When our final mission came, I was pretty happy though. Way too many of my friends had been killed or wounded, and part of me was itching to get back to my 'family' and fly something a little less dangerous.
The Corporation's intelligence group had finally pinned the location of their main settlement, a well settled planet way out on the fringes that no one had known about. It was quite the task force that formed up two day's jump out from it. As the lead pilot, and the Captain's close confident, well okay, lover, I had access to the battle plans, or our part of it at least. We were going in after the infiltration teams hit. Once they took out some of the key communications points, the heavies would start bombarding the main defenses, and Hawk block would slip in to take out some of the places that needed a more personal touch.
Personally I thought we should just nuke the place from orbit, but intell thought there might be some prison camps down there. They also figured that everyone down there couldn't be guilty, plus they felt the Earth Government might get a tad upset at that level of destruction.
We launched during the second bombardment. Coming in hot behind the missiles, we had an extra assault shuttle, and three dropships. We were all packed tight with troops, 120 total, we'd been supplemented with a second block just before dropping. The Hawk had flown in dangerously close to let us all off, which made our job a lot safer, I just hope they didn't get tagged before they got out of range again.
Coming in I found my objective and dumped my twelve troops right were I was supposed to. The other shuttles did likewise and the drop ships hit their mark just as I ordered my two wingmen to curve back to cover their deployment. The dropships weren't going to be taking off again until the battle was over, there wasn't going to be any retreating off of this beachhead. But we had long range fire support and could call for reinforcements. At least that was the theory.
"Assault One," came over the com, "We need a few tanks softened up."
"On my way, Lieutenant!" I replied recognizing the voice and noting the com signature on my headsup.
"How many we got Stu?" I asked my WSO as I looked at the marker beacon the Lieutenant had set and banked around to come in low.
"Four, the first two are in cover, I'm dialing up Lances, the other two are gunnable."
"Good show," I mumbled watching out for the anti-air that was coming up all over. "We’re gonna have to do some suppression here soon."
"Roger that"
I popped up over the rise and saw the line of tanks, sure enough the first two were in cover and I saw the light on my display noting two lances firing off to take them out as I triggered the gattling gun in two short bursts for each of the other two.
"Thanks Bitch!" came over the com and I smiled.
"Anytime sexy!" I snickered and turned north.
"Any idea where all that anti-air is coming from Stu?"
"Yeah, I'm sending the targets to your display now, and setting up some cluster packets."
"Good show," I replied and we spent the next couple of minutes pacifying those targets.
"Assault two, what's your status?"
"Assault one, we're supporting Hawk platoon 2. They've found the entrance to that artillery position and we're helping them knock on the door."
"Roger that, Assualt three, what are you up to?"
"Flying high cover for two, we're available for any fire missions you got."
"Roger three, you see any radars or other tracking equipment, paste it. So far the anti-air at this end seems to be small ground emplacements."
"Roger one. We make it to be about the same. Looks like the first bombardment took care of most of it."
"One out."
With the shuttles squared away I raced around providing individual support to each of the groups as they called it in. When my stores started to get low I started to divvy the work out to Two and Three.
After an hour I had Stu do a fuel and weapons check on the three of us. Three was still pretty flush, but Two and I were down to a handful of missles. Fuel was running low, but a landing zone had been secured by one of the other teams and I sent Two off to refuel and re-arm. Meanwhile the ground forces had started their assault on their primary objective, a command bunker that was suspected of holding major government officials.
It was then that they started their counterattack, I suddenly wondered if maybe we had the right bunker as what must have been a couple hundred troops suddenly boiled up out of several concealed emplacements and opened up with everything they had.
My com filled with fire requests as my boys started to get pinned down from the onslaught. I ordered Three in on strafing runs as I did the same, I didn't even bother to tell Stu what to aim for, I was sure he'd use his best judgement as I was busy with the new arrivals and the sudden increase in anti-air as well.
"Assault One, I'm out of ammo!" came the call from Three.
"Three, how can that be?" I growled, he shouldn't have been dry that quickly.
"My gattling gun won't work, must have taken a hit and the chainguns just ran dry."
"Damn!" I swore to myself, "Okay Three, beat it back to the LZ and get whatever they can load quick, got it?"
"Roger!" he replied peeling off and heading out.
"Assault Two, what's your ETA?" I commed.
"We're launching, fifteen minutes!"
"Damn," I swore again, I was running low on ammo as well, my chainguns were dry, all I had left was the gattling gun.
"We're running out of flares and chaff!" Stu called adding to my problems.
I banked hard to avoid a shoulder launched and popped off a very short shot at where the smoke trail came from on the ground. "Eat this sucker" I growled fingers crossed. The gattling was good against tanks and armor, but didn't do as well against infantry. Which were peppering my shuttle with ground fire when they weren't shooting at the troops. I wasn't too worried about that damage, but after a while it would add up.
"Assault One!!" Came the Lieutenants voice, it didn't sound good.
"Serge! What?"
"Bearing 240 from my position, that bunker that just popped up has us pinned. We’re exposed here, we need help now!"
"Shit shit shit SHIT!" I swore banking over hard again to look at the target. I made my first pass almost head on firing the gattling gun and passing low overhead.
"No joy," came the call from Serge.
I arced around low and fast.
"How long can you hold out? I'm almost dry here and it'll be ten minutes before Two shows up."
"In ten minutes there won't be much of a Hawk block left! We need a strike now! They suckered us in good, I didn't know that bunker was even there until it opened up just now. We're taking heavy casualties and if this keeps up their perimeter troops are going to be able to flank the rest of the block!"
I could hear the desperation in his voice, Serge rarely got worried, I knew this was bad. "On the way." I growled. Those were my boys down there getting shot, dammit.
"We're out of ammo Dialene, now what?"
I only took an instant to come to a decision. "Bail out."
"What?!"
"Bail out now dammit, that's an order!"
I'll give him credit, the next thing I heard was a loud explosion and the ship rocked.
"Serge, send a couple guys to pick up Stu."
"What?"
"You heard me." I leveled off, I could see the bunker off ahead. I climbed up hard and nosed over coming in at a 45 degree angle as I pushed the throttles to full AB and locked the Nav computer to the gunsite.
"Dialene! What are you doing?" He yelled desperately.
"No one fucks with my boys but me dammit!" I yelled and triggering the fuel dumps I hit the eject switch.
Punching out of an aircraft going faster then the speed of sound is not recommended. Oh they say you'll survive, and that it's not that bad, but the reality is different. The seat guards aren't really that strong, and I could have sworn I'd hit a brick wall. I did see the shuttle impact the bunker w
ith a blinding flash, and then a huge fireball formed as the dumping fuel spread out all over and the whole place mushroomed up in a large secondary explosion. I watched it all in slow motion as the chair's rockets tried to push me out of the way, the fireball grew closer and closer, until the shock wave hit me and sent me spinning as the flames engulfed me and the centrifugal forces knocked me out.
"Easy on the stimulants corpsman, she's coming to." I heard as I felt something something stab my leg.
"Got it Sarge, but she's gonna need some pain killers if we're going to get her mobile and join up with the rest of the troops."
"What's the situation?" I asked trying to sit up, a mistake, the pain was incredible.
"Lay down a moment yet." The voice I finally recognized as Joel, and my blurry vision cleared to confirm it as I made out the Wolf medic's features.
"Well," I recognized the tiger as Sergeant Nice, her reputation of course was anything but. "Your near attempt at suicide took out the turret and everything underneath as well. From the size of the secondary explosions there must have been one hell of a bunker underneath."
"The troops?" I sighed as the pain started to recede.
"Serge is leading an assault team into the command bunker, you pretty much crushed the counter attack and he's pressing the advantage. We're to get you up and mobile to join with the rear guard."
"Help me up," I said, groaning loudly as she easily put me on my feet.
"You've got first and second degree burns all over your body," Joel told me, "You weren't in the fireball long enough to melt your suit, too much, but your fur baked inside and in a few spots melted I suspect."
"That explains the sticky feeling in spots," I mewled as I felt something pull and then break free inside.
"You also cracked your ribs and probably have a bunch of hairline fractures along your spine from ejecting, but that's normal."
I nodded, painfully and tried not to groan.
"So drink a lot of fluids, if you need pain killers or stimulants, don't hesitate to ask. Now take this and let’s go."
I blinked as he handed me a carbine. I checked the action, made sure it was full and started off after Sergeant Nice.
It was fairly easy going, She picked a good route and the fire was mostly sporadic. When we got to the opening into the command bunker, which had been blown off by something big, we linked up with several of the walking wounded. Joel checked their condition and Nice checked the situation out, talking on her com to the Lieutenant.
I couldn't hear any of what she was saying, as my suit com didn't have the frequencies or range hers did, my helmet being made a lot lighter so I wouldn't break my neck when pulling G's. Also my gear was meant to work with the shuttle, I wasn't a grunt after all.
"Okay Dialene, you stay out here with the rear guard, and cover our back's with the guys here. We're needed inside."
"Sure," I replied, "And Joel? A couple of shots before you go? My eyesight's a bit fuzzy."
He nodded and shot me up again. "Here's an extra two, only take them if you're really desperate, in your condition these things aren't good for you."
"Thanks for the warning," I groaned again as the stimulant countered the painkiller slightly. I then went and found a good piece of rubble to take up station behind as me and three others covered the entrance.
It seemed like an eternity, like we were there for days. I honestly have no idea how long we really were there, by the time it started to get dark I had taken the second stim needle and was so jittery I almost shot Han's group when they showed up to go in and reinforce Serge. We had been fighting off attempts to dislodge us on and off for hours. None of them were well coordinated or very large. And with Assault Two and Three still hanging about we could call in all the air support we needed.
I couldn't hear what was going on, but Jeff, another wolf, this one rather huge, and I remembered some rather personal tidbits as my mind wandered from the drugs and the pain before I focused again ... Jeff kept me informed on what was going on. Seems this command post was occupied, and with the amount of resistance going on, it must be by someone very important. Also it sounded like the place was huge and they were moving very carefully so as to not get cut off and flanked.
I was really starting to be out of it when sometime after midnight a large group showed up and relieved us. By then I had given my carbine to one of the others as I was afraid I'd shoot the wrong person, my vision being none to steady.
The four of us headed off for the field hospital catching a ride on a transport. One had been set up by then as nearly all the surface fighting had come to an end. I was happy when they led me to a bed and a doctor came over. I didn't recognize him and told him so.
"Came off the Astra," he informed me. "Just got set up about an hour ago. Now I have some bad news for you, I'm gonna have to cut off your flight suit, and your helmet. But I can tell you that it's all ruined anyway."
"Go for it Doc." I sighed. "Just go easy, I think a lot of me is stuck to the other side."
He nodded, "They told me a little about what happened. I thought Foxes were supposed to be smarter then to play kamikaze?"
"Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you?"
He chuckled and shot me up with some painkillers before a few nurses started to cut up the suit and peel me out of it. They did my arms first so they could get some IV's set up. The smell of burnt fur was so bad I almost retched a few times.
When they got to my legs the pain was overwhelming the drugs and I told them so.
"Sorry Warrant, but we're almost done. We'll be careful."
I was almost crying by then, they did finish up not too long afterwards. I was able to see that from the waist down I was a mess, and from the chest down I really didn't have any fur to speak of, which included most of my arms as well of course.
"How bad is it Doc?" I asked, trying not to whimper too much.
"You're gonna be furless for a few weeks, the skin should heal in a few days without any real scarring, we have enough of the regen drugs to make it grow back fast."
"I thought they only used those on humans?"
"Well, normally, but with burn patients it actually works out to be cheaper in the long run. Mainly because the pain doesn't go away until the skin finishes healing."
"Thanks Doc."
"No problem. Now try and get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll see if we can't get you airlifted out of here."
I nodded and was surprised at how quickly I was able to fall asleep.
It was more like three days before they could move me. There were others in a lot worse shape who needed it first, and the doctor decided he'd rather keep an eye on me. By then the war was over here, and they were engaging in mopping up exercises. The nice part was they airlifted me up to the Hawk and I was able to sleep in my own bed. My skin had healed but I had no fur below the neck. It would be a month before I got my full coat back, and my new skin was still pretty tender. I was more then happy to be confined to my bed for a few more days.
13
A week and a half later the remaining troops of Hawk block filed on board and we broke orbit for Tau-Delta 38, an asteroid base located who knows where, the company's secret base for ships like this. It was announced we'd be disbanded and the ship returned to mothballs once we made port.
I didn't venture out of my cabin for several more days, until I felt my coat didn't look too bad. The Captain came and visited me quite a bit before I came out however, though the first meeting started off a bit rough.
"Just what in the hell were you thinking!" He yelled at me.
"What, no 'I'm happy to see you alive?" I whimpered.
He grabbed me and hugged me hard. "Of course I'm happy to see you're still alive! I thought we were going to lose you, that I was going to lose you! You scared the hell out of me! Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear?" He said, his voice working its way back down to normal as he finished.
"Well, they were getting nailed down there, I couldn't let them get slau
ghtered." I sighed.
"Still, that was a heck of a risk you took, not to mention one hell of an expensive bomb you dropped. You do know there will be an assessment hearing?"
My ears flattened and I blanched a little. "No, I hadn't realized that."
He hugged me again, "Well I wouldn't worry about it too much. From all the reports I've read it was worth it."
I nodded, "Well thanks for coming to see me like this."
He smiled, "Oh you don't look that bad, you've already got a nice bit of fur growing back."
"I look horrible!" I whined. I was always proud of my nice coat and bushy tail.
"I don't think so."
"You're just saying that."
"Oh?" And with that he proceeded to prove it.
When I finally did come out, I got 'ambushed' when I got to the mess area by the entire block. Seems they were very grateful for my almost suicidal stunt. The fact that no one seemed to mind my rather short coat lifted my spirits, and Serge and a few others went to rather nice lengths to show me exactly how they felt. So between them and the Captain, by the time we made port I was in my usual cheerful spirits.
Once we hit port there we were all mustered out, and had an awards ceremony for all of the crew and the Block. We were all rewarded, and a lot of commendations were handed out as well. I was surprised by the award I got for my actions on the last mission, as well as one for my overall service while serving onboard the Hawk. The shocking part was each of the rewards had a large monetary bonus attached, and in my case as I was on a fixed term contract, five whole years off of the term!
It was a truly great party, and afterwards we all said our good-byes. Over the next week everyone would start getting their new peacetime assignments and shipping out. Though first I had to deal with my capitol lose assessment review. That was a twenty million credit shuttle I had crashed, I could end up paying for it. I shuddered at that thought.
Dialene Page 13