Battle Earth VI

Chapter 1

Captain Ryan stepped out onto the bridge to begin his last week of the Deveron's posting to the Gateway. It was a duty no one in the Navy wanted, but it had to be done. Since the retreat from Tau Ceti the combined fleets of Earth had kept a permanent deployment at the strategically vital point.

But too much time had passed now with seemingly no response from the enemy to the invasion into their own lands. Support on Earth was once more waning through the short sightedness and hope that it was all over. Ryan woke each day knowing that it could be his last. The strength of the deployment had decreased substantially in the last month to just a dozen vessels.

As was typical, the Deveron was the smallest of all the fleet, but her crew were no less proud. He ran his hand along the rails. They were thick acrylic and room temperature, smooth to the touch, and reassuringly solid. He didn't know why he did that, but his connection with the ship made the Deveron feel like family.

Still going strong, he thought to himself. She had indeed been to hell and back.

"Anything to report?"

"No, Sir, no activity, as usual."

Despite having command since the death of Captain Reyes, he still felt awkward having taken his place. The crew loved Reyes, and in spite ofRyan being one of them for many years; they were big shoes to fill.

"Captain, I have an incoming private message for you."

"I'll take it in my quarters,” he replied.

He hoped it was his wife and already knew it would be. He rushed off to see her face. He sat down quickly and accepted the message. He received such communicates every few days, but they could never have a live discussion. Frequently, their responses to each other would come long after they were relevant. It was frustrating, but that only made each message that bit more exciting. It was the only excitement in his life anymore. A posting to the Space Gateway was both deadly boring and immensely scary.

The screen came to life, and as always, she did not waste a second with getting into a cheery greeting. She flicked through their daughter’s schoolwork with a smile. He could see the light of day seeping in from the window where she sat. It had been a beautiful sunny day when she had recorded the message. He turned away for just a second to see the blackness from his small loophole. He grunted at the comparison as he thought of where he could be and what he could be doing.

Ryan turned back and opened his mouth as if to respond to her there and then before the reality struck him. For a moment, when he looked away and heard her voice beside him, he could imagine she was there in the room. He leaned forward and merely gazed at her lips moving without really listening to what she was saying. To his surprise the audio suddenly cut off when she was mid sentence, and the screen faded away.

The Captain was about to hurl abuse at the console when an emergency warning light throbbed, and he realised something serious was happening. He hit the acceptance button. Lieutenant Wayans was projected before him.

"What is it?" he asked abruptly.

The precious little time he got to enjoy new messages from his family were the one thing in his life he could not tolerate having interrupted. But all of that anger vanished now, realising a serious matter lay ahead.

"Sir, we've got activity at the Gateway."

His heart sunk, and he stopped breathing for a moment. It was the last news in the world he would ever wish to receive. He finally caught a breath and came back to life.

"I'll be right out."

He stood up but was a little shaky. He'd seen enough action against the Krycenaeans to wish he could never see another again; the very thought of their return struck fear into all humans. He shook the stiffness out of his body and regained his composure. He knew he could not afford to be off his game now. There had been no evidence of an enemy presence, but he already knew it would be them.

Ryan strolled out onto the bridge to find it almost silent. The crew stood or sat at their stations not knowing what to do. There was nothing to do yet. A few lights flickered on the Gateway. Ryan had seen this before. Something was coming through, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.

"I've got an incoming feed from the Collingwood, Sir," stated Lovett.

The ensign was young and the Deveron was her first posting, but she had so far proven her worth. But all Ryan could think was of the Collingwood, the largest vessel in the fleet. It was a cruiser that had been built during the last war and whilst powerful, it was a world apart from the two carriers that led the assault into Tau Ceti.

"Put it on screen," he replied.

Commodore Clark appeared and despite his quick address of the fleet, they could all see the terror in his eyes.

"You must all have noticed by now that the Gateway has become active. We must assume that something is coming through and that whatever that may be, they mean to do us harm. We were stationed here to guard the colonies of the Solar System against any such threat."

He took a deep breath and was clearly in shock that it was happening on his watch.

"I am sorry that it has fallen on all of you to bear this responsibility, but we must hold the Gateway at all costs."

All Ryan could think was that they didn't have enough ships. Not enough marines, not enough guns. They could repulse a reconnaissance or expeditionary force at the very most. Any serious invasion of the System would run right through them."

"We have been through these drills a hundred times. Prepare to defend yourselves, and God be with us all. Good luck."

The transmission ended and the bridge crew remained motionless and silent. Ryan wanted nothing more than to fire up the engines and make a run for Earth where the defence grid was operational and the main fleets were stationed. He knew everyone around him felt the same way, but he could not act upon it. He opened up a ship wide comms channel.

"This is the Captain speaking. We have incoming through the Gateway. All hands on deck! All weapons prepare to fire. Repair crews at the ready and blast doors sealed. We've got a fight on our hands. All marines prepare for boarding defence. You all know the drills, get to it."

Ryan knew the twenty-six marines on board would be of minimal use should they get hit hard. Lieutenant Samson was a fine marine and a capable leader, but they needed more than just skills, they needed numbers. He turned to Wayans.

"Break open the weapons and armour. I want every crew member armed and ready to fight."

Several of the bridge crew overheard the order, and it was horrifying for them all. They had all served in the last war, but none had ever had to come face to face with the alien soldiers they had heard such harrowing stories of. They still remained motionless, and Wayans was startled by the orders.

"Get on it, Lieutenant."

The second-in-command coughed and finally responded in a growly voice from his dry throat.

"Aye, aye, Sir."

Samson arrived on the bridge just twenty seconds later. It was clear he had sprinted for the bridge the moment the Captain's orders were issued. He stopped for a moment as he caught sight of the viewing screen and the Gateway beginning to spin. The Marine officer had never seen it in operation before. He had spent his war fighting on the east coast of the US. Rarely had he had cause or desire to leave the States, and yet now here he was on the borders of the Solar System.

"It's really happening?" he whispered to the Captain.

Ryan nodded grimly in response.

"It's fair to say whatever is coming through that Gateway is not going to be friendly."

"I never thought I'd see them again. Didn't we mess 'em up enough the first time?"

"They gave as good as they got."

"If they come through in such numbers, we can't stand, so what's the plan?"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

"What is the plan, Captain? There must be some contingency."

Ryan shook his head.

"There is no plan beyond holding this area, no matter the cost."

Samson stepped even closer to be sure nobody could hear his faint words.

"The cost may well be every ship, sailor, and marine in this fleet if what comes through the Gateway is what we have always feared."

Ryan nodded in agreement.

There’s no denying it. Fear is running rampant amongst the human fleet. Have we already lost the battle before it has even begun?

Ryan could not help but feel it, but he knew if he showed as such to the crew that it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy and would be the end of them all.

"Sir, just promise me you won't throw all our lives away needlessly," Samson asked of him.

It was the catalyst Ryan needed. His head snapped around to make eye contact with Samson, and he took a quick step back to address him as the Captain.

"I have no intention of doing so, Lieutenant. Let's not forget who and what we are. We are the victors of the greatest war in human history. We have fought off everything that has been thrown at us. Man your post. If we get boarded, you'll more than have your hands full."

Never having been in space, Samson had not witnessed the brutal boarding actions of the alien forces. Though he had been thoroughly informed and trained in the response to such actions, of which many other marines had become familiar with. Samson was well aware that the Deveron once carried Colonel Taylor and his Inter-Allied force. It was a lot to live up to.

"I'll have five marines posted to the bridge for the duration," he replied.

Ryan acknowledged with gratitude. The marines had substantially more armour and firepower than was being issued to the crew. Their compact Reitech carbines were a big step up from anything pre-war, but the full battle rifle was still a far more potent weapon.

The Marine officer rushed off to organise himself. None of them had yet seen any enemy, but they could all feel their presence was imminent.

Why on Earth does it have to be now? Ryan asked himself.

He had always expected to be followed through the Gateway when they made their retreat from the fateful mission to Tau Ceti. He had prayed they had reached a stalemate, but clearly that was too much to hope for.

"Monitor our comms channels. I want to know if the jammer shielding is working."

Going dark everytime they engaged the enemy had cost a lot of lives. Reiter and the other military scientists believed they had devised a solution, but as yet, it was untested in combat. Their defences were as prepared as they could be. Now they could do nothing but wait and watch.

Lights flashed around the Gateway as it began to spin faster and faster. The swirling spiral of light erupted at its core, and the Gateway was finally open. For a few seconds nothing happened, and they wondered if there was anything coming through at all. It was too much to hope for.

The hulking bow of a huge enemy warship pierced the light. The intimidating prow quickly expanded out from the Gateway, revealing the superstructure. It was familiar to them all as an enemy heavy warship. Ryan felt his heart almost stop. His mouth was dry and a bitter taste was in his mouth. His head began to pulsate like a horrible migraine attack. A few drops of sweat dropped down from his scalp. One dropped into his right eye and the other his mouth. The salt only made the bitter taste in his mouth worse, and his eye felt the sting.

It was an unavoidable reaction to seeing the fearsome enemy once again after having hoped and believed he'd never have to do so again. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his uniform. The previously spotless grey tunic was now smeared with the sweat stain, but it was the least of his problems. He could not let the rest of the crew see the fear within him. Not only that, if he wanted to survive, he needed to have his wits about him.

Seconds later, other enemy vessels began to break through into the Solar System. They were just a few hundred metres from the Gateway when they hit the wall of mines that had been laid as a defensive measure for this very circumstance. They could not destroy the Gateway, but neither did they believe they would ever want to use it again. The minefield blocked off the entire entrance to all but a hidden path for small research vessels to get through.

The intimidating enemy vessel triggered a dozen mines that tore massive holes in its hull. Finally as it hit the fifteenth mine, the engines lost power, and it was crippled. Still with forward momentum, it continued to be pummelled by the wall of mines until it was nothing more than a floating hulk. The Captain wondered for a moment if they had hostile intentions. They had come through the Gateway and hit them first before anyone could know their purpose.

Years of warfare had taught all of humanity that the sight of Krycenaeans meant you were in grave danger, and that immediate violent action against such was your duty. And yet Ryan's time amongst the two aliens in Taylor's unit had made him wonder otherwise.

None of it matters anymore. It’s too much to hope they came in peace, anyway.

Ryan's crew gave out a cheer at the defeat of the first enemy ship, but it was a short-lived celebration. Even while the hulking enemy vessel continued to ignite further mines, the next wave was opening fire. A signal came up on screen from the Collingwood. It was a surprise to them all to see their comms were still working in the presence of the enemy, but they did not have time to celebrate.

"You are clear to fire in your own time. Give those alien bastards hell!" yelled the Commodore.

Ryan turned to his crew.

"You heard him, fire!"

The bridge crew of the Deveron were still stunned by the re-emergence of the enemy. Many were fresh recruits who’d replaced their fallen comrades after the Tau Ceti expedition. Vast light pulsed through space as the Collingwood bombarded the incoming ships.

The alien fleet could only come through the Gateway a few at a time, but there seemed no shortage of them. The first five were obliterated in the opening two minutes of the battle, but they were still gaining ground. A pulse smashed into the bow of the Deveron, shaking the crew violently. Damage reports were coming in quickly, but their guns were still firing.

Ryan could do nothing now but watch and hope that their firepower could stop the enemy in their tracks. There were no tactics here. It was a numbers game. He turned to see several crew dispensing armour and weapons to those on the bridge. He stepped up and grasped a rifle from one of them and slung it over him.

They were all feeling terrifyingly vulnerable to the enemy assault, and noone would want to come face to face with one of the alien soldiers without a weapon to hand. Ryan wished he'd had been issued an Assegai, which he had heard used to such effect, but they were not issue equipment to Navy crews. He turned back to the viewing screen to see the fire increasing in intensity.

Despite the immense amount of fire being lashed on the incoming fleet, it was not enough to bring them to a halt. Floating wrecks tumbled past the human fleet as many more took their place. A massive light burst impacted off to their one side as a barrage of fire smashed one of the human cruisers. Ryan could see lights going out as the stricken ship lost power. He could only hope some of the crew could get to the escape shuttles as there was nothing to be done for them.

"How are they still coming at us?" asked Wayans.

Ryan shook his head. He had no answer. He had seen the ferocity with which the enemy fought before, but he had also seen them broken and flee. Now they seemed to exhibit an unbreakable will to succeed, no matter the cost. They were back and tougher than ever.

"We invaded their homelands. Remember how hard we fought back when they did it to us?" the Captain responded.

"Hardly the same thing, Sir. They started this war."

"I'm not sure it matters anymore the reasons why or who did what," he muttered.

Ryan fell silent once again. Most of the bridge crew could now do little but watch the carnage unfold before them.

"Sir! We have incoming assault craft!" yelled Wayans.

"Divert all fire to them! We can't let them get through!"

The Deveron's guns roared, and one of the craft was cut in half from the salvo. Fighters from the Collingwood approached in formation to try and stop them, but even as the first few craft were immobilised or destroyed, more pushed forward. A dozen of the assault craft burst through some of the wreckage, heading directly for the Collingwood. The fighters quickly came around, but they had little time to stop them.

Half of the enemy craft were blown apart, but the others smashed into the hull of their flagship.

"God save us," whispered Ryan.

He turned his attention back to the viewing screen and saw a salvo of enemy fire heading their way. Just a second later, the Deveron was rocked violently by multiple impacts, and the Captain was thrown off his feet. His head smashed into the Captain's chair. Despite being saved from death by his helmet, he instantly blacked out.

Ryan regained consciousness to see sparks and smoke emanating from the console at the front of the bridge. Crews were fighting to put out the flames. He could tell he had been out for just a minute or two, but it was still disorientating. His head throbbed so much it felt as if it were going to burst out of the helmet. Two of the crew were seriously hurt and were being attended to.

A hand slapped down on his shoulder and wrenched him around. His neck was limp, and his head flopped over before recovering. Wayans was kneeling over him and asking something, but his hearing was still dulled. Within just a few seconds it recovered, but Wayans had already resulted to shouting louder after realising he couldn't understand.

"Are you okay, Sir?"

The ear splitting shout hurt his ears further, making his eyes wince. The coarse and acrid electrical burning smell filled his nostrils, and for a moment, he wished to be dead and have it all over with. He nodded in response to Wayans’ question. He reached forward and hauled him back onto his feet.

"Are you with us, Sir?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm still here," he finally replied.

The ship was rocked again by a smaller impact that Ryan barely weathered. His knees wobbled, and he was feeling sick from the disorientation.

"Somebody give me an update!"

Wayans scrambled from one of the wounded crew to his console. Their viewing screen was down, and the Lieutenant was doing his utmost to get it back up and running. As he tapped away on the controls, he started to convey the info he had.

"The Manchester is destroyed. Damage is being reported throughout the fleet, and the Collingwood is fighting at multiple breaches in their hull, Sir."

"Are we holding?"

"At present, Sir, yes, but there seems to be no end to the enemy fleet coming through the Gateway."

Lights flickered as the display monitor came back online. Ryan gasped at the sight. The lights and glow of the revolving Gateway were barely visible anymore over the mass of enemy ships. None of them were in any doubt now that victory could not be had there today.

"Put me through to the Commodore," said Ryan.

Clark's face came up on a screen projection beside that of the ensuing battle.

"Sir, we can't stay here. Much longer and they'll roll over us," stated Ryan.

"Our orders are to defend this location at all costs, Captain. At all costs! You do your duty, Clark out."

The screen cut off, and Ryan was left with an even more bitter taste in his mouth than that caused by the fumes of the recent fires.

"Sir, we've got incoming assault pods!"

Ryan looked to the screen at the small craft rushing for their position, far smaller than the large rams that had crashed into the Collingwood. They could carry just five to ten Mechs each, but they were still every bit as terrifying.

"Shoot the bastards down. We can't let them get aboard!"

The Deveron's guns raged at the wing of drop pods heading their way. The first salvo destroyed four outright, but another half a dozen were still closing. The rapid speed at which they approached only gave enough time for one more rushed salvo. Three of the pods smashed into the hull of the Deveron.

"This is Ryan to Samson. We have multiple hull breaches."

"On it, Sir," he quickly replied over their comms.

Small explosions erupted throughout the ship as the enemy blasted the rest of their way onboard. Ryan turned to look at the entrance to the bridge, half expecting to see the Mechs stomping towards him. The marines stood confidently at the doorway with their weapons at the ready, but the navy crew were terrified. Most had forgotten the rest of the battle altogether. Coming face-to-face with a Mech was something that should be feared, but Ryan knew he must face their other troubles. He snapped around.

"Lieutenant! Give me an update on the enemy progress."

There was silence for a moment as Wayans got back to his screens.

"Sir, we've got enemy cruisers almost on top of us. There ain't much left of the minefield. The Collingwood says she's still in the fight, but see for yourself, Sir."

He panned their display screen around to show the flagship. Fires raged along her length, and enemy pulses continued to hammer the hull.

"God knows how many Mechs they have aboard."

Gunfire burst out behind them, the heavy calibre marine rifles echoing around the bridge, causing them all to flinch.

"They're here," Ryan said to himself.

He lifted his rifle and rushed to the door where the marines were firing.

"How have they got this close?" he asked.

"Sir, it's a big ship for a few dozen marines to cover. That's why we're here," replied Corporal Herrera.

Ryan stuck his head out from a barricade they had setup. The bodies of two Mechs were in the corridor. More fire could be heard faintly from further back in the Deveron.

"Sir, we just lost half our starboard weapons!"

"What?"

"They're being blown from the inside, Sir."

The Marine corporal beside him leaned in.

"Same as we'd do if we could. Without our guns, they'll blow us out of the sky in no time."

There is no sky here, thought Ryan. Run or die.

He spun around and shouted at Wayans.

"Get me Clark, right now!"

He rose to his feet and strode across the bridge as the comms channel opened. The Commodore was looking calm, but they could all hear the gunfire not so far away.

"Sir, we can't stay in this fight any longer!"

"We can and we will, Captain."

"Damn it, Sir, we can do no further good here. We'll lose this fleet for nothing gained. We've done all the damage we can to those bastards."

"And so you just want to let them roll on to Earth?"

"We don't have a choice, anymore! All we can do is retreat and re-group with the rest of our fleets so we have a fighting chance."

"I will not abandon this position!"

An explosion erupted behind the Commodore, and debris tumbled down over his head. In the ensuing chaos, they could only watch as pulses and gunfire were traded across the bridge of their flagship. The feed stayed open, and they could see marines pushing their way across the bridge, their officer shouting at the crew.

"Get us the hell out of here!"

One of the Navy officers appeared before them where the Commodore had previously stood. Blood trickled down the woman's face, and fear had almost overcome her.

"This is the Collingwood. Initiate immediate withdrawal. Get back to Earth anyway you can!"

Further explosions erupted, and the signal was cut off, but they could already see the flagship's engines roar to life. Whoever was left alive was getting out of there with all haste.

"Get moving, now!" yelled Ryan.

Wayans was already ahead of him. They had been anticipating the order from the second they first saw the enemy.

"Herrera, get to those starboard gun positions, and take down whatever bastards are there!"

"Sir, I have orders to hold the bridge."

"If we don't deal with whatever got aboard, we could lose weapons, or God forbid, engines, at any moment. We've got the bridge. You take the fight to them!"

"Yes, Sir."

Ryan could see the look of glee in the marine’s eyes. After seeing from the bridge of the Deveronthe vicious mauling the fleet had received,he wanted nothing more than to get his pound of flesh.

"On me, now!" he ordered.

The five of them rushed out with determination to crush all before them. Ryan turned to his bridge crew.

"All I need right now is a pilot and gunner. The rest of you guard that doorway."

Despite the horrifying prospect of what it might entail, no one contested the order. They were still in shock from the vicious attack but relieved to be leaving the enemy behind. As they got out of hearing distance, Wayans finally spoke.

"Sir, you think we can escape from them?"

"They'll be licking their wounds for a while, and they ain't any quicker than us these days," Ryan replied proudly.

He turned to the display screen. Four of the eleven ships had been left behind. Two were nothing more than floating hulks, and the other two were quickly following suit.

"I hope they met a quick and painless end," stated Wayans.

Ryan nodded in agreement, but he knew many of them would not have received such mercy. Gunfire still poured from the Deveron at the enemy ships, but they were quickly reaching the limits of their range. The enemy fighters were gone now, but the largest enemy guns still harassed them.

"The Collingwood looks in a bad way."

"They're still moving," replied Ryan. There's a lot to be said for that.”

"Sir, we got incoming!"

Before he could turn, a pulse smashed into the defences at the door to the bridge. The crew ducked down behind it as fragments of the pulse splintered out across the deck. Ryan could smell the burn of the pulse fragments eating into their metal deck. Further pulses continued to hit the position where the crew were hunkered down. No one wanted to stick his neck out to return fire.

"Put some fire down on them!" he shouted.

They heard his order but didn’t respond. They were frozen by the fear of impending death as the creatures stomped up the corridor towards them. Between the cracking bursts of pulses, they could hear the steps getting nearer. Ryan cursed as he leapt to their position and slammed up against the edge of the doorway.

"The only thing that's going to stop them is us, now start shooting!"

He leaned around the corner and let off a burst from his rifle. There was little need to aim, as the corridor was relatively narrow and straight. He caught a glimpse of at least two creatures before a pulse racing towards his head made him jerk back. The impact ripped a half a metre hole in the edge of the doorway. The blast impact barely missed the Captain.

Wayans look around in panic. His back faced the doorway from his seat, but he could not leave his post. Ryan leaned into the hole that had been blasted and fired another burst. It was enough to inspire the others to do the same. Dozens of rounds were thrown down the corridor, but few were aimed shots.

Ryan ducked back again, but when he leaned around for another attempt, he felt the heat of the enemy’s weapon as a pulse fired. He stopped just in time to save himself, but he knew the enemy were right on top of them. He held is rifle around the corner and blind fired the rest of his magazine, jumping back to put in another. As he did so, he looked up to see his scared comrades hiding.

"Get up there and shoot!"

He pushed in the new mag and turned into the doorway once again. He suspected it would be his last and opened up on full auto. He had a full view of the creatures now, and his rounds smashed into the nearest one, killing it quickly. But two others were close behind. They're weapons quickly powered up and were about to unleash a fury of pulses when an explosion erupted behind them, sending them crashing to the deck.

The crew watched in shock and delight as marines rushed up the corridor, firing rapidly at the wounded creatures until they stood over their vanquished foes and made sure the job was finished. Lieutenant Samson was at the head of the marines. His armour was scorched and clothing of his upper right arm burnt from an enemy pulse, but he seemed unaffected by it.

"Where are we up to, Captain?" he asked, as if nothing had changed.

"Fleet is bugging out. We're overrun."

"No shit," he responded.

"Have you cleared all those bastards out yet?"

Before Samson could answer, a few gunshots rang out where they had come from.

"We're flushing the last of them out as we speak."

Ryan nodded in acknowledgement. He could see the marine was maintaining his position at the bridge until the ordeal was over, and Ryan wasn't going to complain. The two of them turned to look at the viewing screens that now showed their flanks and stern. Shots still poured back from where they’d left, but in less number now. Samson gasped at the sight of the damage of the larger vessels around them.

"We could never have held there with so small a force," he stated.

"No, we couldn't. But neither did they come out of the fight unscathed."

"Sir, if I may ask. Why the hell were we just a bare bones operation when such a threat was ever present?"

Ryan sighed as he thought it over.

"People wanted to believe it was all over. We were just a token force."

"They won’t believe it now."

Ryan turned back to Wayans and could see the relief in his face. Many of the crew were still huddled behind cover with their rifles clenched to their bodies. Ryan knew they had come within minutes of losing the lives of everyone in the fleet.

"Any sign of them following us?" he asked.

"Negative, Sir, or not at any speed anyway."

The Captain breathed out in relief and could see the rest of the crew relax. He thought they had been posted to a lifeless and deathly boring tour at the Gateway, but now they faced another war and were running for their lives.

"Won't they ever leave our System alone?" asked Wayans.

"Nope, not while we fight to defend it."