War's Reward (Free Fleet Book 6) Read online

  "Confirm target and send," Kurft said, his voice gruf, he knew the kind of damage that would come on the planet. Fal felt as if he was bartering a bit of what the Human's called 'soul' away as the order was given. A number of Ershue had needed to be removed from the command center as they watched their planet being destroyed. Their planet was their legacy, their home. It was a part of them like few other races felt.

  Kurft seemed to be touched by it and understand it on some level.

  Somewhere in the base Planetary Rail Cannons fired, and a swathe of Ershue was cleared of all life. The area of forest on the screen bloomed into a cloud of destruction. There seemed to have been a power plant on the location. It had been punctured by the artillery fire, reacted with the opened storage tanks of Helium-three and turn into a bomb that shook the base with it's ferocity. Kilometers of forest burned. Fal just hoped that there was little to no fallout so that they might one day reclaim that portion of their home.

  "The Kalu look to be massing along sector three," Poj said with sadness and determination in her voice.

  "Alert the HAPA units in that sector, have artillery see if they can coax them out," Kurft said looking to the map.

  The Mound base had thirteen trench lines that extended to within a few kilometers of the incline that led from the forest to the barren rock face.

  Seven of those lines had been pulled back from, sealed off and their booby traps activated.

  Fifty-nine thousand Commandos, both from the fleet and Ershue had died in the defense of those lines. It was a small price to pay for the more than a hundred and fifty million Ershue that hid in the catacombs cut under the base and into the mound.

  “I’m going out,” Kurft said, passing his pad to Fal.

  “I will come too commander,” Fal said respectfully, their HAPA numbers had been ground down. Fal was certified to use them and he didn’t want to sit back as his commander went out there and fought.

  Kurft looked over him, he nodded, pulling the data pad back and handing it to Poj. “Keep us safe,” Kurft said.

  There wasn’t the nervousness Fal would have expected to see in Poj’s wings. She knew her abilities and if Kurft bestowed his trust in her, then she would carry out her task to the best of her ability.

  Fal clamped his helmet closed, Kurft did the same, they weaved their way through the base, it was a large base but they knew it well. It wasn’t long until they were in the grimy armory racks. HAPA’s powered up and moved, their users making sure they were running properly. Racks shifted as people moved to join their units. Ammunition belts rattled as ammunition was fed into the beast’s magazines and then up to their medium rail cannons. Elevators dropped from the floor above, more HAPA’s following.

  The room was hard used, grease and scars ran across the walls and ceilings.

  Fal twitched his wings, his powered armor translated it into walking. Ershue didn’t walk all that much, but the heavy powered armor translated these movements.

  In space with their reactive thrusters then they were free to fly.

  Fal climbed up his HAPA and ambled his way in, he didn’t miss the easy way that Kurft swung himself into position and started the powering up sequence.

  Fal got orientated and powered up, the machine rumbled to life underneath him.

  Again the interface between his wings and powered armor began to move, which made his HAPA move. He rocked with the HAPA’s large gait, he walked, flicking switches to bring ammunition to both guns and alter the gait of the HAPA to better suit him. Another closed the harness around his powered armor and mated it to the HAPA’s.

  He checked the harness and grabbed the dual joy sticks to either side of him. He flicked a toggle on the side. His missile pods came up and locked into position.

  Kurft was ahead of him and moving through the HAPA commandos heading to the hallways that surrounded the armored facility, and would put them in front of the approaching Kalu.

  HAPA’s were jogging, a simple enough looking practice, but one of the most complex.

  Fal hit another toggle on the sides of his joysticks, they became free, whirring as he brought them up, he shifted his arms and the cannons on them from side to side, checking his range of motion.

  “All good?” Kurft asked over personal communications channel.

  “Five by five,” Fal said, remembering a human saying that had stuck.

  Kurft let out a huff of air and picked up the pace into a jog. Fal followed, switching the second last toggle on his joysticks. The guns rotated, revealing plasmid swords. He hit the toggle again and the cannons came back.

  He felt his body moving side to side with the elongated steps of the HAPA. It had felt so odd and heavy compared to flying. After months of training he was used to it.

  Kurft turned and came out of the corridor.

  A hatch had been opened to allow the HAPA’s to stream out. Kurft’s arms came up his rail cannons firing.

  Fal followed, checking his cannons again.

  Then he too was going through the hatch and saw a sight that training could never replicate. HAPA’s stood or took a knee in any depression they could find, grouping together and firing at the oncoming Kalu. Artillery rained down over the edge of the mound and on the side of it. There wasn’t enough additional support to keep them all back and the Kalu had spread out enough that the artillery didn’t kill that many of them.

  Fal realized he had blanked for a moment, thankfully he hadn’t stopped moving and slid down a crater wall. He used the opposite side to stop himself, other HAPA’s came around and joined him.

  While training couldn’t make up the sights he was seeing, it did train him to react. He raised his cannons, his HUD showing him the cameras mounted on them, and he found his first Kalu.

  He squeezed his trigger, seeing it slump down in a hail of rounds. He paused, realizing that he had just killed another creature. Not going to help if the Kalu overrun you and kill your family and friends.

  His wings tightened and he sunk into his training, he focused on finding targets and filling them with rounds.

  He was no longer sub-commander Fal, he was just another Commando trying to hold the line as Kalu charged over their lines and dove into the trenches.

  The Kalu scampered up the edges, jumping on the HAPA’s where they could.

  Plasmid blades buried themselves into the Kalu’s shells, others fired their guns even when in close combat. Metal giants fought armored wolves.

  Fal fired his last remaining missile into the oncoming Kalu, firing his cannons at the pack that were racing through entrenchments. All of the booby traps had been destroyed at this point. The remaining trenches were too short to give powered armor and HAPA’s cover, the Kalu were half the size. They raced through the trenches, using their cover to come charging at Fal.

  “Commandos on me!” Fal barked over a close-communication channel, turning his bulk and bringing his cannons to bear, his cannons barked, rattling his entire frame.

  It was a kind of exhilaration that he had never thought to feel. His cannons moved independently, tracking down the multiple runs of Kalu. HAPA’s announced their arrival by sliding around him or rolling to a stuttering step, pausing their mass. Their guns blazed and for a moment they held the Kalu back.

  For a moment Fal hoped that they could get enough time to push back.

  He hadn’t been watching as a large contingent of Kalu joined the smaller pack that had gained entrance into the trenches.

  The Kalu in the rear surged over the sides of the trenches, giving the HAPA’s too many targets to handle.

  Fal likened them to a nest of seldar.

  “Blades!” One of the Commandos said, guns rotated and set in place as the first HAPA’s were rocked back with incoming Kalu.

  Fal realized he was screaming as his arms moved wildly, bashing, cutting and attempting to stave off the massive wolves.

  The Kalu had trained from birth to kill others with their teeth and claws. Fal had learned how to fly, to play, to
experience joy with his connection to all living creatures and things.

  Kalu blood covered his HAPA, he fought without thinking. Ignoring the past and whatever reasons he might have for being there. To stop was to die.

  He felt pain in his side, he released an arm joystick and grabbed his shotgun, it bellowed, clearing the Kalu off of his HAPA. He struggled upright, his side burning now in pain. He didn’t dare to look down. Another Kalu lurched at him, he grabbed his joystick and dragged his blade through them, he weaved, each motion he used to sway as if drunk.

  The Kalu writhed in dying agony, the movement made Fal stumbled and almost fall, his right arm stopped him from falling over completely.

  He took a breath, looking at the ground, glancing to his sensors and hearing more Kalu on his back.

  Fury rode him, he yelled pushing off of his arm and slamming on his back, he hit the ground with his left arm and rolled away, getting to his HAPA’s feet, being on the ground was death.

  He switched his right to a cannon, firing it into the two recovering Kalu that had been on his back.

  His HAPA locked and Hellfire made him go rigid.

  He grunted and wailed through his suit, it was a big dose. He knew that wasn’t a good thing, the Wake up got him back into fighting order within moments.

  “No rest in the Commandos,” Fal said, remembering the words of other Commandos as he stumbled towards the line he had been holding, he switched his left arm’s blade for a cannon and fired as he walked up the small rise. He had work to do.

  The artillery had stemmed the flow of Kalu and made the oncoming Kalu manageable. It looked like they had broken the Kalu’s charge, for now.

  The ground rumbled with more HAPA’s reinforcements coming in and adding their firepower to Fal’s and the three survivors of the line, there had been seventeen before.

  Fal bit back his emotions, shifting to a new position with better cover, warning signs were all over his armor.

  “We’ve got this now, go and get yourself sorted,” a Commando said on a private channel.

  “I can...” Fal started.

  “Be quick about it yes, that hellfire and wake up is going to drain off and you’re going to be in a damn sorry state,” the Commando said.

  “You may have a point.” Fal turned to leave before pausing, “Vamp me first.” He moved back from the line, holding out an arm to the Commando.

  They reached their arm over, connecting ports. Fal watched as his ammunition dropped to ten percent, pouring into the Commandos internal magazines.

  “Good luck,” Fal said, before heading for the base at a jog, he got a few laser strikes on his back, but the HAPA barely dipped below yellow.

  He got into the hatch, his vision swimming and his Wake-up was wearing off.

  he weaved a little, gritting his teeth and headed towards the HAPA armory. He locked out his arms and made sure to keep out of people’s way. A medic saw him and waved for him to stop. He ground to a halt, it was hard for him to keep his eyes open. The medic jumped up, making sure the HAPA was locked into place and started staring at his side. He felt new hellfire go raging through his system. The auto-injector must be dumping its remaining reserves into his system, he desperately wanted to hit the medic who’d activated it.

  Fucking hellfire!

  Oblivion took him and he slumped into his harness.

  Chapter Holding Ground

  “Here they come,” Cheerleader said as wormholes appeared just past Quarst’s asteroid field.

  “Release the jump fighters. Send a message to Salchar and the rest of the fleet. What is the status of our reinforcements from the Kalu independents and the HCD’s?” She asked. She’d memorized how long it would take the fleets to reach her. Though it would serve to steady her crew.

  Jump fighters that had been ready were launched from the sides of her carriers. The rest of the fleet came to alert and shifted like one great behemoth to face the oncoming Kalu.

  Jump pilots rushed through the halls, more jumpers adding to the numbers that were already heading away from the fleet. The first wings projecting wormholes to bring fire down on the Kalu.

  “Four days for Bregend’s forces, a day for the independents and everything that Min Hae was able to scrape together,” Werv said.

  “Well we’re going to have to see if we can’t get the Kalu to fight it out in the system for a bit,” Cheerleader said.

  “Prepare the fleet for jump, we’re not going to let our jumpers have all of the fun,” Cheerleader said. She looked around the deck, she saw the fear lurking behind haunted eyes of those that knew what was coming. They would fight to give the other fleets time to assemble and hammer the Kalu into nothing.

  She felt the same emotions, and like she, they pushed them away and worked their stations. None of those distractions or feelings would help them.

  “Generators or Capacitors?” Halla asked from Helm.

  “Generators,” Cheerleader said. She wanted to give her people a chance to escape when this all went to shit.

  “Yes Commander,” Halla said, turning back to her position.

  “Onur, get an assessment on our Commando compliments. Simiah I want a report on our own weapons as well as the rest of the fleets,” Cheerleader said, glancing to her screens, the last jumpers had left their carrier and were heading far enough away from the ships to wormhole behind the still emerging Kalu.

  The fist Jumpers were already bringing the Kalu under fire.

  ***

  “They’re converging on Asul,” Hod yelled up to Ursht.

  Ursht nodded, securing the hydraulic line that he’d replaced on his HAPA.

  “Then we shall meet them on the field of battle,” Ursht said, he didn’t have to look down to see the unhappy frown on his seconds face.

  “Do no worry Hod, we will not be playing by their rules by any standard. I believe it’s time that we went over the plan for Asul,” Ursht said, dropping from his HAPA next to Hod. It was hard to hear with the noises of repairs, HAPA’s moving around, as well as ammunition and fuel being reloaded.

  “Yes commander,” Hod said, interest in her eyes.

  She might try to keep Ursht out of battle a lot, but they were both Avarians, there was only so much distance that they could put between themselves and battle.

  ***

  “Mills, you have command,” Bregend said, standing in his clanking power armor.

  “Yes commander, I will be down as soon as possible,” Mills said.

  They looked to one another, understanding passing between them.

  “Then I will see you down there,” Bregend said, his armored hand clanking on Mills own powered armor shoulder. Bregend headed for the bridge’s doors, behind him the fleet had opened up their shuttle bays and a veritable flood of shuttles, fighters and bombers were heading for Daestramus.

  It was nothing like the tsunami Falhu and his forces had crashed through Daestramus’ atmosphere and into their cities.

  Yet it filled all those that saw it with pride and more importantly, hope.

  I wonder what the Kalu are thinking seeing as we come for them, Bregend thought as he entered the first door, it clamped behind him. The other opened a few moments after the bolts behind him had locked.

  Bregend turned and headed out from his bridge, towards the shuttle bays.

  He checked his weapons and gear with small touches.

  His HUD laid down a path before him. The ship felt as if it was emptying into the shuttle bay. Engineers, gunners, anyone that could get away from their task, were. They were already entombed in their armor. They strapped extra ammunition and their personal weapons.

  They might not be pretty, but they sure as hell looked fierce. Bregend nodded to himself as he looked over the battle scarred machines of war.

  Visors closed and sealed, armor tightened, weapons were loaded and plasmid weaponry was checked.

  HAPA’s thumped through the shuttle bay and onto their berths with their rolling strides. Their bulk swayed wi
th each step emphasizing the power and strength of the walking armored tanks.

  Bregend passed his hand over a HAPA rack, his armor came into view, swaying from its usual place.

  He swung up it and jumped into the seat, firing it to power and locking himself in. “Weapons good, power good, harness locked, and we’re moving.” He rolled with the HAPA’s movements, stepping down from the harness that held him and into the shuttle bay.

  People reverted to their training as Commandos, filing onto shuttles with their powered armor, or HAPA’s.

  Bregend’s HUD updated and he found an open shuttle. He moved across the deck, powered armor only Commandos made sure to get out of his lumbering way. It really sucked to be stepped on by a HAPA.

  He clambered up the ramp and onto the shuttle. Special harnesses grabbed the top of his HAPA and footholds were waiting for him. He pressed his feet into them, locking the HAPA into the shuttle’s structure.

  Power was fed from the engines and he was pulled forward on a conveyor belt.

  The HAPA’s were laid out in a T-formation, they ran from both side ramps down the center aisle to the rear ramp. Commandos filed in along the sides wearing their powered armor, hefting the biggest firepower they could get their hands on. Ammunition crates had been connected to the deck and locked down like Bregend was.

  Commandos muttered to one another and talked, trying to get rid of the jitters. If it did or didn’t Bregend was none the wiser. Three more HAPA’s thumped into position.

  With the last locking their legs in, the rear ramp rolled up.

  “Good for drop!” The Cargo master said over the shuttle’s speakers.