When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (80 page)

             
Shix withered away from his commander
.“
The esteemed warlord demands that you explain yourself. What could be more important than this negotiation
?
”

             
“Your people poisoned my world
,”
Maria said
.“
There is much to do before I can feel the safety of my citizens is assured. And, until I know that, I cannot in good faith give you an answer
.
”

             
Eruk gave a command, a quick hiss. Shix released the Ambassado
r’
s aide, shivering as he broke the connection. His limb snapped out suddenly, wrapping around Mari
a’
s wrist. She screamed, jerking back but unable to break the alie
n’
s grip. The urchin-like creature gurgled pleasantly for a moment, then shouted excitedly at the warlord. Eruk hollered at his soldiers, reaching across the table and grabbing Maria by the throat.

             
“You dare
!”
Eruk roared
.“
Stop this now
!
”

             
Mari
a’
s eyes rolled in head, resting on General Casey. Every human in the room had drawn down on the enemy soldiers, shouting curses and orders and anything that popped into their heads. The alien riflemen hissed back, screaming in their own tongues. The General held his phone to his lips, his heart pounding like a jackhammer. The warlord met his gaze, rage building.

             
“All stations
,”
Casey said. He swallowed a lump in his throat, and suddenly he was calm. His military career had led him to this moment, this night where he would honor his oath. Maria mouthed the word before he spoke, and he gave her a small nod. He turned his good eye to Eruk, a bitter grin on his face
.“
Castle. I say again, Ca
s
—”

             
The bolt hit dead center of the Genera
l’
s eyepatch, exploding out the back of his head. Casey dropped to the ground in a heap, and the tent erupted. Soldiers on both sides unloaded their weapons on the enemy, screaming in rage and pain and fear. Blood of every color sprayed the walls. Humans and aliens hit the dirt, crying out for help or whimpering softly as lay dying on the ground. The stench of burnt flesh mixed with the cordite and ozone in the air. It lasted seconds, but the Terrans never stood a chance. Maria watched helplessly as the last man fell.

             
Eruk pulled the Ambassador close to his face, a deep rumble emanating from his chest
.“
You are weak
,”
he spat
.“
You will die. Your people will die. This world will die
.
”

             
Tears ran down Mari
a’
s face, but iron rose in her stomach. She set her jaw, forcing down the bile in her throat. Locking eyes with the alien warlord, the Ambassador of New Eden whispered her last words
.“
Not before you
.
”

             
Eruk clamped his hand tight, snapping the woma
n’
s neck like a twig. He laughed, tossing her body aside with little effort. As he turned to leave, he nearly tripped over the trembling form of his navigator/translator. Reaching down, Eruk grabbed the urchin by his stalk-like neck
.“
Go back to the ship, coward. Let them know that the humans chose death
.
”

             
“But warlord
,”
Shix began
.“
Ca
n’
t you hear
?
”

             
Eruk was about to pull off one of the navigato
r’
s spindly legs when the ground shook. He walked toward the tent entrance, stepping over bodies without interest. Outside, dangerously close by, the sounds of a firefight intensified. The Druuma trembled, though Eruk could not tell if it was from fear or excitement. As he wandered into the cool night air, the Cthanul raised his four arms to the sky. The Lord King would regret the loss of the planet, but the warlord would still have his honor.

             
For the Boxti, this planet would fall.

*              *              *              *              *             

              At 2000 hours, local time, a single word was transmitted to every commander in every unit in the attack force.

             
“Castle, Castle, Castle
.
”

             
In her Seed Bomber, Kaileen repeated the launch order and armed her warheads. Engines ignited and rails hummed as the fighters and warships began to launch into space. The Boxti forces sat quiet and motionless as the Terrans fell upon them like a tidal wave. Capital ships opened a volley of overwhelming fire on the stationary alien ships, sending a cluster of projectiles hurtling at the enemy.

             
Valley Forge
, already in position, extended two cannons from its port and starboard mantles. Huge arms pushed the weapons far out from the body of the cruiser as guidance systems pointed the barrels toward the target. Bright yellow and green lights flashed as Thunder and Lightning charged up, miles of coils spinning a golfball-sized projectile through a spiral accelerator. As the thousands of missiles arced toward the enemy line, Captain DeHart gave the order to fire the orbital strike. The entire vessel rocked from side-to-side as the monstrous PACs lit off. Twin streaks of white shot down toward the surface.

             
The war began.

-                           
V                            -

              In the Drova Wastes, amidst the might of the Boxti armada, a single ship came to life.

             
It had been the culmination of the greatest minds ever to exist in the galaxy. During the Unending War, dozens of civilizations had crafted it to be the perfect armament. Technology had reached a point where most weapons of mass destruction could be deterred from their intended targets. Missiles could be jammed, and slugs could be blocked. In a fight against an enemy without fear, they built the most terrible device ever conceived.

             
It had been thought that the Boxti could be culled with mutually assured destruction. If the end result of their conquests was a galaxy of broken planets, surely they would see the reason and safety of peace. If there were no place they could hide, no world they could secure forever, the alien menace would halt their aggression.

             
Gehnom
was built as the final act of defiance by the ancient cabal called the Pharsamin, a means to an end that the sentient races feared above all else. If they could not defend their homes, they would render them useless to the enemy. Ion weaponry could burn worlds to ash, but time would heal such wounds. Traditional warfare could pulverize a planet into powder, but the land would grow again. There was only one method of attack that had no equalizer, and that meant destroying the plane
t’
s core. Once broken, the gravitational forces would simply tear the rock to pieces. There would be nothing left to inhabit.

             
It was hoped that such a drastic weapon would never be used. That the simple fact of its existence would be enough to dissuade the invading forces. After the loss of nine homeworlds, even that hope fell away. The Pharsamin realized that there could be no peace, no matter how hollow the victory would be for the Boxti. In fleeing for their lives, the races of the past left a monster behind for the dark creatures to find.

             
Aboard the juggernaut
Gehnom
, a single voice rose as hundreds of thousands of creatures brought the terrible ship to life
.“
The Humans ask for death. And we shall grant it
.
”

             
Without a sound, the bringer of doom opened a wormhole and jumped toward the Terran colony.

-                           
VI                            -

              Captain Grahams stood in his hatch, looking through a pair of binoculars at the Boxti carrier. His gunner sighted the walls of the structure, the blockades hastily set up by the enemy soldiers, and activated the laser tracker. Graha
m’
s Crew Vehicle Helmet blocked out the whining engine as best it could, sealing him off from the outside world. Still, it did next to nothing to shield him from the scream of the PAC rounds.

             
Like twin fists from heaven, the enormous slugs tore down from space and slammed into the roof of the alien ship. The rounds bore deep into the metal, melting it down into slag before driving further and further into the ship. The strike from Thunder hit in the crew quarters, crushing several rooms before stopping. Lighting hit the ammunition compartment near the ground, igniting the stores of missiles. The port side of the vessel swelled outward and exploded, sending chunks of debris raining down on the fields below for miles and miles.

             
The peace shattered, the offensive force opened fire. Captain Grahams watched his company of tanks release a salvo of Sabot rounds into the structure. Each projectile was inert, but tore through the defensives like tissue paper. Walls crumbled and fell and bodies flew in all directions. Behind the main line, Multiple Launch Rocket Stations (MLRS) released a shower of high-explosive warheads down on the enemy front. Thor mobile cannons dropped a never-ending downpour of high explosives. Blossoms of flame rose like a garden of death. Smoke and the acrid smell of spent chemicals filled the air.

             
“All stations, this is Guardian
.”
General Case
y’
s voice came through the command net, broadcast in every vehicle
.“
Assault the enemy line. Commanders, carry out your missions
.
”

             
Grahams pulled his hatch until it locked a foot above his head. He leaned forward and patted his gunner on the shoulder. The young sergeant sat in front of the Captain, face pressed into the sight
.“
Cavemen, this is Black Six. Assault, assault, assault
.”
His driver moved out without hesitation. The Shiva rolled forward quickly, clearing ground between the friendly line and the carrier. As targets presented, each platoon struck out. The Boxti had no armor presented, but nothing cleared the field of battle like a Shiva. Gunners took out targets as quickly as they popped up, mowing down ground troops with the slaved .50 caliber machine guns.

             
“Black Six, this is Shadow one-one. We have eyes on four...make that five heavy vehicles moving out from the main entrance. Looks like armor
.
”

             
Grahams chewed on his lip
.“
Roger, Shadow one-one. Maintain eyes on and report
.”
He squelched the radio once
.“
Caveman units, we have incoming armor. Engage and report. Out
.”
He was
n’
t worried. There had yet to be an enemy the Company could
n’
t handle.

             
Ahead of the headquarters section, first platoon came within visual range of the Boxti tanks. They were slow but heavily fortified, resembling bulbous scorpions. The turret was squat and flat, with a single angular cannon protruding a meter from the center. Two spires shot out either side of the barrel. The crew remained buttoned up inside, away from sniper fire. As the enemy tanks rumbled forward, the blood red metal shimmered in the sunlight.

             
At his perch on a nearby hill, Zev watched the enemy roll out. His scoped GK rifle bobbed back and forth as he traced the outline of the hull, looking for any signs of life. He saw the plumes of fire and smoke from the tank line before the booming response, and counted the seconds until the rounds hit. The first volley fell in front of the advancing line, spraying dirt and rocks in all directions.

             
“Red two, this is Shadow. Short. Add one half and re-engage
.
”

             
The next Sabot hit the Boxti tank near the front, impacting with a satisfying shower of smoke and metal. Still, the enemy vehicle drove on. The turret charged with glowing red energy before hurling a bolt at the nearest Shiva. A crimson ball of tumbling plasma tore through the plated armor, driving past the crew compartment and into the ammo storage. Red two exploded into pieces.