Three Square Meals Ch. 100

He laughed.

In that moment Caldwell understood just how badly he'd misjudged events over the last few months. Buckingham wasn't working to protect humanity from hostile interests, the man was clearly a deranged lunatic. Instead of protecting the Terran Federation from John Blake, Caldwell had risked the entire future of humanity by blindly following Buckingham. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to find the irony of Buckingham's insanity quite so amusing.

Caldwell was forced to admit that there might have been a slightly hysterical edge to his laughter. Commander Milton looked anxious as he stared at him, clearly afraid that he was cracking up under the stress. However, Buckingham was incensed and he turned scarlet as Caldwell laughed in his face.

"W-what?! How dare you... I-I'll have you court-martialled!" Buckingham sputtered, choking back his anger.

Caldwell shook his head. "No, I don't think so, Vincent. Goodbye!" He swiped his hand over the comms interface and the Fleet Admiral's shocked face disappeared from view.

Turning to his Comms Officer, Caldwell snapped, "Hail the Maliri fleet!"

He focused on the Tactical Map again, watching on tenterhooks as those golden ships accelerated towards the maelstrom of war. With nothing left to lose he was praying on that Hail Mary pass...

***

"Get down!" Commander Wessex called out in warning, diving behind an armoured buttress.

Sergeant Gibbons ducked back behind the reinforced wall, hunkering down in cover. Searing plasma bolts fired by one of the Kintark hovertanks blasted into the defensive ridgeline, blowing big chunks out of the fortifications. He could see debris and globules of plasma thrown high in the air, the viscous green super-heated ooze spattering down like rain. The incoming fire was returned by a pair of bass booms, which he instantly recognised as belonging to the Gauss Cannons on the Titan Mk IV super-heavy tank.

Hearing a temporary lull in the crackling barks of the Kintark tank's Plasma Cannons, Gibbons poked his head up above the ferrocrete parapet. It had started drizzling earlier that morning, but the visibility was still okay. He could clearly see that the green armour of the enemy tank had been struck twice, huge holes bored through the plating as the hyper-accelerated rounds skewered the vehicle. The tank was stationary now, floating at an odd angle, the barrel half-spun to one side and pointed oddly at the ground.

His eyes widened as he saw several squads of Kintark soldiers who'd taken advantage of the covering fire to charge the forward trenches. "Squad 427 needs fire support!" he called out, raising his autocannon barrel and aiming at the charging lizardmen.

Holding down the trigger, his gun began to thump out shells, each one streaking across the gap and ploughing into the advancing enemy. The recoil from his first shot kicked up the muzzle, and by pure fluke rather than skill, the round hit a Kintark lieutenant in the head, neatly decapitating the officer. Lowering the barrel again, Gibbons compensated for the recoil and sprayed a steady stream of autocannon rounds into the onrushing Kintark marines.

The Kintark transports had been dropping more and more troops onto the plateau and while the bodies were stacked high, it seemed there were plenty more to replace them. The 20mm rounds punched big holes through the lizardmen, some of the slugs even going on to hit soldiers running behind the troops in the vanguard. All the other members of Sentinel Alpha joined that salvo, their shots ripping through the wavering Kintark troopers and sending bloodied body parts flying.

"This is like shooting Brimorians in a barrel!" Staff Sergeant Brannigan joked, his own autocannon reaping a heavy toll through the onrushing Kintark.

It didn't take long to blunt the charge, giving the soldiers in the forward trenches a chance to rally themselves. With all the clawed scaly feet running towards the forward lines, the ground was getting increasingly muddy, the wet churned up soil turning into a quagmire. That was one bit of good fortune that none of the Terran defenders were complaining about, although the Kintark had another view entirely.

"Shit! What's that?!" Corporal Zhao called out, pointing skyward.

Looking up, Gibbons' attention was immediately towards a Rapier spiralling to the ground, wings ablaze with bright green flames. It smashed into a bunker and exploded, scattering chunks of wreckage across the battlefield, while the Kintark heavy fighter that had just shot it down swooped overhead as it searched for new opponents.

Zhao elbowed him with a dull clang of metal on metal. "No, not the fighters, up there!"

Gibbons' eyes widened as he spotted the formation of colossal Kintark vessels emerging from the heavy banks of grey clouds. The thick gold stripes along their green flanks caught what little sunlight shone through, marking them as Praetorian battlecarriers. The trio dropped down into a low hover above the ground, heavily armoured doors slowly opening as they manoeuvred into position.

Activating the telescopic vision enhancement in his HUD again, Gibbons zoomed right in on the lower belly of the closest battlecarrier. He could see hulking four-legged, Kintark lizards leaping out from the vast ship, their fully-armoured bodies dropping like stones towards Terra. Gibbons had no explanation for their lemming-like behaviour and he could only look on in astonishment, his mouth agape. At the last second, orange lights flared on their glossy bodyarmour, slowing the lizards' fall and letting them land harmlessly on the plateau.

Dozens more of the fifteen-foot-long lizards were landing on the ground and gathering together into squads. Each had four muscular legs, a long sturdy tail, and would have looked like some kind of dinosaur if not for the fact that they were clad nose to tail in shimmering green body armour, with golden stripes curving around their chest. As Gibbons watched them through the telescopic sights, the first group of five suddenly lurched into a sprint, running incredibly fast towards the Terran fortifications. They were moving so fast that he lost them for a moment and it took a few seconds to relocate the huge lizards as they weaved through the advancing Kintark troopers.

"Commander, we've got trouble!" he shouted, turning to make sure Wessex had heard him. "Some kind of elite troops just dropped in."

Wessex was tracking them herself and she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I see them. Get ready, boys, they'll be coming into range soon."

Gibbons aimed his targeting reticle at the lead Royal Guard, struggling to keep it on target with the monster dodging from side to side as it charged towards the forward trenches. When the range-finder confirmed it was in range, he squeezed the trigger, pumping autocannon slugs at the bestial creature. The first three rounds sailed harmlessly wide, but the fourth was right on target, lined up with its broad chest... the perfect killshot.

Until the shell ricocheted away, deflected by a shimmering green shield that suddenly flickered into view.

"Oh shit..." he muttered, eyes going wide with fear.

***

Lilyana watched the battle of Terra unfolding in appalled silence; it seemed that everywhere she looked, the Kintark forces were battering the Federation fleets into submission. Terran fighters were being gunned down in droves and it was clear that the Kintark forces had almost achieved strikecraft supremacy, at which point the Federation capital ships would be at the mercy of marauding bombers. Her own fleet was racing to assist the Terran defenders, just as Alyssa had ordered, but she couldn't help wondering if this intervention was little more than a fool's errand.

"They've lost so many ships," Almari whispered under her breath.

"And the Kintark have invaded Terra," Ilyana murmured, sharing a troubled glance with her fellow assassin.

The Galaena Serine's Communications Officer turned in her seat. "We're being hailed, Fleet Commander."

Lilyana nodded her acknowledgement then glanced at her bodyguards and tapped her helmet. The two assassins activated the anti-glare filters in their Paragon suits, turning the clear crystal faceplates opaque. A couple of seconds later, a large holo-panel coalesced into the face of a bearded older man in Terran Federation uniform. His body language was tense and he seemed haggard, visibly bowed down with the weight of crushing responsibility. It was blatantly obvious to the House Valaden Fleet Commander that the man was under a phenomenal amount of stress.

"My name is Admiral Caldwell," he said, his voice terse. His curious gaze roamed over the armoured Maliri on the Bridge, eyes widening momentarily when he saw Ilyana and Almari's white armour. "May I ask your intentions in the Sol System?"

"We're here as a favour to John Blake," Lilyana replied, her tone cool and guarded. "He requested that we aid you against the Kintark."

Caldwell's face brightened, a flicker of hope sparking in his eyes. "Thank God! We're at breaking point, we desperately need your help!"

Lilyana's voice dropped a few octaves and she said menacingly, "John also warned me that you might have some absurd notion to open fire on my fleet... I would caution you against such idiocy. If we are attacked by Terran forces for any reason, I have no qualms about disengaging from the battle and watching the Kintark exterminate you all. Have I made myself understood?"

"I promise you, none of my ships will do anything of the kind!" he replied, giving her a grateful smile. "May I ask your name, Commander...?"

"Fleet Commander Lilyana of House Valaden," she replied with a slight incline of her head. "I have been ordered to provide fire support. We will strip the Kintark shields so that you can bring your Heavy Cannons to bear."

"Thank you, Fleet Commander," Caldwell said, the overwhelming gratitude in his voice taking her back for a moment.

***

Sergeant Gibbons fired slug after slug at a Kintark Royal Guard, but they bounced away harmlessly, deflected by its shield. Squads of those hulking lizards had been rushing through the defences, causing mayhem throughout the Terran positions as they surged towards the Citadel. The huge Kintark beast he'd just shot at leapt onto the fortifications he was stationed on, almost moving faster than he could follow, its scrabbling claws setting his teeth on edge as it gouged footholds in the rain-soaked ferrocrete. Suddenly it was over the lip of the parapet and he could only watch in horror as it pounced on Corporal Tremblay, knocking him to the ground.

The creature had hugely powerful forelimbs, each ending in foot-long claws, which it plunged down into the prone soldier's back. The power-armoured-trooper wailed in terror, before the huge lizard eviscerated the man, literally ripping him apart in a shower of blood.

"Fuck you!" Commander Wessex screamed, opening up on it with her Gatling Laser at point blank range.

The green bubble dissipated with an audible pop and the creature hissed as her laser bolts peppered the monster's flanks. It whipped around, eager to dispatch this latest threat, long tail lashing in anger as it tensed itself in readiness to charge. Gibbons and Brannigan aimed their autocannons at the beast's back and hit it with a stream of 20mm rounds. A couple of the high-calibre bullets were stopped by its thick armour plating, but one of the slugs punched a hole in its back, severing the Kintark monster's spine. It toppled over with a howl of pain, thrashing wildly on the ground as it tried to claw its way towards the Commander.

Gibbons realised that Wessex hadn't stopped firing and she strafed her laser bolts into the creature's head, several of her shots blasting it in its roaring mouth. There was a sizzling sound as those laser bolts melted flesh, burning out its brain. With a final violent convulsion, the monster lay still, smoke pouring from its lolling jaws.

"Shit, I can't believe those fuckers got Tremblay," Brannigan muttered, his previous good mood long gone.

Wessex's expression tightened with anger. "We'll mourn the dead later. Gibbons, grab his Gatling Laser, your autocannon's useless against these shielded lizards."

"Affirmative, Commander," he replied, striding over to the fallen trooper's mangled body.

Disconnecting the ammo feeds with the press of a button, he put down the autocannon and disconnected the power leads linking Tremblay's Gatling Laser to his wrecked power armour.

"Let me hook you up," Brannigan muttered, plugging the power leads into the ports on the back of Gibbon's suit.

The Sentinel suits HUD flickered as it updated, now showing a temperature bar instead of an ammo counter. "Okay, I'm all set," Gibbons said, standing and testing the heft of the Gatling Laser.

When no one replied, he glanced at his squadmates and found them all gaping skyward. He turned around to see what they were looking at, then joined them in staring at the enormous Kintark flagship that had descended from the heavens and now loomed over the battlefield. What looked like an enormous set of bomb-bay doors had opened in the belly of that vast interstellar behemoth, and Gibbons saw movement lurking within.

There seemed to be a temporary lull in the battle as combatants on both sides waited to see what was about to join the fray. Nothing could have prepared Gibbons for the sight of the vast draconic form that swooped out of the bowels of the Kintark flagship.

"They've got a fucking dragon!" Brannigan balked, his jaw hanging open in awe.

Although the enormous Kintark spaceship dwarfed the majestic creature that had just entered the battle, there was no doubt in anyone's mind which was the most impressive. It was as if the gigantic dragon had just stepped out of a storybook, its terrifying reptilian form held aloft by a pair of enormous leathery wings. This was no fantasy dragon though, its scaled hide was covered in a sleek suit of black battle armour, the barrels of two enormous Plasma Cannons jutting out over its shoulders as it glided low over the fortifications.

"It must be going for the shield generators!" Wessex yelled in alarm, the members of Sentinel Alpha ducking low as the dragon flew directly overhead.

Gibbons whirled around, watching the dragon as it tucked in its wings and dove towards the ground. The monstrous creature landed atop Brigadier Garcia's Command vehicle with a booming crash, the Titan super-heavy tank skidding backwards across the mud with the force of that impact. The dragon clamped down on the upper turret with two huge forearms, then tore the upper turret free and hurled it away across the battlefield like it was a plastic Frisbee.

It shoved a clawed fist into the gaping hole it had just torn in the tank, then opened fire with two sets of weapons at the same time. The first were the Heavy Plasma Guns built into the creature's armoured vambrace, which doused the interior of the dismantled tank with plasma fire, incinerating the cowering Command team within. The second weapons to fire were the Plasma Cannons strapped to the dragon's back, which blasted the mid-section wall of the Citadel at almost point-blank range. Exploding in a shower of masonry and boiling plasma, the blast scattered debris all across the open ground surrounding the Citadel, leaving a gaping rent in the side of the fortress.

With the interior of the Citadel exposed, the Emperor, his Imperial Majesty Baledranax the Glorious, let loose a terrifying roar of triumph which left Gibbons shaking with fear. The leader of the Kintark Empire pounced on the Citadel and started tearing his way inside, ripping huge chunks of rubble from the defensive wall and hurling them aside.

***

Admiral Norwood was filled with anguish as he watched the Terran forces slowly crumbling before the remorseless assault from the Kintark Armada. He focused on one of the battle groups in disarray and could see that its fighter screen had nearly been swept clear, with one Terran ship after another blown to bits by the Kintark heavy fighters. The destroyers and cruisers were taking nearly as brutal a battering, being both heavily outgunned and having inferior shielding. He knew they wouldn't last much longer and the Kintark bombardment would switch to the capital ships.

As much as Norwood loathed the Terran Federation, it was still a shock to watch men and women he'd fought alongside being killed in a battle when he was fighting with the opposing side. He kept reminding himself that he was doing this for the good of humanity, to build an honourable new Republic from the ashes of the corrupt Federation. However, seeing Jayanti Mishra's dreadnought being torn to pieces had finally brought home the sheer scale of his betrayal. He'd betrayed his vows of service and he'd betrayed colleagues that he'd known for years.

Now that Mishra's reserve force had been broken and Weber's was in full retreat, the Praetorian contingent of the armada had surged onwards to attack Terra itself. Norwood had been expecting the assault on the Citadel; after all, he had provided the Kintark forces with detailed maps of the geography around the base, as well as the structural layout of the fortress itself. What he hadn't been expecting was a cohort of Kintark battleships to hold position in low orbit over the Terran capital, Unity City, then start bombarding it with Plasma Cannons.

"Melkadian! Why the hell are you shelling Unity City?!" he demanded, eyes widening when he realised what the Praetorian battleships were doing. "If your forces start slaughtering civilians, the political fallout will last for decades... centuries even! How are we going to be able to forge an alliance between the Republic and the Kintark Empire if your people behave like war criminals?!"

The Grand Prelate was still fuming about the loss of the Praetorian force against Olympus and he bristled at Norwood's impudent tone. He glared at him, then threw his head back and laughed, the gloating, mocking sound sending a chill down Norwood's spine. "Sssurely you cannot be thisss ssstupid? Are you really ssso naive?"

Norwood swallowed around the lump in his throat. "Melkadian, we are allies, friends even... I don't understand."

"There will be no Republic, you gullible fool! All you've done isss help usss to crusssh the Terran Federation and handed the Kintark Empire billionsss of ssslavesss!" Melkadian gloated, his reptilian eyes gleaming with excitement. "Your name will be mocked by generationsss of Kintark and cursssed by what'sss left of your missserable people!"

Mouth dropping open in horror, Norwood shook his head as he realised just how badly he'd been played for a fool. "But you swore you had humanity's best interests at heart... you promised me!"

Melkadian sneered at him with contempt. "I care nothing for your pathetic ssspeciesss! I ssserve only hisss Imperial Majesssty! We will ssseize all of the Terran Federation'sss resssourcesss, and ssstanding on the back of your broken civilisssation, the Kintark Empire will be unrivalled in the galaxy!"

Norwood snarled in fury and launched himself at the Kintark leader. "You treacherous bastard! I'll fucking kill you!"

There was a sizzling sound and pain lanced through Norwood's gut. He howled in agony and stumbled in his charge, tripping over and sprawling across the titanium deck.

"You are a fine one to talk of treachery, Arch Traitor," Melkadian said, brandishing the ugly-looking pistol he held in a clawed hand. He smirked at the fallen Admiral, savouring Norwood's anguished cries as the man rolled on the deck, clutching the gunshot wound to his belly. "I've heard a wound from an Enssshunu pissstol isss agonisssing. I alwaysss wanted to try out thisss viciousss little weapon, but until now I've not found anyone truly dessserving of sssuch excruciating torment."