Star Force: Mastermind (SF32) Read online

  “They’re trying hard, but failing. You got plans?”

  “Nope. You?” Kyler said, spotting a pair of lizards appearing ahead and prepping himself to ram them rather than slow and fight more conservatively, for there were more following behind, and his jets weren’t getting him all that far ahead of them when he had to stop and contend with more infantry every 10 seconds or so.

  “We’ve got something cooked up if you can get to us.”

  “Give me a sec,” he said, summoning a short range Fornax burst, just enough to disrupt their senses as he got within sparring range. He pushed one of their plasma rods aside and ducked under another, jabbing his own into the lizard whose weapon he didn’t have a grip on, then kicked into the midsection of the one he did when its eyes focused on him in the wake of the Fornax disruption.

  Its grip slipped a few inches but it didn’t let go…until he jabbed it with the plasma nub and burnt a hole into its chest. He kicked it in the head as he jetted by, then dumped his old plasma rod and brought the new one with him.

  “Go.”

  “Got a place where we can get some breathing room. Did a little rearranging and hid an exit. Can you get to my location?”

  Kyler checked his battlemap, sensing another lizard about to come out into the hallway ahead. Vander was in a different building altogether, meaning he was going to have to move through one of the tunnels to get there…and the shortest route was a no go, considering it passed through one of the main staging locations for the lizards.

  “It’ll take me a while, but I’m headed there now,” he said, adding Vander’s current location as a waypoint in case the Archon moved to another spot.

  “The others are heading this way, and those of us here are staging raids out to clear a path. When you get close we’ll do the same.”

  “Copy that,” Kyler said, moving off so he was traveling along the leftmost wall, then accelerated harder so that he came up on a doorway just a hair after the lizard’s plasma rod came into view. He grabbed it and used his own to jab the enemy infantry in the head. Once the fiery plasma melted into its skull and the bubble spray dissipated he knocked the body aside and jetted on, turning right at the far end of the hall with a plan and structuring his mind around the task of completing it with what energy he had left.

  Kyler jetted out of the tunnel and into an industrial building, zigzagging through a preplanned course that Vander and four other Archons had more or less cleared out of lizards. With every second that went by he gapped those following him and with the multiple turns he got out of sight long enough to momentarily lose them while avoiding the others in the building.

  Two more turns and he was into a storage room where Vander was waiting. The acolyte waved him over to stack of crates and pointed him through a gap where one was set with the side pulled up. Kyler went through first, then Vander swam in and pulled the flap down, locking it in place with a crude latch before swimming through the gutted crate to the other side of the stack set up against a wall covering a doorway to the other side of the building.

  “How many exits?” Kyler asked, glancing back at their handiwork. They’d cut and welded the camouflage crate door, judging by the job they’d done on the interior latch, making it impossible for the lizards to pull it open even if they found the spot.

  “We have three from our mini complex, which contains six rooms, two bigger than this. We’ve covered the other entrances so they can’t get in, and so far none of them have tried.”

  Kyler floated in place, waving his hands around a bit to maintain his position as his head began to swoon from the sudden rest…quicker than he’d expected.

  “Head count?”

  “We have two yet to arrive, the others are out on raids. We’ve got a stash of lizard weapons, some of our heavy equipment, a few lizard shields, and one of their det packs.”

  “What heavy equipment?”

  “Industrial stuff, cutters and things that can go bang if we need them to.”

  “What’s the status on the city doors?”

  “They’re pounding on two of them, but we’ve managed to disrupt some of their supply runs. They’re having to send a lot of det packs up and we’ve stopped several from getting through. I’d guess we’ve got at least 12 hours before breach.”

  “How many packs is that?”

  “I’m figuring upwards of 200. The lizards keep scrounging them up from somewhere, so I assume they’re still getting fresh supplies in from the surface.”

  “Last I heard the supply ships were still dropping fresh armies off outside the fence,” Kyler said, finding his eyelids drooping. “But I haven’t had much time to chat. You probably know more than I do.”

  “Yeah, had a few chats with the defense teams. They’re going to randomly open up the main doors to disrupt the assault groups. No more than a meter, but they’re not going to let them just sit there and pound.”

  “Are they all waterlogged?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well I’m fresh out of ideas…and ambrosia. Thanks for pulling me in.”

  “We’re all feeling it, but we’ve been able to take some quick naps. I suggest you do the same.”

  “In a bit. Do we have a plan?”

  “In case you didn’t hear, my streak got toasted after I left it. We can call for another to come in, but this building is too far from the shipyard to get to easily.”

  “What good would that do? Other than the PDMs?”

  “They’re real handy for popping det packs,” Vander reminded him.

  Kyler rolled his eyes inside his helmet. “Right, sorry. My mind’s not functioning well at the moment.”

  “Let me bottom line it for you then. The arrowheads are still patrolling the shipyard and the surrounding tunnels, but aren’t going much further because some of them got winged by det packs. Without eyes ahead, they’re not risking going up against lizards entering from other locations. They’ve closed and reopened the shipyard doors, trying to stem the tide but the lizards just redeployed elsewhere, so they opened it back up and are hammering them on the way in. Numerically that seemed like the best option. They’re not good blowing themselves up in open water where the arrowheads can hit them at speed.”

  “Current estimates put the infantry count over 30,000. I’ve killed at least 200 of that, and the others have racked up a considerable amount…but the arrowheads are only stunning most of their victims. They’re reengaging once they wake up, which is why we’ve been snagging as many loose weapons lying around as possible.”

  “They’ve got to stop those troop ships. By any chance did you find out where they were coming from?”

  “Partially. I found some bread crumbs to follow back to what I hope will be their base, but it isn’t doing us much good right now. The battleships are continuing to hop over the fence and whittle down the enemy fleet, but more ships keep arriving like clockwork.”

  “They have to run out at some point,” Kyler argued, wishing he knew when that would be.

  “I agree. But there’s not much more we can do from down here. We need to get back to the city and resupply. I’m already getting dehydrated, ironic as that sounds.”

  “How long before the others get here?”

  “Long enough for you to grab a nap. Pick a corner and I’ll wake you when we’re ready to move. We’ve started clearing a path already. When we go we’ll all go and fight our way into open ocean. I’ve already arranged for pickup if we can get there.”

  “I’ll take it,” Kyler said, grateful that the others were already a couple steps ahead of him. “You might need to ring my bell when the time comes. Don’t know if I’ll respond to the comm.”

  “Sleep. We’ll handle the rest,” Vander said before jetting off.

  8

  Kyler woke up suddenly, finding a bit of drool stuck to the side of his mouth as his head fought to bring him up to speed from his power nap. He looked around, his eyes hurting for a moment under the bright lights of the Manaan cafeteria, then
he saw Vander standing across from him.

  “Sorry. I would have let you sleep, but the other trailblazers want to talk to you.”

  Kyler swiped his face clean, then drank what was left of his bottle of water in three gulps.

  “Ok, give me a minute.”

  “Take two,” his fellow Archon said, leaving him to find his own way to a comm terminal.

  Kyler looked down at his watch…he must have been out for nearly an hour. He didn’t remember putting his head down on the table, nor much else at the moment, aside from getting back into the city, out of his armor, a brief shower, and chowing down on ambrosia wafers and concentrated foodstuffs…not to mention three bottles of water that were still sitting before him, now empty.

  He must have dozed off without realizing it. With an hour gone by the lizard infantry should still have been outside the blast doors chewing into them with their det packs…and if they’d gotten through early Vander would have said something.

  Kyler shook the haze from his head and stood up, leaving his tray where it was on the off chance he’d be able to come back and finish the food left on it. He briskly walked out of the cafeteria and grabbed the nearest elevator, taking it up to the command level and claiming one of the unused command nexuses. When he powered it up he did a quick check of their situation, seeing it was unchanged, right down to the infantry contacts crossing the sea floor enroute to the entry points they’d blasted into the buildings.

  Kyler, Vander, and the other Archons had gotten out through one of those breaches, after fighting their way through a couple of lightly defended tunnels and the lizards basing in the building. With surprise on their side they’d gotten through without too much hassle, breaking out into open water in the face of the incoming lizards. They’d briefly fought off some of them, up until a series of streaks and arrowheads got to them and carried the Archons over to the main hangar where they dumped them off before going back out to try and thin the infantry a bit more.

  He switched over to communications mode and searched for incoming queries, finding that three were currently active. He joined the linked conversation and three holograms appeared of Paul, Sara, and Rafa.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “Fighting’s pretty much done up here,” Sara said, her short blonde hair bobbing slightly as she moved her head to face Kyler’s hologram in her own command nexus. “What’s your situation?”

  “Too many ants to stomp on,” Kyler said, disgusted. “Their infantry are running right through our defenses, no matter how many we stun or kill. We need shield generators on the fence so we can selectively block off sections we want, because they’re coming in anywhere and everywhere…and in far greater numbers than I thought the lizards could field. Basically we screwed the tactical pooch on this one.”

  “Are we going to lose the city?” Rafa asked.

  Kyler’s head wavered. “50/50. They’re not into the main structure yet, but they’re pounding on the doors. If we could stem the flow of their reinforcements I’d say we could hold out, but they’re continuing to pour more in and I don’t know how many more they’ve got to send our way.”

  “Too small for the battleships to handle?” Paul guessed.

  Kyler nodded. “And we’ve all but used up our PDM stores.”

  “What about resupply from the other cities?”

  “I presume that’s already happening. I’ve been in the water a lot lately.”

  “Need some extra hands?” Rafa offered.

  “We need a plan,” Kyler countered, “to stop the reinforcements. The lizards found our weak spot and are hammering us through it. I don’t want to concede the city as a learning process, but I’m not sure what else we can do right now other than hold out and hope their reinforcements dry up.”

  “How many spare sets of aquatic armor do you have?” Sara asked.

  Kyler sighed. “I know we’ve got plenty, but I don’t have a number for you.”

  “Did Ariel evacuate?” Paul asked.

  “I believe so,” Kyler said, uncertain. “I was told all noncombat personnel were gone.”

  “You look exhausted,” Rafa mentioned.

  “Just woke up from a nap, so I’m better off than I was. With the outer buildings flooded we didn’t have a chance to rest.”

  “No air pockets?” Paul asked.

  “There are, but the pressure is so high we didn’t want to risk taking our helmets off. So we didn’t get a chance to eat, drink, or other things for a long time.”

  “The lizards are unaffected by the pressure?” Sara wondered.

  “Didn’t take that close of a look, but they’re not wearing any environment gear, so I’d assume they’re built for at least this depth.”

  “How many do they have in play?” Paul asked, his eyes narrowed to slits.

  “Thousands, tens of thousands…it’s impossible to say. Most are staying so close to the sea floor on approach that the sensors are having a hard time picking them up unless we’ve got a craft nearby. Plus there are so many bodies in the water it’s difficult to tell what’s alive, what’s stunned, and what’s dead.”

  “What’s your best weapon, hand to hand?” Rafa pressed.

  “Their own plasma rods. We don’t have to worry about running out of ammo, and the stun sticks only take them out of the game temporarily. The arrowheads are only delaying their movements rather than killing them. We need a modular option that we can fit them with that will do damage on contact.”

  “We’ve already been discussing this, Kyler,” Sara said, glancing at the other two holograms. “Do you concur that the only way to save the city is to take the lizards hand to hand?”

  “At this point I wish I knew another way, but that’s the only option we have left. Then again I’m sleep deprived, so maybe I’m missing something. Do you see another option?”

  “Send the battleships outside the fence all at once,” Paul offered. “Gang up on select portions of their fleet and destroy it. That will diminish their options for reinforcement.”

  “They’ve already been doing that individually. The lizards have too many ships…plus, they are killing some of the infantry, and every one we don’t have to take hand to hand is helpful.”

  “Are the battleships in danger?” Paul pressed.

  “They’ve already taken some hull damage, but they have the advantage of being able to redeploy where the enemy can’t follow. So long as the Captains are smart about it, they’ll continue to pick apart the enemy until they run out of ships. Problem is, they keep getting more.”

  “Staggered reinforcements or coming from a nearby staging area we can’t track?”

  Kyler hesitated, his mouth half open. “Vander found something, but I never got a chance to ask him about it. He referred to it as breadcrumbs.”

  “He already filed a report,” Sara offered. “He found a comm relay network, line of sight, which is why we haven’t been able to track their communications.”

  “How far out?” Kyler asked, his mind working quickly as a shot of adrenaline hit him. A relay network explained a lot, but it also meant the enemy’s infrastructure was far closer than he’d guessed.

  “Here,” Sara said, bringing up the schematics for him. The relay looked like some kind of sea bulb attached by a tether to the rock below. It held suspended in mid water, far enough up to be able to pass signals around the curve of the planet. The lizard tech was larger than one of their corvettes, but was totally smooth on the surface, and Kyler recognized their standard hull armor on it, meaning that it wouldn’t show up on sensors unless the probing ship was within a few kilometers of it.

  “He also pulled this,” she continued, bringing up tracking data that expanded out the holographic map and included several other points around Manaan, as well as two points on four other lines headed away from the relay. Kyler knew instantly why two…it was in case the nearest link in the chain became disabled, so the relay could try and transmit double the distance to the next link, while maintai
ning secrecy over the location of the others in case it was discovered and accessed.

  “He got into it?” Kyler wondered aloud.

  “Software hack,” Rafa offered. “From what we he surmised, they’ve been communicating exclusively through these relays for some time. Meaning they’ve been setting up for this assault for more than a year, I’d guess.”

  “Longer than that,” Kyler said, a glimmer of hope beginning to form in the back of his mind. “Paul, can I borrow some rail guns?”

  “Way ahead of you,” he said, cracking a smile for the first time since the battle station was destroyed. “I’ve got ships standing by in low orbit. But if we take them out, we won’t have anything to study.”

  “Hold up,” Sara said, raising a ‘stop’ hand for emphasis. “These are in a grid pattern. Taking one link out won’t necessarily cut their communications. We need to get all of them, and we don’t have position data for the other side of the city.”

  “If the skies stay clear I can get those the same way Vander did…however he did,” Kyler said, double checking his thought processes. “If you’ve got warships in atmosphere to cover us, I’d say this is doable.”

  “You think it’ll make enough of a difference?” Rafa asked.

  “If it blinds their commanders sitting back at their bases, yes, it’ll be worth it,” Kyler assured him. “They’ve been very coordinated thus far, and if we take that away from them they’ll start getting sloppy again. I’d bet 1000 credits on that.”

  “That’s assuming their commanders aren’t on site.”

  “All of these ships are expendable,” Kyler said assuredly. “So long as they damage or take the city, they don’t care how many die. If they’ve got a mastermind organizing all of this, it won’t be in harm’s way.”

  “I agree,” Paul said, his voice icy cold. “We cut the link and see what happens. If nothing else, they won’t be able to monitor their own progress unless they use conventional comms, and I don’t see any relay points above the surface for them to transmit to, unless the mid orbital fleets have very good receivers.”