When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) Read online

  “The Boxti fighters, as well as the frigate, were protected by some sort of shielding system, similar to our own kinetic barriers. It made them significantly harder to hurt. The strike group was able to track the enemy better than we were at Luna, but they didn’t achieve a single kill. As for weaponry, the aliens seem to have gotten some upgrades since we fought. Their cannons ripped through our ships rather efficiently.”Walker took a moment to wipe his face with his hands.“Honestly, High Chancellor, I’m without words. It’s almost like we’re facing an entirely different force than we did at Luna. They move differently, work differently, and certainly fight differently. Our pilots didn’t stand a chance, and they outnumbered the enemy four to one.

  “The last word Arlington sent was a distress call from Tallus. Enemy frigates had appeared in orbit and started an aerial bombardment of the colony. That was an hour ago. Until we can reestablish communications with Berlinand her group, I’m recommending we seal Tallus off from the relay network.”

  Alexander stood from his chair.“And leave survivors of the attack to die?”

  “Sir, we need to think about the bigger picture. The Boxti were able to disrupt communications, which means they understand our relays. If they figure out how to reverse the transmission coordinates, they’ll follow a buoy back here.”

  “Weren’t they already outside,”Arthur piped up.“If they already have our coordinates, what’s the harm?”

  Vice Admiral Winger, the New Eden Fleet Commander, stepped in.“All we know for sure about the force you engaged a month ago is limited to intel provided by the Nangolani. If their reports are accurate, this was a small group that chased them across the galaxy until they ended up here. It’s entirely possible they don’t have our coordinates, just piggybacked off the Grays.”

  “And we’re to take their word as gospel?”Arthur asked.“We hardly know anything about these creatures and we’re affording them a lot of weight in our decision making.”

  Alexander pounded the table.“Quiet, everyone! We’re done discussing the possibility of abandoning our citizens. Who knows what we’ve already? We have to save as many as we can, or we don’t belong in our positions. As leaders, we must be beholden to our followers.”He faced Arthur.“As for our new friends, we will discuss this with them shortly. But for now, given the situation, we need to focus on what matters most: saving every person possible from the Boxti threat.”

  Color seemed to have returned to Admiral Walker’s face.“I’ll have Midwaytake a team to aid in Tallus. Their node is online again, so we should be able to jump directly to system rather than the Valley relay.”

  “Make it so,”Alexander said.“And tell them to hurry. Berlincan’t hold a force that size for long.”

  - XI -

  Cameron knew at once that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Within minutes of closing with the enemy, the Y-fighters demonstrated air superiority with a vengeance. They bobbed and weaved with incredible precision, and their return volleys tore through the Phoenix’s triple-plated armor without stopping. Two of his wingmen fell in the first few seconds of contact, with others losing stabilizers and weapon systems. An escort Destroyer, the TFD Tripoli, ate a barrage of missiles and exploded in flames, splitting amidship.

  The alien craft flew tighter than before, more coordinated within their units. They absorbed the bullets from the Gauss rifles with a reflective shield that shimmered with each hit. After double-teaming a fleeing fighter, Cameron and George managed to wear down its protection enough to land a shot into the engine, knocking the craft out of commission. It took another Harpy to finally destroy it.

  “Jesus,”George said, kicking down his afterburner.“When the hell did they get so tough?”

  A glowing red bolt flew past Cameron’s canopy, scraping along his starboard wing.“I don’t know, George. Shit. They’re everywhere.”He rolled hard to the right, barely avoiding a frontal collision with an incoming fighter. Pulling a stomach-churning 180, he joined his friend in pursuit. They alternated fire, sending hundreds of rounds into the Boxti’s shield before the bullets struck home. As the enemy exploded into chunks, Cameron looked out the window at the battlefield. His eyes widened. The fight was only minutes old, and already a quarter of the Terran fighters were lost.

  The plan had been to distract the enemy while the civilian evacuation continued. With the number of Terrans falling faster each minute, the distraction wouldn’t last long. A Seed bomber, attempting to down an enemy frigate, flew into a field of flak and shattered into pieces. The TFD Florencemanaged to fire a main gun volley into the center of one of the smaller ships. Truck-sized tungsten slugs tore through the enemy’s shields, plowing through the hull. Still, the frigate managed to stay aloft, firing a return volley that knocked out Florence’s engines.

  “All fighters,”Shandras’voice came over the net.“Focus on their squadrons. We’ve begun civilian evacuation. Buy as much time as you can.”

  George and Cameron flew in tight spirals, narrowly avoiding enemy fire. Their kinetic shields flared and sputtered with each near-miss. One alien fighter dove in toward the pair, guns spitting bright red bolts at the Phoenixes.

  “Break!”

  Cameron went left while George went right, and the Boxti craft zipped in between hitting nothing. George pulled his yoke back hard, veering into a collision course. Before Cameron had a chance to warn him, George slammed into the back of the Y-Fighter. For a split-second, the two ships seemed to be locked together. Then the alien began to break away. George squeezed the trigger, sending dozens of metal slugs into the belly of the enemy craft. It broke apart around him, fiery chunks of metal slapping the sides of his canopy.

  “Holy shit,”George said.“That’s one way to get them.”

  “Are you okay?”Cameron asked.

  George looked out at his friend.“Never better. Now don’t you ever let me do that again.”

  “No problem. I think I have a better idea.”

  Cameron launched a cluster missile, a large munition that exploded into a dozen guided warheads upon launch. The smaller projectiles hunted down three Y-fighters. Traveling at a lower rate of speed, the cluster bombs bypassed the shielding, embedding in the alien hull before exploding. In an instant, three vessels left the fight for good.

  “Fuck yes!”Cameron activated his radio.“Wolfpack, this is Wolf one. Switch to cluster missiles, their shields miss them.”He launched another munition, watching as it chased down another two Boxti fighters. Going off a hunch, Cameron pulled up his Gauss cannons’firing system controller and lowered the velocity to targeting speed.“George, give me some cover. I’m gonna try something stupid.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’m shadowing.”

  Cameron found a lone Boxti bomber looping around for another run at Berlin. He squeezed the triggers, watching the tracers chase the enemy ship until finally zeroing in. The rounds bounced off the shield at first, but the next volley slipped inside and chewed up the magazine compartment. Spiraling out, the bomber blew up from the inside in a dazzling display of yellow and red.

  “Holy shit, Cam.”George pulled up into a support position.“What did you do?”

  “Switch cannons to target speed,”Cameron said.“These are kinetic barriers; they respond to speed, not impact. Spread the word. These bastards are ours.”

  * * * * *

  On Tallus, the evacuation was finally showing some success. Three shuttles had managed to escape the atmosphere and reach the node. Another fifteen had begun their launch sequence, and two Arks were preparing to make a run for the relay.

  In the smoke-filled sky, the Terran fighters fought to buy every second for the fleeing civilians. The fires below raged onward, threatening to consume the entire continent. Firefighting craft from the city failed in their various attempt to extinguish the flames, costing many pilots their lives in the process. It wasn’t becoming an evacuation so much as abandoning the entire planet.

  * * * * *

  Berlin fired its two-meter cann
on, perforating a frigate on the far side of the fray. Three missiles came back in answer, tearing a hole in the storage compartments. Frozen food and clothing supplies vented into the upper atmosphere of Tallus, lost forever. The crew raced to seal the exposed section of carrier, managing to keep the damage to a minimum. A young sergeant, unused to the sudden gravitational shifts, lost his footing and nearly fell into the vacuum. As he tumbled toward the gaping maw of the shattered hull, a passing cook caught his coat sleeve and hauled him bodily back inside before the crew closed off the break.

  TMF Haifa, a missile frigate, unleashed a stream of high explosives toward the enemy carrier. Thirty bombs, each carrying a half-ton of explosives, raced toward the hive-shaped craft. A passing Boxti bomber caught one in the belly, detonating its entire payload. The explosion sent another fighter pinwheeling into a frigate’s shield, which failed under the impact. Bits of hull and glass floated in dense clouds around the battlefield.

  Fireballs bloomed upon the missiles impact with the alien carrier. Large chunks of hull flew in every direction. Flames raced through the interior, engulfing ships still parked in the hangar. Still the hive drove forward, returning fire with glowing red slugs and barbed projectiles. The enemy frigates, seeing the bigger ship under attack, ceased their assault on Tallus and turned all attention on Berlin. Engines flared white hot as the alien craft rushed toward the Terrans.

  On the far side of the battlefield, Berlin pushed forward to form a physical barrier between the Boxti and the escaping civilian craft. Enemy fire peppered her port flank, gouging holes in the thick armor plating. The escort squadron broke off, leaving four fighters to act as a last line of defense while the rest charged in. The Florence continued to fire, despite floating dead in the water. On the bridge, the elderly commander barked orders with the energy of an academy cadet while his crew raced to comply. As they began to target a new frigate, a spiny yellow bomb sent by one of the Boxti bombers pierced the stern and obliterated the destroyer.

  Singed and scarred by narrowly avoided fire, Cameron flew into the sortie. The twin Gauss rifles under his wings sang constantly, barrels rocking hard enough to shake the canopy. An ammunition counter on his HUD showed the rapidly dwindling supply of ammunition head for zero. He figured another few minutes before he was completely spent on rounds and missiles. Granted, he also figured he’d be dead in less than that.

  An explosion to his five o’clock rocked his ship up and to the left. As Cameron steadied his flight path, he saw George appear. The young pilot burst through a field of fiery debris, whooping and cheering in his cockpit.

  “That’s six,”George said.

  “Six what?”Cameron performed a quick system check. He had two hundred rounds of tungsten ammo and a single Harpy left.

  George pulled in closer, firing a quick burst to deter a Boxti fighter.“Six beers you owe me.”The enemy ship turned away, smoke pouring from holes in its tail.

  Red bolts shot up between their cockpits and the two Terrans broke formation. Cameron barrel rolled, dodging a blistering volley of fire until he found himself staring at the crimson glow of an alien engine. He let loose his last missile, watching it fly through the exhaust vent and into the enemy craft. It exploded with a clap, bursting the Y-fighter into a red and yellow star. Cameron kicked his afterburner and pushed through the flames.

  George’s Phoenix shook as another bolt tore into his hull. Already the outside of his fighter looked like swiss cheese. It was amazingly lucky that a shot hadn’t punctured his fuel line. He bounced in his seat, smacking his head against the glass.“Fuck,”he swore.“Cam, I need a little help here.”

  Cameron pulled up behind his friend’s pursuer. This Boxti ship looked different. Though shaped like a Y-fighter, the wings were tipped in red metal, like a thorn dipped in blood. Must be a squadron marking, Cameron thought. He squeezed his trigger, firing a short burst into the enemy. Rear shields flared and failed, allowing a few rounds to punch into the hull. Immediately the craft broke pursuit and bolted, leaving a smoking trail in its wake.

  “Drop it to five beers, George.”

  George laughed.“I’m not counting that one. He was falling into my genius trap.”He moved his fighter to port, but the engines flared out. The Phoenix shook violently.“Cam, I need to land. Stabilizers are fried.”He pressed the pitch down, but nothing happened.“Starboard jets are out. Electronics are shorted. Shit, Cam. I may have legitimately broken it this time. Do you think I can take it back? Get a refund?”

  Cameron flew up and over his friend, dropping the tow cable down until he heard the metal connect with a thunk.“Nah, you don’t have a receipt. And this is way past their return policy. I’d put it up for auction and hope you get something back.”He laughed, accelerating until the line drew taut and turned toward Berlin.“Berlin, this is Wolf one.”

  “Wolf one, Berlin. Send it.”

  Cameron scanned his radar. Most of the fighting had moved off toward the far side of the planet. The Terrans weren’t winning. Far from it. Most of the strike group was being chased by the Boxti toward the enemy carrier, which refused to die despite enormous holes punched straight through its body.“I’m towing a downed fighter. Requesting emergency crews on standby in hangar, and refit.”

  They flew past a dozen wrecks, mostly Phoenix fighters and Sparrows. A Seed bomber limped up beside them, half of its hull simply gone. Cameron marveled that it was moving under its own power at all. He waved to the pilot, a cheery-looking blonde who waved back. A broken piece of TFD Florence spiraled down toward Tallus, caught in the gravity well.

  “Wolf one, you are cleared on approach. Be advised, hangar deck is not clear. Watch for crew guidance. Berlinout.”

  “Are we in trouble?”George asked.

  Cameron’s entire body shook from the fear and adrenaline. He took a few quick breaths to steady his voice.“Nah. This is just like we drilled, you know? Self-recovery in the middle of an alien invasion. You should have learned this shit in basic.”

  “Just go faster.”George slumped down in his seat, smacking the now useless controls with a growl.“Much faster if possible.”

  “You think that was an Ace?”Cameron asked.

  “Maybe.”George drummed on his canopy.“Makes sense, they give their best pilots the strongest ships.”

  “Then what does that say about us?”Cameron increased his speed.“Just another minute, George. They have to get the good vodka out of the freezer.”

  “Are you still drinking that shit?”George craned his neck, but all he could see was the Phoenix’s belly. He used small bursts from his lateral jets to move his fighter alongside Cam’s.

  “Are you out of your mind?”Cameron asked, incredulous.“I’ve got you on a tow line.”He fought the sudden pull from the cable, barely avoiding smashing his stabilizer into his friend’s canopy.

  “Why are you still drinking vodka when I’ve taught you scotch is better?”George glared into his wingman’s eyes.

  Cameron shrugged.“Old habits die hard.”He eased back on the throttle so George’s ship floated forward. Once they were even, he resumed thrust.“We’re pretty far from the main body. Anyone behind us?”

  George tapped on his monitor, but the screen remained black.“Electronics are still out. I must have lost a cell back there. Ask our buddy if hers are still reading.”He gestured to the pilot in the bomber. What hull remained bore what appeared to be an eagle’s wing.

  Turning on the jump frequency, Cameron called out.“Wounded bomber, this is Wolf one. Do you read me?”

  The blonde turned and winked.“Lima charlie, Wolf.”

  “How do our skies look?”

  A pause while the bomber checked for radar signatures.“I’ve got gremlins in my radar. These ghost images keep appearing and disappearing.”

  The Phoenix bucked hard, and Cameron swore. It felt as though they were flying through a thunderstorm.“George, are my engines firing?”

  “Can’t see from here.”

  Cameron looked
over at the bomber.“Hey, are you feeling this chop?”

  The female pilot glanced over. Before she could say a word, two red bolts shot down from directly overhead, shattering her cockpit and exploding the canopy. The craft pinwheeled to the side before the flames reached the fuel reserves. The tanks erupted, taking the rest of the vessel with them.

  Cameron looked up, spotting the strange Y-fighter above his position. It was larger than the rest, with more bulk and armor. The red tips on the wings reflected light from the distant sun as the ship dove into them. As the two humans watched, spiny missile flew out from underneath a wing, trailing a line of smoke as it charged toward Cameron’s Phoenix.

  “Cam, look out!”George activated his jets, ramming Cameron out of the way of the missile. The projectile slammed down into the pilot’s broken wing, embedding itself halfway through the hull. The tow line snapped and Cameron drifted free, spinning thirty meters away before he could right the craft.

  “Punch out!”Cameron cried out.

  For a moment nothing happened. George looked across the distance into his friend’s eyes, face calm and resigned. The bomb sparked to life, sending fire and shrapnel drilling through every part of the wounded Phoenix. Bits of the ship flew in all directions. Cameron couldn’t breathe.“George?”His voice came out coarse, his throat seemingly full of cotton.“George!”He screamed, the name echoing in his helmet. He spotted the Y-fighter turning for another pass. Cameron looked down at his HUD. Seventeen rounds remaining. With a sneer, he stomped down on the afterburner and charged.

  * * * * *

  “We can’t take another hit like that.”The Chief Engineer held a blood-soaked cloth to his neck but remained at his post.