In keeping with Smith's orders the cyborgs went first with those bio bods who could scuttling along behind. But there wasn't much they could do as the DE came in for the kill. The ship filled half the sky as it hung there supported by flaring repellors. As the DE started to pivot, an artificial dust storm made it hard to see. "They're going to fire a broadside at us!" someone yelled. Smith realized that was true. The turn would allow the renegades to bring more weapons to bear on the Chicago.
But the cyborgs had linked their onboard computers into a single network by then and half of them were armed with so-called "cans”. Meaning that each carried a pair of shoulder mounted rocket launchers. So each T-2 could deliver twelve independently targeted missiles. They fired in unison, and as rockets sleeted into the air, the cyborgs who weren't armed with cans let loose with their arm mounted energy cannons, and their fire converged on the enemy vessel as well.
The DE's shields were down so that it could fire its weapons, so the hull took the full force of the well-coordinated barrage. Smith saw the bright flash produced by a secondary explosion and heard a loud BOOM.
The Queen staggered, began to tilt, and righted herself. Then, with only two thirds of her repellors firing, she turned away and began to retreat. But one of the borgs hadn't fired yet. And that was the four-legged beast that Smith thought of as "the equalizer".
The quad stood twenty-five feet tall and weighed fifty tons, so he had taken longer to exit the ship. But having cleared the wreck, Corporal Ray "Pinky" Jackson was ready to fight. And when he fired his missiles they followed each other like bullets shot from a gun. Each struck within feet of the previous projectile and that created a flash point that seemed to pulse like a strobe. Together the missiles blew a hole in the DE's stern and one of them found the engine room. When it did, there was a massive explosion followed by a circular shock wave. The blast knocked Smith onto his ass and burning rubbish fell from the sky as he stood up. Smith chinned his mike. "Nice shooting Sergeant Jackson -- you're going to get a pay raise."
A reedy cheer went up as Josy appeared at Smith's side. "So, what do you think? Was Chozick aboard?"
"I doubt it," Smith answered. "But it doesn't make any difference. There are the rest of them to deal with as well."
"What if the reliquary was aboard the DE?"
"Then we're in big trouble," Smith answered. "Come on ... There are wounded to tend to."
***
It took the better part of four hours to provide the wounded with first aid, salvage what they could from the wreck, and dig shallow graves. One cyborg, one Hudathan, and nine bio bods had been killed. Eventually Smith planned to come back and give all of them proper burials. But that would have to wait. Chozick knew that an attack was coming and every passing hour gave him more time to prepare for it.
So as bio bods loaded supplies into Sergeant Jackson's cargo compartment, and the platoon leaders checked their troops, Smith met with Tora-Sa and Josy. "Here's how I figure it," Smith said. "Chozick will assume that we're after him, which is true, but we're after the reliquary as well. And that's the more important of the two objectives."
Tora-Sa nodded. "You are correct ... Although I look forward to taking Chozick's head. His skull will make a nice addition to my collection."
Smith made a face. "Yes, well, be that as it may ... I think we can take advantage of the situation. I will lead the 2nd and 3rd platoons against the town while the two of you take the 1st and circle around. It's my hope that you can find a way into the mine. And that, according to Ember, is where the reliquary is stored."
"Access can be gained via a vertical ventilation shaft," a fourth voice said. "I will lead you there."
All three turned to find that Orson was standing two feet away. Smith had paid scant attention to the robot during the trip out but here it was. "There are a number of satellites in orbit around Long Jump," the android said matter-of -factly. "I hacked one of them and made use of it to take aerial photos. The ventilation stack is clear to see."
"Well done," Smith said, as he turned to Josy. "Hand your borgs off to the other platoon leaders, enter the mine via the shaft, and secure the reliquary. No heroics. Once the remains are safe we will have accomplished the most important aspect of our mission. Then we can go after Chozick, starve him out, or wait for the navy to bomb the place. It hardly matters. Contact me right away once you have the reliquary."
"Okay, but I reserve the right to shoot Chozick if I run into him," Josy said.
"But not in the head," Tola-Sa countered. "That would ruin my trophy."
Smith shook his head sadly. "Both of you are going to hell. You have your orders. Execute them."
There was no reason to hurry. Not in Smith's opinion. Josy and Tola-Sa would need plenty of time to circle around and approach from the south. But the other platoons would have to advance or Chozick would become suspicious.
So Smith sent drones forward to act as scouts, followed by the bio bods, and T-2s. Sergeant Jackson brought up the rear.
The light had begun to fade by the time they reached the outskirts of town. The legionnaires could fight at night but so could their opponents. So Smith decided to harass the enemy during the hours of darkness and attack Sunrise shortly after dawn. The symbology of that appealed to him. "He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:6.
That was the plan, or would have been, except that Chozick wasn't about to sit around and wait for the enemy to attack on their terms. And, thanks to his drones, he knew where the enemy units were. The first indication of that was a distant thump followed by screech and a loud explosion as a mortar round landed within three feet of a cyborg and her bio bod. Both were killed instantly.
Then shells began to rain down all around, killing Smith's legionnaires, and forcing the survivors to seek cover. But the incoming mortar bombs could be tracked. And it took Jackson's onboard computer less than a minute to calculate all of the necessary firing solutions, load them into missiles, and fire. Bright explosions marked the enemy mortar pits. A tooth for a tooth, Smith thought grimly as his binoculars swept the area ahead, and a missile for a missile.
But no sooner had some sort of equilibrium been restored when something monstrous burst out of the ground next to Jackson. The construct was even larger than the quad was. Two skeletal arms slid under the war form's belly. Then, with the ease of a little boy turning a beetle over onto its back, the mining machine flipped the cyborg. The equalizer had been put out of action -- and a monster was on the loose.
***
Josy could hear the muted sound of explosions off in the distance as Orson led her platoon around Copper Mountain's southern flank. Her team had been stripped of cyborgs because it was unlikely that a T-2 would be able to climb a super steep slope or drop through what could be a tight ventilation shaft. So her team consisted of a drone, Orson, Tora-Sa, two of his Hudathan troopers, and forty legionnaires.
They weren't encumbered by heavy packs, so the soldiers were able to jog cross country as the android led the way. The ground was generally open but broken by occasional ravines and outcroppings of ancient rock. The landscape had a greenish tint -- but that was a small price to pay for the ability to see at night.
Even though the Deacon was pulling most of the enemy troops his way Josy expected to encounter some opposition. Surely the renegade wouldn't leave his southern flank unprotected. But after more than thirty minutes of running, that appeared to be the case. Josy knew how dangerous assumptions could be, however, and decided to give her troops a five minute break while her drone went forward.
Minutes passed, the drone gave the all clear, and the platoon took off. The mountain was to their left and the sides looked steep. That could be a big problem and might explain why they hadn't run into any bad guys. Maybe Chozick thought the mountain could take care of itself.
Another forty minutes passed and Josy was starting to get tired as Orson slowed and held a hand up. Then, as the column ca
me to a stop, it pointed upwards. "The ventilation shaft is directly above us," the robot declared.
Josy looked up and didn't like the view. The slope was so steep that it would be necessary to use ropes. If someone could free climb the mountainside first.
But before they tackled that problem there was something else to consider. Were guards posted up above? If so, they would certainly take notice when a platoon of troops started up the mountain.
So Josy took control of the drone. She could fly it using a wireless remote and could see what it "saw" using the HUD projected on the inside of her visor. Unfortunately the drone had a heat signature that any sentry worth his or her salt could detect. So Josy kept the robot in against the mountain, flying only inches away from the largest rocks in hopes of escaping detection.
The drone was about two hundred and twenty feet up when Josy spotted what she'd been looking for. A Human-shaped blob of light could be seen standing next to a ghostly looking heat stack. It was holding something up to its eyes. Binoculars? Yes.
Carefully, lest she move the robot too much and draw attention to it, Josy delegated control of the machine's single weapon to herself. What happened next would be critical. If she missed the sentry, or merely winged him, an alarm would be given. And if that occurred, reinforcements would be sent. Worse yet, the renegades would retain control of the reliquary.
Josy held her breath as she eased the luminous crosshairs onto the target. There was an intermittent breeze from the west so tiny movements of the joystick were required to keep the glowing X on target.
Then, as her thumb came down on the firing button, the sentry turned out of the sight picture. Josy swore and made the necessary adjustment. Her thumb mashed the button and the energy bolt punched a hole through the lookout a fraction of a second later. There was no report. The sentry went limp and the weight of the weapon dangling across his or her chest was enough to pull the dead body forward. Josy was about to shout a warning when the corpse landed next to a startled legionnaire. There was a thump followed by an emphatic, "What the hell?"
"Sorry about that," Josy said as she put the remote away. "I'll holler next time. Bring some cord. Let's see if the drone can carry it up and around the ventilation stack. Maybe we can use it to hoist a rope up. That would save a lot of time. Let's get going."
***
Having accomplished its mission, the orange monster was trying to retreat underground when Smith went after it. "Come on!" he shouted. "Let's kill that thing!"
Two bio bods were close enough to respond as Smith ran straight for the hole the machine was backing into. He jumped, landed on the front end of the monster, and shouted into the mike. "Find the driver! Kill him."
The order made sense, but was easier said than done. Smith staggered as the soil strewn deck tilted and he was forced to grab a support to prevent himself from falling off. There were lights, all protected by wire mesh, but the dirt raining down from above made it hard to see.
Smith heard a scream and knew one of his legionnaires was dead. "God damn you!" the officer yelled as the engine roared and he battled his way toward a dimly seen light. The cab? Smith hoped so as the monster tried to buck him off and a fist-sized rock hit his shoulder. He saw a safety rail and grabbed onto it as the machine backed down the tunnel it had created earlier. That was the threat ... The damned thing could surface and attack again. But not if the operator was dead.
Smith was closer, by then, and could see the cab. But that meant the operator could see him as well -- and soon emerged long enough to fire a pistol at the legionnaire. Smith heard clanging sounds as bullets struck all around him but was unhurt. Thank you, Lord, he thought to himself.
But then the ceiling caved in and drove him to the deck. He struggled against the weight of the soil, fought his way free, and realized that his assault rifle was gone. It made no difference. Smith stooped to collect a rock before staggering toward the cab.
Then he was there, peering at the operator through an armored window, as he followed a grab rail to the left. The machine jerked to a halt as the operator came out to shoot the apparition that was clinging to his machine. He pulled the trigger and the weapon clicked empty. Smith laughed wildly. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord!" the legionnaire shouted, as he brought the rock down with both hands.
The operator was wearing a helmet and a protective suit. He staggered under the force of the attack, tried to retreat into the cab, but couldn't escape. The second blow destroyed his visor and the third smashed into his face. He brought both hands up to protect the bloody mess and collapsed as Smith struck again. "He's dead, sir," the little private said. "You can stop now."
Smith let go of the rock and heard a clang as it landed next to the body. He swayed like a drunk as the private tried to support him. "You're sure?"
"Yes, sir," she said.
"Good. See if you can turn this thing off ... And lead me out of here."
"I'll try, sir," the private said. And she did.
***
It took what seemed like an eternity for Josy's platoon to climb the steep slope and enter the ventilation stack via an access door. It wasn't necessary to rappel down the shaft because it was equipped with rungs. The same rungs the lookouts relied on. There was a tunnel at the bottom of the stack which didn't seem to be in use at the moment. And that made sense, given the battle that was raging in town.
Finally, once all of Josy's people were in the tunnel, it was time to seek out Chozick's operations center and the reliquary that was stored there. Fortunately, there were signs to point the way -- along with occasional safety placards.
The tunnel was dimly lit, large enough for two ore carriers to pass each other, and ran consistently downhill. The platoon hadn't traveled far when Orson spoke to Josy over the platoon freq. "Look up and to the right."
Josy looked, saw the camera, and realized that it was pointed at her. So much for the element of surprise. She offered the lens a one-fingered salute and delivered a warning to the platoon. "They know we're here so it's just a matter of time before we make contact. Keep it tight, eyeball those side tunnels, and watch our six. Who knows? They might attack from behind. Over."
But when the attack came it was from the front. The first sign of trouble was a distant rumble and four white dots that quickly morphed into huge ore carriers traveling up-tunnel side-by-side. "This is One," Josy said. "Take cover. I want rockets on those trucks... Fire when ready. Over."
The tube jockeys went to one knee, took aim, and pulled their triggers. The heat seeking missiles couldn't miss. They hit massive grills and exploded. Both trucks ground to a halt and one of them erupted into flames. But as troops surged around the vehicles they'd been riding in, it was apparent that they'd been shielded from the force of the explosions. They opened fire and fountains of dirt jumped into the air as what sounded like a wasp buzzed past Josy's left ear. Two legionnaires fell. The rest returned fire.
The renegades had gone to ground by then and the firefight had the makings of a standoff until the burning truck exploded. The blast threw shrapnel up-tunnel and killed half a dozen of Chozick's troops. It was a real, as well as psychological blow -- and Josy hurried to take full advantage of it. "Follow me!" she shouted, and ran down tunnel. Those who could followed.
That was too much for the remaining renegades. They turned and ran. Or tried to. But a wall of flame blocked the way. That forced them to turn back in order to defend themselves. The move came too late. Tola-Sa and his Hudathans were there with swords swinging. Heads came off, blood flew, and bodies collapsed as the huge aliens did their work.
"Stop!" Josy shouted, as the remaining dropped their weapons. "They're surrendering."
Tola-Sa managed to take one more head before heeding the order. "Sorry," he said, wiping his sword on a body. "My blade was thirsty."
Josy placed the prisoners under guard and assigned a squad to stay with the wounded and protect them. Then she led the rest of the legionnaires toward the still smoldering
trucks. They had lots of ground clearance. Enough to crawl under. And that was what she planned to do.
***
Even though he didn't want to send his troops into the town of Sunrise during the night, Smith was forced to do so, or risk losing what little bit of offensive momentum he had. So after emerging from the tunnel, he sent his T-2s into the town. The idea was to use the cyborgs as shock troops while squads of bio bods sought to hold whatever ground was taken.
What ensued was a bloody block-by-block battle fought against Chozick's troops and some of the townspeople who took pot shots at the invaders from doors and windows. It was a foolish thing to do, but understandable since most of them didn't know about the reliquary, or its importance. So Smith spared them to the extent that he could without putting his legionnaires at additional risk.
It was nasty work. But inch by inch, and foot by foot, Smith's legionnaires pushed Chozick's people back. And by the time the sun rose, Smith's company had control of the town. What they didn't have was the reliquary, and repeated attempts to make contact with Josy had been unsuccessful. Had her platoon been wiped out? Or were they inside the mine where radio signals couldn't reach?
There was no way to know, as Smith led two squads of bio bods into the no man's land of sheds, trucks, and piles of rusting equipment that lay between Sunrise and the copper mine. He was rounding the front end of an old crawler when the renegade made contact. "This is Chozick. Let's talk."
The transmission came in via the command freq. And why not? Chozick was using Legion standard com gear. "Okay," Smith said. "What would you like to talk about?"
"First, tell your people to stay where they are, and stop firing. I'll do the same."
Smith scanned the area in front him through a pair of binoculars. Everything looked normal enough. "Roger that. Hold one."
Then, cognizant of the fact that Chozick could hear, Smith spoke to his people. "This is Nine ... I'm in contact with the renegades. Maintain your present positions and hold your fire. Over."
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