Solar Warden, Jakob Waechter [book club suggestions .TXT] 📗

Some of the shuttle missile slots were filled with surface scouting drones. They opened and released them before touching down. Immediately a dozen each went for the cave and the forest.

On the Icarus the data from the drones were analyzed. Most of the information could be automatically displayed on the tactical table screens of the bridge. Also Clark was now monitoring tactical information on two of his three screens.

The squad went out of the shuttles preparing their equipment and the bikes. Then headed at once to their planned location. SW-1 and 3 went for the forest while the others for the cave. SW-5 was the last who traveled to the cave. They also had two drones for their own. With the bikes it was a short travel and SW-5 went into the cave as the area was secured by the others. The drones were then further investigating the cave again as the bikes sentry were positioned.

Then SW-5 followed the drones and headed to their operation target. A position where they last time detected one of the machines. This time there were enough drones to relay the communication signals out of the cave. Also the drones reached faster than the bikes the end of the tunnels, so the team knew their targets were there.

It went as planned they reached the end of a tunnel. Ryan, Caine and Owens stepped off the bikes and secured the area while Newman and Archer started their work on the machines.

Max was already checking the data she got from the drones and advised the field hackers were to search. Both Newman and Archer streamed their camera view, so also Max or the other engineers and scientists could assist.

Meanwhile the drones in the forest had found the other entrance. It was a small cave leading into the mountain. The door was also much smaller. So two aliens should fit through. However, it was not a good place to fortify. They used a drone to monitor the door and guarded the open cave entrance itself, which gave them much more cover here in the forest. The remaining drones assigned for the forest were on patrol now.

The machine which was a kind of a laser melting the stone and a gravity field transferring the lava to the back. The system had the size of bigger pickup. On the back the lava was split into several balls over its container.

“There is a replacement container moving from the storage area to you,” Max informed.

“How many of this containers are full at the storage location,” Ryan asked.

“Three. They must saw us coming and made this area up. I try to figure out how long it takes to fill one up,” Max answered.

“No problem. It could be even better if we get a fresh one. The lava might cool down faster when we stop mining. Just two minutes then the connection should work,” Newman informed as he was connecting to the system interface they found. He did a bit hurry because it would be good to have the connection before the container arrived. “Got it.”

“Beginning scans.” Max replied.

Newman and Archer stepped back. Now using their laptop on a nearby bike. They were already moved to the side for the incoming traffic. Then the container showed up. It was hovering over the ground. The laser of the mining machine stopped. The lava stream disconnected and the last part was transferred to the hovering balls. At the bottom of the container were half balls which later could receive the cooled down ones. The container itself had nearly the size of a pickup. Seven balls were hovering over the container. It seemed to be a bit waste of space. The empty container moved to the side of the other. All of SW-5 were further away to avoid getting between the process.

The full container disconnected and went away. Then the empty one connected to the machine.

“This must be cost a lot of power,” Samuel guessed. “I wonder how much of this power generator we seen they have in the hidden location.”

“Well, there was no time to figure out what exactly the generator was. Maybe they have even a bigger version of it. But with that energy storage system they have, they could even use solar power. So this generator must be easier to build,” Newman replied.

“Maybe they do solar later who knows or it is something other regenerative. We should have checked the generator,” Samuel noted.

“Too big and not enough time. It's probably fusion maybe more advanced as on the ship we retrieved on Earth. But we have the saucer ship and with this machine we have two vehicles to check their energy storage system and generators. So we are fine with what we can get.” Newman checked the scan results. The mining continued as the connection of the container was done. The lava started to flow again and finally three balls started to grow. It took a little bit then Max had found the stop command. Newman and Samuel did some further checks. Then Newman sent the command and the laser went off again.

“Good. Now we only need to move it,” Newman informed.

 

“I hope they hurry I don't know how long we can hold this position if they open that door,” Anderson moaned.

“Keep calm. The Gatling guns will shred them,” Pearce replied.

“Only as long they have ammunition. How long does it take to deplete them? One minute or with reload two minutes. What time does it take till they find out how to deplete them without losing troops?” Anderson asked moaning further around.

“Then we are here and we can manually fire. We would be not as good as the automatic. Even fail to react in time. But we sure can hold it 10 minutes. That’s the time SW-5 needs to come back,” Pierce reassured.

 

“Got it!” Newman was happy now. The laser mining machine was moving. Not too fast, but 15 kilometers per hour.

“Icarus I set a navigation point outside the cave. Lieutenant Kelsey you add then one to the shuttle. I don't know yet if it is possible to speed them up. But if we want another one it's better we take care of it,” Newman reported.

“We have three shuttles available for transport. A second one would be useful. If the first one reaches the cave exit don't go for another one. It will not make much difference they seem to be the same,” the Captain replied.

“Yes, but they are mining a different kind of primary ore. So we should take at least two. Especially now as we know how to do it. I need only to connect our spy relay. Then Max can do the job,” Newman justified and stepped on the bike.

“Proceed, we check again when you got the next.” The captain was pleased how the operation was working out. But he didn't want to risk too much. It took them not too much time to get to the second mining machine. Newman needed only about a minute.

“Ok. Kelsey check the connection and take over.” Newman went back to the bike and waited for the response. The laser turned off and the lava stream ended into the balls. They were cooling down now. Slowly the machine started to accelerate hovering to the exit.

“Waypoint set. Its moving,” Max replied.

“I see, good work. Then I can proceed.” Newman switched to inform the Captain which surly knew it already, “Captain now we got the second one on its way. Should we proceed to the next?” Newman asked.

“Negative. Two are enough. Retreat to the secure zone and try speed up things.” The Captain ordered.

“Affirmative,” Newman replied.

Ryan took the lead while Newman and Archer followed. Owens and Caine were on the back. They passed the storage location and then the first machine. As they reached the fortified location they went around them avoiding to get in the covered area of the sentries. Also no one wanted to try out the safeties which would identify friendly troops. Further drones also went out of the cave to check now the way back to the shuttles.

SW-5 went directly to their shuttle, where Samuel and Newman went into it to use the laptops in the shuttle seats.

Ryan and the others guarded the area around the shuttles.

The first machine was passing the fortified location. Then Max found out how to increase the speed. It was only an option for fast moving not to enter the speed directly. She checked this with Newman and Samuel then they decided to try out the option. The machines increased the speed to 32 kilometers per hour. Max further searched for directly enter the speed. But after five minutes she also focused as the others how to move it into the shuttle. The turn off trigger she had already found. Maybe manual drive option would do it. She searched for it.

 

The second machine was passing the fortified door. They had to shut down the sentries again.

“Prepare to retreat when it is out of the cave,” the Captain informed.

Suddenly the big door opened.

“In position fast! Use the sentries manually. Switch it on automatic as soon as possible,” Pearce ordered. At first there was no one to see. They were further behind on a corner near the wall on the end of the entrance corridor, which had vertical walls instead the trapeze one of the facility. Bigger corridors were going left and right on the back. They were big enough for three of the machines. Also they were as high as the door of about five meter. One sentry was on automatic now, the second followed. A ball like drone came around the corner. The sentries fired at once and shredded it. Further stuff was thrown out which the sentries took care off. Some exploded other seemed to waste the ammo of the sentries.

“Pearce, Freeman better you fall back outside the cave. We can better cover you there,” the Captain advised.

The sentries were depleted. They moved with the other bikes back and tried using another two for the cover. Further behind another stuff was thrown and now a shot came in hitting the first sentry. The second sentry was done with reloading and fired again. It took not much time then it also was out.

They still did not use their power shots. But the blasts were enough to screw the electronics. Even the EMP safety they had seemed not to work.

Following the missing fire of the sentries. Two armored aliens came to sight added by two none armored. They immediately opened fire with the rifles. Also the SW teams returned shots as reacting to the sight. Some smoke grenades were used, hoping to disrupt the targeting. One of the armored aliens was hit by a rocket launcher, where the nearby unarmored one was also hit by the blast and fell to the ground. The other armored alien continued firing as he was hit by the high speed projectiles. Two of them seemed to be down. But one unarmored which was now further away stood up again and ran into the smoke while another armored appeared with three more unarmored. Some of them were now moving faster out of the door opening.

Without the sentries the fallback was now difficult. SW-2 was now bringing two in position.

“Lee has been hit,” Anderson shouted, while Lee was falling to the ground. One of the front armored enemies was now moving very slowly.

“Get the sentries on. Then get Lee on a bike,” Freeman commanded and continued firing with his HK.

The first sentry was hit while the second started to fire and shredded the armored already hit one with some unarmored nearby. Further shoots were coming in and hitting the sentry.

Chavez who was pulling now Lee to a bike, was now getting him over the bike. One of the blasts hit him and both fell to the ground.

“Damn. Now Chavez is out, too. Fallback we have to lure them out of the cave,” Pearce shouted.

There were now much more out of the door. About ten were to