Chapter II
The rifle kicked back against his shoulder as the sound of round impacting glass filled his ears. Adrenaline was pumping through his system and everything just seemed like endless noise as the crumpled doors fell to the ground, the alarm continued to blare, and the SDF troops were systematically cut down. By the time he rushed over the main console and terminated the core overload of the AATIS system, his system was already working its way back to normal, and he could feel his hands shaking even as he patched himself into the main comm channel.
"Jackpot! All stations, I say again, Jackpot!" Nick announced, shaking off the usual weakness that accompanied an adrenaline rush and grabbing the prisoner's discarded sidearm.
"Marine, relieve the bot and take the prisoner into custody." Raines ordered, wasting no time as he entered the room, "Petty Officer, get that AATIS back up, we still have enemy ships in our airspace."
"Right away, Admiral." Ethan replied as he moved past Nick and plugged directly into the mainframe. Reyes would have liked to get a better look at the process but his attention was needed elsewhere.
"SATO forces are getting trenched in outside, setting up a FOB." Salter added.
"Good." Reyes said, though his voice was laced with venom as he took a few steps towards their prisoner, "Let's get a look at this son of a bitch."
"He'll need medical, someone get a corpsman in here." Raines stated, gesturing to another marine standing guard at the doorway only for their prisoner to spit on the floor at Nick's feet.
"I need nothing."
Reyes replied by ripping the tag off his uniform, looking it over for a moment before sliding it through the main console's authenticator.
"Why does he have an employee ID?" Salter asked, though her question was quickly answered by the system identifying the man they had in custody.
"That's him, 'Michael Aaron Page.' Mechanical Engineering Department, two years… damn SDF sleeper cell." Reyes announced to the room, but all he got from their prisoner was laughter.
"That's not my name." he mocked, "That is the moniker of an Earthen fool."
"Then what is your name?" Salter demanded, and the prisoner stood up from his knees to address the room.
"Commander Akeel Min Riah of the Settlement Defense Front." Riah said proudly, smirking at his captors as sudden understanding flashed across the faces of Reyes and Admiral Raines.
"The operation on Europa." Raines muttered, "You just started a war."
"And I will finish that war." Riah replied confidently.
"AATIS guns are moments away from acquiring targets, Admiral." Ethan interrupted.
"Fast work Ethan, well done." Raines answered, making his way over to the control console to get a better look at the damage that had been done.
"You prolong the inevitable." Riah quipped, only for the Admiral to wave his hand dismissively.
"Get him out of here."
As the Marines began leading him out, Riah locked eyes with Reyes and for the second time today, Nick had to hear their damnable call to action.
"Mars aeternum." he let out before being dragged away. However, before they could get far, Salter intervened.
"Stand fast, Marines." Nora ordered before looking at her partner, "Give me five minutes with this bastard."
"Salt…"
"So many innocent people, Reyes." she added, though she barely seemed to get through her words without choking up a little. All he could do was place a hand on her shoulder, holding it there for a moment without breaking eye contact.
"Then let's get out there and fight for them." he finally told her, forcing his own confidence through his tone despite having the same temptation as his wingman. For a moment she simply stood there, staring at him before finally letting her eyes drop to the floor and relaxing her posture.
"Roger." she replied quietly, and turned to head out the door as Raines and Ethan joined them.
"No rest for the wicked." Reyes thought as he slung his rifle and followed after Salter. Once back out into the atrium he checked his comms again and gave silent thanks that they were still online given how much of a beating Geneva just took.
"All stations this is Top Cat, AATIS is back under UNSA control, I say again, we have control of AATIS." Raines announced as they walked through the shot up lobby.
"SetDef's retreating, Raider." Nora added.
"Raider to Main, Lieutenant Salter and I need birds."
"Aye, sir." Gator answered, "3-2 will escort to your position."
"Solid copy, thanks Gator." Nick replied as wind kicked up around them. His Jackal had finally made its way down to the surface, his iconic nose paint of skeletal lancer on a skeletal horse standing out vividly against the matte material of his ship. Despite himself, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of his bird in one piece.
"There's our rides, gentlemen." Salter said.
"Ethan, you're with me." Nick told the bot as he clambered into the cockpit, and Ethan readily complied. By the time Ethan had taken a seat in the co-pilot's chair, Reyes had gotten his helmet sealed, his systems synced up to his HUD, and readouts showing blue across the board.
With slightly more effort than usual, Raider's Jackal lifted off the pavement, something he attributed to Ethan weighing significantly more than a normal human. His musing about just how heavy the bot was was cut off as the Geneva skyline came into view, with a significant portion of it still on fire.
The corpses of five UNSA ships were clearly visible as they kept gaining altitude, all still burning despite the efforts of both civilian and military firefighters, but that was only half of the ships that the AATIS had cut down by the count of how many they had left in the air. Adding to the chaos of the decimated city were at least a half-dozen SDF vessels that had been forced down by AATIS fire or by the fleet, with the rest already burning their boosters and angling back up into orbit. Thankfully, the remains of the UNSA fleet were right behind them with the Retribution dominating Nick's view of the city as she lumbered forward.
"Look at what they did to us, Reyes." Nora muttered over their private channel.
"Let's go get'em, Salt." he whispered back before his earpiece sprang to life again, this time with Commander Johnson's voice, followed by a deluge of other traffic.
"To all available craft: The Retribution is in pursuit but we are losing ground, we need to leave the atmosphere now."
"Retribution, this is Eclipse. We are trailing your starboard."
"Tigris is inbound port, ready for burn."
"This is Vengeance, moving to intercept."
"Marathon is go for burn, just say the word, Ret."
"SCARs, fold up." Nick added, "We're going upstairs."
The familiar whine of boosters charging rattled the Jackals as they held formation just behind the Retribution. The carrier that they called home has similar thrust capabilities but instead of a high-pitched whine, her build up was more akin to a hurricane about to let loose.
"Pitching 90 for horizontal thrust. All ahead full."
"SCARs, go flight." Nick ordered and with the flick of a switch, he was thrown back hard into his seat.
Boosters let fly on every Jackal and capital ship the UNSA had left on Earth, trails of smoke following after as the massive ships defied gravity and soared into the thick cloud cover obscuring the stars. A mix of his own rockets propelling him through the sky as well as the roar of the Retribution's launch thrusters was deafening, with only his helmet's noise control keeping him from getting ringing in his ears as they continued to climb and climb and climb.
Status updates from his pilots were whispers in his ears as the stress of the launch began making his Jackal groan, something normal for getting out of the atmosphere but that didn't make it quiet. Still, he held his throttle forward as the speed and altitude readouts on his HUD continued to soar, the blue giving way to black as they finally made it through the clouds and out of the atmosphere.
At that moment, all was quiet. Raider drifted slowly, his directional thrusters keeping him level with the horizon. For a few precious seconds, all was peaceful in the cockpit of SCAR 1-1, his eyes on the blue ball beneath them. But those seconds passed quickly, and a simulated explosion roared in his earpiece.
The laser microphone array on his Jackal was already simulating the sounds of combat through his suit, arguably one of the most important innovations the SCARs had available to them in order to help maintain proper situational awareness.
"Vector 10 hours, 16 minutes." Captain Alder announced on the main channel, "Fire at will, fire at will!"
"Let's get in there!" Reyes barked, his Jackal screaming forward at the head of the pack, the entire squadron breaking out ahead of the capital ships.
"Yahoo!" Ethan belted out even as Reyes banked left. Flares screamed from his craft and spoofed SDF missiles detonated all around them. The simulated cacophony was almost loud enough to drown out Salter's announcement.
"Confirmed Skelter launch, all SCARs engage!"
30mm shells crisscrossed the battlefield as cat and mouse chases began in and around the debris in orbit. Destroyed SetDef ships dotted the black, and smaller pieces of the once-proud martian vessels created deadly obstacles for any pilot not up for the challenge of flying in such hazardous conditions.
When guns couldn't get the job done, missiles came into play, and more than one Skelter found their end thanks to a target lock from Raider. All the while, Ethan had been effectively relegated to passenger status, but kept calling out targets regardless with each kill Nick notched into his belt. Before long though, the Skelters were gone and all that remained was one particularly stubborn SetDef Destroyer.
"Feel like killing a capital ship today, Ethan?"
"I'd be disappointed if you hadn't offered, sir." the bot replied, getting a grin out of Reyes.
"Skelters are out of the picture, let's clean up that destroyer, SCARs." Nick ordered, and like an enraged hive of hornets, the squadron moved in. Salvo after salvo of missiles, 30mm, and 50mm shells pummeled the destroyer, picking her apart piece by piece until someone in the squadron got a lucky hit. One of the engines began flaring, and that detonation spread to the second engine, then all along the RCS thrusters on the ventral surface. Within seconds, the chain reaction cause the entire ship to explode in a massive, pure white fireball that showed that her reactor had finally detonated.
"Hot damn! Nice shooting!" Ethan cheered, a sentiment shared by the rest of the squadron.
"Squadron this is SCAR 1-1, return to the Retribution, we're RTB." Nick ordered while he was peeling away from the debris field that used to be the SDF strike force. He still had to weave between wreckage as the landing lights faded into view on his HUD once in range of the Retribution.
"Be advised, getting some abnormal readings." Commander Johnson announced, and before Nick could even inquire into what he was talking about, his Jackal was thrown aside like a toy. He recognized the overpressure from a successful drop jump immediately, what took him a moment to figure out however, was what caused it. As he wrestled with his control, his jaw went slack as he realized what had just jumped into the system and was pummeling the fleet with artillery and missile salvos.
He had seen that ship before.
"SCARS! Concentrate all fire on that super carrier!" Nick ordered, only for the comm channels to fill with panicked voices as the super carrier unleashed a devastating energy beam that cleaved the Eclipse in two, causing her reactor to blow. Reyes didn't need to see any more before gunning his engines and charging at the massive SetDef vessel with his squadron close behind, all going weapons free without needing the order. However, before Reyes could get into ideal engagement range, his HUD, and the HUDs and screens of every ship, fighter, and unbeknownst to the SATO fleet, of the civilian broadcasting equipment down on Earth, were all hijacked, and a familiar, scarred visage obscured his vision right as another beam ripped through the Vengeance.
"This is Admiral Salen Kotch of the Olympus Mons to all SATO forces. You are defeated. Stand down and you have my word that your executions will be swift. Death is no disgrace."
Just as quickly as he had hijacked their comms, Kotch cut the feed, and Nick's vision was clear again. With his vision no longer obscured, he sighted every target he could on the Olympus's hull and pressed the thumb studs on his joysticks, unleashing everything he had left into the carrier's hull. All the while, ship after ship was casually erased by the pride of the SDF fleet, and the panic in people's voices only got louder as captains kept dying.
"All stations, target has not been reduced!" Gator announced, which made Reyes wince at just how futile their attacks had been, "Retribution is moving to intercept course for tactical collision! All hands brace for impact!"
To Nick's horror, and above his objections, the ship he called home closed in on the Olympus Mons, making impact shortly before Raider flew past that section of hull. A hellish scream of metal and decompression flooded his helmet as the bow of the Retribution carved through the port hull of Kotch's flagship. Both carriers angled away from each other after the initial collision, and Gator announced that the Ret had taken casualties as she slowly spun away.
"All stations!" Nick announced, "Retribution's in trouble. Focus fire on that super carrier!"
"Tigris is engaging!" Captain Ferran replied in unison with her destroyer opening up on the Olympus, "All SCARs, danger close!"
Shortly after the missiles impacted, swirling blue energy enveloped the SDF command ship and as quickly as it had arrived, the Olympus Mons jumped away from Earth leaving a wounded Retribution reeling in its wake.
"All stations, be advised, enemy has withdrawn." Ferran stated somewhat winded, "AO is clear."
Nick and Nora had drifted close enough to each other that they could see each other from their cockpits. He didn't need to order the squadron back to their carrier, but he did anyway, and his somber tone only brought attention to his equally tired and sour expression. With the only words coming from him being a requesting for docking clearance, and affirmations of his approach, Reyes guided his battered Jackal onto the runway of the wounded Retribution, only letting himself truly "relax" in his seat once he felt the familiar pull of grav plating pull him down into the chair. It wasn't until his bird came to a halt that his ire once again rose and he punched into the Retribution's command channel.
"Main, this is 1-1, what the hell happened, Gator!" Nick barked, and Gator's pained, worried coughing answered him up on his HUD.
"Multiple casualties from the crash maneuver, sir!" Gator replied, but his attention was obviously divided as he turned to someone out of frame, "I need a stretcher over here!"
"Gator?"
"Lieutenant Reyes, we need you up here right away! Bridge out." came another quick reply before the feed cut out. Nick could only look over at his wingman sitting in her Jackal, both of them waiting for the automated systems to lower them below the landing bay.
"You copying this, Salt?" Nick asked, only for an explosion to cut Salter off and send a piece of wall plating into his canopy, cracking it.
"Some major SNAFUs here, Reyes." Salter added right before their Jackals finally moved out of the elevator and along the line to the hangar.
"You good, Salt?"
"Affirmative."
"How about you, Ethan?" Nick asked, looking over his shoulder to his co-pilot.
"Outstanding, sir." the robot replied tiredly, yet another quirk that Reyes found intriguing, but had no time to inquire about.
Retribution's Chief Flight Deck Officer, Lieutenant Laura Gibson popped up on his HUD once more while Nora was asking her to get them the hell out of the retrieval system. Formerly an ace pilot before the SCAR program had been created, she was one of the toughest women on board, and more than lived up to her job's nickname of Air Boss.
"We're trying to get you out, 1-2, but the lines are snagged, give us a moment." she chided while waving smoke out of her face. If the condition of her work station was any indicator of how badly the hangar was hit, Nick wasn't so sure he wanted to see what had become of his home away from home.
"Boss?" Nora asked.
"Alright you should have air now, lieutenants. Let's get you out of there." Gibson answered, and the retrieval system with her. Both Jackals were lowered down into the disembarking area, the cranes holding them jolting to a halt much harder than Nick had ever experienced with them before. To make matters worse, his canopy was jammed courtesy of that last-minute impact in the landing bay.
"We've got you sir." Gibson told him, wasting no time taking a crowbar to the canopy and prying it open with ease, "Damn good to see you, Lieutenant Reyes. Kloos! Get him out while I help Lieutenant Salter, then get this jack to a service bay pronto!"
Following close behind her and following through with her ordered, the familiar blue service coat and air control helmet of Petty Officer Erwin Kloos came into view and extended a hand that Reyes gladly took.
"Got an overdose of trouble here, sir." he commented, helping the tired SCAR out of his wounded bird.
"That's one hell of an understatement, Kloos… you good?"
"Firing on what cylinders I have left, sir."
"I hear that." Reyes replied.
"Who's this?" Gibson asked, grabbing the attention of both men.
"Petty Officer First Class Ethan, this is Gibson, Ret's Air Boss." Nora said, and to Nick's surprise, Gibson actually smirked at the new arrival. That smirk disappeared quickly though.
"Welcome to the Retribution, or what's left of it. Come on, this way to the elevator." Gibson replied with a sweeping gesture towards the still burning hangar, and then a much less exaggerated indicator of what direction they all needed to walk.
Reyes' eyes were drawn to the absolute mess that was the main hangar as they walked towards the lift. Intermittent fires were still spread across the decks and catwalks, all being fought against by whoever could stand. Down below, what should have been taxi space for aircraft was littered with wounded, some mobile, some barely moving.
"What was Captain Alder thinking?" Salt griped.
"Strategic maneuvers are above my pay grade, Lieutenant." Gibson told her.
"Alert the bridge, tell'em we're coming up to see Captain Alder."
"Bridge has been locked down since the attack."
"Then we better get moving." Nick interjected as they stepped onto the elevator, though not before holding up a hand when Ethan attempted to board, "Ethan, stay with Gibson do as she says."
"Roger that." Ethan answered.
"What's the count boss?" Nora finally asked, "How many made it back?"
"SCAR 2s are in the net, LT… after that? You're it." Gibson said right as the door closed and the lift started up. Salter's head was in her hands for a moment as she swore and Nick was sure she was about to swing at the elevator console next to her as it started up. Floor after floor passed them by, each one telling the same story of blood, fire, smoke, and bodies.
"We need face time with the Captain." Salter muttered, averting her eyes as they passed by a particular gruesome scene on the quarter deck.
"Agreed, we don't sacrifice our crew when we're overrun." Nick told her as the doors opened, and the stench of death immediately assaulted his nose. The ward room was now a makeshift triage center, with sailors and marines on stretchers, on the floor, or sitting up if their wounds weren't too bad. As he looked on, one figure stood out amongst the chaos; Staff Sergeant Omar.
The British Staff NCO was commander of the Marine complement aboard, and much to the American SCAR's amusement, he, like other British members of the Ret's crew, always referred to him and Nora as "leftenant".
"Sir, ma'am." Omar said as they passed, giving a respectful nod to both of them without taking his hand off of the shoulder of a marine kneeling next to him. Both of them greeted him back and moved on, though Nick lingered, not able to pull his eyes away from the carnage before him.
"Goddamnit, captain protects his men, Salt. He should have pulled back." Nick spat, fury rising in his chest again as they continued towards the bridge. Without thinking he grabbed the console that had barricaded the door and began trying to lift it. Salter was quick to pitch in but it wasn't until Omar came to help that they made much progress.
"No easy call your captain made, sir." Omar commented as they finally got the computer console back into position.
"Cost us some good men… didn't have to happen, not like that." Nick retorted, only for Omar to raise an eyebrow at the younger man.
"All due respect, lieutenant, the captain did his duty. He drove the enemy into retreat."
"Captain's duty is to get his men home alive, Staff Sergeant." Reyes told him.
"Not always, lieutenant." Omar replied, his age showing in his tone, "Not always."
Nick opted not to get into a debate with the marine, shaking his head as he opened the door to the bridge and made his way inside. The situation on the bridge wasn't much better, smoke filled the room and many of the officers were being tended to by medics. The Boatswain, Chief Petty Officer "Boats" Sotomura, called out for everyone to make way, and Nick instinctively moved aside, not processing what was happening until Salter asked for Captain Alder.
"He's right here, sir." Sotomura replied, gesturing meekly to the body bag being carried out of the bridge.
"Gator…" Nick said softly, looking over to the Retribution's navigator.
"Captain's dead, sir." Gator answered.
"Went down with his ship." Omar commented.
"What about the XO?" Salter asked.
"No longer with us, ma'am." Gator answered once more, his gaze moving to Commander Johnson's lifeless body still at his station.
"All this happened in the crash?" Nick inquired.
"Yes, sir."
"So who has the conn, Gator?" came another question from Nick, concern etched into his dirty face, a look that Gator mirrored as he answered.
"As the highest ranking officer on board? I believe you do, sir."