Chapter 53

Admiral Limun stood watching the chaos of the repairs on the now smoking and partially wrecked bridge of his flagship, the Superdreadnought Victory. Home Fleet had definitely gone above and beyond the expectations of Empress and Empire and he could not be prouder of the men and women under his command. Yet still, three alien ships had managed to elude them and begin their descent to the planet and to endanger the populace below.

“We’re going to have to be towed clear of Vreekoos,” Captain Vego informed him, half his face still covered in blood caused by a stray piece of shrapnel from a strike that had penetrated through to the bridge.

“Thought as much,” Limun nodded. “Do we have the butcher’s bill yet?”

“Yes, sir. We lost seven hundred and sixty-two ships and nearly a third of a million crew.”

“I’ll do a Fleet-wide address soon to let the survivors know how proud I am of them. But at the moment all I can consider are those three ships that got through,” Limun sighed.

“Understandable, sir. Most of us here are thinking along similar lines.”

“Put out a call for volunteers. Any crewmen not required for essential works and who has had their armour upgraded who wishes to go to the surface and continue to fight may do so with my blessing.”

“Yes, sir. Permission to go to fight?”

“As soon as we’re towed clear and in a stable orbit, we’ll head down.”

‘Landing site designated and locked in,’ the senior intelligence announced.

‘Continue the descent. All weapons to continue firing,’ the senior Master ordered.

‘As you command.’

‘A waste of energy. We merely punch holes through ground constructs,’ a Master retorted.

‘It lets them know we’re coming,’ the senior Master replied placidly. ‘It gives them a taste of what is to come.’

‘If you say so,’ came the reply, tinged with scorn.

‘I do. No amount of destruction will assuage our wrath. We could even use our weapons of mass destruction, yet that will not satisfy my urge to rip apart with my powered claws as many of this prey as I can.’

‘We could set the ship to auto destruct when the last of us fall,’ another Master suggested.

‘No. We want the survivors to remember us in our wrath and glory,’ the senior Master replied, getting signs of acceptance from the assembled others.

‘Agreed. Let the survivors live to mourn!’

“We have a probable landing zone,” I announced to the assembled group that was under my charge. “Begin moving out to the designated position.”

“You heard the Officer. Move to the lifts and once out, prepare positions to defend yourselves.”

“AI, have you informed Guardian Command and the local command of the Citizens Militia?”

“They have been informed. They are expecting you,” the harsh, flat tones of the AI replied.

“Good. Let’s go.”

It didn’t take too long for my group, which consisted of two companies of Troopers, plus assorted others from various services who were armoured and willing to fight, to reach our designated defence zone and move to assist the already dug-in defenders to strengthen the positions they held.

“Good to see you,” a Guardian Investigator greeted me. “Though I wish it weren’t us you were here to help,” she finished with a chuckle.

“Yeah, thought we’d have that effect on any place we turned up,” I replied with a slight smile. “Evacuation progress?”

“People are moving away from the probable landing zone, though a good few appear to be remaining and are prepared to fight.”

“Somewhat foolish of them if they don’t have any sort of armour ... or weapons.”

“I know, but they chose to stand here and defend their homes.”

“Yes, but courage alone won’t help you with these shleckers,” I sighed. “AI, can we at least supply them with something?”

“We have started producing falchions and shields in quantity. We can divert some to this location,” the AI replied.

“Do so, please. It may not save them but it will be something.”

“Order sent; defenders notified.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Commander.”

The alien ship hung in the sky, seemingly unnaturally light for something of that mass and size ... at least to anyone unfamiliar with grav-drives.

‘Landing descent beginning,’ the controlling intelligence announced.

‘Prepare the ship after we depart to display our history and glory, then self-terminate to await us in glory as our loyal servitors,’ the senior Master ordered.

‘It shall be as you request,’ came the reply in tones of adulation.

‘Prepare yourselves, my comrades!’

‘Glory awaits. GLORY AWAITS!’ the rest of the Masters chanted out as they donned their armour and weapons.

The ship dropped smoothly to the surface and touched the ground. It simply kept moving down as its sheer mass kept it going, compacting with utter ease the hardened conglomerates under its prow, until, finally, it came to rest. The faint throbbing in the air caused by the grav-stabilisers ended and there was silence other than the scrambling of the nearer prey to move to various positions to await their fate.

“Ship is down. I repeat, ship is down at the foot of Silcom Block near the Parade Way. Trooper dispositions are downloaded. All defenders move to your designated defence positions!” the AI announced in urgent tones, its normal harsh, toneless mode switched off for the moment.

“Armoured defenders only move out to the prepared positions, the rest of you hold in place under cover!” I ordered as those under my command rose up and swiftly moved forwards into the maze of corridors that led to the base of Silcom Block.

“This isn’t good,” a Senior Monitor commented. “Too many ways to flank us.”

“You’re right, but it is what it is and other commands are making their way here too,” I replied. “Local gangs are going to act as spotters and try to guide the aliens into killing zones.”

“Better than nothing, I guess,” he nodded as we moved into a now deserted market and awaited the arrival of any aliens.

‘Hatches on the ship are opening,” the AI informed us.

“Get ready!” I called out. “Smaller ones will emerge first if they follow their observed doctrine. Use pellet weapons and try to take out as many as you can at a distance!”

“Sniper teams on the various blocks surrounding Silcom report they can see movement,” the AI informed me.

“Order them to target any larger creatures and not to waste shots on the small fry.”

“Orders sent and acknowledged.”

“Mass movement at speed from the ship!” the Senior Monitor informed me. “Looks like you were right, sir. It’s their small fry.”

“Ship is attempting to interfere with communic...” The AI cut out mid-sentence.

“AI?” I asked, though received nothing except an indicator light in my helmet that showed voice comms were down. “Suit functions are fine, sir,” the Senior informed me. “Just no comms.”

“We need runners to pass messages along,” I replied. “See if the civs can help.”

It didn’t take too long before I was faced by a gaggle of what appeared to be schoolkids.

“We know the territory. We can use our grav-packs to move around via the light wells and air wells,” a young girl spoke up at my raised eyebrow.

“I know you,” I finally said. “Rhean, defender, Saltesh Slashers?”

“Er yes ... ma’am?”

“You knew me as Kiria of the Hrunesh Dynamos.”

“Oh wow! Kiria, the hero!” Rhean almost screamed out. The other kids gasped in shock as well.

“No undue risks. These shleckers are fast, strong and will not see you as kids, just prey. Always check all directions, just like a match.”

“Yes, ma’am!” they all chorused.

‘Dear gods, forgive us, we’re putting kids into the fight,’ I thought to myself with a slight internal wince before indicating they should get under cover as I could hear a distant sizzling roar which told of the approaching aliens.

‘Begin!’ the senior Master commanded the Reelc as the various hatches opened and locked in place. ‘You have your orders,’ he sent out to the few crew who were not to take part in the attack, along with the intelligences.

‘As you command, Master,’ came the worshipful reply of the intelligences in the feasting hall.

Reelc and crew poured from the ship, meeting desultory pellet fire that was swiftly overwhelmed and extinguished.

‘Forge your way towards the tallest tower!’ a Master commanded, glowing with power and clad in translucent armour.

A massed sizzling roar was the only thing heard as the aliens began streaming into the city, killing what few prey remained around the ship. When half the attackers had left the ship and were busy heading towards a building point of conflict, the majority of the Masters emerged, surrounded by their personal guards gazing out at something they hadn’t seen for aeons, the surface of a planet.

There was a distant ‘crack’ and suddenly one of the personal guards was missing its brain case and collapsed, legs flailing as its body still re-acted.

‘Move away from here,’ the senior Master commanded. ‘This cowardly prey would seek to decimate us at a distance.’

There was no argument and, as one, the Master grouping headed down to a covered area as the distant sound of fighting grew ever louder.

The aliens came at the first barriers in a massed wave, leaping over it to get at the defenders, only to be pinned and skewered by my Troopers. Nevertheless, their numbers were counting as they swiftly pushed us back from the barrier, leaving several human bodies in their wake.

“Fall back to the next barrier,” I ordered from the fallback position, seeing there was no way to hold the aliens in such numbers as we were far too exposed to being flanked.

The Troopers and others swiftly moved back, many simply entering a lift where the aliens just could not enter, whilst the rear-guard unleashed a hail of pellets into the aliens before racing away with the final defenders down a chosen route to the next line.