Battle Beyond Earth: Resurrection (22 page)

"I'm getting energy readings. We've got incoming!" Nichols called out.

"Good, then we've pulled them away from our Solar System," replied Taylor.

They watched the display screens as the fleet they had encountered just moments before materialised in an attempt to block their path to the surface, but the Allied fleet of the three races continued to surge forward at full speed. Almost one hundred vessels approached as one.

"Weapons free, launch fighters, open fire!" Cohen ordered.

The fleet opened fire almost in perfect sequence, but the enemy ships were gaining power to fire their vast ordnance.

"What if we get hit by that?" Jones asked Taylor.

"Better hope that we don't. They have no idea of our plan, or of the weapon we are carrying."

"So we just hope to survive this?"

Taylor nodded.

Bursts of energy soared from the vast Morohta battleships, and two ships in the fleet were blown apart instantly. The Guam took a hit from one of the enemy frigates but managed to brush it off. They were closing on the enemy fleet at a rapid pace now, as they'd been forced to jump into such a narrow space. The battleships could not regain charge in time, and they watched the screens as the Allied fleet zoomed through the Morohta vessels. Cohen brought up a rear display screen, and they could see the battleships banking to come around, and many of their own fleet was turning to face them.

"How long until we can drop?"

"We must ensure you are safe from ground fire before setting you loose, Colonel," replied Cohen.

As they closed on the planet, they could see a single massive complex on one of the few landmasses on the surface. It was a round structure several kilometres wide and looked like a fortress. There appeared to be twenty towers around the perimeter and dome roof, with a central column rising into the sky that was a hundred metres wide.

"That must be a landing zone," said Jones, pointing to the central structure.

"Sure you want to be putting down? Looks exposed."

"We don't have a lot of choice, but I'd sure appreciate you softening them up first."

"Will do, Colonel. Get to your transport. I'll give you the go when we're ready."

Taylor gestured for Jones to follow him. They got to a quick jogging pace and headed to the landing bays. They felt the Guam rock as she was struck by enemy fire, but nothing so heavy as to slow her down.

"You ever done something as crazy as this before?" Jones asked.

"Yeah," he replied quickly.

"So you're confident about this, right? I mean you've done it all before?"

"Confident? Not really. But I'll do everything in my power to make it work."

"I don't want to die here today."

"None of us do, Jones."

They reached the landing bay. The side door of Brunhild was open and their team loaded and ready to go. Another two of the same craft sat nearby to fly in support of them. They ran inside and jumped into their seats. Alita was at the single pilot’s seat that was placed between the lines of passenger seats. There was no physical screen or view out of the ship; only video feeds in every direction.

"She really as tough as you say?" Taylor asked.

"Damn right she is. Designed to operate in the worst of environments, she'll take almost anything."

"Yeah, well let’s not put that to the test too much."

"You got it, boss."

He sat back now and watched the seconds pass by on his console.

"How did you know they'd take the bait?"

Taylor laughed at Jones. "You never know many things that are for certain in this life. I took a calculated guess. Piss someone off enough, and they tend to want to take a swing at you."

"You know you've probably just painted a target on your own back?"

"Probably, but that would be nothing new."

Cohen's voice came in over the comms, "You are good to go, Colonel! Good luck!"

Taylor simply nodded to Alita and she knew what to do. She hit the door close switch, and the ramp slammed shut as they lifted off the deck and soared out into space. They were met by the warming sight of dozens more craft like their own, as well as almost fifty Sky Kings, and with many more at their backs. Hundreds of Human and Krys warriors were on their way to the surface, and all around them the gun batteries of the fleet above were laying down a carpet of fire on the enemy structure below.

As Brunhild began breaking through the world atmosphere, they could see that two of the towers of the structure had been badly damaged, but the canopies of the rest slid open, and bursts of light rushed towards them.

"Incoming!" Alita shouted.

One of the pulses burst over the nose of their craft and shook them violently, but it seemed to do no damage at all. Alita targeted the nearest tower and reached for the trigger on the joystick before her. She squeezed it, and the screen in front of her lit up as tracer fire surged towards the target.

"Woohoo!" she yelled excitedly as she blew the gun system apart.

She moved onto the next target as Taylor watched the bombardment continue. Several Sky Kings blew up around them, but their frontal armour appeared all but impervious to the enemy’s weapons.

"This ain't so bad!"

Even as the words rolled off her tongue, she noticed a larger weapon system open up on the side of the main tower. It was a huge single barrelled cannon that appeared to be tracking and targeting them personally.

"Hang on!" she shouted and banked quickly. The gun fired and narrowly missed them, but they had to turn sharply on approach as the shots followed their path.

"We're okay. We're okay!"

Then they felt a massive hit strike their flank and rip a hole in the fuselage. One of the team was sucked out, along with the bomb. It flew out before anyone could react.

"No!" Taylor screamed.

He rushed to the breach and almost instinctively leapt out, but then he remembered their new suits did not have any drop or jump capability.

"Fuck! Fuck!"

He looked around through the breach for some sign of the device, but it was gone, despite the fact they were only a few hundred metres above the ground now.

"Take us down!"

But before Alita could respond, they were hit by three more shots that rocked them, and Taylor fell towards the hole in the hull. Just as he was about to fall, he felt someone grasp his leg and haul him back inside. It was Babacan. The alien was holding on to him tight as they thundered towards the enemy structure. Taylor could just make out on Alita's screen that she was heading right for the roof of the central tower, yet they had no way to slow down. Babacan pushed Taylor into the seat beside him and hit the restraints on. Secure metal bands locked around all of the occupants just in time.

"This is gonna hurt!" she yelled.

They smashed into the roof and crashed through the surface before grinding to a quick halt.

"Everyone out!" Taylor ordered.

He released the bands and jumped out of the breach. They had pierced just the first level of the structure, and the engines of Brunhild still protruded from the roof.

"Come on, let's go, go, go!"

As they clambered out, they heard gunfire erupt from sentry guns further into the room. Taylor hit his shield on barely in time as two of the shots hit it, and Babacan’s Hydra quickly replied to the sound. The dim room lit up as he destroyed both weapons in a single burst.

"That was a pretty pathetic attempt at security," said Jones.

"I guess when you're the ultimate badass in the universe, you probably don't feel you have to worry much about people coming and fucking with you. We're probably the only aliens to ever step foot here," replied Taylor.

He looked back to Brunhild. Alita was waiting in the doorway with her carbine in hand. "You're coming with us. We'll just have to find another way out."

"Do you think that's likely to happen?"

"Damn right, Jones. I don't intend on dying on this world."

He lifted up his comms unit, "Jafar, this is Taylor, come in."

"What is it, Taylor?"

"The device, can it survive a fall of a few hundred metres?"

"What?" Jafar responded loudly.

"Well, can it?"

"Yes, the cradle allows it to be dropped from orbit as is, but it is single use. One descent, it will be fine. But have you lost..."

"We're okay. Don't worry about it," Taylor interrupted him and ended the transmission.

"Track it, now!" he shouted to Jones.

"On it!"

* * *

"Has Taylor just lost the device?"

"I've no idea, Sarik, but we must trust in him."

A claxon resonated throughout the ship, and Jafar turned to see two hull breaches on the screen.

"We've been boarded!" Sarik shouted.

Before Jafar could respond, they heard gunfire not far from their position. He stepped over to his chair and lifted out the huge glaive standing beside it. He turned back to the entrance to the bridge just in time to see one of the Stalkers run at him. He swung the glaive around so that the solid steel counterweight smashed into the Stalker’s head. The impact was so strong it was thrown sideways across the room, and its legs collapsed under it. Jafar kept swinging the weapon and finally brought the blade end down onto the torso of the creature. The edge lit up like an Assegai tip and pierced the body right through, the blade hitting the deck below.

"Sweep the ship now, Sarik!"

* * *

"I've got it," said Jones.

He showed Taylor the console on his arm. It looked like it had dropped inside the complex between the outer walls and central tower.

"Not too far away, let's go," replied Taylor.

They rushed out of the room and found a ramp that circled around the inner tower. It had no floors and was hollow inside.

"Whoa!" Jones shouted as he came to a standstill. The spiralled ramp looked organic and had no barrier of any kind. It was just two metres wide and seemingly led all the way to the base, "What the hell is this?"

Taylor looked to the very base and could see what appeared to be a vast barrel looking up at them.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's a weapon."

"What? A weapon for what?"

Taylor shrugged, went forward, and led the way down. He was still surprised to see so little resistance, but glad of it, too. As they got half way down, he stopped on seeing an opening that led outside. He cautiously stepped out and looked around. A maze of metallic causeways ran out to each of the towers. Each causeway was five metres wide, but he stopped when he saw what was up ahead. He spotted the weapon they had lost. It was balanced precariously on the edge of one of the causeways.

"All right, got it," replied Taylor as they went forward. They rushed out along the causeway in what was a completely exposed environment, but they knew they had no choice. Enemy fighters flew past overhead with friendlies hot on their tails. As they drew nearer, the causeway began to creep, and the device appeared to tilt and slip a little. Taylor came to an abrupt standstill and raised his hand for others to do the same. They watched in horror as it swayed from one side to another. Taylor looked down. It was several hundred metres to the next level, and the cradle of the device looked badly damaged from the impact it had taken.

"We can't risk it falling. We don't know if it will survive."

He took off his rifle and laid it down before beginning a slow creep towards the device. He could hear the side railings creek as they began to buckle further. Gunfire and aircraft soared past either side of him, but he slowed his breathing and crept closer and closer. He could feel the causeway beneath him was flexing and moving with the wind, and that only served to panic his nerves further. As he took the last step he needed to, the pressure caused the bomb to slip away from him, and it began to go over the edge. He jumped forward and took hold of one of the grab handles on the cradle, wedging his body against a part of the railing still intact.