“Should we be risking the long-ranged radio?” Will inquired.
“We need the firepower,” Liz said. “It's a necessary risk.”
“Huh, wish we still had the powered armor.”
Nora gave him a half-smile. “Yeah, you and me both.”
“Anyhow,” Anna broke in, getting them back on track, “our goal is to draw out the enemy and force them to bring out everything they have to stop us. We'll try to break through anywhere we can, but our main focus will be on collapsing their left flank.”
“What about Spectre?” Jana asked. “Can we count on them for anything.”
Despite being surrounded and completely cut off for weeks, despite coming under several assaults from the Valkyries and running out of ammunition, Spectre had managed to hold out, albeit with a severely depleted force. Danny considered that to be no small feat, although the troops might have been better used elsewhere. Oh well, he thought. At least they had been a thorn in the enemy's side, forcing them to divert valuable troops to try to contain the problem.
“Spectre's going to stay put,” Anna said. “They're really not in any shape to fight. If we link up with them and the situation permits then maybe, but for now we're going to use the western flank as our main axis of advance.”
Danny nodded grimly. Once again that meant his troops were being assigned as the assault force, although this time they had the benefit of an armored vehicle as backup. He didn't exactly relish the prospect of charging a tough enemy, but at the same time he wasn't dreading it either. Black Wolf had almost always been on the defensive against the Valkyries, and he wanted to see if they fared better when they were attacking. If they had the initiative the enemy's legendary ferocity might not be nearly as effective.
“Do we have any idea about their current deployment?” Will asked. “Other than the fact that they're clustered around the marina.”
“Scouting indicates that they're spread thin in a picket line, with larger reserves hanging back to reinforce the line where they're needed.”
A sensible plan, Danny thought to himself. Given their lack of numbers it allowed the Valkyries to maximize the troops they did have on hand.
It wasn't foolproof, though. If too many enemy troops attacked at the same time the reserves could be overwhelmed, either overcome with uncertainty or committed to the wrong spot. And if the assaulting force hit the defenders over a broad front, the reserve might not be able to cover everywhere before they smashed through at several points.
“We'll begin our attack in thirty minutes. Get to your units and have them prepped to go. We'll be up shortly with the Gazelle.”
Danny hurried south with Jana and Will.
“Couldn't even give us a ride,” Will commented.
“Sadly, this is probably going to be faster,” Danny said. He wanted to get to his troops as soon as possible. Once again they'd be facing down their nemesis, and he wanted to make sure they were all in the right mindset.
* * *
Dozens of faces looked up at him as his assembled platoon stood at the western edge of the hospital campus. Danny could feel the tension in the air, the nerves, the uncertainty. Even veteran troops could feel a bit of hesitation before a fight, but he needed to drum that out of them quickly. Even a second of doubt could get them killed in a furious battle.
Danny called them to attention. “OK everyone, let's get this started. Our object is to advance down the western flank and hit the Ragnarok forces there. We'll be backed up by the Gazelle, and we're expected to be the ones who'll break through their lines.”
That caused a bit of a stir.
“Assault force again?” Xavier asked.
Danny nodded. “Yeah, we're the assault force. Redd Foxx will be making their own pushes further to the east, but we're the ones who are going to break them. The Valkyries are deployed in a picket line with reserves further back. That means we can smash through, if we're quick enough.”
He paused for a moment, then looked around. “This is do or die. If we can't punch through then the fight for this place is completely hopeless. Don't hesitate. We'll smash them, or we'll go down swinging. Let's take the fight to them and punch them in the mouth for a change.”
Danny looked up as the sound of an engine drew closer. Sure enough, the Gazelle pulled into view.
Anna stood in the commander's hatch and waved. “Ready to go?” she asked.
Danny looked down at his troops. “Are we ready?”
The roar in response brought a grin to his face.
* * *
“We ready to go?” Anna asked over the radio link as the rest of the platoon moved out.
“I'm ready,” Liz said.
Nora made one last glance over her shoulder. I'm ready as well. We have a stock of shells stored in the hospital campus, right?”
“Yeah, we have enough for a reload along with some extra fusion batteries.”
That meant she didn't have to be stingy about fire support, which would be critical in the coming fight. Even the most stalwart troops would flinch when autocannon shells started landing near them.
“Danny, we're moving behind you,” Anna said. “Try to find a week point, and we'll help you smash through.”
“Copy that.”
“We're going to have to keep moving,” Liz said. “If we're stationary for too long they're going to get us with an RPG.”
That was the main problem with the Gazelle, especially in tightly confined quarters like these. It could provide essential fire support, but they might as well be hiding behind paper when the enemy started firing heavy weapons.
But it was what they had on hand at the moment, and they needed every ounce of firepower they could get. If they had it bad in here then the troops outside had it even worse, completely exposed to small arms fire.
A thought crossed her mind. “If we get attacked by dive bombers, what are we going to do? Standing still is just going to get us killed, and that's the end of the long-ranged radio.”
“Should have taken it out and left it at the Lake Park HQ,” Liz said.
“Again, we didn't have the heavy equipment needed to get it out,” Anna reminded her. “We'll handle it.”
Maybe, but that was something to keep in mind for later, a design flaw they hadn't anticipated until they actually needed the equipment. The long-ranged radio was bolted in place in the starboard section of the vehicle, right next to the turret ring. The fit was extremely tight, and removing the radio meant removing the turret itself. Since they didn't have a heavy lift crane to do the work everyone was hesitant to try. They might be able to get the turret off by hand, but reattaching it would be an entirely different matter. They weren't going to sacrifice one of their most important assets this late in the game, so for now they'd have to cope.
Still, even though the Gazelle was fast it wouldn't be able to outrun a dive bomber. They could probably get away from a falling bomb, but if the pilot led them then they might be able to score hits. Were the Ragnarok crews skilled enough to pull that off? Nora had seen enough of them in action to know that was a distinct possibility.
“If I may?” Danny's voice cut in on her thoughts.
“Go ahead,” Anna told him.
“You're not going to do us much good if you get bombed into oblivion. If they come after you make a run for it and try to stay alive. It's better than standing still waiting for a bomb to fall on your heads.”
Nora smiled. “Well said, Danny.”
“Hah, don't mention it.”
“I'll take that under advisement,” Anna said. “Let's focus on breaking through the picket line first.”
“Try to stay buttoned up,” Danny warned. “I have a feeling they're going to have a lot of snipers around.”
Sage advice, Nora thought. With only a few troops manning the forward positions it made sense to concentrate their snipers up front. They could slow down advances with accurate shots and force the enemy to take cover, buying the rest of their comrades enough time
to get into position.
But they weren't invincible either. Suppression fire could force them to duck and cover, allowing the attacking troops to move up. And once they were in range, a squad or fireteam could make quick work of a sniper through sheer weight of fire.
And that didn't account for them either. The Gazelle could send autocannon shells streaking toward enemy positions with near impunity, vulnerable only to heavier weaponry. Bullets would ping off the armor like they were rain droplets.
Danny's voice broke into her thoughts again. “We're engaged,” he said.
Anna responded. “Understood. Keep an eye out for enemy heavy weapons crews and try to take them out. Point out vital targets for us too, and we'll do our best to suppress them.”
Nora braced herself for the coming fight. Would their gambit work? Would they be able to draw out the enemy air force?
Whatever the case, they were in for a rough ride.
* * *
The first Ragnarok troops they encountered ducked down into cover, likely trying to figure out what was happening. Bravo Wolf's stealthy advance must have caught them off guard, because their response was much more fragmented than Danny imagined it would be. He could hear some calling for reinforcements from the enemy positions, but that was quickly drowned out by the sound of gunfire.
He activated his radio so the rest of his troops could hear him over the din. “Everyone, keep advancing and overwhelm them. We can't afford to lose momentum.”
One trooper ahead of him suddenly crumpled over, almost like they had been hit by a sledgehammer. Danny knew what that meant.
“Sniper! Anyone-”
“On it,” Nora's voice interrupted him. “I saw the shooter.”
A second later he heard the steady chug of the autocannon, and the third floor of a building exploded into chunks of brick. A few seconds later there was nothing left but dust and debris.
“Thanks Nora,” Danny said.
“Don't mention it.”
He brought his gun up to bear and fired a burst, though at this point it didn't mean much. The Valkyrie picket line reeled under the sheer number of troops Bravo Wolf had brought to bear. A few stood up to return fire, but most were forced back into cover. The few who didn't make it back in time fell wounded or stone dead.
Xavier's squad stormed ahead, firing quick bursts from their weapons and then sprinting the last few yards to the enemy positions. Danny and a few others charged in after them.
A few quick seconds of combat followed. The Valkyries, no more than a squad, tried to rally and form some sort of coherent defense, but there were too many attackers. Most of them were killed in the initial assault and the few who managed to return fire were quickly overwhelmed by the combined efforts of an entire platoon.
“Casualty counts,” Danny said over the radio as soon as the shooting stopped.
A quick count confirmed they had three dead and four wounded. Not ideal, but they had the momentum.
“How fast can you get the wounded back on their feet?” he asked one of the Barghest medics tending to the casualties.
“It'll be five to ten minutes.”
Danny glanced over his shoulder. “Lyla, stay behind and help get the casualties on their feet.”
“On it.”
Danny addressed the rest of his platoon. “Bravo Wolf, let's get moving! Keep up the advance and watch for more enemy troops. They should be trying to move up to reinforce the picket line.”
Danny switched out his magazine and joined up with the rest of the advance.
“So far so good, huh?” Javy commented as he walked up next to him.
“So far,” Danny agreed. “But it's one small step.”
They had a lot more fighting until they completed their mission. He glanced up at the sky nervously, waiting for the sound of approaching engines. Like it or not, they were the bait, and they needed to serve their purpose.
Even if that meant waiting for the bombs to start falling on them.
* * *
“What do you want us to do?” Liz asked over the vehicle intercom.
“Keep advancing with the rest of the platoon,” Anna ordered. “We're here to give them fire support. Make sure that you can keep some infantry backup around us.”
“Understood.”
Nora felt the temptation to open up her hatch and look out, but the potential of being picked off by an enemy sniper was too great. They might not want to waste their time with the infantry, but killing one of the Gazelle's crew would be a major blow.
Instead, she focused on her periscope, training the turret to search for more targets.
“You know,” she said, “If we're quick about this we might be able to get up close and personal with them.”
“Right?” Anna said uncertainly. “Not quite sure what you're getting at.”
“I mean, if we're too closely engaged with the Valkyries their dive bombers aren't going to be able to drop their weapons without risking hitting their own troops.”
“Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of what we're doing?” Liz asked.
“Well, they're not going to know about it until they're overhead. That means they still have to return back to base to get replenish their power supplies.”
“Mm, true. But that's going to be a lot slower than if they have to get bombs as well. Unless they have to drop them before they land.”
Nora thought that was likely, because one hard bounce or an untimely mishap with the landing gear and a belly landing would turn into a fiery explosion. Since bombs were a lot easier to replace than planes, she imagined they would drop their payloads in an open field if they didn't use them.
Her thoughts on the matter could wait, though. Nora caught a glimpse of the enemy moving reinforcements toward the front line out of the corner of her eye, and she traversed the turret to meet them.
“Engaging,” she said to alert the others, then pulled the trigger.
The first shots went wide, her aim spoiled by the forward motion of the Gazelle, but Nora quickly compensated and sent a half-dozen shells lacing into the enemy ranks. She didn't see if she actually hit anything, but her shots had the desired effect. The Valkyries moving in on their position scattered, trying to get out of the line of fire.
Nora continued to rake the enemy, sending shots into anywhere the enemy might be hiding. Even concrete and metal might not be enough to stop the shells, and the more she could take out right now the better.
Danny contacted her over the radio. “We're moving up in a second. Can you cease fire?”
“Will do,” Nora replied. She took her hand off the trigger.
She saw light spread through the turret for a second before something blocked it out again. Anna must have opened the commander's hatch to look out for a moment. Sure enough, the sound of a machine gun filtered down from above.
“See any likely sniper spots?” Nora asked Danny over the link.
“Little busy right now,” he replied.
“Looks like that five story building to the southeast might be something,” Anna suggested.
Nora adjusted her aim and sent a burst of shells streaking toward her suggested target. Puffs of dust shot out from the top floor, along with chunks of concrete. Anything sheltering up there was going to be very, very uncomfortable, if they weren't already dead.
But then the news they had all been dreading finally broke.
“All units, we have incoming enemy dive bombers,” Anna warned. “Time for us to take off.”
“Roger that,” Danny said. “Try not to get the radio blown up.”
“Huh, as if,” Liz said. She put the Gazelle into reverse and then sped back they way their came from. Their best bet would be to get to the Lake Park, where they'd at least have some cover plus a few emplaced machine guns to protect them.
“Looks like we have a few breakers,” Anna commented.
“Do I even want to know how many?” Nora said.
“Quite a few.” There was a pause. “Act
ually, make that most of them. Looks like they've figured out they can't hit our frontline troops, so they're going for other targets.”
“Yeah, I really didn't want to know that.”
They had accomplished the main part of their mission. Now came the secondary objective of staying alive. And judging from their current position, that was going to be much, much harder.
* * *
Danny didn't like the idea of charging a tough enemy force over open ground, but their situation left little choice. It was either fight the enemy up close and personal, or hang back and take their chances with the dive bombers and their fragmentation bombs. Given the choice, he would rather take the option where they could fight back.
Bravo Wolf surged forward, closing within a few yards of the enemy lines. Most of his troops had close-combat experience, but he didn't want to mess around with the enemy if they didn't have to. The Valkyries were notoriously good at hand-to-hand combat, and engaging them on their terms was a recipe for disaster.
Instead, Danny instructed his platoon to close within a few yards, sometimes as little as ten, and open fire on the enemy. Hundreds of bullets streaked through the air, most ricocheting off the concrete and brickwork of the city's buildings, some finding their mark. Danny himself lifted his gun to blind-fire and raked the enemy with a full magazine.
Wooosh!
The sound of a flamethrower filled the air, and a second later he could feel the heat. Danny heard panicked shouts over the racket of battle, panicked by the flames. No matter how tough a unit might be, facing the prospect of getting burned to dead would shake them. He yanked a grenade off his harness and tossed it into the enemy positions, hoping he could get at least a few of them in the process.
“All commanders report,” he ordered over the radio link. At this stage of the fight he had no idea what was going on along their other points of attack, so he'd need to rely on directions from his squad leaders.
“We're driving them back,” Allen said. “The western end isn't very organized.”
“Holding on my end,” Xavier reported.
Commando City: A World at War Novel (World at War Online Book 7) Page 23