Another officer stepped forward, the male younger and struggling with a leg wound, the bandage seeping blood over his combat trousers, ‘We estimate probes of our defences to commence in the next couple of hours…perhaps a full scale attack in six or less.’ He shifted uncomfortably on his wounded leg, ‘The Morasat guns are firing blindly towards us in support, but there are reports of a Trevakian fighter having completed a sweep overhead as the shells landed, perhaps the pilot will be able to report the situation back to the capital…if they are still flying, they are at least still fighting!’
The commander sniffed, shaking his head, ‘Let’s hope this pilot survived…with the anti-air capability of the Morgons and the sheer distance from the bluffs, he will have to fly high to get back…too high and their fighters from the upper atmosphere will get him…’ He grinned ironically, ‘It would take some daredevil fool for that flight…’
The officers smiled grimly in response, Mason coughing to speak, ‘Is there any communication with the outside…I mean do we know what the situation is in space? Your Alexion One?’
The intelligence officer turned, ‘No communication…the enemies jamming is very effective. We were only able to communicate with the nearby villages because we placed boosters in the tunnels. We must presume the space war is not going well…the lack of fighter presence and any supply drops would confirm this. There are or were some fighter bombers at Morasat, but without a strong escort, they would not last long…we are on our own…’
Captain Mason nodded, forcing himself upwards on his crutches and stepping painfully towards the table, ‘May I take a look? Sometimes a fresh set of eyes could help?’
The commander grinned once more, indicating for two of his staff to assist the American, ‘Please do…this is an old mining map, but little has changed since it was drawn up…take a look and tell us if you can see something we cannot…’
The stench of burnt and shattered bodies carried on a cold breeze that enveloped the defended village, Rees swallowing hard to quell the rising nausea as he squinted to stare out through the billowing smoke and burning landscape. Sporadic shots rang out with muffled explosions, the occasional burst of automatic fire as the battered defenders looked out across the battlefield in mesmerised silence, several commanders shouting for their soldiers to shore up the defences, to bring up more ammunition or to assist with the wounded.
Lying next to him, Flight Officer Anjara winced as the pain swept through his chest once more, the medic behind staring through the torn wall briefly before turning back to tend to the two critically wounded soldiers. Another medic stumbled up the scorched stairs, the Trevakian struggling to carry an emergency medical bag containing additional breathing apparatus and basic operating equipment.
Rees’s eyes widened in horror as the smoke drifted and swirled, glimpsing torn and shattered frames from the enormous explosions. The mechanical leg of a walker standing isolated and broken, hundreds of dishevelled and mutilated bodies, blackened armour cracked and fragmented across the terrain with bent and disfigured weapons. Numerous fires burnt across the landscape, black smoke rising in plumes from the charred remains of equipment and Morgon bodies.
Several figures were struggling to rise or crawling painfully across the scorched and explosive pitted ground, the acrid and black smoke sweeping towards the village as distant shrieks sounded, the Morgon commanders attempting to reorganise their broken forces. Many of the surviving black armoured soldiers went to ground, seeking cover in the numerous shell craters and behind obstructions created by the maelstrom that had occurred, the front lines now only a couple of hundred metres apart.
Anjara raised a pair of battered binoculars to his eyes, the images flickering and distorted as he stared out far into the carnage. He drew a sharp breath, glimpsing further Morgon units moving up under the cover of the swirling shroud, dread beginning to fill his thoughts as he saw the acid mortars and sniper units advancing cautiously through the billowing mass, the unit commanders urging their specialist soldiers forward as more regular units filed in behind.
Then small flashes erupted, further smoke billowing from the exploding canisters as the enemy sought to conceal their new deployment, Anjara sighing as he lowered the field glasses as Rees glanced at him, the young Heathrow volunteer curious, ‘What have you seen…what’s going on? Is it over?’
Anjara gritted his teeth, half in pain but mostly in concern before forcing a smile, ‘They are moving more soldiers up…it was inevitable they would not give up that easily…’ He slapped the young soldier’s upper arm comfortingly, ‘There will be many more deaths yet and they will not leave us alone until we are gone!’ His eyes strained as the smoke before them became denser, obscuring all view into the distance, his voice lowering with dread as other shouts rang out, ‘Best get ready…they are up to something!’
Lieutenant Kim of the South Korean Blue Dragon Division lunged through the darkened tunnel, the side lights flickering as the walls shook, dust and dirt pouring from the roof. Behind him, soldiers of his unit and US Marines struggled with the wounded and shell shocked Trevakian marines that fought in half-panic towards them, several soaked in blood and stunned from the overwhelming onslaught of Morgon grenadiers and artillery.
Having been ordered from the trench with several men by a Trevakian captain, they had been ushered to one of the concealed entrances to the main trench that led to Harg One in the north. The soldiers passed two dug in hover tanks and an armoured halftrack that guarded the opening to the passageway, the tank guns firing out to the north towards the Morgon positions. The carrier was heavily dug in, its hover engines disabled and providing extra power to the overhead quad cannons that faced skywards.
Kim averted his eyes from the bedraggled troops that staggered past, many wide eyed and terror stricken as they glanced round in fear, muffled gunfire and explosions coming from the tunnel leading back towards the other villages. Clutching his assault rifle tightly, he forced his way forward, shouting over his shoulder desperately to his men, ‘Keep going! Push the wounded back and stay with me…we need to get as many out as possible before they blow the tunnels!’
His heart raced as he heard a muffled shriek, the Trevakian marines fighting a desperate defensive action in the village ahead against a blood thirsty overwhelming enemy. Ferocious gunfire erupted, the South Koreans nearing the exit ahead as the frantic shouts became louder, the explosions of pulse grenades sending shock waves across the shattered buildings and equipment.
Reaching the opening, he drew back, the bodies of Trevakian soldiers lying in pools of blood across the broken basement that housed the tunnel entrance. The troops so near safety as their wounds overcame them, shoulders and bodies shaking as their lives ebbed away, the more fortunate soldiers and few remaining civilians running past them in panic, their desperate pleas for assistance going unheard.
Kim forced his body forward, two US marines emerging behind and gasping at the gruesome sight, several lifeless eyes seemed to stare at them as if pleading for safety, the soldier clenching their teeth in determination as they struggled up the shattered steps to the surface, black smoke billowing around them.
The upper room was roofless, broken masonry and debris filling the space of the downstairs rooms as they emerged into the swirling smoke and snowflakes, numerous Trevakians lining the broken walls and firing out into the burning streets as screams and explosions filled their ears.
Lieutenant Kim shouted over the din, his voice hoarse from the dust and smoke, ‘Bolster the defences…let’s get as many out as we can!’ The US Marines and Koreans bolted forward, raising their weapons to fire from above the shattered walls, the chatter of a machine gun behind as the roar of eruptions drowned out any words.
The South Korean officer reached the doorway, glancing across the rubble strewn street and glimpsing soldiers in the building opposite, many wounded as they prepared to run across the opening. Tracers zipped past, the Morgon snipers and grenadiers firing down the thoroughf
are at the fleeing defenders, their eyes glowing in relish as they realised their enemy was beaten, their excitement and bloodlust rising.
Kim’s eyes narrowed, the fire almost unrelenting and murderous, the troops opposite staring at him wide eyed, knowing they would not all make the crossing. The South Korean commander glanced round frantically, shouting, ‘Any smoke grenades? We need the cover…’
One soldier turned, dropping next to a broken ammunition box beside him and tossing one grenade, his shout virtually incomprehensible under the sustained fire as more screams echoed from behind, an acid shell landing in the last remaining machine gun position. The crews were thrown from their emplacement by the blast, green slime covering their bodies as the acid began to rapidly eat through their uniforms, their frames twitching violently as they landed roughly, the chance to escape the toxic slurry gone as the slime began to consume their skin and organs.
Kim tossed the last smoke grenade into the street, the canister bouncing before erupting with a flash, a billowing mass swirling into the air around it. Glancing out quickly, he drew back as bullets cracked against the wall next to him, his teeth clenching as he realised the sheer number of Morgons now firing along the thoroughfare, their muzzle flashes disappearing as the smoke billowed upwards.
As the end of the street was obscured, the wounded soldiers opposite surged forward, the fire intensifying as shrieks of blood lust filled the air, Kim shouting frantically with encouragement as the first few bodies spun round, their frames peppered with bullets as they fell, several clawing forward as pulse grenades bounced down the street, the South Korean ducking back as detonations shook the walls.
Glancing back, he heard the screams in the building opposite, the blood curdling shrieks amongst the wounded as the Morgon shock troops smashed their way into the makeshift infirmary, cutting down the doctors and the few remaining defenders with their ceremonial swords as they fell upon the injured. Three more wounded lunged out into the street, their bodies bucking and crumpling as numerous bullets sliced through their armour and combat uniforms, Lieutenant Kim spinning round and shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Time to leave…everyone into the tunnel…no rear-guard…run!’
Grenades bounced down the street, the explosions throwing dirt and billowing dust into the last rooms of defence, a few distant screams indicating the final end of any remaining resistance across Harg One. The remaining soldiers scrambled from their positions, charging down the buckling stairs as Kim threw the last of his grenades through the doorway of the building opposite, a shriek of surprise as the explosion mercifully killed any of the remaining wounded, two Morgon soldiers thrown against the walls and killed in the eruption.
Tearing down the stairs after the retreating Trevakians, Koreans and US Marines, his boots slipped on the steps, his hands grasping and snatching against the wall as he fell, tumbling onto several of the dead bodies below, his heart pounding in horror as he heard the shrieks in the room above, the rifle having slipped from his grasp.
His hands tore at the dead bodies beneath him, his body scrambling across the corpses as he glanced back in rising terror, seeing a silhouette at the top of the steps, the eyes glowing red as the camouflaged armoured helmet turned, a deafening shriek filling the basement as the Morgon soldier leapt downwards.
Reaching the tunnel entrance, the South Korean attempted to rise, his hands clawing at the earth walls as he propelled his body forward, his lips opening to shout, ‘Run! They are just behind us…’ The armoured claw tightened round his lower leg, his body falling forward as he screamed, the bone grinding in his ankle as the grip clamped like a vice, his leg being pulled backwards as his face and visor smacked onto the floor of the tunnel, his fingers digging into the dirt and resin planked surface beneath as he kicked out.
The grip tightened further, his scream of pain muffled as his face was dragged across the dirt, the bones in his lower leg fracturing under the intense pressure. Clawing at the earth, his mind swam in fear and rising shock, his body hauled back towards the room behind as he kicked out frantically with his free leg, a whine of desperate frustration coming from his lips.
A deafening burst of gunfire near his helmet, his eardrums perforating as the grip loosened then fell away. Rough hands grasped his shoulder armour, more gunfire above as his body was propelled forward, the bitter taste of blood filling his mouth from a broken nose as distant shrieks resounded off the tunnel walls. Shouts filled the air, seeming distant and broken, the American accents frantic as his frame was dragged along the darkened passageway, explosions behind as dust poured over the five soldiers’ frames.
A distant rumble filled the tunnel, the thunder gaining ground and expanding around them, becoming overwhelming in intensity as his body was dropped, earth and debris pouring over the shoulders and frames as the tunnel walls imploded, the roof collapsing as tons of rubble collapsed downwards.
Lieutenant Kim’s chest heaved as he desperately tried to breath, his frame rising as the earth fell from his back, his body collapsing downwards once more as the excruciating pain swept through his leg. Bodies stirred next to him, the South Korean shouting in the darkness as he spat dust and debris from his mouth, ‘They blew the tunnels?’
The body next to him groaned, the stunned soldier struggling upwards and grasping a discarded rifle, a muffled shout as Kim strained to hear, the darkness blinding as the disorientated soldiers scrambled around, the deep coughs and gasping as dust billowed around the dirt encrusted figures.
Then the South Korean stiffened, lights flashing across the darkness as he stared into the tons of fallen earth, a twitching boot extending from the collapsed passageway debris. He slowly turned, his breath held as he swallowed hard, the lights flickering towards them through the darkness as the bolts of two rifles were pulled back, an American accent nearby as one of the US Marines nodded to his countryman and patted the South Korean’s shoulder, ‘This is it buddy!’
A relishing shriek filled their ears as Kim realised the worst…the tunnel had been blown ahead of them…they were trapped and the enemy knew it.
On the high ground and bluffs before Morasat, Major Hecklan sat in his own private quarters, his head in his hands. Muffled explosions shook the command bunker, the Morgon mobile artillery pounding the defensive positions as the enemy infantry began to form into assault squads on the plains below.
The Trevakian defenders crouched or lay in the trenches, many with their hand over their helmets as the explosions threw dirt and fragments into the positions, many shaking as the barrage continued without respite, the eruptions destroying laser defences and any remaining pulse mines or traps.
The defensive artillery lay silent, many batteries conserving ammunition for what was expected to be the last push by a merciless enemy to capture the capital. Most gunners were expecting the worst, having seen fewer and fewer flights by the defending Trevakian fighters, the introduction of rationing and the departure of some residents, the local people heading further west with few possessions and belongings.
The major lifted his head slowly as the lights flickered, glancing round the sparsely furnished room, his cap and rifle resting on the table top before him, his concerned staff having requested he take a short break from the main command room, the senior officer clearly exhausted having not slept in days.
A knock at the door startled him from his weary thoughts, his voice broken as he called out, ‘Come…’
The door swept back, an intelligence officer of the Trevakian Marines stepping into the room and stiffening before the desk, ‘Sir…there is a party from central command to see you…’
Hecklan nodded sleepily, smoothing his hair and retrieving his cap before carefully placing it on his head, straightening his tunic as he smiled, ‘Show them in…’
The officer nodded, turning as two soldiers walked briskly into the room, their combat uniforms etched with red collars and epilates, both standing abruptly to attention and raising fists to their chests in salute. Major Hecklan
slowly rose to his feet, nodding his thanks to the intelligence officer, the man turning abruptly on his heels and marching from the room, the door closing behind him.
The Major forced a smile, ‘What can I do for you soldiers? Are there more reserves moving up to reinforce us?’
The youthful marine on the right stepped forward, his eyes staring ahead officially, ‘Major Hecklan, Sir. As you may know, we are from the S.I. military enforcement section at Morasat.’ The young soldier adjusted his stance nervously, ‘Sir, it is my duty to inform you that you are being relieved of duty as of this moment. You are to accompany us back to the capital for reassignment and to face trial.’
Hecklan smiled reassuringly, his eyes softening in resignation, ‘I have a son like you…he is fighting in the next system…please inform me of the charges…’
The soldier stiffened once more, his blue eyes still staring ahead, ‘Sir, it is my regret to inform you that your charges are as follows. One: Irresponsible dereliction of duty, placing the soldiers under your command in unnecessary danger, your personal decisions causing the loss of a high number of personnel. Two: A failure to ensure the safety of your command and the defence of the planets capital, endangering the lives of not only our allies, but also civilian and animal life indigenous to this system.’ The military policeman stepped back, ‘Sir, we request you accompany us with immediate effect…your replacement is already in direct receipt of your reconnaissance and battle reports and will arrive at this facility shortly.’
The Major nodded, speaking softly in despondency, ‘I understand the charges and accept full responsibility…’ He shook his head thoughtfully, ‘Unfortunately, nothing I can now do will bring these brave soldiers back, nor will it resolve the mess I have created. I wish it known for the record that I acted in good faith with the aim of defeating the enemy completely…’ The Major’s body stiffened as he looked up, ‘Please give me just one moment to collect my thoughts gentlemen…there are some refreshments outside whilst you wait.’
Zaxon B: The Final Struggle (Galaxies Collide Book 4) Page 19