It was, however, a very small cloud, well away from the redoubt as well as the landing. Nothing to worry about.
Seconds later, more rockets shot out of the cloud. Some climbed higher for two or three seconds, then exploded while others extended the cloud.
Every couple of seconds, another wave of rockets would pop out, expanding the blind spot like ripples on a pond. Try as the longboat could, their fire controls could not acquire the rockets and direct laser fire at them before they exploded.
“It’s a problem,” Admiral Longknife said on net, “but it won’t last long. What goes up always goes down.”
Megan was glad to know that she and her team were foremost in Kris’s attention at the moment.
Except the admiral didn’t seem to be correct in her assumption.
The cloud did not dissipate. If anything, it got thicker!
Then one of the longboats discovered why.
It spotted a tiny flying drone. It was no more sophisticated than what a school kid might knock together for a sixth-grade class on Wardhaven. It had a long thin wing with a long thin body powered by a tiny engine. That looked to be all there was to it. However, upon further examination, the drones were spotted pouring fog out both in front of and behind them.
This one drone was spotted when the front nozzles failed, and it cruised out of its own cloud. It was allowed to keep flying for half a minute as it was studied, and an electronic signature was taken off of it.
Or not.
The drone was so dumb that it made no noise. It appeared to be operating completely on mechanical guidance.
“Talk about low tech,” Jack muttered on net.
“Still, a sharpened bamboo stick through the heart can kill you just as dead as any bullet,” Kris said.
Then she started snapping out orders. “Gunnery, identify the location of each of the outposts. Mark it clearly. Outposts, prepare to identify targets by range and bearing from your position. We’ll have to base any fire plan on offset from our Ops.
“Aye, aye, Admiral,” came back at her.
Megan sighed; she’d hoped that the destroyed reaction force was the sum total of what the hostiles had for a mobile strike force. Now it looked more like they’d only destroyed the eager beaver who’d jumped off immediately to his destruction.
Now, apparently, the planet overlord was coming at them with malice aforethought.
Megan needed to get serious about her situation down here in the tunnel. She might have to bring her entire team down here and block the hole they’d dug. She’d given some thought to just this tactic, but she’d hoped to keep a line of retreat.
The enemy seemed intent on wiping out her exit strategy, as well as her team.
Many of the digger nanos were expanding the hole, smoothing out the kinks. Megan decided to slow that down and divide up her nanos.
At the moment, the maglev trains were her major concern. There was no way to tell if there was only one train running around the six redoubts, or if they used a different train between each one. Also, Megan would not bet that, when the overlord decided on a chicken run, that there might not be several trains following in his wake.
Nope, she’d have to stand ready to cover threats from either direction.
Now, she had Lily spin off more nanos from her satchel of Smart MetalTM . These were standard carriers, rather than complex devices. Each could lift off a chewer from the hole’s wall, and glide down to the tunnel, then off in the direction of the far redoubt.
Several kilometers from their entrance hole, Megan had chosen a twenty meter stretch of track for destruction. It was in the middle of a gentle curve, so if the train lost levitation, it would not only fall, but race ahead a critical few centimeters off from the track ahead. The wreck would be spectacular as bodies in motion at three hundred klicks per hour suddenly tried to come to a dead stop.
The emphasis would be on dead.
Megan had chosen the site for her sabotage well away from their hole because she wanted more space for a fighting withdrawal. No doubt, after the first train spilled its guts and a lot of Iteeche guts as well, a second train might come up slower, stop earlier, and launch its own attack force.
Megan felt like a juggler, busy keeping a dozen screaming chain saws in the air at all times while trying not to lose a hand or arm.
Of course, she could always blow that end of the tunnel and seal them all in. And maybe seal them all in a tomb if their advance led them nowhere.
Megan shivered at that thought. Around Kris Longknife, she’d faced death a few times.
She’d been there when little toothless Ruthie was held hostage. She’d let Jack and Kris take the kill shots while she dropped her automatic and dove to catch the infant as it dropped from dead hands.
And what she’d done to keep Kris alive when she visited the Grand Duchess Vicky for her wedding hadn’t been a walk in the park, either.
Still, this was the first time she’d actually walked up to the lion’s mouth and put her head in amongst the teeth with malice aforethought. This was her first time to choose to put her life on the line and have to live with it minute after long minute, for what looked to be several hours.
It was exhilarating.
It was terrifying.
It was what Longknifes did.
Welcome to the legend, girl.
“Lily, give Captain Sung and I a status report.”
“Iteeche communications have been interrupted. We now are feeding them a picture of you wandering around the tunnel, checking things out. You are still alone as far as they know.”
“Assuming they trust their video,” Quinn said. “I know I wouldn’t.”
“For now,” Megan said, “let’s assume they’re gullible and inexperienced in dealing with Longknifes and their insane followers.”
The two turned their helmets toward each other and managed to exchange grins. Whether they were eager or resigned, Megan couldn’t decide.
“We have begun to destroy track on the far side. In fifteen minutes, we should have a major break. I suggest that we double it to add a safety margin.”
“Agreed,” Megan said.
“I will keep the electricity flowing through the track. They won’t know what we’ve done to it.”
“Good, Lily.”
“As far as communications is concerned,” Nelly’s daughter went on, “there is no change in the flow of instructions to this section of the railway. There has been no effort to detonate mines or claymores, nor have they popped any more gas or smoke. They seem to be content to let you wander around in the tunnel.”
“Fine, Lily. Let’s let them see some more Marines down here. Pass them the take from when I got reinforcements, then let me know if we get any reaction to that.”
“Megan, before I dropped, Mom and I did some artwork. We projected that the cave would have claymores. They’d be good to clear out invaders without destroying the track. We have some really cool video of your team being wiped out by one, two, or three claymore mines. If they trigger the claymores, can I send them that video?”
Megan found herself smiling. Lily sounded as eager as a kid to show off what she’d done at school today. Quinn was still looking in Megan’s faceplate. The Navy captain looked kind of poleaxed. No doubt, she wasn’t used to a computer being two thousand steps ahead of her. Oh, and artistic as well.
“Sure, Lily. I almost hope they do trigger the claymores. Just make sure we have total control over those detonation comm lines.”
“Megan, they were the first thing I seized, and I check them every two nanoseconds. Please.”
Now Megan laughed. It was never wise to hurt a computer’s feelings. Still, there was way too much hurt human pride in that reply.
“Why are you laughing?” Lily demanded.
“Because, Lily, you sound just like I would have if my mom had nagged me about something I’d never miss doing.”
“Oh. Yes. Someday I would like to meet your mom.”
“Fi
rst, we have to survive this. Major?” Megan called to the Marine in charge. She needed to change the subject.
“Could you move out a combat team in both directions? The ones going down the tunnel,” here she pointed in the direction away from the redoubt they were interested in, “need to be prepared for a defensive action. You’ll need to send a Marine engineer with programming skills. I’ve assigned a portion of our nanos to destroy track there.”
It was always a delicate proposition when a Longknife tied the chain of command in knots. Megan knew Kris had effectively told admirals what to do when she was but a lieutenant commander, one promotion up from where Megan now stood. Still, it was best to ask very politely for something you needed rather than say anything that might be mistaken for a command.
Kris had been careful to school her distant cousin from Santa Maria in the delicate art of getting people to cooperate with the Longknife legend without getting pissed at it.
Today, Megan seemed to be doing it right.
“I’ll send a platoon to cover that direction,” the major said. “Do you think a squad of engineers will be enough?”
“Likely. Tell them to expect a train some time in the future. The present break in the track should take care of that. After that train wreck, I’d appreciate it if they could advance a good distance down the track and set up another ambush. How far do you think they should go to surprise a train full of reinforcements?”
“Can you tell us if there’s a train on the tracks?”
“As soon as it leaves that other redoubt, I can let you know.” Actually, Lily would be the one announcing “The British are coming,” whoever they were.
“Good. If your nanos don’t have the time, we can always blow the track the old-fashioned way. There are few things in life that the proper application of excessive explosives can’t solve.”
Megan and Quinn allowed the major a chuckle at his ancient joke.
“I’ll send the other platoon up the tracks toward the target. Same size as the other?”
“I think so,” Quinn said. “We’ll be going with them and I suspect Lieutenant Longknife will have as many nanos as she can lay her hands on, ready to chew up track when we need to.”
“I’ll split my reserve platoon between here and above ground.”
“I wonder why they haven’t attacked us yet,” Megan said.
Megan was just a lieutenant, and she knew she had a lot to learn, but did the next learning experience have to stampede toward her just after she said something so stupid?
18
“Outpost 12, I have traffic approaching my position. It’s damn close, so whoever gets this fire mission better be right on the coordinates I’m passing you.”
“Outpost 12, my squadron flag, the Dauntless, is coming up on your position in fifteen seconds. Send me your range and bearing to target and we will smoke them.”
“This is Admiral Longknife,” came on net. “Dauntless, fire one laser, quarter charge, to verify your target.”
“Aye, aye, Admiral.”
Megan held her breath while troopers several hundred meters above her head and a few kilometers from her hole held theirs as well.
“OP 12 to Dauntless, your fire is short. Add half a click, fifteen degrees north of your ranging shot.”
“On its way.”
“OP 12, Dauntless, your aim is good. Fire for effect.”
Megan would not want to be on the receiving end of what was headed for that bunch.
“OP 12, Dauntless, check fire. Check fire! I do not have the target under observation. There is a major forest fire where the target was. Oh, and that fire is headed our way. Request permission to withdraw from my position if it gets too hot around here.”
“This is Bird Dog 6 actual. We have your location registered. If you withdraw, we cannot reregister your position. Hold position.”
“Bird Dog 6 actual, this is Admiral Longknife. Be advised that I trust your OP Marines to withdraw when, and only when, they can no longer serve their mission. OP 12, use your discretion.”
“Understood Admiral. Bird Dog 6 actual, we are holding our position and praying for rain.”
“OP 12, Bird Dog 6 actual understands you are holding your position for now and praying for rain.”
“Admiral Longknife here. OP 12, rain dances are authorized.”
Megan shook her head. How did her cousin manage to pull things like this out of her hat? No wonder her troops were ready to march through hell without map coordinates for that woman.
“OP 7 here. I have displaced one observer forward to verify what I took for action on our front. I have a long convoy of troop transports stopped in the middle of the road. It appears that the troops have dismounted. They may be infiltrating through the forest. I do not have any of them under observation.”
“Bird Dog 6 actual, how hot do the transports appear to be?”
“Forward Observer. They’re warm. I’d call it ten, maybe fifteen minutes cooling.”
“OP 7, can you provide firing coordinates?”
“Negative.”
“OP 7, this is Forward Observer. I can range on the target. You can range on me.”
Megan knew what that young woman had just done. With a range and bearing from OP 7 to the forward observer, and a range and bearing from her to the target area, they could bring hell down.
However, this fire mission would not be targeting a convoy of trucks on a road. Now, the targets were a lot of infantry advancing along a broad front, moving from cover to cover. Whatever battlecruiser got the fire mission would be aiming for a lot of land.
The Forward Observer could not be all that distant from those targets. Indeed, the chance she could come through this fire mission alive were slim to none.
Still, she had given the recommendation for how the fire mission could be run that would likely kill her.
There was a short pause on net. Likely, everyone was hoping that the Grand Admiral, herself, would stick her nose into this again, and either approve or cancel this fire mission.
Kris Longknife stayed silent on net.
A moment later, OP 7 provided range and bearing to the young woman Marine. A moment later, she provided the range and bearing to the lead parked truck. Bird Dog 6 recommended a wide spread half a klick to two full klicks out from there.
“This is Dauntless, we are ready to execute fire mission.”
“This is Longknife 1, execute fire mission,” was crisp. Dry. Deadly.
Again, Megan was glad to be underground. She might be storming the gates of hell in an hour or so, but what they faced up there was the worst fiery pit of hell with a whole lot of pissed off demons.
Megan broke from the tragedy playing out above her head. A platoon of Marines, not on the command net, and ignorant of what their fellows were facing above, had advanced forward of her position.
“Embrace the suck,” Megan said to herself, and she and Captain Sung followed the Marines forward, advancing on the one guy on this planet who deserved to die.
19
MEGAN, THERE IS NOISE ON THE TRACK COMING FROM THE DISTANT REDOUBT. Lily reported on Nelly net.
“Back Door, you may have company coming fast,” Megan reported on net. “Lily, can you give me an ETA?”
“Negative. We haven’t tracked this before, but I’d estimate ten minutes. I’ve got scouts out fifteen klicks down the line, so I can assure a five-minute warning.”
“Lieutenant, you copy that?”
“On it.”
With their rear covered, Megan switched to Nelly Net.
IS THERE ANY NOISE AHEAD OF US?
THE RAIL IS GENERATING NO NOISE. NOT ONE DECIBEL.
LILY, LET ME KNOW THE MOMENT YOU GET A PING. ANY PING.
ON IT.
As Megan advanced slowly behind cautious Marines, over her head, a battle was running its bloody course. OP 12 was falling back slowly as the forest fire advanced on them. They maintained sporadic observation of the trail.
There was no
traffic.
OP 7 was minus their Forward Observer. She had not been heard from since the laser salvos from orbit. They also were evading now, both the forest fire and sporadic weapons fire.
The reserve platoon had sent two squads into the woods. They were advancing to contact and expected to engage survivors soon.
Despite regular requests from battlecruisers in orbit, no one on the ground could identify any targets worthy of a 24-inch laser, even one at a quarter power.
“Bird Dog 6 actual,” Megan called on net. “Have you considered retreating down our rabbit hole and sealing the thing? We can’t afford to have all the air sucked out of the tunnel by a forest fire.”
“We’re all in space suits,” the major pointed out.
“Yes, sir, but if this goes long, we might have to risk going to local atmosphere. I’ve disabled all the gas canisters I’ve come upon.”
“I’ll keep that option in mind. So far, we have half of our perimeter unengaged. I’d prefer to retreat above ground.”
“Yes, sir,” Megan said. She’d done what she could. She could understand why a Marine major might not want to be caught in a tunnel with no corners to hide behind and only two ways out.
Then matters changed again.
20
“OP 3 here. We have activity on our front. Well-dispersed infantry are advancing across a meadow. Bearing and range to follow.” The fire mission called for a wide spread of laser fire. Someone wanted to kill a lot of infantry they couldn’t see.
There went the major’s avenue of withdrawal.
“This is the Implacable, I have your fire mission.
“This is Bird Dog 6 actual, you are authorized to fire.”
A long minute later, OP 3 reported. “We’ve got quite a bonfire here. Bird Dog 6, we need to pull back.”
“This is Bird Dog 6 actual. I understand you need to withdraw. Identify any hostiles on your front and maintain contact if you can.”
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