I remembered my old OC - a squat, butch officer who looked more like a bare knuckle boxer than an officer - he truly was a good man, and an exceptional leader.
‘B Company won’t care about orders,’ the sergeant major assured us. ‘If they think we’re in trouble then they’ll come for us.’
I was about to say that we were in trouble now, but thought better of it.
‘Remain calm,’ he urged. ‘Don’t let your men see you nervous. Troopers don’t retreat … they withdraw into a better position from which to attack. Understand?’
‘Yes, sir,’ we chorused, our spirits lifted by his confidence.
The sergeant major might be harsh, even heartless, but he knew what he was doing. If he couldn’t get us out of the village alive, then nobody could.
‘Good. Go to your men.’
Lying against a long pile of blackened bricks that had once been part of a wall, I listened to the sound of the desperate battle for the village as it drew ever closer.
Corporal Abdi reported that the Militia were now flowing into the village from the east. There were hundreds of them - more than we had ever anticipated. Colonel Helstrom had somehow managed to rally a huge army under his banner, and he was directing all of it into the village. The FEA were unable to keep the Militia at bay, such was the overwhelming ferocity of their assault, and one by one their companies fell back, rapidly handing ground over to the attackers. One of the companies had broken completely, their entire command structure dissolving as every man ran for his life, piling through the warren entrance to the north in a similar fashion to the fleeing civilians.
The FEA were trained to the same minimal standard as the Militia, but they were no match for the ferocity of their opponents. I wondered how many casualties the Militia had taken whilst crossing the open ground into the village, and then wondered if they even cared. They were like a barbarian horde from times long forgotten, driven by nothing more than a lust for blood and vengeance.
I shook my head, unable to understand the minds of the people we were up against. How could the FEA fight against such uncontrolled hatred?
A huge plume of brown earth suddenly spurted toward the sky in the north, like a volcanic eruption, shortly followed by a powerful thump that caused the bricks around me to jump and clatter.
Puppy swore, and then said, ‘There goes the north tunnel!’
Sure enough, Mr Barkley spoke over the platoon net a few moments later, confirming that the FEA had blown the northern entrance to prevent the Militia entering the warren. Shortly afterward there was another explosion, and the southern entrance was destroyed, leaving only our tunnel to connect the village to the underground fortress.
He continued with his update, keeping us informed on the wider battle. ‘The Guard Support Company has completed their extraction from Hill Kilo, severely reducing their firepower. The Militia continue to engage the remaining Guard companies on the hill, but as yet they have received nothing more than probing assaults. I believe that Helstrom’s intention is to keep our main force occupied on the hill, allowing for his forces to take the village. He appears unwilling to conduct an assault onto the hill at the moment.’
I chuckled bitterly at the last comment. The execution of the Militia attack was the total reverse of what we had expected, and the method which we had used only two nights ago. The vital terrain was Hill Kilo, and it needed to be held in order to guarantee mission success, and to minimise casualties. Any conventional force would make the same consideration, and would either attack the hill or at least smash it with artillery and aircraft.
But the Militia weren’t like any conventional force I had fought against. They didn’t care that they would take casualties crossing the open ground between the forest and the village, hammered by fire directed from the hill. They also had another weapon hidden up their sleeve - a weapon we hadn’t considered: they had people working for them on the inside, hidden amongst the Guard and the civilian population.
I jumped at a sudden burst of gunfire … it sounded as though it was only a hundred metres away. Rifles quickly raised into the aim as we held our breath, expecting an attack at any moment.
‘Is there actually anyone between us and the Militia anymore?’ Weatherall asked nervously from his fire position amongst the rubble.
‘I don’t know,’ I replied.
‘We need to blow this tunnel and get the hell out of here,’ Myers said.
I licked my lips, glancing back toward the tunnel entrance. It was a ten metre dash inside the building - though fortunately the rubble around us provided some cover for our escape. The civilians were nearly all gone, and soon the tunnel would be clear for us to use. I hoped that would be soon enough.
I then noticed that Puppy was also looking inwards. I never doubted his bravery, but I knew that he was torn between the need to follow his orders and the need to look after the men under his command.
Then I heard something that caused my blood to curdle - the sound of a man screaming, a long, agonised scream that echoed through the village streets … and it was close.
‘One-Zero-Alpha … this is One-Zero-Bravo,’ the sergeant major said slowly, maintaining a sense of calm. ‘We are going to extract now. I believe that the FEA line has completely shattered, and the Militia are within a few hundred metres of our position.’
There was a long period of silence over the platoon net. All commanders held their breath whilst they waited for an answer. Surely Mr Barkley wasn’t considering keeping us where we were?
‘One-Zero-Alpha, this is One-Zero-Bravo,’ the sergeant major repeated. ‘Acknowledge my last message.’
There was no response.
‘One-Zero-Alpha, this is One-Zero-Bravo, comms check …’ There was a tiny hint of concern in the sergeant major’s voice. His message was being sent over the net correctly, otherwise I wouldn’t have heard it on my own headset, but for some reason Mr Barkley wasn’t answering.
Abs spoke up moments later, sending his own comms check to the platoon commander to see if somehow the message wasn’t getting through … but there was still no reply.
Mr Barkley wasn’t communicating, but why? If he was talking to brigade on another network, then his signaller would answer, but instead there was silence. He was underground, so both he and the signaller were reliant upon the communication network established by the FEA and the Guard in order to talk with us on the surface, so either the underground network had been cut, or he was unable to talk for some other reason. I hoped it was the former, but either way our situation had become all the more serious. We had lost our ability to speak with brigade … there was no way the sergeant major could assemble his tight beam whilst the Militia were closing in.
‘One-Two-Charlie, this is One-Zero-Bravo.’ the sergeant major transmitted. ‘Confirm you understood the details of my first message?’
Abs was quick to answer: ‘One-Two-Charlie, roger. You intend to extract?’
‘That’s correct. I will collect One-Zero-Alpha on the way, if he isn’t already on his way to the surface. Be aware I will be unable to communicate until I reach the top of Hill Kilo. Keep trying to get through to the platoon commander to pass the message, and attempt to gain comms with Richelieu so that she can relay our situation through to brigade.’
Though the French warship was high above us in orbit, she would be monitoring for communications constantly. If Abs turned his comms equipment onto full power, then she would hopefully hear him.
‘Understood,’ the section commander replied.
Another burst of gunfire rang out, causing us all to jump. A dart ricocheted down the street, striking a nearby building with a puff of dust. It sounded as though somebody was fighting around the square.
‘Don’t worry, lads,’ I soothed, ‘we’re about to go.’
‘Thank God for that,’ Myers breathed.
The sergeant major ordered Three Section to abandon their position and move into the tunnel first, correctly assessing the main threa
t to be from the east. The Militia would almost certainly come under fire from the remaining Guard companies on the hill if they attempted to hook around the back of us.
Three Section filed into the tunnel as the last few civilians made their escape, and Corporal Stanton announced that all of his men were accounted for before the layers of rock cut his ability to communicate.
‘Corporal Moralee, follow on straight after my team,’ the sergeant major ordered, just before he made his move toward the tunnel.
I was about to reply, when a shrill cry cut me short.
‘Contact front!’
Several of the section weapons opened fire, and my head spun around as I searched for what they were firing at.
A platoon of Militia had emerged in the street that ran toward the square. They scattered under our fire, several of them collapsing to the ground as they were caught in the open.
Though they had been taken by surprise, the Militia responded with a huge volley of darts as several more of them entered the street. I ducked as they struck a column of concrete near to my head.
There was no hope for us if we chose to stay where we were. There was only a section of us, defending against an army that had managed to sweep through an entire battalion of FEA in less than an hour.
‘Launchers!’ I called, pointing toward the Militia. ‘Smoke them off!’
Every grenade launcher fired into the street as one, their guided grenades detonating to create a thick wall of smoke that momentarily shielded us from the Militia.
‘Puppy!’ I hollered. ‘Withdraw to the tunnel! We’ll give cover!’
‘Roger! Moving now!’
Puppy’s fire team scrambled through the rubble, hurrying toward the warren entrance where the sergeant major’s team were already descending. The FEA were following after him too, as desperate as we were to make their escape. I hoped to God that they wouldn’t do anything stupid - like blow the tunnel early.
Darts showered into the street from above, fired from somewhere on the summit of Hill Kilo.
‘All call signs in the village, this is One-Two-Charlie!’ Corporal Abdi announced in alarm. ‘Be aware that the Guard and I are suppressing Militia near to your position! We don’t have good visibility into the alleyways, so anticipate a flanking manoeuvre! I’d get a move on!’
I took a quick glance over my shoulder. Puppy’s fire team were almost in the tunnel.
There was no sense in waiting any longer. Corporal Abdi was right - it was only a matter of time before the Militia reached us, with or without suppressive fire from the hill. Without the automated guns and missile launchers operated by Support Company, they simply didn’t have the firepower to stop our enemy from closing in.
‘Charlie Fire Team,’ I shouted. ‘Withdraw!’
Enemy darts whizzed over our heads, striking the rubble around us as we sprinted toward the tunnel entrance.
I stopped at the entrance and drew a smoke grenade from my belt kit. I set a five-second fuse, holding it ready in my hand whilst my men passed me.
‘Come on, come on!’ I urged. ‘Let’s get out of here before the FEA blow the tunnel!’
Griffiths was the last man to pass, and I dropped the grenade at my feet before running after him into the darkened tunnel below.
The warren tunnel wasn’t built like the smooth panelled entrances to warrens in Paraiso, it was little more than a wide, flattened slope carpeted by loose stones that had been chipped away over the years.
We half-ran, half-slid down the tunnel, chased by the hail of darts that pinged and whizzed as they ricocheted from the rubble behind us.
My smoke grenade exploded at the tunnel entrance, the resulting cloud concealing us from the surface and plunging us into darkness as it blocked out the light.
‘Go, go, go!’ I shouted as I followed, hot on the heels of my men.
Puppy was waiting further down the slope, at a bend where the tunnel veered sharply to the right.
‘Get moving, lads!’ he shouted, frantically beckoning them toward him. He grabbed Myers as he came down and propelled him in the right direction, sending him staggering along the tunnel.
‘Last man!’ I shouted as I reached my second in command, and he nodded, darting off after the section.
Without even sparing a moment to check behind me, I continued after him, sprinting along the pitch-black tunnel as fast as I could. It echoed with pounding boots as we all ran, spurred on by fear, as if the devil himself was chasing us. Light flickered as troopers used their rifle torches to negotiate the bends - rather than use their thermal imaging.
‘Get those fucking lights out!’ I barked at them. ‘Use your thermal or nothing at all!’
The lights promptly extinguished.
I could hear shouting from behind me, and I knew that the Militia were at the entrance to the tunnel. I wondered how well trained they were in tunnel warfare, and how long it would take for them to follow on behind us … if they did at all.
Only moments later a sudden explosion rocked the ground beneath our feet, answering my last question. The Militia had thrown a grenade into the entrance, and shortly afterward the tunnel shrieked with the sound of magnetic weapons firing, announcing that they had gained entry. Unsure of where we were, they would be firing into the smoke in the hope of catching us as we withdrew.
That was a good thing, I thought as I ran, my spirits lifting slightly. The Militia would be cautious in their advance - which meant we would have plenty of time to get away from them.
‘Go silent,’ I ordered over the net, quickly powering down my equipment.
We needed to make ourselves as difficult as possible to locate inside the maze of tunnels and chambers. If the Militia were left guessing, then they wouldn’t be able to move as quickly as us.
I turned another sharp corner, and as I did I suddenly heard a bang and a whoosh from behind me. Seconds afterward there was another explosion that caused the earth to shake beneath my feet.
The Militia were firing smart missiles into the tunnel - probably missiles they had taken from the FEA - in the mistaken hope that the robotic weapons would manage to chase us. Fortunately for us, though, the tunnels had been designed to prevent the use of smart missiles, with sharp unpredictable bends that were virtually impossible to negotiate.
I rounded several more corners in pursuit of my section, until finally I came face to face with another trooper - it was Corporal Stanton - my visor only managing to identify him as I drew next to him in the dark. His men were huddled up in a line behind him.
‘Last man!’ I hissed as I passed, continuing along the tunnel.
The sergeant major was waiting at the rear of Three Section, along with his team and several FEA soldiers. As soon as he heard my message, he spoke loudly to the FEA, disregarding the need for silence: ‘Blow it!’
‘Fire in the hole!’ someone warned, and I stopped running and dropped to the ground in anticipation of the blast.
There was an almighty thump and a sudden whoosh of air as the FEA charges detonated behind me, collapsing a long section of the tunnel. A hot cloud of dust and smoke engulfed us, rendering us virtually blind.
‘Have that, you bunch of bellends!’ a trooper cheered as I stood again.
‘I hope they were under those charges when they went!’ another trooper added excitedly.
‘Alright,’ the sergeant major snapped, silencing them, ‘we’re not out of it yet! Let’s get moving!’
I followed after my section again, hurrying along the tunnel in pursuit.
I caught up with the rear of my section just as they stopped beside another group of FEA soldiers. The section quickly crouched in an orderly line along the wall of the tunnel, and I swept my gaze across them, counting them in the dark. The lack of ambient light and the dust hanging in the air made it difficult to see, especially since our clothing was designed to be virtually invisible to thermal imaging, but my visor was still able to identify them if I stood close.
‘They’re
all here,’ Puppy said, slightly irritated that I hadn’t simply asked him instead. I wasn’t taking any chances, though.
‘Did the sergeant major order you to stop here?’ I asked.
‘Yeah,’ Puppy replied. He pointed toward the group of FEA. ‘He said to stay with these boys and make sure they don’t do anything stupid.’
‘Like blow us all up?’
He chuckled. ‘Something like that, I guess.’
I understood what was going on. The FEA had placed out another round of charges in order to completely deny the tunnel to the Militia. There was always the possibility that it hadn’t totally collapsed, and without the time or the means to inspect the resulting cave-in, the only way to guarantee success was to repeat the process. The sergeant major was right on one thing: at least the FEA had gotten one thing correct - if it had been the Guard placing out the explosives, then they probably wouldn’t even have worked, or perhaps the Guard would have used the explosives against the FEA themselves.
I suddenly thought of the series of explosions within the FEA defences, just before the Militia came, and the hair rose on the back of my neck. It must have been Yulia’s ‘undercover Guardsmen’ that had placed the explosives that led to Cellini’s downfall. The depth of their co-operation with the Militia was simply astounding. What else had they done to ensure that the operation would fail? Were they behind the unexplained silence of the platoon commander?
‘Jesus …’ I exclaimed, shaking my head at the mess surrounding us. We were fighting a battle we had no hope of winning. Even brigade couldn’t have anticipated such an unlikely outcome.
‘This is bad, isn’t it?’ Myers asked quietly.
I looked down at him, then at Puppy. ‘It is. But it could be worse.’
‘Could it?’
I remembered the sight of my old friend Browner, bleeding out from the stumps of his missing limbs. Then I remembered the sight of Sanneh, head held back as a knife was drawn across his throat.
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘It could always be worse.’
Three Section passed us, along with the sergeant major and the small group of FEA. They joined on to our line, huddling up shoulder to shoulder whilst the sergeant major counted us.
RECCE (The Union Series Book 4) Page 31