The Iron War: A Xander Cain Novel

by P W Hillard

  “Tie him up, hands behind his back this time,” Sergei said, his rifle still raised. One of the other warehouse workers stepped forward, zip-tie in hand. “And take his boots off him.”

  ***

  Anya stepped down from the carriage onto the concrete ramp, following after the loader. She had been sceptical, privately, about the whole mission. It seemed like a gargantuan task at the time, but now she could see the climber before her Anya felt proud at their accomplishments. This whole story would be a barroom favourite for a while. All they needed now was for Xander to have completed his part.

  From where she was stood, Anya could see the hole punched into the side of the entrance plaza. Shattered mechs lay on the ground below, proof the powerful relic had made it inside at least. Anya was convinced that would have been the hardest part.

  “Ok, get everyone unloaded. Infantry into the nearest passenger compartment. When this thing starts moving the air’s going to get thin fast. Get the loader into the warehouse on the left. I want the crew out and with the infantry. I don’t think that thing is airtight, and we’re in this journey for a few days yet.”

  “You heard the lady,” Hurt said. He didn’t question Anya’s orders, despite her technically having no command over the Viper Legion assets. Every call she had made had been right so far. “Let’s get moving people.”

  “Contact!” The message was from one of the salvaged tanks. “Two mechsuits with infantry, nine o’clock. Looks like QTs.”

  “Let’s move!” Anya strode forward to intercept, her mind commanding cannons to spin that were no longer there, a habit built up over time. She raised her stolen weapon, snapping off a shot. “Get that loader safe!”

  ***

  Xander could feel every thud as Sandhu's suit ran up the access ramp. It was a steep incline, designed for emergencies more than anything, but the suit took it in its stride, clearing meters with every step. When needed mechsuits were capable of incredible turns of speed, their massive size made it possible to cross distances quickly. It wasn't a comfortable ride, the haste needed meaning Sandhu could give no thought to his passenger. Xander was gripping tightly to one of the suit's fingers. It wasn't his most dignified moment.

  “Seven minutes before the pre-set program completes. You will need to find shelter quickly,” Matthias said. He let out a short chuckle.

  “Me choking to death is funny?”

  “Oh, no, not that. That isn’t funny at all. If you die, I go with you. No, I was just thinking that the people in the station above will be learning what I did to them by now. When I had access to the network, I had access to all the network. Including the station.”

  “What did you do?” Xander wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

  “Oh, I locked every ship into its berth, except for the Heliustech one.”

  “Oh, is that it? Can’t they just cut themselves free?”

  “Oh, they could,” Matthias said. “If the repair arms in the bays weren’t welding plates over every airlock and door. By the time they’re done it’ll take weeks for them to cut themselves free. Plenty of things in those bays to keep sticking on.”

  “That’s actually, really clever.” Xander didn’t have much else to add. He would never have considered it, and anything that made their job easier was useful. The trip up in the elevator would take days, plenty of time for any defenders in the station to get ready if the AI hadn’t intervened. Xander breathed a sigh of relief, the design of the station meant there would be no gravity and fighting under those conditions was a special kind of nightmare. “And you’re sure they can’t just undo it all when they get access to the control centre again?”

  As Xander finished his sentence, a wall of heat and fire erupted behind them, a torrent of flames that lapped over the control building. In moments the entire thing was alight, thick black smoke pouring out into the sky from melting electronics. An alarm could be heard, barely audible over the roaring flames, the faint ringing of a fire suppression system losing its battle.

  “Oh my, that was rather a lot more impressive than I thought it would be. And a lot more serendipitously timed. I would hazard that no-one is going to get access now. There are now four minutes remaining. It will take some time for the climber to reach maximum speed, I didn't think you would want excessive G forces, but I would recommend getting to safety as soon as possible.”

  “Your concern is noted, though I suspect its more about you than anything.” Xander shifted his head, trying to get a good view around the fingers. The climber was studded with buildings, though most were only two stories, high enough for his mechsuit transport to see over. Xander was scanning the horizon, looking for signs of his allies.

  His search was answered as a shot rang out, followed by a burst of answering fire. Someone was fighting. It was hardly surprising Black Rose would place defenders on the climber itself, though Xander had hoped his distraction would draw them away.

  “We’ve got fighting by the cargo onramp,” Sandhu said, his voice coming through the suit speakers. “Our friends made it. I’ve confirmed I’m on route to assist. You want me to drop you here?”

  “No,” Xander shouted back, trying to make himself heard over the gunfire. “Take me over, I’ll help the infantry on the ground. We’ve got uh…”

  “Just over two minutes,” Matthias said. Xander noticed the AI had whispered it, despite no-one else being able to hear him.

  “Two minutes before the climber starts moving. It’s not going to be long before the wind makes it hard to move around once the thing gets going. We need to get everyone inside before it does. Fuck it’s always something isn’t it?”

  “You remember what they teach you when you first start being a merc? Just deal with the problem at hand. Keep doing that and you'll succeed. That's kind of bollocks once you're running the op, isn't it? All you can see is problem after problem. That's the burden of command my friend.”

  “Can't say I remember agreeing to be in command," Xander said. He had simply made suggestions on what they should do, and at every turn, the others had deferred to him without any real question.”

  “Ah but you did, when you were born. You’re a Cain, a member of the most famous mercenary family there is. I would bet good money they trained you since you were a kid, tutoring and the like.”

  “More my brother than me.” Xander was having to shout louder, Sandhu had broken into a run, stampeding past buildings as he rushed towards the fight. “He was supposed to take over the business, to run the show. But yeah, you aren’t wrong. It feels wrong to be in charge, just because of who my parents were, that they could afford to give me extra school and training.”

  “Well, I say use it. You might have been born with a silver spoon in your mouth, but you fight like everyone else. Embrace it, Cain, you have a knack for it."

  “If you say so. I just want to get the mission done, get everyone out alive, and get paid.”

  “See,” Sandhu said, laughter booming through the speakers. “That’s all any good commander wants.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The ground shook as the metal leviathan awoke, the climber beginning its ascent into the heavens. Enormous motors gripping to the thick shaft of the tether, steel teeth biting onto the carbon fibre, turning with enough force to lift the plates below. Two of these powerful engines activated, the one that lay in the centre of the climber, where its two discs met, and the one above, tugging at the edges of the climber with its cables. The combined strength was necessary, each disc of the climber was the size of a city block, and it would need to build significant speed to break free from the bonds of gravity.

  The climb was slow, at first, the acceleration controlled to prevent sudden G forces from crushing the passengers upon the surface of the impressive vehicle. In time it would grow in speed, punching upwards through the atmosphere and out into space itself. Even at the climber’s top speed, it would take a few days to reach the station above. The trip was normally sold as a holiday
in itself. The people within its glass spires usually wined and dined as they enjoyed the incredible view, looking down on the people beneath them, stuck to the world below like boulders. It was a lucrative business, an image that would be shattered by the soldiers now fighting across the surface of the climber. War brought to the luxury.

  Tanks crept through the gaps between buildings, mechsuits following them as they approached the enemy forces. It had been a surprise, a train coming screeching into the station, disgorging them onto the eastern side of the far disk. They had scrambled to intercept them, the Black Rose forces already on their way down from the climber platform to engage the strange mechsuit running rampant through the frontlines. That it was a trick was now obvious, a diversion meant to split their forces. It had worked, they had only five mechs on the entire climber, two of which were already engaged by the enemy.

  When the climber had started moving it had been a shock, though the assembled mechs didn't show it. The Black Rose riders had built up a reputation amongst their pirate infantry for being cold, distant, their emotions muted. There had been no frenzied orders to regroup, no shouted commands to rush to the defence of the control room, just simple calm messages to reposition. Even the destruction of the mobile fortress had been declared with a strange formality.

  The tanks turned to push past the central column, the tether casting a long shadow over them. The pirates inside were not fans of their employers, the Black Rose members seemed barely human. Whispers had passed between crews, rumours as to the true nature of their patrons. Some claimed they were part-machine, whilst others said they were some bizarre cult. They paid well, but the morale of the pirates was wavering. No money was worth the open war they had found themselves embroiled in.

  One of the tanks exploded, a shell piercing its side. The supporting mechs returned fire, the source of the shot ducking behind a building. The tanks shifted their turrets around, trying to track their attacker.

  It emerged from the other side of the building, breaking into a run. It shot wildly behind it, blind firing as it ran. In seemed to be holding one hand out flat, a tiny figure gripping to one of its fingers. It moved behind one of the passenger buildings, the glass distorting its image. Shots slammed into the building from the suits, the fragile glass shattering from the blows. The enemy shifted position again, their flight across the climber continuing, ducking and twisting behind the buildings as they moved, expertly travelling from cover to cover. The Black Rose mechs tucked their weapons tight to their bodies and followed.

  ***

  Anya crouched behind a warehouse, resting her stolen autocannon atop the building's roof as she fired it. Her forces outnumbered the enemy, but they were pinned against the edge of the climber. She had no choice but to order the push forward into their guns before more enemies arrived. There was no doubt that there would be more mechs lurking about, Xander’s distraction had been effective, but leaving the climber effectively undefended wasn’t a mistake Anya thought Black Rose would make.

  “We need to drop these guys so we can secure somewhere deeper on the climber,” Anya said. “I want a defensible position.”

  “Not much of that around here. It’s all short arse warehouses and glass.” Meg had brought her suit alongside Anya’s, crouched down much lower in her light recon mech. She reached around the corner, firing a burst on a low angle. Her shots scattered off the surface of the climber, denting the metal floor. Infantry scattered from the fire, fleeing the deadly storm of metal pouring from Meg’s barrel.

  The pair of stolen tanks had begun to advance past the mechs crouched behind the warehouse. They fired as they advanced, cannon shots unheard beneath the loud groaning of the climber’s motors. The difference between amateur pirates and experienced mercenaries became immediately clear. The shots were faster, more accurate, and most importantly, both tanks were working in tandem. The cannon fire landed, the pair of tanks hitting shot after shot into one of the Black Rose QTs. It stumbled and fell, its armour a smoking hole.

  Machine gun fire rang out from the guns pintle-mounted to the tops of the tank. The mercenaries were able to crew the tanks fully and were using the vehicles to deadly effect, claiming a terrible toll on the fleeing infantry. They wouldn’t have use of the guns for long, the thinning atmosphere would necessitate sealing the tanks soon. Whilst there were hundreds, maybe even thousands of distinct tank designs made by competing corporations, all were designed to be sealed from the outside so they could operate under their own air supply for limited periods. Useful when deployed to worlds with a hostile atmosphere, or even none at all.

  “Push up! Take the last guy!” Anya burst forth from her cover, and the rest of her cohort followed. The tanks changed targets, dancing under the feet of mechsuits as they chased down their counterparts. The second QT found itself pinned, cowering behind the warehouse it had chosen. Finally getting brave enough to fire back a shot, a round from Alexi's gun hit its shoulder staggering it as Anya and Meg rounded the corner.

  A knife dug deep into its rear even as Anya plunged her forearm blade into its chest. Both women pulled their weapons free, allowing the suit to crash forward through the roof of the warehouse.

  “Viper’s form on me. The warehouse ahead looks good for the loader, and the passenger building next to it has good line of sight,” Hurt’s mechsuit was waving, beckoning for his men to follow.

  “Good plan. Sergei, get the loader moving. We want to get in place before more come.”

  “Might be a bit late for that,” Hurt said, his mech jogging forward, tanks and infantry following. “I’m getting an IFF ping from Sandhu, but nothing on the comms. I’m assuming his radio is down. I would bet that he’s coming in hot.”

  “Agreed. You take your men and the loader, get them locked down. Me and the other freelancers will go assist Sandhu. Don't worry, we'll get your boss. At some point, we'll be even, eh?”

  “Maybe. Take those tanks with you. You’ll need to be done with the enemy and out of your suits before the air gets too thin. Don’t hang around.” Hurt was holding open the door to a warehouse as the loader slowly crawled towards him. “See you up top.”

  ***

  Sandhu kept running, trying to outpace those behind him. They were closing with every step, not needing to weave between cover like he was doing. He could see Xander in the corner of his camera feed, gripping tightly to the hand of Sandhu's suit. The speed of the climber was building, the city beyond falling away as it rose, the wind causing Xander's hair and ridersuit to flap about. It was going to go a lot worse very quickly as the climber continued to accelerate.

  Sandhu had owned his Defender for a long time, the machine constantly tinkered with, customised to his liking. He could feel it dying, the joints giving out, the armour plates rubbing against each other. Everything felt wrong with how it moved. It had taken a beating, one that would put it in the shop for months afterwards, if it was even truly salvageable. Even if it could be repaired, it wouldn’t be the same, not really his Defender anymore. More new parts than old, a gleaming thing without all the quirks Sandhu was used to.

  Mercenaries often spoke of breaking in a new mechsuit in much the same tone someone might speak about a horse. It was why they called themselves riders, to them each mechsuit was its own beast, its own animal that needed taming. Sandhu would move on, either to the refurbished mechsuit, or a brand new one, but it would take time to adjust.

  Sandhu had tried his radio over and over, hoping to send out a message. There was no response, and he assumed his radio had been damaged at some point. Sandhu just had to hope his IFF was working, and that his men knew he was coming to them. Xander had said the loader and its escort were aboard the climber, though Sandhu had no idea how. That the mercenary had been able to figure out the climber controls at all was impressive. Sandhu chalked it down to the man’s ability to seemingly pull off the impossible. Punching through a heavily defended line, destroying a mobile fortress solo, riding a lost tech mech, it was incredibly im
pressive.

  Sandhu had heard all the rumours about Xander, about the death of his brother, of being cast out from the Corsairs. It had left a stain on the man's reputation that worked its way from bar to guildhall, and every merc hangout in-between. There was a saying amongst mercenaries, you don't know someone until you fight with them, and Sandhu had seen enough to know the rumours were bullshit.

  Gunfire flew past Sandhu. Not from behind, but ahead. Three mechs were approaching, supported by two tanks. Sandhu didn’t need his radio to recognise them, the mismatched suit models and patterns were a dead giveaway. The freelancers had arrived. In an instant things had changed, and Sandhu spun his mech to face his attackers. Now he had the numbers advantage, four to three, and both sides were even on tanks.

  “About damn time,” Sandhu said through his speakers. “Things were getting a bit dicey.” He crouched, lowering his hand to the floor. Xander hopped off, aware he was just in the way in a stand-up fight.

  “Well, time to correct that. We seem to be missing a suit though. A very expensive one.” Anya’s head unit tilted to look at Xander. He could feel her glare even through the armour.

  “It did a hell of a lot of damage.” Sandhu released the magazine from his weapon, letting it drop to the ground with a clank. He opened the side panel on the thigh of his mech, fishing a fresh magazine free. “Even took down a mobile fortress, and a blackmark.”

  “Fuck, blackmarks? I knew they were running redacted ops, but hiring outside the guild? Who the fuck are these guys?” Meg was flanking around, heading off to the side. Her weapon wasn’t particularly effective against enemy mechs, but the crossfire would expose weak points.

  Xander watched the mechsuits moving around him, lumbering towers of metal moving into fighting stances. The tanks began to crawl forwards to support them, one of them coming to a stop next to Xander. The hatch popped open, and a helmeted head appeared from within, the logo of the Viper Legion emblazoned on the side.