The Cost of Victory

by Jay Allan

  Cain looked out over the terrain. All around the lander, the greenish-yellow fungus that covered the ground was burned and blackened from the heat of the thrusters. Looking up he could see Gordons coming down all over the field, with an LZ every quarter klick. It looked like the landing was going perfectly, and Erik let himself imagine that all his people got down to the surface safely for once...an illusion he was only able to maintain for a few minutes before he got the report of the first fatality. Fire had been very light, but one of the Gordon's had taken a hit coming in. The computer tried to land the ship but lost it on the final approach, and it crashed, killing six of the ten Marines onboard.

  His people were the first wave, and their primary mission was to secure the LZs for the rest of I Corps. General Holm and the battle computer had put together an operations plan, which Cain's troops were now executing. Flawlessly executing, he thought proudly, looking out over the plain. His troops were very well trained, and his officers and non-coms were experienced professionals who didn't need him hovering over their every move. He could see his teams deploying in every direction, staking out the LZs, and taking up defensive positions in case the enemy made any moves against the landing. For the moment, Cain found he had little to do.

  "I must commend you on the efficiency and professionalism of your landing, Colonel." Kind words, but an unwelcome voice. Captain Warren.

  "Thank you, Captain. My men and women deserve the credit." He hoped he hadn't spat out the words with the contempt he felt for the man. In truth, he didn't really care, but he knew it would make life easier if he treated the officious prick with some superficial respect. Not that he found it easy.

  "They have indeed been well-trained. No military force in history has ever received a level of support comparable to that provided by Alliance Gov to the Corps."

  Somehow Cain knew the little bureaucrat would turn things around and give the government the credit. Most of the troops now deploying so efficiently had been lost souls crushed under the jackboot of that same Alliance Gov, and they were saved from a life of deprivation and despair only because they had the good fortune to be flagged as likely Marine recruits. But Cain held his tongue. No good could come from debating politics with Warren.

  "Captain, I am pleased that you are impressed with the performance of our troops, but I'm afraid I am very busy with the landing, so if you will excuse me for the moment?" He was lying; he actually had very little to do. But he could only take so much of the political officer at one time.

  "Of course, Colonel. Please do not let me interfere with your duties."

  Cain nodded, a gesture that lost something in powered armor and trotted off. He started out just walking in any direction to get away from Warren, but he found himself heading toward Jax's LZ. His people were coming down now, and they should be on the ground by the time Erik reached their assigned position.

  Colonel Darius Jax jogged up to the location his scouts had reported. He wanted to have a look around for himself. Jogging in armor was actually a fairly complicated activity that looked a little like ice skating. A normal running motion would result in huge bounding jumps, courtesy of the amplified servo-mechanical systems of the powered armor. The jogger had to move side to side to keep low, and on the battlefield, you usually wanted to keep low.

  He could see as he neared the designated coordinates that there had indeed been fighting here. The ground was torn up, and the scrubby yellow fungus was blackened and burnt. There was the debris of war everywhere...weapons, shattered pieces of armor, and as he got closer to the designated coordinates, bodies.

  "See, sir?" Lieutenant Clark commed Jax as he approached the cluster of scouts standing on a low hill. "I thought the garrison had been withdrawn."

  "They were withdrawn." Jax pulled up next to the scouts and stopped. He was half a head taller than any of them.

  "Then who fought here, sir?" That was Sergeant Lunden. Technically, he shouldn't be reporting directly to Jax with the lieutenant there, but scouts were by nature less formal with the chain of command. And Jax didn't give a shit for protocol; if one of his troopers had something to say he wanted to hear it.

  "That's an excellent question, Sergeant." He took a few steps, looking around for himself. "Lieutenant, I want your people to take a closer look around. Get me any data you can on whatever happened here."

  "Yes, Colonel Jax." Clark motioned to his team. "Let's go. Spread out and look around. I want to know what happened here." He took a few steps, then added, "Let's get video of this while area."

  Jax watched them move down the hillside then told his AI to get Cain on the comlink.

  "Right here, you big ox."

  Jax turned to see Cain walking up the hill toward him. "Erik, we've got something interesting over here." He motioned over the crest of the hill. "Come take a look at this."

  Cain walked up next to Jax and looked out over the field below the hill. "There must be a hundred bodies down there." He stared for a few more seconds. "No, more than a hundred."

  "This planet was supposed to be deserted when the CAC took it, right?" Jax's deep voice boomed loudly in Cain's helmet. "So who were they fighting?"

  Cain frowned then realized Jax couldn't see his face. One of the harder things to get used to about fighting in powered armor is effectively losing the entire lexicon of facial expressions as modes of communication. It's easy to forget how often a smile or a stare gets a point across. "That's a good question." Short pause. "Here's another one. Why aren't they making any effort at all to oppose our landing?"

  "This gets stranger and stranger, Erik." Jax sometimes called Cain colonel and others Erik. It was moderately insubordinate, but they were like brothers, and neither one gave a shit for military formality. At least not when it was just the two of them talking. "We need to report this to the general."

  Cain sighed. "He's probably on the way down now. I might not be able to reach him until he lands." His tone changed slightly. "Hector, see if you can reach General Holm."

  "General Holm is in the launch bay of the Tinian. He is scheduled to depart in seven minutes."

  "How about General Gilson?" Erik was looking out over the battlefield as he waited for Hector's response.

  "Negative, Colonel Cain. Major General Gilson is currently en route to the surface. Estimated time to landing, eleven minutes."

  "Ok, Hector, let me know when General Holm lands."

  "Of course, Colonel Cain."

  Cain took a deep breath and held it in for a few seconds before exhaling. "Alright, Jax. Let's worry about our day job. We need to keep these LZs secure, so focus on that for now." He looked out over the plain, watching the scouts prowling around, shooting video and collecting debris samples. "Send another search team over here to scour all of this, and dispatch some scouts to look around to see if there was fighting anywhere else." He turned to look back at Jax. "Then I want you to set up some defensive positions covering any approaches to the LZs from the north. If the enemy is planning anything I want us to be ready for it."

  "Yes, sir." He pointed north and east. "I already sent three heavy weapons teams to stake out strong positions. "I was planning to send one of the battalions to deploy north and set up a defensive line."

  "Perfect." He looked back over the debris-strewn field below them. "And if your people find anything out there - anything at all - report it to me immediately."

  "You got it, Erik." Jax gave a rough armored salute and turned to walk down the hill. He was going to personally see to the setup of that defensive line.

  "And Jax?"

  He looked back at Cain. "Yes, Erik?"

  "Be careful, brother. There's a lot of weird shit going on here."

  Jax pointed at Cain. "You too, Erik." He paused a second, facing Cain along the crest before turning and trotting down the hillside.

  Chapter 15

  1st Brigade HQ

  Base of the Lysandra Plateau

  Epsilon Eridani IV

  "Colonel, 2nd Batta
lion is running into heavy resistance outside the abandoned mineworks." No one but Cain would have caught the stress in Jax's voice. "They are reporting major enemy troop concentrations to the north and east." After a brief pause: "Damn it, Erik, they must have had reinforcements hidden in those old tunnels."

  "Ok, Jax. I have 4th battalion in reserve. I'm sending up a company and one of the battalion heavy weapons to support the 2nd." Cain appeared totally calm to any outside observer. He knew trouble was coming - he'd been expecting it all along - and he was sure this was just the beginning. "Jax, you run over there and direct the deployment of the reinforcements. Make sure they are used to maximum effect, because it's all they're getting; I've got to keep some reserves uncommitted."

  "Yes, sir." Jax was worried too; Cain could tell. "On my way now."

  "Hector, advise Colonel Kendall that she is to dispatch a company from the brigade reserve along with one of the heavy weapons teams. I want them at 2nd Battalion's position in fifteen minutes. Understood?"

  "Of course, I understand." God, Hector is a pain in the ass, Cain thought. "Relaying your orders now, Colonel."

  Cain comlinked Anne Delacorte. "Captain, I need you to report to me at once."

  "Yes, Colonel Cain." Her reply was immediate and firm. "Be there in two minutes, max."

  "Colonel Kendall confirms receipt of your orders," said Hector. "ETA to arrival at designated coordinates, ten minutes."

  "Thank you, Hector." It really wasn't necessary to thank the AI, but it was easy to forget he (it?) was a machine. Maybe there was something to the annoying personality after all.

  Cain's troops had been on the ground a week, which is a long time to be living in powered armor. He'd ordered each battalion to rotate one company at a time out of the line to get some rest, but it was difficult to sleep in armor, so most of the troops just sat around and tried to relax. Everyone was getting brittle and strung out on stimulants. Normally, on an Earthlike world, the troops could pop their suits and get some real rest, but General Holm wasn't taking any chances after the plague that had wiped out the population. Supposedly, the virus had died out once there were no more humans to host it, but he wasn't in the mood to take chances, and when he'd asked Sarah Linden her opinion, she'd agreed completely. Everyone was to remain suited up whenever possible.

  The whole campaign had so far been a confused affair, with no real front lines or rational axes of advance. There were no population centers remaining or other landmarks of any importance, so the fight was just a confused melee, with each side trying to wipe out the other, wherever they were. The defenders were dispersed all over the place, taking advantage of strong positions and natural cover and daring the attackers to come dig them out.

  There was only one major continent on Carson's World, and the mines and settlements had all been well to the south. In the north, the geology was relatively unstable, with several mountain ranges and considerable volcanic activity. After Cain's brigade had secured the initial landing area, they were sent to cover the northern flank in case any enemy formations had deployed in the rugged terrain.

  They'd met considerable resistance as they headed north, and it soon became clear there were far more enemy troops concealed on Carson's World than had been initially apparent. Cain didn't like it one bit. They're bleeding us, he thought grimly. Just putting out enough force to make us launch costly attacks.

  "Captain Warren?" The political officer was standing a few meters away.

  "Yes, Colonel Cain? How may I help you?"

  Cain flashed a message to Warren's armor over the laser-link. "I want to get this update to General Holm immediately, but I don't want to send it over the comlink. It draws some conclusions of mine about enemy intentions and, if I am right, I don't want to risk the enemy hearing it." When Warren hesitated he added, "With the tactical situation at present, I don't have an officer available to send right now. I called Captain Delacorte, but I was going to dispatch her to the abandoned mine to scout near the enemy positions."

  "I'd be happy to assist, Colonel." Cain would have given two month's pay to see Warren's expression when he thought about Cain asking him to scout up at the front line instead of Delacorte. At least his hinting at the alternative task erased Warren's objections to being a messenger.

  "Thank you, Captain. Please transmit only on line of sight to the general over the laser-link communicator." Good, Cain thought, that gets rid of him for a while.

  "Captain Delacorte, reporting as ordered, sir." Erik had been watching Warren make his way back toward corps HQ when Anne walked up behind him.

  "Prompt as always, Captain." Cain smiled - again, a wasted gesture in armor - as he turned to face her. "I have a mission for you." Cain switched to direct laser communication. He didn't want anyone else hearing this. "Anne, I want you to make contact with Captains Clarke, Teller and Hamilton. They're all out with the teams scouting to the northwest. I need to know if they've found anything yet. They're under orders not to transmit in the open."

  "Yes, sir. I'll find them and bring you a report."

  "Thank you, captain. Remember, line of sight communication only on this." He hesitated slightly. "Anne...be careful. We have no idea what is out there, but I have a bad feeling. Take one of the reserve teams with you."

  "Yes, colonel." She gave the best imitation of a salute she could manage in armor and trotted off.

  He was just about to check in with Jax when his comlink went crazy. Every battalion commander was reporting massive enemy activity. They were being attacked in force.

  First Division headquarters was a beehive of activity. Reports had been coming in non-stop for the last hour. Enemy forces were counter-attacking all along the lines, with the heaviest blows coming in the northern sector of the Lysandra Plateau.

  Catherine Gilson stood in the middle of her command post, snapping orders into her comlink. Colonel Cain had reported a massive attack on 1st Brigade's positions on the plateau. His data suggested two enemy division strength formations were assaulting his hastily-formed lines. It seemed impossible that the enemy had that kind of strength here, but Cain was the last person she'd suspect of panicking or exaggerating. She'd been about to send most of the divisional reserve to reinforce 1st Brigade when she started getting reports of 2nd Brigade falling back under sustained attack. She decided to hold the reserve until she had a better idea of the overall situation.

  She reported the incomplete data she had to General Holm, who also took Erik Cain's report very seriously. He released two air assault wings to her, and she sent them on a series of sorties in support of First Brigade. That's when she got the real surprise - the enemy had air assets too, and they'd engaged her own.

  Above the plateau, and over the rocky foothills to the south, a great air battle raged, while on the ground her division was hammered by repeated attacks. "General Holm, Gilson reporting."

  "Yes, General Gilson?" Holm sounded stressed. Clearly she wasn't the only one calling him with problems. "What is your status?"

  "Sir, Colonel Cain's people are under massive attack. The air assets I sent to aid him have been intercepted by enemy fighters. They are heavily engaged and are unable to provide close ground support at this time."

  "Yes, I am getting multiple reports of enemy air wings. Our pilots are facing a considerable battle for air supremacy. What other aid do you have available to dispatch to Colonel Cain's position?"

  "Sir, any meaningful reinforcements sent to Colonel Cain will leave me with almost no divisional reserves." She paused. "And 2nd Brigade is falling back and will likely need support as well."

  Holm grimaced as he thought to himself. Erik Cain is not overreacting, he knew that much, so he figured he really needed the reinforcements. "Dispatch your reserves to reinforce 1st Brigade. I am sending you the Oceanian Regiment to give you a divisional reserve. They are currently unengaged and at full strength."

  "Yes, sir."

  "And Catherine?"

  "Yes, sir?"

  "I'm a
uthorizing your division to deploy specials if you need them. With the size and intensity of this attack, I'm sure the enemy is going to go nuclear anyway. For once, let's escalate first. Pick your moment...when it will have the biggest impact.

  "Yes, General Holm." He could tell she was already thinking of her tactical deployments. "Thank you, sir."

  "Just make it count, Cate. And hold that line. Holm out."

  Cain stood in a hastily-dug trench, peering carefully over the edge, his visor amplification cranked up. The enemy had tried to take the position three times, and the ground in front was littered with the dead and dying. His troops were heavily outnumbered, and it was getting worse. The attackers seemed to have endless reinforcements, while Cain had just deployed the last of his reserves. He'd moved up to the trench himself after the second assault. The general would probably yell at him, but his troopers needed him close right now. When the enemy had come at them the third time, Cain was on the line firing with his troopers.

  It turned out to be a great way to get rid of Captain Warren. The political officer expressed concern about Cain exposing himself up on the front lines, but he declined to come along himself. Yes, that is what soldiers do, Cain had thought. We fight, you useless fucking peacock. He thought it, but he'd managed not to say it. Barely.

  The enemy forces his troops were facing were mostly South American Imperial Guard, front line troops, but not the equal of Cain's veterans. Still, I Corps had been caught flat-footed. Alliance Intelligence had been sure it would be several months before the empire could deploy in force. I've got some news for you guys, Erik thought. They're here in force. Of course, Cain and General Holm - and Admiral Compton as well - had all been worried about this operation from the beginning. But they'd been given no choice. They were ordered here, and they went in.