“Of course I am,” replied Katie, trying to sound offended.
“Besides,” she added with a mischievous grin.
“I helped myself to some of the intrusion software from the Dominance's electronic warfare system before we left.
“Do I even want to know?” Harbid asked dryly.
“No, you don't.”
“Fine, just make sure whatever you're going to do works. Because if it doesn't, we'll probably have the whole station after us.”
“Ah ye have little faith Lieutenant.”
Chapter 32
Andrew sighted down his rifle and took aim at the charging shengyet. Overhead, hatches near the top of the pod opened to reveal four launchers, one for each side. They fired and plasma mortars detonated among the shengyet lines. Missiles launched at the pod in response, dozens of them from every direction. Pulse lasers flickered, shredding them to pieces in an instant.
“Aim for the heads,” said McBride over the com.
“And watch out for kung beasts, those things are vicious.”
The shengyet were now five hundred meters from their position.
“Fire at will!” Shouted McBride.
Andrew sighted down the scope of his rifle. Images flashed through his mind with startling speed. A charging shengyet came into his field of view, he squeezed the trigger. A vapor trail connected his rifle with the shengyet’s head and it dropped like a stone.
He sighted on another target and fired, another shengyet dropped. Andrew found a third target, then another and another. Over the course of three seconds he had dropped five shengyet, all with perfect headshots. All around him, the other members of his Cohort fired with equal speed and efficiency.
A hailstorm of Gauss rifle slugs rained down on the shengyet. Their front lines were being shredded and plasma mortars punched large holes into their remaining ranks. The shengyet charge faltered and they turned, running back towards the forest. Andrew kept firing, two fleeing shengyet went down. Beside him, Collins’ face plate dissolved.
“That all you got?!” She shouted after them.
“I thought shengyet were supposed to be tough!”
“Collins,” said Andrew.
“Get back here!” She shouted, ignoring him.
“Collins.”
“Pussies!”
“Collins!” Andrew shouted.
“What?”
“Calm down.”
Collins ejected her rifle’s power pack and slapped in a fresh one.
“I’m calm,” she said.
“You scare me, you know that?” Andrew told her.
“Anyone down or injured?” McBride asked over the com.
A chorus of negatives answered him.
“All right, everyone regroup in the pod,” he ordered.
“Chen, Wilkins and Green, you three are on sentry duty. You see anything, report it immediately.”
The Cohort made its way back into the pod. Lieutenant Bahl stood waiting for them next to the smashed command console. They gathered around her in a rough semi-circle.
“Good job people,” she said.
“But we’re not done yet, those shengyet are still out there and it’s our mission to remove them from this planet.”
Sergeant McBride spoke up.
“Lieutenant, I wouldn’t advise going after them. Here we’ve got the advantage of cover and the pod’s defenses. Out there, we’re totally exposed and if they manage to ambush us.”
“I know Sergeant,” Bahl interrupted.
She turned her head, scanning the faces of the soldiers gathered around her.
“I’m not suggesting we just blindly run after them, but we’re the only ones who made it down. We haven’t heard anything from the other pods or any ship in orbit, which probably means they’re gone. We were able to hold off the shengyet’s ground assault, but what if they have ships in orbit? We’re a sitting duck for an orbital strike.”
“So what do we do?” Asked McBride.
Bahl turned to Andrew and Collins.
“You two up for another run in the scout?” She asked.
They nodded.
“Good, see if you can find some higher ground and get a good scan of the area. Just keep in mind you’re doing recon, stay away from the shengyet. I don’t want you engaging the enemy unless you absolutely have to, I’m looking at you Collins.”
Private Collins nodded.
“Right then, move out.”
Andrew and Collins clambered back onto the scout vehicle. Collins steered it down the ramp and out past the wall. Andrew boosted the scanner range to maximum.
“I don’t detect any life forms in the immediate vicinity,” he announced.
“The shengyet must have fallen back further into the forest.”
“The sensors picking up any terrain with higher elevation?” Asked Collins.
“No, just forest.”
Collins brought the scout to a halt and turned to face him.
“So where to?”
“Guess we’ll just have to pick a direction,” Andrew replied.
“Over there, to the left. Sensors show that section of forest is less dense, should at least make getting through easier.”
“Left it is,” said Collins, swinging the scout around.
Despite being less dense, the section of forest they were going through still slowed their progress considerably. The scout vehicle slowly wound its way around trees and dense bushes. Patches of sunlight shone through the red foliage. Andrew kept an eye on the sensor data being fed to his HUD. The dense vegetation wasn’t just slowing them down, it was also severely limiting their sensor range.
“Sensors are only penetrating about a kilometer in each direction,” he reported.
“Well that should make things more interesting,” said Collins.
A rustling just ahead, made both of them jump. Andrew pulled his rifle out of the scout’s weapon rack and pointed it at a dense cluster of bushes right in front of them. A small, six legged creature scurried out from its cover and headed off to another patch of vegetation. Andrew exhaled and lowered his rifle.
“How come you didn’t see that thing on the sensors?” Asked Collins.
“This forest is full of smaller life forms, I set the scanners to filter out anything that size,” Andrew explained.
They kept moving through the forest. Everyone once in a while, another animal disturbed by their passage, would hurry away from them. They had been at it for over half an hour, when Andrew finally spotted something.
“Over there at two o’clock. There’s a rise in the terrain of about two hundred meters.”
Collins turned the scout and headed in the direction Andrew had indicated. Soon, the trees were becoming more spread out and the ground began to slope upwards. After a few more minutes, the trees had disappeared entirely. Up ahead, small shrubs covered a steep hill that culminated in a large, rocky plateau. Collins moved the scout up to its summit and stopped. Andrew adjusted the sensors and let them run.
Slowly, a topographical map of the surrounding area began forming on his HUD.
“We’ve got about a hundred kilometer range,” he said.
“No sign of any shengyet, strange that they pulled back so far.”
“Or they’re hiding, maybe underground,” suggested Collins.
Andrew was about to answer her, when a blip on the scanners distracted him. It was above them, dropping fast. He looked up and spotted a bright yellow and orange streak moving across the sky.
“Over there,” he said pointing at it.
“What is it?” Asked Collins.
“A craft of some kind,” said Andrew, looking at the sensor data.
“Judging from its speed and the angle it’s coming in on, I’d say it came from orbit.”
“Could be a shengyet ship.”
“I doubt it, it’s broadcasting an Imperial transponder code. Hang on, according to this code, it’s an escape pod from one of our escort ships.”
“So I guess the Lieutena
nt was right about the other ships being gone,” said Collins.
“But why’s it coming down now?”
Andrew shook his head.
“I have no idea, but telemetry puts its landing co-ordinates about half a click from here.”
He activated his com and hailed Sergeant McBride.
“McBride here.”
“Sir, we’ve managed to find some higher ground and we’ve got a good scan of the immediate area, I’m sending you the data now.”
“Acknowledged, receiving data.”
“Sir, we’ve also spotted an Imperial escape pod. Sensors say it should land about half a kilometer from our current position. With your permission, I’d like to go investigate.”
McBride was silent for a moment.
“All right, permission granted Corporal, but proceed with caution.”
“Yes sir, Williams out.”
Collins turned to look at him.
“What if the shengyet also spotted it?”
“All the more reason to get there first,” Andrew replied.
The scout wound its way through the trees towards the spot where the escape pod had landed. Andrew kept a close eye on the sensors, if there were shengyet in the area, he wanted as much advance notice as possible. Up ahead he could see a thin column of smoke rising from the pod’s landing site. Another thing the shengyet might spot and come to investigate.
“Can’t you go any faster?” He asked.
“Not unless you want me crashing into a tree,” said Collins.
“Besides, we’re almost there.”
Five minutes later, the scout vehicle pushed its way through a final cluster of bushes. The pod had created a small clearing of blackened and smashed trees. It was rectangular, with a rounded dome on the bottom. It lay on its side, the hull blackened and dented. One of the thrusters mounted on the side of the pod was damaged.
Collins brought the scout to a halt and they both jumped off.
“I think the hatch is on the far side,” said Collins.
Andrew followed her, picking his way through the twisted and burnt trees. The hatch was just as blackened and battered looking as the rest of the pod. Collins tried the release mechanism, but nothing happened.
“Looks like we’re doing this the hard way,” she said.
A blade slid out from above her right hand and she jabbed it into the groove running the circumference of the hatch. It slid in a few centimeters and she pushed her arm towards the pod’s hull. With a creaking of stressed metal, the hatch popped open. Collins retracted her blade and reached inside. She pulled out a woman wearing an Imperial Intelligence uniform. She was unconscious, her head slumping back as Collins carried her back to the scout.
Andrew couldn’t see the woman’s face, it was covered by a breathing mask.
“She’s a Lieutenant,” he remarked.
“What’s she doing here?” Asked Collins.
“There weren’t any intelligence officers attached to the task force.”
“No idea,” Andrew replied.
“There a med-kit in the scout?”
Collins nodded.
“It’s in the back.”
Andrew went around to the back of the vehicle and removed a small box mounted to the rear frame. Collins had laid the Lieutenant down on a relatively flat patch of ground. He opened the med-kit and removed the nanite injector. He placed it against the unconscious woman’s neck and released a dose. Andrew synced his armor with the telemetry of the nanites and diagnostic reports filled his HUD.
“She’s got a concussion,” he said.
“But apart from that she’s fine.”
He injected her with another dose of nanites, these were programmed to release a mild stimulant, the woman’s eyes fluttered open.
“Are you all right ma’am,” Andrew asked her.
She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position.
“Yes, I think so,” she said, looking up at them.
“I’m Corporal Williams and this is Private Collins.”
“Lieutenant Clark,” said the woman.
“Are you two the only other survivors?”
Andrew shook his head.
“No, the rest of our Cohort is back at our drop pod. We were sent ahead to scout the area, then we spotted your escape pod.”
Lieutenant Clark got to her feet and surveyed their surroundings.
“How far is it to your pod?” She asked.
“Not too far,” Andrew replied.
“But the terrain is quite difficult, it took us about half an hour to get here.”
“Speaking of which,” Collins interrupted.
“We really should be going, before the shengyet get here.”
Lieutenant Clark eyed the scout.
“Will that thing fit three people?”
“If we remove the weapon rack behind the two seats, we should be able to fit a third person,” said Andrew.
“Remove the weapon rack, how?” Clark began.
At that moment the scout’s sensors, still linked to Andrew’s HUD, flashed a warning.
“We’ve got incoming!” He snapped.
Collins pulled both rifles off the rack and threw one to Andrew.
“You armed?” she asked the Lieutenant.
Clark shook her head.
“They’re coming in at ten o’clock,” said Andrew.
“Five of them, wait a minute, something’s not right here.”
“What do you mean?” Collins demanded.
Andrew scrutinized the sensor data.
“I think they’re on kung beasts,” he said.
Collins swore, she glanced over at the Lieutenant.
“You know how to use this?” She asked, holding out her rifle.
Clark took it from her and flicked off the safety.
“It’s been a while, but I’ll manage,” she said, sighting through the scope.
“What are you doing?” Andrew asked.
“You two stay here and cover me, don’t argue just do it!”
Andrew nodded and took up position behind the scout. Collins activated both her armor’s blades and moved off into the forest.
They waited, Andrew watching the sensor contacts drawing steadily closer. Then he spotted them, cautiously making their way through the trees. There were five of them and they were indeed riding on kung beasts. None of them had rifles, instead they carried staffs with long curved blades at the end. Claw shaped swords dangled from their belts and they each wore a full set of scale armor.
“Get ready,” Andrew whispered to Clark.
“Wait for Collins to make her move.”
Lieutenant Clark was staring at the massive beasts and their riders lumbering towards them.
“Aim for the riders,” Andrew told her.
She didn’t say anything, but nodded stiffly.
“In position,” Collins said over the com.
“Ready, now!”
A metallic grey blur sprang out from a dense clump of bushes and leapt into the air, colliding with one of the riders. Collins and the shengyet tumbled to the ground. Before her opponent could do anything but act surprised, she plunged one of her blades into his neck. Andrew and Clark opened fire, slugs pelted off the shengyet’s thick armor. Andrew took out two of them. One with a shot to the left eye slit in its helmet, the other took a slug in the armor’s neck joint.
Clark fired at the lead rider, pumping several rounds into its chest. They didn’t penetrate, but the shengyet was knocked off his mount by the force of the impact. Three of the rider less kung beasts moved in towards Collins, trying to surround her. The other one and the sole remaining rider, charged at the scout.
“Move!” Andrew shouted at Clark.
She rolled to the side just in time. The rider less kung beast sprang at the scout vehicle and sent it rolling end over end, until it smashed into the escape pod. The remaining rider came after Andrew. He brought up his staff and swung it down in a slashing motion. Andrew didn’t move, he reached ou
t and grabbed hold of the staff’s blade. The metal curled up and bent as his armored fist closed around it. Andrew stepped to the side and pulled on the staff, yanking the rider from his mount.
The shengyet rolled and sprang to its feet, pulling out its sword. Lieutenant Clark aimed and fired. Slugs impacted the shengyet’s armor, knocking it back down. The two kung beasts turned, hissing loudly, they advanced on Andrew.
“These two are mine,” he shouted.
“Make sure those riders stay down and help Collins.”
Clark fired two more rounds at the downed shengyet, then turned to fire at the tree kung beasts still circling Collins.
Andrew fired at one of the beasts advancing on him. He aimed for its head, if he could hit it in the eye, he might be able to take it out. The rounds bounced off its head, one striking it in the snout. It let out a shriek of pain and turned away. Andrew switched to the other one. He tried to steady his aim as the beast advanced, snarling and hissing. Taking a deep breath, he held it and squeezed the trigger. A spray of purple blood erupted from the beast’s right eye socket. It took another staggering step forward, before collapsing in a heap.
Andrew heard a crunching noise and looked up just in time to see the first kung beast leap at him. He brought up his rifle, but it was too late. The beast plowed into him, sending him crashing to the ground. It landed on top of Andrew and began furiously swiping at him with its front paws. The beast’s razor sharp claws skated off the Invictus Legion armor. Andrew tried to roll away to the side, but the beast closed its mouth around his left shoulder, holding him in place. He brought back his right arm and slammed his fist repeatedly into the side of the beast’s head. It howled in pain and took a step back.
Andrew rolled and scrambled to his feet. Blood was dripping from the kung beast’s mouth and he could see several broken teeth. Not waiting for it to recover, he ran straight at it. The beast swiped at him, but Andrew sidestepped the blow. He wrapped his left arm around the back of its neck and activated the blade on his right. It writhed and snarled, trying to get loose. Andrew held on and stabbed his blade into its open mouth. Purple blood soaked his arm, he wrenched his blade free and the beast keeled over onto its side.
He turned around, Collins was still fighting the three remaining kung beasts. She ducked and weaved around them, as they swiped and snapped their jaws. Lieutenant Clark was still peppering them with rounds, but it wasn’t doing much. A roaring sound made Andrew look up. Through the treetops, he could see a small shape in the sky coming towards them. The shape quickly resolved itself into a shengyet fighter.
Imperium: Contact Page 25