When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (60 page)

*              *              *              *              *

              The silver saucer tore across the sky, engines firing so hot they dragged a glowing trail in the shi
p’
s wake. Every few moments a lance of green energy struck out for the dreadnought and peeled away at its armor. In return, the Boxti vessel fired a wall of flak into the air. A crescent-shaped Nangol strike vessel flew into the deadly cloud of shrapnel and erupted into fragments. Fighters finally joined the fray, spreading out from their host ships and charging at the enemy. Boxti Hornets screamed across space launching salvos of missiles at the Terran fleet.

             
Phoenix and Sparrow squadrons joined the battle from
Midway
. The sky above New Eden became a dazzling display of color as each side loosed thousands of missiles and fiery projectiles. Frigates exploded in beautiful blossoms of orange and yellow and red. A Terran destroyer, the Luxembourg, took a handful of gut buster rockets to the magazine and blasted in half. As more and more ships fell, their shattered hulls drifted down into the atmosphere in slow death spirals. A shower of metal and fire fell over the landscape as naval personnel desperately raced for the escape pods.

             
Aboard
Midway
, Hiro gripped his chair for support as another volley from the dreadnought rocked the entire carrier. The Boxt
i’
s main gun passed right through the supercarrie
r’
s kinetic shield without slowing. Huge sections of the ship were locked down to prevent violent decompression after the charged slugs had torn straight through the hull. The honeycombed design of the interior was all that had saved the ship from being destroyed outright.

             
“Damage report
,”
Hiro called out. Another hit nearly threw him from his seat.

Alarms sounded throughout the ship. The air filters worked overtime to scrub the smoke that billowed in from shattered sections of hull. Crew members choked back tears as they continued to man their posts and fight the carrier. In each room, at least one officer worked setting triage for wounded or dying soldiers. Bodies piled in corners and nooks, covered by blankets or canvas or coats.

              Chief Warner, the engineering NCO, held onto two poles near his station to remain on his feet. Sweat poured down his face as he read the report from the master control system. A chunk of metal the size of a small building had caved in the port-side hangar, and oxygen was venting rapidly from those sections
.“
Hull integrity is sixty percent but holding. The
y’
re doing a lot of surface damage, but the structure can take it
.”
A resounding boom deafened the room for a few seconds. The carrier groaned as compartments buckled and gave way across the ship
.“
Primary power is failing. Secondary generators are gone. Tertiary is warming up, but there was a delay in the command. If we lose our power supply, ther
e’
s going to be a gap before w
e’
re back online
.
”

             
Commodore Osaka felt his blood chill
.“
How long of a gap
?
”

             
Warner looked up
.“
About five minutes, sir
.
”

             
That quieted the room. Five minutes without the ability to fight back would be bad. It gave the enemy a dramatic advantage.
Midway
would be helpless, at the mercy of the dreadnought. But that would
n’
t matter if life support died as well. Hiro doubted his men could hold their breaths for five minutes. The crew redoubled their efforts, coaxing every ounce of power from the immense ship.
Midway
was the symbol of the Fleet. It just would
n’
t do to let it fall in such an unworthy way.

             
“Commodore
,”
Nari shouted
.“
Valley Forge
is on line. The
y’
ve cleared away three destroyers and are moving to support.
Barrenon
just took a major hit
.”
A blast panel had scorched her face an hour before, leaving a superficial burn across her right jaw. She hadn't complained once.

             
Despite the fear gnawing at his gut, Hiro smiled. This was a moment h
e’
d prepared for his entire career. Miles below, billions of his fellow citizens depended on his strength for their very survival. Around him, his brothers and sisters in uniform proved their worth. A calm descended over him, and his breathing slowed. This would not be his final stand. Not here, over a colony. Friends had been lost, but the fight was far from over. The Boxti would pay for their arrogance today.

             
“
Valley Forge
,”
Hiro said into the comm
.“
Le
t’
s drive these bastards out. Bring the thunder
.
”

*              *              *              *              *

              Another volley slammed into the side of the dreadnought, piercing the kinetic barrier and shearing a chunk of hull clear off. Eruk gripped a bar overhead to keep his balance, riding the rolling floor like a wave. He roared, feeling more and more the warrior. This was what he was supposed to do. Cthanul were
n’
t meant to watch a battle from the rear; they needed to be in the front lines, blood spraying on their faces.

             
A message came in from the carrier, a short burst transmission. Eruk listened intently to the chittering sounds of the Custodians, the insect-like creatures that ran the hives. He nodded grimly, not envying the task ahead. This was all a part of the Enclav
e’
s plan, the doctrine of an invasion. It was the one aspect Eruk did
n’
t enjoy.

             
“Give the order
,”
the warlord said
.“
Send them our welcoming party
.
”

-                           
XV                            -

              Zev had been mistaken. The Hive was
n’
t large. It was gargantuan. It defied logic in its magnitude. Towering two thousand feet over the terrain, the Boxti carrier billowed steam as the engines quieted down. From the ground, the Terrans could see small creatures climbing at the top of the central spire. Strange sounds emanated from within the ship: gurgling liquid and the sound of grinding metal. Even after touchdown the transformation had continued. Walls expanded and rotated to create instant palisades. Gates formed and locked down. Castle Boxti, the unofficial name for the new site, grew before their eyes.

             
“Sergeant
,”
a voice whispered. Zev looked over and saw Lieutenant Gabriel crawling over. The trucks were back a ways, patrolling the compan
y’
s small section of the perimeter while the rest of the scouts closed in for a better look. Zev had chosen a spot behind a bland patch of tall grass and shrubs; No major terrain features or plant life to call attention to him. With his digitized camouflage uniform and the thick vegetation, he was effectively invisible. The burning sun kept the ground hot enough to mask his thermal signature as well, though he had no way of knowing just how sophisticated a counter surveillance team the enemy had.

             
“Sir, the
y’
re doing something at the top
.”
He pointed a gloved finger skyward. A large purple funnel had emerged from a growing spire
.“
Any word from the other side
?
”

             
Gabriel shook his head
.“
Nothing yet. They did
n’
t land hard. Maybe they ca
n’
t breathe our air."

"I don't think we're that lucky, sir." Zev gestured to the creatures working the walls. "Those things aren't wearing any tanks or respirators."

              The radio squawked
.“
Shadow one-one, this is Caveman six, over
.
”

             
Gabriel brought his hand to his hear and pressed the transmit button on his headset
.“
This is Shadow one-one. Send it
.
”

             
Captain Grahams spoke on the other end of the line
.“
Shadow one-one, w
e’
ve been ordered to send a welcome letter. Wha
t’
s your position, over
?
”

             
Zev looked up, eyes wide
.“
W
e’
re danger close, sir. If they call in anything bigger than a mortar, i
t’
s gonna hit us just as hard
.”
He watched as the lieutenant pulled out his ma
p—
a standard paper layou
t—
and plotted the platoo
n’
s position. The NCO could
n’
t help but double-check the numbers to make sure they were right. His platoon leader was good.

             
“Caveman six, w
e’
re based along phase line Ginger. If they fire top-down center mass, w
e’
re in the kill zone. Recommend Shadow falls back to phase line Sage. How copy, over
?
”

             
There was
n’
t time to respond. A sudden flurry of activity drew all attention to the mammoth hive. With a sound like a volcano erupting, the central spire exploded outward. But instead of raining fire, a red and black cloud shot into the sky. The billowing pillar spread in every direction, slowly blotting out the sky. It spread out like a thunderhead, darkening the landscape and engulfing nearby camps. Tiny particles rained down across the plains, coloring the landscape a hellish crimson. Soldiers could
n’
t help but stare at the ominous but beautiful display. As the cloud rose, the wind pulled and pushed it around until it stretched across the entire continent.

             
Zev could do nothing but gawk, his mind racing. He watched as a tiny speck drifted down and landed on the grass in front of his eyes. As soon as it touched down, the color on the blade darkened and the plant began to die. He was on his radio before the grass wilted.

             
“All stations this net, all stations this net. Gas gas gas. I say again. Gas gas gas
.
”

             
Around each hive, soldiers scrambled to don their protective masks and gear. The spores, spreading like a swarm of locusts, began to attack the humans. A few unlucky scouts failed to hear the warning and breathed in the deadly particles. The tiny organisms began to consume them from the inside out, shredding their lungs and puncturing their organs. The men died screaming, pink froth spraying out from their mouths.

             
With the armies distracted, few noticed the towering doors of the hive creaking open, the eyes of the enemy staring out from within.

*              *              *              *              *

Timothy Madison left his apartment a few minutes after three to pick up his daughter from school. Normally she was fine to walk home, but ever since the tragedy at Tallus he'd been feeling somewhat protective. His wife, Zoe, had always said there was nothing to worry about with the base so close to town, but Timothy couldn't shake the feeling of unease. He wasn't used to this amount of stress. Living in one of the safest areas of  New Eden had softened him.

As he walked down the street toward Roslin Elementary, Timothy noticed fewer people on the road than the day before. Everyone stayed inside, waiting for the governor or one of the generals to say it was safe to come out again. The news had reported the reappearance of the Boxti only an hour before, but the reaction had been swift. Stores were boarded over with signs that read "closed due to invasion." Soldiers from the nearby Kronos base had begun pulling people out of the major cities. Timothy hoped it was all fuss over nothing, but some part of him knew the winds of change were blowing. He was a software designer. He'd only ever known a life of peace and quiet. When the new species arrived over Luna, he'd been able to keep a level head by remembering how far away Earth was from his home planet. But now the monsters were on his front step and he had no way to cope with that.