Husher’s jaw clenched involuntarily. Eighteen Progenitor warships against our sixteen…and our ships are less powerful on average.
Even as he thought it, another of the planet’s defenders, an IGF destroyer, went down.
Chapter 53
Just Getting Started
Captain Katrina Norberg was on Husher’s main display again, shouting. “We need a new plan, Husher, and we need it now!”
“Calm down,” he said, though he felt far from calm himself. He couldn’t get his daughter’s face out of his mind, couldn’t stop thinking of her somewhere in Cybele. Forty minutes ago, he’d sent out the warning that the Vesta would enter combat, and he hoped she was strapped into a safety harness. It had already occurred to him that if he survived this battle, Sera was going to kill him.
“For the moment, I’m giving you command over my remaining battle group ships—the two destroyers and the missile cruiser. I want you to take them, along with the other two carrier groups, and confront the Progenitor ships that just appeared. In the meantime, I’ll take command of the three Air Groups, and together, they and the Vesta will engage the enemy ships closest to the planet. We should be able to help take some pressure off the planet’s defenders.”
Norberg shook her head. “Why not turn and engage the newcomers with everything we have, while the ones over the planet’s surface are occupied?”
“Because the enemy’s mechs are ravaging the civilian population, Captain,” Husher said softly. “We need to make it a priority to get troops down to the surface, and that won’t happen if we let the Progenitors maintain control of the skies.”
“I don’t like our odds as they are, Captain Husher. If we don’t win, the civilians are doomed anyway.”
“This could be our only window to help. I’m going to take it. Besides, if we abandon the planet’s defenders now, they’ll crumble. They’re already crumbling.”
“Very well,” Norberg said, and the tightness in her voice told Husher she might be starting to regret giving him the command.
The display went dark again, and Husher turned to his Coms officer. “Ensign Fry, tell Major Gamble to prepare to mobilize the Vesta’s entire marine battalion. I want a total of six platoons to remain aboard—four to patrol the corridors and two in Cybele, as a precaution against Ravagers breaching the hull. The rest will deploy to Thessaly’s surface.”
Fry nodded. “Aye, sir.”
“When you’ve done that, tell Commander Fesky to decouple the Spire and set an interdimensional course that takes her behind the newest group of Progenitor ships. I want her to see what damage she can do.” Even though the Progenitors were well acquainted with interdimensional travel, they wouldn’t be expecting the IGF to have access to it. Hopefully that would once again work in Fesky’s favor.
Studying the tactical display, Husher saw that Thessaly’s fighter defense group was battling valiantly to protect the remaining pair of defending warships, a missile cruiser and a corvette, from the stream of Ravagers being sent their way. Python after Python went down, either mowed down by kinetic impactors or latched onto by a robot and ripped apart.
Seeing that, Husher opened a two-way channel with Commander Ayam.
“Ayam here, Captain. All our birds are in the air.”
“Commander, there’s been a change of plans. I’m sure you noticed the latecomers to the party?”
“They’re kind of hard to miss, sir.”
“Indeed. Their arrival makes getting forces to the planet all the more urgent, since we may not be able to manage it for much longer. We have enough to assign a squadron to each shuttle of marines, and that’s what I want you to do. Not only that, I want your subspace squadron playing sheepdog to the entire flock, hitting back at anything that tries to shoot my marines out of the air.”
“I’m on it, sir. What about the rest of the fighters?”
“Deploy them as best you see fit to back up the planet’s defender ships. We need to preserve every asset we can, and if we can keep those crews alive, it should go a long way. I plan to position the Vesta between the descending shuttles and the Progenitor battle group, to protect whoever needs it most.”
“Sounds like a plan to me. Is that all, sir?”
“That’s all. God speed, Ayam.”
“You too, Captain. Ayam out.”
Husher turned to Noni. “Nav, our shuttles will descend here,” he said, marking a point over Thessaly’s surface on Noni’s overlay. “I want you to set a course that puts us equidistant between that point and the nearest enemy battle group.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Tactical, let’s start hammering them right away. As soon as we have an angle that won’t hit the two IGF warships or the planet, spray kinetic impactors at their sterns. Prepare to fire our primary laser as well.”
“Aye.”
But they didn’t need to hit the Progenitors to get their attention. A pair of destroyers and a pair of carriers were already coming about to face them, lines of Ravagers spewing from all four as they turned. Many of the robots would be caught up in the planet’s gravity well, to plummet to the surface, but Husher was sure that didn’t bother whoever or whatever was captaining those ships.
Briefly, he wondered whether Teth was aboard any of the attacking warships. His instincts told him no. I barely have to fight this war, Teth had said.
“Coms, tell Ayam to redirect six squadrons to providing missile defense for the Vesta.”
“Yes, sir.”
At least we’ve taken some of the heat off the planet’s defenders. They still faced down five Progenitor ships on their own, but their fighter pilots seemed well trained, and hopefully they’d help the warships hold.
“Captain, the approaching warships aren’t stopping,” Winterton said. “At least half of their Ravagers are sailing past us, toward our descending shuttles.”
Husher nodded. He’d anticipated this. “Nav, set a course that takes us between the carrier and the destroyer that are clustered closest together.”
Blinking at him, Noni said, “Sir?”
“Do it.”
“Aye.”
“Tremaine, have point defense systems redirect any fire not needed to hold Ravagers at bay—I want it sent at those ships instead. It looks like we’ll be close enough to hit them.”
The Progenitor ships sped forward, seemingly focused on the shuttles screaming toward Thessaly’s surface. Husher could understand why. Their efforts today represented the largest, most concerted attack on a Union colony by far. Clearly, the Progenitors believed it would devastate public morale to wipe out a core world. And it would. So they were doing everything they could to make sure it happened.
It didn’t take long for the enemy ships to enter range of the Vesta’s point defense turrets, which began pumping thousands of rounds into their hulls. They clearly hadn’t expected the maneuver, possibly because they’d never encountered it from an IGF vessel before. Either way, the two ships immediately reversed course, heading back toward their fellows.
“Winterton, which enemy ship looks the most damaged?”
“The carrier, sir.”
“Very good. Tremaine, dump our primary laser into the part of her hull that’s suffered the most hurt.”
“Firing laser now, Captain.”
Husher toggled over to a zoomed-in visual display just as the carrier’s hull began to twist and melt. The ship accelerated even more, and Tremaine switched off the primary, recalibrated his firing solution on the fly, and fired again.
The carrier’s hull erupted, the fire consuming her entire frame before succumbing to the void.
“Excellent work,” Husher said.
But Winterton didn’t sound as impressed. “Two Progenitor ships made it past us, sir. They’re attempting to overwhelm the shuttles with Ravagers.”
Husher nodded, though he’d already been monitoring the tactical display, where Ayam’s subspace fighters were flitting in and out of existence, dodging one wave of Rav
agers, blasting through the next—weaving through both the enemy barrage and reality itself on their way to the target.
Seconds later, an alpha strike connected with the destroyer’s hull, obliterating two turret batteries as well as three Ravager launch tubes.
The subspace squadron disappeared in time to dodge point defense fire, then reappeared off the destroyer’s stern, still hurtling in the same direction. As a parting shot, they delivered another alpha strike, concentrating their fire on one of the warship’s main reactors. It blew, and the explosion swallowed most of the stern. The rest of the ship soon followed.
“Coms, have three of the six squadrons helping us with missile defense redirect their efforts. I want them helping Ayam take down that carrier instead. Tremaine, let’s offer up six Hydras, to speed it on its way.”
“Aye.”
Husher permitted himself a small smile as he watched the fighters and missiles converging on the enemy ship.
I’m just getting started, you bastards.
Chapter 54
Across the Battlespace
The Progenitor carrier went down—and so did three of the nineteen shuttles carrying his marines to the surface of Thessaly. That made Husher want to hammer the command seat’s armrests with his fist, but he forced himself to convert his anger into cold determination.
Three platoons of marines, gone. It wasn’t a total disaster, but it was far from ideal, either, especially given the forces the Progenitors had devoted to their ground assault on the colony.
It could have been worse, he told himself again. Thanks to my Python pilots, it wasn’t. They’d managed to keep most of the Ravagers from ripping the shuttles apart, though they’d lost a squadron and a half in the process. Oneiri Team was with the shuttles too, but they hadn’t been of much help. To be fair, Husher knew that orbital reentry tended to occupy all of one’s attention, mech suit or not. Either way, the surviving marines were almost to the planet’s surface.
Neutralizing three Progenitor warships had represented amazing progress, but it had also caused the enemy to rally, and now IGF forces were paying the price.
“Our second missile cruiser just fell, Captain,” Winterton said. “And Captain Norberg just lost one of her battle group ships as well.”
Damn it. He’d hoped giving Norberg superior numbers would help her keep the second Progenitor force at bay, but the enemy had just evened things up, meaning more IGF losses would surely follow.
“The marines have made it to the planet,” the sensor operator continued. “Their Python escort is returning to join us.” The man’s frown deepened, however. “The nine enemy ships facing off with Captain Norberg are spreading out. It looks like they’re trying to shepherd her forces toward the planet.”
Of course they are. “They know if they can sandwich us between their two battle groups, we won’t last long.” Husher caught himself gritting his teeth, and forced himself to stop. “We need to throw everything we have at the six Progenitor ships remaining over the planet’s surface. Coms, tell Commander Ayam to rally the Air Groups and advance on the enemy formation in a wide arc.”
Husher turned toward the Tactical station. “This needs to happen quickly. Tremaine, I want twenty Hydras fired along firing solutions designed to blanket the battlespace with warheads. On the heels of that, fire forty-eight Gorgons—eight apiece for each Progenitor ship.”
“That’s a lot of our specialized missiles, Captain.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Yes, sir.” Tremaine bent to his work.
“I would caution against over-committing to this attack, Captain,” Ek said.
He nodded. “I hear you, but we need to win the orbital battle before Norberg lets the Progenitors push her force to us.”
“Captain Norberg just lost another ship, sir,” Winterton said. “A corvette. They still haven’t managed to destroy any Progenitor ships.”
“Acknowledged, Ensign,” Husher said, and the news made him feel even more resolved to follow through with his planned strike. Frowning at the tactical display, he zoomed it in on the region of space where Norberg and the Progenitors battled. An unending Ravager assault flooded across the battlespace, and it was everything the IGF ships could do it keep them from penetrating their hulls, with point defense systems supplemented by lasers. They were devoting Banshees to defense as well, he saw.
Maybe it was a mistake to take all three Air Groups with me. He refocused on his own battlespace. As soon we complete this attack, I’ll redirect some fighters to Norberg.
Hydras and Gorgons crossed the void between the Vesta and the enemy ships, with over a thousand Pythons closing in behind. Husher found himself gripping his armrests. This could turn the tide. There’s no way this doesn’t do major damage. He expected to take down at least two or three ships, here, but he didn’t consider it impossible that he’d destroy them all.
“The enemy ships are accelerating, Captain. I believe—I believe they’re fleeing. But they won’t be able to outstrip our missiles in time.”
Holding his breath, Husher watched to see whether his gambit would pay off. The Progenitors weren’t even bothering to try shooting down the approaching missiles. They know there’s too many. Instead, they continued to flee…
…straight toward the remaining two IGF ships.
The six enemy ships belched a tide of Ravagers at the cruiser and corvette. The defenders did all they could to defend themselves, reversing thrust, engaging point defense systems, and using missiles to shoot down the approaching Ravagers.
It didn’t matter. Hundreds of Ravagers lighted on their hulls, burrowing through and infesting them.
Seconds later, both ships became balls of flame.
Husher’s vision blurred, and he fought to steady his breathing. They’re about to pay the price for that.
But just as the Gorgons and Hydras closed with the nearest Progenitor ship, it vanished. So did the next-closest ship, and the next. Within seconds, all six warships had disappeared, and sixty-eight incredibly expensive missiles sailed harmlessly past, with nothing to connect with but the expanding cloud of shrapnel that had once been two IGF vessels.
A brittle silence descended over the CIC—which was soon broken, as it so often was, by Winterton:
“The six enemy ships have reappeared in a roughly spherical formation, sir. They’re surrounding us.”
Chapter 55
That's New
All around Jake, the MIMAS mechs’ parachutes disengaged, whipping away into the air and leaving the pilots to descend the rest of the way using aerospike thrusters.
The alien mech Jake piloted needed no such assistance. He fired an energy blast behind him, to even out the angle of his trajectory. When he landed, the mech’s legs accordioned flawlessly to absorb the impact, and he curled into a ball, rolling over and over with the momentum. Spikes sprouted from his body to slow his progress, and in seconds, he was back on his feet, skidding the rest of the way.
He turned to monitor the rest of his team’s descent, and to cover them if need be. They’d yet to come under any fire from the ground, but he knew that could change in a heartbeat. Jake kept a close eye on Marco’s MIMAS—Vesta engineers had patched it up as best they could, with their limited knowledge of the mechs. Marco had been present for the repairs, which had no doubt helped, but still…Jake would try to look out for Marco if he could.
Rug careened from the sky, crashing to the ground beside Jake and causing it to rumble. She too became a ball, tumbling forward and quickly arresting her momentum.
“How’s your mental state?’ he asked her, before the others could reach them.
“The machine whispers to me still, Jake Price,” the Quatro told him in her deep, resonant tones. “It speaks to me of the power we could bring to bear on our enemies, if only we joined as one.”
“You’re still able to resist?”
Rug paused. “So far.”
The others landed, then. All around them, shuttles fille
d with marines were touching down on the grassy plain as well. They were a few miles out from the valley that held Crete, the city the Progenitor mechs had just begun attacking. The enemy had already laid waste to Larissa, the capital, but Crete had an even greater population.
This is a beautiful world, Jake reflected, casting his gaze toward the horizon, drinking in a lush oasis surrounded by a vast expanse of sand. Of course, most worlds looked beautiful after months spent on a spaceship. Still, it made him miss Eresos, back in the Steele System.
He eyed the black-and-brown scars that he and Rug had inflicted on the earth with their arrival. The mech dream painted the sky with the dark gray of regret. Then he remembered that the Progenitors would do much worse to this colony, if he let them.
The airlock of the nearest shuttle opened, and Major Gamble was the first to emerge, immediately jogging toward the group of mechs.
“You guys all made the descent all right?” Gamble said as he neared.
“Piece of cake, Major,” Andy said, though he sounded shaken to Jake’s ears. Andy hadn’t performed very many orbital insertions, and they weren’t for the faint of heart.
“Glad to hear it,” the major said, turning to Price. “I’m sure it won’t surprise you to hear that you’ll be our forward assault force. This is that shock and awe we were talking about.”
“Yes, Major,” Price said.
“We aren’t leaving these shuttles here. We only landed here so we could regroup with you and get our bearings. These are direct action craft. A few of them are designed to act as gunships, and the rest we’ll use to place marines wherever we need them—to execute flanking maneuvers, take down valuable positions, you name it. And with their fold-out bulletproof barriers, the shuttles will also act as cover when we have none. But you won’t be needing any cover, I’m guessing.”
“Not really our style,” Price said, his voice emanating from amplifiers on the alien mech’s shoulders.
Ixan Legacy Box Set Page 45