by J. J. Snow
Ty was still fifty meters from the sharp turn at the top of the ridge when he heard the first explosion. The newbies crouched along the pathway, looking up towards the smoke as Ty sprinted past them, breathing hard into his mask. He slowed and knelt, sliding out to look around the corner. A laser blast shot past him as he engaged the first alien he saw. He dropped it and continued to methodically push out, engaging and killing a second before gaining a position from which he could see the attack zone. A proximity mine had been buried in the snow just past the first checkpoint. Five soldiers lay scattered like rag dolls around the crater, some still conscious and returning fire, others blackened and unmoving. Beyond them, Ty could make out an alien landing craft and a raiding party. Several aliens fired back at him and the others. He knew what was coming next. Radio silence was no longer necessary.
“Viper Thirteen to Rime Command, we are troops in contact! Enemy raiding craft at grid Alpha Twelve, Delta Twenty-Six.”
“Copy, Viper Thirteen, we have you Tango Indigo Charlie at Alpha Twelve, Delta Twenty-Six. Status?”
“Five wounded or killed. Securing the attack site now—wait one.”
Ty had been joined by the other seven soldiers, who had set up a rear guard and begun to engage the aliens. He keyed his mic over to them.
“Fraggin’ listen up! Do not go forward unless I tell you to. They will try to draw you in—stay here until we have the site secure, or I swear I will shoot you myself!”
Ty switched back to the command post as he continued unloading at the aliens. He watched the snow banks around them and the area in front of the blast zone. They were moving. Another one dropped with a squeal as the private took the thing out with a half a clip of tantalum laser rounds. Ty watched as Cochran slowly rolled to one side and unloaded a clip into another alien that had appeared out of the snow. The area went silent. Cochran struggled to reload, his right side badly mangled with shrapnel from the blast. Then suddenly he was gone.
“What the hell?” One of the newbies leaned forward, trying to see through the blinding, wind-driven whiteness. “Did you fraggin’ see that? That thing pulled him under!”
Ty cued back to the platoon. “Watch your areas! You see anything moving, you shoot it. They’ve gone underground. Hold the line!”
A second soldier was pulled under, emitting a brief yelp before he disappeared. Ty could see that only one of the remaining three at the blast site was still alive. He fired as the snow erupted in front of him, taking down the alien who landed on him, spewing purplish liquid across the snow. Frantically, he pulled himself out from under the creature, eyes wide as he looked around for more.
A loud pop and a series of shots rang out behind him as Ty looked back to see Tiny dash through their rear perimeter. She gave an all-clear and spoke as she moved up next to him.
“They sent three to flank us and catch us from behind. That craft is maxed at fifteen.”
“We took out another four, but they’ve gone under. That leaves maybe eight more. We’re on hard rock here, but if we move up, our flanks will be vulnerable. He’s the only one left.” Ty nodded at the lone living soldier below them, lying on the edge of the crater. His leg was bleeding, but he was still alert and watching the snow in front of him.
“I’ll get him. Cover me.”
Before he could say anything, Tiny was making her way calmly down the ridge to the soldier. Ty cursed and watch her through his holosight as she reached the survivor and threw a tourniquet on his leg. Two aliens launched at once out of the snow at Tiny, but she didn’t even look up as Ty brought them both down cleanly, his bullets whizzing past her as she worked. She pulled the man to his feet and then unceremoniously dumped him over her shoulder while pulling her blaster. She began walking back towards them up the incline. Another alien shot up to her right and she engaged it without looking, turning the creature into a bloody purple mess. She struggled momentarily on a bit of ice before pushing on, but it was enough to get the pointman on Ty’s formation to step forward to help her.
“Dammit! Hold the line!” Ty shouted.
But it was too late. The soldier’s next step landed on a second proximity mine. The blast rocked them all back, raining debris and shrapnel down with the snow. Tiny had dropped, covering the soldier she was carrying, when she heard Ty’s yell and saw the man forward of the line. That distraction was enough to create a window of opportunity. The aliens massed on her position, the snow spraying up around her as they surfaced. The nearest ones swung the bladed weapons they favored as they moved in rapidly to neutralize her and the soldier. Ty saw it all in slow motion as Tiny shoved the wounded man behind her. He brought his gun up but didn’t dare to shoot. She was in among them, moving fast. The staccato of a string of fire, the steady rhythm of a blaster, the screech of metal on metal as Tiny reeled out of their reach. Two fell behind her. As she came back up from a kneeling position and raised one of the sharp alien blades, a third appeared over her shoulder, limbs grasping for her, mouth open, aiming for her throat like a wild beast as she plunged the weapon up through its upper body and out the back of its head. The creature screamed and landed twitching in the snow, turning in slow, angry circles until it died. Tiny helped the soldier back up as they continued towards the safety of the group. Ty watched, waiting for any movement, any sign that the last two aliens were present. A small trickle of snow off to Tiny’s left was enough to prompt him to fire. The alien fought to dig out, but Ty pushed it back down with a steady hail of bullets. Tiny walked through their forward line as the roar of gunships echoed in the valley. She set the wounded man down carefully before turning to walk back to where Ty stood. Slowly she looked over the valley, scrutinizing the landscape. She traced her path up the hill with her eyes, pausing at another soldier’s feet. Impatiently she waved him back a few steps. He looked at her, confused.
“I missed one,” she said apologetically as the snow shifted and she and Ty both blasted the spot. The snow turned purple as the soldier stared down, a horrified look on his face as he realized just how close he had come to death.
Duv’s voice came over their headsets. “How are we looking down there?”
Ty glanced up at the gunship hovering over them defensively as snow buffeted around them from the engines. “We’re clear. We only encountered the one raiding craft, unless you can see any others from up there?”
“Nope. Except for where you guys are, everything looks normal. White on rice. Polar bear in a snowstorm. You want a lift back?”
Ty looked at Tiny, who looked at the wounded soldier and the remaining members of the platoon.
“Yeah, we’ll take the ride. Drop us a line so we can hook up.”
The gunship lowered a cable, and Ty hooked the wounded soldier up to Tiny, then waited for the others to tie in while he brought up the rear. Duv waited for his go and then retracted the cable, pulling them all up and into the cargo bay, where a line stripper released their locking clips, dumping them to the floor, where they moved back to make room for the next soldier. The ride back was quiet. As the gunship touched down in the bunker, Ty stood up and looked at the remaining members of the platoon.
“What happened today happened. The attack still would’ve taken place regardless of the mistakes I saw made. Those mistakes, however, came from complacency, and in war they can make a bad situation worse in a hurry. You all have gotten lazy, comfortable over the last three months, because it’s been safe and quiet. Imagine if Tiny and I hadn’t been out there with you today. What would’ve happened?”
The wounded man shivered at the thought while the others looked around. Finally, the private who had been in front of Ty offered up his opinion.
“Sergeant Ty, we would’ve all died.”
Ty looked around and saw that they all knew the private spoke the truth. He nodded gruffly.
“Good. You might all be corpses now. Instead, a few of you are coming back off a really assed-up mission. Remember, we are here to train you and sometimes
to lead you. But that won’t always be the case. We can’t be everywhere at once, and one of these days you’ll have to be out there taking it to the enemy on your own.”
Tiny shot him a quick look. He sighed; she was right, of course. He couldn’t just break them down after the losses they took today. For some it was their first time in battle ever, their first time losing a teammate. So Ty turned to a discussion of the things done well and pointed out a few individuals who stood out during the attack and what they did right. They listened to him, hanging on his words, not wanting to be released because then they would have to think about the guys they were missing. Ty knew he needed to keep them busy and together for now.
“Okay. Go clean up your weapons and your gear and take some time to mourn the soldiers we lost today. If these guys were your sponsors, make sure you take care of getting their letters to their families, and whatever items they wanted them to have. We’ll deal with their lockers and other personal effects later. Nobody goes anywhere alone without my permission, so each of you pick a battle buddy. I’ll meet you in the chow hall in three hours to discuss memorial details. Dismissed.”
The soldiers moved off in silence, and Ty was relieved to see Chang nod at him from the back ramp and then follow them into the armory. With the gunny there, he could take an hour to work out his own anger at what had happened today. The first battle losses were the worst, and Ty wasn’t very good at dealing with recruits in this area. He had his own way of dealing with death. He grabbed his gun and gear bag as Tiny swung into step beside him. First stop was at their respective lockers to drop off gear and clean weapons. Twenty minutes later, they both met up on the mats in the cargo bay. Ty brought his hands up just in time to deflect the blow she launched at his throat. They fell into a flurry of strikes and kicks that appeared to be a complicated and well-orchestrated dance. Sweat dripped on the mat as she pushed him harder, increasing her speed and landing a strike. Ty knocked her legs out, bringing her crashing to the mat, while Tiny scrambled in surprise. It had been a long time since anyone had done that to her. Ty moved quickly. He used his weight to pin her shoulders to the mat, his hips settling against hers as he straddled her waist. Ty grinned. He had her now. He could see her thinking, watching him.
“So you think you have me.” It was a statement. Tiny turned her head briefly, wiping sweat off on the mat, and then glared back up at him. When they fought, they were still enemies.
“I know I do,” Ty panted, glaring back at her.
She shot him another look then. One he hadn’t seen before, a look that took his breath away and distracted him enough that he felt the shift of her hips beneath him a second too late. She thrust her hips up while at the same time jamming her hand into one of his elbows, breaking the weight pinning her shoulders and causing him to fall slightly forward. For a brief second, their faces were just millimeters apart. Their eyes met and Ty felt an intense heat push out from his chest. Then he was airborne as she launched him over her head and back onto the ground. He hit the floor hard and lay there.
“What was that?” he gasped, trying to get the wind back in his lungs.
Tiny stood off at a distance, wiping the sweat off her face onto her uniform jacket. “Aikido,” she responded before walking off to get cleaned up.
Ty shook his head as he rolled up to his knees and watched her go. That wasn’t what he was asking about. He grumbled under his breath and then headed off to his room to get changed and file his report with the command center. She had distracted him and effectively turned it to her advantage. Ty was confident that he had had the upper hand. He chalked up his loss to the weariness he felt, the post-adrenaline downer that came after a battle.
But the look she had given him stuck in his mind, no matter how he tried to shake it.
—————
Duv rolled over, blinking, as the lights came on. Holly was just getting in from her shift at the medical center. She pulled off her jacket and shoved it into the locker they now shared before bending to give him a quick kiss. He shot her a weary grin. Damn, she’s beautiful! A hundred eighty-nine days on this rock and she was still making him smile.
“I should get drunk and go out to meet women in bars more often,” he joked as he swung his legs over the side of the bunk. It was their own private joke now, how they had met. Duv had finally confessed his initial confusion and embarrassment about the morning after, which had endeared him again to Holly.
She smiled at him and gave him a quick hug, snuggling against his bare chest briefly before diving into the still-warm bed and wrapping the covers around her. Duv pulled on tac-pants and a shirt then sat to put his boots on while she watched him.
“How much longer do you think the Captain will have you guys working extended shifts?”
Duv put his head down. He already knew the answer: as long as she needed to. That wasn’t exactly something you could explain to a girlfriend who was hoping for a simple night in with her man. Working opposite shifts was difficult, and although they were managing, Duv was ready for some downtime too. He reached around and cupped Holly’s face in one hand, planting a kiss on her forehead before turning back to his boots.
“She’s working it. It’s gone quiet again for the last few weeks. And we’ve almost finished testing that new equipment and rigging the tunnels. Chang thinks the last few modifications can be done today. Maybe we’ll be able to finally get some refit time and start getting folks a few days off.”
He was about to say something else when his handheld went off, calling him to the command center. He shot Holly an apologetic smile and shrugged as he grabbed his gear and headed up the ladder. Even though bunk areas had been offered within the base, Duv and the rest of the crew had opted to stay on board the ship. It felt the most like home, and it was one of the few positives they had going for them in this frozen wasteland.
The handheld went off again as he jogged across the landing bay and down the tunnel. People stepped aside, recognizing him and calling out random greetings. Duv pushed on, then turned and entered the command post, dropping his gear along the wall as he entered. At the center of the room, Reilly stood engaged in a conversation on the holoscreen with Commander Zain, Captain Callum, and Captain Slauson. Tiny was standing with Chang and Ty at the holotable, rapidly pointing out items and sliding tactical assets around while assigning gunner duties to small teams listed to the side. Other military personnel rushed around the room talking on headsets or moving ships and personnel to specific sectors. The remote space-sensor beacons were flashing insanely as Duv stepped up to where Ty stood.
“What’s going on? Some malfunction or something?” He gestured at the blinking warning lights that extended across the void.
Ty looked up grimly. “Yeah, I wish.” He looked at the display, realizing it was focused on the alert system and what was inside, then reached up to zoom out and pan to the display of their solar system and the next two nearest systems.
“That can’t be right,” Duv breathed, taking in the view.
Everywhere he looked sat multiple wings of alien and ISU fleet ships. They had established their own picket line, eyeball to eyeball with Commander Zain’s forces. Cruisers, destroyers, fighters, raiding craft lined the sky as far as he could see. Duv zoomed the system for maximum coverage. The view didn’t improve.
“It is. Some of them may be decoys, but most are reading true. Tiny’s looking at how we can distinguish between them so we can conserve ammo.” Captain Campbell had stepped up to join them.
Duv watched as a few of the fighters broke off and began to engage the armed detectors. A fighter blew up and then a sensor as a small area of space went blank. A few ships attempted to breach one of the minefields. Their signals flashed and were gone moments later. The space-station guns began to fire as the initial wave of raiding craft moved in, looking to flank around the planets somehow.
“Trying to blind us so we can’t anticipate their maneuvers,” Reilly noted calmly. “Zai
n thinks we have maybe ten to twelve hours before the main push comes. Before that, it will just be harassing attacks and probing to determine our strength and locations.”
“Great,” Duv noted. “And then what?”
“We fight. We fight like hell. And we make them pay as dearly as possible for every inch of this shithole of a planet.” Reilly looked around the room in response to the silence as everyone watched her, listened to her words. “We have a few more hours. Use them, get creative. We’ve fought these bastards before and won. They know it. That’s why they brought along so many friends!”
The room rippled with dark laughter briefly.
Reilly leaned in. “It’s going to be touch and go, but this isn’t anything we haven’t done before. We’ve had six months to get ready for this, and we’ve done some incredible things in that time. We’re ready for them. So be patient. Let them get in close, so their technology becomes a limitation, so they have to fight us on our terms, and we’ll win this, I promise you.” Her steely gaze took in the room as people returned her challenge with resolute, determined stares of their own.
“Let’s get to work. We don’t have much time.”
The room rang out with Hooahs and came to life again. Reilly left the command post to hit the head before things got too crazy. The bathroom was cold and quiet. She could hear her own breath faintly reflecting off the rocks. She threw some water on her face before walking out and paused to look in the mirror. A woman in battle rattle peered back. She looked angry, looked tough, looked weary, looked determined. It was her reflection, she knew, but she barely recognized herself. She was glad of it. That woman in the mirror was hardened, immune to death and pain. This was the leader that they needed to survive and win. She remembered the little girl who haunted her dreams and smiled. If blood and death were her legacy, so be it. She was in the right place to use that legacy against Welch, against their enemies.