“Chi Cox,” hundreds of Inahri said over the comm.

  Jax shifted, head swiveling to cover each of the soldiers on the Mengin. “Dojun squad, you will be responsible for covering a potential evacuation. You’ll follow the bulk of the attack force to the position marked on your display and then dig in. It will also be your responsibility to defend the Mengin and Battle Command aboard it.”

  “Chi Cox,” the members of Dojun squad said.

  “Earther squad, I’ve prepared a route for you to follow into the city to the modulator housing. There is a high probability one of the engineering teams will be active there. You are to make contact with them and destroy them. Once that objective is complete, you are to seek and engage the enemy at your discretion until either the primary objective is achieved or the retreat is called.”

  “Sir, you’re giving us one of the secondary objectives?” Dante asked. “Isn’t that a little important to trust to people you hardly know?”

  “Sergeant Caleb earned Sergeant Tsi and General Gai’s respect. Is that honor misdirected?”

  “No, sir,” Dante said.

  “You Earthers have extensive experience with close-quarters indoor combat. You’re uniquely suited to the task of reaching the modulator housing. I have confidence in you.”

  “Thank you, sir,” John said, though he didn’t necessarily agree with the colonel’s assessment. He was the only one of the group who had much real combat experience at all. “Consider it done.”

  “I already do. Private Kiaan, is the Mengin ready?”

  “Yes, Colonel,” Kiaan said.

  “Then let us not waste any more time.”

  Chapter 36

  The transports lifted in near perfect unity, twenty-four ships rising from the stone surface of the cavern, the light humming of the Inahri or Axon technology reverberating across the space. The Mengin was the only ship in the group that was slightly off, ascending more slowly than the rest before coming into position at the back of the line.

  John kept his head craned to the left, looking out the forward viewport. The squadron of alien ships was an impressive and imposing sight, unlike anything he had ever seen before. While he had watched squadrons of F-15s drop firebombs on cities to burn thousands of trife, they had rocketed past the target zones, there and gone in the blink of an eye and a wall of flame.

  “Zhu Company, this is General Goi.” The general’s voice came over John’s comm, stiff and calm. “You have my honor and respect in your undertaking. I trust you will show the Relyeh that the Inahri need no masters.”

  “Chi Ban!” a few hundred voices cried back.

  “Good hunting, my brothers and sisters.”

  “Chi Ban!” they shouted again.

  “Here we go,” Kiaan said through the Earther squad comm. “Hold on tight.”

  John took a moment to glance at Paige and Dante as the transports all began to accelerate toward the illusory wall ahead of them. It was harder to make out their faces through the blue tinted glass of the battle helmets, but he could tell they were nervous—Dante more so than Paige. The second woman seemed to enjoy being a soldier, despite her anxiety. There was a hint of excitement in her eyes. The sheriff? She probably wished she had never gotten involved with Caleb Card and his Guardians in the first place.

  The transports slipped through the projection and out into the open air. Looking back out the forward viewport, John could see every move Kiaan was going to make before he made it by following the lead row of ships. They ascended sharply ahead, each successive row matching the maneuver as though they were wired to the lead column’s flight path. And maybe they were right now. Kiaan’s hands rested on his legs instead of working to control the ship.

  They didn’t go too high, sticking close to the terrain and gaining velocity, a trio of blue circles flaring at the backs of the transports. They skirted the river north for a few kilometers and then angled back toward the mountains.

  “Sergeant Wash,” Colonel Jax said. “I’m sending you updated positioning data from our Dancers.”

  “Yes, sir,” John replied.

  A symbol on his HUD blinked a moment later, and he opened it with a thought. A new schematic of the city-ship appeared, showing a ten-second lapse of enemy movements from the last dataset.

  “They’re fortifying their position, sir,” he said. “And it seems like the rest of the engineers are gathering at the modulator housing.”

  “Yes. They’re increasing their energy on preparing for the modulator. Let us hope that doesn’t mean they’ve already captured it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  John’s thoughts turned to Caleb. He was more than a commander to him. Over the last two years, he had become his best friend. More than his best friend. They were like brothers.

  He hoped his brother was okay.

  “Looks like the bad guys know we’re coming,” Kiaan said, bringing John’s attention back to the forward view. The lead transports were breaking away from the group, splitting along the flanks and turning back. Kiaan lifted his hands at the same time, and the Mengin shuddered slightly, switching from automated to manual control.

  “Stay on the target,” Colonel Jax said. “Follow the others.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kiaan replied.

  The Mengin stayed with the bulk of the group, remaining on a straight vector that carried them directly toward the city-ship.

  And the oncoming enemy.

  John saw them before anyone else in the transport. For all the damage to his face, his eyes were clean and sharp, and he was able to pick out the dark spots against the fading light, growing slightly larger with each passing second. He couldn’t get a good count, not when they were probably arranged in perfect rows like the Free Inahri squadron had been moments earlier. It didn’t matter. There was no way they were friendly.

  “Buckle up,” Kiaan said. “This is going to get a little bumpy.”

  The Inahri reached under their seats, removing a small device, tapping it to activate it, and placing it on their laps. John did the same, grabbing the anchoring device and getting it into position only moments before the first flashes of incoming energy bolts forced Kiaan to bank hard to the left, peeling away from the incoming Relyeh force.

  The maneuver pressed John back against the bench seat, the anchor holding him tight and helping with the g-forces. The tight confines also kept them stabilized, each soldier pressing a shoulder into that of the next one as the transport ducked and dodged.

  “There’s an awful lot of them,” Kiaan said, his hands making delicate gestures that guided the ship into different types of evasive turns and tucks. Bolts flashed around them, each one seeming to pass within centimeters of the hull.

  “Heavier than expected,” Colonel Jax agreed. “Stay focused.”

  Voices began coming across the comm, calm words spoken in Inahrai that quickly began to step on one another. The Translator Intellect tried to keep up with them, repeating the words into John’s comm as quickly as it could, able to mix three voices simultaneously before reaching its limit. The assault force was taking casualties before it even arrived, the enemy ships quickly blasting them out of the sky.

  “Sir, permission to engage,” Kiaan said, pushing the ship into a sharp descent.

  “Negative. Stay on target.”

  “Sir, I can get them,” Kiaan insisted. “I can help.”

  “No. You need to get us there.”

  “We might be the only ones who make it at this rate,” Kiaan said through the squad comm. “We’re down a quarter of our force already, and we’ve got thirty klicks to the target. I can outfly these jerks. I know I can.”

  John turned his head toward Jax. “Colonel, Kiaan is a good pilot. If he says he can help, I believe him. We’re losing too many ships and too many soldiers. If this keeps up, we won’t have anything left to attack with.”

  Jax hesitated a moment. Then he nodded. “Permission given.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Kiaan said, the transport slowing suddenly enough that John was shoved sideways into the soldier beside him.

  “Kiaan, what are you—” John started to ask.

  “Hold on, Sarge,” Kiaan said.

  John watched the nose of the transport flip up and a pair of blue bolts launched from the cannons on either side of them. The first few flashed into empty sky. Then an enemy ship crossed in front of them, four bolts digging into its hull and tearing it to pieces.

  “Whoohooo!” John shouted, the excitement causing the inside of his throat to burn and the fabric over it to itch.

  The Mengin accelerated skyward, pushing him harder into the soldier on his right. Kiaan threw the ship into a spin before corkscrewing back into a level position, coming out of it right behind another enemy craft. He triggered the cannons, blasting the blue circles at the back of the Relyeh ship. They smoked and sputtered, and the enemy craft began to drop.

  “Impressive,” Colonel Jax said.

  John couldn’t agree more. In the span of a few hours, Kiaan had gone from a nervous kid to a confident pilot. Sometimes all anybody needed was someone who believed in them.

  Except more than two Relyeh ships were attacking them. Kiaan’s efforts had quickly helped re-steady the odds, but it was far from over.

  “Get us headed back toward the Seeker,” Jax said. “We still have other work to do. If you get an easy shot, take it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Kiaan said.

  The Mengin flipped and rolled, coming out back on course. John looked over to Paige and Dante. Dante looked like she wanted to throw up. Or maybe she already had. Her face was pale, her eyes flat.

  “Dante, are you okay?” John asked.

  “A little less spinning would be nice,” she replied. “I’ll survive.”

  “Sorry, sheriff,” Kiaan said.

  “It’s okay. I’d rather be sick and alive.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Bolts continued to flash past the Mengin and the other ships in the fleet, though there were fewer than before. The remaining lead ships managed to distract some of the enemies, leading them away from the bulk of the assault and into more direct dogfights. It didn’t make their ingress easy or safe, but it did improve the odds somewhat.

  It wasn’t long before John saw the city-ship approaching. There were more lights on inside than he remembered from their first pass, but otherwise it looked the same. The clouds had thickened overhead, and a light rain was smacking off the transport, along with streaks of lightning that added to the flashes of the enemy bolts.

  The flashes increased an instant later, red blasts of energy suddenly erupting from the ship itself in heavy ground fire that slammed into two of the transports before they had a chance to react. A pair of fireballs lit the sky, and John could see the soldiers falling out of the suddenly vaporized craft, tumbling toward the ground below.

  “Shit!” Kiaan said, joining the other Free Inahri vessels in fresh evasive maneuvers. A red bolt seemed to hit the front viewport, so big and so bright John was momentarily blinded. The Mengin shook, rocking violently and then beginning to drop.

  “Hold on,” Kiaan said.

  John could hear the pilot continuing to curse beneath his breath, and then the Mengin broke its fall. It still shifted left and right, the anchor pressing hard on John to keep him in place. His eyes began to clear, and he could see they were almost to the target, despite the target’s best efforts to keep them away.

  The approach didn’t get any easier as they closed the last few kilometers. Red bolts from ahead joined blue bolts from behind, while lightning and rain added to the chaos. Ten of the Free Inahri ships were gone, almost half of their original assault force. Colonel Jax seemed unbothered by any of it, calmly passing out orders in Inahrai over the comms, his head still but his eyes moving, watching all of the data projected into his helmet. John was impressed with the way the officer managed to ignore all of the action around him to focus on the task.

  There were still a few transports ahead of them as they passed the edge of the ship, the hull rising from the muck. John watched the other ships drop quickly, falling into different channels within the city and lighting up the area around them with cannon fire as they laid cover in preparation for landing. Each one that made it down announced their success and that their units were moving out. John winced when one of the announcements was cut off mid-sentence, a ball of flame appearing to the west side of the Seeker at the same moment.

  “Approaching the target,” Kiaan said. “Colonel, I don’t know if we can stay on the ground. We’re sitting ducks there.”

  “Drop the squads and then get us back in the air,” Jax said, agreeing with the assessment. “This ship is the most important ship in the group. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kiaan replied. “I have our target in visual, coming in hot.”

  Blue bolts flashed from the Mengin’s cannons, lighting up the surface of the Seeker and giving John brief glimpses of enemy soldiers behind fortified positions, firing large rifles at the fast-approaching transport. They quickly ducked and covered as the bolts slammed against their positions, crouching behind the Axon alloy, which absorbed most of the blow.

  “If the Relyeh had the modulator installed, the Seeker’s plasma batteries would have shredded us already,” Hori said.

  “Dojun, Earther, get ready,” Colonel Jax said.

  John deactivated his anchor and stood at the same time as the commander of Dojun squad. Dojun would exit the transport first, putting down a dense layer of covering fire to allow the Earthers to get out and start moving forward, toward an entrance hatch already marked on their shared schematic. It was nearly a hundred meters past the enemy fortifications, meaning they would need to quickly break through to get inside.

  They were going to break through. He would see to that.

  “Earthers, line up and prepare to disembark,” John said. “Intellect, you’re coming too.”

  The Intellect unfolded itself from the cargo area, standing upright.

  “Touchdown in five,” Kiaan said. “Four. Three. Two.”

  The hatch on the side of the transport slid open. A bolt immediately launched through it, catching one of the Dojun soldiers in the shoulder, the heavy weapon piercing his battle armor. He cried out, returning fire with his remaining hand as he slumped back into his seat.

  “Go!” Kiaan said, the Mengin bouncing slightly as it hit the Seeker’s hull.

  Dojun squad charged out of the side of the transport, opening fire as they did. One of the squad was hit immediately, grunting in pain but continuing ahead.

  “We’re up,” John said, lifting his rifle and leading the Earthers to the hatch.

  “Good hunting, Sergeant Wash,” Colonel Jax said.

  John reached the hatch, his helmet already displaying the targets hiding behind cover and firing at Dojun squad, first out of the transport. Their fire was thick, keeping the enemy units on the defensive for the moment at least.

  He had spent his last two years on Earth in the middle of the worst combat he could imagine.

  This was nothing.

  Chapter 37

  “Follow me; don’t slow down,” John said as a red bolt hit the side of the hatch right next to his helmet. He leaped from the transport, charging forward to the nearest cover, where two members of Dojun Squad were already waiting.

  Dante and Paige came out behind him, rushing to his position with Goshun, Hori, and the Intellect close behind. The enemy fire seemed to stop momentarily when the Intellect emerged from the craft, apparently surprised to find the Free Inahri had one in their service. It only froze them for an instant, and then they began shooting again.

  “Intellect, defend yourself,” John said. He felt a slight vibration across the base of his neck where the control band rested, confirming the message had been received. The Intellect raised its right arm, and the enemy bolts started flashing harmlessly against a sudden shield.

  The Relyeh were in deep trouble if they had neglected to bring any anti-Intellect weaponry.

  They hadn’t. The red bolts were joined by a flash of white a moment later. The Intellect barely managed to avoid it, ducking behind cover just in time.

  The Mengin hummed more loudly behind them and then began to rise and turn. A few of the enemy soldiers tried to hit it as it retreated, and Paige caught one of them in the helmet with an ion blast, punching through the faceplate and killing him instantly.

  “Nice shot,” John said. He scanned his HUD, getting a glimpse of the enemy’s position. “Dojun, concentrate fire.” He marked the targets for the other squad, the Intellect translating for him. “Earthers, we’re heading up the right flank. Stay tight and move as fast as you can. On my mark.”

  “Roger,” Paige and Dante said.

  “Chi,” Goshun and Hori replied.

  Washington watched the enemy ahead of them as the Dojun squad continued firing. The left flank ducked away, unable to stay up without risking being hit. The right side adjusted its fire to chase back Dojun, giving the Earthers a small window.

  “Go!” John shouted, rising and pushing forward, the exoskeleton straining to move his bulk. He charged ahead, an imposing figure for the smaller enemy, who hesitated at his sudden appearance.

  He began shooting, his first bolt hitting the enemy in the shoulder, his next hitting them in the chest. The strikes beat through the battle armor, leaving deep scores as the target ducked out of sight. He took a glancing hit off his side, the shooter dropping when another bolt from Paige scored a direct hit on their faceplate.

  John ran full throttle, the suit catching up to him and augmenting his steps. His long strides covered ground in a hurry, taking him further ahead of the others as he raced for the first enemy fortification.

  The enemy saw him coming, adjusting their fire too late. He shouted as he leaped toward the barrier the defenders had erected, firing down at them as the suit carried him over the fortification and into their midst. He took one of them out before he even hit the ground, coming down and immediately shoving a second, the force of his mass throwing the soldier back and into the wall hard enough to take them off their feet. He fired his rifle into the enemy point-blank, the ion burst piercing the soldier’s battle armor and killing him.