Doomsday Weapon, he said to himself with much amusement.
The name was nonsense, one presumably created by an Alliance officer with far too much time on his hands. It was generally know as the Planetary Defense Net to most of the Helions, yet the Doomsday Weapon was surprisingly fitting, given the circumstances. He glanced back at the horizon and the only part of Spascia not currently belching thick smoke into the sky. Even so, clouds of the stuff still managed to waft in the direction of the craggy cover.
“Any change?” Private Jana Jenkell asked.
Jack shook his head and concentrated on the view. He’d become much closer to the squad’s medic since the catastrophic losses in the first assault on Spascia. Callahan was gone and so was Riku. Even the passing memory of her made him want to retch. Only Corporal Frewyn and Private Jenkell remained from their original little group, and even the Corporal was a fraction of what he had been. His damaged arm had been patched and repaired prior to the siege, but since then he’d been forced to accept a brace on the arm to stop it moving too much. It was a simple articulated bracket, but it reduced his ability to fight, and he never stopped letting them hear how frustrated he was.
“Marines,” said Corporal Frewyn as he dropped in alongside them.
“Have you heard the news?”
Jack and Jana shook their heads, along with the handful of others nearby.
“The Biomechs hit four cities further south an hour ago. This time they didn’t bother with a ground assault. They just used nukes from orbit.”
“What?” Jana snapped.
“Nukes?” Jack asked, but his words came out more as a confused statement rather than a question.
“Yeah, there’s no information officially, but rumor has it the Biomechs are abandoning the sieges of five more cities and concentrating everything left on us.”
Jack looked at him and then began shaking his head.
“No, that can’t be. There are eleven cities and industrial sites under siege right now. You’re saying they are giving them up to attack us?”
The Corporal nodded slowly.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
He gave them a moment to let that sink in. Little information had come in over the last few days about the rest of the world, but the general opinion with the marines was that the sieges of the other locations were minor affairs, more designed to pin down Helion forces than to actually be decisive.
“We’ve got our own problems, anyway. Time will tell if they decide to raise their heads. Look, I’ve just been speaking with Jae Jaan and Tessuk. They say the machines tried an assault on the northern approaches of the mountain.”
He pointed off into the distance and behind the planetary weapon system.
“Looks like they are working their way around the city and trying to get through the mountains while they mobilize their forces in the city ruins for the next big push.”
Jack looked back to him.
“What happened?”
“The Khreenk is what happened.”
The Corporal almost appeared amused at what he’d heard.
“Looks like nearly two hundred of those Thegns and a few war machines made it past the proximity minefield and right into a rear bunker complex on the lower slope. The Khreenk smashed them, and I mean smashed them. They had the high ground, good cover and best of all, supporting fire from the mountain guns. Looks like we had numbers and firepower on our side for a change.”
Jack even seemed impressed.
“Yeah, the northern and western approaches are impossible to bypass with heavy machines and equipment. So all they can use is infantry, and that’s slow, time-consuming, and vulnerable to air cover.”
He looked up to the sky.
“You remember the second assault. That wasn’t pretty.”
The other two nodded, but Jack found it almost impossible to shake the imagery of that hellish assault. He’d played no part in the actual fighting, but he’d seen firsthand how the attack had unfolded, and how badly it had failed.
“Night assault from orbit and directly onto our prepared defenses was a big mistake,” Corporal Frewyn agreed.
“I just wish they’d try it again. The ground spikes and defenses could easily finish off another few thousand.”
Jana looked back to the Corporal and sighed slowly.
“I don’t think they’ll make the same mistake twice. Maybe they’ll try and mine the place again,” suggested Jana.
Jack gave her a look that told her no response was even necessary.
Corporal Frewyn indicated toward the mountains.
“The rock is hard as armor plate. Not even the Biomechs can mine through that while under fire. You saw what happened with the mining machine they brought in two weeks ago.”
Both of them nodded in agreement. The underground battle between the Marine Corps and the Biomechs had gone on for three days straight and had already become something of a legend. Jack shook his head as he recalled what he’d heard.
“Yeah, I don’t think they’ll try that again. Marines and Khreenk underground can hold a lot of ground. It did keep them away from the artillery though.”
As if emphasizing the fact, a barrage of heavy ordnance rumbled on the mountainside. The shells were launched from short-barreled guns hidden behind movable plates fitted at varying positions. Most had been installed in the first days of their arrival on Spascia. Far more had been installed over time, with each one turning the mountain into a veritable fortress. The shells were lobbed at a relative low velocity and arced overhead before falling down into the position only so recently occupied by the marines. Each one hit with a cataclysmic bang, sending dirt filled shockwaves through the streets. Even this far back the ground vibrated and lifted small amounts of dirt and dust from the floor. Before they hit the ground, a volley of counter-battery fire launched from the city ruins. The return fire was faster and directly targeted the mountain guns.
“Look!” Jana said.
Her outreached arm picked out a pair of the massive six-legged walkers known as Eques war machines. A shell had just exploded alongside them, and both had been hurtled out into the open of one of the ruined streets. Though hidden from view, a dozen marksmen armed with high-velocity anti-materiel weapons fired. Each shot punched a hole the size of a man’s head into the machines’ innards, and in seconds both were burning from scores of holes.
“Yes!” she said excitedly.
Then the return fire scored hits around the mountain. Almost half were slightly off-target, but enough struck home to damage gun mounts or kill and maim the crews. It was another of the vicious, morale destroying techniques used by the enemy, and day-by-day it whittled down the number of defenders.
All of the earpieces in their helmets activated at the same time. It was Lieutenant Elvidge.
“Theta squad, you’ve got hostiles half a klick away. They are tagged, but they went to ground the minute we spotted them. They’re impossible to reach from here; you’ll have to take them the old-fashioned way. Get there fast. I’ll need you back here on the east side of the chasm by the end of today. Looks like they’re mobilizing underground for another assault.”
Jack felt a sickness in his stomach at this attempt of bravado. He knew exactly what the Lieutenant meant by the old-fashioned way, and it was far from pretty. Try as the man might, he was finding it harder everyday to manage with the close range gunfights and the brutal hand-to-hand combat. Just the idea pushed up his pulse, and he was forced to look away, open up his visor, and take another stim. They were small tablets, each no bigger than a pea, yet the effect was instantaneous. He felt his heart rate slow, and his thinking became clearer.
Just a few more, and after this is over, that’s it.
He’d promised himself the same thing over and over for ten days now, but with the continuous barrage of attacks, his reliance upon the locally produced narcotic was becoming worse and worse. Jack wasn’t the only one. He’d only learned of the drug when he’d
spotted a pair of Territorial marines trading foodstuffs with one of the Khreenk. After a few of the tablets, he’d found them the only way to keep cool and levelheaded in the stressed environment of combat.
“Jack, you ready?” Jana asked.
He glanced back with a slight glazed look to his eyes. She angled her head a little as she looked, so he activated the visor. It snapped down with a clunk and blurred his features.
“Yeah, I’m ready. I think I’d rather stay on this side though than heading back over there.”
His voice was low, almost monosyllabic, and he indicated across the chasm and to the city that could be seen off into the distance. It was the only viable route to reach the mountain with large numbers and heavy equipment.
But that doesn’t stop them from trying to sneak in, does it?
The transmission from their commander continued in their helmets.
“The enemy is using a crevice to work their way along to the base of the mountain. Meet up with Sergeant Stone and force them back. We cannot allow a single soldier to make it inside.”
Each acknowledged the orders and then moved down from their current position. The tagged location of the enemy was already within gunshot range, so they needed to keep their heads down low. In half a minute, they were back amongst the rocks and rubble that provided near perfect camouflage, as well as cover from artillery. Sergeant Stone waited with the rest of the squad plus a pair of Khreenk warriors. Jack glanced at them but didn’t recognize the equipment configuration. They must have been a pair he hadn’t seen before. He did recognize the stim pouch on the belt of the tallest soldier though.
“Move it, marines. We’ve got work to do.”
As usual, the Sergeant led the ragtag band of warriors from the front. Gone was the rigid structure, and instead they found themselves moving as an ad hoc unit, a sergeant, two Khreenk, and ten marines drawn up into two teams. Jack and his comrades were placed in the gun team that included the Khreenk with their unusual mix of medium-range firearms. They moved a little further until reaching a clearing scattered with rocks and mixed cover.
“The only way for them to get past is to move through this area. It’s big enough for an entire company to break through.”
His eyes moved amongst the fighters until he spotted three of the Territorials, far less experienced marines and looking overwhelmed at what was happening.
“Don’t think. Just remember your basic training.”
The three looked to each other and then back at him. Sergeant Stone was already looking past them and to Jack, who did his best to avoid eye contact.
“Standard contact drill. I’ll take the gun team to the right flank and prepare the ambush along the one side. Corporal Frewyn, you’ll handle the rifle team down here.”
Jack swallowed hard at hearing that. The gun and rifle team was something much more than equipment or training. The rifle team was the bait, and positioned to do just that.
“Corporal, you’ll fan out and position scouts closer to their entry point. Give ground, and keep up fire until they’re back into the killing ground.”
He then looked to the team he would be taking.
“That’s when we will hit them. Once they’re scattered, they’ll either fall to our guns, or we’ll pursue them back to their entry point. Based on previous experience, they will do exactly what we would do in an ambush situation.”
Corporal Frewyn nodded.
“Return fire and attack the ambushers?”
“Exactly.”
Sergeant Stone turned his attention to the Khreenk.
“Do not block off their line of retreat. They need to make mistakes. If we surround them, they will fight like animals. Give them options, and we can control the ground.”
The two soldiers looked to each other and began speaking. Nobody could understand a word they said, but that didn’t interest Sergeant Stone. He just looked at the two of them and roared.
“Shut your mouths!”
Both looked at him, but neither even contemplated continuing with their discussion.
“Now, get into position.”
He paused a moment while checking the most recent data from long-range scanners and drones.
“We’ve got less than six minutes. Jump to it.”
With that, he was gone. The line of marines and Khreenk moved up to the one side and then slowly disappeared, continuing on to their chosen spot. The position on the one flank would give them a clear view of the Biomechs from just one side, but only if they emerged from the safety of the crevice. If they retreated early, there would be little chance of hurting them. Just five marines remained under the command of Corporal Frewyn. Jack looked at them and noticed they’d been lumped with the three Territorials. Though equipped in just the same fashion as the other marines, he knew they were far from the best the unit had to offer.
“You heard the man. Spread and follow me,” said Corporal Frewyn.
He moved off with an odd gait, in part due to the injury that still hadn’t fully healed. They moved a few more meters into the clearing and then fanned out on the hand signals of Corporal Frewyn. Jack and Jana moved to the front, and the others stayed back, each taking a position behind a suitably large piece of hard rock. Jack kept his eyes focused and moved another twenty meters to the front and then dropped down behind a long, lower ridge. Jana moved in three meters to his left and pulled her head down to safety.
“Good. I need eyes on the access point ahead. Let them in, but tag them as soon as they’re spotted,” said Corporal Frewyn.
Jack and Jana both acknowledged the command and moved the bare minimum to look ahead. The ridges and rocks provided vast amounts of cover in the shallow basin, but it was still just about possible to make out the end of the v-shaped ridge between two levels of rock. The enemy had been spotted entering the craggy gap, and if the estimates were right, they should be less than thirty meters from the exit point into the open space.
“I have eyes on the location,” said Jack.
His optics were non-functioning, but the visor overlay was still working perfectly. As well as reminding him of his vital statistics, the technology was able to show him the position of his comrades, all of their ammunition status, and even the proximity of support.
“Good work, be patient. Get some mines out there.”
Jack looked back and spotted an object sailing through the air toward him. He reached out in the nick of time and caught the proximity grenade. It was just the same as the four currently attached to his thigh rig.
“Jana, pass me your grenades.”
The young marine reached down and rolled two of the objects over to him. She deliberately kept two back for her own use. Jack lifted the first and twisted the activate band to command trigger mode. With that, he hurled it off to the right and in the shadow of the largest rock. Twenty seconds later, he’d fanned them out in front of them, each of them set to the same setting.
“All done, Corporal.”
“Good, now we play the waiting game.”
He glanced to his left and checked that Jana was there. As was becoming routine for operations he was involved with, he half expected to see her dead or mutilated. It wasn’t that he’d become morbid over time. It was simply a combination of experience and fear. He’d seen people he knew butchered in each of these operations, even the small ones, and this was far from small. They were outnumbered ten to one, and he knew only too well that those kinds of odds didn’t suit them.
“Rifle team, I’ve got movement,” said the Sergeant over the secure channel.
Jack lifted his weapon to the right of the rocky cover so that the barrel pointed at the narrow chokepoint. He instantly spotted the movement of a pair of Thegns. Both were armed with forearm firearms and kept their heads low.
They’re learning…the bastards.
He was so tempted to pull the trigger, but self-control, mixed with experience and training, reminded him to stand his ground. He might kill them both, but the others wou
ld simply melt back into the mountainside. Few made it this far, but there was always the chance a handful could reach the planetary weapon system and damage or disable it. General Gun had reminded them more than a dozen times that if the weapon was disabled, it would give the Biomech a window, no matter how small a window to conduct their plans. Few doubted that the plan would involve a system-wide invasion.
“Jack, you ready?”
He nodded at Jana and looked back at the Thegns. More than a dozen had now moved out from the crevice cover and began to spread out in the clearing. All of this advance party was armed with firearms, and all were being very cautious.
Why? It’s not like they are lacking reinforcements, Jack wondered.
He’d never been close enough to examine them like this before. Every single time he’d been in contact with them, they had either been shooting or stabbing at him. Like most marines, he’d assumed they were nothing more than pre-programmed or trained animals. More of them continued to stream out, and then came the shape that made his entire body shiver. It was one of the Decurion war machines. The fearsome eight-legged thing scuttled out from cover and moved along the flank of the unit. Jack looked back toward Corporal Frewyn and the rookies who would provide the covering fire for their withdrawal. He couldn’t see them, but both were tagged on his visual overlay. He looked back and continued to tag targets to share with the other marines.
There are only two of us out here. What if we can’t get back?
It was the fear of any blocking force to be trapped, and this was a scenario Jack had been through before. It was one thing to engage the enemy at range with firearms, quite another to hold back a concerted Biomech assault. He felt his pulse begin to quicken again before spotting a new icon on his overlay. He concentrated on it and used his retina to select the information for the object.
Star Crusades Nexus: Book 08 - Wrath of the Gods: Page 7