by Tom Hart
‘A Shadow Weaver attack destroyed the navigation beacons in the Prastian border systems. The Union would appreciate your assistance to restore those beacons.’
A benign enough request, if the Union hadn't deliberately blown up the beacons to draw Confederate naval vessels to Prastian. ‘I must consult the Admiralty first on availability Ambassador but I can assure you I take safe navigation seriously and will be requesting urgent action,’ she lied.
The Ambassador nodded. ‘Thank you Majesty.’
‘I am afraid I must insist the freighter pay the regulated excise but as a gesture of goodwill between us I am happy to return the payment to the Union to use as a donation for your disadvantaged children's educational fund.’
The Ambassador smiled, a genuine smile this time. They both knew his disadvantaged children's educational fund was a merely sham Union charity and acted as his personal slush fund.
‘The Union is most grateful for your wisdom and kindness Majesty,’ the Ambassador said sweetly.
Scarlett nodded to the Ambassador to let him know the proceedings were over. He bowed respectfully this time and left with his entourage.
All the talk about Shadow Weavers made Scarlett return to the library that evening. The familiar texture of her forbidden book instantly relaxed her. What was it about the Shadow Weavers she found so attractive? They were the sworn enemies of the Crown, they wanted her and every Royal dead. Was it a sense of admiration, respect or longing to be free of the strictures of Court?
The Shadow Weavers were the only free people in the Spiral having turned their back on the Corporation model over a hundred-thousand years ago. The irony was not lost on the Duchess. The founding members of the Shadow Weavers were all former CEOs of the largest corporations within the Vofurion economy. After growing rich they decided the very system which provided them with their wealth needed to be overthrown and had waged a war of resistance ever since. They did not control much space, and had a small yet technologically advanced Navy. But they were fanatics completely and utterly devoted to their cause. The Duchess had met their President on two occasions, the first when she was only thirty, and the second less than ten years ago. He was an incredibly handsome man, when he spoke his words sounded like music. He was also a killer, a violent psychopath whose obsession with the destruction of the Corporations killed billions. Despite their differences the Confederacy and the Union occasionally joined forces to attack the Shadow Weavers. Yet they proved impossible to destroy, mostly as a result of their decentralised model which all successful terrorist organisations utilised.
The Shadow Weavers disgusted her, not because of their violent tendencies but because of their hypocrisy. Despite turning their back on the Corporation model the Shadow Weavers utilised a complex web of commercial arrangements and outsourcing agreements with Pirates, Buccaneers, mercenaries and other subcontractors who operated on its behalf. Her spies had only recently told her the Shadow Weavers used the same assassins on Proxima 19 as Scarlett. That wouldn’t do. An assault frigate was on its way to Proxima 19 with a battalion of her Royal Marines to remind the assassins not to mix business with opposing sides.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
MARINES
It took Tony and his tanks four days to reach the rendezvous point with Colonel Donovan's Norforce. With the tanks safely covered in foliage and camouflage nets Tony, Sarah and Maloney walked with the Colonel to a set of upturned wooden crates serving as the Colonel's headquarters. A set of maps were scattered on top of one of the crates. The Colonel gestured to the squat grey container full of demolition charges which two of Tony's troopers were struggling to half lift, half drag while under the watchful eye of an indigenous Sergeant. ‘Thanks for bringing the toys Tony, we've used most of ours,’ said Donovan with a grin.
Donovan pointed to the pile of maps. ‘My humble headquarters, state of the art as you can see.’
Tony noticed three white rings drawn with a wax pencil on a map of the port of Darwin. ‘Next fireworks show, said Donovan. ‘We plan to hit the Chinese munitions depot at the same time as the s-400 batteries on the promontory. That should give the Americans a chance to hit the Chinese transports in the harbour.’
‘I thought the Americans pulled out,’ Tony said.
‘Not all of them,’ a Yankee voice said from behind. A short broad shouldered Marine in a Major's uniform strode up to Tony. The Major extended his hand. ‘Major Ryan Jackson, 2nd Regiment, 3rd Marines.’
Tony shook the man's hand and introduced Sarah and Maloney. Major Ryan explained a US Destroyer was currently at anchor in Port Moresby. It's Commander was Ryan's uncle. The Destroyer had faked engine trouble and told US Navy command in Hawaii it was heading to port for minor repairs before returning to Hawaii as ordered. ‘My uncle is willing to bring his Destroyer in close to Darwin and launch his Tomahawks and Harpoons if we can clear the SAMs so they have a chance of doing some damage to the Chinese ships.’
‘I like the sound of your Uncle,’ Maloney said. ‘He's got balls.’
Ryan said he and his marines were appalled by the lack of guts from Pacific Command who ordered the withdrawal back to Hawaii. He and his men felt it was a disgrace to Australia and to the Marines who were fighting men not toy soldiers. Ryan knew of the Captain of a US submarine who had sank seven Chinese transports and two Chinese destroyers before being destroyed by the Chinese navy near Singapore. Ryan considered the Captain and his crew to be heroes but Pacific Command were saying the Captain was a traitor. They had warned any similar actions would result in an instant Court Martial and imprisonment.
‘Gutless,’ Ryan spat. ‘What's the point being an ally if you run at the first sign of trouble?’ Tony was able to cheer Ryan up by showing him the Prometheus drone. ‘Nice,’ Ryan said.
Donovan smiled as he saw the two dragonfly heat seeking missile launchers. ‘Handy,’ he said.
Donovan's quartermaster Warrant Officer Lions had taken an inventory of Tony's equipment. Donovan's smile grew wider each time Lions listed another item, ‘Five Chinese Type 72 tanks with 800 main gun rounds, 40 Chinese infantrymen's uniforms, 4 x 82 mm mortars with 300 rounds, 3 x 12.2 mm heavy machine guns with 4000 rounds, 3 Jade Dragon anti-tank launchers with 16 missiles and 80 AK-47s with 17,000 rounds.’
‘Just what I had on my Christmas wish list Captain,’ Donovan said patting Tony on the back.
‘You don't mind if my tankers borrow those tanks do you. They lost their Abrams early in the piece,’ asked Ryan.
‘That's why we brought them along Major.’
‘I think we can widen our ambitions now we have those tanks,’ Donovan said with a smile as wide as the horizon.
They moved out at dusk. Chinese attack helicopters were sighted twenty kilometres to the West by marine scouts but the path to Darwin was clear.
The captured tanks made light work of three Chinese armoured personnel carriers at a road block a few kilometres south of the city. A marine Sergeant with a stinger missile destroyed the single Chinese attack helicopter that noticed the fire and came to investigate. An enterprising Mandarin speaking Staff Sergeant in Ryan's company used captured code books to inform Chinese headquarters in Darwin a major Australian counter attack was taking place two-hundred kilometres to the East.
Two more roadblocks were swatted out of the way. The Chinese had been happy to see their own tanks up until the moment they opened fire. Even then the Chinese held their fire out of a misguided belief they were being attacked by accident. ‘Fish in a barrel,’ Donovan laughed.
A vigilant Chinese Platoon guarding a petrol station on the outskirts of Darwin commenced firing at the fake Chinese column when Tony was unable to respond with the correct recognition signal. The Platoon got off a lucky shot with a Dragontooth anti-tank rocket which struck Tony's tank in the side, disabling the left track. Tony and the US Marines in the tank were unhurt but Tony was angry. They did not have the facilities to repair the tank. The Platoon was overcome quickly with no further losses.
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br /> The Marines emptied the bowsers at the petrol station to refuel their tanks. Within forty minutes all tanks were topped off. Tony chewed on a mars bars purchased from the petrol station cafeteria. The owner had been delighted to receive a generous wad of cash from Tony's duffel bag as payment for the fuel and every item of confectionary in the shop.
Donovan wasted no time shelling the Chinese munitions’ dump and S400 batteries. The Chinese reacted quickly and with impressive discipline. Within a minute and a half Chinese counter battery fire bracketed the T-72s and begun raining down artillery shells. Donovan ordered a withdrawal and the tanks sped to their next waypoint. After hitting the heliport to destroy a squadron of Chinese attack helicopters the tanks stopped alongside a heavily wooded park to collect a marine scout team who had been undercover watching the Chinese since the day of the invasion.
Heading east the tanks encountered two Chinese armoured vehicles and a lorry blocking an intersection. They were swatted out of the way. Tony's tank driver took a direct route and drove the tank over the top of one lorry. Chinese infantrymen on top of a high rise in the CBD hit the second of Tony's T-72s with two anti-tank missiles killing the tank's occupants. Tony's tank provided cover by demolishing the top three floors of the high rise. Maloney and Ryan dragged the sole survivor, a marine warrant officer from the turret. Tony swore, three of his Troopers had been in that tank.
They continued east until they reached a low ridge overlooking the port. By now the Chinese had launched two fighter bombers from an airfield to the West. They were equipped with rocket pods and lit up the ridge two-hundred metres in front of Tony's tank. Tony ducked down and slammed the hatch shut. Two SAS Troopers in the T-72 closest to the top of the ridge fired off a dragonfly heat seeking missile which struck the first Chinese fighter bomber in the tail. It spiralled out of control and Tony saw the plume of a parachute as the pilot ejected.
The two co-axial turret mounted cannons on the last two T-72s in the column fired tracers at the remaining Chinese aircraft. Tony's guns joined in when they came to bear. The Chinese pilot pulled back in shock and scooted to the West on full afterburner. Probably waiting for reinforcements Tony thought. They needed to get out of dodge and disappear.
Ryan was busy with a high powered US radio unit mounted in the chassis. He raised his Uncle who was at flank speed and closing the distance to Darwin. He needed another hour before he would be in range to launch his tomahawks.
A team of four marines were cleverly camouflaged and waiting with their laser designator on top of a water tower four klicks to the North. They would provide the crucial guidance telemetry for the Tomahawks. This would allow the Destroyer to launch without having to light up its own powerful search radars, a sure way of letting the Chinese know they were in the neighbourhood.
Tony and his armoured column were forced to scatter in a nearby national park as a squadron of attack helicopters appeared. The Marines in the water tower were on their own for now.
The first Tomahawk hit a Chinese Navy transport anchored two-hundred metres from the wharf. It was like watching someone throw a can of confetti into the air. The twenty-thousand tonne ship effectively disintegrated. The next two transports were destroyed in a similar fashion. One Tomahawk went wide and detonated rather conveniently on the wharf itself, wiping out a squadron of Chinese armoured vehicles parked in a neat line.
One S400 battery must have survived Tony's attack as it launched interceptors which brought down the next four Tomahawks. But the USS Spruance held twenty-eight Tomahawks in her vertical cells and the rest found their marks. Ryan whooped and pumped the air with his fist at the growing clouds of smoke from the harbour.
Twenty minutes later as the smoke began to clear thirteen Chinese transports and four Chinese warships, including a giant Chinese cruiser, had been sunk. The port was a mess. Only one of the five giant derricks remained upstanding. The primary Chinese munitions dump on the Northern shore of the harbour was ablaze and the last S400 battery had been overwhelmed.
Ryan placed the radio receiver down and told Tony and Donovan, the USS Spruance was heading back to Hawaii with three Chinese submarines, four destroyers and a cruiser on its tail. ‘Hope you enjoyed the show,’ Ryan's Uncle said before signing off.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
RUSSIANS
Henry was walking Robert to the embassy car park when a marine guard came running towards them with a flash traffic telegram. Henry tore open the card. His eyes widened as he read it. He passed the card to Robert and spoke hurriedly to the Marine. ‘Get my car ready. I need to see the Chinese ambassador.’
Robert gritted his teeth at the message. The Chinese had triggered an earthquake in New Orleans, flooding the city and killing thousands of people. The message said the Chinese had done so in retaliation for a US strike on their forces in Darwin.
Sarah was no longer wearing her leather pants. Instead she was wearing a pair of shorts, equally sexy to Tony, as she spoke to a Marine Sergeant about hooking into the Marines satellite link. The Marines had ingeniously rigged a Chinese radio to contact their commander General Eric Black whose headquarters were in Osaka Japan. Sarah wanted to patch into NATO headquarters in Brussels to speak with her father Ambassador Harrington.
General Eric Black was one of many US commanders who was openly disregarding the orders of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and using his forces to attack the Chinese. Only that morning he had authorised an attack against a Chinese flotilla of Destroyers loitering on the edge of the Sea of Japan. His three squadrons of Marine F-18 Super Hornets with their escort of Growler jammers sank three of the Chinese ships. The two remaining destroyers fled back to China.
General Black was pleased with his pilots. They had done the Marine Corp proud. He was still feeling proud when the magnitude 7 earthquake struck two miles from his headquarters.
Marine Sergeant Vickers politely interrupted Tony and Ryan to say communication with headquarters in Osaka had been lost. ‘Damn,’ Ryan said. Osaka had been feeding Ryan some excellent satellite imagery of Darwin and the surrounding areas.
‘Looks like we are on our own now,’ Ryan said to Vickers.
Sarah succeeded in reaching her father's voicemail. She left a short cryptic message which she knew he would understand.
Tony was standing next to a knotted gum tree talking to Ryan. Sarah looked up from the radio and waved to Tony. He smiled back. Tony was still smiling when the sniper's bullet struck him in the shoulder. ‘Tony,’ Sarah screamed.
The trees exploded. Sharp pine needles stung Sarah's legs as gunfire erupted from all directions. A T-72 exploded in a fireball less than 100 metres from her Sarah’s face and the aftershock threw her to the ground. She shook her head to clear her vision and drew her Uzi.
She spotted SAS men sprinting and shooting while they ran for cover. Crawling quickly to the protective hull of a T-72 she crouched behind it's track. A Chinese soldier appeared in the scrub less than ten metres away. She fired a short burst and the soldier collapsed. Another appeared and she fired again striking him in the neck. She ducked instinctively as hot metal slugs ricocheted off the Tank's armour. She sucked in a lung full of air then began crawling back towards the tree Tony had been standing under.
She found Tony a few yards from the tree propped up against a log and firing his Steyr at a squad of Chinese crouching behind a burning tank. His left shoulder was covered in blood but he didn't seem to care. He saw Sarah and gestured for her to stay where she was while he came to her. He crouched then sprinted, sliding to the ground next to her. He span and fired over Sarah's head, striking a Chinese soldier creeping through the grass. ‘We need to move back to the creek.’ She nodded and followed Tony in a low crouch as they moved towards the protection the scrub offered.
Tony gestured for Sarah to freeze. Three Chinese soldiers were crouched around a radio in a small clearing up ahead. Tony used his hand to signal to Sarah to stay put while he dealt with it. Sarah waited a minute then crept forward. Had Tony
been captured? She saw Tony crouched over the bodies of the Chinese, bayonet in hand. He gestured for her to join him. He pointed to a Chinese rifle. ‘Would you mind grabbing that?’ He took another Chinese rifle and a belt of magazines. Sarah put her Uzi back inside her jacket and hefted the Chinese assault rifle. It was bulky, she much preferred her Uzi. They moved silently back into the scrub, heading for the creek a half mile distant.
There were eight SAS troopers waiting for Tony at the creek. The creek had been their designated withdrawal point in the event of a surprise attack. One of the troopers was in a bad way. A nasty wound to his chest oozed black blood. The other troopers had bandaged him up but Tony knew without emergency surgery the man would never make it. The trooper knew it too. He told Tony to prop him up against a tree and leave him with a pair of grenades. ‘I'll slow them down and take a few with me boss,’ the Trooper said.
‘Good lad,’ Tony said.
‘Who dares wins,’ the Trooper said with a grin.
‘Who dares wins,’ Tony replied patting the Trooper on the shoulder.
Five minutes later Tony heard the explosion from the grenades. He gritted his teeth. Those Chinese bastards were going to pay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
TRIGLESIUM
Scarlett entered the code to decrypt Harper's latest message. She ignored the parts about the effect higher than usual levels of radiation around some planet called Venus were having on Harper’s complexion. All Scarlett cared about was finding the Arcanum with its precious cargo of Triglesium. Did Harper have any more clues? Yes, she'd included the latest readings form the Corporation's geo-survey which were promising. Large amounts of Triglesium had been present in the system as recently as fifty years ago, more than 20 kilograms from the readings. Things were going to get interesting real fast in this little dustbowl of a system.