“I thought you handled yourself pretty well,” I said.
“You didn’t see me crying through the night. I had horrible nightmares, Orry.”
“I get them too,” I said. “At least you got some sleep.”
“Well, since we don’t have anything else to do, I guess I’ll get some more,” Gloria said. “Care to join me?”
I looked over at Gloria. She had a wicked grin on her face, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aurora looking at me with a worried expression.
“I’ll take a rain check,” I said, trying to sound casual even though my heart was pounding in my chest.
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Gloria said in a sing-song voice.
“Thanks for the offer,” I said.
“It stands,” she said, before turning to Aurora. “See ya later, sis.”
Gloria disappeared into her tent, and Aurora looked away from me. I wanted to go to her, to comfort her, but I knew it would be a wasted effort. She was hurt and angry. I would just be an easy target, and I didn’t relish being her punching bag again. Instead, I went back into my tent and put on the Command Helmet. I was just in time to hear Lieutenant Parks give Abe a message for Aurora.
“Tell Private Wilkes I’ll radio her the first chance I get,” Parks said. “Until then she’s to stay put and follow orders.”
“Roger that, Lieutenant. I’ll pass on the message,” Abe said.
The drivers of the transports gave regular reports on their progress, which I assume the communication specialists in the Command Post passed along to the Attila. For ten minutes, the advance went uncontested. I was actually beginning to nod off when I heard shout over the radio.
“Look out!” shouted one of the drivers.
“What is that thing?” another called out in a voice pitched high with panic.
There was exactly eight seconds of static. I know because I counted, waiting to hear something more from the convoy. Finally, they spoke again.
“Convoy is under attack,” the first driver said. “I repeat, we are under attack.”
“Roger that, convoy,” said one of the radio operators.
I dashed out of the tent and looked around. Aurora was frowning and Abe was speaking to her. There were less than a dozen Marines in sight, almost all of them engineers. I stepped to Gloria’s tent and pulled back the flap.
“The convoy is under attack,” I said. “They need our help.”
“Orry? Where did you get that helmet?” Abe asked.
“Master Sergeant Eubanks gave it to me last night. The convoy is under attack.”
“What?” Aurora said.”
“The convoy, all the Marines that left the Base Camp this morning are going to die if we don’t do something.”
Over the command channel, I heard shouting and swearing. The transports were retreating, but something toppled a tree across the road to cut off their escape. I looked up and saw one transport left at the BC.
“Gloria, can you drive that thing?” I asked, pointing to the transport.
“You bet I can,” she said.
“Alright, follow me,” I said.
I didn’t wait to see who was coming. I just ran as fast as I could toward the group of structures at the center of our camp.
“Orry, what are you doing?” Abe shouted.
“Helping,” I called over my shoulder, catching a glimpse of Gloria and Aurora following me.
I knew deep in my bones that if we didn’t do something, the entire force of Marines would be overrun. They needed an avenue out of the jungle, and I was going to give them one.
Chapter 34
I rushed to the small building Money and I had set up as an armory. I grabbed armor and settled it onto my shoulders, then picked up an assault rifle.
“Orry, what are you doing?” Abe asked. “You’re not supposed to leave the pavilion.”
“The entire Marine force is trapped out there on the road,” I said. “We have to help them.”
“That’s not our job,” said another of the engineers. Several had gathered nearby.
“You’re Marines. We can’t sit back and let three platoons of infantry get slaughtered.”
Gloria joined me in the armory. I quickly had her suited up and armed.
“Can you drive that transport by yourself?” I asked.
“Absolutely,” she replied.
“Good. We’re going into the jungle in reverse. You’ll be driving backwards for several klicks.”
“I love a challenge,” Gloria said.
“Great. Get moving.”
She dashed away and threw out some armor toward Abe who was still hesitating. He looked grim, but started putting it on.
“Look, the road is the perfect ambush sight,” I said. Bring down some trees, and you’ve got our forces trapped. If we go into the forest after the natives, they’ll slaughter us. Our best bet is to clear the road quickly.”
“How do we do that?” Abe asked.
Instead of answering, I opened the lid to a crate and picked up a block of moldable explosives and handed it to Abe.
“Now you’re talking,” the demolition specialist said with a grin.
I left the armory with all new weapons, including a Sharps LRRG. I had my assault rifle slung around on my back and my pistol holstered on my right hip. I had extra ammunition for both in a belt and I carried the battery pack and various rounds for the rail gun in a satchel over my shoulder. Gloria had the last transport running nearby and I waved to her just as I heard Aurora’s voice on the com-link calling for the air strike.
I wanted to argue with her, but there was no time. My duty was to the Marines under fire, not to the natives of the planet who were trying to kill us all. Instead, I opened a tactical channel for Gloria, Abe, and myself.
“You ready, Keyes?” I asked.
“Affirmative. It’s weird wearing a helmet and armor, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Abe came running with four other engineers. One was Lieutenant Duffer. I didn’t know whether to stop, salute, ask for his opinion on the rescue operation, or just keep moving. I decided if he wanted to take charge he would have spoken up. The engineers climbed into the back of the transport, but I moved to the front. Just behind the cab was a ladder built into the side of the armor plating. Climbing up on top of the vehicle was simple enough, even with the extra weapons.
“What are you doing up there, Orry?” Gloria asked.
“I’ll be providing overwatch,” I said. “Abe and his engineers will plant explosives on any trees blocking the road. Once the path is clear you get us out of there.”
“Roger that,” she replied.
“We’re on board and ready to go,” Abe said.
“Let’s do it,” I agreed.
The transport’s engine growled as Gloria shifted into reverse and gunned the engine. She threaded her way down the road in reverse well enough that I stopped worrying about crashing and focused instead on the radio traffic from the ambush. The voices overlapped. Some were panicked Marines, others were orders being given. The one voice I didn’t hear was Captain Rigel. I knew he would freeze up, given the danger and pressure. Occasionally, I heard Money’s voice. The Marines had come charging out of the transports, but they didn’t have the tools to cut the trees that had been felled to block the roads. The natives were staying well back into the forest, out of sight. Money had convinced the other officers not to go into the jungle, but fear had settled in on the trapped Marines. They knew it was only a matter of time before the natives attacked again.
It took us twice as long to reach the convoy as it had for the three transports to reach the ambush sight, but it didn’t take long for my helmet’s com-signal to reach Master Sergeant Eubanks. I opened a private private channel and told hime we were coming.
“Master Sergeant, I’m on my way with a demo team to clear the road,” I said.
“Porter, tell me you’re not on foot,” Money replied.
“No, Master Serg
eant. We’re in a transport, but Gloria is driving in reverse so that we can get back to the BC as quickly as possible.”
“Good thinking. What’s your ETA?”
“A few more minutes,” I said. “What should I look out for?”
“Falling trees,” Money warned.
“Roger that, Master Sergeant. I’ll let you know when we’re on station. Stand-by.”
I saw the trees blocking the road in the distance. We were on a straight section and the natives had cut three trees — two on the right side of the road, and one on the left. I immediately scanned for hostiles, but the jungle seemed empty.
“Stop here,” I told Gloria when we were fifty meters out.
“Stopping,” she replied.
The transport slowed, then stopped. Abe and the engineers bolted from the back of the transport. They had gone half the distance to the fallen trees when a troop of Prog emerged from the forest. Six of the humpbacked creatures appeared with atlatls and spears. The engineers slowed, not sure what to do. They each had assault rifles slung on their backs, but their hands were full of explosives, blasting caps, and detonators. Fortunately, I was not so encumbered. I had the Sharps LRRG set up and loaded. At fifty meters, I couldn’t miss. I settled the aiming reticle on the largest of the Prog and pressed the trigger. The electromagnet instantly reversed polarity, hurling the plunger down the rail, which propelled the bullet. The plunger hit the stoppers at the end of the rail hard enough to jerk the gun forward, but I was ready for the strange recoil and held the weapon steady. The bullet tore through the Prog’s chest, and blew the big hump out of its back in a thick shower of gore.
The plunger slid back into place. I settled another round into place and fired. The Sharps LRRG was much slower than an assault rifle, but much more accurate. I killed three of the prog in fifteen seconds, before the engineers were in danger from the shaggy creatures’ spears. The remaining three retreated, and Lieutenant Duffer sprang into action.
“Get the charges set,” he ordered. “I’ll cover you.”
Abe and the others hurried to their task. The moldable explosive was torn into small wads that were pressed into the rough bark of the fallen trees. Then blasting caps, which were small and looked like short pencils were stuck into each clump of explosive. Tiny wires ran from the caps back to a central detonator. The demolition team was sprinting back to the transport, and only Lieutenant Duffer remained. He bent down on one knee adjusting the detonator when a Fae mounted on a flying creature came charging down the road toward him. I fired the Sharps and killed both creatures.
“Fire in the hole,” Lieutenant Duffer said.
“Fire in the hole,” I repeated over the tactical channel, which included Master Sergeant Eubanks.
The explosives all went off at the same time, but none of the charges were large enough to do extensive damage. Chunks of wood flew in all directions as smoke from the blasts obstructed our view.
“Porter, is the road clear?” Money asked.
I was watching for any signs of the enemy as Lieutenant Duffer gathered up the detonator and began jogging back toward the transport.
“I can’t see yet, Master Sergeant. Stand-by.”
Out of the smoke came an angry Gral. The six-legged creature was charging forward at speed. I fired the LRRG and hit the beast in its left front shoulder. The Gral stumbled, sliding through the mulch the engineering team had laid down on the roadbed.
“Get down!” I shouted at Lieutenant Duffer, but he didn’t react fast enough.
Part of infantry training was learning to obey without thought. Perhaps officer training was different, or just the engineering division. I don’t know — but the lieutenant ducked a little, and kept running. The Gral flung several quills with a twitch, as I was reloading the railgun. I heard Lieutenant Duffer cry out in pain right before I fired again. My second shot hit the Gral in the head and killed it instantly. Unfortunately, its large body now blocked the road.
“Abe, you’ve got to run a line out to that Gral so we can get it off the road,” I said.
“Is it clear?” Abe asked.
“Appears to be,” I replied.
“Porter, what’s the status on that road?” Money demanded.
I looked up. The smoke was clearing. There were still chunks of the trees, but none large enough to stop a transport.
“It’s clear Master Sergeant,” I said. “Begin your retreat.”
I heard orders being given over the com-link, but my attention was on Abe. He dashed out of the transport trailing a rope, which I assumed was already secured to the heavy vehicle. Two more engineers ran out to help Lieutenant Duffer, who had two large Gral quills sticking out of his back. Unlike the others, Lieutenant Duffer hadn’t worn armor. He was still alive, but unconscious. I could see that on the HUD of my Command Helmet.
Abe was almost to the large alien when a volley of spears arced out of the forest. There was nothing I could do to help my friend but shout a warning. It was the worst feeling of my life. I watched in horror as Abe dove to the ground, and the spears fell.
Chapter 35
Abe made himself as small a target as possible, and most of the spears flew over his head. One glanced off his helmet. Another hit his armor and bounced off, but one found a gap between the top of his boot and the shin guard. Abe’s scream shook me. He writhed on the ground, the spear pinning his leg to the road.
I had to force myself to wait for a few seconds to see what other trick the aliens had up their sleeves. When none appeared, I got quickly to my feet and slipped off the back of the transport, dropping nearly a meter to the ground. Pain rolled up my back, but I ignored it. Instead, I slung my assault rifle around as I sprinted toward my friend. I was halfway to Abe when a troop of Fae came bounding out of the tree line. The simian aliens were only as tall as my waist, but I knew from personal experience how strong and ferocious they were.
My thumb flicked the safety off my rifle, and I fired a heavy barrage straight into the charging Fae. On full-auto, my CR 2280 emptied a magazine in just six seconds. All forty-eight rounds of depleted uranium slugs cut through the aliens like they were paper targets. But the aliens were learning our tactics. Three of the creatures had immediately dropped to the ground, lying prone, so that my shots flew over them. I had just hit the magazine release when the trio of aliens jumped up and continued the charge. My hand was reaching down for another magazine, but I instantly changed course and jerked my pistol free.
Firing on the run is never easy. I hit two of the Fae, but the third dove forward, rolled over one shoulder, and came up to its feet as it pulled one of the spears free from the road. I dropped to one knee, steadying my aim, just as the Fae flung it’s spear. My last round hit the alien in the forehead. I started to roll to the side, but my back spasmed. For just a second I was locked in place, halfway to the ground. The spear hit my right elbow. The metal tip gouged the bone, then ripped through my tricep.
Fiery pain filled my arm as I fell onto the road. My whole world was pain, from my back and wounded arm, but my training was so ingrained that I kept moving. I fumbled for a magazine, and got one free of my ammo belt just as I came up on my knees. Using my left hand, I managed to get it into the grooves and press it into the weapon, hearing the satisfying click as it locked into place. Pulling the charging lever was something I normally did with my left hand, which wasn’t as awkward. With my rifle reloaded and ready, I staggered to my feet and lumbered to my friend. I jerked the spear free and grabbed the top of his armor at the collar to drag him toward the fallen Gral. I saw movement in the trees, but couldn’t make out what I was seeing exactly. I fired a few rounds into the jungle, hoping to scare off whatever was maneuvering through the trees.
“Orry, my leg,” Abe said.
“I know,” I said, in a numb voice.
“It’s broken!” he cried out. “I’m not going to be able to get out of here. I’m going to die.”
“No you’re not,” I said. “Just hang on.”
I snatched up the rope. It was thin but strong. My hands shook as I looped the cord around the large hoof of the Gral’s right foreleg. I tied a knot of some kind. My right hand didn’t want to cooperate, and I feared we would be overrun. Just as I finished the knot, a Vena hunter appeared. I saw his arm rise up to target me and I dropped behind the Gral, using the creature’s body for cover.
“I’m going to die,” Abe cried.
“Shut up,” I growled.
I popped my head up over the Gral to see what the hunter was doing. My movement must have frightened the hunter. He fired, but his aim was off. The projectile tore through the Gral’s flesh. Blood and gore flew up and pelted my helmet’s visor. I shot blind, two three-round bursts, before swiping a hand across my helmet so I could see again. The hunter was down but not dead. I fired again, ending his life, but at the same time noticing more movement in the trees.
“Gloria! Time to go!” I shouted.
“Roger that,” she replied.
I grabbed Abe with my left hand and flung him onto the Gral, then jumped on top of him just as Gloria accelerated down the road. The rope pulled taut, then we were moving. I fumbled to find a solid hold on the creature, managing to grip a quill with my right hand just before we hit a bump. Pain made my world turn red, but I didn’t let go. Unfortunately, the quill pulled free from the dead Gral’s back, and I tumbled off. I looked up in time to see my Sharps LRRG fall off the top of the transport as Gloria raced around a curve.
I was jogging after them when Abe was thrown clear. The Gral’s body rolled to the side of the road, hit a tree, and the hoof was ripped away from the creature’s leg. I watched as Gloria and the transport disappear out of sight.
“Abe,” I shouted as I ran to my friend.
I couldn’t tell if he was laughing or crying. Fortunately, he was laughing.
“That didn’t work,” he said.
“Good to be alive, isn’t it,” I said.
We heard the familiar whine of the transports moving in reverse. I was thinking we could hitch a ride with one of the other vehicles rather than call Gloria back, but even as the thought crossed my mind, I heard a crack that sounded like the pop of thunder. Then, almost in slow motion, I saw a tree starting to fall.
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