Chapter 15 – The Atreus Attack
Halling switched his gaze from screen to screen and issued orders across several link frequencies to the various voices speaking back to him.
He had been the first Elite to the Facility's Emergency Response Station, so had taken immediate Lead for the emergency situation. He had only been down the corridor here in the security centre of the Facility, having been downloading the latest of the deep sensor readings to study and checking up on any update regarding Amduat. As the attack alarm had blazed loud and violent through the centre, he had responded instantly. Years of training had had him running directly towards the Emergency Response Station even as he received the automatic alert into his pad in his hand.
The details of the situation had shocked him at first, but his training had quickly kicked in and he had begun assessing all he could and connecting the Facility to the various Alliance Military response channels. Three other Elite had arrived within the first few minutes, all on-rest rotation as compared to the rest of the on-alert Elite in the Facility who were already all on their way to the Portal for deployment once confirmation to action was given by him as Lead. Every Elite had trained for, and during, these situations enough to respond instantly and to go immediately where they were needed without orders.
In one of Halling's ears, the Alliance Military's central point of all emergency response, Battle Station, gave orders and relayed information through from Atreus.
The Hive over Atreus had first been detected by the planet's sentry satellites and the standard response protocols had been enacted, immediately informing all military bases on Atreus and triggering alerts through the Link network to Military bases and to the Facility here. As part of the protocol, Atreus' Portal had been immediately dialled out, hoping to block any inbound Wraith wormhole intending to prevent civilian escape. Whoever the staff member was who had dialled out of Atreus had done so within twenty seconds of the initial alert, which would earn them a commendation for such fast work; assuming they survived the attack.
The fast dialling had been successful too, having established a wormhole to the Military's 'Battle Station' and preventing the Wraith from blocking the Portal. However, Battle Station was not designed to receive civilians in any significant amounts, being only an initial response centre based on an orbiting space station above Aria. Instead, Battle Station issued further Alliance wide alerts and then communicated with the Alliance Military's 'Deployment Station' via emergency channels over the links network. Working together, the two stations were coordinating swapping the wormhole to Atreus by having Deployment Station partially dial into Atreus, but wait on the final symbol until the second after the wormhole from Atreus was shutdown. Deployment Station then would dial its last symbol and lock, hopefully, into Atreus and thus open an inbound connection to Atreus.
It would be that inbound Portal that would be how the Alliance would respond effectively to the Wraith attack on Atreus. Despite its name, Deployment Station was actually based on a planet and utilised a Portal that had been harvested from a dead world. All Alliance Military staff served several rotations on Deployment Station, forming a vast number of ground troops and Portal-able fighters ready for deployment through the Portal.
Halling listened intently as Atreus staff worked with Battle Station and Deployment Station to set up the inbound wormhole, voices and commands communicating back and forth. Halling knew his emergency channel would be slightly delayed by its travel through the Links network, which meant that everything he heard was already seconds old, but it was effectively real time.
Deployment Station was dialling into Atreus, working through the symbols quickly and efficiently, up until the final symbol.
Halling switched his gaze to the Facility's response while he waited. All the Elite in the Facility had responded, either in the room with him or on their way to the Portal, and all Recruits and Facility staff were returning to their quarters. Beyond the Facility, Elite stationed on other worlds were also connecting in, communicating the situation where they were and some were able to dial into the Facility's Portal to join the deployment team waiting for confirmation for Elite boots to hit Atreus soil. Massa, across the room with Aki in his sling, was overseeing the preparations for the Elite deployment, while several others were communicating with Military bases and available ships, all working together to coordinate a full response. It was important not only to respond to the attack on Atreus, but also to ensure the rest of the Alliance was on standby for any further attacks.
The main link channel in Halling's ear piece came to life with Deployment Station's command for Atreus to shutdown their Portal.
Halling felt the atmosphere shift in the room around him, all ears focused, waiting to hear if the dial in from Deployment Station would be successful. If the Wraith got in there first, then the way onto Atreus would be blocked...
Atreus confirmed the Portal down and Deployment Station dialled their last symbol, all within seconds.
Atreus waited for the new wormhole, but all while the attack was ongoing there. Other frequencies in from Atreus via the Link network reported multiple Wraith fighters over Atreus' Portal city, firing down on the buildings and already sweeping up panicked civilians. Atreus needed more warriors and fighters and they needed them now.
Deployment Station reported a successful lock and, a second later, Atreus confirmed their open wormhole, and immediately the order was given for the first ground troops to go through.
Halling listened intently as the first battalion reported ready and then started through to Atreus. Halling could hear the determined but nervous voices of the warriors arriving there, coordinating with Atreus Military and Deployment Station.
The initial battalion through and setting up incoming Portal protection protocols, Deployment Station began sending through its first wave of Portal-able fighters to engage Wraith fighters, keeping them away from the Portal air space.
Halling switched his attention to the screen showing the Military Fleet's position and their acknowledgement of the emergency alert, and that both the High Council and Military Council were alerted and gathering quickly. The Military Council would be the one to take the lead in issuing any ongoing Alliance wide responses, guided by Deployment Station and the Elite. Halling tapped open one communication link and listened in to the conversations going back and forth between the Military Council and Deployment Station. Good, everyone was responding quickly and efficiently.
Deployment Station announced the first wave of fighters were all through and engaging Wraith fighters, and the second ground battalion was now going through to Atreus. The response was moving quickly along. After that battalion, another wave of fighters would be next through and those would be heading up into orbit to help the Atreus defence ships attack the Hive directly.
"Elite Halling?" Maja called from a station to the left, all honorary titles unnecessary in emergency situations such as these. Halling looked round. "Oneakka is through the Portal and is on local link frequency twelve."
Relief ran through Halling to know that his exceptionally able friend was back and would, no doubt, be gearing up to join the Elite deployment group gathering at the Portal. Only once Deployment Station sent through enough troops and fighters would the Elite at the Portal go through the same procedure as Deployment Station had done and coordinate a dial out to Atreus. Then the Elite could deploy to Atreus, but, until then, they would have to wait. Oneakka was never good at waiting on the sidelines of a fight.
Halling nodded to Maja as he tapped open the right frequency through to Oneakka's ear link.
"Oneakka? Halling here," he called into the receiver on his collar.
"What by the Unnamed God is going on?" Oneakka demanded over the link, using one of his lesser used swear terms. It was Ugun in origin and Oneakka only used it when he was really upset.
"So far we have a single Hive over Atreus. The Hive's fighters are bombarding the main local military base and sweeping over the Portal city. Battle Station has passed the wormhole to Deployment Station and ground troops are through to Atreus already, along with now two waves of fighters as we speak."
"The Portal is open to Atreus?" Oneakka asked, clearly surprised. His voice was varying in volume suggesting that he was pulling on armour and weaponry as he talked.
"Yes," Halling reported the single piece of good news. "The Hive appeared beyond Atreus' orbit and all the sentry satellites triggered the emergency procedure. The Portal was dialled out to Battle Station in record time."
"Good," Oneakka huffed out over the link. "We're ready here," he reported.
"Understood," Halling found himself nodding to Oneakka despite the distance between them.
"It's just one Hive?" Oneakka clarified and Halling sensed more in his friend's tone.
Halling could not deny the charge of relief he had felt the moment the alarm had been raised, only it had been, shamefully, replaced by disappointment as soon as he had learnt that the attack was due to Wraith.
It was not the unnamed enemy that Sitayi had predicted.
He was still to wait for that.
"Yes," he confirmed to Oneakka. "We have no idea how it breached so far into our territory, we are still gathering data."
"Understood," Oneakka stated back, and Halling knew that Oneakka's reaction was likely to be the exact opposite of his own. Oneakka was relieved that this was a familiar enemy. "You need to stay here and coordinate our response," Oneakka stated.
Halling frowned at that, knowing the true reason behind it. "I am already Response Lead here," he replied. He could remove himself from the position and join those at the Portal for deployment, being able bodied, but it was usually considered only the last resort as it could waste valuable time to hold up the dial out to Atreus to wait for him. He glanced at the list of Elite at the Portal – there were ten, eleven now with Oneakka. They did not need him, and by staying as Lead he was ready for additional deployment if necessary.
Still, he did not like that Oneakka had ordered him to stay here.
He was going to face the moment Sitayi had predicted, whether Oneakka liked it or not.
"I will be ready for additional deployment if necessary," he told Oneakka, hearing the steel in his own voice.
"We'll deal with the Wraith," Oneakka replied with feeling.
Halling had to smile painfully at the truth in that. At least with the Wraith, the enemy was well known and all the Elite, and the Military, were well trained to fight them.
But he could not guarantee that he would have sufficient training to meet what Sitayi had seen.
There was nothing for him to do but the best he could when the fateful moment finally arrived.
00000
Despite everything occurring outside the Hive's hull, Long Sleep was obsessively focused on his work. For the battle outside and the culling below would only be successful if he could keep the Hive strong and stable.
Using the new drive to arrive abruptly into the Armoured Herd's territory had not resulted in a weak response from the prey. There were already ships in orbit of the planet and, though they were not the most advanced warships of the Armoured Herd's fleet, they were putting up a hard fight from the start. And their ships were growing in number too.
The extra numbers of fighters that had been squeezed into this Hive had all launched at once, some engaging the Herd's ships, while others were already down in the planet's atmosphere beginning the culling. Long Sleep had been quite shocked at the population life-sign readings registered by the Hive's sensors. There were over a million prey below. He had never known so many prey life-forms together and to see so clearly how fast the prey had been breeding without culling. As that knowledge had passed throughout the Hive, he had felt the ravenous anticipatory response of all onboard.
They were hungry, for their new Great Queen had not taken on fresh food in some time, but her promise of a vast feast appeared to be true enough.
However, Long Sleep had other matters to focus on, for the ongoing damage inflicted by the new drive had been proven a reality as the Hive's systems had failed in multiple points and new structural weaknesses were registering throughout the ship. As he had now become the only Keeper who was able to think clearly enough, he had coordinated the response, having predicted, reasonably accurately, where the worst failure points had arrived. The team of Keepers were already undertaking running repairs and most of the splice points he had helped repair before seemed to be holding. For now.
Though, it did not help that the Hive was under attack; the weapons fire outside was not damaging the new thick hull to any great extent, but the force of the impacts was still transferring in through to the weakened inner structure of the Hive.
With his other Keepers distributed where needed, he was working in the deepest part of the Hive to ensure the central space for the main fluid lines held. He did not trust the others to be clear-minded enough to do a thorough job in this area, for this was the vital heart of the Hive. A foolish mistake here could cause severe problems even on a strong and healthy Hive.
He was reasonably pleased though that the radiation hadn't seemed to have affected this area too intensely. The ability to heal was stronger here than anywhere else in the Hive, so he was pleased to find only small problems. Still, any problems here had to be dealt with immediately.
Long Sleep considered his latest patch to thicken the mainline nutrient tubes. He set his hand against the thick living tube wall, which pulsed with the life spreading out to the Hive, and eased his mind to touch the Hive's basic consciousness. The strange distaste he had sensed in the Hive for the new drive had not diminished, but his connection to the Hive felt far stronger in this deep place. He sent reassurance to the vessel, hoping that it would assist the living being. Normally a Queen would provide this, but the new Great Queen continued to be distracted from such things. Any time Long Sleep had mentioned the Hive's unhappiness to the Hive Primary, he had been threatened with a beating or death to question the Queen.
He felt a new shudder vibrate through the deck under his feet. He held still easily though, his hand against the nutrient tube supporting him enough, and he willed hopeful strength to the Hive to hold against this new threat.
He wondered how much longer the culling would last, for surely the Armoured Herd's main forces were mounting in response. If he could-
A strange sound whispered against his right ear.
Long Sleep paused and looked round.
He should be alone in this section of the Hive, for only Keepers ventured this deep into heart of the Hive. The throbbing pulsing of the fluids and the close press of the membranes made everything feel very different in this deep place and most Wraith kept their distance of this sacred space.
Still, perhaps someone had been sent down to find him?
He stepped away from the tubes and listened.
No, it must have been the sound of the fluids moving irregularly through the tubes.
He returned to his work, checking the tube in front of him once more. The newly added strengthening splice patch was healing in fast. He just needed to decide where next to focus his attention that would best support the-
The whisper was louder this time.
He turned, facing the sound, but saw nothing.
Only the sound was continuing now; a strange distant whispering, like a soft echo on a wind that was not there.
He frowned, straining to try to hear the words being whispered.
The Hive shuddered around him again, the tubes swinging slightly against him. He reached out to support himself.
"Long Sleep..."
He had understood that well enough.
"Please..."
He heard himself breathing faster at the unnerving call.
"Long Sleeppp..."
Moving carefully, he followed the sound of the soft breath repeating his name, echoing between the membranes, walls, and fibres as he brushed between them.
Slipping between two soft warm tubes, he paused as the ship shuddered slightly. The air was far warmer here, but the atmosphere was somehow drier squashed between the large thick tubes. He moved forward a few more steps, uncertain.
"Long Sleep..." the voice whispered, but this time it was closer.
He shifted around another long thick tube to see part of the innermost encrusted structural skeleton of the Hive. He truly was in the deepest part of the Hive. Very few would ever need to tread here, and the lack of space and the thinness of the air confirmed as much.
"Please..." the voice pleaded.
Ducking around and under a huge structural bone, he peered into the densely webbed space behind it.
He had no idea who was calling him; surely no Wraith would be in here-
A thought occurred to him and he paused, a cold chill passing over his skin.
"Please!" The voice was far clearer this time, no longer a distant whisper.
There was only one place in the depths here that a voice could possibly be generated, but that couldn't be. And it was forbidden to go there anyway...
He glanced back the way he had come.
"Long Sleep."
It was speaking to him directly.
It shouldn't be possible.
Despite his reservations though, he knew his own curiosity would not allow him to ignore the plea.
With a determined in breath, he shifted further into the tight space of old layers of webbing. Tentatively, he reached forward and caught a handful of some drooping membranes and gently tugged them aside, revealing a large mass of bone and membrane, and, in the centre of it, the face of the body seed.
No warrior, drone, or even Queen interacted with the dead soil out of which the Hive grew itself. Yet, Long Sleep had always wondered if some part of the dead human still lived inside the heart of Hives, working as the neural network through which the Hive could build itself, understand commands, and function.
Long Sleep leant carefully forward, getting a grip of some more webbing to support himself as he leant into the densely matted space.
The face of the former human was coated in tendrils of brown and blue, leaving just the eyes, nose, and mouth visible. Did that mean it needed to breathe still? No, the human had died many thousands of years ago to form the Hive. It was simply -
The eyes snapped open and he jerked back in shock.
"Long Sleep," the dry human voice groaned out.
How could it be talking? It was long dead.
No, it wasn't the human, he realised, it was the Hive. The Hive was using the dead soil to communicate with him.
He had never heard of anything like this before.
He leant closer once again. "I am here," he replied, his voice shaking as he glanced briefly over his shoulder. Surely there could be nothing more forbidden than this; if the Queen found him here...
"I burn," the Hive uttered with heavy feeling.
"The radiation?" Long Sleep guessed.
"Burning," whispered the dead human's voice. "Will not stop."
"I have tried," Long Sleep told the Hive's voice. "The new drive, it is needed for us to strike back at our prey."
The human's eyes moved, the dried ancient orbs somehow shifting in the orbits to look at him, but as he met its strange dead eyes, something else moved. A tendril slid around his hand, growing out of the webbing he was resting against. He frowned at the behaviour – it was as if the Hive was reaching out to touch him as he had done to it with reassuring thoughts. He had no idea that a Hive's basic mind could behave like this.
"Evil!" The voice whispered, but this time the word also echoed into his mind from the Hive's touch.
"I know," Long Sleep hissed his answer, making sure to keep his voice low. "I am trying to help you heal. To keep the structure intact."
"Evil!" The haunted voice repeated.
It was amazing that the Hive could actually understand and use language like this. He'd never heard of anything like this beyond the initial grow stages. "You are right," he said calmly and leant in closer. "The drive and its radiation are evil. I know it is harming you, but I do not know how stop it."
The dead eyes stared at him with empty lifeless holes. "No Queen."
Long Sleep paused, confused.
"She is here," he corrected.
"No Queen!" the dry dead voice insisted.
Long Sleep considered that. Perhaps the mixed lineages had broken the Queen's ability to commune properly with the Hive; perhaps that was why the new Queen didn't care enough about the Hive's survival. But, Hives could survive without a Queen; though important, a Queen was not necessary for the running of a ship.
Also, the new Queen's mind was so powerful, it was strange that the Hive's intelligence was not able to recognise her. Why would the supposed mixed genetic lineages mutate a Queen so significantly that the Hive could not recognise her? He would have assumed that it would have made the connection only stronger.
"Evil!" The voice breathed louder now, the tendril against his hand tightening almost to the point of pain.
"I will do what I can for you," Long Sleep promised. "I am working as best I can. If the new drive could be disabled," he wondered out loud. "Can you do that?" He had no idea how this consciousness exhibiting itself could function.
"No Queen!"
Long Sleep sighed.
He should have known – the Hive intelligence was too limited to understand his question. It was unusual that it had reached out to him, literally, but, maybe, without a link to the Queen and the damage from the drive, maybe it had been enough to trigger some basic survival consciousness to reach out this way. But, clearly he was not going to get anything helpful from the Hive consciousness.
"I will do the best I can," he promised calmly, and with no small amount of disappointment. "I will try to help you."
The tendril tightened on his hand again and he grimaced. He pulled at the tendril, digging his fingers into it to pull it free, only another tendril slipped around his fingers, the dense webbing under his palm giving away to brown sliding tendrils reaching for him.
He struggled, trying to pull back, but they were too much and he watched in horror as the warm wet extensions wove themselves up both his arms and tightened around him.
The mass of tendrils pulled him hard against the squelching webbing over the human body and he could feel that, though the human's head was intact, the middle of its body was not – it had formed into the Hive itself.
The tendrils kept pulling on him though, dragging him up towards the face, the lifeless human eyes staring at him, their shrivelled lids wide. He stopped a few inches from the face, its smell rotten and decaying.
"Long Sleep," the voice repeated, the breath of the human ghosting over his face. "No Queen here."
He stopped struggling against his bindings and tried to calm his thoughts enough to project reassurance to the Hive. If he could persuade it he was helping, bring ease, it would let him go to help it-
"No Queen. Skerti!"
Long Sleep froze and stared into the face, the long drawn out word echoing in the tiny dark space between them.
It was an ancient name; evil and legendary.
He frowned at the face, his fast thoughts moving slow now.
"Skerti?" He whispered the word, feeling foolishly afraid at simply uttering it.
"Skerti Queen," the voice whispered back, the rotten breath over his face.
Long Sleep's heart pounded in his chest and he held still, even as the tendrils pulled from him, leaving him lying against the webbing, staring at the soil seed.
"They are long dead," Long Sleep whispered.
The face didn't respond, but the eyes remained wide, locked in an expression of human terror.
Long Sleep had never seen one of the fabled ancient evil creatures. They were akin more to myth and prey-like fear, the darker shadows of ancient teeth and blood.
Yet, he remembered the strange outline to the new Queen when he and the other Cruiser leaders had knelt before the curtain separating her from them. He had thought the abnormalities of her form to be due to the mixed heritage story.
A story.
The niggling sensation of suspicion and worry he had felt since that first reception with the new Queen now formed into logical and instinctual insight. She hadn't looked right, and her mind hadn't felt right because...she was not Wraith.
She was Skerti!
The Hive's human eyes slid shut and the head rested back, a silent response of relief.
Long Sleep slipped from the webbing to the warm living floor and felt panic shake his body.
A Skerti.
The ancient evil...
She didn't care about the Hive, she didn't care about feeding the drones and warriors, because she wanted them all dead. She, like her fabled kin, wanted only to slaughter and drink the flowing blood of ages.
The new drive...it was not Wraith either!
Long Sleep staggered upright from the floor and all but ran from the broken human form, only to trip over some torn webbing and he fell against pulsing tubes of fluids.
Skerti!
The Hive was in enemy territory, possibly outnumbered already, and a Skerti was in command!
He had to leave the Hive somehow, or save it, somehow.
He stilled, panting like a frightened human, and forced his mind and emotions back under control. Panicking was only going to draw the enemy's mind.
He froze at the thought, staring up at the shifting tubes above him, listening with mind and ears.
He could feel the Queen, feel her massive mental presence, but she was distracted.
He quickly worked on wrapping up his thoughts, tightly concealing what he now knew; hiding it away under layers of his fast thoughts and expected fears.
The Hive, and all his fellow Wraith, were in danger, not just from enemy fire or undefined radiation, but from the greatest threat he could imagine.
A poisonous death-bringing Queen within.
000000
The extra weight of the ground-to-sky weapon felt satisfying in Oneakka's hands as he tucked its butt tight in against the inside of his shoulder. All power cells were lit and output set at full, and he wore all the spare weapons he could fit into his holster and tucked into his belt.
The spare armour felt a little tight around his still faintly bruised ribs, but it was adequate for the mission ahead.
The penultimate symbol for Atreus snapped alight on the Portal, the inner lights turning, the wormhole just one symbol away. It wouldn't be dialled until the active wormhole into Atreus was shutdown and then, within seconds, the last symbol would be dialled from here.
It was a procedure practiced to perfection by the Military and the Elite.
As was the formation he stood in with his fellow Elite; all armed up, weapons-arms relaxed but ready; all waiting the word to go through and help save Atreus.
It would be a warzone there; several Military battalions were already there and taking fire, and several waves of Portal-able fighters were engaging Wraith fighters and the Hive in high orbit above. It was the first time the Wraith had attacked a full member planet of the Alliance, but it was hardly the first planetary engagement for the Military or Elite.
Oneakka knew what he would be facing once he got through; if the word to go ever damn arrived.
He shifted his gaze across to Portal Security, where one staff member stood, palm held over the final symbol to Atreus, her ear trained with intense focus for the word from Halling to engage the wormhole.
Oneakka was more than a little desperately grateful that Halling wasn't going to go through to Atreus with him. As able as Halling was, Oneakka preferred him staying here for now. Though the Wraith were not going to be the threat Sitayi had predicted, it was still better Halling stayed here.
Unless the unknown enemy would attack the Facility while Oneakka was away?...
No, that couldn't be right. Could it?
Halling's voice echoed loud into Oneakka's radio link ear piece, and he saw the Security member's hand fall, the final symbol lighting up on the Portal.
All eyes and attention switched to the Portal as its lights flashed around the ring...if the Wraith had dialled in quicker...
Oneakka held his heavy weapon up tighter against his shoulder, aware of his fellow Elite preparing around him. Koyo stood to his right, her own weapon already held up by her chin ready for firing, and young Isen stood close to Oneakka's left. The young male Elite was barely out of the Facility, but he was a good warrior. As he worked from the Sythus now, Oneakka had told the young male to stick with him for the mission ahead. New Elite still needed guidance in loud and fast combat situations, for it was only after graduating that Elite really gained the warzone experience they needed to fight effectively and survive.
"Lock established!" The Security staff member announced from beside the Portal, but the result was already obvious as the strange power of the Portal kicked in. Oneakka watched as the energy crackled and formed, surging out from the Portal in a burst of power beyond Oneakka's understanding, but it was with nothing but relief that Oneakka watched it snap back into its watery readiness.
"Link confirmed to Atreus!" Halling's voice echoed in Oneakka's ear. "Deployment: go!"
Oneakka strode forward with fast but measured steps; decades of training and experience controlled the pace and shape of his movements, allowing his mind to focus on the action ahead.
The glimmer of the Portal filled his gaze, cutting off sight of anything else, but he knew in moments he would be through and he would need to be ready to respond to anything on the other side.
Shimmering water met his open eyes as he stepped into the Portal, which was followed with the bizarre sensation of movement, of being stretched and tumbling forward, and then he was stepping out onto Atreus.
The noise hit him like a wall, as he moved from the quiet of the Facility's Portal base to the mad sounds of planetary attack and culling. The air was loud with shouts, blasts of energy fire, something exploding in the distance, and the constant moving buzzing of the Wraith fighters overhead.
But he couldn't see any of that yet, because he and the Elite had walked out into the protective channel established by the Portal guards on Atreus. It was standard Military procedure on all Alliance planets to have the easily constructed portable tunnels by all Portals in order to protect incoming warriors from being swept up by Wraith sweeper beams. The material was thick plastic that was put together by the Military, and warriors on both sides pushed the sides up to clip together at the top to form the protective walkway in front of the Portal. Then, once the Portal was shutdown, the two sides could be split apart again, allowing space for the Portal to establish again.
So, Oneakka was surrounded by the semi-darkness of the tunnel as he moved forward, heading towards the square of light ahead that was Atreus. Koyo reached the exit of the tunnel just ahead of Oneakka and she took up station at the edge, peering out.
As Isen did the same on the other side of the tunnel exit, Oneakka heard the Atreus military channel come to life in his ear piece, voices flowing back and forward on the situation unfolding, but among it all he heard the phrase "Elite are confirmed arrived." All the Elite were through the Portal behind him then, but they needed to exit the tunnel quickly now to allow the tunnel to be parted, the Portal to be shutdown, and the next dial in to commence at breakneck speed.
The ground of Atreus was surprisingly sandy under his boots as Oneakka set his feet and peered out from the tunnel and up into the skies of Atreus. It was what he had expected – the sky danced with fighters, both Wraith and Alliance, all moving in rapid darting flight paths as they worked to outmanoeuvre and shoot each other out of the sky. Energy weapons fire was fast and bright across the sky, some impacting buildings and adding to the dark smoke rising from various places that Oneakka could see from this angle. Buildings were on fire, fighters probably crashed as well, and sweeper beams working to scoop up those running from the fires.
But, for now, there were no immediate fighters targeting this area, for the Military fighters were doing their best to keep the Wraith away from targeting the Portal. Which gave the Elite time to disperse.
"All clear to go!" Koyo announced, reaching the same conclusion as Oneakka.
Oneakka headed forward, stepping out into the sunlight and sweeping his weapon up towards the busy skies. "Isen, with me," he ordered, though all had agreed their assignments before departing the Facility moon. Oneakka would keep Isen with him and to be the one to find the local ground command station near to the Portal and liaise with Atreus and the Deployment Station's battalion commanders.
"Yes, Honoured Elite," Isen's response was just audible to Oneakka over a new barrage of weapons fire crashing down into the top of a large sand coloured building just ahead. Oneakka headed towards it and then off to the left, moving around large flowerbeds with banks of small trees, to find the open public square that was his first target to reach.
Isen moving expertly with him, keeping behind Oneakka, but glimpses of the male confirmed to Oneakka that he was keeping focus and tracking targets in the sky.
Down the centre of the otherwise empty public square, there were eight, no nine, firing stations established by one Military battalion. Like the protective tunnel, the Military brought with them interlocking panels that were snapped together to form small stations under which four warriors could fit, stepping out to fire and able to step back under the portable ceiling that protected them from being swept up by a Wraith sweeper beam.
The closest firing station held several extra warriors crammed into the protected area, and already Oneakka had spotted one of the battalion's supervisors among them, the man shouting calm and controlled orders to his warriors as they stepped out from their firing stations and coordinated fire up at a passing Wraith fighter.
Oneakka saw the incoming fighter in question and stopped to brace his feet and lifted his weapon up towards the target, adding his fire to the battalion's.
The multiple shots did their work, smashing into the fighter as it flew towards them, forcing the fighter to veer off course, smoke rising from one of its twin engines and accompanying wing. An Alliance fighter rushed past overhead, adding its fire to the back end of the Wraith fighter. It was standard procedure to take out one Wraith engine and then attempt to force the fighter down to the ground, thereby hoping to keep most of the Wraith fighter intact. Ground troops then would sweep in and take out the Wraith before it either self-destructed or escaped to cull on foot, and then save the fighter's sweeper system and allow victims to be re-materialised later.
"Battalion Sup," Oneakka called as he continued on towards the closest firing station.
The battalion's Supervisor turned and, was so often the case, Oneakka saw the flash of relief on the man's face. To most warriors and civilians, the sight of Elite was reassuring in such situations.
"Honoured Elite!" The Supervisor nodded and Oneakka saw other warriors glancing round from their firing stations for a quick reassuring glimpse of Elite.
"Where is the ground command station?" Oneakka demanded, while switching his gaze between the skies and the Supervisor.
"In that direction, Honoured Elite," the man responded instantly. "Jameston," he gestured to one of the men crammed under the firing station with him, "go with the Elite, show them the command station."
"Yes, sir," the younger man nodded and stepped out from the firing station. "This way, Honoured Elite," he invited, but Oneakka just started running towards him, communicating the speed he wanted this to proceed.
Jameston got the message and turned, the military buttons on his Atreus uniform catching the light as he led them towards the nearest building. There was a useful overhang jutting out from the large sand-coloured building, and Jameston led them to it, and then along under its protection, moving around the building.
Oneakka followed Jameston, glancing at the firing stations now behind them and then across to the middle of the new wide and empty public square ahead.
"Jameston?" Oneakka asked. "Where are they taking the civilians for protection?"
"To the underground network," the young man replied over his shoulder.
"Where is the closest entrance to the underground network?" Oneakka asked, but suspected he had already seen the answer.
Jameston slowed his pace, breathing fast. "There," he indicated towards a slightly raised area at the centre of the wide square. "The hatch is locked from underneath, but the concealed walkways that were supposed to protect the civilians from the buildings to the central square's hatch had already been destroyed by the Wraith." Which left the public square open and anyone moving through it vulnerable to sweeper beams.
Oneakka could see the rubble remains of the basic pillars and basic roofs that had connected the surrounding buildings to the centrally placed hatch in the middle of the public square. Why had they been so stupid to put it central in the square?
They were almost level with the rubble now and Oneakka saw an Atreus guard was stood protecting the doorway out of one building into the square. There were plenty of windows looking out into the square from the four story building, so Oneakka stopped and peered into the darkness inside.
The glint of frightened civilian eyes were just discernible in the darkness.
"Isen?" Oneakka asked as he turned back from the glass. "What is wrong with the battalion's formation?" He asked, holding position, still under the overhang.
Isen, his breathing fast but still calm, looked back towards the few firing stations visible in the previous open square. Oneakka could see the man's eyes assessing the battalion, while Oneakka shifted his attention back up to the sky, Jameston hovering close by, no doubt silently questioning why they had stopped.
"Um," Isen uttered, his voice, and no doubt his throat, sounding dry. "They have set their firing stations in a staggered pattern to prevent maximum loss in event of Wraith strafing fire," the young man assessed out loud, "which is a good choice."
Oneakka nodded, but he was watching several Wraith fighters up above, seeing their weapons fire pounding down towards buildings nearby.
"What is there a lot of on Atreus?" He asked Isen as he fired up towards the belly of one fighter passing overhead.
Isen fired as well, but it was a little late.
"Buildings," Isen guessed. "They're targeting them."
"And what are in the buildings?" Oneakka prompted as he lowered his weapon and started back the way they had come, Isen and Jameston following along behind him.
Isen took a moment to work it out. "Civilians. They're inside and the Wraith are damaging the buildings to force them outside."
"Into sweeper beams," Oneakka concluded the obvious.
"Isn't there access to the tunnels from inside?" Isen asked, but the question was no doubt focused back towards Jameston.
"Yes, but with emergency alarms going, there are doorways sealed inside the buildings to prevent Wraith penetrating through the buildings. Many are trapped now the protective walkways are destroyed. But the local ground forces are guarding the doors, keeping civilians from running out into the beams.
Back to the first square, Oneakka stopped and shouted towards the firing stations. "Battalion Sup?" He shouted over the buzzing overhead.
Heads turned towards him, but the Supervisor was already hurrying forward, moving from the protection of each firing station in turn as he moved. "Yes, Honoured Elite?"
"I want five of these stations repositioned in the next square, forming a new walkway from the building to the square's tunnel hatchway," Oneakka ordered and then turned to Isen who was right behind him. "Go with Jameston to the ground command station and have a report for me when I get there," he ordered.
"Yes, Honoured Elite," Isen nodded and turned towards Jameston, who was watching as the firing stations were already being moved, the Military very well trained to move them quickly and efficiently.
"Where is the ground command station from here?" Oneakka asked Jameston.
"Through the square, through the atrium directly ahead and on the other side to the right of the square there. An overhang surrounded by trees," Jameston answered.
"Got it. Go!" Oneakka commanded them and ran forward to join the Military moving their firing stations. "In a line there," Oneakka ordered the battalion as they arrived in the rubble of one former protective walkway. "Set up several paces apart and I want four warriors inside, making sure to direct all civilians inside to come out this way."
"Yes, Honoured Elite" was said back from various mouths, but Oneakka focused on heading across the square to the raised protective edges of the hatchway so stupidly positioned in full view from above.
With one look up toward the sky, Oneakka dropped to one knee and pushed dust and parts of a broken slim pillar aside to reveal the sealed hatch.
A warrior dropped to her knee beside Oneakka, her gloved hands helping and then brushing away dust from the carved number on top of the hatch.
Oneakka glanced back to the firing stations being set up, almost all in position between the building and the hatch.
"This is Battalion zero-nine-five," the warrior beside Oneakka stated into her radio link. "We need hatchway entrance open zone twelve, hatchway seventeen," she panted as she brushed away more dust from around the hatchway.
Buzzing overhead snapped Oneakka's attention up even as the warriors near him shouted warnings.
A fighter was firing down into the first square, but blasts also began hammering into the corner of the building at the entrance to this square. Oneakka saw bricks and stone crumbling and heard screaming from somewhere, perhaps from inside the building.
The hatch was open though and one last firing station was already being set above it. The battalion were good, and Oneakka left them to the work as he dropped to one knee and aimed his weapon up towards the fighter targeting the two squares. He narrowed his eyes against the glare of the sun off one edge of the Wraith fighter as it rose up into the sky, performing a barrel roll to turn over and begin another attack run on them.
Some shade fell over him as a firing station was adjusted slightly, giving him protection he had not asked for, but the Military warriors were efficiently doing so without request.
Weapons fire from the firing stations in both squares shot up towards the Wraith fighter as it tore down towards the squares, its own fire slamming down into sand and stone again.
Oneakka held off from firing just yet, instead he waited, waited for the perfect shot.
The fighter took some impacts, one engine being targeted, but the Wraith inside was determined. The fighter turned away, still firing and then turned back, lining up the shot Oneakka needed.
On an out breath, Oneakka lined up his aim to the canopy, just to the point where an average Wraith's head would be within the fighter. On his in breath he fired several rapid shots to the same point. He saw the first two shots hit the canopy and the third go through it.
The fighter abruptly lost control and started dropping from the sky. At least one less fighter to haunt the skies.
Oneakka stood up and turned to see that the battalion were doing their work and already civilians were being led out from the building, moving quickly under one firing station to another. Oneakka watched as the first civilians reached the hatch just by him, several of them looking at him with desperate relief.
He turned to the closest warrior. "Get the order out to start sweeping all buildings for trapped civilians. They are to be taken underground immediately."
"Yes, Honoured Elite," the woman replied, but Oneakka was already turning away.
Hurrying down the square, he watched the bellies of fighters passing by overhead, hearing more blaster fire hitting the roofs of the buildings on either side. In his ear, he could hear the other Elite talking back and forth. Crashed Wraith were being dealt with and Koyo had made her way to Atreus' Governmental building.
So, he just needed to get to the ground command station.
The atrium Jameston had described was ahead, much of the glass walls broken, but that made it easier to head through the former glass doors, and out through to the next square.
This square was full of trees, and the command station off to the right was obvious. The upper levels of the next building overhung the ground floor, so there was a solid covered open space inside of which the command station had been established.
Oneakka moved his way between warriors watching out from under trees and some firing stations and finally entered the command station.
Isen was already here and was stood centrally around a portable display table. Multiple screens displayed various battles ongoing and running text on several others. Around the table were five Commanders, two of them Atreus forces and the rest Military battalion leaders. All of them looked towards him with clear experience in their eyes.
"Honoured Elite," they chorused, but most eyes quickly returned to the battle displays.
"Report," Oneakka demanded, mostly of Isen.
"There are currently one hundred forty seven Wraith fighters above here, Atreus' Portal city," Isen began his report efficiently, "while two hundred and fifty-three are attacking the most local Atreus Military base and have enacted massive damage there."
Oneakka nodded as he reached the display table and started running his eyes over the multitude of information.
"Other than here and the Military Base, there are no reports of Wraith attacking elsewhere on the planet. There are now four waves of our fighters engaging," Isen continued, "with two of them up in high orbit engaging the Hive."
Something obvious was missing from the display screens. "Where's a visual on the Hive?" Oneakka asked.
"As yet, we have no direct visual feed of the Hive," one of the Commanders replied. She was from Rosenthal, as was obvious by her uniform, but also because he had worked with the seasoned warrior several times before.
"In fact there are no clear readings from anything from low orbit upwards," Isen added.
"There is some strange radiation blocking clear scans of the Hive," the Rosenthal Commander added.
Oneakka snapped his eyes up from the screens to her. "What type of radiation?"
"We do not know yet," another Commander reported. "Only that it is interfering with audio and visual communications from orbit and beyond."
"At first we couldn't even communicate with Atreus defence ships and Alliance fighters in orbit due to the radiation, but we have just found three frequencies that provide audio communication with our people," the Rosenthal Commander reported. "It's still static filled, but at least we can coordinate."
"The Wraith have more fighters defending the Hive?" Oneakka asked.
"Our fighters and Atreus' defence ships report almost five hundred fighters engaging them," she replied.
"There's only one Hive?" He checked.
"Only one reported," someone answered him.
"But the fighters are reporting that the Hive has some strange features," Isen interjected. "They are estimating it to have an abnormally large hull, with what appears to be an unusual growth on one side that is possibly an extra engine pod."
An extra engine pod? Perhaps a new way of travelling? Could that explain its sudden arrival?
"Fighters and defence fleet are engaging, but they are reporting that though the Hive is taking heavy fire on the surface, its thick hull is holding," another Commander added. "So they are focusing fire on the Hive's fighter bays."
Oneakka nodded. The situation above orbit was in hand at least, but his focus needed to be on the ground. "How many Wraith on foot in the city?" He asked. They needed to know where to focus the newly incoming battalions and where he should go to help hold back the culling.
"None," the Rosenthal Commander replied, her voice firm and full of the same surprise Oneakka felt.
Oneakka frowned at her over the shifting lights of the display table. "There are no Wraith on the ground?" He had never heard of that before. They always swept down their own troops to cull.
"The only handful that did try to attack on foot were from crashed fighters," the Commander reported. "They have, so far, all been killed."
"The local Military Base reports the same," Isen put in. "No Wraith on the ground; instead they attacked the base with brutal precision from above from the onset of the battle."
"Trying to remove our ability to defend ourselves," one Atreus Commander noted bitterly.
Which made some sense, but why not land Wraith warriors and start culling there as well as here? And why no other cities? Atreus had a vast population to feed upon, some of the less urban areas had fewer defences too – easy targets.
"We have confirmed they are definitely Wraith?" Oneakka asked, a worrying thought occurring.
"Yes," Isen answered, the others probably not understanding why Oneakka would ask. "We have the bodies from the crashed ships."
Oneakka felt himself relax a fraction, despite the situation – for a moment he had feared that perhaps this was the unknown enemy. But, no, it was Wraith. Though, Wraith behaving differently, but then they had not attacked deep inside the Alliance before; it would make sense that they would adapt their strategy.
"Is there a focus to their attack or is it a city wide attack and sweep?" Oneakka asked next.
The Rosenthal Commander indicated several displays. "Initially they struck the Government Communication building and the area around the Portal with sky to ground fire and then began sweeping up civilians as they ran out of cover. Troops have kept them secure, but many are cut off from escape tunnel hatchways."
Oneakka nodded to the points she indicated on the displays. "I have the hatch behind here funnelling civilians out of local buildings. We need to extend the process across the city. I want battalion and local security to systematically work through the buildings-"
Something caught at Oneakka's attention in an instant and he turned, looking over his shoulder.
The buzzing was reducing, lowering, stopping.
He moved out from under the Command station's overhang to see the myriad of dark dots rising up into the sky, while, into his ear, various reports went back and forth.
"...retreating up into orbit..."
"...we have reports city wide and from the local base of all Wraith fighters leaving..."
The dark dots were rising up still, growing smaller. Oneakka turned and strode back to the display table, but already the Commanders were in communication with their people.
"We need all fighters to pursue," someone was saying.
"Engage, bring them down if you can," another order was stated.
"What's going on in orbit?" Oneakka demanded of the Rosenthal Commander.
"Frequency line 8814," she replied and Oneakka reached up to his armour's collar to pull out the tiny control module and tapped in the number of the frequency channel and new voices burst into his ear.
The static made it almost impossible to discern the different overlapping voices at first.
"Wing One, I want all...around...left flank, don...let it bl...k us."
"It's turnin...fast!"
"Increase firepower...fighter bay...damag...re!"
"Ground Command, this is Wing...we...increas..."
The voices turned into loud static and Oneakka winced at the barrage of noise into his ear canal before the link piece automatically lowered the volume.
"Communications are filled with static on all frequencies now," one of the Commanders reported unnecessarily as he tapped through various screens. "Its' the radiation; we're picking it up at lower atmospheric levels now."
Oneakka leant forward over the table to see for himself.
"Wing Commands, can you read us?" The Rosenthal Commander was asking into her radio link. "I repeated, Ground Command to Wing Commands, respond urgently."
Oneakka waited, scanning the screens. Some were now full of static and useless.
"Ground Command, this...wing...copy me?" A voice called into Oneakka's ear link.
"This is Ground Command, we hear you. Report," The Rosenthal Commander asked.
"Headin...repor...now?"
"Repeat!"
Oneakka turned from the table and moved the few steps back to the edge of the Command Station again, aware of the strange sense of fearful silence around the square. Where were the Wraith fighters? Perhaps gathering up in orbit to return down here at killing speed? Or was the Hive going to bombard from orbit?
"Repeat Wing Command!"
"...ou hear me now?" The fighter's pilot's voice suddenly made more sense. Oneakka pressed his hand to his ear, as if holding the ear piece was going to help him hear the response better.
"Yes, report," the Commander asked of the pilot.
"The Hive is gone, Command," the voice reported.
"Did you say the Hive is gone?"
"Yes, the fighters came up from the surface and entered the fighter bays in breakneck speeds while the Hive was turning away, looking like it was going to flee. We pursued but then..." the man could be heard panting out a breath. "There was a flash and then it was just gone."
"Gone? The entire Hive?" Another Commander demanded.
Oneakka turned away, as he didn't need to hear anymore.
Stepping out from the overhang, he looked up into the bright sunny sky. He could just about make out a few Alliance fighters high up, distinctive by their oval shape, but nothing else.
The Hive had arrived from nowhere and then disappeared in a flash. It had to be some new engine, some new way of travel.
But why leave now? If they had the ability to arrive without detection and then disappear as quick...
In all his years fighting the Wraith, of witnessing a culling, he'd never seen the Wraith leave when they had the advantage.
And why no Wraith on the ground?
Why attack the most populated city on Atreus with the best defences? Why not the further out smaller and more vulnerable populace centres?
As quick and efficient as the Alliance response had been, it had not been enough to truly drive back the Hive and its fighters so quickly. Even a short culling should have lasted hours. Even if the Hive had waited until the closest Fleet battleships were inbound, then the Hive would still have had at least an hour to cull.
Which meant...this hadn't been a culling.
Had it been about inflicting damage? Inciting fear maybe? But the Wraith hadn't really achieved either of those here.
Which left one final answer.
It had been a test.
A test of Alliance battle responses and, perhaps, also a test of whatever it was that had allowed the Hive to appear and disappear into Alliance territory.
Which could only mean that there was more trouble ahead.
00000
TBC