Galactic Empire Wars: The Alliance (The Galactic Empire Wars Book 4) Read online

  “Continue forward,” he ordered. If Colonel Stratford was meeting resistance than it was only reasonable to expect they would shortly.

  Strangely enough, Stevens’ four platoons continued to advance with no opposition for another hundred meters. They were nearly to the Control Tower when weapons fire finally broke out, forcing them to take cover.

  “I think the Kleese were depending on the weapon emplacements on the ridge to hold us back,” suggested Ryan as he took cover behind a small metal building. He could see weapons fire coming from several open windows midway up the tall tower.

  “I think you’re right,” replied Stevens, agreeing with Ryan’s assessment of the situation. “Colonel Stratford says they didn’t encounter any resistance until they reached the periphery of the spaceport. He reports numerous embedded popups all along the boundary and, for the moment, his advance is stalled.”

  Ryan pressed himself closer to the wall of the building he was using for protection as a number of RG rounds struck the wall near him. He glanced at his HUD, noting no one had been injured from the weapons fire.

  “The remaining Kleese must be holed up in the Control Tower,” said Lieutenant Guthrie. She was crouched down on the blastcrete behind a large service vehicle. “If we can take them out, perhaps we can disable the popups holding up Colonel Stratford. The controls for them are probably in the tower somewhere.”

  Major Stevens thought over Guthrie’s idea. He looked toward the Control Tower, noting the lack of cover for his Marines if they attempted to take it. They would have to traverse nearly one hundred and twenty meters of open space to reach the building. He also knew every moment he postponed the attack Stratford was suffering more casualties. With a deep sigh, he knew the decision was already made. “Lieutenants Nelson and Guthrie, prepare to advance. We need to take that Control Tower.”

  “What about just blowing it up with our heavier explosive rounds?” suggested Lieutenant Felton. He was referring to the heavier rounds in the twin tubes on the back of the Type Four suits. “We wouldn’t risk taking any casualties that way.”

  Stevens stepped out slightly into the open and used the advanced sensors in his suit to scan the Control Tower in more detail. It didn’t take him long to see that the building was composed of blastcrete with reinforced steel. It would take too long for their suit explosives to cause significant damage to the structure.

  “Building’s reinforced with massive steel beams,” he informed the lieutenants. “We’ll hit them from two sides and try to overwhelm them. I do want explosive rounds placed through those windows up toward the top of the tower. Lieutenant Felton, I want your platoon to lay down covering fire for Nelson and Guthrie.”

  Ryan looked intently at the tall structure. Near the very top were some heavily reinforced tinted windows, which overlooked the spaceport. Accessing his neural implant, he magnified the view in the visor of his helmet and studied the windows closely. They were too darkly tinted for him to get a good view of what was inside. He thought he could see some movement, but he wasn’t certain. There were four lower windows that RG fire was coming from.

  “Sergeant Hunter, take Corporal Adams and put some RG rounds through those upper windows as well as the ones we’re receiving fire from. Corporal Parker, I want your squad hitting the main entrance. Blow it with explosive rounds and then go Kleese hunting. Take prisoners if possible but that’s not a priority. I’ll follow up with the rest of the platoon.”

  Everyone quickly took their positions and, at a signal from Ryan, Sergeant Hunter’s squad began firing RG rounds at a blistering rate toward the windows. For a few moments the glass resisted, then it exploded inwards as it finally shattered.

  “Explosive rounds!” yelled Casey as she fired two rounds through the now open windows.

  The others in the squad fired too and in moments explosions reverberated inside the top of the Control Tower. Fire and black smoke billowed out of the windows. They then shifted their fire to the lower windows, placing explosive rounds through them also.

  Without hesitation, the designated Marines made a run toward the main entrance of the tower. Explosive rounds hit the twin doors, blowing them open. Type Four battlesuits were capable of amazing speed. The Marines moved far faster than an Olympic sprinter. In moments, they reached the smoking doors and were inside.

  “Spread out, stay in teams of two,” ordered Ryan as more Marines from Lieutenant Guthrie’s platoon entered behind them. “Find the stairs and let’s get moving. The sooner we can eliminate these Kleese, the sooner Colonel Stratford’s Marines can reinforce us.” Ryan knew this needed to be done quickly before the Kleese could recover from the attack.

  “Found them!” yelled Alexander as he opened a wide door only to go flying backward, landing on the floor.

  Half a dozen Kleese in dark black battlesuits came barreling out of the stairwell, their RG rifles firing on full automatic. Two Marines went down as armor piercing rounds stitched them across the chest; several others screamed as rounds penetrated their arms and legs.

  “Zaltule!” yelled Ryan, recognizing the battlesuits the warrior caste of the Kleese preferred to wear.

  Ryan thumbed his RG rifle to full automatic and began firing into the nearest Kleese. Other Marines had recovered from their initial shock at the sudden attack and were beginning to return fire. The large arachnids didn’t pause as they continued to lay a withering fire of armor piercing rounds into the Marines who had burst into the tower.

  One and then two of the Zaltule collapsed to twitch upon the floor as their suits were penetrated by numerous RG rounds. The others continued firing, taking down more of the Marines.

  “Surrender,” spoke one of the remaining Zaltule, who was slightly taller than the others. “Surrender and serve us and you will be allowed to live.”

  Ryan heard more screams as other Marines were struck by Zaltule weapons fire, then he saw Casey and Lauren step inside the shattered doors of the Control Tower. Two more of the Zaltule fell to the floor, their blood gathering in dark pools beneath them.

  “Get down!” he yelled as one of the two remaining Zaltule turned his RG rifle toward the door. Ryan swung his rifle over, targeting the Zaltule, and saw him go down as Alexander fired a series of rounds into the chest of the dangerous arachnid.

  “Ryan!” yelled Lauren with deep concern in her voice.

  The last Kleese went down under the fire of several Marines as Ryan turned to face the door. He knew something was wrong since Lauren had called him Ryan in a combat situation. He felt his heart skip a beat as he saw Casey slumped over against the wall with a growing red stain on the upper part of her battlesuit. On his HUD, he saw her icon had turned an alarming amber.

  “Secure that stairwell!” he ordered as he rushed over toward Casey. He didn’t know what he would do if she was seriously injured. They’d grown extremely close over the last six months since the battle in the solar system.

  “Casey?” Ryan asked as he knelt beside her, his eyes searching her visor.

  “She’s hit right below her shoulder,” Lauren said as she checked Casey’s suit.

  “I’ve activated the medical nanites,” Casey managed to croak out, as she opened her visor to look with pain-filled eyes at Ryan. She was breathing in long, hard gasps as if she were struggling for air. “This hurts like hell, but the suit’s starting to inject me with pain killers.”

  Major Stevens stepped inside, looking at the carnage. There were a number of dead Marines, and some obviously injured, including Sergeant Hunter.

  “Status!” he demanded, seeing Ryan bending over Casey. He knew Ryan and the sergeant were very close. The rules in the new solar system military were more tolerant when it came to fraternization between men and women.

  “The bottom level is secure,” reported Ryan, standing back up. Casey seemed to have stabilized and was breathing more evenly. “We suffered four dead and eight injured. Six Zaltule rushed us out of the stairwell. They didn’t offer to surrender and we elim
inated them.”

  “Lieutenant Guthrie, get your Marines up to the upper levels and see if there are any more of these Zaltule,” ordered Stevens. It pained him to see the dead Marines; he’d seen enough death back in Tent City in the early days. It was something he would never get used to. “Lieutenant Felton, secure the perimeter until we’ve confirmed all the Kleese have been killed.”

  “Good thing Harnett developed these medical nanites for our suits,” Alexander said as he strolled over to look down worriedly at Casey. “All the injured should be fine though several of them are going to be sore for a few days.”

  “Tell me about it,” groaned Casey as she sat up with Lauren assisting her.

  “Zaltule,” commented Major Stevens, turning his attention back to Ryan and Casey. “They’re trying to reassert themselves again after we defeated them the last time.”

  “They had a big enough fleet,” replied Ryan, gazing around at the destruction the Marines and the Kleese had caused to the bottom floor of the Control Tower. “Have you heard from the Argyle?”

  “Yes,” Stevens said, nodding his head. “She’ll be in orbit shortly. We’re being evacuated while the Alliance fleet and the Zaltule fleet fight it out in a system a few light years distant. Admiral Adamson is trying to buy enough time for the Argyle to get us off the planet.”

  “Tower is clear,” reported Lieutenant Guthrie. “All we found were dead Zaltule in the upper level and several lower ones. The explosive rounds did their job. We also found what looked like the control mechanism for the popups and destroyed it.”

  “That’s good,” replied Stevens pleased the tower was secure. He had just received a message from Colonel Stratford confirming the popups had stopped firing and his Marines were advancing once more.

  Ryan was relieved. They would soon be off this planet though it meant they’d failed in their mission to liberate the planet from the Kleese occupation. At least once they were back on board the Argyle, Casey and the other wounded could spend time in proper medical quarters where they could finish their recovery. Some would probably need a second injection of the medical nanites to finish healing their injuries.

  “Crap!” Stevens said suddenly over the command frequency.

  “What is it?” asked Ryan, sensing the sudden concern in the major’s voice.

  “Kleese warships have dropped out of Fold Space and are closing on the Argyle. Drop ships are on the way down. I’m instructing them to pick up Colonel Stratford’s Marines first and then they can return for us.”

  Ryan felt a sudden chill sweep over him. If Kleese warships were closing on the Argyle and her support ships, there was a good chance there wouldn’t be time for a second pickup.

  “We better fortify our position as much as possible,” Ryan said as he looked around. They could position Marines in some of the surrounding buildings and here in the Control Tower. The tower’s thick blastcrete and steel walls would offer some protection.

  -

  Commander Anton gazed at the tactical screen with worry on his face. They’d gone into orbit around Diadem with their four light cruisers as escorts. Now alarms were sounding on the sensor console indicating Kleese warships had been detected.

  “Kleese battlecruisers are closing fast,” reported Ensign Smothers from his sensor console. “I’m detecting six of them, and they’ll be within combat range in twelve minutes.”

  “That’s not enough time to get the drop ships down to the planet and back up for even one trip,” stated Anton as he weighed his options. None of them were good. “The escorts will need to buy us some time.”

  “They won’t stand a chance against six Zaltule battlecruisers,” spoke up Lieutenant Myers, the executive officer. “The Zaltule will blow right through them!”

  “New contact,” called out Ensign Smothers excitedly. “It’s the Falcon!”

  “Thank God,” Lieutenant Myers said with sudden relief spreading across his face. The addition of a battlecruiser to the four escorts might just buy them the time they needed to complete the rescue.

  “She’s coming in fast,” Smothers added as the brilliant green icon on his sensor screen rapidly neared the Argyle.

  “I’m ordering our escorts to join the Falcon,” said Anton, drawing in a deep breath. “Perhaps we can get our people off the planet after all.”

  -

  Commander Kriss Melvin watched the tactical screen as the Argyle’s four light cruisers formed up with his battlecruiser. They needed to buy the Argyle forty minutes to allow them enough time to evacuate the trapped Marines.

  “Put us between the Kleese and the Argyle,” he ordered the ensign at the Helm. “All ships to fire particle beams on the lead Zaltule battlecruiser. We’ll take them out one by one.”

  “There are six of them,” warned Lieutenant Maria Knox from her sensor console.

  “We’re just trying to buy some time,” replied Melvin, folding his arms across his chest. “If we can take out the lead ship perhaps the rest will hesitate in their advance.”

  Maria nodded, but she doubted if taking out the lead ship would slow down the Zaltule. The Zaltule were warriors and she doubted the loss of one ship would faze them much. One battlecruiser and four lights weren’t going to stop them.

  “Pyramid formation P-4,” ordered Commander Melvin over the com to the four light cruiser commanders. “The Falcon will take the apex. All ships fire particle beams on the lead battlecruiser.”

  The five ships quickly formed up into a five pointed pyramid formation with the Falcon leading and accelerated toward the six inbound Zaltule warships.

  “Weapons range!” called out Lieutenant Erica Smith. “Locking on with particle beam cannons.”

  “Fire!” ordered Melvin, leaning forward in his command chair, wanting to get in the first shots.

  From the Falcon and the four accompanying light cruisers, six beams of bright blue energy flashed out to impact the energy screen on the lead Kleese battlecruiser. The screen exploded in a myriad of flashes where the beams struck, then two beams penetrated and smashed into the armored hull. The light cruisers turned broadside and opened fire with their main batteries, quickly scoring several hits with their pulse fusion beams and energy turrets.

  The enemy battlecruiser’s energy screen wavered and then collapsed as a massive explosion blew a jagged hole in the cruiser’s hull, opening up a huge section to the vacuum of space. Seeing the opportunity, one of the light cruisers hit the Zaltule ship with an antimatter missile, blowing it apart.

  “Battlecruiser is down,” spoke Lieutenant Knox breathlessly.

  “Light cruiser Taggart is reporting heavy damage,” reported Communications. “They’re requesting permission to withdraw.”

  “Taggart is down,” called out Lieutenant Knox, as the green icon representing the support ship suddenly swelled up and vanished from her screen.

  “Target the next Kleese ship,” commanded Melvin, feeling shaken from the sudden loss of the light cruiser and its crew of two hundred and twenty.

  “More contacts,” reported Knox with a deep sigh of relief. “It’s the Alliance fleet!”

  Melvin felt as if a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders. With the rest of the fleet, they would make short work of the remaining Zaltule ships and complete the rescue of the Marines on Diadem.

  “Hold,” yelled Knox in a panicked voice. “I’m picking up more ships dropping out of Fold Space. It’s the Zaltule warfleet! They must have followed Admiral Adamson.”

  “Admiral Adamson is ordering us to fall back to the planet to cover the Argyle,” reported the Communications officer. “The Argyle is to recover her drop ships immediately and jump into Fold Space; we’re to escort her back to Lanolth.”

  Melvin turned pale at the implications. There was no way the Argyle could pull all the stranded Marines off the planet in that short a time period. Some were going to be left behind.

  -

  “The Kleese are going to beat us to the planet,” Commander Shepherd
reported as she studied the data on the tactical displays. “The Argyle has to be out of orbit and into Fold Space in eight minutes or the Zaltule will be in engagement range.”

  “How many Marines will be left behind?” demanded Wade, fearing the worst. How could he return to Vesta and leave Ryan on Diadem?

  “Commander Anton isn’t sure,” reported Lieutenant Travers. “Some of the drop ships are reportedly only half loaded. He’s sending down a cargo drop ship with some additional equipment for the Marines who are going to be left behind. It’s going down on automatic pilot.”

  “How soon before he’s ready to leave orbit?” demanded Admiral Adamson. “The Zaltule are getting damn close.”

  He felt like a huge fist was squeezing his heart. They were going to leave some Marines trapped on Diadem. There was an unspoken rule that no one was ever left behind, but to obey that rule would mean the sacrifice of most if not all of his fleet. At the moment, Adamson couldn’t bear to look at Colonel Nelson, knowing his order might have just sentenced the colonel’s younger brother to death.

  “The Falcon and the three remaining light cruisers have reached the Argyle,” reported Commander Shepherd. “The pursuing five Zaltule battlecruisers are right behind them. They may have to hold them off until the Argyle is ready to leave orbit.”

  -

  Drop ships and cargo drop ships blasted up into space, frantically trying to reach the Argyle before the main Kleese fleet arrived. Several of the pilots had to be ordered off the planet, as they were hesitating since their ships were not completely full.

  Aboard the Argyle, the returning drop ships were quickly unloaded, and one of the cargo drop ships was hurriedly crammed with emergency supplies the Marines still down on the planet might need.

  “Falcon and the light cruisers are engaged with the inbound Zaltule battlecruisers,” reported Lieutenant Myers. “Commander Melvin says we need to be gone yesterday.”

  “All the drop ships are aboard,” added Ensign Smothers. “The cargo drop ship has been launched and is descending on auto pilot.”