Incursion: Merkiaari Wars Book 5

by Mark E. Cooper

  Falling into a hidden ravine would be a cherry on the top of this cluster-fuck, no question about it.

  Eric half-expected something of the sort to happen no matter how careful he was. His choices were limited. The comms station was a fixed point. He needed to get there ASAP avoiding slopes approaching 40 degrees of inclination. Anti-grav truly sucked in hilly terrain. So that meant he had to stay to lower areas, and where was it snow liked to build up? That’s right. In low areas between the hills he couldn’t climb.

  “I bloody hate snow,” he muttered, as he climbed into the driver’s seat of the lead APC. “I bloody hate Pandora, and I really hate the Merki shooting it up!”

  Gina climbed into the cab next to him. “Yeah. Who doesn’t? Want me to drive?”

  “No. And why are you here?”

  “I thought you chose my APC because you liked me. Should I be hurt?”

  Eric snorted. He hadn’t consciously chosen this one over another. He’d picked the closest. He checked his sensors, and found Gina’s 1st and 2nd squads settling themselves in the back.

  “Who has the sentry guns?” Eric said over viper comm.

  “We spread them out,” Gina said as various units reported in. “Like you said before. This isn’t our first rodeo.”

  Eric ignored her and acknowledged the reports. He watched his sensors as the last few viper units mounted up, and turned his attention to the navigation console. He had no plans to use the GPS autopilot. Who knew when the Merki would take out the geo-sats? It would be just like them to knock them out and cause his APC to take a dump in a ravine. He hated crashing. He activated the navigation console and entered the comms station as his destination. Lots of lovely useless scenic routes decorated the display.

  “Who are they kidding?” Gina muttered.

  “It’s for the tourists. See those,” he said pointing to the red routes marked. “Those are avalanche country, and the favourite routes of idiot tourists here for skiing.”

  “Ever done any?”

  “Skiing? Sure. I’ve tried pretty every sport invented. The more extreme the better. War beats them all.”

  Gina gave him a solemn look.

  Eric shrugged. “It’s just the truth.”

  “It’s sad you think all the dying is a game.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “What did you mean then?”

  “All sports have things in common no matter how dangerous. They’re all a challenge. There’s nothing more challenging than war.”

  “And the dying part, what’s that?”

  Eric shrugged again. He was well aware she was trying to analyse him, but he answered anyway. “Death is the penalty for losing.”

  Gina stared at him.

  Eric went back to choosing a route. He avoided red routes obviously, and higher elevations. He bet Tei’Laran had sought both of those out. They were the most direct and therefore the quickest.

  Sensors reported everyone had mounted up and were ready to roll. He locked in his route, and all the unused ones disappeared from the screen. He’d had to cut and paste a few together to avoid unsafe terrain. The new one appeared in green as a wavy line on the map. It was overly conservative and wasteful. It was longer than he liked, but it was the only route he was certain wouldn’t lead to them getting stuck. He couldn’t afford that. He had Riley’s schedule to keep.

  Eric transmitted the route to the other drivers, and took the lead position. If someone had to test the ground he’d chosen, he preferred it be him. Gina didn’t say anything, but he knew what she was thinking. He should have delegated the lead to someone else. She didn’t call him on it, and he pretended not to notice her not calling him on it. Besides, it wasn’t as if they had mines or other nasty things to consider this trip. The Merkiaari weren’t down yet. Riley would have warned him. If something were to happen to him, all of his men were veterans of the Shan campaign. He trusted them to carry on. Gina had commanded the company before him. She could do it again, or one of his other officers could.

  “I wish we had some music,” Gina said.

  “Use your archive if you want. I’ll give you a nudge when we’re closer. How about our boat trip?”

  Gina grinned. “Tempting, but no matter how good you looked in those swimming trunks, I better not.”

  That surprised a laugh out of him. “I’m sure I wouldn’t win any beauty contests.”

  “Why sure?”

  Eric glanced over to see if she was joking. She wasn’t smiling. “Just... never mind.”

  Now she did laugh. “We should do that again when we get home.”

  When, not if, he noted. He smiled at her confidence and nodded. “It’s a date.”

  “It’s a date,” she repeated. She put her feet up on the dashboard. “Nice country around here.”

  Ah, there was his emotion-inhibited Gina. Whenever things switched from business to personal between them, her Marine gung-ho safety interlocks kicked in. She was never comfortable with intimacy, not like her friend. Richmond was a psycho, but she was an uninhibited one. She didn’t act like a Bethanite. In fact, she actively strove to break the conditioning her upbringing had imposed upon her. She was a rebel. Of the two, Gina would pass more easily on Bethany these days, unless Richmond wore a gag.

  Eric snorted at the image that conjured.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just thinking about you and Richmond on Bethany together.”

  “Yeah? How come?”

  “Nothing important.”

  They reached the comms station on schedule without mishap. The storm Riley had warned him about hadn’t materialised, but Eric was sure it would before long. The sky looked threatening, but the day was crisp and still. He ordered the APCs parked widely spread out in case of air attack. He didn’t anticipate one so soon, but being prepared never hurt.

  Eric climbed out of the APC and looked around. The Marines were still dug into the positions they’d chosen to defend for the games, but were paired with Shan now. It meant each position had working weapons, but all were hand beamers. Shan did have some heavier weaponry for long range, but they were few.

  He checked his sensors and watched his vipers take up positions. 160 blue icons, none of them armed with more than Brice’s spit balls. He grimaced at the absurdity of even pretending to defend the station. Merkiaari didn’t react to bluffing as a Human foe might. He doubted they understood the concept at all.

  Eric left Gina and the others to themselves for a short time while he went in search of Stein. He found him in the command centre with his officers and Tei’Laran. They were watching the news and the take from surveillance drones that Stein had deployed over the station. Those would have caused him some trouble if he’d still been intent on attacking the station. Now they were an asset.

  “We have a glimmer of good news,” Eric announced using viper comms to keep his words private. “There are surveillance drones deployed overhead. Sergeants and higher, tap their comms net and monitor the take.”

  His vipers acknowledged the order, as Eric went to join the huddle watching the monitors.

  “Welcome to my end-of-the-world party, Captain,” Stein said. “Tei’Laran was kind enough to sneak into my perimeter—without alerting anyone I might add—to give me a heart attack. I mean a briefing.”

  Stein’s officers laughed. They wouldn’t have if the referees had cared about the games anymore. They didn’t. Both army captains were watching the news just like everyone else.

  “It would’ve been a shame to waste such an opportunity,” Tei’Laran said. “I mourn the loss of our play fighting, but I look forward to killing many Merkiaari with you.”

  “What do we know?” Eric said. “Any word from higher?”

  “Oh yes, there’s word,” Stein said. “I’ve been ordered to hold.”

  “Hold?”

  Stein nodded. “You heard me. I’m to hold the station as per my previous orders until a strategy can be worked out. General Ecclestone was unavailable for
comment, but I’m assured he’ll get back to me.”

  Eric stared at him.

  “I can see you’re reaching for an appropriate term. Let me help you with that. Incompetent fuckwit is popular among the men. I’m wavering between that and out-of-his-depth-desk-jockey, but that might be too generous of me. What do you think?”

  Eric cursed up a storm.

  Stein nodded appreciatively. “I haven’t heard some of those in a while.”

  “What are you expected to hold this dump with?”

  “They didn’t say, but we’re Marines. We adapt, we overcome etcetera. I’ve got to admit, I’m fresh out of both those at the moment. What about you?”

  “I have a supply drop due here soon,” Eric said.

  Stein applauded. “Congratulations. You should have been a Marine. Your adapting skills are exemplary.”

  “Can you tone down the sarcasm a little? I’m not in the mood. And don’t congratulate me. Captain Riley is holding in geosynch and risking her ship to make the drop.”

  “Fine. At least we’ll have something to shoot. I can forgive your lack of manners for such a gift.”

  Eric grimaced. “Viper ammo isn’t compatible. We can scavenge yours, but not the reverse. Sorry.”

  It was Stein’s turn to curse. “What idiot thought it was a good idea to equip you with non-standard rifles?! Don’t I have enough to deal with?”

  “The idiot you’re referring to is General Burgton. I’ll be sure to tell him that you disapprove.”

  “Disapproval is mild to what I’m feeling. Why did he implement such a stupid policy?”

  “We were out-numbered and out-gunned. We needed an edge. Burgton built one, and supplied the ammo for it. He overcame the difficulty. He does that. As you said, he should’ve been a Marine.”

  “Har-de-har,” Stein said sourly.

  “There have never been enough of us, Major. We make up the difference with bigger badder booms.”

  Everyone turned their attentions back to the news. Eric listened but quickly realised it was all speculation. No one really knew what was happening with the fleet. There were reports of rioting and panic in the streets. People fleeing the cities for remote regions. The Merkiaari would attack the most highly populated areas first. Those fleeing might survive for a time.

  “We have incoming,” Gina said over viper comm. “It’s the drop, sir. ETA two minutes.”

  “As soon as they land, take control and move them under cover. We’ll unload them once we have them secure.”

  “Copy that,” Gina replied. “I’ll take one. Brice just volunteered to take the other.”

  “What? Damn, Gina...” Brice said.

  “Perks of rank, Martin. We get the fun jobs.”

  Eric ignored the banter. At least they weren’t crying about resupply anymore.

  Stein accompanied him outside to watch the landing. The assault shuttles were on his sensors, about three miles out and coming in hot. He pointed them out to Stein, who produced a pair of field glasses. Eric hoped Riley had prioritised rifle ammo and power cells. He could use railgun rounds and grenades too, but rifle ammo was a must. He couldn’t do much without it.

  The shuttles were within visual range and stooping upon their LZ at max. Eric frowned when he realised they weren’t slowing.

  “Take cover!” Eric roared and shoved Stein to the ground. He hit the dirt next to the Marine as both shuttles dove straight into the deck and exploded.

  Stein blinked at him. Speechless.

  Eric stood and stared at the twin impact craters. They were lucky. The crash was outside the perimeter. There were no casualties. No casualties except his entire plan going up in smoke. Fearing he knew why the shuttles had crashed, Eric tried to raise Hammer. He was met with dead air.

  Hammer was gone.

  * * *

  37 ~ Refugees

  Debris Field, Decaying Orbit, Pandora System

  Tei’Shima watched as Shortcut tried to find somewhere they could go. They’d found respite from the madness, but although they’d removed their helmets for comfort, they kept them close. There was no sign of Merkiaari ships, but that didn’t mean anything. They could fire from long range. She doubted they’d see the missile that killed them. If the Merki even bothered to use one.

  The pod’s sensors were basic. The designers had seen no need to provide anything more sensitive or powerful. Pods weren’t meant to leave the vicinity of the stations they called home, and didn’t need them.

  “Do we have fuel?” Tei’Shima said.

  Mark looked up, and came back a little from his daze. “It was full when we left the... err... the err... my God. All those people. The station. They’re... oh my God.”

  “Did you have family back there?”

  “No I... no. No one. I’m not married, but my friends. Oh my God.” He rocked back and forth, whispering his mantra to himself. “Oh my God.”

  Devoid of the Harmonies Humans needed a guiding spirit they thought of as their creator to help them in stressful situations. Tei’Shima remembered having a discussion with Kate about it once. She didn’t interrupt. Kazim recorded the ritual; it would play well at home. It was so alien to their people.

  “You’ll find it,” Zelda whispered. “Keep looking.”

  “I hope so,” Shortcut muttered.

  Tei’Shima turned her attention back to Shortcut and the search. “Any sign of the Merkiaari?”

  “Not yet,” Zelda said looking up from the scanner. “With luck they’ll think we’re space junk.”

  Tei’Shima flicked her ears. “If we’re still here when they arrive they might think that, but if we move—”

  “We really will be. Yeah I get that. So we need to do all the moving before they get here.”

  “Yes. That would be good.”

  Zelda smacked Shortcut’s shoulder with the back of her gloved hand. “You heard the lady. Hurry the fuck up!”

  Shortcut laughed. “Sure thing, Boss.”

  Humans were very strange creatures, Tei’Shima reflected. There were some like Mark who went to pieces when danger threatened, and those like Zelda and Shortcut who quite literally laughed in the face of death. Still others like James who went from being a teacher to a stone-cold killer at need. And then there were the heroes like Gina, who gave up everything to become what her people needed her to be. A viper.

  “What’s that?” Zelda said.

  Tei’Shima heard the excitement barely suppressed in her voice. She looked over Shortcut’s shoulder at the scanner. There, amid so much clutter, she saw the icon appear from behind Pandora.

  Shortcut touched it, and the readout expanded. “It says SDF Hammer.”

  “It’s a ship!” Zelda said. “We’re saved—”

  “Whoa!” Shortcut tapped another series of controls. “We’re screwed.”

  “What? Why?”

  “It’s gone.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me!” Zelda cried.

  “It was in orbit? Did it land?” Tei’Shima said.

  Shortcut tapped another icon. “It was too big for that. This piece of junk doesn’t have what I need, but it was probably a merchy.”

  “Destroyed?”

  Shortcut did something and the ship reappeared. It rose over the rim of the planet in slow time. Tei’Shima saw the answer at the same moment Shortcut hit the pause control. All three of them leaned in as if tied together.

  “Well… crap,” Zelda said in disgust, and leaned away again. “That’s a bunch of nukes.”

  “Could be laser heads,” Shortcut said.

  “What the hell difference does that make? They’re missiles!”

  “None to the ship, but the planet is right behind it.”

  That was not a good thought. Tei’Shima had witnessed the use of atomics in atmosphere. She’d been flash-blinded by a small one on Child of Harmony. These wouldn’t be small. The Merkiaari did everything big.

  “Is there any evidence they hit the planet?” Tei’Shima said.

>   “No, but would we even know from up here? The sensors on this thing are junk.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We can’t do anything about it even if they did. May the Harmonies watch over our friends until we rejoin them.”

  That could be taken two ways, and by the look Zelda gave her, she knew it. Shortcut backed the recording and replayed it twice more, but nothing changed. The ship was gone.

  “Was it destroyed?” Tei’Shima said. It must have been.

  “I don’t think so. There’s no debris or anything. It’s just gone. I think it jumped into foldspace.”

  “Human ships can do that?”

  “Officially? No.” Zelda punched the wall in frustration and then shook her hand. “Jumping into foldspace from a standing start is theoretically okay, but we never do it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because ships are only at station-keeping when they’re docked or in geosynch over a planet. Jumping while close to mass like that can cause a misjump and blow the drive’s capacitors to atoms.”

  “Then it’s used in emergencies only?” Tei’Shima said.

  “Not even then. It’s never done.”

  “But it was.”

  “Yeah. The captain of that ship is either one lucky son, or he’s already in hell.”

  “Or drifting between stars without his drive,” Shortcut said.

  “No difference then.”

  Hell was another make-believe Human concept. They did so love their fictional stories. A ship in n-space without its foldspace drive could take decades to arrive at the nearest star with habitable planets.

  “Keep searching,” Tei’Shima said.

  “Already doing it,” Shortcut muttered.