“Really? You think I don’t know this?”

  “Knighthawks,” said Commander Higgins, “We’re detecting fighters launching from one of the upper docks. Thirty plus, and they’re coming your way.”

  The fighter network filled with voices from the various officers in command, until finally they were drowned out by the firm and commanding voice of Wing Commander Holder.

  “Not a problem. Diverting Knighthawks now.”

  ​ New waypoints appeared on Nate’s visor, and he could see the new craft were not simply civilian spacecraft. He recognised several old patterns, including Great War era Lightning fighters, and even a handful of the Tigershark strike fighters used by Carthago long ago when they’d had their own navy. They had more in common with a bomber than a fighter, yet were fast and very heavily armoured.

  “They’re locking weapons,” said Billy, “I don’t like this.”

  “All fighters break and attack!” Holder ordered, “Stay with your wingmen and go to work.”

  One by one the pairs of fights split away, simultaneously blasting away with their main guns. Return fire came close, but most of it was cut down by the point defence turrets carried by the Firehawks.

  “I have one.” Nate swung around to take a shot. It was a Vulcan, and something he’d never seen in the flesh before. It was bigger than even the Bullnose gunships, and consisted of a delta V wing shape, fitted with six engines built into the wing. Motorised turrets at the rear as well as along the upper side of the hull opened fire. There was no vertical stabiliser, so the turrets had a perfectly clear line of sight to the Alliance fighters. Nate jinked left and right, while Billy did everything he could to turn the turrets against it.

  “Watch that thing!” Harry shouted as the first burst ripped towards them.

  One Avenger drone took the hit in the centre of its hull, yet somehow it remained in the fight. More shots punched through its wings, but then it spun around on a pre-set pattern to shake off their aim. The gunners on the Tigershark knew their business well, though, and quickly adapted. Shots clattered against Nate’s fighter, and he was forced to pull away.

  “That thing is tough!”

  Two more Alliance fighters moved in from the right, supported by a Bullnose gunship. They hammered away at the Tigershark and managed to hit it a number of times. Even as the enemy fighter caught fire, the escaping Alliance fighters continued to take fire. One Lightning spun away trailing smoke, while the Bullnose gunship broke apart just seconds after its crew ejected. Nate opened his mouth to speak just as a thunderous burst of particle blaster fire ripped into the Maw. Additional shots struck close by, with one taking out two enemy fighters in one go.

  “Yes!” Billy yelled, “That was Relentless.”

  Nate glanced to the left and spotted the closing shape of the assault carrier. It looked large and terrible in the darkness of the Rim, yet highlighted by the unending barrage of gunfire and explosions. Hundreds of shots struck against her thick armour, and as always, she shrugged them off as though it were little more than rainlittle more than rain.

  “Activating IS drive relay…now!” Wing Commander Holder said.

  “Relay? Nobody said we were bringing in one of those!” Billy was surprised.

  A shape lurched in front of them, and Billy fired the turrets without even thinking. Streams of fire cut into the enemy Lightning fighter, and it tumbled away towards The Rock.

  “Look!” Nate was looking up and above their current position. A scattered line of flashing lights marked the arrival of more ships, “I can’t believe it.”

  It started as three ships, and then continued to expand until six were coming in towards The Rock at high speed. A seventh much bigger ship materialised just behind them, and though further back, it still dwarfed them in size.

  “Dreadnought!” Nate said, “Now we’re talking. They must have brought them in as a ready reserve. The Captain had more faith in us after all!”

  Billy seemed much more interested in the smaller vessels moving ahead like sharks looking for their prey. They may have only just deactivated their interstellar drives, but they were already in the fight. Multiple 37mm particle blaster turrets struck out at fighters and transports, while the bank of top-mounted 255mm particle cannons laid waste to the last of the Maw’s defensive arsenal.

  “Wow, what are those things? They’re incredible!”

  Even Nate was stunned by what was happening right there before them. The ships didn’t slow down or even attempt to turn away. Instead, they barrelled towards the Maw while still firing.

  “Those are Morato Class heavy frigates,” Billy said as he checked the naval database, “One hundred and ninety metres of the best engineering in the fleet.”

  “Wow, indeed,” agreed Nate, “They’ve got the firepower of the heavy destroyer, and the troop capacity of a light assault ship. It makes the rest of the fleet look stone-age.”

  The ships looked a good deal smaller than the larger cruisers, but far more elegant. Gone were the rifle-inspired designs, and in their place a short, rakish hull that rose into a widened rear section. The ships were a very flat design, with a bow that narrowed into a blunted prow. The top-side was almost completely flat, save for markings that outlined landing platforms. The upper rear looked almost like a smaller version of the same ship that had been fused to the hull to create a stepped effect. Four angled engines hidden inside squared off mountings pushed out from the rear. It was a medium-sized vessel that bristled with weapons and technology.

  “There’s something else. They’re the primary ships used by the Novas!”

  “They’re here?” Nate asked in surprise.

  Billy shrugged. “Apparently.”

  Knighthawks Two through Four follow me in. The rest of you join the Gorgons and keep up the fight. Nothing leaves this sector. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sir,” replied the pilots as one.

  “Ensign L’Gnini, you will take command of the rest of the squadron. Make me proud.”

  “Affirmative, Wing Commander,” said the alien as the four F26 Firehawks turned away from the Maw and back to the rest of the battle.

  “Okay,” said Wing Commander Holder, “Scans show the Maw entrance is just the beginning. There’s a shaft running behind almost two kilometres that then splits off unto multiple landing zones. We’re going to go inside and provide close air support. Let’s go!”

  The four F26s performed a complex spiral manoeuvre to shake of the defensive fire of the nearby enemy ships, and then accelerated towards the Maw.

  “Look at that thing,” said Billy, “It’s a ruin.”

  “On the outside, maybe. But what is inside?”

  The formation spaced themselves apart, while the remaining Avenger drones almost looked like attached weapon systems due to their close proximity.

  “Ten seconds till we’re inside,” said Holder, “Be ready. Who knows what we’ll find inside.”

  “I’m on it,” said Billy.

  Nate looked to his left and then right, checking that Harry and Séraphine’s fighters were in position. He had one each side, and with Knighthawk Leader out in front, like the tip of a spear.

  “Five seconds.”

  They were so close that Nate could see the damage they’d caused. There were dozens of crippled gun systems, and the surface damage to the armour was significant. Even after all of this, the Maw appeared relatively intact, even if the outer doors were splintered and broken.

  “Turrets!” Billy yelled.

  They passed through the massive breach that had been the outer dock doors. The channel to the next part of the Maw was significant, and ended with huge inner doors, each big enough to accept something the size of the full-fledged cruiser. Tiny turrets, little bigger than those fitted to the fighters, tracked them inside and then opened fire. Dotted lines reached out from dozens of different locations and raked the formation with fire. Three drones exploded instantly, and Séraphine’s fighter split in half. Nate spotted the crew compartment eject automatically.

  “Fighter down! Séraphine’s down!”

  Another burst hit his fighter, and Nate knew right away that he was going to crash.

  “We’re hit!” Billy yelled as they descended to the surface.

  “Hold on!” Nate shouted.

  As he struggled with the controls, he looked up, trying to find somewhere to land.

  “There!” Billy said, “Get us through the inner doors.”

  “Are you insane? They’re sealed shut.”

  Billy pointed towards two of the massive Morato Class heavy frigates as they pushed ahead.

  “Not for much longer!”

  “We might not have much of a choice. The main engines are gone, and I’m losing control of the stabilisers.”

  “I can fix that!” Billy said confidently, as more flak guns opened up all around them. The view ahead filled with fire and shrapnel. And Nate lifted a hand to protect his face.

  “This is not gonna end well.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Battle for ‘The Rock’, Centauri Rim

  Field Marshal Rudolf Armen waited in silence, listening to the reports of the battle. He was no naval commander, but he knew a defeat when he saw it. By all account, the best ships in the Separatist fleet were long gone, either captured, surrendered, or simply destroyed. Those that remained were the motley collections of transports, tugs, and refinery vessels, many of which were controlled by remote, needing no crew save perhaps for the occasional gunner. Only one full strength warship unit remained, and it was advancing towards the Alliance fleet as though its presence would somehow change the flow of battle.

  “They’re advancing to their deaths,” he said quietly to himself, “A death few of us will be alive to remember. But the Alliance will rue this day. Of that I am certain.”

  “Field Marshal!” It was the Major responsible for manning the Maw’s outer doors. His voice sounded much closer than he actually was, and for a second it was possible to imagine he was standing right next to him.

  “I’ve lost control of primary weapons. The Alliance is coming in massive numbers.”

  His voice was drowned out for several seconds by the crescendo of gunfire and shouting. Then the sound dropped in volume once again, and the man’s voice returned. He sounded nervous, yet there was resolve there, too.

  “They’ve breached the doors. They hit them with heavy ordnance and particle weaponry. Secondary turrets have engaged their fighters. But…”

  He stopped and gasped.

  “They’re bringing in ships. They look like landing ships with escort fighters. We will do what we can, but…”

  The transmission cut short, but the poor man had said exactly what he’d needed to. A ring of defensive systems and weapons surrounded the outer doors, and if the enemy had breached them, they must have negated all of them. And that meant the assault was significant. Only a handful of the dockside cameras were still operational, but he could see the shapes of the larger ships advancing through the inner dock. Dozens of small turrets blasted away at the last of the defences, while smaller shapes, presumably dropships and gunships moved at their sides. It was a matter of seconds before they were through to the next part of the Maw’s inner defences.

  “So…it begins.”

  Standing next to him was a grizzled Captain, dressed from head to toe in the distinctive battle armour of the Union. The pale metal plate glowed a faint green, but the marks on the armour suggested they were veterans of many engagements. Like the Field Marshal, this officer also wore the distinctive bug-like helm, and it was also open to reveal the man’s face. While others carried weapons, the Captain had no weapons in hand, and instead gripped the shaft of a tall battle standard. It was something not seen in the hands of Human soldiers for generations, and bore aloft a golden model of a sphere or planet at the top. Fluttering in the gentle breeze were the colours of the fledgling Union.

  “Keep those colours flying high, Captain Rostami. While they fly, so does the Union.”

  “Yes, Field Marshal. They will never touch the ground while I breathe.”

  The man activated his faceplate, and it clinked into position, with only the coloured lights left to mark the position of his face. The Field Marshal looked up to the imagery of ancient Earth, with its single natural satellite and its beautiful blue oceans. It had not looked that way in living memory, and was now little more than a radiated wasteland, with underground colonies buried deep below the surface. What it lacked in significance in modern times, it more than made up for with it being the cradle of mankind.

  The Union had put much effort into reminding its citizens, volunteers, and warriors that Earth was, and should still be, the centre of their civilisation. There were even talks of trying to repair and rebuild, though most knew it was little more than a pipedream.

  Field Marshal Armen closed his eyes for a moment, and images of the war with the Biomechs returned. Their armies of horrific beasts were the stuff of nightmares, but thinking of them was a bizarre comfort to him. Just seeing them wading into the siege lines, tearing soldiers and tanks apart with their limbs, was all the reminder that he needed. The aliens’ menace could only ever mean one thing to him, the utter genocide of every man, woman, and child.

  I will not stand for it. I cannot stand for it.

  He repeated the words in his mind, but he needed little more motivation. Unlike many, he’d seen the consequences of battle with alien species first hand, as well as military involvement with the other races. The Byotai had dragged them into a border dispute that had resulted in the desperate fleet action of Helios Prime. In the last few years there had also been the brutal Ski’lig conflict, a war with an advanced race never before heard of in the Epsilon Eridani System. And there had been small engagements, due to Alliance agreements with the other races, where they’d called on and expected military assistance for their own reasons, and always at the cost of Human lives.

  The Union is for Humans. We need it for our very survival, lest we become little more than pawns for these races.

  He tensed his body as he listened to the battle raging on the other side of the inner gates and into his facility. It was quite a distance to the battle, but with the video feeds coming to his helmet, he knew exactly what was happening. A small display eyepiece hung down from the helmet and over his good eye. There was no fighter cover left at the Maw, and now the Alliance had breached the defences with a swarm of ships and supporting fighters. He’d been in enough battles to understand he had just seconds before the fighting on the landing grounds started. He took this as an opportunity to call out the last few orders to his men.

  “This is it, my soldiers, brave defenders of The Rock. Be ready…for here they come.”

  He looked back to the three colossal inner doors, each of which was sealed and locked. They were hundreds of metres wide and rarely secured.

  “Field Marshal,” said one of the nearby lieutenants, “There is still time to evacuate.”

  The one-eyed Field Marshal merely laughed.

  “I am not here to evacuate, Lieutenant. I am here to fight! Are the charges set?”

  The man looked out to the open landing ground where there was significant space to land spacecraft.

  “Yes, Field Marshal. They’re set with trigger switches.”

  “Good. Then prepare yourself for the fight. This will be a messy one.”

  The middle of the inner doors shuddered violently, calling immediate attention to it. He looked down and checked his weapon. The L48 might be an old weapon, but it had it where it counted. He lifted it up to his shoulder and waited patiently. Hundreds of the defenders did the same. He’d been given his orders, but putting up token resistance was not enough for him. The General might expect no more than that, but if he was going to die, it was going to be in a manner of his choosing. He’d spent the last hour preparing his soldiers, the defences, and the improvised mines to ensure that this battle would be one they had a chance of winning.

  How could they expect any less of me? I’m not a man to lie down and accept my fate.

  Even as he thought that, he wondered if the General had done this intentionally. General Avedis Narek was many things, but a simpleton was not one of them. He had got this far not just due to his oratory skills, but also by assembling a team of ambitious men and women with a complex and significant skillset. They’d built this territory in secrecy over a decade, and today would be the day it all ended. That put a smile on his face.

  “They’re coming through,” shouted a junior officer as the central inner door glowed bright. It then exploded in a great flash of flame and splintered metal.

  Some of the soldiers moved back, and most took cover, but not the Field Marshal. Even as wreckage sailed past him, he remained upright and completely exposed. Some of his men looked up at the armoured figure, with his body shrouded in plate. The faceplate of his helmet remained open and exposed, showing the battle worn face and fused patch covering his missing eye. He had never looked more fearsome or commanding than right now.

  As the fire faded away, the first of the enemy ships burst through. All of them had expected dropships or landing craft, but this was not to be. Instead a pair of the huge, heavily armoured Morato Class frigates ripped through like sharks breaching a broken net. They came in slowly, their motorised point defence turrets sweeping the ground to remove obstacles and people. Two of the bombs fitted to the deck exploded immediately, rendering them useless.

  “Damn it,” growled the Field Marshal, “They aren’t as stupid as we thought.”

  He then took aim and waited for the inevitable. The first ship lowered itself to the landing deck, while massive skids extended out below it. Large doors opened at the front and sides of the ship, with dark figures waiting at them ready to leap out.

  “Stop them!” A young captain on the deck charged forward, and many of the defenders rushed out with him to try and stop those inside the ship from being able to get out. Field Marshal Armen knew he should call them back, but to do so would merely expose them to more fire as they ran away. He let them continue, even as the warriors waiting on the ship returned fire. Three were cut down instantly, and the rest scattered to any cover they could find. The ship’s ramps hit the deck, and then out came the horde of soldiers.

 

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