Carthage Prime by Toby Neighbors

Author:Toby Neighbors [Neighbors, Toby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mythic Adventure Publishing, LLC
Published: 2020-06-01T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Alex was hovering just below eighty thousand meters, barely under Carthage Prime’s thermosphere. Nothing was visible on the ground—just the dazzling reflection of light from the snow and ice. Alex could see the curve of the planet, and despite the daylight, he could see stars overhead.

“Are you ready?” Alex asked.

Almost. Even computers take time to crunch equations this big.

Master Sergeant Brooks had agreed with Alex’s plan. The problem with attacking the Zen Tech Hunters was their long-range weapons. There was no way to hit them without coming under their return fire. Instead, Alex had designated an area far enough from their own MBS’s but large enough that munitions would have time to reach them. The controllers had changed the programming on the Titans, allowing Alex and his team to dump their supply of air-to-ground missiles. The computers were calculating the time it would take them to fall down to the troposphere where they would be activated, hopefully directly over the Zen Tech Hunters. Their heat-seeking directional guidance would send them hurtling toward the enemy. It was all theoretical and would use up all their missiles, leaving them only the short-range projectiles and laser cannons. Still, it would strike the first blow in the fight without risking any of the CDF operators. If they could succeed in taking out half of the Zen Tech Hunters, it would even the odds.

“I’d rather fight them directly,” Ash said. “We’re much faster than they are.”

“You’re not faster than a missile,” Newt said.

“You’ll get a chance,” Alex insisted. “But let’s give this a shot.”

Almost ready. Prepare to drop munitions.

“Roger that. Get ready to drop your payloads,” Alex said.

Now!

Alex knew the other controllers would have given their operators the same order. He willed the missiles to fire, squeezing the trigger on his left joystick. There was no sound. The missiles, which rotated through a compartment and into the launch nozzle, dropped out in a stream of deadly firepower. There was no exhaust, no contrails. The missiles fell away from him, pulled by gravity through the planet’s atmosphere toward the targets far below. When the last missile dropped, an alert warning went off inside the Titan.

“I’m out,” Alex said.

“Me too,” Ash replied.

“And me,” Sly added.

Newt still had a full complement of missiles and was taking longer to disgorge his supply.

“Ash, get moving. I want visual confirmation, but don’t get too close. I don’t want you coming under fire.”

Ash had taken off before he finished giving her the order.

“I’m done,” Newt said.

“All right. Sly, you’re with Ash on the eastern flank. Newt, you’re with me.”

“Roger that, Ace,” Sly said.

They all began a slow, arcing descent toward the line of defenders.

Missiles passing ten thousand meters. Activating munitions now.

The Hunters were spread out in a long line. They weren’t in a perfect row—the uneven terrain made that impossible—but they were in good formation. Alex zoomed in his optics as far as they would go, trying to maintain enough distance from the raiders to keep them from firing at him.

The

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