War of the Exiles Read online

  "The two Northern settlements are protected by the mountains and our siege defences. With most underground, it will not be easy to cause major damage. The entry points to all three settlements are beyond the wall and inside the great blast doors. Any attack would be futile there, but not here. This wall is all that stands between us and the warriors of Nakoma."

  His long tongue popped out and ran along his mouth.

  "The Red Scars have already overrun our positions in the South, with most of our people enslaved. Khagi is lost, and all that remains are the wasteland settlements and us."

  He blinked and sniffed at the air. Like all of his people, Nak had an incredibly sensitive sense of smell. He could detect the position of Byotai up to nearly a hundred metres away, even in a place filled with such a variety of unusual aromas.

  "We have to hold this wall or Karnak is lost. Kras has seen to that. The defences are only as strong as the weakest links. Keep at it, my friend, help is coming."

  He turned back and blinked, sure that he'd spotted something. For months they had held this position, but never had the clans actually attempted a concerted assault on the settlements. Now he suspected anything was possible.

  "Help?"

  The governor looked particularly pleased.

  "Indeed. We still have friends."

  As he said the last word, his expression transformed from friendliness to something very different. His forehead tightened, and his cheek muscles became taut. He then nodded off into the distance.

  "The weather stations to the South. Do my eyes deceive me...or are they burning?"

  His voice changed to a shrill growl as he panned from left to right, pointing out the smoke columns rising up from two different locations. Engineer Soltak climbed up alongside him, and then used the communications unit on his arm to reach the small garrison at the station. They were a series of six small, single storey buildings nearly twenty kilometres away and spread out in a line five kilometres apart. In the past they had housed a handful of civilians whose job was to monitor the open plains for storms. Satellites overhead provided long-term information, but the storms could appear in plains in a matter of hours. Now they provided a layer of security for the settlements around the mining pit of Consta with a single three-man team placed at each.

  Engineer Soltak activated the magnification on the drop-down lens over his left eye. It was optically stabilised and provided a useful magnification of up to eight times normal vision.

  "Yes, I think you're right. One is burning. I can see a vehicle heading back from the second station..."

  He tensed as he tried to focus on what he was seeing. The stabilisation made it easier, but with the dust and distances involved, he was still forced to squint to get the best possible image. He then looked back.

  "It's impossible."

  Governor Nak opened his eyes wider in a questioning look.

  "What is impossible?"

  The engineer pointed off to the South.

  "The weather stations are under attack."

  Governor Nak looked off into the distance and then to their defences. Work teams were busy on both sides, with scores of individuals clambering over the many breaches and damaged sections. A number of gantries were suspended down on metal cables, and teams of Byotai placed thin layers of the refined Nanocrystals to the outer skin. The crystalline paste gave off a pale shimmer, as though a layer of thick varnish had been added to the defences.

  "I knew this day would come. We left it too late to prepare the defences, and now we are unready."

  He lifted his arm and activated his communication unit.

  "This is Nak Sekieki. Send the alarm. The enemy is here. All units to combat positions."

  Even as he spoke, he noticed the odd expression on the engineers' face. He moved along the wall and kept looking out through the narrow slit at the sky.

  "What is it?" Nak asked.

  "There!"

  Engineer Soltak pointed up into the sky as a group of six dark shapes appeared. They moved in such a way that they could only be artificial. The objects circled over the line of weather stations just as a dozen flashes rippled along the horizon, some of these followed by yellow and white flashes. Seconds later came the low thuds of explosions and the staccato clatter of heavy weapons fire.

  "Not good."

  A few pitiful bright lines marked where the defenders did their best, but it was too little, too late. In less than twenty seconds the perimeter defences were gone, and the settlements around Consta now vulnerable. Nak continued issuing orders via his communications gear as he watched the dots in the distance.

  "...I don't care what state they are in. Pull them back, all of them. Get them behind the wall immediately. Activate perimeter defences and release the air defences.... Yes...get everybody else to the shelters, now!"

  More shapes joined the aircraft and increased the number of objects in the sky into double figures. It took until the second bombing run before the air raid alarms sounded out from deep inside the settlement. Governor Nak watched the fall of the weather stations while dozens of Byotai teams moved to their prepared positions along the wall. At the same time civilians scattered in the open moved to the Great Blast Doors and the protection offered by the vast underground facilities. A squad of five Byotai appeared from a section one level down and moved up the steps until reaching the top. They then reached to the parapet where they would be protected by the narrow sloped roof and thick wall. Nak nodded with satisfaction as they positioned their auto-tracking cannon on the wall.

  Good, that's more like it.

  With a fortified wall this long, it was almost impossible to see where it ended, but he could still make out dozens of small groups of his comrades racing to their positions. The wall might be unfinished, but the combat drills were at least a success. There was little confusion, and in less than a minute the wall manned and bristling with weapons. Further down and amongst the settlement was a very different story. There were few soldiers in this region, and many of them panicked as they struggled to reach the designated safe zones. Governor Nak only hoped the rest of his volunteer warriors were doing their part to make the place safe. This was made much more difficult as it followed the natural shape of the hill to create a curved bulge out to the South of the Consta mining pit.

  I need more soldiers, a lot more soldiers. Where in the name of the ancient fire pits are this Spartan and his mercenaries?

  "Governor!"

  Both Byotai looked back from the wall. Rushing up the steps was a single unit of six Byotai, all wearing improvised armour and carrying rifles on their shoulders. Tarnas, the leader of the group extended his left arm and pointed up at the wall.

  "It's an air attack, Sir. We need to get you to..."

  Their voices were drowned out by the initial bombardment against the walls. From this position it was impossible to see the attackers, but the impact was immediate, and where the outer surface was incomplete the missile blasted right through. The thinner parts of the wall were still six metres wide, but hardened tip ground penetrating missiles could still cause massive damage. Governor Nak shook his head and moved along the wall to one of the sections that jutted out and provided a perfect flanking position from which to target attackers at the wall.

  "There is no time, to the seventh tower."

  The bodyguard clambered up the last steps while missiles and bombs crashed against the wall. The majority failed to break through, but for every ten that struck, one would find a weak point. Engineer Soltak changed position to join them but vanished as a missile rippled through a crack in the wall. It opened up a hole large enough to drive an armoured crawler through. Nak increased his pace as fast as he could manage on his old legs, and weighed down by his heavily improvised body armour.

  Indiscriminate bombardment against civilians, does Nakoma have no honour?

  Governor Nak paused long enough to see his comrade blasted from the ledge and hanging from the edge for dear life.

  "Gover
nor, we cannot wait," Tarnas yelled.

  The bodyguard closed with him, but he barged them out of the way and rushed back. There was little time left, but incredibly he managed to slide along the floor and almost went over the edge himself. Luckily, some of the ribbing on the armour dug into the deep marks and lacerations in the rock, slowing him at the last moment. He grabbed the unfortunate soul's arm, as he was about to lose his grip. Both were left in a precarious position while missiles and bombs continued to fall around the compound.

  "Help us!"

  Governor Nak's bodyguard rushed back to help right at the moment another volley of attacks came in. Now the gunfire from the wall was overwhelming. A mixture of kinetic firearms and direct-energy cannons blasted at the aircraft, as they ran along the wall doing their best to open up new breaches in the wall. Tarnas bent down and leaned out to the two hanging from the ledge; his comrades moved closer to assist. It didn't take long to pull them both from the ledge, and as Nak returned to his feet, he looked back from the wall to the many domes and abandoned buildings of the three settlements. Smoke rose in a dozen places, and one of the larger domes burned furiously.

  "Stay down!"

  Another much larger bomb came down nearby and burst at a height of a hundred metres. There was no explosion, and instead of flame or shockwave little more than a hiss. This was followed by the expulsion of a great cloud of petroleum vapour. It was light and floated over the settlement like a thin layer of fog. Some below began to scream as the pungent fuel touched their flesh and clothing.

  "What is this new madness?" asked one of the guards.

  Governor Nak already knew what was about to happen and called out to those below. There was nothing he could do, though, and when the tiny flash at the centre cloud came, he lifted his hands to his face. The entire cloud flashed yellow. When the flames resided, dozens of the damaged buildings were alight, and scores of settlers ran about screaming, their clothes burnt off and their flesh burning. It was a horrific weapon, one that none of them would have ever considered using, even in this violent struggle. Engineer Soltak screamed with rage at what he could see, his mind clearly beginning to crack. He said something, but more bombs impacted on both sides of the defensive wall so that only the last few words could be heard.

  "...animals, this is terrorism, not war. We have to hit back!"

  He staggered back, as though expecting to see an enemy he could attack or kill.

  "When our citizens in the Empire see this, there will be war! A holy war!"

  He moved his hand down to his flank, checking his weapons were still there. Engineer Soltak's face betrayed his anger, and one of the bodyguards was forced to grab him, to stop the unfortunate soul from stumbling off the ledge. He looked at the guard, his eyes wide and bitter.

  "If they want terror, I'll show them the true meaning of the word."

  Another bomb missed the wall, and this time crashed down directly onto a vehicle compound. The thin shelter collapsed, and a pair of transport crawlers exploded, killing a number of civilians running past. The air screamed from the sounds of more falling bombs and rockets; the defenders’ gunfire seemed almost paltry in comparison.

  "Behind us!" Tarnas shouted.

  Two of the armoured Byotai closed ranks around their leader as three Hornets screamed overhead. From the open flanks were multiple clan warriors, and they blasted at soldier and civilian alike. Projectiles slammed into the wall around them, and one guard was hit in the face, killing him instantly. Another took a round to the neck, but the metal gorget plating protected him. The survivors moved as quickly as they could to the protection offered by the tower. Bullets struck the stone and metal plating as they spread out, making sure they were away from any vision slits or holes. Governor Nak proceeded to issue orders to try and stabilise the defences.

  Three Hornets made the mistake of hovering directly over the wall so that their passengers could get a clear view of the few civilians still above ground. The mistake cost them dearly, as the multiple surface-to-air missile sites positioned throughout the settlements immediately targeted them. These weapon systems were all populated with radar and heat tracking missiles supplied through third parties, and financed by the Alliance. The first aircraft took two missiles in the underside and exploded, sending fragments out to the wall and down onto the already burning settlement.

  "Beautiful," said the Governor.

  More missiles rushed up, and the other two aircraft slunk away with smoke pouring from their damage. The air battle over the Stone Teeth Hills was well under way, both sides unleashing large numbers of missiles at each other. Dozens of Anicinàbe Hornets took advantage of the defenders lack of preparation and began to hover in front of the wall, away from the gun sights of the hidden missile system. They were able to drop small teams of warriors as they passed by. The clan warriors used their jet-assisted packs to brake their descent and came down on both sides of the wall. Some even managed to land on the fighting position along the wall by sweeping in from behind.

  Two warriors landed on the open space behind the tower, at the top where Governor Nak and his entourage watched the fight. They hit one of the guards with carbines before the Byotai returned fire and cut them down in a hail of small arms fire. Governor Nak fired through one of the slits and sent a pair of clan warriors scurrying for safety. He activated his communications, speaking to all of his sub commanders.

  "Stand firm, do not let them in. The enemy must be driven back. This is an attack of opportunity, nothing more. Hold the defences and fight!"

  Nak moved to the left side of the tower and looked down at more than thirty clan warriors that had landed out in the open. Sporadic fire from the next tower was striking down at those on the ground. The clan warriors were clearly experienced, moving close to the wall so that none of the others could depress their weapons sufficiently without leaving themselves exposed.

  "Grapples," said Tarnas, "This is not good."

  Dozens of lines fired up from the ground and embedded in the tops of the walls. Seconds later the warriors began climbing up the tall, slightly curved gradient.

  "Governor, look!"

  Governor Nak's stomach churned as he looked up at the shapes coming down from above. Unlike the Hornets, these aircraft were coming down from the sky. The large, dark shapes of heavy Byotai transports were directly above the facility and beginning their planetary descent. For the first time that day, Nak smiled.

  Spartan!

  * * *

  In Orbit over Karnak, Tenth Quadrant

  General Makos' victory at Medamud had done much more than just defeat the Anicinàbe Grand Fleet. By crushing the bulk of their forces, he had reopened several shipping lanes between the six inhabited worlds, and even to clear a safe corridor back to the Byotai Spacebridge. This Rift in space-time was a permanent feature and allowed ships to travel from the Empire to the Quadrant, all without moving.

  Though it was possible to now travel, the defeat at Medamud did little to quell the attacks by small groups of raiders that still persisted, even for all the efforts of the Byotai to stop them. The Anicinàbe were well known for their small group tactics, and with the Tenth Quadrant filled with moons and the debris from so many previous battles, it was the perfect place to launch surprise attacks. Much of the sector had been heavily mined, and with the Alliance escort long gone, the protection of the Exile Fleet was transferred to the few Byotai warships that General Makos could spare. Their role included much more than protecting the civilians from attack. They also needed to clear routes through space that kept them well away from the myriad of dangers and traps left by the Anicinàbe.

  The Byotai flagship Hellstorm, as well as the rest of the major ships of the line, was now off fighting squadrons of Anicinàbe throughout the Quadrant. Though the most significant of all the worlds, Karnak was still only one of the six inhabited planets in the conflict, and with as many settlers as Karnak spread out on the desolate worlds, it left the fleet only lightly protected. Fighting
on the remaining five planets had intensified over the last few days, and three transports forced back when trying to take food aid to the beleaguered settlers. The Anicinàbe knew help was coming to Karnak and so had seized the opportunity to initiate dozens of diversionary attacks.

  Just four Byotai warships provided fleet protection, the rest coming from a dozen private contracted vessels, each no larger than an Alliance frigate, and much less well armed. All of these had now taken the vanguard position in orbit. None of them were designed for atmospheric flight, and the descent through the atmosphere would surely destroy them even if they attempted any form of landing. A small number of ships could provide some level of protection, but a planet was a vast area to guard, and there were deactivated, ice-cold Anicinàbe raiding vessels hidden throughout the area.

  The long column of civilian ships had already been hit twice upon arrival. The largest attack actually came from a captured Byotai transport that tried to ram one of the troop carriers. Four mercenary fighters managed to disable the ship, and Byotai soldiers were still on board fighting the Anicinàbe crew. Apart from other minor losses among the escort, the transports had managed to make it through.

  Now above Karnak, the civilian ships had already altered their position to reduce speed and were entering the very tip of the planet's atmosphere. It took nearly half an hour to reach this point, but now they were on a descent course from which there was little chance of recovery. At this position they moved their noses down roughly forty degrees, the point where the heat insulating material could protect the rest of the ship. These ships had all been chosen for their bulk haulage capability, as well as the ability to land on a planet's surface. Columns of smoke began to build behind each of them as they moved deeper into the atmosphere and the friction increased the surface temperature to almost two thousand degrees Kelvin.

  The black column of smoke and blazing fires in the sky marked the passage of the group of transports. No missiles rushed up to meet them, and they were soon over the Northern most regions of the planet, following an oval pattern to reduce their airspeed. From the ground it was impossible to still see the ships, and the fires gave the impression of a series of falling stars. The long wait was over, and after months of fighting, transports were once more in the skies over Karnak.