Weapons of War (32 page)

It was over within a second, the main cannon's fury absorbed. Secondary fire was caught along the other painted edges of the Magellan, the hull, and the nacelles.
 

Nobody cheered. Nobody even breathed. The tech worked, but they weren't safe yet.

"Power levels critical," Maggie said

Power. It was all about power. The Dread fortress was huge in front of them. For all the size of the Magellan, it was nothing in comparison.
 

"The left nacelle is gone," Abdullah said.
 

Theodore nodded. He knew they weren't getting home that way.

"Gabriel, what's our status?" Theodore said.

"Still clear, General," Gabriel replied. "Follow the target. I'm holding them off."

He fired the vectoring thrusters, managing the distance between the Dread fortress and the Magellan. The enemy plasma stopped coming as they moved in too close to be targeted.

It was working. As impossible as it was. As impossible as it seemed. His plan was working.

The Magellan continued to drop as the fortress moved closer, from hundreds of kilometers to less than a dozen within seconds.
 

"Let's hope we have enough power for one last push," he said. "Gabriel, clear out."

"Yes, sir," Gabriel said.
 

The hangar appeared in front of them a moment later, as Theodore aligned the Magellan with the target. They were close now, so close they had no other options. As if they did before.

A single starfighter streaked out of the hangar, whipping past the viewport. Theodore cringed when he saw the number of plasma burns across the fuselage, and against the cockpit. It made him as sure as anything that his son was blessed.

"Power levels at ten percent, General," Maggie said.

"Brace for impact," Theodore said.

The fortress' hangar was big. So was the Magellan, and it was coming in hard. He had no idea what would happen when their shields struck the enemy's shields.

They were about to find out.

He fired reverse thrusters, pushing them to full. It would help, but it wouldn't be enough. The fortress vanished into nothing but a solid line of black with a giant open mouth. He could see the inside of the hangar now, the Dread tech keeping the atmosphere contained and gravity in place. He could see the soldiers that Gabriel had killed, the unpiloted ships he had destroyed.
 

The Magellan passed into the hangar, the gravity instantly pulling it to the floor. It hit with a deafening, grinding whoomp, pulling them hard in their seats, the din continuing as momentum dragged the starship across. The rear of the hangar approached in a hurry, and Theodore couldn't help but close his eyes as the impact grew imminent.

He felt and heard the crash as the shielded bow of the Magellan struck the shielded interior of the fortress. The noise was louder than anything he had ever experienced, the forces involved threatening to break every bone in his body. If the seeming magic of the dark shields hadn't reduced the overall impact, he was sure it would have.

He opened his eyes. The black material ahead of him rippled outward, the shockwave of force spreading across the fortress, being distributed throughout the alien ship like an earthquake. The rumbling continued for another ten seconds as if they were sitting in the center of a volcano.

And then everything was silent.

They left an hour later without much fanfare, and with a surprising ambivalence from the residents of Hell at the idea of losing their leader.

"I took them in and made them tough," Kraeger said. "They're too strong to give a shit about me, and Fox will do a better job than I ever did."

They numbered nearly three-dozen, having accepted over forty volunteers from the ranks of both the community and the scavengers and cutting some back out after a rudimentary examination of their overall health. Just because someone wanted to fight didn't mean they would be an asset over a liability, and Donovan discovered that Kraeger did have a sharp mind for making that determination. They were fewer in quantity because of it, but greater in operational efficiency and strength.

They were also greater in overall firepower. Beyond the bek'hai plasma rifles, the community had access to a massive supply of guns, ammunition, and explosives. It was all military grade, the type of equipment the resistance had run out of or lost control of a long time ago. It was nothing that could damage the enemy's armor, but it would be effective against clones.
 

They were careful up until the point they left the base, filing out into the night, making a quick, concerted dash across the open highway to the tractor cab of the now defunct Monster. A lookout was keeping a close eye on the cameras back in the bunker, ready to transmit a signal to Kraeger in the event of an emergency.

They scaled the industrial machine, taking position along its sides and top, dropping prone and keeping their rifles aimed out into the night. If the Dread were close enough they would be sure to take notice as soon as the rebels powered on the machine and heated it up, but there was no sign of them anywhere nearby. The brush was thick but relatively flat, giving them a long line of sight in every direction.
 

There was nothing. At least not yet.

"Start it up," Donovan said.
 

Ehri pressed the button to begin sending power from the battery to the huge, studded wheels. She tapped another button to release the brakes and allow the tractor to move again. It went forward, accelerating smoothly as she increased the throttle and began turning it to the west.

"Here we go," Donovan said.
 

His heart was racing, but his nerves were calm. He was excited about this, more excited than he had expected. The Dread had taken so much from him and from humankind. He was eager to take something back.

The tractor angled toward the building, picking up speed as it left the roadway and jostled onto the dirt and vegetation. It rolled over it all with ease, gaining momentum and sliding deeper into the wilderness. Within minutes the road was hazy behind them, and a small incline began to appear on the horizon.
 

"It's right over that hill," Kraeger said. "Eight minutes out."

The tractor was surprisingly fast with the transport unhitched from it and Ehri pushing it to full throttle. It wasn't long before Donovan could feel the heat of the vehicle's exertion begin filtering into the cabin, leaving him sweating.

"There's no way they aren't going to spot us like this," Soon said.

"It's okay if they see us," Donovan said. "They just need to see us too late."

It was Kraeger who had presented the haphazard plan. It was Donovan who agreed with the logic of it. They would lose a lot of time going to the Dread facility on foot, time that would allow the larger force to return. By charging in the tractor, they might be able to catch the Dread off-guard in more ways than one.

They reached the hill in no time, coming upon the incline and rumbling up it with only a minor slowdown. Donovan leaned out the door of the cab, looking behind them. There was a light in the distant sky. A Dread fighter, or the transport heading back to base?
 

He grabbed Kraeger's shoulder and pointed to it.
 

"It's going to be close," Kraeger said.
 

"We have to reach the mechs before the reinforcements get here," Donovan said.
 

"I'm going as fast as I can, Major," Ehri replied.

The tractor trundled up the hill, slowing to almost half the speed as it neared the crest.

"That's it," Ehri said.

"Kraeger, you know what to do," Donovan said.

"See you in Hell, Major," Kraeger said. "The real one." Then he moved to the side of the vehicle and jumped off.
 

The rest of their small army jumped with him, abandoning the tractor to make the remainder of the trip on foot. They rolled beside and then behind the vehicle as it reached the apex of the incline, giving them a view of the Dread base a moment before they started dropping toward it.

It was a more open facility than the much larger city, with four roundish main buildings and a few smaller outbuildings all connected by narrow corridors. It gave the outpost an almost insectoid appearance, one that loosely resembled an asymmetrical wheel and spokes.
 

Donovan quickly spotted the two mechs he had seen earlier. They were moving to the front of the outpost, directly ahead of them.

"They saw us," Soon said, reaching up and pulling the safety restraints over his chest.

Donovan found his seat and did the same. "Let's hope their aim is off."

The tractor shook as it began to roll down the other side of the hill. Ehri kept the throttle all the way forward and began rocking the machine from side to side while it charged ahead. The mechs raised their weapons in unison, sending a spew of heavy slugs at them.

The projectiles slammed into the heavy metal shell of the vehicle, creating a din of clanks and thunks as they tore into to machine. Sparks skittered off the plating in front of the cabin as rounds nearly found them and the entire night sky grew bright white at the onslaught.

Plasma fire began streaking past them, the shots coming close to the mechs but intentionally not hitting them. Kraeger and his team were attempting to distract the pilots, to give them something else to think about and throw their aim.
 

The tractor continued on its course, racing down the hill toward the mechanized armors. Slugs continued to tear it apart, and Donovan watched chunks of iron explode from the machine, leaving a trail of debris along the sides. Something popped near the back, and a huge plume of smoke appeared in front of them. He expected that any moment one of the projectiles would find its way into the cabin and kill them all. One came close, catching the edge of the cage and tearing a huge hole in the side, taking the door with it.
 

It didn't matter. They had reached the point of no return. The mechs had also failed to adjust to their tactic. Was it because they didn't think the machine was a threat or was it because they just weren't accustomed to playing defense?

Whatever the reason, the tractor continued its approach, growing ever closer to the mechs until it was right on top of them, nearly as tall as they were and much, much heavier.
 

The Dread pilots finally realized what was about to happen, and they concentrated their fire on the front of the tractor, trying to slow its momentum.

Of course, they couldn't. Of course, it was too late.
 

The massive vehicle slammed hard into the mechs, catching one full on and clipping the other. That one spun and tumbled to the ground with a jolt, while the first was pushed backward, sinking into the front of the machine and finding itself pinned. Donovan braced himself as the tractor sandwiched the mech between itself and the wall of one of the outbuildings, slamming into it and coming to a sudden, complete stop.

"Come on," Donovan said
 

He removed the restraints and got to his feet. They had been hoping they would be able to catch both of the machines with the tractor. They would have to settle for the one. He could see the upper part of it ahead of him. It was struggling to get free, pressing against the weight of the truck.
 

Soon threw off his restraints, as did Ehri. They had an easy exit from the torn cage, and they made their way out of the hole and into the open air. Donovan found the first mech getting back to its feet, recovering from the glancing blow it had taken.
 

They were running out of time.

"Ehri, go," Donovan said. She was already moving, rushing toward the mech. He hoped they hadn't hit it too hard. They needed it to get loose.

"This is even crazier now that we're here," Soon said, watching along with him. Ehri jumped from the front of the tractor to the shoulders of the mech, a fifteen-foot leap that she made look easy.

"We're just getting started, Captain," Donovan replied.
 

The Dread forces were beginning to pour out of the buildings, getting mixed up with heavy fire from Kraeger and his approaching force. Clones were already falling nearby, hit by both plasma and traditional rounds, clearly caught unready for the assault.
 

Donovan almost fell as the trapped mech managed to get enough force behind it to shake the tractor. He leaned down, putting a hand on the scored metal, looking back to see that it was getting loose. Ehri had scaled the front of it, and he saw her put her hand to a spot on the chest and open a small access panel. She moved her hand across that, and the side of the mech's chest cavity parted, revealing the pilot inside. He could see the surprise on the pilot's face as Ehri shot him.

"What about that guy?" Soon said, pointing at the second mech. It was back on its feet, and facing their way.
 

"Run," Donovan said, turning and dashing across the top of the tractor. Projectiles dug into the metal behind them as he crossed to the other side. He reached the edge without pausing, jumping without a second thought.