Captain Hansen shrugged. She looked like she didn’t give a shit—and she probably didn’t. “Noted. Now, let’s get down to business. We have a lot to discuss, and time is of the essence.”

  The meeting continued, and I stayed close to Captain Hansen. I listened intently without seeming to. They discussed strategies and plans. I wasn’t part of the command staff, but I was determined to contribute—mostly by protecting my captain from assholes with big ideas.

  The meeting was interrupted by the loud tone of an incoming call. This was the moment they’d been waiting for, a communication directly from the Earth-Gov colonel.

  Captain Hansen answered the call, and the colonel’s face appeared on the screen. His fat mustache squirmed with barely contained rage.

  “Captain Hansen,” he said. “I’ve just lost a cruiser, and I want to know what you’re doing to ensure I won’t lose any more! Each of these warships is worth more than a dozen rust buckets like yours.”

  Hansen straightened. She looked mildly concerned. “We understand the gravity of your situation, Colonel. We’re doing everything we can to neutralize the threat posed by Redgrave and his forces.”

  The colonel snorted, his mustache flaring below his nostrils. “That’s not good enough, Captain. I need results, not assurances. I’ve already lost one of my ships, and I’ll be damned if I’ll tolerate losing another.”

  Captain Hansen’s jawline bulged a tiny bit. “Understood, Colonel. We’ll redouble our efforts and keep you apprised of our progress.”

  “See that you do. I’m a patient man, but I won’t tolerate incompetence.”

  “With all due respect, Colonel, if Earth-Gov hadn’t surprised us with the involvement of warships, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  The colonel’s face reddened. “Passing the buck, huh? Not good enough… let me see… ah, from your manifest, I see you do have a viable ground force aboard, don’t you?”

  Captain Hansen hesitated for a second. “Yes…” she answered cautiously.

  “Good. The fleet is about to make the final run from Callisto to Ganymede. We’ll be landing in a crater to the south. You’re hereby ordered to deploy your ground troops and use them in a diversionary attack. Are my orders clear?”

  Hansen nodded. “Understood, Colonel. We’ll do our best to keep Redgrave distracted. Good luck with your invasion, Colonel. I sincerely hope your flagship lands safely.”

  The colonel laughed. It was a cruel and mocking sound. “Oh… how kind. But Captain, I won’t be aboard any of the cruisers making that final death-run. I have other matters to attend to.”

  He didn’t bother to reveal where he’d been hiding. This left us all with a bitter taste in our mouths.

  As the call ended, it was clear that we were on our own, facing the wrath of Redgrave and the demands of a powerful and unforgiving Earth-Gov colonel.

  As the meeting wound down, a sudden crackle of communication filled the room. Freya’s voice came through the speakers, urgent and tense. “Captain, the cruisers are making their move!”

  Captain Hansen’s eyes widened, shocked by the news. “Already? Damn, they’re not wasting any time.” She glanced at the rest of us, her expression alarmed. “Let’s move!”

  We all hurried to the bridge, where Captain Hansen began handing out orders in earnest. “Weapons officer, fire a series of single-warhead fusion missiles. Aim high, and pop them off in the upper atmosphere. We need to spoil Redgrave’s aim.”

  “Aye, Captain,” the weapons officer replied, his fingers flying over the controls.

  The missiles launched one at a time, soaring through the sky like deadly streaking stars. Redgrave’s forces managed to shoot down two of them, but the third missile escaped their grasp. It detonated with a blinding atmospheric burst, lighting up the sky and hopefully obscuring the cruisers’ movements from the pirates’ sight.

  As the glare from the explosion faded, we all held our breath. Would our gambit be enough to protect the Earth-Gov cruisers? The tension in the room was unbearable, all of us waiting to see where the next explosion would come from.

  I lingered on the bridge, keeping a protective eye on the captain and remaining quiet. I watched everything and everyone—but she came first. It would be too easy for an assassin to make his move when everyone’s attention was diverted.

  The Earth-Gov cruisers came in at flank speed, faster than our navigators had thought possible. It was a desperate race against time—and Redgrave’s weapon.

  As the lead cruiser tore through the sky, it suddenly erupted into a fiery explosion, struck down by Redgrave’s alien tech. Now there were only four left, and everyone on the bridge was mumbling curses.

  “Damn…” the weapons officer whispered, his voice barely audible. “Redgrave’s targeting is faster than we’d thought.”

  Captain Hansen’s jaw tightened. “Any ideas on how to help the remaining ships?”

  There were various suggestions, and Hansen was willing to try them all. We fired off chaff, sent out jamming signals, and we even did our best to hammer Redgrave’s sensor arrays with light artillery.

  We all stood on the bridge, our gazes fixed on the last Earth cruisers as they drew nearer. There was a big timer on the wall—our estimated recharge time for Redgrave’s weapon—and that time was about up.

  The warp cannon roared to life again several seconds early. This time, it again struck another cruiser despite our best attempts to thwart him. The explosion lit up the sky, leaving only three remaining warships.

  “Gods,” muttered Commander Kaine. “This is brutal.”

  Captain Hansen gritted her teeth. “We’ve done all we can. It’s up to them, now.”

  The last three cruisers, moving as fast as their engines would allow, finally reached the safety zone, too low for the warp cannon to target them.

  We watched from the relative sanctuary of Borag as the Earth-Gov cruisers made their daring descent. They touched down, one after the other, in a massive crater to our south that offered some measure of protection from Redgrave’s relentless attacks. I admired their courage, knowing that they were willingly putting themselves in the line of fire.

  Soon after the three warships landed, I saw something remarkable happen. A geodesic dome of flat, shimmering planes of force formed above the three ships, enveloping them and the entire crater they squatted in with a protective shield. The dome’s polygonal structure was a surreal sight, each piece fitting together seamlessly to create a formidable barrier.

  From my vantage point, I could see the energy flickering across the surface of the dome. It transformed into an ethereal glow that seemed to defy the darkness of space. I knew that it was the only thing standing between the Earth-Gov forces and certain annihilation, and I hoped it would hold against the onslaught of Redgrave’s weaponry.

  The sight of the dome, so strange and surreal, kind of freaked me out. It was a sign of Earth’s true power and technological prowess.

  A report came in moments later, urgent and panicked. “Captain, we’ve got movement in the surrounding hills. Mutants are on the move, and they’re headed for the Earth-Gov ships.”

  “We’ve got to do something… Kaine, I could use a tactical suggestion here.”

  The exec considered the situation. “We can’t do anything, Captain. We don’t have enough troops to deploy them outside the ship.”

  Captain Hansen chewed that over carefully. I could tell she didn’t like the taste. “I disagree,” she said. “The mutants are clearly disinterested in us, at this point. We can use Red Company to delay and distract.”

  She turned to me, and I had to admit, I felt a bit startled. I thought I knew what she might have in mind.

  “Sergeant, return to the security ops center. Kaine, you’ll go with him. Plan a diversionary attack—and put it into action quickly. I’m giving you ten minutes to put boots on the ground outside this ship. I want Red Company out there in the field—all of you.”

  Kaine’s cheek muscles spasmed, bulging around the jawline. But he said nothing. He simply stood up and walked out.

  I glanced at Captain Hansen, who dismissed me with a wave, then I hurried after him.

  “This is bullshit,” Kaine grumbled to me as we marched down a dozen decks. “She’s out of her mind. You boys barely held the last time the mutants knocked on our door—what does she think a few dozen marines are going to do against thousands?”

  “That’s up to us, sir,” I dared to say.

  Kaine stopped and gave me a cold, angry stare. I’d known he hadn’t really wanted an answer—but I’d given him one, anyway.

  After a moment, he regained his composure and stomped onward. When we got to the ops center, we were both moving at a ground-eating trot.

  Chapter 29: Clash of Flesh and Steel

  Less than ten minutes later, Red Company was out on the surface of Ganymede again, spreading out and looking for cover.

  We expected to be hit by artillery—or at least sniper fire. Fortunately, we received neither. Apparently, every gun Redgrave had was now being fired at the cruisers. He was so dismissive of our force, it was almost insulting.

  A steady barrage of artillery and missiles rained down upon the flickering dome that was shielding the cruisers. In the distance, the flashes and cracks of big guns were almost continuous. The cacophony of explosions echoed from the mountain walls. The dome itself shimmered and quaked, but it held strong, refusing to crack.

  Ledbetter whistled softly. “That’s some impressive tech those dirt-kickers have got there. If he’d poured that much firepower onto our heads, Borag would be wreckage by now.”

  “Yeah,” I had to agree. “Redgrave clearly wants to capture Borag—not destroy her. But he’s not being shy about those Earth cruisers.”

  Lt. Quinn began shouting orders about then, ending our conversation. We set off on a flanking hike around to the back of Redgrave’s mountain, leaving the flickering dome and the chaos of battle behind us.

  I leaned against a rocky outcropping, catching my breath, when a new spectacle unfolded. The Earth cruisers deployed their secret weapon—an army of large, hulking warbots. They had treads and massive arms that were unnatural in length and power. A pair of cannons rode on top of each of these monsters, poking out of a single heavy turret. When those turrets turned this way and that, they looked like a cross between a tank turret and a man’s head.

  The cannons locked onto targets and began to fire. The noise whine was relentless. The impacts rained death upon the attacking mutants, who recoiled in shock.

  Red Company halted and hugged rocks. We stared at these mechanical behemoths. We didn’t know what to make of them. We’d never fought an army of machines before. Sure, they appeared to be on our side right now, but… damn. They were kind of scary.

  “Would you look at the size of those goddamned things?” Welks said, gaping.

  “I wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of one of those guns,” Ledbetter said, craning his neck to get a better view.

  The robots continued to emerge from beneath the shimmering dome. Moving in pairs that were as synchronized as a ballet troupe, they rolled out together, ignoring losses and enemy fire.

  It was an unstoppable mechanical army. Their movements were weird—upsetting. They scaled the walls of the crater, their treads churning up clouds of dust and debris. Massive arms lifted up like lobster claws. Those arms were no mere decorations. With astonishing agility, they levered themselves over the rough terrain, propelling the machines up the steep incline.

  “Holy shit…” Quinn breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like those nightmares.”

  “Redgrave’s mutants don’t know what to do,” I said, trying to sound confident, but the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach wouldn’t go away. The sheer power of these machines—it was freaky. What would this new force mean for us when the battle was over?

  The warbots and the mutants met on the ridge of the crater. The distant rumble of the conflict grew louder. I swore I could feel the vibrations reverberating through the ground beneath my feet. The two armies collided in a massive stew of metal and flesh. There wasn’t a normal man with a rifle to be seen—not anywhere. Hadn’t the Earth guys even brought a marine detachment of their own along? Were those cruisers manned at all? I didn’t know the answer, and that was the scariest thing of all.

  The air crackled with violence. Watching the combat, we all gripped our rifles tighter. It was an automatic response.

  The warbots began to win after perhaps fifteen minutes of struggle at the crater’s edge. Their massive arms swung and struck downward with brutal force. Chest guns chattered, gunning down those that ran from them.

  Sure, some were blown up by mines or rockets—but most survived. The mutants fell, crushed beneath treads, shot by explosive pellets, or torn apart by powerful mechanical limbs.

  The mutants were no cowards. I had to give them that much. They outnumbered their towering foes, and they swarmed the occasional warbot. Climbing the machines and leaping with vicious intent, they tore at the joints and exposed wiring. Sometimes, warbot limbs stopped operating. A few halted and whined, their motors grinding but achieving nothing.

  But for every warbot that fell, its metal carcass twisted and smoking, another surged up to the top of the crater’s rim to take its place. The mutants were pushed back, their numbers dwindling under the onslaught. They fought with savage ferocity—but it wasn’t enough.

  “It looks like the warbots are winning,” Quinn said. His tone indicated he wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

  The landscape was littered with the wreckage of war. The twisted bodies of mutants and the broken chassis of warbots were strewn across the battlefield like discarded toys.

  Finally, the mutants broke off their assault and retreated. It was more of a rout, really. They’d had all the death they could stomach. Every army in history had reached that point at something like fifty percent losses—it was human nature to run for it at a certain moment. Once you saw your comrades turn tail and run, it was almost impossible to stay and face certain death.

  The robots had no such qualms. With their swiveling dual guns, rattling treads, and massive arms, they pursued the mutants. They rolled with surprising agility over the rough terrain. When they caught one of the injured men who was hobbling away for safety, they plucked limbs off him. I felt a pang of sympathy for Redgrave’s men. They could feel pain, after all—these robots were AI-driven demons.

  But then, the situation shifted. At the very top of the mountain, where Redgrave’s base was buried, there was a sudden change in the landscape.

  The sky lit up with an unnatural glow. It was as if reddish lightning began to rhythmically strike.

  “It’s that big gun of his…” Quinn said. “Redgrave is using it to burn down his own mountain!”

  We gaped upslope in amazement. The mountaintop began to slowly burn. It seemed like a volcano had erupted—but that wasn’t it. We were witnessing the relentless power of Redgrave’s warp cannon.

  The craggy peak, a thing of untamed beauty on this moon, disintegrated before our eyes. Hot beams from the warp cannon lanced through the frigid air, their vibrant energy stark against the cold, dark backdrop of space. They dug into the rocky peak with unyielding force, slicing through stone and ice and creating a massive plume of vaporized rock. The heat generated by the beams was so intense that it caused the solid rock to crumble and then melt. Ever so slowly, the alien super-weapon was burning away the mountain’s crown.

  Boulders and chunks of molten rock cascaded down the slopes. The air itself seemed to vibrate with the terrifying power unleashed. You could feel the power vibrating through the ground all the way up into your boots.

  “What in the fuck are the mutants doing?” Welks asked. His weapon was limp in his hands.

  Quinn cuffed him and knocked him to the ground. “Stop gawking and get moving,” Quinn ordered.

  Sergeant Cox and I, taking our cue from him, began hauling men to their feet and kicking ass until they stood and stared in confusion.

  We began to march up the backside of Redgrave’s mountain. Fortunately, the shower of molten debris was falling the other way, toward the southern flank where the cruisers were lying low.

  The top of the mountain continued to disintegrate slowly. The alien weapon’s power was carving through the rock like a hot knife through butter—luckily, there were about a million tons of butter to cut through.

  Lt. Quinn studied the scene. “The mutants aren’t just digging a hole up there for fun,” he said aloud.

  “What the hell are they doing?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

  “They want to get a clear shot at the cruisers. The mountaintop is a fine location for that gun when shooting at enemy ships way out in space. But with ground forces—or grounded ships—it needs to shoot down at a steeper angle. If they melt that mountaintop away, there’s nothing to stop that damned cannon from hitting the cruisers—or Borag, for that matter.”

  We exchanged worried glances as the implications of Redgrave’s plan dawned on us. If he succeeded, all our ships would be sitting ducks for the warp cannon. Without Borag, there was no way home for anyone in Red Company.

  “Shit,” Ledbetter mumbled as he hustled upslope. “That freak is smarter than I thought he was.”

  The mountain continued to crumble. We increased our pace, climbing the back side to reach the entrance. We knew that time was of the essence. We had to find a way to stop Redgrave and his deadly weapon before it was too late.

  “Starn,” Quinn said, puffing into this headset, “you’re the only one who’s been inside this rabbit warren. If I get you into those tunnels alive, do you think you can find that cannon?”

  My mind tried to map out what I’d seen. The complex was huge—but it got narrower at the top. I figured that if we just kept climbing—and we didn’t take too many wrong turns, or run into an ambush…

  “It’s worth a shot, sir. We need to move fast, though. Once the mutants figure out what we’re up to, they’ll turn their attention toward us.”