by James Rosone
“Able Six, I see your position. I need you to move three clicks to the northwest. Hold your position at this waypoint,” Major Hopper said as a spot on the map flashed on Royce’s HUD. The position was four clicks away from their current destination. “That’s a good copy,” he responded as he hopped over a fallen log. “You want the platoon or the company to relocate to that position?”
“The company. Out,” Hopper quickly replied.
Royce could tell Hopper was busy. He usually wasn’t that short with his answers. It was one of the problems with all the integrated technology an augmented super-soldier dealt with. Between the cybernetic implants, neurolinks, and an integrated HUD, it was challenging not to get inundated with information and fall flat on your face as you moved through unknown territory.
Telling his neurolink to sync him up with the company, Royce sent the adjustment to their orders and the new location. Each platoon leader sent an acknowledgment moments later. The blue force tracker showed everyone adjusting their positions on the map as the contingent of operators headed to the new location.
Moving deeper into the forest, Royce noticed the trees became bigger and taller. The base of some of these trunks had to be more than ten meters in diameter. His HUD told him the trees were between two hundred and even three hundred meters in height in some parts. It was truly awe-inspiring, even more so than the banyan-like trees he’d seen on New Eden.
When the platoon came within a kilometer of the new waypoint, Royce heard something that sent a shiver down his spine. No matter how many times he heard the loud shrieking battle cry of a Zodark warrior, it still caused him to tense up.
Those guys are close, Royce thought.
Seconds later, Royce heard the lone sound of a Zodark blaster. Then a cacophony of M85 and M90 rifles opened up on the Zodark.
Royce picked up the pace, trying to keep up with the platoon. They rushed to their comrades, who were now in the thick of the fight.
“Able Six, Able Two,” said Second Platoon leader. “We have two dozen Zodarks spread out in a nearby cluster of trees one hundred meters to our front. Requesting Able One flank their position to our right. How copy?”
Royce sent a message through the neurolink or NL for Lieutenant Williams to direct her platoon to flank the enemy. It was a good call, moving her people into an L position—it would prevent the Zodarks from running away.
Royce sent a message to his RTO and the first sergeant to follow him. They broke off from Lieutenant Williams’s platoon to assist Second Platoon—it sounded like they needed the help, given the volume of fire happening.
As they rushed toward the fighting, red bolts of light sliced through the forest toward Royce’s soldiers. Some of the fire came from up in the trees, some closer to ground level. The Special Forces soldiers threw a lot of slugs and blaster bolts right back at the enemy.
Since they weren’t confined to the close quarters of the ship or worried about punching a hole in something important, the Deltas with the M85s used the magrails on their rifles while the SAW gunners tore into the enemy with the blasters. In general, the Special Forces soldiers tended to favor the magrails over blasters. Unlike blasters, the railgun slugs could punch through obstacles at an incredible range. The blasters, however, had a higher cyclic rate of fire, which was why the Squad Automatic Weapons or SAWs only came as blasters.
When Royce closed in on the fighting, he stopped next to a tree and brought his own rifle to bear. His HUD had found a pair of Zodarks situated some eighty meters up in a tree, shooting down into a group of his soldiers. They’d found a knot or branch to serve as a platform from which to pick off the Earthers.
One of the Zodarks extended his body just beyond the branch he was hiding behind to fire on someone. In that instant, Royce’s targeting reticle illuminated green, and he fired. A couple of slugs crossed the distance in a fraction of a second, slamming into the upper chest and neck of the Zodark soldier. The massive blue beast fell backward and out of the tree, and his four arms flailed as his body fell to the ground below.
Seconds later, a rocket flew out of the position Royce had just shot at. It shot down into the forest and slammed into a clump of fallen logs and underbrush his soldiers had been using for cover. The explosion threw one of his soldiers into the air, a leg clearly missing from his body. Two other Deltas cried out in pain from the shrapnel hitting them.
A nearby Delta soldier fired his 20mm smart munition up into the tree where the rocket had originated. A small explosion blossomed in the moss and tree leaves. A single figure was thrown clear of the position, swinging his four arms to grab at something, anything as his body fell to the ground. The wounded Zodark landed with a thud and a loud shrieking noise, calling out to his comrades.
“Captain Royce, I’m showing several fast-approaching vehicles from the direction of the Zodark base,” announced the RTO, who was dual-hatting as a drone operator. “They’ll be on our position in a couple of minutes.”
“Lieutenant Anders, we have enemy inbound reinforcements,” Royce barked over the platoon net. “Deploy your C100s, and let’s end this!” Royce liked to let his platoon leaders take the initiative and deploy their forces as they saw fit, but his junior officers weren’t picking up on how fast changes were happening.
“I’m on it, sir,” came the swift reply.
Two dozen C100s moved past the Deltas, weapons up, and fired into the trees. As the automated killing machines went to work, the Zodarks shifted their fire to the Synths, recognizing them as the immediate threat.
A new noise rattled through the forest—Royce thought it sounded like an airplane as four hovercraft-like vehicles zipped into their line of sight. On top of each of the vehicles was what appeared to be a turret, each manned by a Zodark soldier firing a rapid-fire weapon at the C100s. Around a dozen Zodark soldiers emptied out of the rear of each vehicle.
The hovercrafts continued to lay down suppressive fire on the human and Synth soldiers as the Zodark soldiers charged right into the C100s with their shortswords drawn. One of the Deltas fired his 20mm smart munition at a hovercraft, scoring a direct hit on the front of the vehicle, causing it to veer out of control and slam into a tree. It collapsed to the ground below, out of commission.
The newly arrived Zodarks were now intermixed with the two dozen C100s Royce had just ordered forward, cutting them apart with their shortswords. Those electrified eighteen-inch blades had a way of slicing right through the armored shell and combat suit of the C100s. In a close-in fight, those handheld weapons were more dangerous and effective than their blasters were, and the enemy knew it.
“Holy crap! Those Zodarks are cutting our terminators apart,” called out the platoon sergeant.
“Everyone, shift fire to support the Synths,” barked Lieutenant Williams. “Take those Zodarks out!” Her voice was a bit shaky; she was unable to hide her nervousness at the changing situation.
The terminators adapted, switching from using their rifles to their own shortswords to battle the Zodarks. In a close-in, dirty fight like this, it was best to just use a tried and tested weapon—a blade that could be rapidly wielded to slash, stab, and deflect, just like the Zodarks.
Royce realized if they didn’t take those Zodarks out fast, they’d wipe out a good chunk of his C100s for this mission.
Damn! We need them for the assault on the ion cannon.
Lifting his rifle up to his shoulder, Royce aimed at the cluster of four-armed beasts. He allowed the targeting AI built into his HUD to sync with his rifle and assist him in placing some well-aimed shots.
Zeroing in on a Zodark, he squeezed the trigger and saw the beast’s head explode from the impact and sheer velocity of the slug as it slammed into its head.
Moving to the next beast, Royce watched it swing its sword down and slash at one of the C100s. Its glowing red blade cut a deep gash into its armor as the terminator did its best to deflect and attack the Zodark. Royce fired another round, hitting the Zodark right in the face and e
nding the fight.
In minutes, most of the Zodark fighters had been wiped out, but not before they managed to take out sixteen of his twenty-four combat Synths. A few minutes went by with periodic sniping by both sides until all fell silent. The remaining C100s moved through the area, scanning for any survivors and remaining threats. They’d synced themselves to the drones above to get a better situational awareness of their surroundings.
Royce received a quick message over his NL from Lieutenant Anders from First Platoon. We’ve cleared the area of Zodarks. I’ve got six KIAs, seven wounded.
Copy that. See if you can get your wounded moving, Royce replied. If not, then we need to set up a triage location until we can arrange a medical transport back to the Midway.
A quick check of his blue force tracker showed Lieutenant Williams, the Second Platoon leader, had taken minimal casualties: one KIA and two wounded. Royce had lost twenty-three out of the one hundred and seventy C100s he had for this mission.
Lieutenants, we’ve spent too much time dealing with this ambush, Royce said over the NL. We need to get back on the move to support the assault on that ion cannon. The RA is supposed to show up in fifty-two mikes. We don’t have a lot of time left to take that base out. If you have wounded soldiers that can’t move, then get them collected up and placed in a single location. Leave a medic and a couple of C100s behind to guard them, and let’s move.
“Able Six, Archer Actual,” crackled the radio in Royce’s helmet.
“Archer Actual. Send it.”
“Bravo Six is engaging the objective. Charlie Six is also joining the fray. How soon can Able Company get involved?” asked Major Hopper, a hint of annoyance in his voice that they weren’t ready yet.
Royce could hear explosions and blaster fire in the background of the radio call. The major was already in the thick of it. This little Zodark ambush had cost Royce’s unit fifteen minutes.
Royce sighed. “We’re fifteen mikes out,” he replied over the battalion net. “I’ve got nine WIAs we’re leaving behind for medical transport and seven KIAs. I’m also down twenty-three C100s.”
“That’s a good copy. I’m sending the coordinates of your wounded to the Midway. They’ll send a medical transport down to collect them when they can. Also, be advised, we’ve got Reaper support from the Midway inbound. Out,” came Hopper’s hurried reply. More explosions and blaster fire could be heard at the tail end of the response.
Switching over to the company net, Royce announced, “Able Company, the rest of the battalion is engaging the ion cannon now. We’ve got Reaper support inbound to support their attack and a medical transport on the way to pick up our casualties. We need to really pick up the pace to the objective. I want First and Third Platoons to lead the assault. Second Platoon will be held in reserve. Fourth Platoon, get your heavy weapons and mortars set up as soon as we’re in range. Let’s move, people!”
Chapter Two
Sector Five
Planet Intus
Zodark Base
Zooming in as far as his HUD’s magnification system would allow him, Major Jayden Hopper scanned the fortified position known as Intus Five. The massive ion cannon was surrounded by a large, heavily armored base. Every sixty seconds the planetary defensive weapon unleashed another powerful energy burst skyward. The longer this weapon stayed operational, the more damage it inflicted on the fleet of ships in orbit around the planet.
From time to time, a hypersonic missile or magrail slug tried to penetrate the facility’s protective bubble. Each time, a streak of light swatted the threat from the skies before it could cause any damage.
“What about that spot over there?” asked Captain Jaycik Hiro, Hopper’s S3 or operations officer.
Hopper shifted his gaze to where Hiro pointed. The base itself was still shrouded in dense tree cover, making it hard to see inside it or identify weak points in its defensive line. But the Zodarks had done something conniving by clearing five hundred meters of trees and underbrush directly in front of the perimeter of the base. They’d created the perfect killing field, making any direct ground assault costly.
“I see it, Hiro,” Major Hopper replied. “Yeah, I think that is probably our best bet. Have Bravo and Charlie Companies assault that position when it’s time. Make sure that area is saturated with smoke before they attack. It’s imperative that we give them as much cover as possible.”
Kneeling down on the ground, Hopper motioned for Hiro to look at a three-dimensional topographical map of the area. Pointing at the side of the facility Dog Company was approaching, he said, “Send a message over to Captain Channer that when it’s time to launch his attack, he needs to make his maneuver look convincing. We want the Zodarks to believe the main assault is going to come from his direction. I want our artillery to lay smoke rounds across the frontlines facing him. If we can trick the enemy into believing the main assault is coming here, then when Bravo and Charlie launch their assault, they’ll have a better chance of breaking through.”
Captain Hiro nodded as he noted several positions on the digital map and motioned for the master sergeant from their artillery support unit to relay the positions to the gun units.
Hopper reviewed the map to locate Able Company. Captain Royce’s unit had recovered from an ambush on their way to the objective, but not before it had slowed them down. Hopper wanted to wait on launching the main assault until they were in position, but they were running short on time. They needed to take that ion cannon down before the rest of the Republic Army showed up.
Hopper turned to find his RTO/drone operator, Sergeant Ivan Prolov. “How long until those Reapers arrive on station?” he asked.
“Five mikes,” replied the sergeant. “The Orions are still working on clearing a path for them.”
Sergeant Prolov’s helmet visor was backlit with the various drone feeds and communication channels he was monitoring. For all intents and purposes, the RTO/drone operators were practically nonexistent during a battle as they managed the visual and communications support for the company or battalion commanders.
“All right, Captain Hiro,” Major Hopper finally said, letting out a deep breath. “Send the order. Launch the assault, and let’s plaster the area with artillery fire.”
Off in the distance, they heard the thumping sound of the heavy artillery guns. A little closer to their position, the mortar teams joined in. Round after round sailed toward the enemy base. Streaks of light stabbed out from inside the base, intercepting many of the projectiles. Some managed to detonate over the base, filling the sky with dual purpose infrared-inhibiting smoke and chaff clouds. The specially designed chemical clouds and chaff canisters would make it difficult for the Zodarks’ laser- and radar-guided defensive systems to accurately target and engage the incoming artillery rounds.
As more and more of the specially designed ordnance exploded over top of the enemy base, the mortar teams pounded the base with their high-explosive rounds. At the same time, the artillery units intermixed their rounds with both air and ground burst smoke rounds. In a matter of minutes, the base quickly became blanketed in thick white and gray smoke.
Captain Channer from Dog Company launched their attack, and a wave of forty C100s rushed forward toward the Zodark lines. When they reached the halfway point, the second wave of forty C100s advanced. Meanwhile, the remaining C100s and the human soldiers did their best to lay down covering fire for them.
All hell broke loose across the Zodark lines as the C100s reached less than a hundred meters from the enemy. Artillery and mortar rounds continued to pound the Zodark ranks, adding further chaos and confusion. The C100s were now practically in the enemy trenches. Nearly half their numbers had been wiped out, but the ones that were still operational were tearing into the enemy soldiers.
“It’s working. They’re shifting reinforcements to the north,” called out Sergeant Prolov, who was clearly zoned in on the display in his helmet as he manned the drones.
Hopper watched the map display as
the drones continued to provide real-time data updates to it. The green dots that represented the C100s were now intermixed with the red dots, the Zodarks. The fight was turning into an all-out melee.
Captain Hiro announced, “Bravo and Charlie are launching their assault now.”
Zooming out on the map, Hopper saw his other two units launching their attack. The first two waves of the assault were comprised of two hundred C100s. The killing machines were moving rapidly, closing the distance between themselves and the enemy, their human minders hot on their heels.
Thump, thump, thump.
The mortar teams sent more high-explosive rounds at the enemy. Now that the artillery unit had thoroughly saturated the place with smoke rounds, the mortar teams made more use of their smart rounds. When the shells flew over the enemy base, the targeting computers compared the images below with preprogrammed targets they had been given. When the smart rounds found what had previously been identified as a bunker, the rounds would angle in for the kill. Because the area was covered in infrared-inhibiting smoke and chaff clouds, the smart rounds couldn’t use their active targeting system. They had to rely on the passive memory system to find their preprogrammed targets.
Hopper watched as the first three mortars flew over the enemy lines and darted down at various points. One of the smart munitions struck a bunker that housed a heavy weapon that was raining blaster bolts down on his company. Another struck one of the blasters that were intercepting the magrail slugs being fired down from orbit. A third mortar landed amongst a cluster of Zodarks who had been preparing to charge his soldiers. It killed and wounded many of them.
“Incoming fighters!” shouted Sergeant Prolov out of nowhere.
“What?!” was all Hopper was able to say. A loud shrieking sound from an engine suddenly pierced the sounds of the battle.
Seconds later, a pair of sleek black aircraft zoomed fast and low over the northern side of the battlefield. The fighters fired a steady stream of blaster bolts across Dog Company on their approach before they flew over their positions. As they swooped over them, a string of small objects fell from their fuselage before they zipped out of the area.