“Get me Colonel Goldman,” Mercer said. “I want to make sure he’s aware of what’s happening down there.”
“Yes, commander!”
43
Desert plain, August District,
Neo Terra, Tau Ceti system
Angel kept her squad moving. The Swarm showed no interest in turning back to attack Angel’s little group, but it was a very real possibility. If they did, Angel was certain she and the rest of special forces team would be slaughtered. They would give as good as they got, but in the end, they simply didn’t have the ammunition to take on an entire Swarm. The others hadn’t said anything, but she guessed they were running low on ammunition already.
“Well, that’s something new,” Bolton said. “I’ve never been abandoned on the battlefield before.”
“If I get my hands on that pretty-boy captain,” Vancini warned.
“You won’t,” Angel said. “You won’t lay a finger on him or say a cross word, is that clear, Corporal.”
She had to take a breath to keep her voice from shaking. She was as furious as the rest of her squad, but the last thing she wanted was for any of them to be punished. It might be possible to explain what happened as it stood, but if they attacked a superior officer they would be courtmartialed, maybe even thrown in jail. Their careers would never survive, and the stigma might hurt them in civilian life as well.
The highest priority was getting back to the battalion. And the biggest obstacle to that was Hays, who appeared to have injured himself in the attack. She moved to him, took his free arm, but spoke to the rest of her squad.
“Spread out,” she ordered them. “Defensive postures. Check your ammo. We have no idea how long we’ll be out here.”
“You heard the LT, move!” Cash said.
Angel wasn’t sure, but her time as a Marine had given her the impression that many NCO shouted as a way to relieve the stress they felt. Instructors shouted to relieve the frustration of working with so many Marines who didn’t understand what they were being taught. Veteran NCO screamed to alleviate the stress of battle. It was just a theory, but Cashman’s loud imperative fit.
“What’s going on Hays?” Angel asked the hobbling corporal.
“Damned if I didn’t sprain my ankle, Lieutenant.”
“You’re joking right?”
“No ma’am. I must have rolled it when I fell the first time. It’s not broken, but it hurts.”
“Alright, lean on me. We’re getting out of here. Cash, you cover our rear. Bolton, you’re on point. I don’t want any more surprises.”
“LT, are we a long way from the battalion?” Vancini asked.
“About two hundred miles, corporal,” Angel replied. “Looks like we’re hoofing it back home.”
“Oh, damn,” Hays said. “Maybe ya’ll should leave me right here. I ain’t looking to die, but two hundred miles on this ankle sounds like cruel and unusual punishment.”
“We aren’t leaving you Hays. We don’t leave anyone behind,” Cash said. “We’ll carry you if we have to.”
“Speak for yourself, Staff Sergeant,” Bolton said. “Hays is always looking for a way to shirk his duty.”
“Hey man, cut him some slack,” Vancini said.
“I’m just saying, he’s getting soft and slow,” Bolton teased.
“Give me an update on your ammo,” Angel said. “I’m down two magazines.”
“I’ve got about fifty rounds left in the cannon,” Cash said. “Two mags for the Trasker.”
“I’ve got three plasma magazines, and two grenade mags,” Bolton said. “Plus the Trasker.”
“Hey, LT, is that the drop ship?” Vancini asked, pointing toward a black dot near the horizon.
“It’s too far to tell for certain,” Angel said, zooming the view on her HUD. “Looks like a ship of some kind.”
A few seconds later their radios connected with the Battle ARC and they heard a friendly voice.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Captain King said. “I have eyes on Bravo squad. Stand by for evac.”
“It’s about damn time,” Cash grumbled.
They gathered around Angel and waited for the ship to settle to the ground. Vancini helped Hays aboard, and Angel reported in.
“All members of Bravo squad accounted for, sir.”
“Fine,” Nance said in a sour tone.
Angel stood, seething with anger for a moment. She was glad he couldn’t see her face, but it seemed obvious that she was angry. She turned and found her seat. She was the last one to strap in.
“Now that Lieutenant Murphy is safely aboard and secure in her jump seat, you are cleared to lift off, Captain King,” Nance said.
Angel opened a private channel between herself and Nance, but he didn’t respond. His petulant ways only made her more angry, but there was nothing she could do. He had come back, and Hays would be fine. She would deal with her anger privately, and make sure that her squad wasn’t goaded into do something they would regret. The only thing that really mattered was that the experiment had worked. The herding strategy might work too. And if they were lucky, they might finally be able to strike a decisive blow against the Swarm. She tried to comfort herself with that knowledge, but it was a cold and hallow comfort. There was a fight coming, she realized. Not just with the Swarm, but with Captain Alex Nance. It was an unavoidable collision, and one she wouldn’t back away from, even if it cost her everything.
The flight back to the Marine battalion was tense. Angel worked through her anger. She had been trying to help Nance become the leader she wanted him to be. Unifying the platoon had been her priority, in fact, she had been so committed to the idea of it that she had missed the bitter reality. Nance and his companions, especially Raven and Zilla, didn’t want her or the Marine fire team to be part of the platoon. They had come in late, but with plans to remake the ARC platoon into an Air Force only squadron. The fact that they didn’t know anything about the ARC suits was irrelevant to them.
Angel knew that without her help Nance and the Air Force officers wouldn’t have known what to do, or what they could do. They might have been killed in the very first skirmish with the Swarm at Lake Excelsior. Her misguided attempts to teach them what the suits could do, and what their role in the fight should be, had led to the possibility of defeating the Swarm. She knew that the next battle would be very different. They weren’t going out as a platoon, but as individuals assigned to mobile units with the express task of driving the Swarm toward a designated area. If it worked, they could settle their differences knowing that the colony on Neo Terra was safe.
The drop ship settled near the command tent in the Marine battalion camp. Angel lingered inside the vessel, helping Hays to his his feet. The sprain was worse after having sat for the entire trip back to their temporary base. The adrenaline that had kept him on his feet and moving during the attack was gone. The corporal was feeling pain with every step.
“Get him to the infirmary,” Angel ordered Cash. “Then come find me.”
“Yes ma’am,” the staff sergeant said.
She left the Battle ARC and went directly to the command tent. Nance was already giving an account of the battle to Colonel Goldman, and as much as Angel wanted to argue her side of the story, she remained silent just inside the entrance.
“We saw Corporal Hanes go down and thought he was lost,” Nance said. “I ordered the rest of the platoon back on board the drop ship. Second Lieutenant Murphy and her squad of enlisted men volunteered to stay.”
Goldman held up a hand. “Did you feel the platoon was in danger, Captain?”
“I didn’t think we should risk more lives. These suits are invaluable to the war effort.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Major Hammonds said. “You knew the value of each member of your platoon, yet you were willing to simply leave one behind?”
“I thought he was dead,” Nance said. Angel thought he was starting to lose his cool.
“My understanding is th
at the technicians in your platoon have tracking data and real time vital readings of each person in the ARC suits. Is that not so?” Hammonds asked.
“The technicians were in the drop ship,” Nance replied.
“But in radio contact, yes?”
“I believe so sir, but in the heat of the moment I did not consult them about Corporal Hanes,” Nance said.
“Hays,” Angel spoke up. It angered her that Nance didn’t even know the names of the men in her squad. “Corporal Aubry Hays.”
“Is his wound grievous, Lieutenant?” Goldman asked, looking up at her for the first time.
“He has a sprained ankle,” she replied.
The mood in the tent shifted. Nance was a captain, but he was surrounded by senior officers of a different branch of service. If they trusted him before, he was quickly losing their confidence.
“I didn’t know that at the time,” Nance said. “I saw him fall and assumed he had been taken out by the Swarm. That is the hazard each of us face in these ARC suits. We run head-long into the enemy, while everyone else remains safely behind cover.”
“If that’s what you think, Captain, you are sorely mistaken about this battalion and every Marine who has ever worn the uniform,” Goldman said.
“All I’m trying to say is that I made a mistake, but it’s one any person in my position would have made.”
Angel shook her head, but kept her mouth shut. The rest of Nance’s squad, all officers, were standing at attention nearby with their helmets off and tucked under their right arms. Raven and Zilla looked like statues, but Angel could see the doubts in the eyes of the others.
“We’ll do a formal inquiry into the events once we’ve dealt with the Swarm,” Goldman said. “This is not the time or place to hash it all out.”
Angel thought it was the perfect time. The command tent was filled with the battalion’s senior officers. She knew she was only present because she had played a role in creating the strategy for the attack.
“Is everyone here?” Goldman asked Byron.
“Yes, Sir!”
“Excellent. Every minute counts,” the colonel said loudly, addressing the entire group of officers. “We have a plan, and you each have your assignments. Major Hammonds will oversee the deployment and coordination of the mobile units. I’ll personally see to the deployment of the Marines in Nero’s Temple. Major Ogden will be in charge of the reserve units charged with mopping up any stragglers. Make no mistake, this will be a decisive battle. Our goal is not to drive the enemy from the field of battle. Anything less than total annihilation is failure. It is not in our nature to fail. We strike the Swarm with such a blow that they will never recover.”
The officers cheered, and even Angel felt her emotions swell — despite the frustration that seethed beneath the demeanor of calm she clung to. Hammonds waved her to his side as the gathering broke up. In one corner of the tent, the Major, Captain Malachi Reynolds, and Nance awaited her.
“We have eight teams,” Hammonds said as Angel approached, “designated as drovers. These units will herd the Swarm toward the ambush site.”
“What we can’t do, is let the Swarm know they’re being directed toward a specific location,” Reynolds said. “My teams will take one of the ARC platoon members and set up at specific locations in the path of the Swarm.”
“Surveillance aircraft will keep tabs on the Swarm’s movements, and Commander Mercer will help coordinate the drovers,” Hammonds added. “From what we’ve witnessed over the last two encounters, we believe that a single ARC platoon member can effectively alter the course of the Swarm. But for the trap, we would like to have two of the best infiltrators disrupt the hive mind. That’s you, Lieutenant.”
Angel felt a ping of regret. She had thought to be assigned to one of the mobile teams, although she saw the wisdom in having the more experienced ARC units as part of the ambush.
“Who is the other top pilot in the ARC suits?” Hammonds asked Nance.
“I am,” he said without hesitation.
Hammonds and Reynolds both looked to Angel. She reluctantly nodded her head. Angel knew Nance was talented. He even had a gymnastics background. The only question was whether or not he would have the courage to charge into the swarm. If the attack was going to work, they couldn’t hesitate. Once the Swarm was in the trap, their job was to disorient the hive mind, so the Marines could rain down fire.
“So the two of you will accompany Colonel Goldman,” Hammonds said.
“Hold on,” Nance said. “If we’re in the Swarm while the Marines are firing on them, what’s to keep us from getting shot to pieces?”
“Nothing,” Angel said. “That’s the difficult part of the job we have to live with.”
44
Battle site B, Belaire District,
Neo Terra, Tau Ceti system
“Cash, you’re with Red Dog platoon,” Angel said.
“Good to have you, Staff Sergeant,” the special forces lieutenant in charge of the Red Dog platoon said.
“Bolton, you’re with Serpent’s Breath platoon. Vancini, you’re with the Mighty Scrapers. BJ, you’re with Neptune’s Trident.”
Nance had assigned the members of his squad to various mobile units. Only four were needed, and Angel felt more than a little trepidation by the fact that Zilla would be accompanying them to Nero’s Temple for the ambush.
“You know your responsibilities,” Angel said. “Attack the Swarm, but don’t take unnecessary chances. Your goal is to drive them off course and toward the ambush site.”
“We understand,” Cash said.
“Like a walk in the park,” Vancini said.
“You just watch your six, Lieutenant,” Bolton said.
They saluted, and she felt tears sting her eyes. There was always the possibility that things could go wrong. She hated sending her squad mates into danger without her, but it couldn’t be avoided. As the others moved on, Cash lingered.
“You have something to tell me, Staff Sergeant?” Angel asked.
“We’re all concerned about Nance,” Cash said.
“We’ll have to deal with that after the battle.”
“Unless he deals with it during the battle,” Cash said. “He wouldn’t be the first officer to think that the easiest way to solve a problem was to ensure that someone encountered a little friendly fire.”
“We won’t be close to each other once the shooting starts,” Angel said.
He reached out and put his hand on her arm. She could see he was struggling to say something. She wasn’t sure if it was nerves, or the difference in rank that held him back, but she didn’t want to push it.
“Save it, Cash,” she said softly.
“That’s not a good idea when two people are headed into combat,” he said in a husky tone. “I’m out of line, I know it. Hell, if Nance lives he’ll probably get me thrown out of the service for insulting him on the Battle ARC. But I need to say something.”
“I’m your direct superior,” Angel said, before emphasizing her next phrase. “Our feelings can’t get in the way of that.”
He looked at her, nodded slightly, and moved away. She wasn’t sure if she got the message across to him. The fact that he made her feel like a giddy school girl only seemed to make her more confused. They both had careers they valued. They were part of something vitally important, but they were still human. He was a man. She was a woman. And attraction was inevitable.
She returned to the Battle ARC, where Daniels was waiting for her. The mobile tracking unit the petty officer used was the only equipment that could keep up with multiple ARC suits at the same time. Her job would be to stay with Colonel Goldman and inform him if something happened to one of the three ARC units in the Swarm.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Nicole Daniels said softly. “It’s dangerous.”
“But necessary,” Angel said.
“There’s got to be a way to attack the Swarm without endangering you,” the petty officer insisted.
<
br /> “The Marines have orders not to target the Swarm anywhere near us.”
“And that’s about as helpful as telling a toddler not to touch anything in a candy store.”
“If we can take out the Swarm, the only planet will be safe,” Angel said. “I think that’s worth taking a risk, even making a sacrifice.”
“So let Nance and his fancy pilots fight in the ambush,” Daniels said quietly. “No one will miss them if they’re killed.”
“And if they refuse to charge the swarm, the entire ambush could fail. We can’t take that chance. The Swarm is too intelligent. If the ambush fails, they won’t be lured in again. This is what we’ve been training for and working toward.”
Daniels nodded, but didn’t speak. They went aboard the Battle ARC, and soon other members of the Colonel's staff joined them. Captain Byron and several other officers accompanied Colonel Goldman on board. Nance and Zilla were the last to arrive. Both wore their battle helmets. Angel left her helmet off and secured the five point harness system, pulling the restraints tight. Daniels was seated beside her, a reassuring presence that helped Angel relax.
As the loading ramp began to close, Angel caught sight of Staff Sergeant Cashman walking across her field of view. He was the opposite of Nance’s sculpted, lean physique. The staff sergeant was thick, powerful, and unrefined. His dark hair and skin stood out against the green corn stalks that had been trampled down by the Marines, and she was pleased to see the massive double-barreled war cannon strapped to his back.
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