Gravity Wars: Nova Strike, page 25
“Stay sharp,” Tiglath told his marines. “We’re almost there.”
***
The armored assault lander descended toward Equinox Base, its engines emitting a steady hum. Then the belly opened, releasing decoys and electronic jammers.
That was just in time, as the base’s automated defense systems sprang to life. Turrets mounted on the perimeter swiveled. The targeting systems locked onto decoys mostly. Bright flashes erupted from the turrets, sending streams of tracer rounds and high-velocity projectiles. Many of the projectiles veered elsewhere, the turrets confused by the contrary signals and decoys. Some of the fire rocked the lander with hits.
Seconds later, the lander touched down with a bone-jarring thud, its ramp lowering. Tiglath was the first to disembark, his armored boots kicking up lunar dust as he hit the ground. The reduced gravity made his movements lighter, although they looked slower and ungainly. He ordered his space marines to follow.
They surged after him as the 1.8-ton battle suits spread out. The Valiants seemed like balloon or marshmallow men given the low gravity movements. Many gyroc rifles lifted, the HUDs targeting. Rocket-propelled shells left the muzzles.
The first volleys pierced turrets, as they had shot APEX rounds: Armor-Piercing Explosive. The space marines advanced, the remaining turrets continuing their barrage.
That volley caused a swift change in the defense. The turrets no longer aimed for spaceborne machines, but individuals. One coil gun sabot round—from a turret—pierced a battle suit dead center. It blew a hole in the middle, clear through the Valiant inside. Blood and mist boiled out into the vacuum. Another sabot round took a helmet and the head inside clean off. The headless battle suit slowly toppled as blood and mist flowed from it.
Using his HUD targeting, Tiglath fired at a death-spewing turret. With the HUD, he tracked the shell as it streaked toward the turret, striking with a bright explosion. Fragments flew in a slow-motion spray. Had he failed to penetrate? No, the turret stopped firing as a red light began blinking from it.
The space marines moved in squads, using what terrain they could for cover as they closed with the base.
Automated defense drones emerged from hidden compartments. They rose, hovered and fired coil guns. Four more space marines died as rounds hammered and sometimes tore through, shredding the Valiant inside.
The space marines responded with their gyroc rifles, taking out drones.
Several drones flew as if a mind ran them. No doubt, the human pilot was inside, using cunning against them and thus killing more Valiants than an AI would have.
Tiglath led the charge toward the main airlock, his team covering each other’s advance. He needed to kill the pilot running the drones. The drones had pinned down too many of his men.
Now, special ports opened up from a building. Coil guns poked out and fired. Three more space marines went down, their visors shattered.
“Take out those ports,” Tiglath shouted. They were losing too many Valiants.
Two space marines with launchers stepped up, firing grenades at the ports. The explosions neutralized the coil guns, allowing otherwise pinned down space marines to rise and reach the airlock.
Tiglath slammed a breaching charge onto the airlock hatch, motioning his team to take cover. They did. The charge detonated with a flash, the hatch buckling inward. Marines rushed through, pushing it the rest of the way. Inside, a sharp battle took place in the confined spaces as the humans fought and died in their spacesuits.
“Secure the control room,” Tiglath said. “Neutralize all resistance.”
Marines advanced through the corridors, their gyroc rifles spitting death as needed.
They reached the control room. There, Tiglath shot a man hunched over a joystick, no doubt the drone pilot. The human collapsed, his head missing.
Equinox Base was theirs.
The Valiants had struck, taking too many losses. Tiglath counted 16 out of 100. That was far too many for such a lousy little base. Did that mean the Valiants were winning or losing?
Tiglath grunted. It was anyone’s guess at this point. He needed to rethink the assault tactics so next time he didn’t lose so many of his marines.
-10-
Many millions of kilometers away, in the depths of space, the Watchdog-23 satellite drifted silently.
It was a surveillance and reconnaissance satellite equipped with advanced sensors and high-resolution cameras. Watchdog-23 had a singular purpose: to monitor and report on any activity on the far side of the Moon.
Watchdog-23’s sensors caught the glimmer of the Enforcers in orbit.
The massive ships, with their dark armored hulls, hovered menacingly near the edge of the Moon’s horizon between the far side and the near side.
The 100,000-ton Enforcers bristled with weaponry and advanced defense systems. They also maintained a careful orbit, their positioning suggesting readiness to move at a moment’s notice to the near side of the Moon.
Shifting its focus, Watchdog-23 analyzed each of the 10,000-ton spaceships that had landed on the lunar surface.
One of the vessel’s landing legs was firmly planted in the regolith, its cargo bay open and busy with activity.
High-resolution images and thermal scans revealed the presence of numerous space marines and workers in exo-powered spacesuits, moving with purpose.
Near the unloading area, the satellite detected the construction of long, possibly magnetic rail lines.
In time, Watchdog-23 focused elsewhere and found what appeared to be the beginnings of a mass driver in the earliest stages of hasty construction.
Watchdog-23’s sensors pinpointed the location of an even earlier stage generator, possibly a fusion generator.
Would that supply the power for the mass driver?
The satellite’s communication array activated, transmitting real-time data back to several orbital stations around Earth. High-definition images, infrared scans, and detailed reports streamed to command centers.
As Watchdog-23 continued its vigil, its sensors picked up increased activity around landed Valiant vessels, the movement of supplies, and construction efforts. The enemy was busy, working hard.
“They’re doing it again,” Huber said, setting a tablet on Petty’s desk.
They were in O.S. Aphrodite, in Petty’s office, not the command center.
Petty looked more gaunt than usual. The Valiants had launched their first space marine strike, capturing four of the fourteen lunar bases on the near side and taking minimal losses while doing it.
No doubt, the Valiants would soon launch another assault, trying to capture more bases. Should they try to land space marines on the Moon? Would the Enforcers slip up over the horizon and destroy any drop-ships carrying Earth marines to the Moon?
Petty picked up the tablet, wondering what was wrong now. He read the missive and then looked up sharply. “They’re building a mass driver?”
“It looks like one of their supply ships brought several.”
“How many is that?” Petty demanded.
“We’re guessing from four to six,” Huber said.
“Six mass drivers?” asked Petty, feeling his gut tighten.
“It obviously takes time to construct one,” Huber said. “It helps that they have prefabricated parts. Even so, it should take three months before the first one is ready.”
“We need to blow up that ship before it unloads anymore,” Petty said.
“If only it were that easy,” Huber said. The transport is in the center of the far side. Do you want the Orion ships to make a sortie with that as their objective?”
Petty scowled. “That’s not funny. I made the right decision earlier keeping the Orion ships back. Admiral Tojo would have brought a disaster on us if I’d let him attack.”
“I suspect you’re right.”
“You should know it,” Petty said.
“Right or wrong,” Huber said, “the fourth Orion ship is finally ready for anything. Unfortunately, we’re losing the Moon in the process. We’re doing nothing to reinforce those on the Moon, and not moving our ships any closer to give them our moral support at the very least.”
Petty leaned back as he scrolled through the tablet, reading and scowling. He hated what Huber had said. Finally, he looked up angry. “If we try to eliminate the mass driver, the Enforcer will come out to fight. All three will likely converge and hit the Orion ships from close range.”
“Rather,” Huber said, “we can use our knowledge of their predicted actions against them.”
“You’re the multi-level genius,” Petty said. “You tell me how we can do that.”
“I don’t know yet,” Huber admitted.
“All right then,” Petty said, partly mollified. “How powerful will the mass driver be? How big of a projectile will it be able to hurl? Will it be anything like the railgun on Iapetus?”
“I doubt they’re trying to build a 200-kilometer railgun. They don’t need to. They’re close to Earth this time. They only need a small driver to do plenty of possibly permanent damage.”
“Then we have to take it out,” Petty said.
“I’d like to know how?” asked Huber, wondering how they had switched roles.
“I don’t know the hell how,” Petty shouted. “Why don’t we use our space marines like the Valiants are using theirs? That way, we won’t have to risk our precious Orion ships.”
Huber stared at Petty.
“What now?” the big man asked in annoyance.
“I need to think,” Huber said. “You just gave me the germ of an idea—or I feel that you have. I need to figure out what it means.”
“What did I say, anyway?”
“Let me think about this first.”
“Don’t take too long,” Petty complained. “It’s going to be at least six months before the fifth Orion ship is anywhere near ready for its maiden voyage.
“It will probably be longer than that.”
“It had better not be,” Petty said. “Did you know that Director Drusus is reneging on her Guardian III deal? She stopped sending up any more.”
“I can understand her thinking,” Huber said, nodding.
“Yeah, how’s that?”
“She wants us to use up the ones we have before she sends us more. Maybe she has started to wonder if we’re saving them up to use on her someday.”
“You’re siding with her on this?”
“Let me think,” Huber said. “I need a better idea about the mass drivers before I commit to anything else.”
“Then get the hell out of here and let me drink in peace,” Petty said. “This war is starting to get on my nerves.”
Three weeks later, Watchdog-23 once again focused on the budding mass driver. The rails stretched for almost one kilometer. It was composed of two parallel tracks made from lightweight alloys… it seemed.
Magnetic coils were positioned at regular intervals. Each coil was a ring-like structure, connected by thick cables to what must be power conduits running alongside the rails.
The rails and coils were supported by a series of pylons driven into the lunar regolith. The pylons would no doubt provide stability and alignment for the mass driver.
Temporary scaffolding and cranes surrounded part of the structure, manned by Valiant engineers and robotic construction units.
The generator was located at the base of the structure. Thick cables snaked out from the generator, connected to distribution nodes that fed into the magnetic coils of the mass driver. These cables were heavily shielded, with a metallic sheen that reflected the light.
Surrounding the generator were modular units housing additional equipment, spare parts, and the personnel overseeing the construction. These buildings were low and squat, made of prefabricated materials.
To protect the generator and mass driver, automated turrets and sensor arrays were installed around the perimeter.
Dr. Huber studied the report and others, still thinking about what Petty had said concerning space marines. He had a thought hidden in his big head. He just had to connect the dots to know what the thought meant.
CEO Petty was cautious for good reason: so much was at stake. Petty obviously didn’t want to act prematurely. But if the Valiants constructed even three working mass drivers, the fifth Orion ship wasn’t going to mean a damn thing to the outcome of the war.
-11-
The Moon was falling to the Valiants. Petty hadn’t stationed many people on the Moon. However, he had shipped over a considerable amount of hardware. Building and stocking the missile bases would have been impossible without extensive shipping from orbital space to the Moon.
So far, the Valiant invasion had been disastrous for Petty and his political position. He still had all the Orion ships, but if the Valiants conquered the rest of the near side of the Moon without a serious fight…
To signal his seriousness, four weeks after the initial invasion, Petty ordered the Orion fleet, along with his 429 Guardian III missiles, to move up two-thirds of the way to the Moon. This distance was a mere 128,000 kilometers from the Moon.
***
As the jump forward occurred, Baal and Naram Sin compared notes. The move meant something. It would be wise to finish the Moon conquest now. The space marines had been working on new tactics to minimize losses, but there was no more time. Thus, Baal sent out orders from the Enkidu.
Three Valiant recon flyers, known as Specters, streaked across the lunar surface, heading for Central Command, the largest Earther base. It was in the center of the near side of the Moon.
The agile craft were designed to gather intelligence and relay it back to the assault teams. Each Specter, the size of a compact car, had a dark matte surface to absorb radar and minimize detection. Equipped with advanced sensor arrays, high-resolution cameras, and ion thrusters, they moved with speed.
The Specters approached Central Command, studying the network of domes, cylindrical modules, and especially the defensive turrets and sensor arrays.
The lead Specter, piloted by Squad Leader Sarak, skimmed low over the lunar surface. Behind it, two more Specters followed in tight formation, their cameras capturing every detail of the terrain and the base’s defenses.
The Specters began another sweep, mapping out the layout. The information streamed back to the Enkidu and Baal’s command team, highlighting turret emplacements, guard stations, and potential entry points.
Then the base’s defenses activated. Bright flashes erupted as high-velocity projectiles streaked through the vacuum.
“Incoming fire,” Sarak shouted, taking evasive action. The flyer darted enough to avoid the first barrage.
The other two Specters followed suit, their pilots executing sharp turns and barrel rolls.
One of the larger base turrets swiveled, and a laser beam erupted from its tip. The beam targeted the sensors and cameras of the second Specter, overloading its systems.
“Specter Two is blind,” the pilot reported.
Another turret launched a sleek missile. The projectile, guided by the laser’s targeting data, streaked toward the Specter.
The flyer jolted violently as the explosion tore through its fuselage, sending it spiraling out of control. An explosion lit up the surface as the Specter crashed, with its pieces tumbling across the regolith.
“Specter Two is down,” Sarak said. “Let’s get out of here.”
The remaining Specters flew to a safer distance while continuing their reconnaissance from longer range.
Back on the Enkidu, data streamed in, highlighting the locations of the defensive turrets, weak points in the base’s perimeter, and potential routes for the ground assault.
Baal wondered aloud if they should wait on the next assault.
“No,” Naram Sin said. “Let’s push through.”
Thus, the next assault continued as scheduled.
***
The assault lander rose from Equinox Base, its engines emitting a low hum audible to the space marines inside. In time, the lander banked, altering its course toward Central Command. Ahead lay one of the grandest features of the lunar moonscape: what the Earthers called the Sea of Tranquility.
Soon, the vast expanse of Mare Tranquillitatis spread out below them, a vast, flat plain of ancient basaltic lava flows. The surface was dark and smooth, dotted with small craters and ridges, unlike the rugged terrain surrounding it.
Later, the assault lander flew lower, skimming just above the surface. The dark basalt of the Sea of Tranquility stretched out endlessly, the horizon seeming to curve gently away.
“We are approaching Central Command,” the pilot said.
Automated turrets and sensor arrays began to come into view. Tiglath and his men had gone over ways to defeat the turrets faster and better. No one wanted to die uselessly.
“Prepare for landing,” the pilot said. The plan was to come down farther from base this time.
The space marines readied their weapons. They had done this before. Now, they had to do it again, only better this time.
The lander descended, the flat expanse of the Sea of Tranquility giving way to the more rugged terrain around Central Command. The base’s defenses activated, turrets swiveling to track the incoming lander. Bright flashes erupted from the turrets as they fired.
The countermeasures from the lander had already begun, with swarms of decoys and electronic jammers, double those used in the first assault. Enemy projectiles veered off course, confused by the signals. Despite the increase, some shots still found their mark.
These didn’t spark on the armored hull. The Earthers had made improvements as well. The new, sabot rounds were designed for this. Four space marines in their battle suits died as the armor-piercing rounds cracked through the lander, seats, battle suits and the bodies inside.
The lander practically crashed down, trying to do it faster this time. Most of the battle suits swayed in their seats.
“Advance and engage,” Tiglath said, rushing down the ramp. The marines followed his example, leaping and sailing in slow motion. When they landed, lunar dust puffed outward from their boots.
