The Ninth

by Benjamin Schramm

  “Message for Brent.” The Brain on the other end relayed the message. “Blitzers reached SF encampment. Encampment empty. Repeat, encampment empty. Request new orders.”

  “Get the Blitzers back,” Brent ordered into his Comsat. “Have them perform recon of the TA encampment. Keep distance from tower. That is critical. Tell them not to get close to tower. Bombardiers, switch targets; prepare to move on the TA encampment.”

  “The SF not there? What’s that about?” Kindra scanned the horizon.

  “They are already in the tower. Didn’t bother to set up a camp.” Brent checked on the Blasters.

  “Isn’t that a bad thing?” Cassandra asked, still holding her shovel.

  “Just means we have a ten minute time limit off the start, that’s all,” Brent said reassuringly.

  “So much for Cain telling you these things take all day.” Kindra chuckled.

  “Message for Brent,” the Comsat crackled. “Blitzers received light fire. Fire from northern position. Rhea advises a battle group from RG is inbound. Prepare for assault.”

  “Sanderson, Kindra, get ready!” Brent shouted his orders. “Blasters, focus on high priority targets; don’t let them get any heavy weapons near us. Bunkers, keep a nice even screen of suppression fire. Hold your fire until you know you can get a kill.”

  A loud tri-tone rang out over the battlefield. Brent snuck a peak out from the sniper cover. Four bright beacons shown from the top of the tower, two white and two pink.

  “The tower belongs to the SF now; we’ve got ten minutes,” Brent mumbled to himself.

  The sound of an energy discharge interrupted Brent’s thoughts. The RG was attacking. He scrambled to get a look at the approaching force without getting in the way of the Blasters or Bunkers. Strong looking troopers were rushing over the sand, shouting loudly as they got closer. The Blasters were taking out targets far in the rear of the assault, beyond what Brent could make out. As the forward line got closer, the Bunkers opened fire. Their shots were much less precise but far more rapid. A quarter of the charging line dropped. Their suits returned to their white color as they paralyzed the wearer. The rest of the line hit the sand. The RA fired wildly toward the trench, their shots missing widely while Kindra kept them pinned down.

  “Message for Brent.” The Comsat crackled over the weapons fire. “Rhea reached TA. No activity. Repeat. No activity. Light weapons fire to the north but no active troop deployment. Base heavily fortified. Please advise.”

  “Have Blitzers harass the TA. Make them spilt themselves between the RG and us. Do not engage from a single position for longer than fifteen seconds until Humphrey and his Bombardiers get into range for shelling.” Brent watched the pinned RG troopers fire wildly.

  Suddenly, a shot flew past Brent’s back. The energy burst hadn’t come from the RG.

  “Blasters! Switch targets! SF attack from tower,” Brent shouted to Sanderson as much as the Comsat. “Target to disable, not kill. Repeat. Target to capture.”

  The troopers quickly spun toward the tower. A small group of troopers was at the opening taking pot shots at the trenches. The Blasters fired a salvo. Three SF troopers hit the ground. Their suits retained their tan color, indicating they were only disabled. The Blasters continued firing at the others in the small group as they fled back into the tower.

  “Greg I need those downed SF! They don’t count as captured unless we get them to our base!” Brent shouted over the weapons fire.

  “You heard the man Beaters; go get’m.” Greg smiled wickedly.

  “Blasters, provide cover fire until prisoners have been escorted to trench. Once secured, return focus to RG.” Brent watched as several large Beaters rushed off toward the opening.

  Quickly reaching the disabled troopers, the large troopers drug them back to the trench while bolts of energy kept the SF hidden in the tower. The ground around the Beaters started exploding in small puffs.

  “Bombardiers! Status!” Brent shouted into the Comsat.

  “Mobile artillery online. Preparing to move to range of TA base.” The Comsat crackled its response.

  “Belay that order,” Brent said into the Comsat. “Fire on the tower. Beaters receiving sniper fire from turrets above.”

  Four black streaks of smoke carved a path through the sky to the mid line of the tower. Four massive explosions erupted on the tower, sending large rocks falling to the ground below. The tower shook a bit as the metal superstructure underneath the stone absorbed the brunt of the damage.

  “Excellent work. Bombardiers, continue on to TA base. Get us some kills,” Brent ordered into the Comsat.

  The Beaters reached the trench with their prizes. The three captures would improve their score substantially. As the Beaters relieved the disabled troopers of their rifles, Brent noticed one of them was struggling with something in his hand.

  “Grenade!” Brent yelled as he dived on the disabled trooper.

  The ascent had been exhausting but well was worth it. As Tyra surveyed the battle below, she was content that in only ten minutes the SF would claim victory. She wouldn’t waste the expected time setting up and fighting over the tower base. She wished she could have seen the look on the other division leaders. Both the FF and the RG had sent early ambushes against the SF only to find she had already cleared out. Tyra chuckled to herself as the two RG squads passed the SF starting point and marched onwards to the FF encampment. The only way it could have been better is if the TA was worth anything.

  Tyra sighed as she watched the TA base from the top of the tower. It was much larger than the others and very well defended. The northern end was exchanging fire with one of Reggie’s squads while the south was being harassed by a smaller group of FF. The hit and run tactics of the FF seemed to be claiming more kills than the RG. However, no matter what either squad did, the TA just sat there. They hugged their fortifications and sat idle, waiting for someone else to finish the trial. A loud thud interrupted Tyra’s thoughts as tremors shook the tower.

  “We’ve been hit!” Ronald shouted.

  “You think?” Tyra braced herself against the stone railing. “Instead of stating the obvious, why not tell me something useful?”

  “The FF has disabled three troopers and is working to capture them.”

  “Capture! Don’t you dare let them get their hands on those troopers!”

  “We are trying. Snipers report a fifty-eight percent drop in accuracy. Heat from the dunes below is creating an optical illusion. The snipers are firing into heat waves that are blurring their sights. That explosion was heavy weapons fire from the FF. Looks like they didn’t take kindly to being sniped at.”

  “Damage?”

  “The tower remains firm, but the superstructure on the south side has warped; less than a third of the firing points remain viable.”

  “Reposition as many troopers as you can at the base! When Brent realizes we’ve lost most of our ability to fire on him, he’ll come running.”

  Ronald saluted and departed back into the tower. He wasn’t a bad guy really. He was one of the few who had been loyal to Tyra when she took over the division. It bothered her to no end that she constantly took out her frustrations on him. However, every time she tried to be nicer, something would go wrong and she’d lose her temper. Ever since she took command of the SF, something was always going wrong. When the shaking stopped she edged closer to the south railing.

  That troublesome new recruit was down there. Hidden in those trenches. The FF was fighting with an intensity Tyra hadn’t seen since back when the SF was in the top grades. If only she had been able to get Brent. As Tyra let out a sigh she heard a small crackling pop. In the distance far below, the northwest trench of the FF was smoking. As the smoke cleared, she could make out a large empty circle in the center of the trench. Dozens of troopers lay disabled. The reduced firepower invigorated the RG. A new wave of RG reinforcements from the west rushed toward the damaged trench. The FF in the northeast trench abandoned their position and quic
kly repopulated the damaged front. Large hulking troopers worked desperately to re-dig the trench and get an anti-sniper screen back in place.

  “Explosion in the FF defensive line!” Ronald shouted, as he returned to the top of the tower.

  “I noticed that. Any idea what happened?” Tyra took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.

  “Not yet. One second they are blasting away at the RG, the next – boom. As best we can tell, it was a stunner.”

  “A grenade? I didn’t see anything like that in the standard equipment specs for the trial. Wait, who were the three troopers the FF captured?

  “We can’t account for Gloria, Mahoney, or Claude.”

  “Mahoney. I should have known. He must have smuggled in some of his personal stash.”

  “Division leader!” Ronald tapped on his helmet. “Look at that!”

  “What? Where?” Tyra zoomed in on the damaged defensive line below.

  Three tan troopers were crawling away from the FF, completely unnoticed. Tapping the controls on the side of the visor, Tyra zoomed in closer. Displayed proudly on their left shoulders were two colored bands – one white, the other pink.

  “I don’t believe it; they survived the blast!” Ronald shouted excitedly.

  “The stunners are coded to our armor. The blast wouldn’t stun our own people!” She laughed in triumph.

  “They must have played dead until the FF was too busy with the RG to notice their escape. Tyra! Look at that! In the center of the blast!”

  Tyra quickly panned. With the increased zoom, the movement made her dizzy for a moment. As she regained her balance, she focused on the scene below. She instantly realized what had excited Ronald. In the center of the disabled tan suits was a single black one. Not only had the three SF troopers escaped capture, they had taken out Brent. A tinge of disappointment filled Tyra as she realized she wouldn’t be able to see whatever plan he had cooked up. However, glee won over the disappointment. She grabbed Ronald’s hand and started waltzing.

  “I didn’t know you could dance.” He clumsily tried to keep step.

  “Daughter of a diplomat.” Tyra regained her composure and returned to the railing. “Social graces were ground into me.”

  “Never would have guessed.”

  “What? That I could be polite?”

  “No, that you had a graceful side. It would take me years to learn to move like that.”

  The tower suddenly shook violently.

  “What was that?” Tyra gripped the railing firmly. “The RG shelling us now?”

  “Negative.” Ronald had been taken by surprise and had fallen to the ground. “The RG has been sniping at us but nothing more than that. Lost a good twenty or so troopers to them so far, but we are avoiding the north facing now. That was something more substantial.”

  “The FF shelling us again?” Tyra helped him back up.

  “Negative. Their artillery halted their advance on the TA and is now shelling RG position trying desperately to hold them back. Losing that trench really hurt the FF.”

  “Don’t tell me the TA did it.”

  “Again, that’s a negative. Snipers on the east facing report the TA hasn’t so much as yawned hostilely at us.”

  “Well, if we know who didn’t do it, then who did?”

  “Hold on. I’m getting reports of smoke inside the tower!”

  “Inside? That’s impossible . . .”

  Tyra quickly surveyed the FF base. The “disabled” troopers were now firing on the RG. They had been repositioned by the other troopers so their un-paralyzed limbs could fire on the enemy. With the RG suppressed, FF troopers poured into the tower. Thick black smoke bellowed out from its base.

  “We’re being raided! Get everyone down to the base!” Tyra shouted.

  There was no response. A strange sight startled Tyra as she turned away from the FF base below. Ronald was standing still with his hands raised in surrender while a SF trooper held a rifle to his chest.

  “What’s the meaning of this?” Tyra rubbed her temples in annoyance. “This is not the time for a mutiny! The FF is coming!”

  “Oh, they aren’t coming. There are already here,” the SF suit answered.

  The free arm of the suit tapped the control panel on the opposing forearm, and the visor slid open. Standing before her was Brent with a large grin from within the SF suit.

  “You? How? When?” Tyra was in a stupor.

  “I spotted the stun grenade before your trooper could use it.” Brent explained his plot as he waited for reinforcements. “It gave me the perfect opportunity. Two troopers and myself exchanged combat suits with the prisoners. We then used the stun grenade on ourselves. The remaining FF reoccupied the trench, ensuring you couldn’t claim the disabled as captured. The three of us then returned to the tower and started climbing up here. The bulk of your forces assembled at the base didn’t bat an eye as we hobbled right past them. A stun grenade wasn’t the only special ordinance your trooper was carrying. As we cleared the mass of troopers at the base, I tossed a fragmentation grenade.”

  Brent made a tossing motion, then mimicked a large explosion with his hands.

  “In a single explosion, most of your division was taken out. In the confusion, the three of us ascended the tower, taking out surprised troopers along the way. Right about now the FF is securing the tower, and the last of your division is being dealt with.”

  A loud tone rang out. The four pillars of light shifted from the white and pink of the SF to the orange and green of the FF. The tower was theirs.

  “So you win then, is that it?” Tyra was still struggling to cope with what her eyes told her.

  “Not quite. The frag grenade belonged to your division. As such, the FF didn’t get a single point for your downed defense force at the base of the tower. I wonder if you got credit for them . . . In any case, the FF is a few points shy of victory. After we hold the tower for a few more minutes victory will be ours.” Brent disarmed Ronald.

  “Tower is secure! Looks like we really did it!” Kindra proclaimed as she reached the top.

  A second trooper ran past Kindra and hugged Brent.

  “It really worked! I thought they’d discover you.” Cassandra patted him on the back after releasing her hug.

  “Ye of little faith,” he chuckled.

  “So what now?” Kindra asked expectantly.

  “Get the Blasters to the north facing.” Brent issued his orders. “Keep the RG from storming the place. Also, see if you can get a medic up here.”

  “A medic? You’re hurt?” Kindra sounded surprised.

  “This suit doesn’t quite fit and the left side is mostly disabled from the hip down. My legs are killing me from that climb.” Brent futilely rubbed the outsides of the suit.

  Kindra let out a single laugh as she descended back into the tower. A blot of light flashed overhead.

  “That’s new,” Tyra said casually as another blot of light arced over them.

  Cassandra quickly raised her rifle and pointed it at the SF leader. Ronald stepped between them. She stared him down as he refused to move. Brent put a hand on her rifle, forcing her to lower it.

  “It’s okay, Cassandra. They won’t fight back any more; they know they lost. Tyra, what is that?” Brent walked to the north railing.

  “Don’t ask me. I’ve been here since we started, and that’s the first time I’ve seen weapons fire reach this high.” Tyra peeked out from behind Ronald.

  “Looks like the RG is really hammering us.” A blot of energy flashed a few inches from Brent’s face. “Entirely sniper fire, though. No danger to the structure.”

  “Guess the ground doesn’t share our accuracy penalty.” Ronald still stood defensively in front of his leader.

  “Of course they don’t. That’s what the Administer wanted.” Brent quickly backed away from the lances of energy streaking from below.

  “What do you mean?” Tyra asked skeptically.

  “The tower is a trap. The reason the Adminis
ter gave it so much focus is that he wanted us to think it was the key to victory. In truth, it’s a losing position. Heat from the desert makes accurate firing impossible, the confined interior makes heavy weapons impossible to set up let alone use, and the wide-open base is a constant threat that is nearly impossible to keep secure. This thing is a giant death trap.” Brent patted the stone floor. “Although, it is a pretty death trap.”

  Tyra stared at him blankly. He hadn’t been in the tower more than a minute, and he knew all its weaknesses.

  “Wait, if it’s so bad to keep this place, why are we here?” Cassandra asked bluntly.

  “Simple. We were out of options,” Brent explained to Cassandra. “While we stopped the RG to the west, they also boxed us in. There was no way we could attack the RG’s main base, and the battle between us was largely a stalemate. The TA could offer a few kills, but they were hard earned and took too much time. Even with artillery fire they are too well fortified. It would take much longer than ten minutes to break through their defenses and get enough kills to put us over the six hundred points needed. That left us with the tower and the SF inside.”

  “So now what? We try to keep this place for ten minutes?” Cassandra tilted her head, puzzled.

  “Doesn’t work that way. The ten minutes I told you about earlier was if we had a score of zero. Every second we occupy this place we earn a point.” Brent ducked as another energy pulse zipped by. “Add in the kills and captures we’ve earned so far and we only need to hold this place for two more minutes.”

  “In other words, we kick back, relax, and wait for our victory,” Cain said amusedly as he and a medic emerged from the tower below.