When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (25 page)

              “We ca
n’
t take another hit like that
.”
The Chief Engineer held a blood-soaked cloth to his neck but remained at his post.

             
Berlin
was
n’
t in good shape. With
Florence
gone and the frigates dropping like flies, the carrier stood on her own. Seven remaining Boxti warships charged against the Terran boat, launching their remaining ordnance with abandon. The hangar had been hit hard, but the crew managed to keep ships coming and going for repair and refit. Engineering had all but been vented into space after a devastating barrage of heavy plasma bolts. Medical remained intact, buried as it was in the interior of the ship, but the barracks had been lost to a kamikaze bomber.

             
The fighter escort fared no better. Though well-trained and significantly motivated, the Phoenix and Sparrow squadrons could not compete with the superior technology. The alien ships were too fast, too well-armed and too well-armored for the humans to keep up.

             
What had started as a surprise attack had turned into a moderately controlled withdrawal. Civilian ships were still making the mad dash toward Tallus Node, hoping to survive long enough for a safe Blue plot that would take them away. Some, against all warnings, simply jumped as soon as they cleared atmosphere. If they were lucky, they would exit Blue Space within range of a relay. Many would probably never be heard from again.

             
The enormous Arks, one-hundred-fifty-thousand-passenger emergency shuttles, still lumbered toward the station at standard speed. With the strike group fleeing in their direction, they were about to be left behind. The captains of the two dozen arks pushed their floating cities as hard as possible, engines burning so hot they melted the walls around them. As
Berlin
neared the rear of the pack, it suddenly decelerated, firing off a huge wall of flak and chaff. The sudden burst of shrapnel halted the Boxti assault momentarily, buying the civilians the time they needed. One by one, they entered the rela
y’
s range and shot out into Blue Space.

             
Wave after wave of Y-fighter crashed against the carrie
r’
s dwindling defenses. When the aliens ran out of ammunition, they drove their ships into
Berli
n
’
s wounded frame. Fire billowed from holes all across the hull.

             
As the Boxti carrier closed distance, the Terrans prepared for a last stand.

*              *              *              *              *

              Cameron charged, engines spewing white hot fire. He could just make out the Boxti Ace attacking a small group of bombers. There were a few Y Fighters between them, so Cameron gunned his Phoenix as fast as it could take.

             
As he neared the Ace, a Boxti destroyer appeared from nowhere. One minute Cameron was looking at clear skies, the next he was staring at the belly of an enemy ship. The pilot banked hard, firing off his forward rockets, but his momentum was too great. With a sickening crunch, the Phoenix plowed into the destroyer. 

             
Alarms sounded as smoke filled the canopy. Cameron fumbled for his emergency punch out handle. His hands were shaking with adrenaline and he could
n’
t get a good hold on the grip. As he tumbled, he was faintly aware of a sudden bright blue glow that engulfed his cockpit.

*              *              *              *              *

              Shandras watched as the enemy carrier arrived at standoff range and prepared to fire. The frigates lined up, charging their weapons one final time. He kept his eyes open, wanting to face death with honor. Around the bridge, to his immense pride, his officers joined in taking in their final moments with dignity and defiance.

             
Suddenly the enemy carrier pitched to the side, a blinding blossom of fire growing from its midsection. From overhead, the supercruiser
Valley Forge
bore into the battlefield, all stations firing. Missile tubes launched school-bus-sized warheads into the frigates, saving the mammoth ten-meter rounds for the hive. Each volley collapsed shields and gouged gaping wounds in the enemy fleet.
Midway
appeared moments later, Phoenix and Seed ships spilling from the hangars and taking the fight to the Boxti. A dozen destroyers and frigates followed behind, picking off fighters and bombers. As soon as they cleared Blue Space, the cavalry let loose a torrent of screaming missiles and lead.

             
“
Berlin
, this is
Midway
actual
.”
The bridge erupted in cheers at the sound of Commodore Osak
a’
s voice
.“
Sorry to keep you waiting
.”
Within minutes, the tide had turned for the Terrans. With renewed energy,
Berlin
and the remaining escort rejoined the fight.

             
The hive carrier took another hit, losing a chunk of its engine. Drifting, and venting from every angle, the ship turned its weapons back toward Tallus. It fired indiscriminately, missing the landmass by a large margin. Seconds later, a round from
Valley Forge
ripped into the center of the Boxti craft, obliterating the engine and the carrier. Explosions racked the hive, splitting it in pieces.

             
As the Terrans watched, celebrating their victory, they saw a massive blue vortex appear on the far side of the fray. Space bubbled and frothed, the glow casting shadows across the battlefield. A giant dreadnought, easily five times the size of
Valley Forge
, emerged from the ether. Every inch of hull was double plated and spiked, with turrets in every direction. Four scythe-shaped arms protruded out in front, looking like thorns dipped in blood. Cannons jutted from every surface, all turning to face the human battle group. But it did
n’
t bother engaging them. As every human in the system gazed on, a single black missile launched from underneath the starboard plane. The obelisk-shaped projectile dropped down through the atmosphere, arcing into the center of New Freeman.

             
A blinding white light bloomed in the center of the city, growing until it engulfed the entire continent. As the light faded, a mushroom cloud the size of a mountain rose into the sky, emerging through the thick ceiling of smoke. From the center of impact, a wall of fire and smoke streaked outward, destroying everything in its path. Buildings crumbled like paper and water boiled into steam. For one terrifying moment, Hell itself fell upon Tallus.

             
Captain Shandras watched in horror from his post. Death had been a simple chore to stare down in the face of such darkness. He leaned on his chair for support, the strength having long fled from his legs. Though he did
n’
t realize, he was crying. Newman walked over, short of breath. He gripped the commande
r’
s shoulder.

             
“Jesus, sir
.
”

*              *              *              *              *

              Cameron could
n’
t believe his eyes. Through the smoke and chaos in his fighter, he saw the sun rise on Tallus and erase the human presence from the system. His fighter shook uncontrollably, struggling through the last pains of dying. The ejection system had malfunctioned, sealing him inside the spiraling Phoenix. He did
n’
t know if there was anyone out there to rescue him. In a way it did
n’
t matter. Even if they had won the field, how many had died in that bombing? Who could hope to win against such a foe? Cameron closed his eyes, tears streaming down his smoke-charred face.

             
“Cam
?
”

             
The voice came from nowhere. It was faint, distant and almost imperceptible. Cameron ignored the sound and focused on the sounds of his fighte
r’
s demise. The air filter wheezed as it tried to push oxygen through ash-clogged screens. The engine stumbled, turned and finally stopped altogether, leaving only the hum of the energy cells. Silence began to rule inside the cockpit when the voice came again.

             
“Cameron
?
”

             
Each breath came painfully, often punctuated with a choke or cough. Cameron tapped his radio, trying to clear the signal
.“I’
m here
,”
he said, his own words barely whispered
.“I’
m here
,”
he tried again with more conviction.

             
“Do
n’
t move, buddy.
I’
m coming for you
.
”

             
Something moved in the darkness, a sudden burst of speed
.“
George
?”
Cameron barely had time to register the glossy black metal before blue light engulfed him and his fighter slammed violently to the side. His head connected with the canopy and the lights went out.

Chapter Three

Ground and Pound

“
We were
n’
t setting out to create monsters. Project
New Person
was deemed an unremitting failure by everyone except that loony scientist. No, this was about taking what we already ha
d—
good, hard-working and honest soldier
s—
and turning them into the strongest form of themselves. It worked, we just did
n’
t have the funding to continue past the trial phase. In an attempt to save money, our testers paid the ultimate price.

             
“When
John Smith
gave me my chance at redemption, I knew what had to be done
.
”

                                                       
Professor Markov Ivanovich

             
                                          Civilian Advisor

             
                                          Project 11-A2-Q

             
                                          2260

-
                           
I                            -

November 20, 2236

              Kronos was hell.

             
From orbit, the medium-sized moon was a uniform brown, broken only with canyons and mountains. What little water existed on the planetoid was buried deep in the ground, accessible from the many wells built on the surface. It was a place where no human would ever dream of living, and so made the perfect training area for the Army.

             
While the citizens of nearby New Eden went about their days, the soldiers of the 185th Combined Arms Battalion endured the Crucible. For five months straight, the mixed units trained in high intensity combat. Wearing advanced simulation gear, they fought tooth and nail for every inch of a defendable dirt. Aside from bragging rights, the top performers could hope to join the ranks of the infamous Black Adders.

             
The slow rotation of the moon meant thirty-hour days, most of which was spent under the blistering heat of nearby Eros. Still, only a few days remained for the training exercise. The soldiers had been cut off from the outside world for half a year and were eager to get home. While generals and politicians and weapons manufacturers watched on, the men and women on Kronos prepared for the end.

*              *              *              *              *

              Laying in a small outcropping of rock, Joshua Rantz tried to still his breathing. His tan uniform and gray ceramic armor blended well with the bleak terrain, but a moving target still stood out like a sore thumb. Closing his eyes, Josh measured each breath in a slow four-count. In the dim light he became just another boulder on the canyon wall. Days had passed since his squad had taken position for this ambush without any sign of the enemy. Now, with water running dangerously low, it was decision time. They could stay in position, with solid overwatch and a textbook crossfire, or risk the return to their patrol base for resupply. Neither option sounded good to the de facto squad leader.

             
Staff Sergeant Menendez took a bullet from a sniper only hours before, earning Josh a battlefield promotion to the head of second squad, first platoon. Even though it was all just part of their training, the sudden loss of a friend and mentor had been a shock. The
y’
d reacted with remarkable efficiency, but the damage was done before the shot sounded in the steaming valley. It was just another blow for a dwindling group nearing the end of a losing battle.

             
Alpha Company had taken over an abandoned fort at the beginning of the games, back when the moon had been in its winter season. Months of fortifying the walls and ingress routes made the base nearly impregnable. Bravo had staged a suicidal assault, losing most of its men and women in a single day. Delta finished them off later that week with a raid. Charlie, Jos
h’
s company, had
n’
t capitalized in either case, seemingly content to be taken apart piecemeal by the other units. Captain Russell, the commanding officer, had no tactical prescience at all. After months of sitting around in an inadequately planned patrol base, the three platoon leaders had taken measures into their own hands.

             
In the last few weeks, each platoon acted autonomously, conducting guerrilla attacks. Success had been minimal, but it was better than sitting around waiting to be picked off. Delta still had a better base, but that was going to change today. After a startling attack killed off most of third platoon, Charlie was back on the offensive with the aim to seize control of Delt
a’
s position. The ambush was the first part of a precision disassembly of the uni
t’
s defenses. If the ambush failed, there would be no way to survive the next few days.

             
Josh slowly rolled onto his back, squinting through his tinted visor at the burning blue sun. This close to Eros, he could make out the stunning flares that reduced the inner ring of planetoids to charcoal. He remembered during orientation someone had asked the base commander how they knew a similar flare would
n’
t destroy the moon. A scientist, one of the many on the post, had answered with something about magnetic fields and symbiotic planetary relationships. It was fascinating, but Josh could
n’
t make heads or tails of it all. He just had to trust that a blinding flash of heat and energy was
n’
t racing toward him at the speed of light, ready to wipe this particular slice of hell out of existence.

             
Inch-by-inch, Josh slid down an incline until he was underneath a large flat rock that provided much-needed shade for the rest of the squad. At five-foot-seven, Josh was one of the smaller members of the platoon. With only a few weeks seniority against the other buck sergeants, he knew had many eyes watching him. Still, the other soldiers respected his choices and did
n’
t talk back. As he neared the bottom, he saw his soldiers waiting.

             
Dax Shepard leaned his hulking frame against the rock wall and ran a rag through the barrel of his machinegun. The support team leader was, like Josh, a battlefield promotion. However, he never worried about how his soldiers reacted to him. At six-foot-five, he towered over everyone in the company. Even without his size, he had his celebrity status to fall back on. Before joining up, Dax had been a dozer with the New Freeman Badgers for five years. He did
n’
t wear his championship rings while in uniform, but any Grudgeball fan recognized his face.

             
Josh carefully and quietly moved next to Dax and took a sip of water from the bladder in his pack
.“
Fuck, i
t’
s hot
.
”

             
“No reason to swear
.
”

             
“I find it a perfectly fitting reason to swear
.”
He took off his helmet, wiping sweat from his forehead. His sleeve came back drenched
.“
Do you think we should move? This seems like the spot, but
I’
m worried about cover on our flank
.
”

             
Dax stared at his old friend, his brow furrowed
.“
This is where the XO said Delta patrolled. Ma
n’
s been on his game the last few weeks
.”
He turned his attention back to the dry landscape
.“
Yo
u’
ve been right the last few weeks, Josh. Why are you still bouncing ideas off me
?
”

             
“Just want to be sure, you know
?
”

             
Dax shook his head
.“
No need, brother. Yo
u’
ve got this. Yo
u’
re almost as good as the LT. Have a little faith
.
”

             
Lieutenant James, formerly first platoon leader, had taken over leadership of the company a month before. With Captain Russell essentially catatonic, James ran the unit. It had been his orders that led second platoon to set up this ambush position, and he was rarely wrong.

             
Dax tilted his head to the side, sizing up his response
.“
I say we give it until night. If no one turns up, we roll back to base and figure our next move
.
”

             
“I
t’
ll screw up the rest of the platoo
n’
s mission
.”
Josh chewed on his lip
.“
We need to get our OPs further out. W
e’
ve got blinders on in this corridor
.
”

             
Dax nodded thoughtfully
.“
I
t’
ll be dangerous to push them further
.
”

             
“And i
t’
s too dangerous not to
,”
Josh said. He snapped his fingers, getting the attention of the assault team leader.

             
Alexa Haines crawled over, dragging her helmet behind her. Even covered in sand and grit from months of sleeping in the field, she still looked one shower away from being a model. Her red hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that stopped just under her shoulders.

             
“Yes, Sarge
?
”

             
Josh pulled out his map and rolled it out on the ground
.“
I need Bravo to push the OPs out another two hundred meters. Ther
e’
s three large rock formations we can use here and here
.”
He pointed to peaks on the paper
.“
Once they have a good position, have them radio coordinates and continue reporting procedures
.
”

             
“Timeline
?”
she asked.

             
“Six hours
.”
Josh looked at his watch
.“
Delta does
n’
t do night ops. If we do
n’
t see them by twenty hundred, w
e’
re moving back to base
.
”

             
Alexa pulled a protein bar from her pack and broke off a piece. She offered the snack to Dax, who popped half in his mouth before handing it off to another soldier. Each rifleman took a bite and passed the bar around, never taking their eyes off their sectors. Alexa pored over the map for two minutes, memorizing the routes, and made her way to her troops.

             
“Sh
e’
s getting good
,”
Dax said to Josh
.“
Not a year ago, you would have had to walk her through setting up observation posts
.
”

             
Josh nodded
.“
Now if only we could train snoring out of her
.
”

-                           
II                            -

              Alexander stared in stony silence out the window of
Imperion One
. Outside, Fleet patrolled the ruins of Tallus, searching for an enemy upon which to exact retribution. The planet had suffered the worst attack in humanit
y’
s history. Of the nearly three hundred million inhabitants of the sandy rock, only three million escaped. The numbers felt almost meaningless. It was impossible to comprehend the level of human suffering that had just occurred. Had it not been for the courage and sacrifice of
Berlin
and her escort, the devastation would have been total.