“Make sure you record everything,” ordered Mark, as his gaze swept across the embattled human defensive lines. Several massive explosions struck the human lines, blasting deep smoking holes in the ground. Mark thought he could see soldiers pulling back from the besieged fortifications. “Keep messages to a minimum. We don’t want to tip off the enemy we’re here.”
“Yes, sir,” Reynolds replied, sounding anxious.
“Don’t take any unnecessary risks,” Mark instructed. He knew Lisa wasn’t used to being in a combat situation. “I want us all to get back safely.” Mark had orders to make sure Captain Reynolds survived. He looked at one of the dead privates a few yards away. Mark knew that at any moment more of his handpicked squad could meet their deaths.
Removing his battle helmet and enhanced vision goggles he wiped the sweat from his brow and cautiously rose to better see what lay on the other side of the small hill. A blackened ruin of blasted earth, burned-out trees, a few destroyed hover tanks, and dead bodies lay as far as his trained eyes could see. Several miles to the north, close to the large mountain, he could see the fighting still raged, the meager American forces battling desperately to hold on to the last bastion of hope against a fearless, overpowering enemy who knew no mercy.
After sliding his goggles and helmet back on he adjusted the sights to allow him a close-up view of the fighting. Trellixian hover tanks moved steadily forward, their large cannons firing round after round of heavy energy fire into the entrenched human troops. Side launchers on the hover tanks fired a seemingly unending supply of splinter grenades into the human positions. Occasionally a US heavy missile would strike one of the tanks, stressing its shield but having very little effect otherwise. Mark let out a deep, guttural sigh of frustration. If they could only find a way around the Trellixians’ energy shields the battle would be more even. It took a tremendous amount of firepower to destroy one of the enemy hover tanks.
Thousands of Trellixian troops in nearly impenetrable battle armor followed closely behind the tanks, mopping up straggling pockets of defenders. Occasionally short-range missiles and shells from heavy artillery exploded among the advancing Trellixian troops but a nearly direct hit was necessary to penetrate the battle armor. Scanning the dead, Dolan noticed a few Trellixians scattered among the human casualties, but not many.
In the sky above the ground battle, Trellixian wedge-shaped attack craft swooped and dove at the fragile human defensive positions, cracking open the human lines by firing small warp missiles which impacted the ground in towering explosions of flame and dirt. The warp missiles made a high-pitched screaming noise as they came down. Occasionally an attack craft would make a low pass, sending hundreds of splinter grenades into the human fortifications.
Human aircraft had been cleared from the skies weeks earlier. Defensive missiles and now an occasional energy beam from the main base itself were being directed toward the attacking Trellixian aircraft as they came within range in a last ditch attempt to turn the tide of the battle. Mark had been informed by Colonel Branson that a few experimental energy beams had been constructed to add to the base’s defense. Mark watched excitedly as the first beams were fired. The Trellixians were finally in range where the beams could be effective.
-
Mark almost stood up in elation as several beams of white energy converged on one of the Trellixian craft, cracking through its energy shield and exploding the ship in a bright orange fireball, spilling out its flaming parts over the fighting below. He hoped Lisa had gotten the destruction of the Trellixian craft on her instruments. If the humans only had more energy cannons, they might’ve had a chance to turn the tide of the battle.
From what he could see only about a dozen of the powerful weapons were being used by the defenders. Several more Trellixian attack craft were blown out of the air by the powerful beams, scattering burning wreckage over the landscape. The Trellixian attack craft pulled back from the mountain, staying out of range of the dangerous weapons. At least they could no longer bomb the troops clinging to the defenses.
The beams from the mountain then switched their targets, focusing on the Trellixians hover tanks and troops. With elation Mark watched as half a dozen hover tanks and several hundred enemy soldiers were wiped out by the deadly energy beams. The Trellixian advance seemed to stall as if unsure of what to do. Mark began to feel hope just maybe the base would hold. Then a loud noise above drew his attention.
Looking up, Mark sucked in a deep breath of air as a large and ominous shadow passed over him. He recognized one of the Trellixians’ space battlecruisers plodding through Earth’s heavy atmosphere toward the human military base. In moments the massive cylinder came to a stop, its defensive shields lighting up as the base focused all its firepower on the massive vessel in a last-stand effort. Heavy missiles and energy beams smashed futilely against the powerful energy shield which erupted in bright cascades of color as it shrugged off the ineffective attack. The outside of the huge vessel was dotted with antennae, communication dishes, and offensive and defensive weaponry designed for war.
Huge beams of incandescent energy leaped from the nose of the vessel, plowing up the earth along and through the human troops’ defensive lines. Smoke and fire burst into the air as the ground was set aflame. Whenever the beam touched a human soldier they were turned instantly into smoldering ashes under the tremendous destructive power being unleashed. For long minutes the deadly beams moved up and down the human lines until the defensive firing lessened and then stopped.
Mark felt intense anger at what he had just witnessed. He gripped his assault rifle tightly in his hands, wanting to rush forward and fire it at the Trellixians. However, he knew to do so would be suicide and against his orders. Gritting his teeth he forced himself to lie still and to continue to observe the battle. He greatly feared it was nearing its end. He desperately looked for any signs the embattled soldiers could regroup but there were none.
The enemy spacecraft continued to move forward, now focusing its powerful energy beams on the mountain and the underground base it sheltered. Its primary targets were the fortifications protecting the human energy cannons. However, the base was buried deep beneath several thousand feet of bedrock and protected by reinforced steel beams with thick concrete walls. It was fortified with all the defensive and offensive weapons the human race had been able to throw together in the short time since the Trellixians had invaded Earth and embarked on their genocidal war. The base was protected by a rudimentary energy shield cobbled together by some of Earth’s greatest remaining scientists.
The shield strained as the Trellixian beams tried to penetrate to the base below. Great streams of energy seemed to erupt from the mountain and the shield persevered. Mark held his breath. He had been told in his briefing about the energy shield but seeing was believing. The Trellixians seemed to have been stopped for the first time. Their energy beams ceased firing and for several long minutes silence came over the battlefield.
Mark refocused his enhanced-vision optics on the ground immediately in front of the base. The Trellixian hover tanks and their armored troops were pouring through the smashed human lines. Little to no resistance was encountered as most of the defenders were dead. Mark tried not to think of the thousands of human soldiers who had lost their lives in this battle.
As the Trellixian hover tanks came within range of the base more heavy energy weapons hidden among the rocks opened up, tearing through the tanks’ shields like a knife through butter. These weapons operated off the base’s fusion power plant and their energy output was nearly off the charts. Unfortunately they burned out after firing several shots as they could not handle the torrents of energy passing through the barrels. The Trellixian hover tanks couldn’t stand up to such energy either. Tank after tank fell to the ground, split open by the powerful energy beams. Loud explosions reverberated across the valley and smoke filled the air. The few surviving troops cheered loudly, seeing the nearly indestructible tanks stopped, and feeling a brief
rise of hope.
Mark could barely hear the distant cheering and looked up to see what the Trellixian battlecruiser was doing. It remained hovering above in a threatening manner, still under fire from the base’s weapons.
-
On the Trellixian battlecruiser, Battle Commander Balforr saw the ground assault on the Humans’ last redoubt had failed. The energy beams the Humans had developed were holding the attacking Trellixian troops at bay. He gazed in anger at the ship’s main viewscreen showing the surface below.
“Those are Jelnoid secondary energy beams,” reported Second Officer Jaltor in surprise. “If those were primary beams they might be able to penetrate our energy shield.”
“These Humans grow more dangerous every day,” replied Balforr, forming his hand into a fist. “We’re fortunate we discovered this base before they managed to develop a primary beam.”
“Our scientists believe the Humans are burning out their beam projectors to destroy our hover tanks. They can’t have very many more remaining.”
As Balforr watched several more hover tanks were blown apart by the defending beams of the Humans. Other beams were now sweeping across the ground, annihilating Trellixian soldiers. Not even Trellixian battle armor could withstand such weapons.
“Pull our troops back,” Balforr ordered. He would have to find another way to destroy the human base. As long as that energy shield existed he could not get to the base hidden inside the mountain.
-
The battlecruiser slowly edged higher into the air. Its heavy energy shield glowed brightly as Human energy weapons and missiles impacted the shield, trying to crack it open to bring the mighty ship of space to Earth. On the ground Trellixian troops and hover tanks pulled back.
-
Inside the base General Mitchell watched as the Trellixians retreated.
“We stopped them,” said General Briggs with relief in his eyes. “They’re pulling back.”
“Our energy beams are effective against their hover tanks and attack craft,” Colonel Fields said as he watched several more hover tanks blown apart on the battlefield. “However, the barrels are overheating from the heat generated by the beams. We’re having to replace the barrels after three or four firings. We need a better alloy that’s more heat-resistant.”
General Mitchell nodded. “Get that information to Professor Wilkens and any other data you think might be pertinent. General Briggs, begin using our railguns on the Trellixian hover tanks.” Mitchell let out a deep breath. He had sacrificed thousands of troops to pull the Trellixians in as close to the mountain as possible so they could be destroyed.
Briggs nodded as he sent out the message. The railguns had been held back until they could be used to break the back of the Trellixian attack. The energy beams had stalled the attack; now the railguns would annihilate what was left of the enemy forces.
Colonel Fields turned toward General Mitchell. “We’re continuously sending all the data on the battle to Professor Wilkens and his people. We have Jelnoid sensors in the base as well as Major Dolan’s team outside recording every aspect of the battle.”
“The data has been going out uninterrupted,” reported Colonel Steward. “We’re using underground cables and the Trellixians cannot detect or trace them.”
General Mitchell looked at several viewscreens showing the carnage around the mountain. He hoped Major Dolan and his team still lived.
“We have a number of troops still out in the field,” said General Briggs. “Most of the units outside the mountain have taken heavy casualties.”
“How’s the evacuation going?” asked Mitchell. He fully expected the battlecruiser to deploy a more powerful weapon. Battle Commander Balforr must suspect the threat to use nuclear weapons was a bluff.
“All nonessential base personnel have been evacuated as well as nearly eight thousand troops,” Briggs reported.
Mitchell took a deep breath. On one of the viewscreens, an energy beam tore through a formation of retreating Trellixian troops. It was gratifying seeing them fall considering how many human troops had been lost in the battle thus far. Suddenly the base’s twenty-three railguns opened up. The result was devastating to the retreating Trellixians. Hover tank after hover tank exploded in brilliant fireballs as the railgun rounds slammed into the energy shields, overloading them and destroying the tanks. Suddenly the Trellixian retreat turned into a rout as they tried to escape the rain of death coming from the mountain. However, that was going to be difficult as the railguns had a very long range.
“Begin evacuating everyone else except the energy beam and railgun crews. Pull our remaining troops from their defensive positions and get them to safety. We’ve done all we can here.” The railguns would buy them the time they needed to finish the evacuation.
“But they’re retreating!” objected General Briggs, his eyes growing wide. “We can hold the base. The Trellixians are defeated!”
“Can we?” said Mitchell, pointing to a screen showing the Trellixian battlecruiser. “We hurt them, perhaps bad enough it will be weeks before they can resume exterminating our population. By then we’ll have the new pulse rifles and better energy cannons. We can fight them on a more even footing. This base is lost. We have to accept that and move on. Our energy shield can’t stay up forever.”
General Briggs’s shoulders drooped. “I’ll give the order. It will take about six hours to evacuate everyone else in the base as well as the surviving troops.”
“Get everyone at least to the lower level,” ordered General Mitchell. The lower level was where the Command Center was located. “Even if the Trellixians manage to destroy the base we should be safe down here.”
-
Balforr was concerned about how quickly the Humans had developed energy weapons. They hadn’t had them before even though it was obvious the Humans had access to some Jelnoid technology. He gazed at a viewscreen showing the large mountain. He suspected labs and manufacturing facilities were buried deep within. This target had to be eliminated.
Cascading waves of energy from the Human weapons still bit and clawed at the powerful Trellixian shield. This world was needed for living space for the Trellixian race and the fighting had delayed colonization by weeks. Hundreds of colonization transports awaited orders to colonize the planet.
“Shield is holding at 82 percent,” reported the tactical officer. “Our energy weapons are incapable of penetrating the shield the Humans have placed around the mountain.”
“Sensors indicate it is Jelnoid-based,” reported the Trellixian at the sensor console. “Our beams have not been able to penetrate it.”
“I would suggest we deploy a Malken missile,” suggested Second Officer Jaltor. “Our sensors indicate the Humans’ base extends deep beneath the mountain. However, due to the shield and the size of the mountain we cannot scan the entire base.”
“A Malken missile will penetrate deeply enough,” confirmed the tactical officer. “It should destroy most, if not all of the base.”
Battle Commander Balforr nodded. The Malken missile was the most powerful and deadly weapon in their arsenal. Not even the Humans’ energy shield would be able to resist the deadly antimatter missile. They were also very difficult to produce so each task group was only equipped with one. Its use had to be authorized by the High Command.
Balforr turned toward the communications officer. “Send a message to the High Command, requesting authorization to deploy a Malken missile. Inform them it’s the only viable option for destroying the Human military base. Once this base is annihilated the planet will be ours and the colonization transports can be sent.” The ship possessed an FTL transmitter and it wouldn’t take long to get a response. Balforr did not mention the Humans had developed a weak Jelnoid energy beam. No point in alarming the High Command more than they were already.
“Humans are using some type of advanced railgun,” reported Second Officer Jaltor. Several viewscreens revealed hover tanks being blown apart in increasing numbers. “Our so
ldiers are falling back as rapidly as possible.”
“Railguns?” muttered Balforr, shaking his head. “Why did they wait so long to use them?”
Jaltor remained silent, not sure how to reply.
Balforr was tempted to order his soldiers to hold their ground but the losses to the Trellixian ground forces were already nearly astronomical. Never had so many been lost in a single battle before. Balforr took a deep breath. It did not matter as the Malken missile would end the battle and destroy the Humans. It would still be a victory for the Trellixians though a costly one.
-
On the ground nearly two hours passed as Mark watched the ship continue to gain altitude. At last it came to a stop high above the base, just out of range of the human weapons which had been impacting its energy shield. During that time the railguns from the mountain continued to play havoc with the retreating Trellixian forces. With foreboding, Mark saw a single small black dot suddenly fall away from the belly of the ship. “Everyone take cover!” Mark yelled over his comm. With apprehension, Mark flung himself behind the small hill as brilliant light and overpowering noise crashed down upon him, driving him into unconsciousness.
-
Sometime later Mark awoke, realizing he had been out for quite some time. After crawling back to the top of the hill he stood looking with shock and despair at what had once been the strongest base the human race had constructed to stop the Trellixians. A jagged, smoking hole lay where the mountain had been. Trees had been knocked over, and a number of fires raged in the forest. The sky was obscured by dark smoke and a lot of ash floated in the air. The base was gone!
A few Trellixian hover tanks moved about the smoking ruins searching for human survivors. Troops in dark battle armor also combed the rocks and defiles looking for scattered human defenders who might have survived. From the lack of firing Mark guessed none or very few were being found. Over twenty thousand troops had begun the defense of the mountain. With growing despair, Mark knew it was over. The base was gone; everything was destroyed!
Earth Fall: Invasion : (Book One) Page 23