Transmission Lost (69 page)

And there were ten more ships like her in the First Fleet alone.

The fleet flew into the battle, firing all around them as their computers gave them targets. Before long, it became difficult to distinguish the intermingled fleets from each other by sight alone. The easiest to see were the crimson vessels from Ara'lana's personal fleet, but they were comparatively few and far between. Far more numerous were the ships of the Outer Colony fleets, which outnumbered their Ascendancy counterparts. They also faced human battleships, a motley assortment of different vessels from across human space. Though they showed little consistency, they operated efficiently and lethally, and a mounting number of Ascendancy fighters began to fall before them. All around them the Nuretans, whose fleets tended to focus on smaller cruisers and fighters, flitted about and dealt significant damage wherever they went.

They were twenty minutes into the fight when Te'rou requested the next status update. -We've lost five percent of our battle strength!- an officer from the crew deck reported. -Approximately seventy percent of our ground forces have made it to the planet's surface so far. The losses are still within the acceptable limits, but the rebel fleets have begun concentrating on the landing craft as they're deployed.-

-Dammit,- Te'rou cursed. He smacked a fist against the arm of his chair. -Draw fighters away from the battle to act as escorts, and pull off the ships from the Eighth and Eleventh Fleets to screen them as well.- As Aria looked at him, she could see that his fur was standing on end, and he caught her gaze. They both knew that if the report was accurate, they could soon be close to losing more infantry than General Soumaren had estimated would be adequate to take the planet. But it was far too late to worry about that now.

-We'll take more losses among the fleets that way, Admiral,- one of his senior officers pointed out to him.

-I know that,- the chief admiral growled. -But if we don't get as many troops down there as possible, this battle is a lost cause. Once the landing is complete, we'll be able to recall those ships to rejoin space combat. We'll have to deal with the loss of combat strength for now.-

An officer stood up in the crew deck below. -Sir, we have a message from General Soumaren, planetside. The Imperial Marines have landed on the outskirts of Hayikwiir City, and they're engaged at the perimeter of Mat'aar Airbase.-

Admiral Te'rou looked to Aria again. -That's your cue, Captain Me'lia.- He checked a smaller display on the other arm of his command chair. -All of the final preparations have been made. Deploy the Royal Guard.-

Aria nodded. She turned her head back to the forward viewport, and her gaze was consumed by the sight of the planet below. Pinprick flashes on the surface showed where the ships of the allied fleet were bombarding targets from orbit. Fighters flew by, chasing each other, while larger ships in lower orbit exchanged fire. Down there was her mother, and her sister, and her Empress, and her mate. Down there was where she would find the end to all of this, one way or another.

Turning back to the chief admiral, Aria saluted him. -By your order, Admiral.-

******

As she came into her meeting room in the palace, Ara'lana could hear rumbles, easily recognizable to her as distant explosions. From the force of the detonations, and the way that they caused the floor underneath her feet to vibrate slightly, she knew that they were being caused by orbital strikes. Waiting for her in the room were a number of her officers, as well as the Pteryd envoy Seirin-143 and her advisor Tara Shi'ala. Standing at one chair at the table, albeit in holographic form, was her head military officer, Admiral Selina Kris. Ara'lana took her place at the head of the table and cleared her throat.

-Your report, Selina.-

The hologram of the Ailian admiral saluted her. -M'lady, the royalist forces and the Nuretan fleet have arrived,- she said. -They are engaging our ships in orbit, and they have begun landing infantry and armor on the planet's surface.-

Ara'lana smiled coolly. -And how goes the battle?-

-We have lost ten percent of our ships, with the losses somewhat heavier among the fighter corps,- Kris told her. She did not seem overly concerned. -I was expecting something like that. As you know, the Nuretans have a very strong and experienced corps of fighter pilots. They are taking a heavy toll on our own fighters, but the losses are manageable yet. I do not see any reason to be worried just now.- She looked to the side as she checked something out of the view of her communications camera. -Reports are also coming in from our ground commanders of casualties on the ground. The losses are heaviest in the major metropolitan areas, especially Hayikwiir City. The Nuretan Imperial Marines have landed there, and they appear to be attempting to take Mat'aar Airbase. I regret to inform you that we will likely lose that post within the next several hours.-

Waving a hand, Ara'lana dismissed that. -It is of little consequence. In the grand scheme of things, the royal palace is far more important. And we have fortified here quite adequately.- She clasped her hands behind her back, waving her tail in a pacified manner. -What is your assessment of the space battle?-

-Admiral Jin Te'rou is leading the operation personally, from the looks of things,- her admiral replied. -He is a...capable officer.- She seemed reluctant to admit that. -However, he is limited in his imagination. I am far more concerned of reports from our scouts that the Nuretan general, Kalma Soumaren, is on the ground leading the infantry operations.-

That revelation did make Ara'lana growl. -That woman. That is concerning, indeed. She is better than any of the commanders I have. What numbers do we have for the enemy on the ground?-

-We outnumber them by a comfortable margin,- Admiral Kris assured her. -They have the disadvantage of requiring transport ships to get their troops to the planet's surface, whereas we are already entrenched. Our fleets and planetside squadrons are shooting down as many landing craft as they can prior to them touching down. As of now, they appear to have landed approximately one and a half million soldiers, with a proportional number of armored units. We can handle that number easily.-

-Excellent.- Ara'lana turned to Seirin-143. -Your people are ready?-

The Pteryd clacked its mandibles.
~Indeed we are. The troop divisions on the planet are awaiting my orders, and the other assets you requested are similarly waiting for their orders. We shall be ready whenever you require us.~

-Good.- Ara'lana allowed herself a sinister grin, and she laughed to herself. -Let's allow them to think they are gaining an advantage. When all the pieces are in place, we shall reveal ourselves. This will be a battle to be remembered, and it shall be the crowning achievement of everything we have been working for these past years. We cannot fail!-

******

The ride down to the surface of Lirna was rough. Aria and the rest of the Royal Guards were divided between three transport craft, about thirty of them to each, and they were accompanied by a further fifty Ascendancy naval troopers with each ship. The guards were clad much the same as they had been on Arbaros, which was very different from the way the troopers were. Ailian soldiers typically wore heavy personal armor and helmets, yet they carried a single weapon each, the standard Ailian battle rifle which could be converted for a number of different functions. The Royal Guards were armored very lightly for better flexibility and agility, and they wore no helmets to keep their peripheral vision clear, but they were armed much more heavily. Each Royal Guard wore a belt with a heavy caliber pistol and a knife strapped to it, and they all carried some sort of main weapon. For Aria and a number of the guards, that meant the shortened version of the battle rifle, while others carried the standard-length version. A select few of the guards, including Aria's executive officer, Lieutenant Ayalis, carried specialized long-range precision rifles in addition to their main weapon. One of every three of the guards also had a single-use, collapsible anti-armor missile launcher strapped across their shoulders.

One the way down, the transport was frequently buffeted by near misses from shipboard weapons fire. They had escorts from Ailian and Nuretan fighters, and several smaller capital ships were accompanying their wave of landing craft to screen them. Aria stayed up near the cockpit, where she could see out into space. As they entered the atmosphere, one of the ships accompanying them received a direct hit from an enemy vessel, and it detonated in a spectacular fireball. Several small chunks of debris impacted their transport, but the shielding and armor held and they sustained only minor damage. A few minutes later and they were out of danger from the ships in orbit, and they were flying high over the deserts of Aria's home planet.

Aria turned back to face the interior of the transport. -Five minutes to drop!- she shouted at the guards and the naval troopers, holding up all five fingers on one hand. The Ailian captain walked to where her soldiers were seated, and took her own seat. She knew from previous experience during training that the landing could be just as rough as the flight in.

She looked around at the Royal Guards and naval troopers in the large craft. Some of them were talking to each other, either exchanging jokes or good-natured insults. Others were quiet, and they checked over their weapons or tightened the straps on their gear, making sure that everything was ready for when they reached their landing zone. A few had their eyes closed, and they looked to all the outside world to be asleep, but Aria knew that they were just lost in thought. Maybe they were worried about the battle ahead, or perhaps they brimmed with the kind of excitement that made one completely still. Aria felt as though she had that sort of excitement right now. She would have liked to join in the joking, but as the commander of this group of soldiers she had to set the example of professionalism. Instead, she closed her eyes, and she leaned forward in her chair with her hands clasped in her lap.

-Liren'sa, lady of the battle...,- she whispered, quietly enough that nobody would be able to hear over the noise of the transport's engines. -Let my comrades be strong, my aim be true, and my feet be swift. And should the worst come to pass, and I fall this day...grant me the peace of my ancestors.- She stayed like that for the long, dreadful minutes until the alarm sounded through the length of the transport, at which point she launched herself back into full alertness. Now was the time.

Lieutenant Ayalis rose from her seat and began barking orders to all of the soldiers, who stood up and braced themselves against the walls of the craft. The pitch of the engines changed, and they all lurched as the pilot made a sudden dive. One of the naval troopers retched as her stomach reacted to the drastic change in altitude, and vomit spattered the floor. The Royal Guard next to her cuffed her on the shoulder and laughed, and she managed a weak laugh of her own after wiping her muzzle. Aria grinned. At least morale was high.

Seconds later the craft shook violently as it settled hard onto the ground. A hatch at the rear opened up, and the cool, filtered atmosphere of the airtight ship was almost instantly replaced by the hot, dry air of Lirna. Their ears were immediately assaulted by the sounds of battle. The pilots had landed them right in the center of Mat'aar Airbase, as planned. Aria could hear gunfire and scattered shouting, quite close by, as well as the muted “crump” of grenades going off. At a shout from Aria, all of the soldiers in the transport charged out into the fray and split up into their designated fire groups. They all had their own individual assignments, and they didn't need her supervision to carry them out. Aria and her group had one task at this point: to link up with General Soumaren and her Imperial Marine contingent at the airbase and push forward into the city to slip inside the royal palace.

-Alright, Mari,- Aria shouted, with a slap on the back of Lieutenant Ayalis. She flinched a little as a round ricocheted off the armor of their transport craft. -Let's get to it. Our rendezvous point with General Soumaren is the front gate of the airbase, and we're already behind schedule.-

-Yes, Captain,- Lieutenant Ayalis agreed. She turned to the rest of their group, composed of fifteen Royal Guards and ten naval troopers. -You heard the captain, move it! Take cover at the nearest building and we'll start pushing for the front gate!-

They started running, paying no heed to the fighting that was taking place all around them except to return fire towards incoming rounds. The sand of her homeworld felt glorious underneath Aria's booted feet, and the atmosphere of battle was even better. This was her element. It had been far too long, for her, since she had experienced combat of this sort. All around her was the stuff that legendary fights were made of. The expansive landing field of Mat'aar Airbase was as occupied as on any day, except not by ships and other flying craft this time. Armored units had landed along with the troops, of every kind that the Ascendancy and the Nuretan Empire could field. The largest of these were the towering two-legged walkers that were the mainstay of the Ailian Navy's ground divisions. Ten meters tall, made of metal as tough as that which composed a fighter, the walkers had thick legs that bent backwards, topped with a bulky, rotating pilot compartment, the right side of which was fitted with a long, large-caliber cannon that was capable of firing a 108-millimeter shell three times in a minute. These walking tanks began prowling the base, searching for and finding enemy positions close-in and far away and lobbing high explosive rounds at them. They were accompanied by smaller wheeled units equipped with machine guns and missile launchers, who fielded the dual task of protecting the larger walkers while engaging infantry. The Nuretans helped out with their curious, oblong hovering tanks, which sported independently-tracking cannon turrets that allowed them to cover multiple directions at once. Designed with aquatic terrain in mind, they had been upfitted with engine covers that allowed them to handle the sandy, hot conditions of Lirna.