the decel jets, and the vector, they are decelerating with the proper energy required for a load of neutron fuel."
"We'll wait and see."
"Captain, the Vek were going to Vasilov space next."
Umi looked down the pistol and then back at Bill. "What?"
"A planet called Kalivostok. The next job was to assist with an invasion."
"Shit."
The transport halted a meter away. It spun slowly and brought the door to bear.
"Kelly? Can you get a weapon online? I don't care if it can fire, but just make it look like it can."
"I don't know. Wait, yes. Now?"
"Now!"
The transport halted.
Umi pointed the pistol at Koric and keyed up private comms. "You just get in that transport and go back. I mean like super chill. Liquid nitrogen chill. Then you turn that ship around and go. You so much as sniff in our direction, and the other ship is going to open fire. Ask your crew once you're on board. Got it?"
Koric glared back through the faceshield. He gave a crisp nod. "We have debts, Captain Matsuo."
"Yes. Yes we do."
The transport door opened, and a single Vek was tethered to the side. He grasped a large cube and tossed it in. An engineer caught it, verified the charge, and gave a thumbs-up. One by one they tossed the cubes across. When they were finally done, Umi waved toward the exit with his handgun.
Koric pushed off and exited.
"Close it up!"
Umi kicked off and glided down the main hall. He was halfway through when the gravity kicked on. The shock of landing on the ground wasn't nearly as bad as jarring his tender shoulder. "Bill!"
"My apologies!" Bill called back.
One of the salvage team helped Umi to his feet, and the two rushed to the bridge. The consoles were all alive with data, but none of it was in a language Umi knew.
Bill rushed from one to the next. "Critical systems are a go."
"Weapons?" Rachel said.
"Not yet, the crawlers ran out of energy for heavy repairs."
An engineer called from the engine room. They secured the final neutron cell, and the system appeared to be operating properly.
Bill tapped on another console and then returned to the main one.
"Kelly?"
"Sir."
"You sure it's operational?"
"Weapons alarm!" Bill yelled. "They're deploying missiles! I need a destination!"
"Kelly, Bill, set destination to the Kalivostok system."
"You got it, Cap!" Kelly replied.
New alarms blared out, and the video feed showed a blossom of missiles erupt from the Vek ship.
"Here we go," Bill said. He tapped down with a slender leg.
The lights dimmed, the screens flickered, and the ancient starship jumped.
#
Chapter Twenty-Six
Planet Kalivostok III, Kalivostok System
Kali-Squire Defense HQ
The command bunker at the Kalivostok outgate was a fortress almost without equal. It sat several kilometers back from the gate itself, beneath a hill of chalk and planted grass. Inside was a honeycomb of offices for logistics and preparations. At the center of it all was General Makinen.
He wanted to pace. He missed it: the feeling of thinking while moving, but not really moving. Instead he tapped his hands and studied the maps. Carco and Karling held the gate. The Kadan and Emflife had made a few light strikes, then hit hard. Now they seemed content to just sit and drop some artillery.
"Where are you, Cole?" he mumbled. Carco had relayed some basic recon, but then the Kadan jamming started. This time though, the Sigg frequencies were hit along with the Vasilov ones.
More than anything he needed to know what the Kadan were doing. They invaded Squire and then stopped. Every conventional invasion involved an immediate strike to the next stargate. Speed was key. The only way you could seize a chain of gates was to knock out the defenders before they had time to rally.
That wasn't happening.
A sentry knocked on his door. "Duke Kornilov to see you, sir."
"Send him in," General Makinen said.
Duke Kornilov walked in with a major and a four-man security team.
General Makinen struggled to stand and gave a halfhearted salute.
"General," Duke Kornilov said. He walked over to the map display and studied the troop dispersion. Infantry and artillery were marked out in concentric rings away from the stargate.
General Makinen glanced at the major. He wore the twin beacons of Communications.
"Are we ready?" Duke Kornilov said. It was the same question he asked every day.
"If they come. Yes."
"You transferred the garrison from the Kvinsk gate."
General Makinen glanced at the major and then at the guards. He started to sweat. "Yes, we're rotating the units off the Squire gate to keep them at full readiness."
Duke Kornilov said nothing. He studied the map and tapped a few units.
"If this is prolonged, we'll need everyone at full readiness."
"Any word from the convicts?"
"No, m'lord. The Kadan are still jamming the communications on Squire."
"Have Colonel Carco and Karling pull back. I want them transferred to the Kvinsk gate. I don't feel comfortable leaving that link undefended. Duke Kell isn't to be trusted."
General Makinen felt very warm. If Duke Kell came through, they'd be expecting a lightly defended gate. His thought wasn't to make it easy for Kell, but to minimize the bloodshed during the coup.
Duke Kornilov looked up at the major. "Tell them, Major Wiss."
"We've found a way to bypass the gate transmitter, General. We're going to use planet-based transmitters on Kalivostok to stream direct."
"This will bypass the jamming?"
The major licked his lips and looked nervous. "It should..."
Duke Kornilov said, "I want the convicts to pull back to the stargate immediately."
"They're our eyes there, m'lord, and they lack the infantry to hold that facility."
"Then they can simply pull back. I wanted to abandon Squire from the outset."
General Makinen shifted in his chair. His spine ached. At this moment, he wished he could stand up and throttle the duke. A good, grade-A thrashing. "I'll order Carco and Karling to hold until the 19th can relieve them."
"No," Duke Kornilov said. "Those units are to be transferred immediately."
"But the gate will be undefended. The Kadan will take it over. The ACR will be slaughtered."
"Major, relay the orders immediately."
"Yes, m'lord," Major Wiss said. He left the office quickly.
"I'll not have Vasilov ducal troops interfering here. Those convicts can rot on Squire."
General Makinen turned red in the face. He slammed his meaty hands down onto the table. "You'll leave those men to die? You're a damned coward. A coward and a fool!"
Duke Kornilov drew out a silvered pistol and nodded to his guards. The security detail drew out batons and stepped close to the general. "General Makinen, would you be so kind as to explain your relationship with Duke Kell?"
General Makinen tried to get away from the batons, but there was no chance.
#
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Planet Squire, Kalivostok System
19th ACR Deployment Zone
The regiment deployed as the last smudges of daylight disappeared below the horizon. Night slid in and the evening winds kicked up. Dust rose and swirled through the air.
They departed in three columns, each headed the same direction. The lead tank kept its cannon straight ahead, while those beyond kept them slewed to one side or the other. Comms were quiet; an occasional order, prayer, or curse rose up.
A cloud of dust rose behind them, but it blended in. They reached a line of r
idges that surrounded the catapult complex, not far from where Bulldog's crew had taken shelter in the gully. The lead tanks crept up until just the visual sensors were above the ridgeline.
Colonel Clarke studied the view. He couldn't quite make out what was on the ground, but he could see the pillars clearly. Equipment labored high on the pillars. Lights flared as arcs were struck. The cables swayed gently in the wind.
He keyed up his comms and listened to the static crackling. "COs, report."
One by one the COs called back. The closer units—Alpha, Charlie, and Delta—were the clearest. The flanking units—Bravo and Fox—were scratchy. But he could still make out what they said, for now.
He studied the landmarks from the recon mission. He had a good idea where the battalion of Emflife tanks were, and he wanted to avoid that. This wasn't about slugging it out with armor, but about knocking down some cables and causing general havoc. If they happened to get lucky enough to pop the jammer, they'd hit that too. He remembered the one on Lishun Delta, but in hindsight that had been just dumb luck.
"We're headed to the pillar on the left. Once we get close enough to engage the supports, we'll hit as many as we can. Fox, get near that bridge and cover the approach of that Emflife armor."
The COs acknowledged. Clarke waited a minute for the orders to propagate. He didn't trust the automated command system right now; if the data link dropped, the units would be blind.
"Roll out."
The armor climbed over the rise and immediately dropped off into the dust clouds on the other side. It was an odd feeling, driving through dark and dust, only to look up and see massive pillars rising into the sky. Slowly they gained speed, and the ground flattened out. Fox Company reported contact with the riverbed.
"Bravo, strike west, get on that ridge. You'll have good cover," Colonel Clarke ordered.
The command program stuttered. The normally clean overlay displayed errors and question marks on tank locations. Fox and Bravo faded in and out. They were spreading apart, and the jamming was making it difficult.
"Bastard?"
"Sir," Torori responded. His voice was raspy, crackling.
"Radio check every five minutes. Daisy-chain a unit if it gets weak," Clarke called. If all else failed, they could stretch a unit in between to act as a radio relay.
They drove further into the dust. The pillars were almost straight above them.
"Contact!" Devious reported. Then a second later: "It's a walker!"
Colonel Clarke settled back in his seat. They were close, almost. He checked the company loadouts. He was down to about 65 percent strength. Maintenance issues, supply difficulties, and the damned dust took a greater toll than the enemy did. After this, they'd strike for the gate and refit on Kalivostok. By then, maybe Maki could convince them to attack.
Devilish called in with a tossed track. One of the maintenance units swung away. A second later, the Anti-Artillery units reported contact. Something was rising.
Out of the dust, a massive structure rose upward. Clouds of dust swirled beneath it like the eye of a hurricane. Static electricity flared and crackled. The structure was cylindrical, hollow, with rails sprouting from one end. Clarke recognized it from Lishun Delta. It was an orbital bombardment platform.
As it rose, the velocity grew. Bit by bit, it climbed above the towering pillars. Sparks exploded from the tops of the pillars like summer lighting. Then the platform shot into the sky with an increasing velocity and disappeared from view. The static fell away, clumps of dust rained from the sky, and the armor halted.
"Fox is at the bridge."
Colonel Clarke yelled to his TC. "Distance to those lines?"
Sergeant Chibisov hesitated. "The distance is giving me an error. A few kilometers maybe."
"Close enough," Colonel Clarke keyed up his comms. "Alpha, Charlie, Delta, engage those lines. Keep closing. Report contact. Go, go, go!"
The main cannons erupted with fire. Rounds shot into the sky from all three companies. They continued to surge ahead into the dust.
The rounds flew through the air and, just before they reached the cabling, suddenly straightened out. The ballistics were completely off. The online tracking systems couldn't handle the variation.
Servos whined behind Colonel Clarke as the main cannon stuttered up and down.
"What's happening?" Colonel Clarke said.
Riga called out in his raspy voice. "Go manual! The zone in the center has lower gravity. The rounds are off. Load tracers and get a feel for it."
"Do it," Colonel Clarke replied quickly.
Rounds flew through the dust and careened into the low-gravity zone. A cloud of sparks flew out from one cable, but it didn't drop. More ammo went up and disappeared into the distance.
"Armor on the bridge!" Captain Janke called out. "Contact!"
A tank named Fireball fired a burst right at the bridge. Blue light flared and then died, followed by a muffled explosion.
The bridge was a dark spot in the hazy dust. A single Emflife tank was askew halfway across. Smoke poured out from one side of the hull while the main cannon still fired. More tanks appeared behind it and then quickly drove to the sides.
Fox opened fire. From their higher position they rained down a hail of projectiles. Most careened off the shields of the Emflife armor, but a few penetrated.
An Emflife tank paused on the edge of the riverbed and then cautiously nosed down into it. It teetered on edge and dropped down. The angle was too steep, and the nose of the tank buried into the soil. The tracks spun for a moment and then a Vasilov tank punched three rounds through it.
Kadan infantry raced down into the gully. Fox Company opened up with the autocannon turrets. Rounds disappeared into the gully.
Suddenly the antiaircraft units opened fire. A trio of Cion fliers swooped just above the dust. One disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. A few seconds later, a tank named Full Belly disappeared in a massive concussion.
"Shit," Clarke said.
They kept firing at the cables, but they couldn't part them. The high-velocity rounds either missed completely or, when they did strike, exploded too late.
Private Auroch said, "Why ain't they shooting the anchors on the big rock?"
Colonel Clarke quickly spun his feed and zoomed in on the nearest pillar. There, wrapped around the bulk, were sheets of metal with giant eyelets connecting the cables. "Fire at the pillar! Smash those rings!" He felt foolish for not recognizing it sooner. "Good work, Auroch."
Auroch looked smug as he nudged Cunningham.
The first rounds struck the plate with a resounding explosion. A sound like moaning steel grew, and the cables swung.
"Keep firing!" Clarke called.
"Ammo at 30 percent!" Sergeant Chibisov reported.
Colonel Clarke concentrated on the display. Would they have enough?
The comms officer spoke loudly. "Sir! Orders from Kalivostok!"
"What is it?" Colonel Clarke said.
"General Makinen says we're to cease offensive operations immediately and proceed to the Kalivostok gate." The officer halted in midsentence and then continued. "We're to hold the gate. Alone."
Colonel Clarke slammed his hand down onto his console. Fools. Fools, the lot of them. But if Maki saw fit to order him back, he'd have a good reason. Just as he was about to give the order, a single ring shattered and one cable fell.
A roar shattered the air, and the dust exploded out. A concussion like an earthquake rattled the ground. The dust blasted back and for a second revealed the massed formations all loading into the drop capsules. It wasn't just a few divisions but a massed army. Then the dust swelled back in and hid it all.
"Everyone, prepare to disengage, we're headed back," Colonel Clarke said.
A voice crackled on the comms. It wavered in and out before finally settling in. "Bravo is engaged! Vek! Vek infantry!"
"Disengage, Bravo," Colonel Clarke said, but he heard no reply.
The Emflife armor was now
pushing across the bridge, using the smoldering tank as cover. Colonel Clarke knew if he didn't get out now, those Emflife would run up his flank. Fox could only hold so long. Bravo would have to extract on its own.
***
Tomi was careful where he looked. He was also careful where he steered Bulldog. The ridge was deceptively smooth, but the hard rock edges disappeared into narrow ravines that were clogged with dust. Should he dump a track into one, it'd pop off before he knew it.
"Target!" Mick yelled.
The main cannon fired twice. One round skipped over the ground, while the other ricocheted up into the sky. Just beyond, surging up the ridge, was a line of Vek infantry in powered suits. They leaped from side to side and took cover the moment a round came near, and other infantry took their place. The armor looked to be a mesh of black, synthetic cloth.
A round connected with one of the Vek; it tumbled through the air and bounced down the rocks. More Vek rushed up after it.
Bulldog's autocannon fired sporadically. One burst flew, and then its target disappeared.
"Pull back. Pull back," Lieutenant Torori ordered. His voice was calm and level.
Mick leaned in and the main cannon swung rapidly from side to side. "If we get stuck, get ready to deploy."
"I ain't gonna get us stuck," Tomi said defiantly.
Bulldog raced backward. A cloud of dust surged in front of them, partially obscuring the field of fire. A Vek suit appeared for a moment and the autocannon slammed toward it, but it was gone before the rounds connected.
"Get ready to spin," Mick said.
Tomi glanced around, picked out a decent-looking flat spot, and then hammered it back. "Hold on!"
To the side, a hundred meters away, Baloney Pony came into view. Three Vek infantry clung to the top. One slapped down something onto the top. The rear hatch slammed open, and the infantry raced out, only to be cut down by more Vek. A split second later, the shaped charge detonated and flames sprayed out the back of the armor.
"Don't stop!" Mick yelled.
Tomi hit the manual track switch and felt the swing of the tank. He surged power to one track while braking the other. Bulldog rocked up slightly, but Tomi adjusted before it went too far. The only thing he focused on was the track hydraulic tension. It fluctuated up and down as he braked and steered. He held his breath as it peaked into the red, but the track didn't break.
Steel Storm (Steel Legion Book 2) Page 18