Star Crusades by Michael Thomas (best ereader for pc txt) 📕

3rd Lance started firingfirst, and soon all of them were blazing away. The other two lancesdid the same, and for the first time since arriving, the initiativeshifted to the Alliance. The machines crashed into the defenders,and in seconds the line had broken.

“Beautiful,” said Valentine as she stopped firing.

The muzzle of her shoulder cannon showed almost white from theconstant firing but began to cool in a matter of seconds. Shelooked up and smiled as the aerial Ski’ligs slunk back into theirhiding spaces.

“Not bad,” agreed Hawkins,“All it takes is a little loving attention fromNovas and their friends.”

The others laughed and fired theoccasional shots as the last few of theenemy dared to show their faces. The battle had quickly turned, butas the Ski’ligs slinked away, Valentine felt a littleuneasy.

“Is this it?”

Kallias shrugged.

“No chance. This is just a gun battery.I bet they’ve got a whole city down here. Maybe they’re withdrawingto regroup.”

“That would make sense,” saidAlexis, “Who know where they will attackfrom next?”

“Contact from General Gun.” Lieutenant Fletcher walked towards them withthe battered and exhausted looking 1st Lance, “The fleet hasarrived, and they’re engaging the Ski’lig ships.”

“Yes!” Colston said,“Time for the Skils to eat somebombardment cannons.”

Almost immediately the groundshook violently. Valentine looked up at the opening leading to the trench and to the sky beyond. Streaksdropped down from orbit and headed towards the surface.

“I think it’s already started. General Rivers is here.”

They watched for a few seconds asmore and more shots hammered their way into the ground. Thoughthere was no way to see what was happening with each impact, it wassoon clear, based on the combat networkthat specific locations on the surface were taking abeating.

“Beautiful,” said LieutenantFletcher, “We did our part, now Fleet cando theirs.”

The ground shook again, so hard that part of the roof around thebroken turrets split away and came down with a mighty crash. Cablesand supports dropped down after it, sending a cloud of fine powdersthat spread all around the destruction. Two Ski’ligs must have beenhiding because they fell from the roof, dropping halfway to theground before their wings extended, and they turned to fly away.Without warning, Lieutenant Fletcher lifted his arms and openedfire. The ammunition feed on his back ran directly to the pair ofmachine pistols, and he unleashed a long stream of fire that hitboth before they could gather any speed. One fell, but the secondrolled to dive to the right.

“He’s mine,” said Kallias.

He tracked the target with both arms and fired a volley from all four L48rifles. The 12.7mm high explosive shells exploded as their internalproximity sensors detected the nearby Ski’lig. The broken creaturefell quickly to the ground and smashed on the diamondrock.

“Good shooting, Private,” saidSergeant Jablonsky.

“Thanks, Sarge. It’s not like we’ve hada lack of practice.”

The others laughed at that, allwhile the Lieutenant looked back to eachof them. He could see the marks, cuts, and numerous battle damages.Yet for all the damage they had sustained in battle, they werestill on their feet and looked ready to keep up thebattle.

“What’s your status?”

Sergeant Jablonskylooked to his unit, and then to theLieutenant.

“We’ve all taken some heavy hits.Half the unit has sustained mechanical damage, and we’ve expendedalmost twenty percent of our ammunition.”

Lieutenant Fletcher ran hiseyes over the men and women of the lance.He could see the metal spikes embedded in their armour, as well assnapped lance points, and significant scorching and burn marks. Onewas missing a forearm and one several fingers.

“If we’d been regulars, wewould have been turned to mincemeat,” hesaid confidently, “Novas did the work of a thousand marines, andbetween us we’ve silenced their ground batteries. But we can’t dothe rest alone.”

“So we’re digging in?”Alexis asked.

“Negative. The General wants us to keep up the pressure on the enemy. Hewants them kept on the back foot. The minute we ease up, they canrally and turn on us. Don’t forget…this is their ownturf.”

“Keep up the pressure where? The heavies have been crushed. This cavernis ours.”

He looked up as a Jackalrose and turned away to return to thefleet.

“Our job is to secure landing zoneCharlie deeper in this cursed trench.”

Target indicators appeared in front ofValentine’s eyes.

“Charlie is a widespace, right at the base of the trench.It’s big enough to allow the regulars to land in brigadestrength.”

The Sergeant pointed to the cavern walls where the sealed-updoors to numerous tunnels were partially hidden in the pearlescentlight. At the same time, new tactical data appeared on Valentine’soverlay. She could see the tunnels heading off deep into theground. Stranger, too, many others dug down deep, all converging inone heavily excavated part of the planet.

“Drone scans confirma major concentration of underground structuresand life signs below the trench. We believe it is the entry pointto a vast underground mining site.”

“That’s a long way underground,”said Alexis, “And the scans show whatexactly?”

“Wedon’t know,” said the Sergeant, “If I had to guess, I’d say portsand…cities, and shafts more than three hundred kilometres deep.This is a mine of the likes we have never seen.”

“Sir, there aren’t that many ofus here,” said Private Colston, “Shouldn’t we…”

The Lieutenant laughed and turned about on the spot as morerobotic Grunts streamed past.

“All of the Novas, IABmarines, and Grunts are on the ground.That is more than enough. Our orders are to go inside and push themback. We then follow the tunnels to the lower levels of the trenchand secure the landing grounds. Then we dig in and hold on untilthe regulars can join us.”

He lifted his weapon and called outloudly.

“Now…who wants to hunt some Skils?”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Morato Class Frigate‘Nautilus’, Ekati Alpha, TheSki’lig Territories

Captain Regina tensed up as thealien fleet opened fire on the nearestships to their position. The newly arrived Alliance capital shipswere still a good distance away, and that meant the vessels of theIAB were closer and easier to hit. Beams of lights and salvos ofhigh velocity slugs hammered away at the dozen warships. TheCaptain had never seen so many Ski’lig ships in one place before,and they were moving at speed towards their blockading force inorbit over Ekati Alpha.

“Captain, there’rethree divisions of six attack ships coming ourway.”

“Eighteen attacks ships…againsttwelve of