Solar Warden by Jakob Waechter (best authors to read TXT) 📕

a risky attempt. As sooner we act our opponent also has less time to prepare. The plan is now SW-1 and SW-4 go with the prisoners down. If something goes wrong, we have to blow up the bottom and adapt as good as we can. Ryan, you will have the command. If it doesn’t make sense to support like we planned, find another way as long there it time. I will now inform the Captain. Then we will arm up and go in,” Knight decided.

The Captain was not quite happy about the plan, but he had no better option than to leave. Knight was sure his squad and SW-4 would have enough firepower. Also there was the possibility the door won’t open at all. Then the discussion was nearly for nothing and time would fade away.

 

Owens and Max arrived at the Icarus. She brought the dead communication device after decontamination into the lab. Then she went for a short medical checkup and went finally into an office in the quarantine zone to continue the work without a suit.

Owens had some assistance to power down the alien ship. Newman had already informed the team and Owens what to do. It was a needed procedure because it could be possible to activate a ship over this communication device. So they had to cut the power to the engines and the weapons system. Then check the same on the disc ship to ensure nothing could happen. Also the wanted communication devices had to be still powered but disconnected from the ships network for later hack options. This meant further things which Kelsey would do if she had the time.

 

Newman worked now on one of this container they had captured. He unplugged the power for the gravity field generator which controlled the stuff at top. So they could use it without danger as transporter. This was useful now to store all the alien rifles they stacked together. For the upcoming mission Knight wanted only use two of them. It made some sense because the microwave rifle was not useful against the armored suit. Nevertheless, he used one and had his HK on the back. The two sniper used the Barret. Then one of his team members an alien rifle the others a HK with high-speed ammo like his on the back. Pearce used also a HK. Anderson, with his experience, the alien rifle. The other two had the APX with its grenade launcher.

It was no problem to signal the reptilian aliens to go. Also the Gray followed the order which was also spoken out as he surly understood it.

The laser drill was nearly at the end. It stopped and went to the side. They went through the entrance to the lift.

As they were close to it, surprisingly the lift door opened. There was no one in there and could not be as the areas were monitored with the scout drones.

“Seems they expect us,” Knight said and signaled the prisoners to move in. “Move.”

Everyone went into the lift. Then it closed automatically and went down.

“Still no one to see and the door is closed,” Clark informed from the Icarus.

The door opened and they went out. Knight signaled the team to get in position. He and the two with the alien rifle walked with the prisoners to the big door. Then stopped a far enough away where they could still get in cover, but had the door in sight. There were two routes from the lift to that door. This made it much easier for all to find a suitable cover position. The spread out teams were now behind Knight and on the other side having the door in sight.

“I want a prisoner exchange,” Knight called out. Nothing happened. “We can end this peacefully.” Knight waited.

After a while he looked at the clock to check the time. Then he thought about the time he wanted to wait.

“I wait here further 10 minutes. Then we move back,” Knight informed all over radio. Do they really not care? Maybe for the Gray or were Knight’s forces a threat denying the door opening? Knight thought about many more reasons. Then checked the clock again. Seven minutes were past. He waited further and thought more about possibilities. Was his time limit too short? He checked the time again. Elven minutes had past.

“Well, it seems your friends do not want you,” Knight said to the Gray. “Let’s move to the lift.”

He gave the signals to the reptilians. They all followed and moved back.

Then the door made a noise and opened slowly.

“Stop!” Knight gave the signals and repositioned the prisoners.

It was dark in there. Only the light in the cave did brighten up what was behind the door.

Out of the darkness a Gray stepped out and stopped a bit further out of the opening while the door still opened.

“So you finally decided to stop your killing,” the Gray said.

“Sorry, but we only defended ourselves and needed time to adapt,” Knight replied.

“Nevertheless you did some damage. Not that it matters much and I guess you already assumed it. Seems you are still unsure. Yet you try to make a deal with probably nothing.”

“Sorry, but we were the first who got attacked. Defending itself does every living being. Also we have a history with your kind for what we would like an answer,” Knight said.

“Having nothing and still trying to get something. But as a good will for your changed behavior you get your two soldiers back,” the Gray replied. Then Lee and Chavez came into sight.

“You two can go to the lift. Don’t worry you need no air filters on this planet,” the Gray said.

Both had no helm and the top part of the suit was removed as it was with Ryan and Caine. They walked to Knight which also let the others go.

“So you did the same to them as to our men at the facility,” Knight continued, as both passed him.

“Does it matter? You have your people back as you wanted. Unfortunately, we want also something of value for us,” the Gray replied.

Chavez and Lee were close to the elevator.

The Captain and the others followed the trade over the drone video stream.

“I thought we had a deal,” Knight said.

“We gave you your people back as a gesture and to answer your question. We take samples for analysis propose. So we will do it with you. Please drop your weapons. You might hurt yourself with that stuff,” the Gray replied.

Chavez and Lee were in the lift. The door was closing.

Suddenly the connection to the drones was lost.

 

“Damn it. Diaz, secure the lift. SW-5 go! We have a charge to set,” Ryan ordered and led to the position for planting the charge. Caine had the alien rifle. Newman the C4. He already tested it once.

 

Knight targeted with the microwave rifle the Gray. The prisoners were already out of sight.

“Hold position!” Knight ordered and fired. Nothing happened. Knight set the microwave rifle to maximum.

“Well, then the other way,” said the Gray, turned and walked away into the darkness.

Knight fired again. Still nothing. He activated the IR sight support. The Gray was too soon out of sight for him to switch weapons.

“Fire at the Gray no matter what,” Knight said and also radioed registering now the connection lost icon on his display. The others who could hear it fired. Then the Gray was out of sight. A strange metallic noise like steps were to hear.

“Check the lift and prepare to fire,” Knight ordered. “Energy weapons too maximum!”

“Riley check the lift,” Pearce ordered.

Knight also went back to cover. A huge mechanic machine appeared. It had a height close to four meter. With legs and arms it looked like a huge robot. It was probably made with this titan alloy and seemed massive against the armor suit they had encountered. On the right arm there was something starting to spin. It looked like a Gatling gun around the metallic arm. In the middle of it there was a simpler hand like mechanism which was also on the other side. It had three finger like grabs. The robot, or was there someone in the middle part, stopped.

The main structure had enough space to house a Gray. Maybe even one of the reptilian. But that was more unlikely. Exactly Knight could not determine it. He targeted at the middle to probably hit the one inside or at least the electronics.

“Prepare to fire!” Knight shouted.

The right arm of the machine was rising.

“Fire!” Knight pulled the trigger and shot at it.

Other shots followed. The plasma of the alien rifles spread out before the machine and vanished slowly with some fluctuations. It looked like there was a shield. Bullets bounced off the metal and some sparkles were to see. The Barretts shot with also no effect as well as a grenade.

Now the arm was pointing in Knight’s direction.

“Cover!” Knight shouted and dropped his gun jumping to the side.

A lot of plasma bolts headed into his direction and then to the position of the others. Everyone were in cover now. The other side was still firing without seemingly damaging it.

“Anderson shoot at the top. We need a holes to get rocks down!” Pearce ordered him.

Riley was coming back with no success. “The lift does not respond.”

“Ok. See were Anderson is shooting. So when the battle armor is coming closer, I want you to shot at the holes with the grenade launcher when I order you,” Pearce informed him.

The machine was now firing some shots to the other side then it walked forward near Knight’s position.

“Prepare to fall back if possible,” Knight shouted which had now his HK ready.

Anderson was finished with the shooting at the top.

“Blair, grenade to the top when I order it,” Pearce shouted to him.

Then they fired at the machine while it came closer. As it went closer to the holes Anderson shot, both with the grenade launcher were looking to Pearce now.

“Now!” he shouted and pointed up while still the others fired with all they had at the thing.

The pointing Blair could notice and joined Riley shooting up.

 

Caine had already fired into the ground. Now Newman planted the C4 and activated the timer. He ran away as fast as he could.

 

The machine was now close below. Explosions occurred over it and finally the rocks came down. They crashed on the machine and then to the ground. Still it was moving and the stepping on a rock while some more were falling on it. That it could not compensate and was falling to the back.

“Fire all what we have,” Knight ordered and all fired. It did seemingly nothing. Still this shield was working. Knight was hoping that somehow the shield would deplete and then at least the combination of the alien rifles and the others could do something.

“Focus on the arm with the Gatling gun,” Knight shouted.

It already stopped turning. Maybe it was even damaged through the falling. Also the armor may not as effective there. The machine was no trying to stand up.

An explosion occurred and further behind near the side of the lift the rocks also went down.

“Fall back. Lure the machine to the other side,” Knight ordered, then shouted, “Retreat!”

Yamada and his team were now throwing three ropes down. Caine was on the border of the hole looking down. He could see the huge machine which was standing up. Immediately he fired and was surprised about the shielding effect.

“Ryan, we have a problem down there!” Caine shouted. “Better Newman comes, too.”

Both joined Caine which changed the setting too maximum and fired again.

Knight was running to the cover at the other side of the lift.

The machine was up now unsure were to pursue. Blair went into cover.

Knight met up with the other part of the team. After him Pearce and Riley were joining.

“We will lure it to here. You will try to get behind. If you see the chance to escape do so. Else fire on it as much as you can. The others already blown up the