Resurrection (The Inherited War) (42 page)

“Who the hell are you?”  Snow asked.

“That is Split.”  Cole looked at Thalo.  “He wasn’t crazy and he didn’t lose his bond mate.  To make a long story short my ancestors combined them into one being.  They switched places on Esii and the other Split has some very odd abilities now that his brother has taken over.  All of this is beside the point, we need to prepare for a ground assault and an extended underground campaign.”

The friends left the briefing room and met up with Cole’s human forces on The Missouri.  The five hundred human warriors were assembled and waiting on the hangar floor.  All were decked out in heavy combat armor with second skins underneath.  All had been outfitted with human tech nanites which made all of them nearly impossible to take down.  Cole and Split figured that decapitation was probably the only sure way any of them would die. They were the spear head of the upcoming battle.  Cole would lead them down to the surface to establish a primary beach head where most of the Esii had landed and retreated into the planet.  Once the army followed on his five hundred would lead the way into the depths and root out the Esii as best they could.  Cole was proud.  Five hundred had volunteered for this and all were looking for revenge. 

Finally a chance to pay the Esii back for what they had done.  Every human left alive had lost friends and family to the Esii and now it was their turn.  Never in the course of human history had so few been so set on killing so many.

CHAPTER 30

Sky finished up on her last patient.  Between all the ships of the fleet with the capabilities, and the ground hospitals, they had treated well over ten thousand wounded from the space battle.  She wearily sat down and watched as the orderlies came in and removed her patient to a recovery area.  She was bone weary.  At some point in the last hour Snow had come to see her and told her that Cole was alive and about to lead a ground attack.  She said that Cole had hugged her and was happy to have met her and that he asked about Sky.

There was sudden activity as medical crew members began hastily packing supplies.

“What is it, what’s going on?”  She asked the nearest sailor.

“Orders, we need to pack up and head planet side in one hour.   They just launched the marines and we need to be ready to set up field hospitals once the beachhead is secure.  We are going in with the marines to handle initial casualties.”  He continued packing his field kit.

Sky rose to her feet and grabbed a pack of her own. She started to shove everything in it she thought she would need.  If Cole was going in with the first wave, she would be there in case he needed her.  She stuffed her bag as full as she could and left with the others for the hanger.  One medic was put on each shuttle with a company of marines.  Sky made sure she was with the spear head of the attack.  There were no other Nixa on board the drop shuttle.  The commander of the company was the last to board.

He moved to rear of the combat drop shuttle and sat next to Sky.

“You ever made a combat drop before Doc?” he asked her.

“No, haven’t had the pleasure.”  She replied.

“Well, if you have to puke make sure you do it away from me.”  He said with a grin.  Before Sky could respond the shuttle lifted off and shot out of The Justice like a round out of a rifle.  Sky found herself smashed back into her seat.  Next to her the Marine Commander was whooping joyfully as the craft entered what little atmosphere the planet had and started to get bounced around.  Sky felt like her teeth would be rattled out of her head.  The worst part was when the ship began to break.  It wasn’t a gradual build up but an instant reversal of the engines.  Sky found herself being flattened into her seat as the combat craft went form thousands of miles per hour to a complete stop on the ground.

“Get up and get out!”  The commander screamed at his men.  The sound of restraints being released could be heard up and down the craft.  The huge rear doors dropped down and Marines boiled out on to an empty plane.  They hit the ground running and fanned out in a perimeter.

The commander grabbed Sky and undid her harness, he yanked her to her feet. “Stay with me, we will keep you safe.”  This finally woke Sky up out of her stupor.  She yanked her arm out of his hand.

“I will go where the men need me, I have been in battles before.”  She snapped.

“Suit yourself.”  He shrugged and led the way off the ship.  Sky followed behind him.  The company she was with linked up with two others and finally with a third group.  Sky looked at the newcomers and couldn’t believe her eyes.  Her suit, which displayed all relevant information on the warriors around her, listed the five hundred beings in front of her as “Human Beings.”  She stopped and stared in amazement.  There were more humans and Cole had found them.  They were all moving in the same direction.

After about ten minutes of walking she came upon a scene of utter destruction.  Esii and Esii equipment were strewn around a cave opening.  All dead or destroyed.  Standing in perfect ranks were the Kin.  All gleamed in their shining armor with their odd looking weapons held at the ready.

The marine and human forces came to a halt and a lone figure detached themselves from the group of humans and moved forward to meet the Kin’s leader.  Her suit identified the lone man, it was Cole.  There he was, only one hundred meters away and she couldn’t do anything about it.  She would make him proud though.  She gathered the medics together and started to assemble the field hospital as the marines
fanned out and secured the area.  The first of the Army transports were leaving the ships and preparing to land at the beachheads.  Sky would be ready for any casualties that came her way.

~

Cole moved forward to meet up with Gavreal.  He was still a little shocked about the angelic appearance the creature possessed.  He saw all two hundred of the beings lined up in perfect ranks, their armor gleaming in the faint light of the sun.

“Gavreal, shit you could have waited for us.”  Cole said as he approached.

“We arrived first, these were nothing.  We have secured the entrance and are waiting for your word to continue.  We shall protect your people from any mind interference the Esii will try.  We will also fight alongside of you.”

“Glad to hear it, once the Army lands we go in full throttle.  Take five but keep an eye on that cave, I don’t want any surprises.”

“We know where the Esii are, they cannot hide from us.  That is why they fear us.  We will not stop until the last of them is dead.”

Cole stood there stunned, he had no idea that these beings could locate the hiding Esii with their minds.  He smiled behind his helmet.  This was going to be a bloody day.

“Tell me, can you find specific minds?”

“Yes, we can find those you are looking for.”  Gavreal replied.

“Good, find me any Pyndingum you can.”  Cole asked with glee.  It was time for his own personal pay back.

An hour later with the Army on the ground, Cole gave the order to enter the caves.  The Kin spread themselves out and amongst the various units to offer the best protection they could. The Kin spearheaded all of the initial surge into the caves.  In the darkness their armor shone like the sun.  It illuminated all the dark spots the Esii tried to hide in. 

Cole’s forces pushed in deep and shattered all resistance offered by the Esii.  The humans and Kin lead the way.  Once unleashed, the Kin put all other warriors to shame.  Their odd weapons worked as both sword and gun.  Their accuracy was deadly and their skill was complete.  What the humans lacked in experience they made up for in tenacity.  They moved together as a unit and brought low any Esii that showed their faces.

The combined Army of the alliance held their own as well.  They pushed in and rooted out all those they could find.  The first days of the ground war went better than anyone could hope.  Casualties were extremely light on their side while the Esii were dying by the thousands.  It was on the third day that the Kin finally led Cole and his humans to where the Pyndingum had hole up.  They got there just in time to see the bastards kill themselves in true Esii fashion.  They denied Cole his vengeance but he was happy to see the last of them dead.  It offered him some closure and allowed him to focus on the rest of the campaign.  In all the ground campaign lasted ten days.  By the tenth day nearly ninety nine percent of the Esii on the planet were dead and the remainder were being hunted down by groups following Kin hunters.

Cole finally pulled his human fighters out and brought them back up to the surface.  Wearily, they trudged the many miles back to the surface and were greeted with hot chow and a place to lay down and rest.  Cole was holding everyone on planet until he was sure it was over.

Cole made his way to the command building that had been set up by the Marines still guarding the perimeter of the camp.  Thalo, Jeth and Split were already there along with Gavreal and some of the other commanders.  They had all gathered to offer first hand reports of the operation.  Cole noticed that Split had a nasty looking wound on his right upper thigh.   He moved to check on his friend.

Split held up his hand.  “Do not worry about us, we are fine and they are sending a medic over to tend to our wound.  We will survive until they get here.”  Cole nodded and moved to take the head of the table.  He looked at all of his commanders as they reported their progress.  All had met his objectives, and still had some teams out with the Kin hunting lone survivors.   Casualties were low for all but one group.

Near the end of their stand the Esii had collapsed key tunnels on top of the advancing force.  Engineers were currently attempting to dig out those tunnels.  So far a hundred or so bodies had been recovered and only a handful of survivors. 

“Thank you all.  This means a lot to me and my people.  All of you shall be remembered by humanity for your aid in our darkest hour.   Now on to other business.”  Cole began speaking to the commanders and laying out the next few hours and what he wanted to see happen.  The meeting was going smoothly until a commotion was heard just outside the door.

Suddenly the door flew open and Admiral Fury stalked into the room.  He rushed at Cole screaming.

“I defied my people to bring my ships here and you sideline and arrest us.  I demand…”  Was all he got out after he came within range of Cole.  Cole delivered a punishing snap kick to the inside of Fury’s left knee.  A sickening snap reverberated around the room as Fury’s leg bent at an impossible angle.  Pain contorted his face and stopped him mid rant.

His leg hung from the knee joint and flopped side to side before he lost balance and collapsed with a scream.   Cole jumped on top his former ally and friend.

“How dare you.  You abandon me in my moment of need and steal my ship!”  Cole dropped a hammer fist onto Fury’s nose breaking it and smashing it against his face.  “Then you go to MY home base and try and steal MY ships while I was languishing in an Esii hell hole!   Your god damn lucky I don’t have a pistol on me or your head would be splattered all over the floor.”  Cole regained his composer and rose to his feet.

“I had no choice,” Fury choked out around a mouthful of blood and teeth, “my colony would have suffered if I hadn’t done what I did.  You don’t understand.”  Fury rolled onto his side and spit out a mouthful of blood.

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND!?”  Cole screamed at him.  “I understand better than you think.  There are only eleven thousand of us left in the galaxy.  We are on the verge of extinction and yet we still came and risked ourselves for our friends.  I am tired of the Nixa being ‘forced’ by others because they are afraid to risk their own people.  I want you and your kind out of this system in one hour.  Any Nixa ship still in system in sixty minutes is dead.  Do you understand me?”

Fury looked at Cole with hatred and nodded his head.  “What about Suns?  He is being held in the brig of the Justice?”

“He will face punishment for his crimes and so will the Nixa.  Warn your government that I will be on my way to visit them when this is over.  Now leave and take your people with you.  Betrayers are not welcome here.”  Two Army guards moved to help the Nixa to his feet and carry him out of the building.

Cole hadn’t noticed that during his tirade against the Nixa Commander that Sky had entered the building to care for Split.  She had been shocked at Cole’s words and the venom behind them.  She saw him beat the Nixa and threaten him with death.  She stifled a cry and fled the room before Fury was removed.

She ran into the darkening plain, out past the perimeter and kept going until she collapsed after falling over a rocky outcrop.  She wailed and pounded her fist against the ground, cursing her people and their cowardice.  It seemed Cole had been eager to see her from the story her sister had told, but that bastard Fury had pushed Cole too far.  Cole hated her and now seem bent on punishing her people.  Sky had no idea how long she had lain there on the ground but she was finally aroused by frantic calls from her com.