Karin, nice place to visit...
wouldn't want to die there
CV-08 - High Orbital Lange range Point - Karin - Karin System
The Predators tore from the deck where they had been secured, flipping end over end through the rows of fighters preparing for the second wave of the invasion, smashing and exploding as they impacted with an ordinance cart, sending shrapnel through the closely ordered hangar, killing pilots, technicians and shredding equipment.
The young man walked through the destruction, desk plates peeling and tearing up behind him as his feet fell, marching onwards. The plates slung past him, crashing into Amsus troopers trying to mount a feeble defence against something they had never seen before.
Edward willed time to slow, curling and bending the fabric of the universe to his will as he stepped aside from the bullets, snapping time back as the deck plates tore apart, becoming shrapnel that tore through the Amsus ranks, sending them sprawling to the deck.
There was a screech of tortured metal as a bulkhead support tore free from its mounting, flying across the deck to jam between two blast doors Amsus technicians were trying to seal ahead of him.
The blast doors buckled as he brought the sheer power of his will to bear on them, crumpling them like tin foil as they flew backwards to allow him through.
Outside, armour platting began to bubble as it began to superheat, the great bird's skin blackening and peeling like a banana tossed into a bonfire. An Amsus Raptor still attached to the spine of the warship, sank inwards as its support struts melted away, the vessel plunging into the deck beneath since the liquid armour plating could no longer support its weight.
Edward walked onwards, into the ship, lifting his hands as he looked down at the second group of Amsus Troopers taking up firing positions deeper into the ship. Channelling the energy around him and agitating the air into a charge, like a thunderstorm, a flash of lightening arced along the corridor followed by a thunderous boom as each of the troopers was electrocuted.
Electric lights flickered and died as he walked, the hall warping as he punctured it in several places, allowing the molten hot armour of the great vessel to seep inside as the air rushed out.
Down, far below, the reactor coolant began to steam as pressure built up inside the reactor chamber, desperate Amsus technicians trying to shut down the reactor before it went critical, the shielding failing as the nuclear reaction began to run out of control.
Edward stepped to the elevators casting the doors aside on the open tunnel, stepping off and inside as he willed the air pressure to change, slowing time again as the reactor began to overload. He stepped out on the upper deck, casually brushing aside the troopers that had tried to hold the command deck, frozen in time as he extended one single second into an eternity.
He didn't bother to kill them, they would be dead anyway once he allowed time to return to normal. Instead, he pressed on, casting down the structurally reinforced bridge doors. The Amsus Officers were in a state of panic, alarm screens registering the final few moments of the Fleet Carrier.
Edward scanned the bridge as he shattered the observation windows and vanished again, allowing time to spring back to normal.
The explosive decompression swept the bridge crew into the depths of space before they could eject the runaway reactor. Moments later, the explosions roared through the large vessel, tearing it apart.
* * *
A cheer went up from the bridge crew, as Darin folded his arms, the CIC holographic display registering the destruction of the Fleet carrier. Without a place to rearm and refuel, the Predator cover for the dropping troops would soon be rendered useless.
He wasn't certain how it had happened; maybe one of the F-120's had managed to penetrate the cruiser and aegis screen to fire a lucky shot... It didn't matter; all that mattered was that he could at last focus his direct attention upon those Battlecruisers.
"Fire cruise missiles," Darien commanded. "Target the right flank, and let's see if we can punch a hole through the cruisers for the rest of the fighters to hit those troop transports..."
"Sir," Commander Durnham, operating communications, looked across the CIC table at the Warlord, "I have Chancellor Evans on the line. He is demanding our immediate cessation of hostilities..."
"Tell Chancellor Evans, that he can kiss my ass!" Darien snapped stripping off his uniform tunic and tossing it aside, he was sweating, like he'd just run a mile, feeling the cold blackness that stalked him when the pressure began to grow. He swallowed at it, willing himself to stay upright, it wasn't the time for an attack, it wasn't the time.
"Keep the firing intensity on the right flank," Darien ordered. "Bring us to a firing solution, and stand by with the Zero-point bore." He shook his head again, resting the flat of a palm against the edge of the CIC table, using it to keep himself upright. "Fire on my mark... Mark!"
The Zero-point bore roared, hurling a shaft of brilliant white-hot light up towards the attacking cruisers, slicing through the lead on the right flank, incinerating the ship utterly, clearing a path through them for the fighter-bombers.
Darien wished them luck as he turned his attention to the second wave of Raptors that were beginning their run on the city.
* * *
James moved silently through the office halls, passing work cubicles, keeping to the shadows as he ran through the complex. He knew the path, the quickest and quietest one to the top. Making first for the mainframe level, he knew that shutting down the main computer would disable most of the internal security.
He padded forward a few steps tensing as a greyman made his sentry patrol, keeping his pulse rifle in tight as he checked the floor for any intruders.
He didn't have a chance to turn. James struck low and fast, his blade sliding into the mans ribcage as he covered the greyman's mouth. Lowering the body into one of the side cubicles, James tossed the Pulse rifle down the nearest garbage chute.
The building was crawling with security, cameras sweeping too and fro, ready to trigger alarms that would tell everyone he was there.
James kept silent, slipping under the cameras as he ducked through side doors, and out into the main lobby of the building. Four levels up was the mainframe room, secured behind a triple layer security system that was considered state of the art in the Empire.
James had other ideas about what art was.
He ducked around a column, looking towards the barricade the greymen had erected, facing the heavy metal blast shields that had been dropped into place to keep the Imperial troops at bay. A dozen or so greymen were setting up a pair of sentry guns that would form the second level of defence once the outer doors were penetrated.
The Fida'i sighed as he took a running start, tumbling and coming up with his pair of knives flashing. The greymen were unprepared for his appearance, scrambling to draw arms.
* * *
The elevator doors dinged open, and the guards pushed Masconi and her companions forward and out into to the Lobby. They stopped as the whirling figure dispatched the last of the door guards. Turning his head with his customary "Aw hell" expression, James sighed as he spun, hurling a knife clean from halfway across the room catching the lead guard neatly in the chest as he tried to grab Masconi.
She grabbed for the Pulse rifle, turning as Katz slugged the second, Alessandro popping up with the greyman's sidearm to shoot the third. She swung her rifle again, gunning down the fourth while he moved to shoot James.
James bobbed a couple of times, bending down to recover his knife as he looked at the three of them and shook his head. "Outside," he ordered, setting off to catch the elevator and his only ticket upwards, grabbing one of the greyman's security ids as he ran.
Masconi turning back to the massive steel doors barring their only way out, as she looked back at the elevator door closing.
"I'm having a bad day," she surmised, sitting down on a sandbag.
Alessandro grinned at his cousin, "Cheer up. You still have me!"
Masconi shook her head. "You know you never reassure me when you say it like that." She pointed to the sentry guns. "We need to turn those around, and use them to cover us in case upstairs decide to come down."
Katz nodded in agreement, wrestling the sentry gun around, tapping commands into it to override the Black Tower's IFF's and set the cannons to shoot anything that moved in the direction of the elevators.
Masconi did the same with the other one, dropping down on the far side of the sandbags as she set her assault rifle, sparing a look to her companions. "Did I mention I'm glad to see you?"
Katz, still looking worn after his ordeal smiled at her, "I got that impression. Couldn't get enough of me, could you. You had to come to my rescue?"
Alessandro propped up one of the other rifles and reset the scopes. Leaning in, he looked over and nudged Katz playfully. Katz nudged him back.
"Hey Mass," Katz said looking at her, "How come you never introduced me to your cousin before?"
"I didn't want you corrupting him," Masconi replied, tensing. Security had to know they were there by now, the greymen would be on them soon. "He's pure and innocent."
"Him?" Katz stared in shock and shook his head firmly. "He's been trying to get into my pants since we met."
Masconi chuckled, looking at Alessandro doing a perfect impression of total innocence. She shook her head. "You're the one who can't keep it in your pants..." She stopped, thinking about Firlotte and the Rock of Braal. She glanced at Katz again. "Hey Kitty," she began, "I need to tell you something."
"Now?" Katz asked looking about him at their situation, backs to a metal barricade about to be swarmed by Intelligence officers and their security.
"It's Firlotte..." Masconi said.
"I know, he's missing presumed dead, I got your letter." Katz replied calmly. "I'm okay, honest. I cried a bit and I miss him but..."
Masconi blinked. She'd forgotten about the letter, sent when Firlotte had been stranded with Lauren on the Lex Talionis. She cleared her throat, "No, that's... he..."
Katz shrugged, "Tell me about it later?" he asked as the doors sprang open and the first troops began to spill out to take up firing positions.
* * *
Jones was sitting in one of the situation rooms tapping commands into the computer. "Amsus forces seem to be containing the Imperial ground troops in quadrant three." He leaned forward touching his ear piece, "Yes I know its all messed up. Why the hell are we helping Amsus take the city?"
He listened to the reply and shrugged, "I don't know, this doesn't look like them assisting us in stopping a second military coup. This is far too...brutal for that. Remember the last time they attacked us?"
He stopped as the black bladed knife pressed under his jaw, and the scruffy looking man in padded armour held a finger over his lips.
Jones nodded, slipping the TAC-link headset off and dropping it to the console, putting his hands up. Where were his guards? He was supposed to have guards. He looked across the room to the two slumped bodies sitting propped up on a couch like mannequins.
"Oh god...don't kill me..." He whimpered.
The rough man seemed to consider that a moment before shaking his head, pointing towards the spot light lit doors to the Mainframe room. Jones turned his head a little still feeling the pressure of the knife.
"I can't..." he started.
James shrugged and produced his second knife in his other hand and proceeded to cut open the technicians belt and trouser button. As his trousers fell, James applied that knife to somewhere much more sensitive than the neck.
The technician wet himself.
James leaned down, looking at the liquid spilling over his knife and he sighed. Some people simply weren't used to threats. He leaned back up. "Open it," he commanded, prodding the technician's sensitive regions.
Jones nodded, hopping over, struggling with his trousers as he fumbled out his access key, punching commands in as he set his hand down on the palm reader. There was a hiss as the Mainframe slid and cycled open on the white painted clean-room.
James leaned around to look inside; lifting a section of Jones's shirt he drove the knife into the doorframe, patting Jones on the cheek as he slipped inside.
The computer console swung up from the floor as he entered, the computer screens rotating up to display the Intelligence logos, the Central one a floating blue orb that flickered and flared, pulsing.
James leaned down and realized he had no idea how to do what he was attempting to do. He looked back as Jones struggled with the knife pinning him to the wall. Bounding over, he yanked the knife free and hauled the timid technician around and pushed him into the seat.
"Turn off the security." James pointed to the computer.
"I don't..." Jones flinched as James shifted his knife and simply ran it down the front of the button-up shirt, buttons popping and clattering to the floor.
Jones reached forward and inputted his clearance, activating the security protocols, surprised at how easily it allowed him to do so. He would have thought the Black Tower's computer core would have been locked up tight. But then, Jones supposed, no one in the Black Tower had expected anyone to actually get inside the computer.
With the briefest of smiles, Jones successfully shut down the security systems, retracting the blast shields from around the base of the tower and opening it up at last.
James nodded his satisfaction, tossing one of his knives up into the air as he inverted it and cold clocked Jones behind the ear, already dashing back out into the tower as the mainframe room door swung closed behind him.
* * *
"We may have to initiate a nuclear strike," Commander Durnham advised.
Daren looked up as the Excalibur shook from another direct hit, drawing a ragged breath as he fought to stay focused. "If we attempt to nuke them then we run the risk of hitting our own fighters... what's our situation...?"
"Knight Squadron got one of the transports but the others are beginning their descent into the atmosphere. We still have eleven of the Battlecruisers, all turning their primary armaments upon us. Our Flak barrier and Aegis launchers are keeping the majority of their missiles from getting through, but we can't sustain this level of bombardment for long." Durnham looked grim. "We have no jump drives and our manoeuvrability inside of the atmosphere is limited at best. Ideally, we should gain more altitude and attempt to break orbit, where we can directly engage the Battlecruisers."
"We're all that stand between Karin and direct orbital bombardment," Darien replied. "We need to give them cover."
"Then I again urge the use of a full force nuclear strike. We have forty-two nuclear missiles sitting in our silos, and we should endeavour to put them to use," Commander Durnham insisted.
Darien's eyes scanned across the tactical situation. There was no way they could hit the transports; that close to the planet they would EMP the entire battlefield, and with their superior numbers, that would give the Amsus forces a decided advantage.
They were a single battalion attempting to hold a city against an Amsus invasion force. Their odds were slim at best, if the Amsus could land their two full regiments, it would be over.
He looked again at the Battlecruisers, "Order the fighters to break off their attack and make towards the Amsus right flank. They're weakest there." He rounded the table. "Prepare for a nuclear strike and concentrate fire on the left flank. Hit this ship and this ship here," he pointed. "That should deal with their Aegis cover and might give our fighters another shot at the Transports before they can land."
"Understood Warlord," Durnham replied, and began to issue and relay the orders.
* * *
On the outer edge of the planet's orbit, flashes began. First one, then another. A second fleet roaring into the system, large vessels, delicate and white, crescent shaped ion drives glowing a brilliant green as the alien vessels slid down towards the planet, the battlecruiser squadron between Karin and it.
The lead destroyer opened its forward weapons ports, the plates retracting as the plasma charges burst outwards, tumbling fire that roared forth, impacting on one of the cruisers, announcing their presence as nuclear detonations tore the last pair of Aegis cruisers on the far flank.
Behind the destroyers, a second wave appeared, and a third, the main fleet arriving as it closed in, hundreds of ships, all identical, all firing their heavy cannons down towards the battle cruisers, cooking them in wave after wave of intense weapons fire.
* * *
"The Gorean Fleet!" Rikard squared his shoulders. How ever the Empire had managed it, he wasn't about to fathom. He understood the implications. Again, not that they mattered. He was safe and the key would come to him...
"Master, our security has shut down," Caldone warned.
Rikard's eye twitched. "We will be fine. Order the Propylons to lock onto the coordinates of the main Amsus Armada and have that brought to Karin."
He looked back up. "So the ever watchful eye has decided to join the fight? This will be interesting."
He felt the charge rise through the Tower, energies that swept up again, sweeping out to the satellites and a second Amsus fleet began to whisk into the system.
* * *
"No you don't," Darien said aloud, recognising the standard Amsus tactic. "Target the satellites and hit them with everything we have left!"
The Excalibur's weapon systems began unleashing everything it kept in reserve, long range cruise missiles zeroing in on the satellites as the cruisers began to appear, slamming into the spindly craft, exploding and disrupting the materialization process, the Propylon beams lanced outwards, the cruiser re-integrating as the beam spread out towards the darkness, unable to focus inwards. The Cruiser exploded tearing apart one of its sister ships.
* * *
Colonel Mayfair swung down from the leg of the ITE. "Fire!" he commanded to the Mobile artillery units. The Mechs fired into the mirrored sides of the office tower, shattering glass and sending it raining down as tracer fire climbed up towards the parabolic dish, a pair of missiles curving through the area once protected by a powerful shield. They hit home, shattering the mirror and sending the dish toppling over, crashing downwards as it slammed into what had once been the main Karin shopping concourse.
Mayfair smiled as he glanced over at the fleeing people running from the open lobby of the building, pursued by greymen, a pair of them offering cover fire while the other two sprinted for the sanctuary of the Mech perimeter.
Mayfair gestured to another of his ITE's, the Mech tilting forward and unloading fire into the front of the lobby, cutting down the pursuers and allowing Masconi and Katz to fall back to safety.
"Afternoon Commander," Mayfair said pleasantly, tapping the helmet on his head. "We still have one hell of a mess, but as soon as we're clear..."
Masconi shook her head. "The Propylons," she pointed to the metallic structure free standing between the Bank of Orion and its neighbouring building. She shifted and pointed to similar arrays mounted around the surrounding buildings. "We need to secure them Colonel, sir."
"We're a little short on men right now," Mayfair said, waving for a couple of his ITE's to break and move to a support firing position. "Take Baker's company and brief him."
"Sir," Masconi saluted reaching out to catch Katz's arm. "I need a drop ship."
Katz looked up at the battle raging in the sky and he gave her a grin, "Fly?"
Masconi nodded, wincing when she saw one of the Amsus Troopships touch down, the firepower of the Excalibur falling silent as it slowly exhausted its ammunition supply.
* * *
Above them, a large, black Gorean destroyer began its descent, aerofoils unfolding as it began to pursue one of the last Amsus Troop transports. Its cannons roared again, exploding into the tail section of the transport, sending it into freefall, as the transport overshot the city plateau and crashed, as a spectacular fireball, into the adjacent mountain slopes.
The black destroyer banked as it swung past the Excalibur and curled about the mountain fortress, the single red eye upon its hull its only clear markings.
* * *
Rikard was a patient man; he was a long way from being beaten. So he wouldn't see the end of the Empire that day, it didn't matter. His primary plan was still well and truly in effect. And to cap it all off, he'd successfully removed a major pain in his side.
The holographic transmitter activated and Darien Taine stood in the centre of the office.
"Achilles?" Darien called.
"Taine... You're supposed to be dead." Rikard turned, heaving a long, weary sigh. "If you're lost, try heading towards the light!"
"It's over Rikard," Darien replied, calmly. "There is no running this time. You have no fleet, and we will deal with the troops you have in the city."
"Your alliance with the Gorean is a double edged sword," Rikard said at length. "Be sure to fall upon it." He flipped the transmitter, and crushed the meddlesome device silencing Taine.
"Master," Caldone said, in an effort to placate him. "He's one man. What can he do?"
Rikard angled his head. "This," he gestured with his hand and sent Caldone off of the edge of the Black Tower, listening to the steadily dwindling scream as he walked back across the office and sat down in the chair.
"You took your time in getting here," Rikard said looking up at Edward standing in the far doorway, leather jacket hanging open and ball cap riding up high on his head.
"This is it Rikard," Edward said softly, almost sadly.
Rikard smiled and lifted both hands beckoning Edward forward. "At last," he said with a smile.