Warsong (Hunter-Killer #2)

Chapter 19 - Bigger Fish

 "There's a saying from old Earth," Hackley muttered. "There's always a bigger fish."

In front of her the battle played out, recorded from the Hunter-Killer combat cameras, and seeing it a second time didn't make it any more believable for Ryke. He watched, arguably more shocked now than he had been in the moment. Down in the warren he'd simply fought by instinct, his Hunter-Killer training forcing him to act. Now, watching the whole thing back in the safety of General Llewellyn's enormous command Mammoth, the creature took on a whole new dimension of horror.

The limbs moved on the cameras in a blur, a combat support technician flicking between viewpoints of the different Hunter-Killers in Ryke's squad. Around him other senior officers watched with varying degrees of trepidation, all save for Major De Lunta who was still in the thick of the fighting on the main front.

Beyond the command Mammoth, more than a mile distant, the human army continued its thunderous advance. Battle had been joined long before Ryke had made his report, and there was no stopping it now. If he listened he could hear the muffled rumble of explosions. Dust clouds smeared the horizon. With these new creatures now in play, he couldn't suppress a growing feeling of anxiety, as though there was something crucial lurking just out of his vision that he couldn't turn to look at.

"You say it didn't trigger your seismic readers?" Colonel Harcourt rumbled dubiously. "Something that size couldn't go undetected – it's impossible."

"The tactical data is clear," Hackley replied, shaking her head. "From the trajectory it came from there are no seismic flags from any of the Hunter-Killer sensors."

"It came out of nowhere," Ryke confirmed. He cast a grim look at Harcourt. "We were very lucky, sir."

The colonel didn't respond, his attention shifting back to the screen. The frantic comms replayed through the speakers, along with the hellish screeching of the monster that still set the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. Multi-joined limbs flailed and thrashed, the enormous whip of a tail snaking back and forth as the batter of cannon fire crackled over the recording. One display showed a clear view as cannon shots dug into the monster's armoured hide, biting off chunks of bony plating but causing little actual damage. There was a murmur of discomfort from the assembled officers.

"Pause there," Llewellyn ordered. "Magnify that."

The tech tapped a button and the image froze. His fingers gently guided a ball-bearing style control to zoom the camera image in on the damaged carapace.

"Natural armour plating," the general mused, cupping his chin thoughtfully with one hand. "Strong enough to withstand the standard rounds?"

"Barely made a dent," Ryke confirmed. "The only vulnerable point seems to be its underside. The skin is softer there – no carapace."

Llewellyn nodded. The man seemed to be keeping his composure in the face of this new hurdle, though Ryke wondered just how much panic was concealed behind that steely expression. Hackley and the infantry commander, Colonel Marrow, didn't bother to hide their consternation, faces pinched with worry as they watched the fight play out. If Hunter-Killer cannons could barely hurt these creatures then what chance did a soldier with a rifle have?

The recording continued. Ryke got an unpleasant jolt when the main screen switched to his camera view, right as the thing reared up in preparation to grind him into a pulp. The combat cams gave a horribly detailed view of the circular maw and for an instant he was back in that cavern, staring certain death in the face.

Fortunately, this time he knew what would happen next. The camera jerked sharply. A different angle flashed up on the main screen from Preese's mech to show the charge of the Scraegan Beta. The bulky warrior lowered its head, ramming the huge arthropod in its flank.