“Like hell is this over Argos! I have years left during which we get to make each other miserable! Sit back and watch me work you stupid program,” Kurtis growled as he accelerated NightHawk to its full speed. He possessed the fastest of the four Omnos squad units, using that speed to suddenly race to the front of their little column and then dart past the surprised DawnsLight who had been leading them. Ignoring the three urgent queries popping up on the side of his HUD, Kurtis toggled Confusers, and at the top of a jump, ripped four off to the opposite side the PDF formation of Slayers was traveling. He then proceeded another quarter of a kilometer down the ravine before repeating the maneuver. Finally, he waited until nearly reaching the end of the ravine before firing anther four Confusers towards where the ravine ended, the direction which the HellCat pilots were currently racing towards.
That task completed, Kurtis once again retracted the rifle, locking it into position cradled in the arms of his unit, as he bent NightHawk into a punishing skidding stop amidst the thick dust filling the bottom of the ravine. He then performed an about face, and began racing back down the ravine at maximum speed towards his rapidly approaching friends and squad mates. “Follow me!” He screamed into the open frequency, and then barreled up and out of the ravine, heading in the same direction as the formation of Slayers advancing towards Kerrak. Not waiting to see whether or not his friends followed, knowing that they had, he again began racing directly towards the end of the ravine, although this time adjacent to it.
Unlimbering the rifle while at full speed punished him with g-forces, forcing him back into the seat inside of his cockpit, which molded around him in an attempt to dissipate the worst of the punishment. At maximum speed with the active camouflage engaged, Kurtis then began pouring a nearly continuous number of Confusers into a battalion of Slayers.
The chaos his actions ignited, both in the ranks of the HellCats and the Slayers, was incredible. Every one of the different forces believed they were under attack by a swarm of drones due to the Confusers tricking several different types of their sensors. On top of that, Argos blasted out decoy signals, mimicking those that he knew would appear for the PDF upon their discovery of the Omnos squad, showing the four rebel Mech armor traveling in the opposite direction of the ravine where they actually exited. More importantly, the side Argos chose was the more sane choice given the two options, making it the one they were far more likely to choose.
Between the successive barrages of Confusers launched on the opposite side of the ravine, and the decoy signals Argos created, the HellCat pilots took the bait. One of the two squadrons broke off and pursued the Confusers on the far side of the ravine, while the other squadron remained in place where the ravine ended, prepared to do battle against what they believed was the imminent approach of the Omnos squad. Instead, the one group in their vicinity that came across the Omnos squad, were Slayers moving to the front lines, whose pilots were entirely unaware of the enemy force in close proximity, and were entirely hapless to defend themselves against the vastly technologically superior units.
Without any formation or organization, the Omnos squad darted through the ranks of the outdated models of Slayers while their confused pilots attempted to mount a counter-attack against sudden swarms of drones by which their sensors said they were attacking. DawnsLight and Intrepid contributed to the havoc, spraying mini-rockets, sub munitions, and lobbing grenades into the nearly hundred strong force of outdated Slayers. The result of their successive actions was complete mayhem. The already oppressive dust became a terrifying maelstrom of chaos as laser fire blasted in every direction possible.
The nearest squad of HellCat’s immediately sensed the mayhem, abandoning the position at the end of the ravine that had clearly been used as a decoy, turned and fearlessly headed straight into the center of the chaos in reckless pursuit of their objective. Knowing that hundreds of allies were simply a call away, Argos isolated the frequencies of the HellCat pilots, blocking their access to the wide area network, ensuring they made no call for help or gave away the location of the Omnos squad.
Without attempting to do anything other than sow confusion and chaos, and succeeding fantastically in doing so, the Omnos squad exited the other side of the formation of Slayers. During their sprint through the gauntlet of Slayers, they never once slowed, proceeding through the formation with nearly suicidal intention. All the while, Kurtis continued to launch a steady stream of Confusers behind them, leaving no opportunity for the HellCats or Slayers to pick up their trail.
With their tails tucked between their legs in fear, the Omnos squad ran back to Mount Olympus as fast as they could, constantly looking over their proverbial shoulders in dread from being pursued. They had failed to stand with their allies in their time of need. They had failed to make a difference in the outcome of the attack. Finally, they ran in the face of the first enemy that could stand its own against them.
And as they did, Kerrak burned.
PART THREE
Denouement
“Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think hard before starting a war.”
- Otto Von Bismarck
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – TIME UNTIL ATTACK (TUA)
“Cry Havoc and let slip the dogs of war!” – William Shakespeare
"Commander Ultor Sir! Credible intelligence regarding the divisions assembling at the PDF regional base Repentance, has just come across the net. Both AI’s, Argos and Aurora’s shell, have separately acquired and confirmed the findings. Intelligence suggests the divisions being gathered at Repentance have been formed into a Corps under the command of Lieutenant General Hafnos, Commander, Special Operations. SIG-INT also refers to his new title as Commander, Field Army. We believe that he will likely have access to more than just the single Corp in order to justify the new title. Intelligence also seems to confirm the likelihood of a second Corp under his command. SIG-INT also refers to General Akari as having been moved to a new position. He is now a special consultant and liaison to General Hafnos command staff. We are currently running numerous traces in an effort to obtain more information about the Special Operations Corp taking shape at Repentance. The threat assessment board has tasked the Corp’s formation as URGENT-CRITICAL.” Drogdyn announced, barely staving off the panic clearly lingering in the background of his thoughts as he concluded the briefing via video conference.
“No rest for the wicked and weary then.” Commander Ultor said, sighing in the process as he did so, a rare moment of non-professionalism for the head of the StormCrows. “I suspect the PDF are nearly done building their forces at Repentance if Hafnos has arrived to assume command then?”
“I have no concrete way of affirming that Sir, other than it’s what the data strongly suggests.” Drogdyn stated, distaste clearly on his face as he did so.
Commander Ultor’s gaze became lost in the horizon as he digested the news. “Field Army Commander. That suggests at least 80,000 troops that he will throw at us,” he muttered softly to himself. Commander Ultor turned back to the monitor, facing the camera so he seemed to be looking straight at Drogdyn, leveling those knowing eyes at him. “The game of Chess is won by anticipating your adversaries’ moves. Then, remaining ahead of them by as many steps as possible throughout the ensuing match. Although the game is tremendously outdated, it nonetheless continues to teach relevant lessons. We lost the momentum several moves ago, and have not been able to compensate for the loss of a critical piece. I suspect General Akari, ever our capable adversary, is nearly done preparing to capitalize on his gains. This time he’ll enlist the help of the able Lt. Gen Hafnos. His next move will place us in check. How we respond, will very well define whether or not the next series of moves ends with us in checkmate, defeated.”
Drogdyn chose not to reply to the rhetorical statement, allowing his Commander to mull over the recent series of events that had led them to this point. Since the destruction of the Lazarus faction’s out of Kerrak ten days ago, a
nd the subsequent arrival of a major army on their figurative doorstep, Commander Ultor had required all of the StormCrow division officers to provide daily updates. Drogdyn, in charge of intelligence regarding enemy movements and the buildup of their forces, had just concluded his briefing. The news could not have been worse, although it came as no surprise. They had been expecting something along these lines since the fall of Kerrak, just not this quickly.
In one of those rare instances where the future appeared to be revealed to mere mortals, everyone in Mount Olympus had been anxiously dreading the moment in time that was inevitably approaching. That moment for which Drogdyn had just served as the harbinger. Until now that defining crux in time approached at what seemed a glacial rate of advance, yet it still governed the action of every StormCrow. In the interval, the calm before the terrible storm, time ground on as everyone in the mountain spent every minute of every day doing everything possible in order to prepare for the coming battle. That battle would decide their fate. All this while agnostic and believer alike prayed that moment would never truly arrive. The truism that “everyone finds God in a foxhole,” held true.
“What are the size and capabilities of the force gathering under the new Field Army banner that Lt. Gen Hafnos will command?” Commander Ultor asked as he turned, addressing Drogdyn, once again ready to begin tackling the tasks at hand. The place to start was with breaking down the specifics of the opposing force.
Drogdyn began breaking down the numbers. “It appears that Lt. Gen Hafnos has gathered nearly five hundred Mech armor under the Special Operations Corp, totaling three Mech divisions. Analysis performed by my team and the AI’s show two divisions are comprised of Block D and E main line models of Stalkers, Slayers, and Stridents, far superior to those we have previous faced. The third division has a brigade of Marine Steyrs, a brigade of the Special Forces Hellcats, and a brigade of the mercenary Centurions brought from Earth. Supporting them will be a full division of Marauder heavy tanks. There is also a division each of mechanized combat infantry and combat drones. They will almost certainly serve as fodder for the Mech armor. Those drones are the newest models.”
Drogdyn continued, “The treaty with Titan specifically forbids the PDF use of the Reaper class of Mech killer drones. It appears the PDF made a few minimal adjustments and named the new model SkyHunters, and that Titan has chosen to not call their bluff. The updated land-based models are simply called Hunters. Argos retried their specifications, and they appear highly capable of assuming the roles of both attack and defense. The siege weapons have all been hived off from their individual brigades and collected under the banner of a division as well.”
Drogdyn paused, taking a deep breath and a drink of water, using the moment to scan the report for more information to summarize, “All signs point to an imminent, overwhelming, attack on Mount Olympus by the joint armies stationed at Kerrak and Repentance. All told, the Corp forming at Repentance will likely be able to double the outdated survivors of the attack on Kerrak. Speaking of which, our patrols have confirmed that the majority of the army stationed at Kerrak have returned to the three forward operating bases surrounding the outpost to resupply and perform maintenance. They will be ready to move once they have finished provisioning. Many of the infantry have remained in the hallowed out halls of Kerrak. The few remaining sources we have in the outpost inform us that the infantry appear to be searching for survivors while clearing the rubble. They are also converting the former Lazarus faction outpost to suit their own needs.”
They had known this moment was coming, hoping beyond any reasonable measure of optimism that the armies assembling at their doorstep would be sent elsewhere. The capture of Kerrak gave the PDF a permanent presence a mere two hours from Mount Olympus, one the StormCrows had no hope of undoing, and served as the perfect Launchpad for the out dated armies to be sent against Mount Olympus. That already formidable army, due to its sheer size, in combination with the Special Operations Corp forming at Repentance represented an almost insurmountable challenge.
With General Akari having overwhelmingly succeeded in the destruction of the Lazarus faction outpost of Kerrak, it appeared that General Akari now enjoyed the full support of the PDF High Command. The Party ban on his control of an operation had been temporarily lifted. That conclusion was further evidenced by the inclusion of General Hafnos, and his elite units, being given the overall responsibility of the campaign. He was charged with effecting an attack upon Mount Olympus itself, the first direct attack ever undertaken against the mountain redoubt. On top of that, General Akari would not have to rely solely upon waves of outdated Mech armor and drones, used in his previous operation against Kerrak, in order to do so. The forces being sent to Repentance were the absolute best the PDF had at their disposal, combining brand new, highly upgraded units straight off the manufacturing lines, with veteran pilots.
As if their doom was not already clearly spelled out already, large numbers of Mercenary Centurions brought from Earth, were clearly visible in the primary Repentance dome. The PDF were making no attempt to hide their presence. So many infantry and drones were being gathered, in addition to the armored force, that thousands were being sent out to the FOBs surrounding Kerrak. The infantry and drone reinforcements served as replacements for those killed and destroyed in the attack on Kerrak. Their relocation made room inside Repentance for the additional troops that continued to arrive. Every day, multiple anti-grav trains arrived at Repentance, and eventually made their way to the FOBs, carrying supplies and more reinforcements. Thousands of MULES, automated trucks, crossed the dusty plain as they traveled in every direction; all while dozens of Reaper drones, and the new models named SkyHunters, flew above them, escorting Chimeras full of Mech armor.
Repentance was nearly two hundred kilometers from Mount Olympus, serving as the operational hub and base of operations for the continent sized Cerberus region it was supposed to oversee and suppress. The main dome of the base was supplemented by dozens of additional domes, many holding, in their swollen wombs, hangars and airstrips. The base housed the largest air transportation and drone bomber fleets on the planet, which would be critical to subduing the primary base of one of the most powerful rebel factions. The goal of the PDF was simple and obvious for all to see. They were preparing to eliminate the StormCrow faction, and thereby gain control of Mount Olympus, by whatever means necessary, beginning with brute force. With the expansion of the Lazarus faction blunted, and the destruction of the StormCrows. At that point the Cerberus region would be considered pacified, allowing the PDF to focus their attention elsewhere.
Knowing all this, Commander Ultor had set Drogdyn and Kurtis to monitor the activity at Repentance on top of their many other duties. The outdated PDF army, gathered at the FOBs surrounding Kerrak, would not be enough to overwhelm the StormCrow defenses and take Mount Olympus, meaning that they would require additional help. While the FOBs presented a daunting obstacle, the future of the StormCrows revolved around what occurred at Repentance, making it the highest priority target… and for gathering information.
Commander Ultor had been head of the StormCrows for over twelve years now. When he saw the appearance of Drogdyn’s ashen face on his view screen, he instantly knew that something in the situation report had gone unsaid because Drogdyn was still attempting to find a way to tell him. Instinctively, Commander Ultor knew what caused Drogdyn’s near panic. He forced the issue, asking out of the blind hope it might not be true. "What are you not telling me?"
Drogdyn bowed his head in embarrassment. He was suddenly busily examining his hands, struggling to speak the necessary words. "We’ve run the simulations dozens of times. All the results have the same conclusion. The PDF target is Mount Olympus, Sir. 99.9% certainty. We even used Aurora’s shell to hack several of the Chimera's GPS systems; they all have pre-programmed waypoints leading straight to us. It appears the PDF have significantly upgraded their cyber defense systems in the last few weeks to defend against Aurora’s shell
s and cyber-attacks. The cyber security at Repentance is too tight for us to penetrate due to the limited satellite bandwidth available. Aside from obtaining a moderately-accurate count of their troops, we haven’t been able to come up with much usable data. For instance, we can’t tell with any certainty when the attack will be, except that it is coming, and soon.”
Drogdyn hesitated before continuing, “There’s more, Sir. I worked with Kurtis and his AI. We were attempting to find some way of determining how long we have before the attack. He had the idea that the pilots and soldiers would be given an extravagant meal before being deployed for the attack. We were able to hack some cameras and communicators in the Repentance mess halls that confirm such a meal is occurring as we speak."
The pause that followed the pronouncement stretched painfully as Commander Ultor digested the latest and arguably most important morsel. His sharp mind analyzed the big picture of what he was hearing, already forming defense and evacuation plans. He asked the only question left that he did not know at this point. "How long until they arrive, best guess?"
Drogdyn hesitated, and then caved. "Twelve hours until the arrival of scouts and engineers at the outskirts of our longest range weapons. The logistics required to sustain an attack of the size we estimate is incoming will be monumental, requiring an inordinate amount of coordination, supplies, and preparation. General Akari is nothing if not thorough, and Lt. Gen Hafnos’ reputation is well deserved. All signs point to the majority of those initial preparations are in process.
“Additionally, our simulations show that after the arrival of their vanguard, the PDF may spend another thirty hours or so assembling the rest of the army, moving them into semi-permanent positions on the outskirts of the mountain before attacking, plus or minus three hours. Until we see the pilots actually board their transports and Mech armor, it is hard to give a more accurate prediction. Again, simulations show that a regiment of Mech armor will almost certainly be one of the first forces to arrive, engendering the end.
Nemesis (The MechaVerse Trilogy Book 2) Page 32