OMEGA Hostile

by Stephen Arseneault

  Twenty minutes later we were spread out along a skirmish line. Fighters were five rows deep with reinforcing groups behind them should a break in the line occur. I positioned squads of eight Talisans each at one hundred meter intervals, covering just over a kilometer of line. Scouts were placed out forward, with runners to come back at the first signs of activity. I took up a position beside my family. The first scouts came through the woods in front of us shortly after.

  A runner came up to Getta. "They are advancing toward this location. Grumar are up front, with Grotus right behind. They are about twenty-five soldiers deep, Ma'am."

  Getta nodded. "Thank you, Private. Return to your unit."

  I said, "That's about ten to fifteen minutes away."

  Go returned. "The Talisans are heading for Jack and the GPRs! He's about twenty minutes from their location! They won't be here for another couple hours!"

  I yelled back. "Thanks! If you want to take up a position above us, we could use the help! I've given instructions to wait until they reach about thirty meters from our line before firing! I think we need that in order to do the maximum amount of damage!"

  Go replied, "Will do!"

  Joni shook her head. "I've got to get me one of those suits."

  I glanced at Joni with a stern look, reminding her that others were not to know about our secret weapon.

  Getta offered a confused look. "Why are you yelling? And it sounds like he is yelling, only from a distance."

  I said, "The inhibitor field knocks down both transmission and receive signals on his end. We're lucky to have what we do."

  Getta continued, "You will have to explain all that to me once things quiet down."

  I smiled.

  Several minutes later a second runner came in. "Half a kilometer! They should be coming into view through those trees any second."

  Getta passed the word down the ranks in each direction. The Grunta fighters squatted, running down the line in both directions like a fast wave. The Grumar fighters were the first to appear. At two hundred meters, they moved forward in unison. At one hundred meters, the fighters slowed as their archers came forward. At fifty meters, the archers came to a stop. The Grotus then moved forward, stopping at forty meters. When the fighters once again emerged, they carried tall shields.

  After forming up a solid line, the Grumar hunched down. A shout could be heard that echoed down the line. At that moment, the Grumar fighters surged forward with their shields high. Their Grotus counterparts ran just behind. A flood of flaming arrows soon filled the space between as the Grumar archers fired on our positions.

  As the arrows struck the ground and trees around us, Getta yelled out a command to drop back twenty meters. Again, like a wave flowing down the line. The Gruntas rose and sprinted backwards. At the same moment, my Talisans opened fire.

  The first gravity pulse rounds ripped into the charging Grumar. Bodies flew five meters high, soaring twenty meters backwards. We fired round after round into their ranks, but the Grumar and Grotus kept coming. At twenty meters I gave a wave of my arm for my troops to fall back. The groups of eight at either end were overrun before getting the message.

  Seconds later, explosions could be felt as my fighters overloaded their rifles rather than allowing them to fall into enemy hands. As Joni and my Talisans reached our lines, the GPR rounds once again began ripping through the Grumar shield wall. Arrows again fell on our position, this time without flame.

  I gave the order for Joni and my troops to find higher ground behind us, and to fire at will into the back ranks of the Grumar and Grotus. Several seconds later, the enemy was upon us. I raised my maul, slamming it into the high shield of the first soldier to reach me. The shield dented as it flew backwards into his advancing body, bringing his forward progress to a complete halt, stopping as if he had run headlong into a stone wall.

  The Grunta fighters sprang to their feet, forcing a similarly devastating swing of their mauls upon our opponents. The advance Grumar troops paid a heavy price, but delivered their Grotus gods to the fight almost unscathed.

  Axes swirled and flipped downward as the heavy mauls countered. I was soon at war with two Grotus, both fierce in their assaults and intents. I dodged a first swing and countered a glancing blow by taking out the left knee of one of my opponents. As he fell to the ground in pain, one of my daughters spun backwards, delivering a crushing blow to his skull.

  I blocked a chop, shattering the forward axe blade of the remaining Grotus. I then grabbed a Grumar standing near me, pulling him around and into the oncoming blade of the Grotus as he spun. Again, my daughter, without breaking her swing, struck the Grotus in the right shoulder, crushing his upper arm and sending him off balance and backwards. I moved up, quickly delivering the finishing blow.

  Joni and my Talisan fighters had all but annihilated the Grumar archers from their back row positions. As those GPR rounds moved closer I could see a change in the fighting spirit of the Grotus. They called an unexpected retreat.. My fighters were relentless during the pullback, killing thousands of the enemy as they fled.

  I looked up and down the line at the bloodied cheering wall of Gruntas which had bent, flexed, and taken losses, but had not broken.

  Getta yelled out. "I want casualty teams together! Get our injured moved back for aid! The rest of you stack those dead soldiers as a wall! We can at least slow their initial charge!"

  I looked back at my family. An uncle was gone, cleaved in the neck. And a son, Connel, had lost his right leg, midway down his calf, but he would live. All other wounds were superficial.

  I stepped close. "Connel, you fought well. You managed a Grotus and three Grumar before you were felled."

  Connel winced in pain, but replied, "He caught me from behind."

  My daughter Annel knelt by his side. "He took that blow to cover me. I was attempting to block three Grotus at once."

  I smiled. "And you succeeded. Each of you have fought as bravely as any Grunta ever could. I am a proud father here today."

  Connel grabbed my arm as he winked at Annel. "The girls don't like to admit it, but they need us."

  Two members of a casualty team applied a spot tourniquet and lifted him to his other foot. The three quickly disappeared over a back ridge.

  I gave a new order to my Talisans. "Move up and take any high positions you can. If they come charging back in, I want maximum damage before they reach our position."

  The Talisan major nodded before sprinting off to give word further down the line.

  Joni said, "Sorry about your uncle and son. I could see it happening, but I couldn't do anything about it."

  I nodded. "Thank you for your compassion. Just make sure you keep yourself safe and keep that rifle firing."

  Joni smiled and headed off to climb atop a short mound.

  A Grunta runner came up to Getta. "Ma'am, two kilometers down the line the Grotus have broken through. We are cut off from the rest of the line."

  Getta pulled up a pair of spyglasses. "They have moved west. They didn't pull back because we were winning, they pulled back because they have broken through elsewhere!"

  Go yelled in my ear. "The breaks are in multiple spots. The one nearest us is the largest. I would guess at least ten thousand have already gone through and are heading for the transports."

  I turned. "Getta, we have to get back and protect those ships. If they make it there, they can take out the inhibitors. We would be vulnerable from above as well as from their ranks."

  Getta yelled out a command. "Move the line west!"

  She then turned to face those behind her. "Major! Take everyone from here back. Swing around toward the ships and put a stop to any advance that has broken through!"

  As the orders went down the line, Getta placed her hand on my shoulder. "Take your troops and see what you can do to protect the ships."

  I replied, "What about you? Everyone else?"

  Getta smiled. "We held them off once. We can do it again. But we have to close an
y gaps in the line. Keep yourself safe. We'll see you when this is over."

  With that, Getta sprinted toward the west. I stood for a moment, hating to see her go.

  My Talisan major was at my side. "Orders, sir?"

  I nodded. "We go northwest back toward the ships. We have to stop every Grumar and Grotus that comes through the lines."

  The major nodded, turning back to face his men. "Lieutenant! Send a runner in each direction! We are moving northwest. The line has broken and the transports are in danger!"

  I let out a sigh as I sprinted along with the major. Twenty minutes later, we came upon an advancing column of Grumar and Grotus fighters. The GPRs were immediately put into action. The column broke and began to spread to either side.

  The ground shook as dirt, rock, and trees, rose up from around the attackers. Go opened up from above. I focused my men on the east side of the advance, quickly bringing it to a stop.

  I yelled at the Joni as she fired. "How are those GPRs doing for power?"

  Joni replied, "We're down about 30 percent. Should I have the men dial back the level? We've been on full power from the start."

  I shook my head. "No. Just keep doing what you are doing."

  I grabbed a nearby Talisan. "Give me your rifle. I have a mission for you. Go to the northwest. That's where the remainder of our troops can be found. You will find a deep ravine with bunkers lining the walls. Bring two million of our fighters forward. They will need maces, and blasters. Have them meet up and defend the southern end of the Grunta transports. If those have been taken, then drop back and defend the inhibitor towers."

  The Talisan turned and ran toward the northwest. I took aim at a group of Grumar who were running in my direction. The first took a direct hit to the chest. As his body spun backwards, flipping end over end, the gravity beam spread outward, taking another three Grumar with it. A second round finished off the rest.

  As the other attackers spread out and advanced, I yelled a new order. "Keep firing! Move back two meters after each shot! And focus most of your shots toward the troops on the sides! See if we can drive them back toward a single column!"

  As the advance pushed slowly forward, the Grumar and Grotus began to take heavy losses. Then, all together, they turned and ran. A team of Grunta fighters emerged from the woods to our southeast. Getta's troops were closing the gap.

  I gave the order. "Move forward! Let's push them all the way back!"

  In a matter of minutes, the gaping hole in the Grunta defensive line was closed. The Grumar and Grotus withdrew. We had held.

  Reports circulated that our casualty counts were high. Up and down the line, nearly three hundred thousand Gruntas had fallen, mostly males. The Grumar and Grotus had easily lost twice that amount. My family, other than Connel and my uncle, remained on the line and ready.

  Chapter 14

  * * *

  The second assault came twenty minutes later. This time the Grumar and Grotus advanced in a half kilometer wide column. The Grunta countered by dropping the main line back while folding the lines in and around the sides of the column. Our lines fell back as the column moved forward.

  I moved Joni and my GPR rifles to a rise just to the side of the front of the advance. Bodies, dirt, and rocks flew as our relentless barrage of gravity beams devastated their ranks.

  It was soon apparent that it was a major tactical error on the part of the attackers. The retreat that followed cost almost as many lives. When the second wave assault had come to an end, another eight thousand Gruntas had perished. However, the Grumar and Grotus had lost nearly one hundred and twenty thousand.

  After twenty minutes of quiet, word of congratulations came down from the Council. I was certain they were premature in their adulation. The third assault wave proved me right.

  The attack came in three columns. Grunta Command again ordered the space in and around the columns to be filled with fighters. The Duration warriors were prepared for the move. As the area between the columns filled with Grunta fighters, the Grumar and Grotus stopped their advance, instead collapsing the columns on the exposed Grunta soldiers.

  It was a slaughter. We had lost more than a hundred fifty thousand Gruntas in only an hour's time. Once the columns came together, the Grumar and Grotus on the right flank retreated. In a new and equally-devastating move, the retreating force fell behind the center column, and then behind the left, enclosing our left flank with the same pincer move as before. Our forward fighters were butchered as they attempted to pull back to the line.

  When the column on the left began to move back again toward the right, the order was given to pull back. Confounding our attempt to regroup, the Grumar and Grotus columns didn't stop. They pushed forward, forcing me to move my troops from our high position, eliminating our advantage.

  I gave orders for my team to find any elevated perch they could, giving them open shots into the back of the enemy ranks. Those who’d climbed trees were met with a barrage of hand thrown axes, taking out a number of my fighters.

  As the main column pushed forward, our losses grew. The Grumar and Grotus were both taking heavy casualties as well, but they had the soldiers to replace their fallen. Our numbers on the line continued to shrink.

  Go yelled in my ear. "Hit me with one of those beams! I want to know what it does to this suit! Start low and work your way up in power!"

  After a half dozen rounds were fired, Go said. "Highest level of the suit energy dissipation was 48 percent! I should be able to sit right in the thick of them and fire away. I can also power through them with the BHD glove!"

  I replied, "I don't know that we should risk it! What if you get caught by two beams at once?"

  Go yelled, "We all gotta go sometime! You need help and I can give it! I'll check back in when we've stopped this!"

  The assault continued to push us back. Go dropped into the middle of their ranks, creating chaos and unleashing mayhem on the attackers, but the main column continued to grind its way forward.

  Joni yelled as she left her perch and moved back. "This isn't going well! We need more of these GPRs!"

  I replied, "Those probably won't show for another hour! Just keep at what you're doing!"

  A Grotus hand axe jammed into the tree beside me. I turned and moved back another five meters.

  Go was soon yelling in my ear. "My power is running low. I'm heading back to the Garmon for a swap-out. I'll let you know when I'm back."

  I nodded as I fired a GPR round into a group of five Grumar who had broken through.

  A runner sprinted from the east through the trees. "We have a column of several thousand advancing to the east!"

  Getta looked on with a scowl. "Major Golas! Take your brigade to the transports and prepare for an assault from the east!"

  Word then came in from a Talisan runner. "Your Highness, our troops approach. They are just northwest of the transports."

  I nodded. "Tell them to double-time in this direction. We need their help in a bad way."

  The runner turned away, taking a Grotus hand axe in the center of his back.

  I grabbed another of my Talisans. "Get back to the transports and send our troops this way!"

  The runner handed me his rifle, spun, and was quickly off. I jumped off my perch, grabbing the closest Grunta. "Take this rifle up on that rock and start putting rounds back into the meat of that column!"

  The Grunta male nodded as he took the weapon.

  I ran the twenty meters between myself and Getta. "I need some of your fighters to take GPRs from my troops that have fallen!"

  Getta pointed at the line. "Start grabbing our kids. They won't like it, but we need to keep those rifles firing!"

  I stepped forward, grabbing Annel, Bareta, Frante, and Malot from the fight. "We need you to pick up the GPR rifles from my soldiers who are down. Find a high spot and fire back into the Grumar and Grotus ranks."

  Annel balked. "I can do more with my maul!"

  I shook my head. "No you can't, and an ord
er is an order!"

  Annel scowled as she stowed her maul in its back-sling.

  The attackers continued to push, bringing us to within sight of the transports.

  Getta yelled out as she pushed forward, swinging her maul with malice. "Stop... them... here! Come on, people! Start taking off some heads!"

  As I glanced back, a sea of yellow combat suits emerged from around the transports. The wall of Talisan fighters flooded forward over every rock and around every tree. When the clash of soldiers stepped into the fray, there was an immediate reversal of momentum. The Talisan screams placed fear in the hearts of the Grumar, and additional anger in the hearts of the Grotus. Our progress, however, only lasted for seconds as the Grumar and Grotus rallied. The position of the fight ebbed and flowed around the forward part of the enemy column. Any momentum for either side had come to a halt.

  Fifteen minutes of continuing carnage ensued before another runner came forward. "They've broken through from the east! Transports are being taken and crews killed! We need reinforcements!"

  Getta pointed at me. "Take half of your troops and see if you can put a stop to it! We will hold this column here!"

  I nodded as I turned to my fighters and yelled, "Pass the word to the group over by that rock outcropping!"

  I then grabbed the Talisan major standing just to my left. "Tell General Glaumek to take half of our force and pull back to the transports. It will be up to us to stop that eastern advance!"

  The major turned and started yelling orders as he headed for the general.

  I met the others by the outcropping. "We are heading straight in to the east side. The Grumar and Grotus have broken through there. We have to push them back. Do everything you can to keep them from reaching the inhibitors!"

  As we moved up and into the transports, the outer ships raged in flame.

  Joni said, "They're burning the ships. This is not good!"

  I replied as I took a shot at a group of Grumar and Grotus coming from the ramp-way of a transport. "Just keep shooting! And everyone, follow me! We're heading straight to the inhibitors. We'll push them back from there!"