He tapped the side of his thigh armour. A small section opened up, revealing a weapon mount carrying eight micro-thermite charges. For the first time since reaching Montu, a smile crept along his face.
I know just the thing.
* * *
Khagi Mountains, Karnak
Arana stepped over the jagged rocks, carefully lifting her boots to avoid them taking damage from the sharp edges. She had no idea what kind of rock it was, but at least two Byotai were now nursing nasty-looking cuts from the razor sharp edges. They had left the caverns quite some time ago, and the route along the side of the mountain was treacherous. It was now possible to see they were out of the dark tunnels, but with that freedom came the increased chance of being spotted from the air. Arana checked her mapping data and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing how close they were to their objective.
Spartan had better be right, or we’ve made this trip for nothing.
Her mercenaries were scattered amongst the group, helping them to keep moving, while always on the lookout for signs of the enemy. She looked over her shoulder and quickly identified the difference between the professionals and the civilians. It was easy, especially with her people wearing plated armour. A handful of the Byotai wore armour, but the majority had only whatever they could scrape together before leaving. She contemplated contacting Spartan, but until there was something significant, her orders were clear. Radio silence was critical, and breaking it could spell disaster for the mission.
Keep moving forward. Do not stop for anything.
A tone started in her helmet and was followed afterwards by a short, heavily encoded data packet sent from one of the communication buoys left in orbit by ANS X-45 Titan. The onboard computer took almost ten seconds to authenticate and decode it. Finally, it popped up with identification information from Spartan, as well as a series of waypoints and an overview of the Khagi region.
Spartan, and he’s reached Montu.
What sent a jolt of adrenalin through her body was the mention of Syala. Just knowing she was alive and safe gave her additional strength. She looked down at the rest of the data and then filed it away inside the suit’s encrypted storage unit. Arana opened her mouth to speak, and that was when the warning sensors sounded.
“Aircraft!”
A screaming sound overhead forced her to drop to her knees. She’d heard it before, and it filled her with dread. Then she saw the shape, and it made her want to dig down so that she couldn’t be seen. It was small, and a pair of gun pods hung down low beneath its fuselage. The two engines left a region of distorted air behind them, a consequence of the vast level of heat pumping from them. She could just about see the shapes of several soldiers inside, holding on to their harnesses while they looked out, presumably for Arana and the others.
How did they find us so fast?
“Everybody, get down!”
Every single person in the column dropped down just as an aircraft rushed past overhead. It banked hard to the left and then spun about, as though it had found its prey. Now moving more slowly, it twisted back and forth until a number of lights flashed down one side.
“Incoming!” yelled one of her mercenaries.
The rifle fire was inaccurate and struck around them to no affect. Then came the gyroscopically stabilised gun mounts on the small wing pods. The first shots missed them, but the follow-up bursts ripped into their position. Two Byotai were killed outright as they huddled impotently behind rocks.
“Open fire.”
A few of the Byotai tried to return fire, but their weapons were poorly suited to the task. Arana lifted her Khreenk weapon to her shoulder and activated the charge circuit. It began to build up power instantly. She waited, ignoring the incoming fire until the Hornet aircraft turned again. At that one moment it was vulnerable.
Now!
The energy blast from the weapon was massive, and it took all her strength to stay upright. The blast was relatively low velocity and just as it was about to strike, the aircraft dropped down twenty metres. It then twisted about and opened fire once more as a pair of missiles appeared from the right. The smoke trails were from a point beside the mountain and the direction they were heading for. Both moved incredibly fast, and she’d already recognised the tracking pattern.
Alliance issue light anti-aircraft missiles. Nice timing, very nice.
The pilot of the Hornet must have sighted the shapes because the aircraft turned about to face them and activated its main engines. The craft started its acceleration procedure, but it was too little, too late.
You’re toast, my friend.
Arana stayed completely still even though she was no longer being fired upon. There was always the chance a stray round from an automated weapon system might strike out, and she had no intention dying. The first missile struck the aircraft on the wing and exploded, leaving a bright yellow flash for the briefest of moments. The engine was shattered in an instant, and two bodies tumbled out as it rolled over. Arana followed their fall, when the second missile hit the stricken aircraft and it exploded.
“Stay down!”
She dropped down but kept an eye on the damaged craft. Once the flash had dissipated, there was little left but debris and burning fuel that fell down in an avalanche of carnage to the wasteland below. She could see at least two more bodies falling, as well as a single soldier who must have leapt out. This lucky individual was using his motors to fall at a safer velocity towards the ground. Arana had no intention of opening fire, but Kras already had the soldier in his sights. His gun fired twice, and the soldier vanishing lifelessly behind the rocks rewarded him.
“Everybody up.”
One by one the mercenaries and civilians lifted themselves back to their feet, and then, after checking in all directions, continued on their previous path.
“Not much further now,” she said, trying to keep their spirits up. This time she let her translator circuits do the job, and then immediately wished she’d left it to the Khreenk mercenary. Her system might have been advanced, but it lacked the ability to impart care or emotion in the words. She spotted Kras further back waving his weapon over his head. Arana nodded and turned away to continue forward.
I can’t blame him; look at what he’s seen the last few days.
Arana was moving ahead, but something had changed now. There was some real urgency to how she moved. There was a chance, no matter how slim, that they had been spotted. If the enemy were smart, they would land troops away from the range of the missiles, or even launch a strike against the launchers first. She walked twenty or so steps before checking the others. They were a good way back down the steep descent from the side of the low mountain and into the valley. It took another thirty minutes to reach a dusty trail that looked heavily used. The smoke column was now far behind them, yet it still filled a portion of the sky with its oily black pattern.
With less cover available, they stayed close to the rocks on the one side and moved on until finally rounding the last corner. Before them was the large shape of Mount Caldos, one of the most prominent of the peaks. Arana almost stumbled on seeing the scene before her. Rather than a road or rail track leading inside the city, she found debris scattered in all directions. The ground was charred from multiple thermal weapons, but that was not what caught her gaze.
“Incredible, truly incredible.”
She lifted her gaze to stare upon the side of the mountain, and towards the layered fortified line that extended out in a semi-circle. The wall was at least fifteen metres high, although several sections were only half of that. The completed sections were smooth and protected by dozens of Byotai soldiers. Multiple excavators and Byotai in massive exo-armoured suits were erecting additional sections to increase the height and thickness of the outer protective wall. She couldn’t make out if they were regulars on the walls, but there were plenty of guns pointing down at her.
Haro, the remaining Khreenk mercenary placed himself to her flank and spoke through his translator. She
could sense a hint of tiredness in his voice before the words were altered, but even with his comrades gone, there was no despair.
“They are not planning on leaving, are they?”
Arana looked to the wall and nodded.
“You could say that, Haro. This outer wall is new, maybe only a few days old. I’d say they are digging in for a fight.”
She then shook her head and laughed.
“These Byotai do not hang around when they set their minds to something. And you recall how they fought in the war.”
A voice from above yelled down, but it was alien and partially obscured by the sound of the heavy machinery. Then one by one the workers stopped what they were doing. Two of the large bipedal engineering machines turned around and lifted their arms threateningly.
“I am Arana. We have your people from the Khagi Research...”
A volley of shots erupted along the wall, and Arana rolled to the right. The ground nearest the wall was completely open, and her only chance was to take cover behind one of the few large boulders still remaining to the side. Her comrades scattered, but the Byotai civilians stood their ground. The shouting came again, followed by angry words. Almost at once the machines lowered their arms, and most of the weapons on the wall vanished.
“Kras!” yelled one of them.
Arana watched from behind her cover as the group of civilians staggered out from the trail and waved to those above. They moved in a slightly odd fashion, mainly due to their lower centre of gravity and greater weight than the average human. Sounds of shouting and excitement quickly spread, and a doorway in the wall opened up. It was raised a metre from the ground, and once fully open, a ramp swung down with a loud crashing sound.
“Okay, I guess that means we’re all friends, then.”
She spoke quietly while moving from cover. Even though the situation appeared resolved, she still kept her eye on the wall and towards the two machines. One of them made a loud hissing sound, but then a Byotai male in overalls dropped down and moved quickly to the refugees. Another ran down the ramp and directly towards her.
“Squad, with me.”
She gave the order quietly, but it was stern and serious. In seconds, the other three anonymous mercenaries were at her side. Together they were covered in dust, and their modified armour looked worse for wear. Even so, they were clearly professional, and that was more than could be said for the armed Byotai that now emerged.
“Steady.”
All four of them kept their hands on their weapons, but with the muzzles low to the ground. Arana looked at the three now approaching and smiled when she realised only one carried a rifle. The other two sported large mauls or maces that hung from their belts.
“Be ready.”
Just as they reached her, Kras moved to her left flank. The tallest of the Byotai didn’t stop and crashed into Kras. The other two held back, watching Arana and her soldiers with equal interest, while the two Byoti exchanged greetings. They were clearly overjoyed.
“Well?” she asked, “What can you tell me?”
Haro laughed.
“They are brothers. I would say we have a friend, dare I say, an ally.”
Arana moved her attention from the Khreenk and back to the Byotai base. Even from here, she could see dozens of vehicles lined up in a sheltered motor pool behind the wall, protected from above by the rest of the mountain. She lifted up onto her toes to get a better look.
Now that is more interesting.
There were no military vehicles, at least not that she could see. But there were plenty of heavy industrial haulers, and all kinds of tracked and wheeled machines. One in particular looked like a four section land train, with additional plates of armour still being welded to the chassis. She turned from those in front of her and to the brother of Kras. The Byotai spotted her, opened his mouth wide, letting out a long breath. His reptilian eyes flickered twice, and then he moved three steps to her.
“I am Nak. Welcome.”
He accent was thick, and he paused between each word. Even so, Arana was stunned that a Byotai, a race only been met a generation ago, could now speak part of her language. She extended her hand, and after a short shake of hands, they looked into each other’s eyes. Haro moved to her side introduced himself in Byotai.
“Why are you here, human? We are at war. This is no place for a human...”
Arana shook her head and pointed to the smoke trails still visible from the burning aircraft behind the hills.
“Your missiles, they were supplied by our friend.”
The Byotai’s tongue flicked out and ran along the top of his mouth. His eyes stayed open for far too long and then shut for an instant.
“A friend helped supply them. Why do you ask?”
Arana detached a military issue secpad from her armour, tapped the unit, and held it up to Nak. On the screen was an image of General Daniels.
“He is our friend, too.”
Nak licked his lip again and sighed.
“I am sorry. He was killed, along with many of our kin. They brought in more weapons.”
Now it was her turn to disagree.
“No. This man is alive, and we have a team at Montu. A rescue party.”
Nak listened, but it took a few seconds for what she had explained to fully register. Then he pulled back half a step in surprise.
“Rescue? There are survivors?”
Arana nodded her head.
“We do not know how many, but we have a team looking for them. They will need assistance to escape the city. Can you help?”
Nak looked to Kras, and the two spoke excitedly for almost a minute. Finally, they stopped. Kras spoke first.
“This is my brother, Nak. We both fought in the war in our Navy. After that, Nak served in our diplomatic corps on Helios. That is where he first met the General.”
He then gave her a grand bow.
“We would be honoured to help. Tell me, which route will they be taking?”
Arana paused for a moment, knowing that if these Byotai could not be trusted, she would be consigning both Spartan and Syala to capture or death. One more look at the two brothers immediately showed her there was nothing fake or false between them, and the mention of help had been accepted gladly. Again she showed the two her secpad.
“They plan on using the express maglev train to the end of the line...here.”
Nak looked at it and shook his head.
“That is on the surface, but the tunnels were destroyed a month ago. The closest point to our end location will be in the dust bowl, but that is more than eighty kilometres from here, on the dust tracks. Even if they make it that far, they will not make it to the enclave. Two hours in vehicles, or a week to get through the mountains on foot.”
He pointed up into the air.
“More important to you is this.”
Arana looked up, expecting immediate trouble. The sky was already darker than when they had arrived, and she suspected there would be a full sunset within the next two hours, perhaps less.
The Anicinàbe are masters of the sky. If they find your people, they will die. There is no way to reach them without being intercepted by their gunships.”
Arana had turned her attention back to the Byotai. She had little information to go on, just the waypoints and short pieces of information sent by Spartan. And she still had absolutely no idea if there was even a prisoner to rescue, or if the train system would work. Kras and Nak spoke for what seemed like an age, and Nak began to look agitated. Then he looked to the reinforced walls and shouted up to those defending the tallest sections.
“What’s going on?” Arana asked.
Haro pointed to the wall.
“Just watch. It will become clear.”
His words were followed by sounds of excitement from within the defences. More civilians came out from the reinforced entrance and helped the refugees from the research facility into the mountain. Nak and Kras stayed in exactly the same spot while all this was going on
.
The sound of a powerful engine unit roared loudly, and Arana took a step back and raised her firearm.
“What’s happening?”
Haro started to speak, but the sound of engines drowned him out. Arana activated her unit-wide channel.
“Skirmish formation, prepare yourselves.”
Though she doubted the Byotai were a threat, she was taking no chances, especially as she didn’t know what had been said in the last few minutes. The mercenaries opened out their tiny formation, with a gap of three metres between them. Some of the Byotai pointed; others laughed at what was happening. Then the entrance to the base filled with the shape of a massive metal vehicle that dropped down onto the dry ground. It was huge, six-wheeled, and shaped like an oversized armoured personnel carrier. She’s seen pictures of them before, but never one in the flesh. It pulled three cars, equally armoured and bristling with recently welded on slabs of metal and turrets. One of her mercenaries pointed at the thing.
“A land train.”
Arana laughed just as the two Byotai brothers caught her attention. At the same time, a large group of Byotai filed out of the fortress. There must have been thirty or more, and all carried small arms. She recognised many as being surplus issue Helion rifles, but there were also a few native weapons, and even a single L48 rifle from Alliance stocks.
“Will this work?” Nak asked.
For the first time in hours, Arana felt a sense of relief.
“Hell, yes.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Machines are to be the salvation of flesh, the one guarantee of everlasting life. We have worked for millennia towards the dream of perfection, but instead of creating long-lasting life, we have been forced to come up with other solutions. The mind of a creature can be fed and prolonged indefinitely, but not the flesh or organs. Either the flesh must be replaced and upgraded over time to maintain the body, or alternatively, the mind must be placed inside a safe sanctuary, and the body replaced with something stronger and expendable. This is how the last generation of my people came into being, and how after all this time, we still live when other races have turned to ash.
Taken from the accounts of Z'Kanthu, Warlord of The Twelve
Montu, Khagi District, Karnak
Lords of War (Star Crusades: Mercenaries, Book 1) Page 20