Operation Hellfire (14 page)

One enemy warrior fell down, but the rest vanished as quickly as they'd arrived, leaving the marines in command of the landing area. Valentine moved a few paces ahead of Prince Kratha, careful to ensure the noble was well protected at all times.

"That wasn't so difficult now, was it?" Prince Kratha asked.

She looked at him and then scanned the space inside the station. It was a large area, easily big enough to fly multiple Maulers about without striking each other. Other marines did the same, using their scanners to check for movement or signs of heat blooms.

"This doesn't feel right, Sarge!" said Valentine.

"Yeah," she agreed, "Everybody stop. Watch your..."

The arched doorway at the far end flashed bright white. At first Private Valentine thought it was gunfire or another grenade exploding, but then she saw the massive, super-heavy motorised transporter. The device was tracked and designed for moving large weapon pallets through the ship. The front was angular and covered in thick metal plating that must have been added in the last few hours.

"Get down!" yelled the Lieutenant, "They've made a ram!"

The heavy machine rolled along the platform, its wheels and tracks squealing with the sound of tortured metal.

Marines opened fire, but even the concentrated fire of carbines and those of the Vanguards wasn't enough. Some tried to jump onto the thing, only to find it was crewed by a large group of heavily armed Byotai revolutionaries, all bearing firearms and blades. The first marines to clamber over the armour were blasted away, falling over the ledge and vanishing into the blackness.

"Get off the platform, use the side gantries!" Sergeant Nál yelled.

Holes appeared in the flooring as panels slid opened behind the machine, and dozens of cannibalistic looking Byotai leapt out to run behind the thing. They were filthy and savage, unlike anything the marines had seen before. What little remained of their clothing was a mess, and each bore bloodied scars and tattoos burnt directly onto their flesh. Some were armed with Byotai firearms, and just as many carried knives, clubs, and blades. In a matter of seconds, the Byotai militia had taken control of the platform and were heading for the landed Mauler. Valentine looked to Lieutenant Heiskell.

"Sir, we need to get the Prince out of here."

Prince Kratha grabbed her arm.

"No, not today. Follow me."

He stepped off the long gantry and down to a much more basic parallel walkway hanging a metre below it. As they arrived there, the machine reached them, and several of the occupants took aim.

"Blast them!" Lieutenant Heiskell ordered.

Private Valentine didn't need to be told. She fired repeatedly, quickly forcing the Byotai to duck down inside the machine as it rolled past with a sickening grinning sound. She looked back and saw the Mauler sitting on the platform, like a fattened cow waiting for the slaughter. Without thinking, she called out on the secure network.

"Nate, get out of there, now!"

* * *

"What is that thing?" Billy asked.

Nate's eye's widened as he looked at the large machine hurtling towards them. The marines opened fire, and many were forced to scatter to the sides of the long platform to avoid being run down. Even the powerful Vanguards were unable to stop the shear size and mass of the thing as it crushed anything in its path. Private Valentine's urgent appeal blasted out of the cockpit, and Nate immediately reached for the controls.

"Uh... that's not good...it's coming this way!"

Nate shook his head with astonishment.

"I know, Billy! Hold on!"

With the engines already swivelled to point at the ground, he was in position to take off. Normally, it took time to calibrate the system to ensure a smooth launch, but not this time. Without checking any of the settings, he simply hit the engine boost. Great gouts of flame roared from underneath, sending dust and smoke in all directions. They lifted up just as the tracked machine slid underneath and then disappeared over the edge, leaving screaming Byotai jumping from the crew section as it tumbled away. Billy tried to laugh, but his voice did little more than croak.

"Don't talk," said Nate, "Use your guns."

* * *

Lieutenant Heiskell nodded with pleasure as the machine vanished into the great pit, leaving the marines once more in control of that part of the platform. Only four of the Byotai had managed to leap to safety, but as they tried to move in on the marines, the turrets aboard the Mauler opened fire. Multiple automated guns made short work of them, and then turned to the rabble still trying to retake the middle of the platform.

"Vanguards, clear this platform!"

While the marines took careful aim or ducked to avoid fire, the three heavily armoured machines stepped out and stopped in the centre of the long platform leading to the arched section. They were struck by dozens of shells but ignored them, and instead pointed their arms at the targets and opened fire. Each Vanguard could unleash the equivalent firepower of an entire Marine squad, and they cleared the area in seconds.

"Good work, everybody."

The smoke and dust continued to whirl about inside the unusual environment of the station. It was made much worse by the howling gale created by the powerful engines attached to the Mauler. The Lieutenant looked back and watched the Mauler move off to his left in a half circle, keeping its forward turrets trained on the arched entrance. Other turrets fitted to the flanks and rear kept moving, looking for potential targets. It was noisy and reduced visibility, but Lieutenant Heiskell couldn't help but feel safer with such a floating arsenal at his back. As he looked back to his marines, he checked they were formed up ready to go.

"Now let's take this damned station!"

"Yeah!" yelled one of the corporals, before being quickly silenced by a stern look from the massive bulk of Sergeant Nál. She moved to the front and joined the Vanguards who waited for their next orders.

"Are you ready?"

He held up his carbine as he shouted.

"Sir, Yes, Sir!"

"Then let's do this! Vanguards, advance!"

The four massive armoured figures pushed ahead, showing nothing but contempt for the defensive gunfire. All four were of a similar height and build, and when they reached the arched entrance, they were instantly hit with a flurry of gunfire. One staggered backwards, but Sergeant Nál blocked its path, stabilised the machine, and then pushed it ahead. All four were now little more than silhouettes and busily blasting away; most of the other marines moved steadily behind them.

"Keep moving!" yelled the Lieutenant.

The marines were now spread out in teams and looking for signs of danger. The gunfire went on for only a few more seconds, and then Sergeant Nál reappeared and looked back at them.

"We've got a way in."

"Good," said Lieutenant Heiskell, "Take your squads inside, break through their defences, and link up with the Byotai defenders."

Sergeant Nál acknowledged and moved back to the breach. Two thirds of the marines broke ranks to move in behind her, leaving just the one squad with Lieutenant Heiskell and Prince Kratha on the landing platform, halfway from where they had started.

"Okay, then, Prince Kratha. Show us to this Cortex of yours."

The young Byotai twisted his head and nodded.

"This way."

He pointed with his left arm towards a ramp that led down from the landing platform. The passage was narrow and lacked safety barriers on either side, leaving nothing to protect them from a fall of nearly fifteen metres.

"Are you sure?"

Prince Kratha stepped onto the path and moved a dozen paces before answering.

"Yes, this is a standard layout."

A handful of the marines chased after him, remembering their mission briefing. Few might know much about the Byotai leaders, but they all understood that with him gone their mission was over, and the cause of the Byotai resistance would die with him.

To all of their surprise, a pair of Byotai dropped down from wherever they had been hiding. One carried a stolen Alliance carbine, and the other a two-handed mace. Neither wore military uniforms, but they did carry improvised armour attached or glued directly to the skin. The first fired, but the Prince was quick and leaned to the right, narrowly avoiding the fire.

"Daevles!"

The word was alien to the marines, but as they ran in, it was already too late. The second of the marauders landed hard and almost lost his balance.

"Help him!" Lieutenant Heiskell shouted.

Prince Kratha responded without thinking. His handgun appeared from his flank and barked twice. The first enemy spun around as the heavy slugs struck him in the torso. The Prince didn't hesitate as he continued to fire, each round striking with the force of a heavy hammer. The first enemy warrior dropped his carbine before he hit the ground. Prince Kratha spat words back at them as he altered his aim to fire at the second. It was too late, though, and the barbaric looking individual was already there, swinging an improvised two-handed mace at his face. Private Valentine could see this happening as she ran towards the last of the Byotai nobility.

The second managed to hit Kratha in the shoulder with the mace, and the impact hit so hard that the Prince staggered to the right. Had he been alone, he would have tumbled from the platform, possibly to his death. But Private Valentine threw herself against Kratha, and the two stumbled to the floor in a crash of armour and flesh.

Private Jackson ran right past the two and opened fire, emptying a dozen rounds into the mace-wielding assailant. The L52 carbine made short work of the muscled warrior, and the short duel was over as quickly as it had begun. More marines moved past, making sure the area was finally secure.

"Prince Kratha, are you hurt?" Lieutenant Heiskell asked.

The Byotai noble opened the front of his helmet and looked into the eyes of Valentine.

"Thank you, I owe you my life."

Valentine kept her visor sealed shut and pulled herself off the fallen Prince. Once on her feet, she grabbed his hands and pulled him up.

"Next time leave the ground combat to the professionals. You're supposed to lead, right?"

Prince Kratha chuckled and gave her a mock bow before reactivated his visor armour. He then looked back and bent down to examine the bodies. Lieutenant Heiskell and the rest of the squad passed him to secure the area.

"Prince, next time you must stay behind me."

The Byotai looked back to the officer and started to answer. He only managed a mumble before stopping and nodding.

"You are correct, of course, Lieutenant Heiskell."

Alliance Mauler 'ANS Mongoose', Eighth Quadrant Fleet Reserve Base

90 Minutes Later

Nate shook his head as he watched the screen. The frustration and boredom had set in over an hour ago, and still they were in the station and waiting on the platform. The mission briefing had been to stay there for thirty minutes, and not a second longer. As usual, the plan had not managed to survive past its first encounter with the enemy. The cameras fitted on the outside of the Mauler showed the starboard hull door remained open, and that two of the Alliance marines were waiting there, their carbines raised to their shoulders.

"They should be finished by now. What's taking them so long?" Billy asked.

Nate shrugged.

"Let's have a look."

It took a few presses to request access to the video feeds coming directly from the marines. A few seconds later it was authorised, and a crackling image from the armour of Lieutenant Heiskell.

"Lieutenant, is everything okay in there?"

The two teenagers watched the screen carefully, trying to access what was happening inside the station. The lighting was low-level and enhanced by the passive imaging technology built into the Marine PDS armour.

"Militia forces have secured the upper levels. We have them contained, but two squads broken away and are guarding the Cortex. ETA ten more minutes to the target. It's slow going."

Ahead of the Lieutenant were four more marines, and they advanced cautiously through the narrow passageway of the partially abandoned facility. The metal floor was made from corrugated sections of metal that allowed light to travel through it. The walls were a tangle of old metal, broken pipes, and cables. A marine stopped and lifted an arm.

"Here it comes," said Billy.

The marines dropped to their knees immediately, and less than a second later a volley of shots flashed towards them. One marine dropped just as his comrades opened fire, sending rapid bursts of carbine fire into the distance. Red outlines flickered as they tagged targets, making them easier to spot. Nate leaned in closer to try and identify them.

"More militia, and it looks like they've made themselves a barricade. Look."

Billy could already see the chair and debris that had been used to create an improvised barrier. Behind it were five or six Byotai protected by a strange mixture of clothing and amour. This time they all carried firearms and were more than happy to unleash everything they had at the advancing Alliance forces. As the marines scattered, a mixture of standard bullets and thermal bolts slammed into the corridor. Bright sparks indicated where projectiles clattered off metal surfaces or the curved surfaces of the PDS armour.

"Suppressing fire!"

As one, the unit unleashed a veritable broadside at the cover. High-velocity slugs punched through the metal, armour, and flesh with ease. Yet for all the shooting, the surviving Byotai refused to back down. More came from a doorway and shouted at the marines. One lifted a large weapon and placed it atop the barricade.

"Hit them with HE!" yelled the sergeant.

Those carrying carbines continued to fire, but one of the specially trained marines stepped out from cover and took aim with an L48 rifle. This weapon had at one time been the standard issue firearm amongst the marines but now was only used in a supporting role. At 12.7mm, it was a large calibre weapon, and made use of intelligent projectiles that could explode at pre-set distances or using proximity sensors. The marine pointed the weapon at the barricade. A number marking the range as forty-six metres appeared on the display. Without thinking, the marine tapped the plus one mode, setting the range to forty-seven metres. The gun fired once and spat a high explosive smart round far off into the distance. Before it hit, the marine was back in cover and waiting.

Nate watched all of this with fascination. The L48 was still used as a primary weapon on many of the Vanguard armour systems, but was quite a rarity amongst the regular marines. He'd heard stories of them being used in the past, but this was his first look at the special features of such a simple, but effective weapon platform. He almost forgot he was involved in the mission and turned into little more than an observer inside his own spacecraft.

"Impressive."

Billy shook his head as the shell accelerated at subsonic speed down the corridor. The marine had actually aimed above the barricade and slightly behind it so that it was a metre behind the selected distance. The device activated at the exact moment it hit the pre-set distance and then exploded. By selecting an HE round, the firer had access to the largest blast, and it did its job beautifully. The flash filled the end of the corridor, and the concussive energy threw the enemy in all directions. So powerful was the blast, one even flew over the barricade and landed on his back in front of it.

"Advance!" Lieutenant Heiskell yelled.

Billy looked at Nate.

"Now that was pretty badass."

Just thinking of the marines moving through the station reminded him of those still on board. He indicated behind them and to the large cargo area inside the Mauler.

"Might be an idea to check on them."

Billy nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'm on it."

His friend released his harnesses and twisted about to activate the series of armoured hatches. It took a moment until he could see the spacious interior of the Mauler. Inside was General Honorius, as well as the small unit of marines that had stayed behind.

"General, everything okay?"

The ancient Byotai looked up to Billy and spoke in his own tongue. For a second they looked at each other, and then the external translators kicked in.

"We are waiting."

Billy might have laughed, but he could not bring himself to do that, not in front of the famed warrior from the Empire. He gave them one last look and then returned to the cockpit and pulled on his harness. Even though they stayed on the pad, the engines rumbled gently, waiting for the moment they might be needed. Captain Cornwallis had suggested letting them cool, but Nate was not happy about leaving them off-line. Every minute they waited on the platform, the more nervous he became.

"We should be back on board Relentless by now."

Nate nodded in agreement, but his eyes were drawn to an incoming broadcast from Relentless. He listened carefully as the familiar voice of Commander Higgins sounded through the cockpit.

"Mongoose. I need an update fast. What is your status?"

Nate licked his dry lips before answering.

"Mongoose is active and waiting. Reports from the boarding parties show most of the lower decks have been secured. Lieutenant Heiskell is minutes from reaching the Cortex."

"Very well. Stay where you are. We have company."

Nate looked to Billy.

"Company, from where?"

The audio crackled.

"Check your external mapping. We have two Byotai, militia flagged, and heading our way. They just came through the Spacebridge and have their gun ports open."

"How long do we have?"

Again there was a short pause.

"They will be in range in forty-five minutes. Corsair Squadron is moving to delay them with Dragon long-range missiles. Thunder will stay with you at the station."

Billy pointed to the ceiling of the craft.

"Maybe it's time for the rest of the Knighthawks to launch now."

He hadn't meant for the Commander to hear, but the channel was still open.

"Not happening, Ensign. I want you back here in thirty minutes, not a second more."

Nate shook his head.

"But, Sir. It will take more than that for Lieutenant Heiskell and the marines to get back here. They are spread through the station, and according to reports from the other squads, they've located nearly twenty Byotai soldiers. Some are seriously wounded."

"Understood. You need to be ready to leave. I'll contact Lieutenant Heiskell. He needs to get moving, standby."

"Yes, Sir."

Nate let out a long, slow breath just as Billy lurched forward in surprise.

"Watch out!" Billy shouted.

A massive section of metal came down metres ahead and crashed onto the platform. It shattered upon impact, but not before cutting a trench nearly a metre wide through the deck plating. Nate instantly tapped the comms while powering up the engines.

"Get aboard fast. We've got trouble!"

The first of the marines turned back and caught his foot on the ramp. He stumbled and then crashed down, face first. The second bent down, yanked his comrade to his feet, and both threw themselves in the side door. As soon as they were inside, General Honorius smashed his left fist into the security button and sealed the door. The ramp lifted, and the door slammed shut in a matter of three seconds, conveniently coinciding with when Nate pulled back on the controls.

"Hold on!"

Without time to grab onto the harnesses or to activate the magclamps, they were forced to use whatever grab handles were nearby until the panic was over. The four engines pulsed with power as they increased their thrust. These engines were designed to pushed the spacecraft up into space with a full complement of marines on board, so with such a light cargo, it was able to lift quickly. No sooner had the engines fired up, and they were surrounded by another thick cloud of smoke and dust.

"There's another chunk coming down," said Billy.

They looked ahead as multiple sections broke away from the inner structure. Nate swivelled one of the engines and moved away from the platform, but only enough to avoid the next impact.

"Relentless, what's going on out there?"

The next message stunned them.

"Mongoose, we've got an unidentified battleship class vessel, and it's coming right for us. They have launched multiple volleys of heavy torpedoes," replied Commander Higgins, "It looks like some kind of supercarrier."

His voice was cut off and replaced by Captain Cornwallis.

"Son, it's about to hit the fan. This ship is unlike anything we've seen before. They are targeting our escorts, and based on the specifications I'm looking at, it could cause us a lot of trouble. We'll do what we can, but time is short. You've got fifteen minutes to get aboard. After that, we're out of here! Captain Galanos says any longer and these enemy ships will be at the station."

His voice increased in volume, and Nate was certain he could sense fear in the officer's voice.

"Do whatever you have to, Ensign Lewis. Just get the Prince and our people out of there fast! Too long and we'll be nothing but molten slag!"

"Yes, Sir."

Nate looked to Billy and shook his head.

"If you've got any ideas, now would be the time."

"Alert! Alert!"

The tactical screen flashed red as multiple targets breached the defensive cordon around the station. Scores of hypersonic torpedoes rushed towards ANS New Berlin, doing their best to evade the clouds of chaff, gunfire, and counter missile fire. Many were downed, but at least three struck the craft amidships. The initial explosions were small, but seconds later were followed up by secondary blasts that tore sections from the hull. Nate's eyes widened as one of them missed the ship and arced around for a second pass. At such speed there was no way for it to turn quickly enough, and it was heading right for them.

"No...we must!"

The weapon impacted on the station's hull with a devastating blast. Dozens of holes appeared in the outer hull, and a large section of the inner walls tore off and collapsed down onto the landing platform. A second later and the massive section of metal would have buried the nose of the landing craft. As the inner section was torn about, the low-levels of shielding failed, and any air remaining was quickly sucked out of this part of the station. The Mauler swung around due to the massive shift in direction and collided with a gantry. The chunk of metal scraped down the side of the craft, but mercifully failed to breach the armour, or worse to damage the engines.

"Come on. We need to get out of here," said Billy.

Nate nodded while spinning the Mauler about on its axis. The outer door twisted and split as more chunks of metal were sucked out until it was a tangle of wreckage.

"Easier said than done," said Nate.

Billy pointed ahead at the battered and damaged outer wall.

"Yeah?" Nate asked.

Billy's mouth lifted in a smile.

"We go through the wall."

"Ah, excellent, do it."

Nate pushed the nose of the Mauler down and began swivelling the engines ready for their escape. Billy rotated all four forward turrets and aimed at the point twenty-five metres from their current position.

"Hold on. This is gonna get heavy."

He depressed the trigger, and streams of gunfire hammered the outer hull from each corner of the Mauler. It would not have been easy to breach it under normal circumstances, but having sustained so much damage, it ripped apart with ease. Billy looked to Nate.