Star Crusades Michael Thomas (speld decodable readers .TXT) 📖

to the core? It would be warmer for sure, and a lot of themseemed to vanish after their first attempts at stoppingus.”

“Interesting,” saidAlexis, “When we attacked the guns, theywere protected by a host of Ski’lig warriors. Now that we’re movingdeeper inside, we’re running into workers.”

“Yeah. What do they eat?” Hawkinsasked, “This place is a sterilewasteland, and I can’t believe for a second they eatdiamonds.”

“True,” said Valentine,“It’s strange, I’ll give you that. Maybe whenall this is over our anthropologists will be able to explain what’sgoing on here.”

Lance Corporal Tsarkov walkedpast Hawkins and gave Valentine a shortnod of acknowledgement as he moved on towards Sergeant Jablonsky.Valentine watched him go, wondering quite what he was up to. He didseem to have calmed down recently, but there was always somethingabout him that left her wary.

“Whoa, what was that?” said amarine as he stumbled and nearly fellover. Dust fell from the ceiling, and Valentine looked up as moreshaking ripped through the planet. It started off sporadically andthen increased so that something hit the surface every five to tenseconds.

“What’s going on?” Valentinemoved from the passage wall, “Are thoseour guns or theirs?”

Reports from thesurface are concerning, Objects are hittingthe surface, with most coming in at the landing ground and otherentry points, said Tex.

“What’shappening?” shouted a marine, and then the underground chamberturned to a hive of activity, “Are you hearing this?”

Tex, what the hell?

It is the enemy. They are here in vastnumbers.

She moved away from theNovas and spotted General Gun and CaptainOlik shouting at a Ski’lig prisoner. She moved so quickly that twomarines turned and tried to stop her. She skidded to a halt, andOlik glanced back at her as the ground shook. Dust dropped downamongst them, and Olik wiped some of it from his visor beforespeaking.

“What is it, Lance Corporal?”

“Wait,” said General Gun, “More of them are coming down to theTrench. We’ve got company. A lot of company.”

“Who are they?”Valentine asked.

Olik reached for his Thumperwhere it lay resting against a heap ofcrates and worked the action. He looked to Valentine, and then tothe others.

“The Ski’ligs are pounding ourfleet. Admiral Hurik is trying to withdraw, but many of our shipsare heavily damaged, including thetransports. It’s going to take hours.”

The ground kept on shaking as thelanding pods slammed into the diamond rock of the planet. And thensomething else happened, something none had expected. From out inthe darkness of the cavern came arustling sound that became louder and louder. Until they’d steppedfoot on this world many had never heard it before, but after asingle battle, not a soul on Ekati Alpha was unfamiliar with thestrange noises that came before an attack by the Ski’ligs. Oliklooked up and snarled.

“The enemy flagshipis directly above us. General Riversbelieves it is a moving colony, like an Ark for their race. It isthe only way they can have so many people aboard. And right nowit’s launching thousands of landing craft around ourpositions.”

“We’re screwed,”said one of the marines, “We’re trappeddown here.”

“What do we do?”Sergeant Jablonsky asked.

Lieutenant Fletcher appeared from an adjoining chamber and looked tothem. He was partially hidden by the multitude of massivestalactites that pushed up from the ground and vanished far abovethem. He started to speak when a unit of marines rushed in fromabove. One collapsed to the ground, his body riddled with spikes.Their leader, a bloodied corporal dropped to his knees.

“They’ve used other tunnels,” hesaid while gasping, “They’re coming thisway.”

“How many?” demanded the General.

“All of them.”

A loud horn sounded, and it was anoise Valentine had never heard before. She watched as the regular marines and IAB forces grabbed theirweapons and formed up into squads. The ground was uneven and dozensof different directions the enemy could come from.

“Shield walls!”General Gun roared.

“You heard the General,” saidSergeant Jablonsky, “Close ranks.Hurry!”

Valentine moved alongside therest of the lance as they formed up intoa compact line. Other marines did the same or sheltered behindrocks, tables, and other structures erected by those that workedand lived there. She looked back at their position and checkedtheir tactical dispositions. They were one of hundreds of similarunits all over the planet, with all of them linked by passages andchambers. This section in particular was wide, with plentiful coverprovided by the spikes rising from the ground. But then there werethe holes leading off into other passages, and vast openings in theground that burrowed deep towards the planetary core.

Valentine could see five platoonsof marines at the other end, as well as four Mavericks,and a squad of Novas. She looked back to thosenear here and guessed there must be at least a hundred of them,including two thirds of her 1st Platoon. But even moreimpressive, the legendary war heroes General Gun and Captain Olikwere both with them.

“Ready!” General Gun said.

Valentine lifted her weapon to hershoulder and took aim.

Tex…you’ve got theXHEC-1.

The artificial intelligence answered asthe weapon charged to full power.

I have your back.

With no sightfitted to the weapon, she used thedigital sight added to her eyes. It floated there, automaticallyconsidering the heavier gravity and changes in temperature and airdensity. It felt like cheating, but as the shadows coalesced intoshapes, she simply did not care.

“Brothers and sisters!”General Gun howled, walking behind the lines ofwarriors, “This is the day!”

There were marines,IAB veterans, Novas, and so many others. Theirweapons extended out like the spines of a porcupine, and it lookedas though nothing could stop them. Then some of the others musthave spotted fresh targets. New threat markers floated over hervirtual HUD, and in just seconds there were hundreds of shapes.Some came from below, others from the passages, and then many morethrough the air as they circled on the thermals.

“Remember Deimos, remember Mars. AndRemember…The Fallen!”

Just hearing that last wordchilled Valentine. A shape moved next toher, and she nodded to Lieutenant Fletcher.

“For Deimos,” he hissed, and Valentine knew he was talking about hisfamily that had been killed. And right now, she couldn’t blame him.The only thought in her mind was of those she had fought alongsidein that last battle. And in particular the final act of a dyingwoman as she threw herself into the arms of their enemy, killingherself and the beast.

The shapes moved