Chapter 35: Battered Prowess — Part 1

When Vertigo entered the battle, her mind reeled with the damage all around her. The fight had not only been massive in scale, but had been one of brutal chaos. Neither side, apparently, had been able to maintain more than the most marginal of combat strategies toward the end of the conflict. Despite the random nature of the wreckage and loss, it was obvious by the numbers of remaining ships that Grison’s Empire had essentially conquered Cinder’s system. Seva and Charles had been trained for such environments; Charles had experienced interplanetary war first-hand. Both were stunned speechless by the sight. Ships lay smoldering in space, dead bodies littered the immediate area, and the enemy made no attempts at taking prisoners. The Kindred and her three child ships, the Hunter, the Helm, and the Blade moved in under the command of experienced crews. The Kindred sought out the strongest enemy and attacked without mercy, Vertigo focusing on keeping the systems on line and repaired, rather than on commanding the attack. Kindred could take care of herself. Her children, however, still needed crew to see them through the worst of battle.

Grison’s Troops responded immediately to Kindred’s arrival, bringing reserve troops out of twisted space and into battle. What they found, within minutes of their arrival, was that the Coalition had sent two fleets to reclaim Cinder for their own. The Kindred sent distress communications from various sources directly to Jonathan, who shouted out her situation for all on board to hear. “Four thousand ground troops have made it to Cinder’s surface and are killing every man woman and child they come across. Kris is ordering us out of the fight. You’re to escort the Savant, Baron Winson’s ship, to the planet surface and see to its safety. Then we’re to unite with Baron Winson and retake Cinder’s military headquarters.”

“You heard him, Kindred. Call your children out of the fray and let’s get this Savant to the surface.” Vertigo ordered.

“The Savant is hailing us.” Jonathan countered. “They’re severely damaged, and once they land they won’t be flying again.”

“We’ll get that ship to ground if we have to carry it on our backs.” Vertigo said.

The Kindred and her brood fell into defense formation, and spat hellfire at any enemy who thought it could get close enough to harm the Savant. The Kindred left a trail of death in her wake, her children made sure any enemy still struggling to respond stayed broken. In the fray, one of the Coalition ships was docking and evacuating a Union flagship, three ships guarded the flagship, and none of the three showed a sense of self-preservation. In order to give them more time, the Kindred fired several mass rounds across their path, disabling a couple of their attackers, and as she swept by the enemy ships, her tractor beams ripped out entire sections of metal and shielding, leaving damaged ships completely crippled. The Kindred and its brood entered Cinder’s atmosphere with the Savant in tractor tow. A world with harsh landscapes and incredible volcanic activity revealed itself to the Kindred’s crew, and Kindred wondered how the Savant could possibly have hoped to land unassisted safely on such hostile terrain. Blade set a forward course, drawing fire from the captured base. Intent on crushing the enemy occupation, Kindred dropped in low and blew open gaping holes in the base walls.

“All right folks, let’s move out.” Vertigo raised her hand.

Vertigo had a crew of three, but she knew their presence might turn the tide. Seva and Charles were trained warriors, and she a seasoned Leader, and both Jonathan and herself specialized in lightning raids and brutal assassinations. They dropped out of the hatch. She moved swiftly to join the other troops, all hidden at the edge of the base. The four ships left the crippled Savant aground, the Kindred leading them in attack formation back to the front line.

Vertigo made first contact with Satrap Winson, who asked to be called Tanya. Jerem stood by her, listening to the women discuss alternatives. Satrap Winson, a head taller than most Antansi, her eyes tired but her motions strong, proposed her idea. “They’re well fortified and have had ample opportunity to settle in. We’ll need to attack from the ground, but I need to weaken their exterior defenses. Once we have a hole through the barricade walls into the central compound, we’ll be able to take the base back more easily.”

“We could order an aerial strike, but it could cost us the entire compound.” Charles suggested.