“Where do you want this?” asked Private Peterson. He carried a medium size case with one of her observation instruments in it. Private Hambridge was carrying the other.
“Just here for the moment,” she said, indicating a spot next to her. Lisa looked around, wondering where the best place for the special device was. It was built from Jelnoid technology and was capable of sensing movement over two miles away, even through the forest. It could also detect sounds and the use of any electronic device.
Corporal Sampson walked to where Lisa sat. “We’ll put our tents back a ways beneath those tall trees. No fires and no heat sources.”
Lisa nodded. She had her tent and bedroll so she would be fine. “No problem, Corporal.”
Sampson let out a deep sigh. “I know you outrank me and I will follow your orders if you give them but in this situation I really hope you will listen to me.”
“No problem, Corporal Sampson,” Lisa replied. “I’m just an observer, not someone here to cause problems or to take command.”
“Good,” replied Sampson with a relieved look in his eyes. He looked down at one of two black cases near Lisa. “What are those?”
Lisa smiled. “If I understand correctly how these work they should give us warning of anyone getting within several miles of us.”
Sampson’s eyes widened. “You probably should have told the lieutenant about that.”
“In all the excitement I didn’t think about it. Besides, I don’t even know how well this stuff will work. It’s all new and experimental.” Lisa had some training with the new equipment but not in conditions like this. She just hoped everything worked as Major Lorre indicated it should.
“Guards will be posted all night,” Sampson said. “It also gets pretty chilly out here once the sun goes down. Privates Peterson and Hambridge will be in the tent next to you. If you need anything, wake them up.”
“I’ll be fine,” replied Lisa. “I used to camp in the mountains with my parents all the time.” Just mentioning her parents made Lisa feel like crying. Her parents, Streth and everyone else she had known in Portland were gone. She tried not to think about it but the thoughts and the sound of their voices kept running through her head.
Sampson didn’t say anything for a moment and then he spoke in a softer voice. “We all lost people. Someday we’ll make the Trellixians pay for what they took away from us.”
Lisa nodded. She didn’t trust her voice to respond.
After Corporal Sampson left Lisa opened up one of the two cases. It contained an observation instrument on a tripod. She quickly set it up so it had a good view of the trail and what was beyond it. She was surprised when it quickly lit up with numerous contacts. She was about to call Corporal Sampson when she realized the device had found animals; some small and a few large. She suspected the large ones might be black bears but as long as they were left alone they shouldn’t be a problem. She spent some time readjusting the device to eliminate the animals until she was satisfied it would only respond to Humans or something totally unknown, such as a Trellixian. When she was done she went and told Corporal Sampson about the bears and then went off to set up her tent. The last forty-eight hours had been tiring, emotionally and physically and she was ready for a good night’s rest.
-
Back at the mountain base Mark was reading the latest reports from Colonel Branson. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he read of the military disaster sweeping across the planet. Everywhere military units stood to resist the Trellixians they were completely crushed. In China an entire division of troops had been wiped out by aerial attacks and bombardments of energy weapons from the Trellixian battlecruisers.
In Germany an American armored division had stood toe-to-toe against the Trellixians for over six hours, slugging it out. When it was over not a single American vehicle remained and yet only a few Trellixian tanks had been knocked out.
The Trellixian vehicles were being called hover tanks. They were armed with some type of energy weapon and a pair of grenade launchers that launched projectiles which exploded into hundreds of maiming and killing flechettes just above ground. There were also reports of loud screaming missiles being used to take out hardened targets as well as armored vehicles.
Looking at another report Mark saw the Trellixians had deployed a wedge-shaped attack craft that blew opposing fighters out of the air. The report indicted the hover tanks and the attack craft were protected by energy shields. It also mentioned the Trellixian troops wore battle armor nearly impervious to weapons fire.
Mark laid down the last report on his desk with a frustrated sigh. He wished he knew more about what the US defensive battle plan was. There had to be a reason for these secret military bases and the efforts being put into saving civilians. With what he had just read he needed to think over what weapons his Rangers needed to deploy. It was obvious the enemy’s hover tanks and attack craft were immune to most weapons in the base’s armories. He would concentrate more on how to take out individual Trellixian soldiers. It might be a good idea to bring in the two remaining company captains as well as the two specialists. Perhaps between the five of them they could come up with some strategy to deal with Trellixian troops.
Colonel Branson had informed Mark earlier that the president was still in control. He was at the underground Command Center at the White House. Mark was deeply concerned if the president didn’t soon leave Washington, DC he never would. Not a single country in the world had been spared and there were no reports of successful resistance. In every surviving city and town the remaining populations were fleeing into the countryside. In many instances Trellixian troops were waiting for them. The human race was being slaughtered and no offers of surrender were even being responded to. The Trellixians remained silent as their forces killed and killed, sparing no one.
Mark’s orders from Colonel Branson remained the same: keep some of his forces inside the mountain hideaway and do everything he could to get any survivors to the hidden civilian supply caches. Colonel Branson had indicated that at some point these survivors would be moved even deeper into the mountains to facilities being prepared for them.
However, what concerned Mark was what would happen to those survivors when winter came around. Winter in the Rocky Mountains was not somewhere large numbers of civilians wanted to be if caught out in the open without adequate cold-weather protection. To Mark this rescue effort had the makings of a disaster.
Leaning back in his chair, Mark closed his eyes. He still wondered if Colonel Branson could get his sister out of Dallas and if his parents had survived. With great sadness Mark knew there was a good chance he would never know. With a war going on across the planet how would he ever find his parents? They could be anywhere.
Opening his eyes he looked at the plan he was working on. He had spoken briefly with Captain Garcia and knew the captain was well on his way to establishing his skirmish line near the creek chosen as their first line of defense. Mark had already considered establishing a second one five miles farther back, with the military supply cache as the center.
He had six hundred Rangers to defend the immediate area. There was also a good possibility of more troops fleeing into the mountains being found. He would like to establish two secure lines of defense to protect the civilians. Mark was already making plans to send more powerful weapons to Captain Garcia to ensure he could hold that front line. That would be after he consulted with the other captains.
Mark wasn’t concerned about Trellixian hover tanks; he doubted if they could function in the tree-dense multilevel terrain of the mountains. His hope was his Rangers could stop the Trellixian foot soldiers, if and when they showed up. However, the report about Trellixian battle armor able to withstand weapons fire concerned him.
With six hundred Rangers, he could set up a rotation allowing three hundred troops to be on the skirmish lines and then after a specified period of time rotate them back out with the next three hundred, particularly if he could add a few hundred re
gular Army troops to the mix. He was curious when the first civilians would be located. Some must already be near the first skirmish line. Mark expected to hear something in the next twenty-four hours.
-
Lisa woke and, rolling over, moaned. Her sleeping bag had kept her warm but it was obvious she had missed removing a few stones and small branches from beneath her tent. Sitting up, she rubbed her back and looked outside. A few of the other soldiers were already up and several stood at her surveillance equipment, discussing what it revealed. She would remove the uncomfortable rocks and branches later.
A few minutes later Lisa was outside and at her surveillance device. She shivered as it was unusually cold for this time of year. Looking up, she noticed how dim the sun looked. With concern she realized this was the result of ash and other pollutants hurled into the atmosphere from multiple nuclear explosions. Privates Peterson and Hambridge had followed her, staying at a discreet distance.
“What are those?” asked Private Donly, pointing to a large group of red icons that appeared to be at the extreme range of the device’s detection field. “It’s not a pack of bears, is it?”
Lisa’s eyes widened as she stepped forward and made some adjustments to the equipment. The red icons persisted, and they seemed to be approaching the Rangers. “I believe those are people.”
“How many?” asked one of the other Rangers.
“Approximately thirty,” Lisa answered as she counted the red icons. “They’re about a mile and a half out and coming down the hiking trail.” She examined the readings for another few moments. Two or three red dots were out in front of the others with two more trailing behind. “There may be a few military people with them from the way they’re spread out.”
“I’ll notify Corporal Sampson,” Private Donly said as he turned and hurried off to where the corporal was eating his breakfast.
Lisa looked back at the sensor device. She wondered how many other groups it would pick up today. She had just enough time to get something to eat before this group arrived. At least the MREs would be hot; they heated automatically when opened.
-
Time passed by quickly and then Corporal Sampson began talking to someone on his radio. With a nod, he signed off and walked over to Lisa, glancing at the small sensor screen. “That was Private Lopez. He’s escorting the group in; six soldiers from a National Guard unit and their families. We’ll send them on through to cache fourteen where they will be met by other Rangers who will evaluate them.”
Lisa looked toward the hiking trail and saw two National Guard troops appear. They held their rifles at the ready, scanning the trees and underbrush around them. Private Donly stepped out into the open, ordering them to stop.
“It’s okay,” he called out. “We’re with the 75th Ranger Battalion and we’ll get you to safety.”
Another soldier dressed in a Ranger uniform appeared with some men, women, and a few children. “It’s okay,” he called out to the two guardsmen. “They’re with me.”
He then led the group across the bridge. “This is the first group,” Donly reported to Corporal Sampson. “We’re gathering people and holding them together until we get large enough groups to move. We’ve also probably missed a few. This group was together but we’ve heard reports of individual families and even a few military units coming this way who may have gotten by us.”
“We’ll be on the watch for them,” said Corporal Sampson. “This group is supposed to go to cache fourteen for evaluation.” Sampson handed Donly a small map with cache fourteen marked on it. The advanced Rangers scouting for refugees didn’t have any maps on them to ensure they didn’t fall into enemy hands.
“That’s seventeen miles,” Donly said, eyeing the group with him. “It’ll take us a day or two to get there. We have to go slow because of the children and we’re taking a lot of rest stops.”
“I understand,” Sampson replied. “If you need additional supplies or help, contact the captain. He can send you whatever you need or more Rangers if necessary.”
“Have you heard anything?” asked one of the guard troops. “We were nearly to the mountains when we saw several nuclear strikes.”
“Not a lot,” Sampson replied. “The entire world is at war and from the latest reports it’s not going well. You and your people should be safe here. Where we’re sending you there are plenty of supplies and you should be deep enough into the mountains to avoid the fighting.”
“Thank you,” the guardsman replied gratefully. “We weren’t sure what would happen to us.”
“Private Lopez, let these people have about an hour’s break and then start them toward cache fourteen.”
“I’ll get it done,” Lopez replied.
Lisa had been listening and keeping an eye on her sensor device. With a start she saw a second group of red icons appear at the extreme range. This group was much larger than the one that had just reached them. “Corporal Sampson, we’ve got more coming.”
Sampson nodded. “Looks as if it’s going to be a busy day.”
-
Captain Garcia listened to the reports flooding in of survivors found by the Rangers. Already they were in danger of being overwhelmed.
“Sergeant Wilkerson, send more Rangers to Lieutenant Symington. We’ve got reports of multiple groups of survivors moving toward our skirmish line. Some are being escorted, others are not.”
Wilkerson looked around at the Rangers still at camp. Major Dolan had sent several more rifle squads with heavier weapons this morning. “How many Rangers should I take?”
“Three rifle squads. Also take the ATV Major Dolan sent this morning. Load it up with ten MK48s and five M240s. Make sure you take plenty of ammunition. Check with Lieutenant Symington as to where he wants them. It looks as if many of the survivors are being sent toward Corporal Sampson’s position at the main hiking trail with the bridge. Take over and help get all this organized until Lieutenant Symington can get back there.”
Sergeant Wilkerson nodded. “Seems as if we’ll be stretching ourselves pretty thin. We have over eight hundred square miles we’re trying to control.”
“If we’re lucky regular Army units will be with some of the survivors, and we can use them to help us. If not we’ll fall back and use some of the Guard and Reserve units coming through. Some of them should be pretty well trained.”
Wilkerson looked through the thick foliage of the trees. “I wonder how the war is going.”
“Not well,” Garcia answered. “Major Dolan says the Trellixians, so far, have been pretty much unstoppable. Every military unit that has gone up against them has been wiped out.”
“Why go to all the effort to save all these civilians? Aren’t we only just delaying their deaths? At some point in time the Trellixians will come into these mountains in full force and try to wipe us out. We can’t be tied down defending all these supply caches.”
Garcia’s eyes hardened. “Our job is to protect civilians. That’s what the military is all about. Our command structure is still in existence. We know there are other hidden bases. This war isn’t over. We just need time to find a way to stop the enemy. When we do we’ll need the civilians to rebuild our civilization.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Wilkerson replied, frowning. “But right now everything’s just going the wrong way.”
Garcia didn’t reply as Wilkerson walked off to get his Rangers ready and the ATV loaded. He couldn’t really blame him for being so pessimistic. With what was going on around the world Captain Garcia suspected many people felt the way the sergeant did.
Chapter Seven
The fighting was heavy as the sun rose over the distant horizon. Throughout the night, the battle had raged between American military units and Trellixian hover tanks backed up by their infantry. M1A4 battle tanks had roared through the darkness as they fired round after round at the advancing line of hover tanks and Trellixian infantry. Behind the American lines 155mm self-propelled howitzers poured their heavy fire into the adv
ancing enemy. The ground shook nonstop from the impact of thousands of powerful explosions.
US troops would charge forward trying to take out the enemy only to be driven back by horrendous casualties. Missiles, drones, antitank weapons, everything in the human arsenal was thrown at the Trellixian armor and infantry. Every so often a hover tank would burst into flame or one of their battle-armor-encased troops would fall to the ground. Each time it was a small victory.
American attack helicopters flew over the battlefield firing on Trellixian troop concentrations and hover tanks. The helicopters would only make a pass or two before they were shot down. The landscape was littered with their shattered remains.
From the sky, beams of intense energy would flash down, striking tanks and howitzers and blowing them apart. Several Trellixian battlecruisers were using their energy weapons to eliminate targets. Even so the American troops fought to hold their ground, to keep the enemy at bay, to give the civilians behind them time to flee.
-
Lieutenant John Marlin stared into the cloudless sky. He was tired and it had been over forty hours since he had last slept. Looking around him he gazed at the last four survivors of the two platoons he commanded. They were a few short miles from the East Coast, just south of Washington, DC in a deep bomb crater.
Gazing over the rim John could see the ruins of dozens of tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. Smoke was heavy in the air and burning fires were everywhere. In the distance he could see a farmhouse in flames. Occasionally he would hear a burst of heavy firing and the sound of tanks blasting away at the enemy. He tried not to look at all the dead bodies and destroyed vehicles scattered across the ravaged landscape.
“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” said Corporal Hatter, his voice almost without emotion. “We’re never going home.”
Marlin slid back down to the bottom of the crater out of sight. He slowly shook his head. “I don’t know. The Trellixians are advancing on Washington, DC and I don’t think we can stop them.” John reached for his canteen and took a drink of water. With surprise he found only a few precious drops left. He tossed the canteen aside and leaned against the crater wall. “I think all the civilians are long gone, either dead from the nukes or killed in the fighting last night.”
Earth Fall: Invasion : (Book One) Page 9