Carthage Prime

by Toby Neighbors

  Chapter 27

  Being back in the air again helped, but Alex was filled with a sense of dread. He had walked through the carnage that his airdrop idea had created. Almost fifty Hunter-class mechanized battle suits were destroyed, and many were nothing more than mangled bits of metal—but it was the human remains that were hardest to live with. Alex saw body parts and gore and heard the wails of the dying, who begged and pleaded for help. The memories were etched in his mind, and while he felt the need to process what he’d seen and been part of, there was no time.

  Master Sergeant Gellar had already recalled Echo Company, to the frustration of Oggy and his crew of Minotaurs, who were anxious to make a name for themselves in pitched battle. After what Alex had seen on the battlefield, he didn’t think they knew what they were asking for. The Titans stayed with the three survivors until Master Sergeant Brooks arrived with a ground transport. The survivors, having been captured and with no hope of escape, submitted without protest. Alex guessed they were shell-shocked and couldn’t blame them. Once they were headed back to the colony, Alex took to the air and joined his team circling above the wreckage.

  “It worked,” Newt said.

  “Did it ever,” Sly said. “Forty-eight Hunters taken out before they could fire a shot at any of us.”

  “The best outcome we could have hoped for,” Alex said. “No casualties on our side.”

  “Not very exciting, though,” Ash said, although there was a hollow tone to her voice that made Alex think she wasn’t as gung-ho to fight as she had been.

  “Looks like we’re just getting started,” Alex said. “I have good news and bad news.”

  “Give us the good news,” Newt said.

  “We’re being tasked with taking out any of the drop ships not destroyed in the ambush,” Alex said. “Newt and I will be posted in the colony. Ash and Sly will be hidden on the far side of the landing port somewhere. If any of the ships try to run...”

  “We chase them down and take them out,” Sly said.

  “Which brings us to the bad news,” Alex said. “We have to get missiles from Oggy and his crew of Minotaurs before the Zen Tech ships arrive in orbit.”

  “Spectacular,” Ash said. “So we’re definitely in for a fight.”

  “I’ve asked for the order to come from Captain Chastain,” Alex said.

  “Like that will do a lot of good,” Sly said. “Those guys are idiots.”

  “But they don’t have a choice if the captain orders it,” Newt said.

  “We still have to deal with them,” Ash said.

  “So let’s get it over with,” Alex replied.

  They started back toward the colony. There were no crowds cheering the CDF, who had just saved the lives and livelihoods of most of the inhabitants. The colony seemed to hardly even take notice of the group.

  “Nyx, can you find out what warehouse Master Sergeant Gellar’s in?”

  Roger that. Captain Chastain sent down word for the Minotaurs to share their missile supply.

  “I hope it helps,” Alex said, but he wasn’t optimistic.

  They landed just outside one of the hangars nearest the landing pads. It was filled on both sides with large crates, and there were machines for moving heavy cargo. Alex guessed it was the central loading station for ships coming in. Ships could be unloaded, the cargo crated up, and sent off in either direction. There were big doors on both ends of the building.

  Alex walked inside the warehouse and stopped next to the cargo lift.

  “I’m here,” he said.

  All systems are on standby for a quick response. Good luck.

  “Thanks, I’m going to need it.”

  Master Sergeant Gellar was nearby, giving orders to a group of locals. Alex hit the disengage switch, and FA Titan began opening up. The air that hit Alex was cold and reminded him of his old home on NP8261. He climbed out of the Titan, onto the cargo lift, and down to the floor. Master Sergeant Gellar was the only other CDF operator out of her battle suit. There was something commanding about her that was, in many ways, more intimidating than a battle suit. He walked her way as she dismissed the group of locals.

  “Fools,” she mumbled. “They want to keep working.”

  “We’re just in their way,” Alex said.

  “If they stick around they’ll most likely be killed, but you can’t fix stupid,” Gellar remarked. “They’ve been warned, but I’m guessing we’ll find two or three of them caught in the crossfire.”

  “You think there will be a lot of that?” Alex asked.

  “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst, Evans. I heard about the field promotion. Congrats. That may be a record for fastest climb through the ranks.”

  “I’ll get bumped back down when this is all over,” he replied.

  “Unless it’s a smashing success,” Gellar said. “You’ve got a knack for strategy and tactics. This is a good plan.”

  “You don’t think it’s too risky? If the ambush doesn’t go well, we could be in trouble.”

  “True, but we’re not helpless here,” Gellar said. “All we really need is a way to even the odds. The ambush does that. Thanks to you, we’re not on a hasty retreat out of the system. I hate running from a fight.”

  Alex thought about his own fight that lay ahead of him. Better to face it head on, he thought.

  “You know why I’m here?” Alex asked.

  “The missiles?” Gellar said with a raised eyebrow. “No one likes someone taking their toys, Ace.”

  “Yeah, it doesn’t help that Oggy already hates me.”

  She chuckled. “You can’t please everyone.”

  “Do you know where they are?”

  “I’ve got them positioned on the flanks,” Gellar said. “But you can call them over here to move the munitions.”

  She handed him an old-fashioned hand radio. “Thanks, Master Sergeant.”

  “You’re welcome, Sergeant Evans.”

  He keyed the mic on the radio and spoke clearly. “Minotaur team, report to the main warehouse, please. I repeat, Minotaur team, report to the main warehouse.”

  Working with Romeo Company meant that Oggy and his crew didn’t recognize every voice giving them orders. They obeyed without question, driving their Minotaurs to the warehouse, where Alex and the other Titans were waiting.

  Oggy didn’t get out of his battle suit, but rather rolled right up to Alex. When he spoke, his voice boomed though the Minotaur’s external speakers.

  “What the hell are you doing here, Ace?” Oggy demanded, his voice echoing in the warehouse.

  Ash’s voice crackled over the radio in response.

  “That’s Sergeant Evans you’re speaking to, Private McGeek,” she snapped.

  For a moment there was no response. Alex guessed that Oggy and his friends were confirming the promotions. The Titan team were the only operators from Echo Company to have been promoted from private.

  “Whatever,” Oggy said contemptuously. “What do you want?”

  “You should have gotten orders from Captain Chastain. We need half your missiles,” Alex said.

  Sly and Newt were out of their Titans and came walking over to join Ace. He still had no idea how to move the munitions from one MBS to another, but he couldn’t let Oggy know that.

  “You’re crazy,” Tig said. “We ain’t giving up our missiles to you.”

  “There’s a fight coming,” Nuk joined in. “We’re going to need them.”

  “Thanks for pointing that out,” Sly said. “Your grasp of the obvious is astounding.”

  “Whose idea do you think it was to ambush the Zen Tech force?” Newt said. “Ace came up with it, and the captain endorsed it.”

  “We still aren’t doing it,” Oggy said. “You wasted your ammo, and that’s your fault.”

  “We used our ammo taking out the kami drones,” Ash said. Her voice sounded small and far away compared to Oggy’s booming voice from his Minotaur. “And destroying the Hunters. It wasn’t wasted.”

&
nbsp; “You still have lasers,” Nuk said. “We need our ammo.”

  “This isn’t a request,” Alex said. “It’s an order from Captain Chastain. Disengage from your battle suits, and let’s get this done before we run out of time.”

  Oggy’s Minotaur began to roll slowly forward. Alex was too close to the MBS, but he didn’t move. It crept close until it was almost touching him. Alex wondered if Oggy was crazy enough to actually run him over, but before he could find out, Master Sergeant Gellar returned.

  “What’s going on here?” Master Sergeant Gellar demanded. “Why aren’t you transferring those munitions?”

  “Private McGee is reluctant to shut down his Minotaur,” Sly said.

  “Turn ’em off or you’ll be cleaning toilets for a year on a planet that makes this egg-shaped rock look like paradise,” she ordered. “We’re under threat, and you yahoos are trying to pretend you’re the toughest kids on the block. You have orders, McGee. Get it done, or you won’t be a team leader or an operator. You have my promise that I’ll see you shipped off to the worst place possible.”

  “Yes, Master Sergeant,” Oggy said, his voice coming through the handheld radio instead of the Minotaur’s public address speakers.

  Alex felt a slight sense of relief, but he still didn’t know how to actually move the missiles. Fortunately, Ash came to his rescue. She was still in her Titan, and her voice came through the radio as Oggy’s Minotaurs shut down their battle suits.

  “I’ll walk you through the procedure,” Ash said. “We can load you three up, and then me.”

  “Good idea,” Alex said.

  The swap took them half an hour. Both the Minotaur and the Titan battle suits used high-yield warheads on mini rockets. The Minotaurs had forty missiles on board. Each one weighed fifteen kilograms. Alex was sweating, despite the cold temperatures of the planet, by the time they finished. When he finally climbed back into his Titan and engaged the suit, he let his body sink into the cushioned seat. It wasn’t like a chair; Alex was still upright as if he were standing, but there was a small pad, like an oblong bicycle seat, that gave him support at the moment he needed it. Oggy’s band of Minotaurs had returned to their posts. Ash and Sly were heading out to their rearranged coordinates, and Alex realized he was exhausted.

  Tired?

  “How’d you know?”

  I’m tired, and I can only imagine what it’s like for you.

  “We got the missiles transferred,” Alex said. “So that’s done. Nothing left to do now but get into position and wait.”

  Are you walking or flying?

  “Walking,” Alex said.

  He moved out, the Titan’s metal fleet banging on the concrete floor of the warehouse. Behind him, Sergeant Gellar and someone Alex didn’t recognize were moving among the landing pads.

  Did you hear about the explosives?

  “Negative,” Alex asked, his body tensing for bad news.

  The locals had them for construction of roads through the forest and mountains. Master Sergeant Gellar bought them from the locals and is wiring the landing pad. There was some pushback against the idea of destroying the landing pads, but in the end, Captain Chastain convinced the locals that it would be better to have Ahzco build a new spaceport than for Zen Tech to take control of the entire world.

  “Yeah,” Alex said. “Not much of a choice there.”

  He reached his designated area and turned to face the landing port. He was between two warehouses with the back of the MBS against the wall. The building had a slight overhang that would block him from view, but he could take a couple steps forward and be clear to go airborne.

  “Any idea how close the Zen Tech carrier is?”

  Unfortunately not. The Republic is on its way out of the system.

  “So there’s nothing to do but wait,” Alex said.

  True enough. Think you can get some sleep?

  “I’m not sure I should risk that,” Alex said, but the thought was tempting.

  Don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of charge on the Titan. I’m shutting down everything but coms and life support to keep you warm. I’ll alert you when it’s necessary.

  “Are you sure?”

  Absolutely. That’s my job.

  “You know I could never do this without you,” she said.

  I wouldn’t want to do it without you, Alex.

  “Thanks, Nyx.”

  Get some sleep, Sergeant. You’ve earned it.

  He felt the Titan’s systems shutting down one by one. He hoped that wouldn’t cost him valuable time if he was suddenly called into action, but he knew there would be time. The Zen Tech fighters couldn’t just suddenly appear at the colony. Their ships would have to make orbit and ferry the fighters down. If they didn’t come en masse, the entire plan would fall apart, but Alex decided it was okay to let his superiors worry about that. He had done his part, and with nothing else to accomplish at that moment, the best thing he could do was sleep.

  He closed his eyes and pondered his battlefield promotion. “Sergeant Evans” sounded good to him. Maybe they would rescind the promotion once the fighting on Carthage Prime was over, but he looked forward to rising through the ranks. There hadn’t been many chances for recognition growing up, but he could look with pride on his accomplishments since joining the CDF. And when he finally got the chance to go visit his parents on Skandia Seven, he would have some stories to tell them.

  Chapter 28

  The drop ship landed at the base camp, which was really no more than a few hastily thrown-together structures. Plans for more significant construction were scheduled to take place once significant ore was discovered. Two buildings were the barracks: one for the miners, and another for the operators and technicians on duty. The drop ship landed nearby and was tasked with being a fourth structure, where the controllers could help their operators using the portable controller consoles.

  The third building was a multipurpose structure with a kitchen and ore-testing stations. Captain Chastain took control of the multipurpose building, making it her headquarters. The big radio transmitter was turned north, in the direction of Tunis, and several instruments were set up outside. One was a radar that would give them warning if the camp was approached by Zen Tech raiders. The other was a radiation detector that could pick up trace elements of radiation in the atmosphere.

  Nyx expected to be working in the drop ship but was immediately called into the multipurpose building. Lieutenant Cooper had already established communications with Tunis and was urging them to scan the space around Carthage with their spaceport’s long-range radar. The Zen Tech vessels were expected in orbit at any moment, and if they were prepared, they might send drop ships to the surface immediately upon arrival.

  Technicians were busy running cables into the building and setting up monitors. It was chilly inside, with the doors opening and closing almost constantly. Captain Chastain was pacing with her hands behind her back and her head bowed as if in prayer. Beside Nyx were the two controllers who were partnered with Master Sergeants Brooks and Gellar. Like their counterparts, one was a man, the other a woman. Both were master sergeants, just like their partners, and significantly older than Nyx. They didn’t speak. All three kept their attention on their PCCs and tried not to get in anyone’s way—until the man stood up.

  “Captain, I have a message from Master Sergeant Brooks,” he said.

  “Let’s hear it,” she snapped, without looking up.

  The controller whispered into his headset mic for a moment, then spoke loudly enough for everyone in the building to hear. “The prisoners have confirmed that Zen Tech is planning to launch a full invasion. It is believed to be a two-prong plan, although there may in fact be more objectives. The prisoners were only privy to the first elements. They were to take control of Tunis, and once that was done, facilitate a full invasion force at the Tunis spaceport.”

  “They’re all coming down to the city?” Captain Chastain asked.

  “Affirmative,” the contro
ller said. “Although it’s not certain that they’re coming down together.”

  “Even if they do,” Lieutenant Cooper spoke up, “they wouldn’t all land at the same time.”

  “How much time do we have?” the captain asked.

  “Some,” the controller said. “Master Sergeant Brooks is about to make contact with the carrier, assuming it’s in orbit.”

  Captain Chastain looked at Cooper, who shook his head. “No word on that yet.”

  “We can’t delay too long,” Captain Chastain said. “The longer that carrier is in orbit, the more time they’ll have to look down at the battlefield and see their Hunter mechs destroyed. If that happens, they’ll land their people somewhere else, and we’ll have a full-scale battle on our hands. Tell Brooks to have them begin ferrying down their MBS operators right away. Have Master Sergeant Gellar put up some blockades so that the Hunters or whatever tech they send can’t easily leave the port. They’ll have to play it by ear and attack when they can do the most damage. Is the Titan team ready?”

  Nyx cleared her throat, suddenly feeling weak. “Yes, Captain,” she managed to say.

  “They have the missiles they need?”

  “Affirmative, and all four are in place,” Nyx said, her confidence returning.

  “Excellent,” Captain Chastain said. “Make sure Sergeant Evans knows that he must destroy all the Zen Tech drop ships that don’t land or get caught in the explosions. That is imperative. Surprise is our only advantage, and if we don’t at least even the odds, we’ll have a hell of a fight on our hands.”

  Nyx nodded. She understood the importance of the battle, but like Alex, there was nothing she could do but wait and see what would happen. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long. Less than half an hour later, word came back that two Zen Tech vessels had made orbit: one battleship, one carrier. Captain Chastain speculated that the third ship had moved to ensure that the Republic left the system.

  “Master Sergeant Brooks has made contact, and the Zen Tech drop ships are scheduled to begin their deployment to the planet within the hour,” the male controller said.

  “Sergeant West, go find the other controllers partnered with our Titan team,” Captain Chastain said. “I want them in this building when the fighting starts.”