Operation Hellfire (17 page)

"Sir, I cannot enter the facility until the signal has been sent. Can you confirm this?" said Ensign Lewis.

Lieutenant Heiskell nodded furiously to himself.

"Affirmative, Mongoose. The signal is a go. We have what we came for. We'll be ready, Son. Just get here. I'm not leaving without my marines."

As he disconnected from the young pilot, the chanting stopped and was replaced by a blood-curdling howl. Corporal Johnson ran up the ramp from where he'd been watching from half a level lower.

"Here they come, Sir!"

To emphasise the point, three of the M21 Scimitar mines detonated, showering the approaching enemy with high explosive and tungsten ball bearings. Lieutenant Heiskell slid his pistols into their holsters and signalled for one of the medics to pass the carbine from a wounded marine. He then turned around and pointed the weapon down into the passage.

"This is it, Marines. Hold them until the bird gets here. Not much longer now."

* * *

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

Two Hawkmoth fighters made directly for the Mauler's nose, but this time Thunder Squadron was ready. One hit them from behind, while another Lightning swept in from the left and raked them with a double burst of cannon fire. As the Alliance fighters separated, there was nothing but broken wreckage drifting in space.

"Thanks, Thunder Squadron. That's three we owe you now."

"Understood, Mongoose," said their leader, "Just get the cargo out of there and back home. We're all relying on you now."

Nate muttered at hearing this. He was only too familiar with how serious the mission was, and the constant reminders did little for his nerves. He had been involved in plenty of stressful simulations, but never before had so many actual lives been in his hands.

"Will do."

It was all he could manage as they finished moving away and rolled around in a lazy arc to face the station. Even as they rolled about on their axis, Nate found it impossible not to glance at Relentless and the two escorts. The ships had already pulled back from the station and were firing a massive barrage of guns and missiles towards the approaching Star Empire supercarrier. It was impossible to see the spacecraft with the naked eye, but the sparkle of white dots marked the distant impact of weapons, as well as the bright flashes from weapon barrels.

We don't have long.

He opened his mouth to speak but found no words, as a barrage of projectiles struck the assault ship. Most were vaporised by the defence guns or the defensive fire delivered from the two Liberty Class destroyers. For all their firepower, a number still made it past the guns and struck her hard. Dozens of flashes along the bow marked the locations of the shells as they bit deeply into her already burnt and punctuated armour.

"Relentless is in trouble. We have to hurry."

Nate checked the settings on the Mauler and the pre-set positions to land inside station. The timing would have to be perfect; else they would crash into the Cortex and kill the two of them, and anybody nearby. He knew many of those on the station, but it was the Valentine’s face that kept coming back to him. Her life was in his hands, and it left him feeling sick to his stomach.

"This is it, Billy."

His friend turned to look at him, but a pair of fighters screeched past, and he spun two turrets to the left, savaging them with a half-second burst. It was little more than reaction fire, yet still Billy hit them. Only when they were gone did his eyes return to Nate's.

"About time," he agreed, "Punch it."

Nate pointed the nose towards a circular plate bulging above the top of the station. To any newcomer it might look like an observation pod, or perhaps even an outlet cover. Atop this structure was a single tall antenna covered in dishes and hundreds of smaller aerials. Information from Kratha and his people had showed it was actually the armour plated ceiling above the Cortex controller, and the antenna was all part of the station's communications system. Now lined up, a series of dotted lines covered the antenna section and then created a red hexagonal target reticule.

"Open her up," said Nate.

Billy held his breath as he activated the pair of Sea Skua missiles. The anti-ship missiles blasted off from the Mauler and towards the tower that extended out like a spoke from the station. Tracer fire from the fighters on both sides arced back and forth, but none of them could interfere with the missiles’ progress. They both reached a short distance above the target and exploded, their warheads ripping a breach in the outer hull.

"Nicely done," said Nate.

They waited as a great stream or air, dust, and debris gushed out of the ruptured hull. The effect from where they were positioned was like an artificial geyser, or a mortal wound on some monstrous beast. After it subsided, Nate began to push the throttle to a higher setting. They felt the g-forces as the engines accelerated them faster and faster to the station.

"Okay, now give me a little more space."

The gyro-stabilised gun mounts allowed Billy to fire accurate shots, but on this occasion he needed to be even more careful. The computer marked out the shape of the shaft that led into the station, and he had to ensure every single round struck inside the zone.

"Firing."

The four front-facing turrets opened fire, unleashing a series of short bursts at the target. The high explosive rounds exploded on impact, creating larger holes around the perimeter, all while the Mauler continued towards the breached hull.

"This is ANS Mongoose. Entering the station now."

They crashed into the shattered outer hull, having no way of seeing beyond, due to the floating dust and debris. Nate ignored the forward view, relying upon the computer model of the station and his carefully positioned waypoints. The initial impact was a lot harder than either expected, and the Mauler twisted about nearly thirty degrees before Nate could right the spacecraft.

"Hold, on!"

With a careful boost of power, he spun them around, and to both of their astonishment, they were in position opposite the platform and hovering in the middle of the long shaft. Nearly twenty metres below them pulsed the station’s Cortex, the core of the Byotai Empire's communication system.

"Get the doors. We need to leave."

Billy didn't need to be told twice as he hit the flank door buttons. The right side door hissed open and dropped down, creating a gangplank from the Mauler to the platform.

* * *

The final assault by the enraged militia was the shortest, and the bloodiest. This time they did not stop, even after the terrible carnage inflicted by the anti-personnel mines. On they came, only to fall to rifle and carbine fire, and then directly into the massive Vanguards now blocking the entrance to the platform. At least thirty lay dead and still more clambered over the fallen, blasting away with their weapons, desperate to kill or maim the remaining marines. The Vanguards returned fire, scores of projectiles bouncing off or embedding in their thick armour.

The Byotai might have succeeded, had it not been for the series of explosions above. The ceiling way above them vanished, and a great storm ripped through the station. All thoughts of battle vanished as the blast of air and dust made the interior of the shaft look like it had been hit by a typhoon. Visibility dropped to a few metres as the powerful currents buffeted the marines. It only lasted for a few seconds, and as it subsided, the scale of the damage above them became clear. A breach had been ripped out into space, and through it had travelled chunks of metal, loose weapons, and many bodies from both sides. Only those that had held on tightly, or made use of their mag-boots, remained alive inside this part of the station.

The marines continued holding onto the railings along the platform, even though their mag-boots should have been more than sufficient. One wounded marine started to lift up, but two of his comrades grabbed the rising body, yanking it back down as the storm began to abate.

As the visibility improved, Private Valentine emerged from the violent battering. For all the power and devastation, every single one of her comrades remained, pinned in place by a combination of technology, iron will, and camaraderie. They were all covered in the grime of war, but some began to laugh at the insanity of it all.

"Hold on," Lieutenant Heiskell shouted, "Here she comes!"

He lifted his hands to protect his face as the massive shape of the Mauler crashed through the upper level and forced its way down the shaft. All of the marines held onto anything they could find as the breached atmosphere continued to exert all manner of forces on them. As he looked to his right, he was stunned to find the shimmering form of the bullet ridden Mauler hovering in the shaft, and with its side ramp lowered down onto the platform.

Well, I'll be damned!

"Marines, get inside, now!"

Not one of them hesitated as they rushed from the platform and onto the ramp that continued to drift and slide about. After they were all inside, the door rose up to seal shut, and the last thing Lieutenant Heiskell saw was a pair of Byotai militia, both waving firearms at the thick armour of the Mauler.

"Too late, my friends. Much too late."

The engines roared, and the gravitational forces shifted to make them feel heavier and a little unstable on their feet. Some even stumbled as they lost their footing and fell into their friends. They helped each other attach their harnesses or activate the myriad of clamps installed in the Mauler.

"Buckle up. It's time to get the hell out of here."

Alliance Armoured Assault Ship 'ANS Relentless', Eighth Quadrant Fleet Reserve Base

Ensign Rex Hampel shook his head with frustration. The battle had been raging for an age, and still they had been kept back. With Nate and Billy gone, that meant seven of them had been left aboard and strapped inside their Lightning fighters. Three had since launched, led by Ensign Hawkins, leaving Rex, Artur Augustyniak, Matilda, and Neil 'Spiv' Fletcher waiting on their launch rails. While they waited impotently on the flank launch rail system, Rex and Matilda sat on the top fast launch deck alone and tired. This position meant they could be sent into action in an instant, all without having to open any of the airlocks or breach the central landing deck of the ship.

With half of the Squadron already in space, and on their way back after having launched all of their long-range ordnance at the approaching enemy ships, Rex was feeling even more frustrated. Corsair Squadron had taken a beating and was back aboard, and what remained of Thunder Squadron continued to battle around the station, desperately trying to buy time for the three ships and the one Mauler that had been sent down to the station.

This is going to be over before we even fire up our engines.

He opened his mouth, ready to vent. He'd been working on a speech over and over in his mind for what seemed an eternity. Instead, he was stopped in his tracks by the calm voice of Matilda.

"Mongoose in coming back. They must have completed their mission."

"Great," he snapped back, "That's just great. They get all the action, and what do we do?"

Matilda shook her head, but Rex didn't notice. His mind was on the battle, and he wanted to be involved more than anything.

"We wait for when we're needed. Most of our fighters are back on board to refuel and rearm. Right now we've got six out there. Just look..."

She stopped as a series of warnings lit up their cockpits.

"We’ve got company. Looks like they are throwing their last squadron of Hawkmoths at ANS Mongoose. Thunder Six and Seven are down. Mongoose has lost her escort. I repeat; Mongoose has lost her escort."

The launch light flashed twice, and Rex took a deep breath.

Finally, here we go!

The two fighters accelerated forward on the electromagnetic sleds and through the series of rapidly opening and closing airlock doors. They were in space and their engines active even as the mission details continued to arrive.

"The Hawkmoths have them trapped, and all remaining fighters are busy maintaining the anti-missile screen against the approaching supercarrier," said Commander Higgins.

Red icons popped up one by one on Rex's visor.

"Here are your targets. Give Mongoose some breathing space. She needs to get aboard in one piece."

"Affirmative, Relentless. We're on it."

The two Lightning Fighter-Bombers rolled to their left so that their noses were pointing towards the distant station, and then activated their burners. Huge gouts of flame burst out from their engines as they increased to even greater speeds.

"ANS Mongoose, this is Knighthawk Two. We're here to plough the field. Maintain your present speed and heading."

"Affirmative, Knighthawk Four, good to see you."

Rex grinned at hearing his friend's voice. No matter how hard any of them tried, they still sounded like kids compared to the battle hardened marines and pilots in the fleet. The pair of fighters moved faster and faster until finally the Byotai fighters were visible without the assistance of the computer targeting system. They were so close now it was very dangerous to even consider using their missiles. They moved like a cloud of flies behind the Mauler, whose only remaining rear facing turret was struggling to keep them away.

"Keep her steady, Mongoose. We're coming in now."

Rex looked to his left and checked Matilda was in position. Their fighters were beautifully aligned, and he looked at her for moment, entranced by the beauty of the fighter as they hurtled towards their foe.

Incredible, just incredible!

He looked back and tagged the two fighters to his left.

"Take those two. I'll have the pair on the right."

"Affirmative," answered Matilda.

The fighters pulled apart so that the distance between them was now nearly fifty metres. The closing speed between both groups was shrinking by the second until finally they reached three hundred metres. Rex moved his finger to the controls.

"Now!"

Both pilots depressed their triggers, and the under slung cannons opened fire, hammering the Hawkmoth fighters with a fusillade of powerful shells. Three exploded in an instant, but the fourth pulled up at the last moment, just as the pair of Alliance fighters thundered past.

"Slide and shoot," said Matilda.

Rex was nominally in charge, but he knew she was right. His instinct was to pull up his nose and roll the fighter around in a wide arc, but this was space, not atmospheric combat. Both of them rolled upwards so they were upside down in relation to the Mauler and flying backwards.

"Take him out!" Rex said.

The distance between them had moved to seven hundred metres and was increasingly rapidly. Both pulled their triggers, and after nearly one second of striking, a number of rounds hit the rear of the fourth and last remaining fighter. One engine flashed, and then a series of tiny explosions tore it apart.

"Thanks, Knighthawks," said Nate over the fleet channel, "We owe you."

"No problem, Mongoose. Now let's get home before Relentless leaves without us."

The two fighters split apart and followed a long arc until finally facing the direction followed by the Mauler. It took another twenty seconds for them to catch up and then move to the Mauler's flanks. Rex opened his mouth to speak but then spotted the damage to the exterior of the Mauler.

"How the hell did you survive that fight?"

He shook his head in astonishment, especially when he realised he could see the armoured shapes inside the hull of the Mauler. The spacecraft was designed to land marines directly into battle while under fire, yet here he was, able to see through the breaches.

You lucky son of a gun!

* * *

Alliance Battleship 'ANS Warlord' in orbit around Ararrh III.

The battleship ploughed through the pair of Byotai transports that had lashed themselves to the flank of the Helion cruiser. It was a messy affair, but the thick armour of ANS Warlord was more than able to bear the impact as they cut through the much more weakly built ships. To any watching, it must have looked more like an icebreaker crashing its way through sheet ice. Once through, they moved on with a column of Alliance ships following right behind.

For every three of four civilian ships, there was a captured Byotai military vessel, and even a handful of mercenary ships, and none gave any quarter. One Alliance destroyer was quickly surrounded by a total of eight ships. Although she sustained damage, her multiple gun turrets put out such a withering bombardment she managed to break through, just in time for the next Alliance ship to pass through the same sector. Each time an enemy ship was crippled or destroyed, it was quickly replaced by another two, and all seemed desperate to fire everything they had at the new arrivals; or worse still to crash their own damaged ships into anything they could find.

"This is insanity," said Admiral Churchill.

Admiral Churchill had fought in many battles in his life, but never in one so confused. His enemy was not a disciplined fleet of Biomech warships, or even the advanced and futuristic designs rumoured to be used by some Star Alliance units. Instead, he faced the motley forces of Star Empire militia, and most of the ships were civilian or stolen Byotai military. They lacked discipline and cohesion as a military force, yet for all that, they were causing him problems.

"They can do little to harm us from a distance, and yet still they come on. They are slowing us down, and if we break formation, they will pick us off one by one."

He looked to his XO, a man with a worried look on his face. In the background, the Admiral spotted a Crusader Class heavy cruiser burning its way through a transport as it careered towards the Alliance ship on a collision course. The guns flashed back and forth before the transport finally exploded. Through the flames came another two ships, and as they moved closer, they opened up hidden gun ports and raked the ship with broadsides.

"How many more Byotai civilians are left? We can't take much more of this. All they need is one major success, and they will be on us like wolves on a wounded animal."

Commander Jarvis looked out through the tall windows at the planet of Ararrh III below them. It was a meaningless rock with little strategic value. The only reason they were there was because it sat between the Spacebridges that led both home, and deeper into the former realm of the Byotai.

"Three quarters of the civilian ships have already left, and they are heading for the Rift at full speed. The only group left are those."

He pointed ahead and a good distance below their current position. They were dots from this far way, but the tactical map showed the designations of scores more ships, and these were clustered around the single largest group of the enemy ships. Dotted lines marked where the guns from both sides were firing, and it was already turning into something of a bloodbath.

"An hour ago they were either running or surrendering. They had no hope."

Admiral Churchill shook his head and sighed.

"And now they've heard the message from Kratha."

Commander Jarvis nodded.

"According to comms, the signal has spread through the Byotai hierarchy and is not stopping. It's like the signal fires of old. It takes time, but eventually every single person will get the message."

Both looked down at the hundreds of flashing lights. At that very moment, the entire CIC filled with a bright white light. Protective shielding on the windows activated immediately to dim the effect and ensure none of the officers was injured. As the brightness receded, they both looked out through the windows and towards the shrinking fireball.

"Admiral," said the tactical officer, "That was one of the civilian heavy transports. They must have detonated some kind of atomic warhead. They destroyed themselves, as well as two of the ships filled with refugees."

Admiral Churchill shook his head in frustration.

"We have to move faster. Lives are at stake!"

Even as he said the words, he saw another civilian ship that had altered course. Instead of fleeing the planet, it was making directly for a similarly sized enemy ship. The only obvious difference between them was the brightly coloured insignia that marked the enemy ship. Small guns on both vessels blasted away to little discernible effect.

"They have hope. And now they fight for their Imperator."

The Admiral rubbed his chin as he considered his next move. It wasn't what he'd wanted them to do.

"Okay, it's time."

He walked back from the bridge and towards the heart of the CIC, a position filled with screens and dozens of senior officers. It was the busiest CIC in the fleet, and certainly the largest. The mainscreen showed a magnified view of the battle, but it was the tactical display of the disposition of the entire fleet he was truly interested in. He looked to the left, and right, and then followed the empty expanse of space until reaching Ararrh II. They were at opposite sides of the map. A number of new red shapes flickered around the second planet.

"So, these are the new, vaunted ships of the Star Alliance. Interesting."

Alongside the map icons were images of the actual ships. He was fascinated to see that the enemy flagship was similar in size to his own, and for a moment wondered what would happen if they were to meet.

One day, perhaps, but not today!

"Look at these ships."

The Admiral lifted his right arm and pointed at another group that had just come through the first Rift and was heading towards Ararrh II and Relentless.

"Based on the scans, they look damaged and are overheating badly."

"Yes," Commander Jarvis agreed, "It can only mean one thing."

The Admiral looked to his XO with a single raised eyebrow.

"Well?"

"They have made it here at maximum burn. I'd say their ships are worn out, perhaps even damaged by the race to get here. Either that, or they are making a big deal at trying to make us think that."

Admiral Churchill licked his lips and nodded.

"Yes, you may be right. It's the kind of ruse that we would probably try and pull off, but why the rush? They have the resources and the time to deal with us or any other threat."

The two men said the next words at the same time, and that unnerved the Admiral more than anything else.

"It's a trap."

Admiral Churchill took several deep breaths and considered his options. He was already outnumbered, but he was sure that even with just fifteen ships and his Helion allies he could prevail. What worried him was that Ararrh II was almost eighteen hours from the Spacebridge to the safety of the Fiorr Veej System. From his current position, it would take at least sixteen hours to reach the same destination, assuming his ships could sustain a one hundred and fifty percent engine burn. It was still not home, but it was out in the Deadlands, and currently protected by a small force of hired security ships under the auspices of the Byotai military.