Bok Soo hoped to reach what had been the front line seventeen days ago. That would effectively kick the Kalu out of Italy and shorten the line by a few hundred kilometers.
It was slow going but they were pushing back.
They had the numbers and fire power now.
“How many Kalu were estimated to be in the area last?” She asked.
“About seven hundred thousand, we killed two hundred and thirty it’s believed,” Gruben said anticipating her second question.
She looked to the map which showed the Kalu no further than the third line they had made when they were still on Poland’s border.
The Kalu trickled forward, trying their luck and pressing on with series of furious attacks. They needed to have camps for them to sleep and live in before they attacked. If Bok Soo could get people out there and find the camps which were hidden from the Free Fleet sensors because of the sensor dampening armor they wore. That’s when they would start cutting into the Kalu’s strength.
Gajos rubbed her face, she had her doubts about Bok Soo’s plan, there were so many moving parts, surely people would get messed up. Yet it was continuing without a hitch thus far.
The war against Kalu was far from over, but they could be beaten and they were being pushed back.
Some of the gloom from the two months lifted.
It might not be the end, but it’s a damn good start.
***
Artillery rained down on the Kalu below, not even getting into sight of the heavily fortified defenses. The artillery pieces had been hell to sight on the mountain ridges along the Western line.
Though it hadn’t put anyone off as mountains were blown up, plasmid cutters went to work and the pieces were put in their new homes. Sensors gave the artillery pieces’ crew a real-time view of their effect on target, controllers were there to dial them into the general area instead of making suggested changes on targeting.
The Fleet’s ships spun in orbit, taking up the different fire missions called in by the scouts that ranged out into the center of America and around the underground bunkers that had remained.
People were already starting to complain about the oncoming mini-ice age that all the bombardments were heralding in.
No one much cared for the comments. Earth had been going through global warming so it might even come out to having temperatures close to what it was supposed to.
Though flying in this is going to be a new pain. Monk thought sitting on a mountain range, next to an artillery battery that was happily raining hell down on advancing Kalu kilometers away.
A problem for tomorrow, today we focus on finishing this war.
His strategy was simple. If the Kalu were going to come to him, he was more than happy to wait them out. He now had the supply system worked out, shuttles were acting as the new life line, moving all of the needs from one edge of the continent down the other or across to the other side.
The artillery weakened the incoming Kalu, then mounted rail cannons, HAPA’s and people trained with powered armor and rail guns took down the rest.
There were just over five hundred thousand Kalu on the continent, not including south America which had over a million.
Monk needed to get down there, but from orbital telemetry, it showed it was a lost cause, the Kalu were ranging south and taking their time rooting people out.
“One problem at a time,” he nodded.
***
“Got movement,” Rolka said, her rifle moving to scan the oncoming Kalu.
“Xu, send up to higher, confirmed. Kalu headed towards Zhengzhou,” she said to her spotter and guide, a Chinese man from the area.
He didn’t say anything back but his hand went to his head.
“Passed on,” he said, his hand coming down. “We’re to observe and find the various commanders.”
“Alrighty,” she responded her scope moving across the Kalu body which was leaving a dust trail in their wake. She increased her zoom and started looking over the various units.
“You are clear to fire on any targets you deem to be commanders, from Salchar,” Xu said.
“Very well,” Rolka said, sighting up a Kalu bouncing around and nudging people out of their way.
She followed the motion, taking into account distance, wind, gravity breathing slowly and caressing her trigger.
The rail gun barked and a Kalu went tumbling. She found a new target, repeating the process and stroking the trigger once again.
Another rail gun in the distance fired, lasers returned fire, hitting apartment buildings, skyscrapers and anything the Kalu could see. The laser pulses cut through the buildings like they didn’t exist, setting fires and burning holes through them.
Rolka disregarded it and kept firing. Two more, feel and she started moving for her second hide.
“Xu go to your hides, might as well get some fire into them. The more shooters the more erratic their fire’s going to be,” Rolka said grabbing the elevator cable, sliding down a dozen floors before swinging out.
“I bid you a good hunt,” Xu said, continuing down the elevator shaft.
She moved into a living room, the window already open and a self-made gun rest on the table next to it. It didn’t take her long to find her next target, another Kalu went for a tumble.
***
“This is the den gathering,” the battle brothers reported as the rising dens appeared.
Orshpa grunted, and ran faster, he would bring his Kalu fighters into the den city and then move through the valleys behind the city and behind the holes in the ground.
With him a half million Kalu followed, they would end this battle.
He shook his mane in excitement, finally they would throw the Commandos to the ground and truly fight, no more of this simply pushing them back.
A number of those gathered were dying, but they were in ones and twos, nothing like the concentrated barrage of fire from above, or the large machines with guns for manipulators.
“This is but a rain against a flood, we will persevere. Rush past them and into the mountains. They wish to slow us; we will not be swayed from our path to victory!’ He yelled into every Kalu’s ear, their speed increased even as a Kalu would disappeared consistently under the feet of those behind them. In these dens were fighters, hidden from view and cowardly they killed his Kalu, focusing on his leaders.
A minor inconvenience.
***
“We have guests,” Rick said, pushing me awake.
I got on my feet taking a small dose of wake up to clear the drowsiness, following him into the kitchen-dining area that had become our command post.
A holographic map showed a moving mass of red coming from Zhengzhou, right at Xi’an. Right where I wanted them, but it was too fast, they weren’t slowing, just moving past Zhengzhou.
“Get snipers with guides and sensors up into the hills, wake up the artillery and everyone wearing armor,” I said to Rick.
“Sent out the alerts, I’ll get the snipers detailed,” Rick said.
“I’ll talk to Whorst,” I said, getting a nod back as he started talking into his helmets pickup.
“Commander?” Whorst greeted my call.
“Looks like we have company incoming, how long until you’re in position?” I asked.
“Take us thirty minutes but we can only stay on station for fifteen,” Whorst reminded me.
“We’ll follow the plan, we box them in, you drop the universe on them,” I said watching the Kalu as they slowed their pace and entered Zhengzhou no longer rushing across the massive plains which supplied China’s billion plus residents with food.
“Very well Commander,” Whorst said “Just tell me when you need me.”
“Will do,” I said, cutting the channel and heading out of the ad-hoc command center. Rick followed talking as we walked. Our protection details fell around us. The apartment we had been living in for the last couple of days was filled with movement. People rushed out into the streets where HAPA’s waited and
the open areas where shuttles were doing pre-flight.
Trucks rumbled to life, their diesel engines chugging in their fuel. People moved to their positions, battle had come.
We walked out of the apartment, climbing into our HAPA’s and powering up.
“Morning Commander,” Lee said on a private channel to me.
“Morning General, seems a good day for a walk,” I said reviewing the icons that littered the mountainous region between Zhengzhou and Xi’an.
I’d hoped to use the mountains, hopefully concentrating the Kalu in one valley, but Murphy’s foot messed that up. Instead I was going to have to spread my forces, the Kalu were already splitting in Zhengzhou to head up the valleys.
“What do you think, plan Charlie?” Lee said.
“Looks like it, don’t like it, but we simply don’t know what valleys they’re coming up and don’t have the luxury of time,” I said.
Plan Charlie pushed units out to all of the mountain passes that ran from Zhengzhou to Xi’an. Being so spread out meant that we would have to inhabit the trenches that had been dug over the past couple of days. The forces couldn’t hold the Kalu back with so many Kalu bearing down on them.
They would slow, not hold. The snipers would report if the Kalu weren’t coming down certain passes and we could collapse positions into those that would have Kalu coming at them. Being a mountainous region meant they would have to go all the way back to Xi’an and then down the valleys the fighting was probably happening. Shuttles could pull them back, but they couldn’t take them forward for fear of getting shot up by the Kalu.
I started moving in my HAPA, following the already moving forces that were taking off for the valleys.
***
The accurate fire of the dens in the sky fell away as the Kalu ran along the rivers and the flat ribbons that twisted through the mountains.
Daskil felt an itch between his shoulder blades, a feeling he couldn’t shift as they continued on through the valleys.
Something is odd, he thought as they continued, he led his own pack, not wanting to look the fool he pushed the feeling away from his mind.
It didn’t disappear, instead it pulled at him, begging for him to pay attention.
He slowed his pace and looked around, searching for the issue.
It’s quiet, there are few natural creatures here, why would the prey move away? He pondered as he continued on.
Something startled them? But we haven’t been here for long enough. Someone else must have startled them. He opened his armor and smelled the air.
It was clear, he took another inhale and smelt a tang he knew the smell. It had been weeks since he smelt it.
On the front lines.
“Comman...” His words were drowned out as the black ribbon heaved, explosions tipping it and any Kalu on it, apart.
The sides of the road exploded, killing those too close.
Daskil shook his head to clear it, finding a piece of rock had cut into his snout, he closed his armor and roared into battle.
The explosions hadn’t stopped when cannon fire ripped into the forward Kalu.
“Ambush!” Daskil roared as the whistling from above started.
***
Yasu looked at the new contact that listed on her screen, she scanned the battlespace but she didn’t find it along her line. She looked up and saw it was moving from Zhengzhou to Xi’an.
Looks like James got in front of them. She thought, tension rising in her chest.
She wanted to call him and make sure he was fine, but she had a duty to do as he had his own to perform. She pushed it down and started looking at her own reports.
Soon, soon she would be the anvil for the Kalu to be smashed into.
Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, any forces Japan was able to scramble together, Russia, Mongolia and the Chinese Military had formed into a rough line. The groups were separated as hard feelings were still held be different groups.
No matter their feelings, they were marching behind the Kalu’s advance, clearing out any Kalu clans they found advancing into central and south China.
The Commandos were acting as a buffer between the forces, controlling that number of troops from all those different countries was one hell of an undertaking, without the underlying tensions.
Earth had taken their licks and beatings, they had recovered, rearmed, prepared and it led to this.
“Connolly, how is the new line looking?” Yasu asked, looking to her second.
“Construction is complete, the engineers are working to add better defenses and bunkers, but it’s ready for us,” he said, looking to her.
“This will be the last time we fall back, the last five kilometers the Kalu press forward,” Yasu said, putting down her data pad and leaning on her tac table.
“Yes Ma’am, and the Kalu are going to pay for every damned kilometer they crossed from their home planets to here,” Connolly said, his voice reassuring and cold.
She nodded, not saying anything or seeing anything. Already she knew the cost was going to be high, but with it they might end their war.
Trade my people’s lives in hope to take theirs, she thought angrily and tired.
“Let’s go and have a look over the new line,” she said gathering her strength and pushing her emotions aside, she needed to do something to keep her mind off of the fact James was probably right in the middle of the fighting to the north.
“I’ll call ahead,” Connolly said, she could see in his face that he understood, they’d worked together for so long that they seemed to think in parallel, much like Rick and James.
“Thanks,” she answered.
***
“Krom, Right!” I yelled, my throat hoarse from calling out fire on the Kalu. Thankfully they didn’t have any air support.
You idiot, don’t think of it! Never know when Murphy’s listening, I chastised myself. Rounds pinged around the boulder I was using for cover; multiple avalanches had given us something to hide behind.
Smoke was filling the valley, a river ran through it, a road up a few feet with the occasional group of houses along it. The trees and natural greenery of the land was getting mangled and not just because of the fire the weapons fire had started.
There was a group of buildings to my rear, too far for a single run.
I pushed off my boulder, heading for one closer to the buildings, lasers catching my armored ass as I slid into cover and started firing.
Sliding in a HAPA was an art form and something to never ever be done unless you needed it. By fuck did I need it. The Kalu were pushing hard, as if they could taste victory.
“Artillery danger close!” The Russian controller attached with the valley defense yelled.
“Fucking danger close that’s on my ass!” I grabbed grenades around my harness, threw the handful over the boulder and ran towards my people.
HAPA’s across the valley started running to get clear of the blast, trying to keep out of the covering fire.
Rail guns flashed in the hills which were crawling with powered armor wearing forces.
Rolling fire walked from the forward area of the Kalu in the valley, backwards.
Plants were torn and ripped, water in the river we were splashing through turned to geysers.
Then the rumbling fire cut off, the support elements firing their rounds further down the length of the valley in an attempt to slow the Kalu reaching us.
I found a building along the side of the river for cover, checking my gear. A glance told me Rick was coordinating the fire from a newly formed line of HAPA’s, Wruck got hit in the chest but was already in transit to be fixed up. Krom and Shreesht slid into the side of the house. Krom actually going through part of it.
“Fuck!” He said, coming back out of the hole he’d made.
“You trying to be the damn Kool aid man?” I said looking over the maps, the Kalu had only been paused and were pushing forward again, they were fast and good.
Facing five hundred thousan
d of his best, shit.
“Kool aid?” Krom asked, confused. Shreesht’s guns buzzed as he fired around the other side of the house.
“Nineties thing,” I said, concentrating on the information in front of me.
“Move, I’ll shoot.” I did so, Krom taking my place.
I looked over the valleys, we were getting pushed back everywhere, the reserves had needed to be deployed right away to bolster the forces on every pass.
While the passes made it so that less of the Kalu could attack at one time. By hitting all of the passes at the same time, we were stretched across miles, unable to bring our fire support to bear on one target and bring them to a standstill.
We were losing ground rather than getting stuck into an all out fight.
“Resilient how long can we keep them in the valleys at this rate?” I asked Krom ducking back as lasers cut past him, hitting HAPA’s on the line.
“Fuck,” Krom said, I agreed but my eyes were focused on my HUD
“Twenty-two minutes and you’re too close for them to engage the Kalu safely,” she said.
“Fuck, can you get Whorst to start burning for my position. What assets do I have in orbit?” I asked.
“Nothing in orbit can reasonably hit the Kalu without hitting you,” Resilient said, not sounding pleased with my idea.
“I need something to work with. We need to hold this line, we fall and they’ll run through the southern line,” I said, understanding that if needed we were all expendable as long as we killed the Kalu.
“James I never want to hear that kind of talk from you ever again,” Resilient said, I had never heard her that angry before.
It was like a cold bucket on my thoughts but I saw no other option.
“We need to hold this area,” I said trying to soothe Resilient’s feelings.
“Oh we can,” she said, and for the first time I heard something predatory in her voice.
“Resilient?” I asked, now confused.
“Hic Stamus James Hic Stamus, today I will not let you fight alone,” she said her words as hard and final as the armored bulkheads she resided in.
War's Reward (Free Fleet Book 6) Page 24