Star Crusades Nexus: Book 09 - The Black Rift

by Michael G. Thomas

  Teresa looked at the overhead view provided by the drones. Enemy positions had been tagged wherever found, and it was not looking good. A thin crescent of green was all that held back the Biomechs from the bridges. Everything else was colored red, all but one section, the part held by Gun's forces. Teresa shook her head at the stark reality of the battle.

  "Give me the numbers, Captain. What's coming our way?"

  "Twenty-four Eques walkers, plus upward of four hundred Decurions. These came out from the underground tunnel system. I suspect they hit rock, so that's the closest they could get."

  A triple burst flashed overhead, and she looked up. Two Biomech fighters and a pair of Alliance Hammerheads had just moved into position over the battle. One for each was quickly shot down, and the others were chased away by thousands of rounds fires by the Eques walkers. Teresa was sure that the second Biomech fighter was even struck by its own side, but that didn't stop the guns from firing.

  "Air cover isn't getting through, Captain. I need you to hold them back with the big guns."

  Another squadron of fighters screamed overhead. This time it consisted of X57 Drones. Six of them came in low and fast, unleashing a bombardment of precision guided missiles. They struck targets that had been identified and tagged by the troops on the ground. As they moved overhead, the craft strafed the ground with their attached Gatling guns. There were multiple explosions but only four of the drones made it; two downed by the avalanche of turret fire.

  "What about you, Colonel? I can buy you minutes, no more."

  More explosions rippled along the horizon, and the shape of the first two Eques walkers came through the smoke and dust. Missiles raced across the open ground to greet them, but every one was shot down. Only the artillery and gunfire made it through their defensive cordon.

  "That's enough time for me, Captain. I'm waiting for the CES teams, and then we're going in."

  "Very well. Good luck, Sir."

  She looked to her left and then to her right. There were scores of marines, all well equipped and waiting in whatever cover they'd been able to find. Each time one of them lifted up to fire, a dozen guns at once hit them. All the while the terrible bloodbath continued around Gun’s last position.

  We have to get through to them before it's too late.

  She began to move, her mind desperate to do something, but her body trying to hold her back. With her armored head above the broken ground, she could see at least five wrecked Eques walkers. Hundreds of enemy troops filled the ground around the wreckage, and dozens of flickers marked the firing of guns. Behind them was a great cloud of dust and smoke, but even that wasn't enough to hide the silhouettes of fighting men. Right in the middle was the great black shape of a Jötnar. The figure was atop of some wreckage and twisting about, presumably engaging targets with his weapons.

  Gun!

  Her mind jumped back to Prometheus, that fiery world that seemed to be the pivotal location for so much of the calamity in her life. The series of flashbacks reminded her of a period that felt a lifetime ago. The enemy had created the monster creature she now called her friend in their secret labs on that world. Gun, in particular, carried a ridiculously oversized gun, and that had been the determining factor in his choice of name. Gun had been freed, and contrary to expectations, had been the catalyst for their escape.

  I can't leave him, or any of the others out there. I have to help them.

  Teresa tensed her muscles and then heard the approach of heavy machines from behind. She looked back, immediately sensing danger. It wasn't the enemy, though. It was Alliance reinforcement.

  Finally.

  Teresa smiled and looked at the advancing machines. They had the appearance large metal beetles. Another platoon of marines was with them to provide additional protection. She counted at least thirty of the CES engineers plus a handful of Vanguards out on the flanks. They moved at a fast walking pace, and the odd stray round that struck them simply bounced off their armor. The first of the group made it to within thirty meters when its commander spoke.

  "Captain Ader, 25th Engineers. I hear you have something that needs dislodging?"

  Teresa picked up on the sarcasm from his voice, but she could tell it wasn't directed at her. The battlefield looked more like a barren world filled with scrap than something worth fighting over. Yet she needed them and their special set of skills.

  "Good to see you, Captain. You've arrived at just the right time."

  At the same moment, the defensive fire from the Thegns and Eques walkers sent yellow streaks out in every direction. It was the nearest thing to hell, but nothing stopped their advance. Their large cumbersome forms made slow progress on the rough ground, but not even shattered machines and broken masonry would hold them back.

  This could work, she thought hopefully.

  From here, Teresa could see these were the latest and heaviest CES units available. These machines were designed for creating defenses, or breaching them while under enemy fire. Now that Vanguards existed in numbers, the CES teams had seen their armor actually increased to create these new enhanced models. As well as the large digging blades that replaced their forearms, they were also fitted out with a myriad of improvements. Huge slabs of spaced armor pushed out from their torsos, and even their legs were covered in thick scales of plating. A pair of red flashing lights blinked as a warning to friend and foe that they were here.

  Finally I have the right tool for the job.

  It was a running joke in the Marine Corps that no matter what units or equipment a commander had, they never quite seemed to have the right one for the mission. They had air cover when they needed artillery, or squadrons of Bulldogs when they needed barricades and pillboxes. And when they had all the equipment they needed, the order would come through to disengage.

  "I need a breach, and I need one fast."

  Teresa pointed to the Biomech positions and tagged the area she wanted with her visor. There were many places they could try and break through, but she needed it to be done fast. The selected area consisted of a section thirty meters wide and heavily defended.

  "The two broken Eques walkers. Sir, you want us to assault at that point?"

  Teresa nodded.

  "Yes. Tear a hole so I can get our people out. Smash your way through, and keep smashing until they are all out. We have a Broken Arrow fire mission ready upon completion of the job."

  There was a short pause; the officer must have been considering the implications. A Broken Arrow call was something very rarely done. In fact, just the mention of the term must have been pretty shocking. By sending the call, Colonel Morato would be confirming that a position had been overrun and that organized resistance had failed. All available units from artillery to fighters would be redirected to that location. If any friendly forces remained in the area, they would be killed unless able to evacuate or hide. It was a desperate call, and it seemed to provide the right level of motivation.

  "Understood, Sir. You want us to stir up this hornets’ nest. We're just what you need. We can create an opening into hell if you need it. Just give us the word before you call in the strike. I don't want to get burned!"

  Teresa breathed a sigh of relief. Captain Ader was cocky, that much was certain, but she could live with that.

  "Fair enough, Captain. You'll have a sixty-second window. I'll make sure you get it."

  The Captain didn't waste time, and rather than stopping to check, he simply strode out past the marines and straight into the hail of defensive gunfire. The projectiles from the Thegns pattered off like rain, and even the larger caliber rounds from the Eques walkers proved unable to destroy them in one go. The thick bulldozer blades proved highly effective at beating off the armor piercing projectiles.

  Good, we might have a chance at this rate.

  Clearly, Captain Ader was as efficient as he was brave. No sooner had the first twelve moved into their attacking formation, and they were already halfway toward the enemy. They advanced in three groups,
with each small squad raising their armored digger blades to create a protective wall in front of them. It was a wall of metal and flesh that moved one careful step at a time. A triple volley of missiles arced downward and headed right for the Captain's walker. A pulse of flashes rippled about the group as interceptor rounds launched and exploded around them, instantly destroying or damaging the missiles.

  Keep going! Don't stop!

  The first four disappeared under the bombardment for a few seconds. Then the cloud cleared, and on they went, covered in dust and burning material from the exploded warheads. Teresa looked back and made sure the rest were still coming. More were advancing, and a small, final group was only halfway to her position.

  "Captain Ader, keep the last squad back to cover our retreat. They won't make it to you, anyway."

  "Affirmative."

  The machines kept going forward as he acknowledged the order. As well as the twelve walkers, the small group of Vanguards also walked alongside them, watching for signs of targets to shoot. As they moved ahead, they twisted at the hips, checking for potential signs of the enemy. These combat ready fighting machines were the next down in size and protection from the enhanced CES walkers.

  "Marines!" Teresa called out.

  Multiple heads twisted about to look to their commander. It was uncommon to find senior officers leading such attacks, but both Spartan and Teresa had something of a reputation in the Corps, even to the younger generation to whom this was probably their first engagement.

  "I am Colonel Teresa Morato. I've fought these machines for most of my life, and I have never lost a battle."

  She pointed her carbine off toward the enemy.

  "General Gun, the hero of Terra Nova and one of our greatest commanders is trapped inside there. The machines outnumber him ten to one, and still they cannot finish him off."

  To emphasize the point, an Eques walker staggered about and collapsed under a massive volume of gunfire off into the distance.

  "A direct assault on Gun will be a victory they cannot afford, right now. They have to reach the bridges and fast."

  Teresa turned around and pointed to the direction they'd come from. A column of CES units and marines continued coming toward them.

  "Their casualties will be too great in a direct assault. Instead, they are crushing the last of them with slow, attritional combat while their mobile forces secure this beachhead. Will we let Gun and his marines die slowly, like prey to some alien predator?"

  "Hell, no!" shouted the nearest marine, a balding man in his early forties.

  The response from the other marines was equally clear.

  "Good. Stay behind the machines. We will rip open a hole to get them out of there. Keep moving, and don't get pinned down. Are you ready?"

  A rousing chorus of "Yes, Sir!" ran along the thin line.

  "Then let's move out, Marines!"

  Teresa jumped up from cover, and two rounds immediately struck her. The first glanced off her visor and left a deep scar in the material. The second struck her carbine in the main feed, instantly rendering it useless. She cast it aside and pulled out her issue sidearm and continued on.

  "Keep moving!"

  Four marines stayed close to her, with two in front and scanning ahead with their carbines raised. Two more were on the right, both of them carrying the venerable L48 rifles. All of them fired almost constantly. Some of the rounds were at specific targets, but the majority fired to provide suppressing fire. Out in front moved the twelve engineers. They stomped ahead like great iron trolls. Every second something hit them, yet on they went until the first four reached the improvised barricades of stone, metal, and machine. As soon as they arrived, a wave of Thegns and Decurions fell upon them.

  "Covering fire!" Teresa hollered.

  The marines fired, even if they couldn't see an immediate target. It wasn't hard to find something to shoot at, though. Some Thegns even climbed on top of the machines to try and tear them apart. Teresa took aim with her pistol and squeezed. She expected at most a strike, but instead the head from a Thegn vanished and its lifeless corpse tumbled to the ground. Another roar almost blinded her as a Vanguard passed her and fired with its shoulder-mounted cannon. The weapon was the same unit as used on the mobile gun variants of the Bulldog.

  "Keep going forward!"

  The marines moved like ants around hornets as the wave continued on. In the middle of the formation was the squad with the unit standard. Teresa wondered why they bothered, especially as it had been hit at least twenty times now. It was riddled with bullet holes, and one of the corners now no more than a torn rag. One of the marines carrying it was struck in the face and dropped down into the dirt. As the standard fell with him, another marine picked it up just before the material hit the ground.

  Insanity.

  Two CES units lay burning, but the other ten were at the barricades, smashing and digging into the protective position. With each strike, a hole opened up, but that didn't stop them. Teresa was just ten meters from the first fallen Eques and now she could see inside. There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of bodies, but most were clearly Thegns. More of the marines reached the barricades and threw themselves against what cover it offered. The engineers still smashed at the metal and stone to open up a dozen lanes of entry.

  Just a few more meters.

  Teresa looked along the barricades and at the blood and dirt covered marines. They hugged the cover and put in a withering fire against the machines and Thegns on the other side. The fighting was now at a range of no more than fifteen meters. Rifles, carbines, and grenades moved back and forth.

  "Captain Tycho, is the Broken Arrow fire mission ready?"

  The officer replied almost immediately.

  "Yes, Sir. I have rockets and artillery sighted and ready. You don't have long, though. The Eques walkers have penetrated the left flank and are moving in to cut you off."

  Teresa felt her heart almost stop at the news. If their flank was broken, the machines could roll up their entire line and cut them off from the bridges. And if that happened, they would be in an even worse position than Gun.

  "I've sent a Khreenk unit, a Helion squad of auxiliaries, plus eight SAAR robots over the bridge. They are heading to this position where they will pin the Biomechs down for as long as possible. Their commander has promised me ten minutes, twelve at the most."

  "Understood. We won't need that long."

  Teresa looked to the ground and found what she was looking for, a dead marine and his carbine. She reached down and took the weapon, doing her utmost to avoid looking at the broken body. Try as she might, she simply couldn't resist. The young man looked peaceful and might have been sleeping, were it not for the three metal spikes embedded in his chest from a Decurion. The machine lay alongside him, its body torn apart by one of the CES engineers. The carnage only spurred her on further.

  "Follow me!"

  Teresa pulled herself over the barricade, right into path of two Thegns. She didn't stop and simply pulled the trigger on the L52. The high rate of fire sawed through the first, and without removing her finger she spun about. The remainder of the clip cut into the second Thegn's face, and then it hit the ground. Teresa stepped over the bodies and slipped in another magazine. It was automatic; something she'd practiced so many times she didn't need to even look for the magazine or where to fit it. As soon as she raised the weapon, another group of Thegns advanced. She tapped the bayonet release, and the tactical bayonet spun about and extended out half a meter in front.

  Just a few more meters!

  CHAPTER NINE

  SAAR robots were used in the early stages of the Biomech War and proved invaluable in the fighting on Spascia. This bitter and bloody engagement saw the combined might of the Alliance and Helions against a massive Biomech invasion fleet. The SAAR robots suffered ninety percent losses but fought in every possible situation. While designed for sentry duty and scouting, the SAAR robots soon found themselves working in groups to fight as rearguard f
ormations. The combat success of these simple devices proved once and for all that the time of the robots had come.

  Equipment of the Alliance Marine Corps

  Grand Palace, Terra Nova

  Director Johnson ducked back behind the column and looked at the two young operatives alongside him. From this position, they had a clear view of the wide plaza and the newly installed statue to the glory of Terra Nova. The executed bodies still lay on the ground, untouched for more than a day.

  All three of them wore smart suits and long gray coats, much like trench coats. It was the standard clothing of the Intelligence Division and instantly marked them out as officials. One of the operatives moved his foot and then stopped at the sound of new arrivals.

  "Do not move," said Director Johnson.

  He looked in the direction they'd just come from. Two of his comrades lay slumped against the wall where they had bought them time to escape. Two soldiers lay dead just meters from them, but another was searching through their clothing.

  "They'll want to identify them. They don't have a chance."

  "Sir, shouldn't we ditch the clothing?" asked Agent Erryne Colee.

  He was one of his most successful operatives and the man singlehandedly responsible for bringing down the Crux Cartel the year before. Director Johnson looked at him and then nodded.

  "Ditch the coats. The suits look like every other person in this damned place."

  They cast off the heavy coats and pushed them low on the ground. At the same time, a squad of heavily armed Terra Nova Guards moved past at a brisk pace. This was no parade drill, however. This was something very different. He was sure he could almost smell the nerves. Johnson looked to the other two.

  "You've seen the protestors on the ANN channel. President Harrison's coup is failing, and we need to provide the push. The Marine Corps barracks has already barricaded itself in. They only have a few platoons of cadets, but that will be enough to get things moving here."

  "The Colonial Guard are loyal, though, Sir, over eight thousand of them, and each loyal not to the Alliance but to the office of the President. We have to get out of here and try to..."