When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (41 page)

             
The last three rooms had been costly. H
e’
d called in Alex
a’
s reinforcements after a stray round clipped Valenzuela. Gordon and Naren had fallen to a tripmine shortly thereafter, and Alberts had taken a round to the throat before the
y’
d cleared the final room on the floor. With only five soldiers left to take the complex, the odds of success continued to dwindle. The
y’
d used the last of their grenades flushing out a nest of heavy gunners in a hallway, leaving them with only their rifles to take the loft. Eight Alpha troops stood between them and victory. If they could kill four more and hold until the siren, they would be the winners for the game by a hair.

             
“Throw down your arms
,”
he called out, crouching by the final doorway
.“
Surrender and yo
u’
ll be allowed to live
.”
It was a bluff he knew they would
n’
t call. Even if h
e’
d had a full squad, they had to know it was Charlie and not Delta in their base. Night had fallen quickly and the casualty report was surely posted.

             
A voice called out
.“
Come and get us
.
”

             
Josh could
n’
t help but grin. He knew who was inside
.“
Zev? You still alive
?
”

             
“So far. Is that you, Rantz
?”
Zev laughed
.“
I was sure we killed you a month ago. Did
n’
t I shoot you by the resupply post
?
”

             
Josh looked over at Dax
.“
That was you? At the cache
?”
He signaled for Dax to pull his DaVinci out. The big man grumbled, slinging his rifle over his back and lugging out the heavy weapon
.“
That was some mean shit. I did
n’
t see the mines until we were sitting on the
m
”

             
“Sorry I missed. Why do
n’
t you come in here and
I’
ll make it up to you
?
”

             
Nicholai and Malcolm, Alex
a’
s support gunners, hunkered behind a table and reloaded their magazines. Each tapped their ammo pouch and held up a finger, signaling that they had a single magazine remaining. At the far end of the hall, aiming a machine gun at the door, Felix waved his hand that he was ready. Josh and Dax rose up and prepared to breach.

             
“Last chance, Zev
.
”

             
The Alpha sergeant responded with a burst of rifle fire that caused Nicholai to duck down. Josh pulled a small pouch from his thigh pocket. It was a heater from his combat rations. He sucked in a mouthful of water and spit into the sack, sealing it tight. The heater began to boil, gasses building up inside the enclosed bag. When he felt the bubbles reach a breaking point, he tossed the heater inside the room.

             
“Frag out
!
”

             
The decoy worked, exploding with a sudden bang and causing the Alpha soldiers to flinch. Josh and Dax charged the room, firing on full auto. They killed two soldiers with their initial burst and drove in, taking cover behind upturned cots. Nicholai and Malcolm rushed in behind them, shooting from the hip. They took down another two before being cut apart by heavy machine gun fire. Dax growled and lunged at the gunner, leaping over the cot and firing at the same time. He hit the man in the sternum, but took a round to the shoulder from Zev. Felix came into the room, but was hit in the face before he could get off a shot. Dax hit the wall, bowling over a young private who had been cowering in the corner. Josh struggled hand-to-hand with a gangly corporal, trying to reach his pistol while fending off a knife.

             
The Alpha sergeant continued to fire, putting two more rounds in Da
x’
s chest before his rifle suddenly locked up. He slapped the magazine, trying to fix the jam. Josh seized the moment. He brought a knee up into the corpora
l’
s stomach, opening a space to draw his pistol and fire two rounds at point blank. The soldier fell back into a cot and slumped to the ground. Josh pivoted and rushed forward, tackling Zev into the corner. The bigger man ripped his rifle away and tossed it aside, drawing his knife. Josh rolled out from under and aimed his sidearm, but Zev was faster. He lashed out with the blade, just barely missing Jos
h’
s throat.

             
Josh fired a round but missed wide, hitting the wall. Zev charged in screaming, driving them both through the window. Boards exploded outward as they fell ten feet to the ground outside, hitting the dirt with a thud that knocked their wind away. Josh scrambled to his feet, fighting to catch his breath as the enemy searched for his knife. The pistol lay in the sand a few feet to the side, just behind the last Alpha soldier. Zev beckoned Josh forward, grinning.

             
“Just you and me now, Josh
.
”

             
Josh pulled his own knife and twirled it in his hand, holding it blade down. His heart pounded in his ears as the hulking sergeant rushed him again. Josh sidestepped and brought his knee up, connecting with Ze
v’
s solar plexus. The impact spun them both around.

             
“Come on, Zev
,”
Josh shouted
.“
I do
n’
t have all day
.
”

             
Zev laughed
.“
No, you do
n’
t
.”
He lunged with the knife, trying to cut into Jos
h’
s forearms.

             
They struck at the same time, catching each othe
r’
s arms at the last moment, blades inches from each othe
r’
s faces. Josh knew he was overpowered and allowed the momentum to slip his arm inside his opponent. He countered the spin, using his hips to launch Zev up and over his head. The big man flew in the air and slammed down on the ground. Josh leapt on top, using his knees to pin the soldie
r’
s arms to the dirt. The staff sergeant bucked hard, knocking Josh to the side. He barely was able to keep hold of the knife as they grappled on the ground. Zev grabbed the weapon and threw it to the side. He snatched Josh by the vest and dragged him to his feet. With incredible strength, he threw the smaller soldier into the door of one of the trucks. Zev walked over to the downed man, breathing heavily.

             
“You really thought you could take me
?
”

             
Josh lay on his back, sore as all hell. He looked at up his enemy, eyes burning
.“
Did
n’
t have to beat you
,”
he said
.“
Just keep you occupied long enough
.”
Ze
v’
s eyes widened as he realized that he was standing alone on the battlefield
.“
Take the shot
.
”

             
On the ridge, Alexa squeezed the trigger a quarter centimeter and loosed a round. The bullet flew straight and true, nailing Zev in the chest and dropping him to the ground. She let out a shout that echoed in the canyon, jumping into the air.

             
Josh crawled to his feet as Alexa ran down the ridge toward the base. He pulled his radio from his belt and twisted the knob to the command channel. He leaned against the J10 for support, his right arm tingling. He felt as though h
e’
d been hit by a truck. Looking at the size of his enemy on the ground, he understood how. Lights snapped on overhead and Josh saw three separate Seraphs floating low over the complex, the glowing windows filled with onlookers. He waved.

             
“Eagle one two, this is Caveman white one. Enemy company has been destroyed, vicinity Foxtrot November 834-213. Requesting immediate evac and class six support
.”
Alexa and Felix jogged in, sweating from the run. They grinned as Josh waited for the response from the command net.

             
“Caveman, this is Eagle. Endex declared. All suits powering down. Standby for immediate pickup and debrief. Outstanding job. Eagle out
.
”

             
Alexa grabbed Josh in a bearhug, squeezing him so hard his ribs hurt. He laughed out loud, putting his helmet against hers. When Alexa finally let go, Josh walked over to where Zev lay on the ground and waited for his eyes to open.

             
“You dead
?
”

             
Ze
v’
s eyes remained closed
.“
Feels like
.”
He blinked, grimacing
.“
Damn electrodes hurt like a sonofabitch
.
”

             
Josh held out a hand and helped the big man to his feet
.“
You know I could have taken you.
I’
d just let you think you were winning
.
”

             
Zev smirked
.“I’
d love to have seen that. I threw you into a car
.
”

             
“Yeah, and tha
t’
s clearly cheating. If there had
n’
t been a car there, I would have been right back at you like a bobcat
.
”

             
The Alpha sergeant hobbled to the vehicle and sat down in the passenger seat, rubbing his legs
.“
That would have been something
.”
He took off his helmet, taking a long drink from his camel back
.“
They coming to pick us up
?
”

             
Josh looked up at the sky, watching as a Seraph platform glided overhead, lights flashing around in a circle
.“
I hope so. I do
n’
t really know the way back from here
.”
He leaned against the door near Zev
.“
That was a good fight. Thanks for not breaking anything important
.
”

             
“Figured you needed your arms, otherwise yo
u’
ll be dateless
.
”

             
They shared a laugh as the rest of the soldiers began filing from the tents and buildings. Dax helped an Alpha gunner wh
o’
d twisted her ankle during the fighting, easing her down against a wall. A few people pulled out cards and sat to play while they waited for the shuttles to arrive for pickup.

              -                           
XIII                            -

              The order came suddenly, in a painful burst. Visions of the planet flashed in front of the Warlor
d’
s eyes, mixed with a message. He slammed his hand down on the crystalline console arm on his chair. Druuma messages were never easy to take, and a direct feed from the Homeworld even worse. The bond between host and Parasite was tenuous, and the override felt like being gutted with a rusty blade. When it was over, the Warlord leaned over and hacked, clearing his throat of phlegm. It took immense strength to recover quickly and dip his six-fingered hand into the conduit gel next to his chair.

             
“This is Warlord Eruk djun Tolan
,”
his words passed to each shi
p’
s commander through the gel
.“
Our leader has ordered us to hold beyond the plane
t’
s systems, by the gas giant. We will observe the planet for a time before moving in. All ships must avoid contact with the humans until ordered
.”
He turned to his Blood Chief, a foul and misshapen thing
.“
Send one of the frigates closer to observe their movements
.
”

             
As one, the ships began to slow, dropping to standard speed. They veered hard to the left and down the solar plane, moving into the shadow of an immense gas giant. The gravitational disruption hid their signatures, and the opaque atmosphere would provide excellent concealment while they observed their enemy. Only a single frigate continued forward, moving to a better position from which to gather intelligence.