When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (99 page)

             
The smell drew the hardest toll. The two soldiers had moved the bodies into a corner, and they had already begun to decay. Trik had been around death before, but Vim struggled to maintain control of his stomach. H
e’
d already vomited twice that Trik had seen. Still, there had been no griping or complaining since the
y’
d started the frenzied reconstruction of one of the raide
r’
s shuttles.

             
Vim, as the only one with any workable knowledge of spacecraft, directed Trik toward different wreckages to scavenge computers and other small bits and pieces. The engineer took on the lio
n’
s share of gathering material, using a small gravity lifter to haul sections of hull and engine compartments across the bay. Little by little, their rescue craft came together. It was
n’
t pretty, in fact it was quite the opposite, but if it flew it would be more than enough.

             
Trik paused at the outside of a crumpled Imperial troop transport. Half of the ship had been obliterated by the shore party, cleared away to make room for more shuttles. The more he thought about it, the more the soldier felt he may have destroyed this very vessel. Invading
Xenogas
seemed like a lifetime ago. Dozens of special forces had been committed to a rescue operation for only three people. It had seemed like a waste to him, but a soldier of the Stone Guard was sworn to obey the orders of his commander. As he stood there, catching his breath, his thoughts found their way to Mara. Bursting through her door, he had
n’
t had time to marvel at her beauty. He never fancied himself a romantic, but his hearts had beaten faster.

             
“Are you okay
?”
Vim called out from across the room.

             
Trik regained his composure
.“
Just fine. I found the converter coil. How much do you need
?
”

             
“About six arm-lengths should do
,”
he replied.

             
Trik pulled on the thick, blue and black cord. He measured it from wrist to shoulder, counting in his head until he had enough. Just to be safe, he added a few extra feet before cutting the line with his combat knife. The wires split with snaps and pops before finally separating. The soldier dragged his prize across the floor, dumping at Vi
m’
s feet. His arms ached at the effort, but the engineer swore the coil was worth its weight in gold.

             
“How sure are you that this will work
?”
Trik asked.

             
Vim sighed
.“I’
m pretty much certain we will die if we stay here. In fact, that much can be considered gospel. But
I’
ve done a few tours in the factories, so building a shuttle is
n’
t outside of my area of expertise. Granted, we had machined parts and were
n’
t borrowing our air scrubbers from five different wrecks
.
”

             
“Will we have Blue capability
?
”

             
The engineer laughed
.“I’
ll be amazed if we can fly faster than this room
.”
He saw the look of anger flash over Tri
k’
s face and caught himself
.“
I can try to work in a drive from one of the smaller fighters. The
y’
re short-range, made for jumping between planets so that they never stray too far from the deploying vessel. Makes for an awful long trip
.
”

             
“I
t’
ll be a lot longer and a lot more awful if w
e’
re traveling at standard speeds
,”
Trik said
.“
How long will it take to install
?
”

             
Vim thought for a moment, looking at the vast array of parts and pieces scattered on the floor
.“
Another week,
I’
d say
.
”

             
“And how long until the air becomes toxic
?
”

             
“Less than three hours
,”
Vim said grimly.

             
Trik knelt down by his weary prisoner. He held the ma
n’
s shoulders firmly, looking him in the eyes
.“
Focus on me.
I’
ve been in worse places, Vim. Lost on the battlefield, surrounded by Chtanul and out of ammunition. It always seems hopeless right before you find the way. Are you a believer
?”
Vim nodded
.“
Every choice we make takes us further down the path of light or the path of shadow. Today we will make the right choices. Today we will survive. Tell me what to do. Use my hands
.”
He picked up a hand laser, testing the charge
.“
You say we have three hours? W
e’
re launching in two
.
”

-                           
XII                            -

              The radio tower stood high above the rooftops of the surrounding buildings, visible for miles around. Human militaries would have destroyed it in the first wave of attacks, but the alien jammers rendered the structure useless. As the trio approached, they could hear the staccato of rifle fire. A high-pitched whine followed, shrill and intense. Zev pushed the civilians against the wall as an explosion rocked the alleyway. Smoke rose in a spiraling column one street down, and the gruff voices of Boxti foot soldiers could be heard under the din.

             
“W
e’
re close
,”
Zev said to Timothy
.“
Stay in cover while I find us a path
.
”

             
Mary leaned out from behind her fathe
r’
s legs
.“
Ca
n’
t we just run to the station
?
”

             
Zev knelt down, putting a hand on her shoulder
.“
I
t’
s too dangerous now. Give me a few minutes and w
e’
ll be inside. Nice and safe, Okay
?”
He patted her head as she nodded and rose to his feet. Timothy gave him a thumbs up and pulled his daughter into an alcove and ducking down. From the right angle the
y’
d be invisible. As long as no one snuck up from behind.

             
Taking his rifle in hand, Zev stepped up to the street and peered around the corner. Three men from his platoon bunkered down behind concrete barriers near the radio station stairs. Every few seconds one would pop up, fire a burst, then drop as return fire peppered the area. A Boxti heavy cannon had been set up on the second floor of the adjacent building, a Thai restaurant. There were at least five of the creatures; two lizard men and three purple-skinned cyclopses. All wore plated body armor, tailored to fit their unique body shapes. As Zev looked for an avenue of approach he heard the angry buzz of a Wasp.

             
The soldiers hit the deck as the automatic laser opened fire, sending a thick stream of orange bolts into the radio station entrance. Concrete exploded in chunks, sending gray powder into the air and showering the street with bits of barrier. The aliens used the distraction to pick up their crew-served weapon and move into a flanking position. They disappeared behind a wall inside the building, emerging a few seconds later on the ground level. Without checking the street the five enemy grunts lumbered outside and moved to a nearby coffee house. Zev, waiting patiently, saw his opening.

             
As the last lizard man stepped out from cover, the sergeant leaned out and lobbed a grenade. The black disk caught the air and flew straight at the center of the his target. As it armed, the explosive chirped twice. The aliens heard the sound and stopped to investigate just as the frag touched down. Zev used the alley to shield himself from the explosion, counted to three, then popped out firing. The lizard men were dead already, split into pieces and spilling green and yellow blood onto the sidewalk. The purple creatures managed to suck up the shrapnel and keep rushing forward, but a burst from Ze
v’
s assault rifle laid them flat. He put a round in each head just to be sure as he sprinted to cover.

             
The Wasp had
n’
t changed targets, and the soldier
s’
barrier was just about out. Zev slung his weapon across his back; it would
n’
t have any effect on the aircraft. Leaping from the coffee-shop entrance, he hoisted up the alien cannon and pointed it at the flying machin
e’
s engine. Thankfully the trigger was in the usual place, but Zev had to beat his fists against the cool metal receiver until he found the bolt release. The heavy gun bucked as it spat slugs into the belly of the canopy. Sparks burst from each impact and blood coated the inside of the cockpit. Finally a round hit the fuel line and the entire Wasp burst into flames, wheeling sideways before crashing into a building. Debris rained down into the street, but the cheers of the infantrymen could still be heard.

             
Zev dragged the cannon over to his comrades, grabbing them each in one-armed hugs as he arrived. They clapped him on the back, made comments about his eye and told him how they had hated to leave him behind. It was all well and good, but Zev had more important things to worry about. He called out into the alley.

             
“All clear, Tim
.
”

             
The civilian and his daughter appeared, jogging toward the steps with a purpose. Timothy had his submachine gun out and was checking corners, all while holding Mar
y’
s hand and pulling her along. They made quite a sight: the refugee and little girl. Once Zev had them safely up the stairs and into the station, he became a sergeant again. He barked orders to the three soldiers, telling them to police the bodies and drag more barriers over. The position was secure but not fortified, and that had to change if they were all going to walk out alive.

             
“Now
,”
Zev said after handing out duties
.“
Where is the LT
?
”

             
Gabriel was inside the broadcast suite, along with the rest of the Scouts. They had the radio transmitte
r’
s guts pulled out of the walls and spread on the floor; a sea of multicolored wires and motherboards. Sadly, none of the veterans had much experience with electrical systems. The officer looked up in surprise and joy when Zev walked into the room.

             
“Christ, sergeant
.”
He stood, coming over to give the big man a hug
.“
I
t’
s good to see you up and about. How did you get the doc to let you leave
?
”

             
Zev smiled
.“I’
m real good with my words, sir
.
”

             
“So you just left
.
”

             
“Yup
.”
He laughed
.“
Tim here thought you might be having some trouble with the radio
.
”

             
Gabriel turned and pointed at the chaos on the carpeted floor
.“
We thought it was going to be a simple job. Maybe a few wires got disconnected during the bombing or something. We managed to get some power back with a generator in the basement, but as soon as we turned it on those bastards zeroed in on us
.
”

             
Zev frowned
.“
Did
n’
t seem so bad when we got here. Only five of them, plus a Wasp
.
”

             
“Tha
t’
s a scouting party. Or a heavy weapons team. They send a lot of those around too, just to fuck with our own patrols. I do
n’
t think they even care how many we take out. The
y’
re trying to demoralize us before they kill us
.”
He motioned to one of the soldiers and the young man disappeared, returning a moment later with bottles of water for Mary and Tim
.“
This place was stocked well. Too bad no one made it here after the attack. Ther
e’
s chow in the kitchen, if yo
u’
re hungry
.
”