Danny believed that the Hydra Alliance would be better served by abandoning Green Bay and focusing their efforts around Milwaukee. Magic Battalion could provide desperately needed troops to turn the tide, either shoring up the western end of the line or providing extra punch for the urban warfare in the east.
He didn’t want to be the first one to bring up the prospect of abandoning Green Bay to the enemy, though. Ghost Battalion had fought a vicious, desperate battle to keep it out of Ragnarok’s hands, and he imagined that they’d be loath to just give it up without a fight. It was Magic Battalion’s prize too, and there’d definitely be pushback from them as well.
Whatever the case, the current situation meant getting enough troops to perform a raid on the Ragnarok supply lines would be difficult. Not only did they have a lot of ground to cover, but the convoys themselves were heavily defended.
Raven Flight had shadowed several convoys during the night hours, staying at a distance and out of sight. By piecing the various reports together, Blake and Danny determined that the convoys were huge, with forty to fifty trucks on the road at the same time. Not only that, but they often had tanks or armored cars along for escorts, along with trucks bristling with antiaircraft guns.
Bombs weren’t an option, since Ragnarok patrolled the roads during the day, making it impossible to send a sabotage team behind enemy lines. They couldn’t use helicopter transport, and by the time they arrived on foot the convoy would be right on top of them. No, the only way to deal with the convoys was straight battle, but an ambush carried its own dangers. Not only did they have dedicated escorts, but each truck had at least one trooper riding shotgun. A single platoon wasn’t going to cut it, not even one with strong air support.
Hydra needed extra troops for the raid, but where would they come from? They couldn’t be pulled from other parts of the line, NPC troops were of questionable use on the offensive, and none of them wanted to trust mercenaries. They probably couldn’t get enough of them anyhow, and even if they could, would they measure up to Ghost Battalion’s raiding ability? Danny certainly didn’t think so. Every unit in the battalion had months of experience in this kind of warfare, and someone pantomiming their abilities just wouldn’t cut it.
That’s where White Tiger came in. They didn’t quite have the abilities of a unit like Black Wolf or Redd Foxx, but they could hold their own in this kind of situation. More importantly, Danny had worked with them before, and had become good friends with their company commander, Tafari. He knew how they fought, knew their tendencies, and knew how to utilize them to their greatest effect. Most importantly, he knew they could work together efficiently, without any major problems.
But they weren’t going to come cheap. White Tiger was one of the major players in Ronin’s alliance and were needed at the front lines at Davenport. Danny had believed that he could convince Tafari about the danger Ragnarok posed both alliances and their territory, but Levi was a different matter. Ronin’s company commander had tunnel vision at the moment, and was completely focused on Davenport over all else.
On one hand he could see why. The major players in the region had cities where they could form an industrial base to support their massive war machines. Without one, Ronin would be continually marginalized, doomed to be a bit player to the other, stronger factions. But on the other hand, it left theme very vulnerable to being hit hard while their troops were away. Even while they were pushing for Indianapolis, Hydra had always kept an eye on Ragnarok, trying to keep them at bay.
Regardless, Ronin’s alliance was focused on Davenport, and in order to tear them away they needed some sort of incentive. It had to be good, too, because a lowball offer would never cut it, and anyhow, Danny wasn’t going to insult their intelligence by trying that.
But Danny also knew they needed weapons for the attack on Davenport. They could purchase light artillery from the NPC factories in Old Chicago, but that might not be enough against especially tough defenses. Even Hydra’s 155mm guns or Ragnarok’s rocket artillery could have trouble breaching thick city walls. Coupled with the fact that the guns had to be constantly supplied with ammunition and that Ronin lacked any large-scale factories, and the result was a dire predicament. They desperately needed a new trump card to play.
They could search for schematics or try to improvise a solution, but their best bet at the moment was to acquire their weapons from another source. Hydra wasn’t about to give them any of their top of the line equipment, which was desperately needed at the front lines, but they’d have no problem handing over Ragnarok’s tech. All they needed was to get their hands on it.
That’s where the raid came into play. White Tiger would provide the muscle for the ground assault. In exchange, Black Wolf and Raven would capture the convoy, not destroy it, and hand over the weapons as payment. Everyone would get something out of the deal. Well, everyone but Ragnarok, but who cared about what they thought?
Danny watched as the Typhoons sped toward the intercept point, watching them zoom past the darkened fields and trees. Through the lenses of his night vision gear, everything had a green tint.
“Bravo Wolf, this is Raven 2,” Blake called over the radio. “We’re approaching the target area. We’ll split into pairs, one to the front of the convoy, one to the rear. We’ll trap them as planned.”
“Copy. We’ll be right behind you. Xavier, Javy, how you guys coming down there?”
“We’re making progress, but we’ll be a little behind you guys,” Xavier told him.
“It’s not easy to keep up with a helicopter on foot,” Javy added. “Especially when you have to go through thick forest like this. We’re lucky there’s no predators down here.”
“Wouldn’t that suck,” Danny commented. Predators were a fact of life out in the wilds, but they usually wouldn’t bother large formations. They’d definitely stay clear of fierce combat zones, unless the battle took place in an especially dangerous area.
That would certainly be problematic, he thought to himself simultaneously fighting against both the environment and an enemy formation. Redd Foxx had experienced a situation like that in the swamps around Green Bay, though their stealth skills and field craft helped them immensely.
“ETA, one minute to target,” Brooke told him over the radio.
“Got it. Everyone ready?”
The rest of the crew gave him confirmation. Danny gripped the handles of the minigun in front of him and prepared for combat. Other than firing pot shots from the bench seats of a transport Hornet, this would be his first time fighting from the air.
Hephaestus Company had done their jobs well, providing Ghost Battalion with a powerful helicopter unit that could perform a variety of tasks. The Typhoons could be tailored for either troop transport, or in this case, fire support. This particular loadout gave the aircraft modular stub wings, which could mount a variety of guns or rockets. In this case, they had chosen miniguns for their ability to lay down a wall of lead. They couldn’t hurt heavily armored vehicles, but the Hornets had rockets and could take care of them instead.
The stub wing mounts weren’t the only weapons aboard. The Typhoons also had a pair of weapons mounted on pintle mounts at each door. His bird had chosen miniguns as well, though he knew one of the others had selected .50 caliber machine guns for their superior penetrating power, enough to stop a truck in its tracks with just a few rounds through the engine block.
“This is Raven 2. We’re in position. Going in to kick the hornet’s nest.”
“Aren’t you the Hornets?” Danny asked.
Blake answered with a dry laugh. “True. Well then, guess we’ll show them our sting. Keep an eye out for enemy antiair. Raven 2, out.”
The roadway loomed in front of them, dark, looking deserted in the moonless night. The convoy was probably running with their lights off to avoid detection. All well and good, but that helped them little when the enemy already knew where they were. He could see the shapes of moving trucks through the lenses of his goggles.
Even in the dark, there was nowhere to hide from the wolves.
And then the highway lit up in a sheet of flame as the Hornets began their attack. Rockets tore into the three lead vehicles. One took the full force of several rockets on its flank and careened wildly, tipping over and rolling several times. Despite himself, Danny felt a little bit of pity for the crew. Tanks probably didn’t have seatbelts, because why would they be needed? Anything strong enough to topple one over would probably kill the crew anyhow.
The second tank slewed to the side, spewing flame out of a single hole in the turret. The third stopped rolling and then blew up in a spectacular geyser of flame and shrapnel. The blast was bright enough to temporarily blind him. Danny blinked and tried to regain his bearings.
“Going in over the convoy. Keep an eye out for AA trucks,” Brooke warned.
Danny regained his vision in time to see his helo swoop in over the convoy. Tracers filled the night sky, zipping every which way, so thick that he could probably walk on them. How were they going to manage to get out of this alive?
And then he had no more time to think. A quartet of closely-grouped flashes to left caught his attention, probably a quad-mount of machine guns or autocannons. Danny trained his gun and pulled the trigger, sending a hail of bullets toward the enemy target. He could see the sparks of bullets pinging off the metal of the gun shield, but the antiaircraft gun went silent.
He heard the sound of bullets pinging off the skin of their chopper. Danny tried to finds the source of the attack, but there were too many targets and too many ways his shots could go wrong. He didn’t want to destroy the supplies in the trucks, which meant the convoy guards could shoot from inside their transports with near impunity. Airborne platforms lacked the precision to accurately hit such small targets.
Oh well, Danny thought to himself, that’s what the ground troops were here for. They could operate at close range and fire aimed shots. Right now his worry was the antiaircraft guns around the convoy. They could obviously threaten their air power, but worse, Ragnarok’s guns were capable of shredding infantry as well, even in the thick cover of the forest.
Danny lined up another shot and pulled the trigger, spewing lead and tracers out of his gun. Shots ripped through a pair of machine guns mounted on the back of a truck, killing the occupants as well.
“Raven 2, how’s it coming?” he asked over the din of battle. Even with the noise of the helicopter, the sound of gunfire surrounding them was almost deafening.
“They’re trapped. Both ends of the convoy are destroyed. Now we just have to take care of the ones in the middle.”
“Tall order.” Danny switched radio channels. “Bravo 1, Bravo 2, White Tiger, how close are you?”
“Give us another minute,” Tafari told him.
Danny gritted his teeth and tore into another gun that started to turn their way. “Hurry if you can. We’re taking heavy ground fire, and we can’t shoot because they’re in the trucks. I’m guessing you don’t want your supplies up in smoke either.”
“That’d be a good guess. We’ll get a move on,” Tafari replied.
“Man, you’re brutal,” Javy laughed. “Step on it or your payment might get sent sky high if you don’t.”
“That’s not a threat, that’s a friendly warning,” Danny replied. “We can’t keep this up forever, and I’d like to make sure we hold up our end of the bargain.”
“Always a good thing,” Xavier remarked.
“Yeah, and we thank you for that,” Tafari added. “We’re headed your way. Don’t get shot down.”
“Heh, as if,” Danny said with a grin.
He spotted moving shapes below, trying to escape the carnage around the convoy. They weren’t threatening, but at this time he didn’t have any other good targets, so Danny lined up his weapon and gunned them all down. Out in the open against the sheer weight of fire from a minigun, they didn’t stand a chance.
“Looks like we have breakers,” Ryan said over the radio from his own bird.
“I see them too. Looks like they don’t want to stick around and fight.”
“Probably inexperience,” Blake said. “If they were smart they’d notice we weren’t targeting the supply trucks and would stay inside them.”
“So their commander is second rate?” Ryan asked.
“Or they’re just not listening to him or her,” Blake pointed out. “The best orders in the world mean nothing if your troops won’t follow them.”
Danny turned his attention back to the ground. “How are we doing on the antiaircraft guns?”
“Looks like we’ve taken care of most of them,” Blake said. “Keep your guard up, but the fire from the ground is dying down.”
“Any losses?”
“None so far.”
They had their pilots to thank for that. Raven Flight never ceased to amaze him. They were skilled, capable of performing difficult maneuvers at all speeds and altitudes. More than that, though, every pilot seemed to be completely fearless, supremely confident in their machines and piloting abilities. That allowed them to press forward, even into withering enemy fire. They knew they’d make it through.
Sure, that attitude was going to get them killed at some point, but Danny appreciated their enthusiasm. It allowed them to seize the initiative and bring the fight to the enemy. Given the choice, he’d rather take chances and be able to dictate the pace of the battle rather than play it safe and let the enemy regain their bearings.
“Ground force, how’s it coming?” Danny asked again. This was all well and good, but if they couldn’t capture the trucks this mission would be a failure. They’d destroy an important supply convoy, but he didn’t want to make an enemy out of White Tiger or Ronin.
“Give us a few more seconds,” Tafari said.
“Good. Bear in mind that some of them are taking cover in the trucks. Careful where you shoot,” Danny warned.
“Don’t have to tell us that. It’s our stuff, after all.”
“Uhuh. It’s only your stuff after you capture it,” Danny replied with a grin on his face.
“Then we’ll get right on it.”
Danny took one last look over the convoy. The huge line of trucks sat motionless on the roadway, illuminated by the burning wrecks of their escorts. A few surviving guns still fired skyward, but the incoming fire was nothing compared to what it had been at the start.
“Blake.”
“I hear you.”
“Ground force is in position. The guys on the ground are scattering. Let’s make one last run at the convoy to try to drive more of them out into the open,” Danny suggested.
“Roger that,” Blake replied. “Raven Flight, make one more run at the enemy and try to flush them.”
“White Tiger, did you catch that?” Danny asked.
“I did,” Tafari said.
“Just give us the signal when you’re ready,” Xavier added. “We’ll try to pick them off as they leave the trucks.”
“No guarantees we can get all of them out, but we’ll do our best. Bravo Wolf, out.”
And just like that, Brooke lined up their attack run and sent the Typhoon howling down the edge of the roadway, giving Danny a perfect line on every single vehicle in the convoy. Something inside him wanted to completely cut loose, firing at everything and anything that crossed his sights, but he kept his discipline.
A flash caught his eye, and Danny managed to pick off another gun mount with a beautiful shot, considering the distance, the darkness and the speed his platform was moving at. He grinned with a ridiculous amount of pride at his exploit. Sure, heavies were never built for accuracy, but who said he couldn’t shoot?
Although, on second thought, that last burst had probably been little more than sheer luck. Danny probably couldn’t replicate a feat of that nature in a million years, but he wasn’t going to tell the others that.
“White Tiger, Bravos, we’re out of our attack run,” Blake’s voice crackled through the radio.
The southern
edge of the forest lit up with muzzle flashes. Ragnarok troops trying to take cover in the weeds on the roadside were cut down in droves. Others sought shelter in the ditches and behind abandoned cars and started to return fire. They wouldn’t go down without a fight.
But it was a futile gesture at this point, Danny thought to himself as his helo circled the battlefield, looking for more targets of opportunity. Ragnarok had lost at this point. All they could do was flail about, hoping to take as many of the enemy with them as possible.
They could have that. He’d gladly console himself with the capture of the supplies over any sort of moral victory.
* * *
“All set?” Danny asked.
Tafari nodded with satisfaction. “We are. We have enough troops to drive the trucks, and we have a pretty clear path home thanks to you guys. These passwords will work at the checkpoints, right?”
Danny nodded. “They will, and if they don’t I’ll have at least one bird above you to verify who you are.”
“Good to hear it.”
Blake cut in over the radio. “Danny, we’re starting to run low on power. I’m taking the Hornets back to base.”
“Roger. We’ll be following shortly,” he replied. The three Typhoons had landed to conserve energy and to pick up the rest of his platoon.
“How are you guys managing on your end?” Tafari asked. “I heard through the grapevine that you’re invading Milwaukee? How’s that going for you?”
“Slow,” Danny told him. “Ragnarok owns part of the city, and they’re not going down without a fight.”
“Tell me about it,” Tafari agreed. “We’re having our own problems at Davenport. The rockets will help, but…”
“But taking a city is a pain. Yup, been there, done that,” Danny agreed. “At least you have a smaller one. Thinking about it now, us trying to go for Indianapolis was a real risk. There’s so many districts inside.”
Deception City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 5) Page 19