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

rank was quickly overwhelmed by a fresh assault. The marines and Novas looked like rocks ona beach as the high tide engulfed them, only to vanish as the watercover them completely. Then a narrow gap appeared as Kallias openedfire. The long bursts from his four guns cut a channel through theenemy, and Valentine cried out in relief as she spotted the openspace beyond the battle. It wasn’t much, but it meant the nextgroup had not yet reached them from the surface.

“We can do this!Their strength is nearly spent.”

A spike came down from above andlanced into her shoulder. She was soenraged she didn’t even cry out, and Tex returned fire immediately,blasting the aerial attacker out of the sky. She then looked backand found five of the armoured slave soldiers. They carriedhardened spears again and were mixed in with Ski’lig foot soldiers.One rammed a spear into the chest of Private Peterson. The mancried out, and Colston and Tsarkov stepped in front to protect him.More shot hit them, and Tsarkov went down. The soldiers smashedthrough the gap, skewered Peterson three more times, and thenforced their way through the broken line.

“No!” Valentine shouted.

She tried toturn, but more hit from the front. Herinterceptors fired at point-blank range, with two enemies falling,while lifting their hands on their eyes.

“We can’t beat them,” said Kallias, “There’s just too many ofthem.

“No,” said Valentine,“All guns, target here.”

Alexis was now right next to herand fired repeatedly, only to take a hit to the face that knockedher down. Valentine looked down and cried out inrelief as her friend pulled away thefront of the damaged helmet. There was blood, but Alexis appearedto be alive. She looked back and took aim.

“Novas, clear the left flank!”

Theyopened fire, quickly cutting a space along the one side of theattacking enemy force. At the same time, the enemy continuedripping their way through the formation. She could see they weremoments from total defeat.

“Captain!” she screamed,“We need you on the left flank.”

They fired again and again, andthen Captain Olik was there, just behindthem and firing away. More marines rushed to the line, but therewere few units left in reserve to plug the gaps.

“I’m here.”

Valentine lookedback and nodded.

“The Chasm breaks away to the right. We can cattle drive theminto it...if we can push into their formation.”

Shots crashed aroundthem, and Valentine fired again andagain. Slugs, spikes, and bullets hit around them, with marines andNovas crying out in pain. Every few seconds another would fall,slowly thinning out their numbers.

He hesitated, and then roared with pleasure.

“Yes! Marines,4th Platoon, to our left flank, now!”

The regular marines reformed into a defensive line to their left andcontinued to fire.

“I like your plan,” saidLieutenant Fletcher, “There’s somethingvery old school about all this.”

She gave him a nod and then lifted herright arm high.

“Now…wepush.”

“You heard the LanceCorporal!” said the Captain.

He lifted up his Thumper andhowled. Slugs continued to strike him, and he merely laughed whileopening fire. He then stepped forward,and Valentine and the others joined him as they ran forward.Valentine barged two Ski’ligs out of the way while IAB marines andregulars rushed to fill the gap as the Novas advanced along theflank of the enemy. In seconds they were far out and away from thesafety of the shield wall of marines. A single platoon of marineshad come with them, providing a thin link back to the line. Beingtaller, Captain Olik could see over their heads, and the battlelooked worse by the second. The bulk of the enemy was clustered tothe right, and a smaller number engaged by the marines on hisleft.

“Here!” Valentinesaid.

“The group slowed and continuedto fire, keeping the enemy from getting too close. Shapes movedaround them, and then the Ski’ligs totheir left tried to encircle and surround them.

“Val…whatever we’re doing, we need todo it fast!”

She placed the rifle on her sidewhere it locked onto the weapon clamp andactivated her close quarter combat modes. The shield to the leftextended, and her right arm shifted in mass further to the hand,creating a crude mace.

“Now…wemove to the right and push them back! Over the edge and down toHell! Now…push!”

She turned and ran at the enemy. The other Novas and some of the marinesdid the same. More marines pushed a few metres from the main lineto the left, doing their best to pin down the smaller numbers ofenemy in front of them. They were able to advance through theweakened line to form a barrier shielding the Novas.

“Val, this is insane,”said Kallias as he almost fell forwardwhile pushing.

Olik was right next to them andmanaged to catch seven of the Ski’ligs and pushed them into amass of flailing limbs. He looked like aram as he continued forward.

“That’s it!” Valentinesaid excitedly, “Just keep pushing.”

A firearm blasted her from theright, but there was nothing she could dobut brace her body and keep pushing.

I can do this,said Tex.

The cannon on her shoulder fired againand again, killing and maiming while the Novas continued topush.

“Ten metres!”

It was slow going, but Valentinecould feel they were about to break. It was like a sport, where oneside needed to push back the other for some bizarre reason. Thosepushing forward had the advantage, and soon the Ski’ligs and theirslave soldiers lost their footing orcollapsed in the crush. In that moment Valentine knew they had doneit. Captain Olik roared like a wounded beast, shouting so loudlyher internal speakers almost deafened her.

“Push!”

Valentine tightened herartificial shoulder and then pushed andpushed. She felt the Ski’ligs break, and then it turned to a rout.Further and further, they pushed until half of the enemy were senttumbling to their deaths. The lucky few broke and fled back intothe tunnels and passages that filled the vastness of the cavern.She stopped just a metre from the edge and looked over at herfallen foes.

“Victory,” said Lieutenant Fletcher, even though it sounded more aquestion than a statement.

Valentine looked at him as he opened his visor. He was not happy, butinstead there was something else, a look of relief at his forehead.The tension had released, and she could tell a weight had beenlifted.

“This is a massacre,”said Alexis.

The Lieutenant looked toher, and he gave her a shortnod.

“Yes,