Crimson Worlds Collection II Read online

  When Cain offered McDaniels command of the first Obliterator battalion, she jumped at the chance. She’d seen the Reapers up close, and she knew the Corps needed something to counter the enemy heavies. When she saw the Obliterator prototype, she realized they’d found it.

  The training had been more difficult than she’d expected. Even now, she considered her people half-trained, but she didn’t set the timetable…the war did. Cain had given her as long a training period on Armstrong as he dared, but finally he’d ordered her people shipped to Sandoval, ready or not.

  “Ok, people, we’ve done this before, so don’t lose your focus just because the Commandant’s watching.” She was staring at the screens. The primary display of the Obliterator was divided into four programmable screens. She had the forward and rear views as well as a schematic of the company she had deployed around her. The last screen displayed a scanner plot out twenty klicks. The Obliterators were networked with each other and all ground stations within range. Each suit automatically displayed a composite of data from all of these sources.

  “Major, the enemy drones are approaching HVM range.” The voice of the AI was cold, generic…quite unlike the normal Marine suit AIs. The Obliterators required upgraded systems, far more sophisticated than the normal units. An existing AI could be improved to match the new specs, but there hadn’t been time to refit the old systems. She was surprised how much she missed Mystic. The new units hadn’t been programmed with the adaptable personality modules yet, and they seemed very cold compared to the old ones.

  “All units, fire HVMs as targets come into range.” The hyper-velocity missiles had been redesigned and the number of fragments per round increased. The enemy robots were tough – strong enough to withstand most explosions, but hyper-velocity impacts were fairly effective at taking them down. The changes essentially turned the units into long-ranged, high-velocity shotguns.

  Her readouts began showing sporadic fire – a few of her people were jumping the gun. The HVMs needed direct line of sight, and she doubted many of the drones were close enough yet.

  “Careful with that fire. Wait until you have targets.” The HVMs were large rounds, and even an Obliterator could only carry a few reloads. They had to make them count. She waited a few more seconds, focusing on her own displays. Here they come, she thought…now!

  She opened up, firing from both her shoulder-mounted launchers. If General Holm wanted to see what these suits could do, her people were going to show him.

  Holm glanced back and forth from the bank of monitors to the field in front of him. Cain was right, he thought…it was a different perspective watching it from the tower. The monitors gave a closer view, but he still found himself spending most of his time looking out across the plain.

  The drones were large, about the size of the enemy Reapers. They were unarmed and, on the whole, fairly stupid. This was a firepower demonstration, and the drones were basically moving targets. And McDaniels’ crew was mowing them down.

  The HVMs lanced out, leaving a fiery trail of ionized atmosphere behind them. Each missile broke into 30 individual segments, traveling at 16,000 kps. The projectiles delivered massive kinetic energy on contact. Single hits tore off sections, while multiple impacts virtually vaporized the target. The barrage tore the first rank of drones to shreds, littering the area with mangled debris.

  Cain flipped on his comlink. “That’s very nice, major, but these things aren’t as tough as the Reapers.” He glanced at Holm and then back over the field. “Cease HVM fire and let a few of them get closer. I want the general to see the new autocannons in action.”

  “Yes, sir.” McDaniels’ response was sharp and quick. “Estimate 30 seconds to effective range.” Cain had never met McDaniels, not until she returned from Cornwall leading a regiment of Teller’s survivors. But he immediately liked what he saw, and she quickly found her way onto his short list for rapid advancement. The Corps was in desperate need of senior officers, and Cain was going to need some colonels and brigadiers, especially if the loss rates on Sandoval turned out to match his expectations.

  “She’s a very good officer, isn’t she?” Holm had been quietly listening. It was amazing sometimes what you could tell from someone’s voice under pressure. Of course, Holm had more than her tone to go on. Her service record was outstanding, and James Teller couldn’t rave enough about her.

  “Yes…one of the best I’ve ever seen. I’ve already moved her along quickly, and I don’t think it will be long before I do it again. I need good people, especially in the command ranks. And I trust her.” Cain was no stranger himself to rapid advancement…or to the added strain it could place on a Marine. “There’s something about her…the way she is with her people. Totally in command, but casual with them too. Everyone who serves under her loves her. She reminds me a little of…” Cain stopped abruptly.

  Holm turned and looked right at Cain. “She reminds you of Jax. That’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it?” Holm put his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “It’s ok, Erik. She reminds me of Jax too. That same connection with the troops. It’s a very special gift for an officer.”

  Cain let out a deep breath, but he didn’t say anything. He was hoping Holm would let it drop. He’d never known a better Marine than Darius Jax, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it. Maybe someday, but not yet.

  Holm turned and looked out over the field. He wasn’t going to push Cain. He understood, better than anyone except Sarah, how pointless that would be. He wanted to help his friend, but he knew Erik Cain was the kind of man who had to find his own way.

  “Here we go, sir.” Cain was glad to change the subject. “Wait until you see Colonel Sparks’ new autocannons in action.”

  Holm stared out over the field as McDaniels’ people opened up. Each Obliterator mounted two heavy autocannons, and Sparks had upgraded them to fire heavier rounds. The larger projectiles were specifically designed to deliver enough impact energy to damage the enemy bots. The dark matter infused armor of the Reapers was very tough, and the Marines needed weapons with a massive punch.

  The drones advanced right into the fire…and they were blown to bits. The massive rounds tore them to shreds almost immediately. The enemy battle robots would be tougher, but when they came to Sandoval they would find an adversary far more capable than the one they faced on Farpoint.

  Chapter 2

  Bridge – AS Hornet

  HD 80606 VII System

  Orbiting Planet Adelaide

  “We’ve scouted the system again…at least as completely as one ship can. It’s clear.” Captain Jacobs was exhausted and sore. A solar system was an almost incalculably huge space, and Hornet had scanned as much of it as possible. That meant a lot of time in the acceleration couches, getting bloated by drugs and crushed by gee forces. They’d been at it for two months this time, and his entire crew was near the breaking point.

  “That’s good news.” Cooper Brown’s voice was difficult to hear on the staticky com. They didn’t have much to work with on Adelaide. It was a miracle that Brown had been able to jury rig anything strong enough to get a signal to orbit, and he’d only been able to do it with spare parts from Hornet. “I can’t explain it, but I’m not complaining.”

  The enemy had occupied Adelaide for almost three local months, half an Earth year. Remarkably, Hornet managed to remain hidden all that time on the far side of the planet’s single, distant moon. Then, suddenly, the enemy troops withdrew to their orbiting ships and left the system, heading toward the Alliance worlds up the line.

  Jacobs had no idea what had prompted the enemy withdrawal, but it happened just in time. Hornet’s crew was down to quarter rations and in desperate need of provisions. Once he was sure the enemy had really left, Jacobs led a small team to the surface of Adelaide to forage among the ruins, hoping to find enough provisions to resupply his ship. Instead, he ran into a huge surprise…Cooper Brown and the survivors of the colony.

  Brown had commanded the militia i
n the battle and, when it was apparent the end was near, he pulled his survivors back into one of the abandoned mines that had been retrofitted as a shelter. He had maybe 15% of his strength left by then, and he figured the enemy would eventually find them and dig them out. But they never did.

  A few of his scattered scanning devices had survived, and they kept feeding him intel. When the enemy withdrew, Brown was watching. He sent out a scouting party to confirm what was happening, and then he led the tattered remnants of the Adelaide militia out of the deep, dank tunnels that had saved their lives. They immediately opened up the civilian shelters and found, to their shock and joy, that there were survivors there too. The abandoned mining tunnels were dug deep into the rocky mountain ranges surrounding the capital, formations rich in stable trans-uranic elements. These rare isotopes, the primary reason men had colonized Adelaide, were extremely valuable. They were also radioactive and very disruptive to most forms of scanning technology.

  The survivors were a ragged lot, and most of them were in rough shape. The tunnels were inadequately shielded from the heavy elements, and everyone had some level of radiation sickness. They’d run out of most medical supplies and, while they’d had enough food to sustain themselves, they were weak and sickly when they staggered out onto the surface. But they were alive.

  Unfortunately, Jacob Meklin wasn’t one of them. Adelaide’s president had succumbed to a combination of radiation poisoning and infectious disease. He could have been saved easily in a hospital, with just a few injections. But the wretched refugees had run out of pharmaceuticals, and Meklin’s compromised immune system was overwhelmed. In the end he clung grimly to life for days, but he finally died a few weeks before Brown’s people opened the shelter.

  Cooper Brown filled the void. Adelaide was under martial law, the remnants of the militia enforcing Brown’s edicts. He put the entire population on strict rations, and he ordered everyone back into the shelters, with only brief trips outside. Adelaide wasn’t a very hospitable world, and there wasn’t any sustenance to be scavenged from natural sources. Food production had been in climate-controlled greenhouses, but those had all been destroyed during the occupation. So there was little to be gained by moving back to the surface.

  There had been a near-riot when Brown issued the order for the civilians to return to the tunnels. They’d been trapped there miserably for months, and the shelters had become fouler than any Earthly slum. They’d just been liberated, and now Brown demanded they return, that they go back to the squalor from which they’d just escaped. He tried to explain, but finally he was compelled to bring in the militia to enforce the command. His heart ached for the people, but he’d been resolute nevertheless. If enemy forces remained in the system, or if new ones arrived, anyone on the surface could be detected…and that would be a death sentence for them all. It was too risky to allow more than a few people at a time out of the relative safety of the shelters. Brown’s job was more complicated than keeping the people happy…he had to keep them alive.

  Brown had issued a full alert when his forces scanned Hornet’s shuttle entering the atmosphere, and Captain Jacobs and his landing party encountered a fully-armed reception committee. They were as shocked to find survivors on the planet as Brown’s people were to discover Hornet still operating in the system. It was a rare pleasant surprise for both parties.

  Despite the supply shortage, Brown re-provisioned Hornet from his stockpiles, saving her crew from starvation. In return, Captain Jacobs was able to provide some medical supplies to the Brown’s people, but only enough for the most severe cases. Fast-attack ships lacked full sickbays, and their stocks of meds were limited. Still, they saved lives.

  Brown and Jacobs sat long and talked about what to do. Neither understood what had happened. Something had compelled the enemy to send every scrap of force they could muster forward, farther down the line toward the Alliance core worlds. Brown didn’t know what that something was, but it had saved Adelaide…or at least what was left of the colony and its people.

  Stealth, they’d agreed, was their only chance. If the enemy detected either Hornet or any activity on the ground they’d send a force to wipe out the survivors. Neither Jacobs’ tiny ship nor Brown’s ragtag militia had any chance against a First Imperium attack.

  “I can’t explain either.” Jacobs’ voice was soft, quiet. He was tired, and even speaking clearly was an effort. “But we’ve got everything in place. You’ll know when any new enemy force passes through the system.” Three enemy task forces had already passed through since Hornet had reestablished contact with Brown and his people. In all three instances, they’d ignored Adelaide and passed straight through, heading deeper into Alliance space.

  “You’re still dead set on trying this, then?” Brown’s voice was concerned. He’d grown fond of the fleet officer, and they’d shared the burden of keeping their marooned people alive. The two of them had worked closely together for the past year, and he didn’t want to see Jacobs, or Hornet’s crew, sacrificed for nothing.

  “Yes.” Jacob’s tired voice grew firm, definitive. “There’s nothing else for us to do, Coop. We’re naval officers, and we have our duty. Our first priority was to protect Adelaide…but we’ve gotten the detection grid in place, and there’s nothing else we can do to help you.” He paused, then added with a chuckle, “It’s not like we’re going to stop any enemy force that comes at the planet.” Another pause, shorter this time. “Besides, we’re a lot likelier to get you caught if we stay. Hornet’s a lot easier for scanners to pick up than your people in those caves. And if they find us, they’re going to check the surface again too. Face it, we’re a liability here.”

  Cooper sighed. He knew Jacobs was right, but he still didn’t like it. Hornet had placed a detection grid around each warp gate…small passive scanners with almost no power output. All they did was send a single direct laser communication to a satellite positioned in Adelaide orbit. Brown’s people would know if an enemy force was moving into the system, though they’d have very little information on its composition or course. Basically, they’d get enough warning to scramble back into their holes in the ground and hide. Which was all they could do regardless of any intelligence they had.

  Brown wanted to argue with Jacobs, but he figured it wasn’t his place. Besides, the naval officer was right. Brown would be making an emotional argument, nothing more. “When are you heading out?” His voice was somber, resigned.

  “Two weeks, maybe.” Jacobs was grateful Brown wasn’t going to argue with him. He didn’t like leading his people off on what was likely a one way trip either. But duty was duty. For better or worse, Hornet was behind enemy lines. There had to be a way to make that useful. Besides, the rest of the squadron was long dead. Hornet’s survival had been a fluke. Having cowered behind the moon while his comrades died, even if it was on orders, Jacobs wasn’t about to sit out the rest of the war doing the same thing. “My people need to rest and recover a little before I clamp them down in the couches again.”

  “I’ll put together some supplies to re-provision the ship.” Brown wasn’t sure where he’d find the food, but he wasn’t about to let Jacobs and his crew head off into the void with empty larders. “I’ll have it ready for uploading in ten days.”

  “Appreciated, Coop.” Jacobs knew the colony didn’t have food to spare. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to send my people down in groups and give them all a few days on solid ground.” He paused and took a deep breath. “It may be a long time before they get the chance again.” He kept the “if ever” silent, though it went through his mind as he spoke.

  “Not a problem.”

  “Thanks, Coop. It’ll mean a lot to them.” His voice was hoarse, scratchy. The exhaustion had worn him down, and it was taking more effort to speak. “Gotta go now, but I think I’ll make it down in one of the landing parties myself. I’ve got a decent bottle of Scotch up here, and I think we should kill it before I leave. You bring that hero sergeant of yours…what�
��s his name, Clarkson? And I’ll bring Ensign Carp. We can’t get too drunk if there are four of us.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  “Scanners on maximum, Ensign Carp.” Jacobs was impressed with Carp. Hornet had found the ensign and six other members of Raptor’s crew still alive in a lifeboat. Their life support was all but exhausted…and it was completely gone on the other escape craft. Captain Calloway had gotten his entire crew off his dying vessel before he overloaded the fusion reactor and covered their escape with a massive thermonuclear blast. The chance he’d bought them had always been a longshot and, in the end, only 6 of the 62 survived to be rescued by Hornet as she made her first scouting pass through the system.

  “Yes, sir.” Carp’s voice was crisp and professional, which was a testament to the young officer. He’d seen his ship destroyed, and he and five shipmates spent six months in a lifeboat with failing life support…and the bodies of 15 of their comrades who’d succumbed to the deprivation and radiation. Now he took a post on Hornet’s bridge – the same one he’d held on Raptor - and he was sharp as a razor. “Of course, we’ll be vulnerable when we transit, sir. There’s no way to know if something is just on the other side…either on patrol or ready to come through.”

  Well, Jacobs thought, if the universe has that kind of bad luck in store for us, we’re screwed anyway. “We’ll chance that, ensign.” He smiled grimly. “Besides, they probably have some kind of scanning grid on the other side anyway. One way or another, they’re going to know we came through eventually. We’re going to have to lose ourselves quickly once we transit.”