Slaves of Hyperion (Star Crusades Uprising, Book 6) Read Free Page B

all looking up to the position of the enemy.
    “Give me covering fire, now!”
    There was no hesitation, and each lifted their weapons and blind fired towards the position of the enemy. A sporadic burst of defensive fire hit back, but it was wild, and the shooter must have been ducking to avoid fire. Spartan lifted his head briefly and aimed at the position he had last seen the man firing from. The reception desk was flat-fronted and cool on his display, much cooler than expected. He could pick up the sparks and flashes from their rifle rounds failing to penetrate the target. He fired a short burst and dropped back.
    “Sir, he’s dug in. If you ask me, that desk area has been armoured for a day like this. I’d say inch thick plate or some kind of composite,” suggested Corporal Lina Sovana .
    The others had dropped back down but were still firing short bursts to keep the man pinned down. He looked down to his rifle and selected the high-power mode. It reduced his rate of fire to no more than one shot every five seconds but would expend the capacitor’s charge to propel all three projectiles at the same tame to incredible speeds. According to the instructors demonstrating the weapon, a single slug at that speed could penetrate through an engine block. Three rounds in close proximity would be devastating. He waited the few seconds for the indicator to show on his HUD that the weapon was charged and ready.
    “Again!” he called out and the others lifted their weapons to add more fire. A short burst ripped back towards him from the defender and then stopped for a second. It was his chance. He stood up to the right so that he was pushed up to the wall and took aim at the point where the muzzle flashes had occurred. He dropped his aim down by a metre and squeezed the trigger. With a loud pulse of blue light and an almost bellowing scream, the rifle released its cargo of three magnetic projectiles at super-high velocities. It smashed through the desk as if it wasn’t even there, through the man and continued on through half the building. The man himself was hurled backwards by the impact almost two metres before crashing into the wall, and dead well before he even touched the ground.
    “Forward!” cried Spartan and the group of four were up off the stairs and surging onto the main level. According to their plans, the area was divided up into ten rooms with two staircases at each end and a long corridor running between the rooms. A number of individuals stumbled about but were instantly cut down by his team.
    “Rooms one through four are clear!” called out the second team who had already cleared over a third of the floor.
    Spartan started to worry about their intel. They had been promised the head of their target in this compound. Drone recon indicated he had been present less than an hour ago.
    Where is he? Spartan wondered.
    He moved to the corridor and to a short distance ahead. At the far end of the hall, he spotted the second team as they did the same. Both sides lifted their fists to acknowledge the position of the other. It would be a tragedy if two elite teams caught each other in a deadly but mistaken crossfire. It was easily done, hence the weeks of training and rehearsals. There were doors just ahead and on each side. Spartan waved with his left hand for two of his unit to take up positions on the one side while one stayed behind him. He counted silently with his fingers.
    Three...two...one!
    Then he spun around and kicked the door hard. It opened more easily than expected, and he was inside. A man carrying an L48 carbine, the same weapon he had used on many occasions, was looking out of the window and turned to shout. Spartan fired at his chest; completely forgetting his weapon was still on high-power. The powerful blast threw the man headlong out of the window as the three magnetic slugs hit him with enough power to tear through a toughened concrete wall. The body disappeared in the courtyard below. One of