Trampship Wars 2

by L. D. Roberts

  Surprised that he could jump so high as he activated the gravity coils to float over the stacks of supplies and then out the hole in the side of the building. Breathing a sigh of relief. “Damn that was close. T I t hought I was farther away than that from the outer ring of the building. ” Still shocked at the battle he had left behind and how fast he had been running back in the passageway. “ I can’t believe how fast I was going Mickey.” He started looking around him as he drifted away from the tower now supported by on his gravpack coils . Feeling like a chi ckenshit deserter , Mark was t hinking about turning around and going back in as he started slowing down with his thrusters .

  Mark you are in the center of the target zone ringing the building for the flash-bangs needed to blind the AI’s sensors. You need to move ahead fast. Now! The shells from the SP 8 inch and Transport Boat’s mounted 6 inch guns and bombs from the torpedo bombers, fighters are already in flight and I cannot stop them.”

  “What?” Mark suddenly realized where he was since he had set up the barrage coordinates. Hitting the thrust controls he quickly turned around and increased his speed away from the tower hoping he could get far enough away. While the flash bangs were designed to blind and stun in a large radius during an assault; they were deadly to anyone they hit directly or were to close . Which was why they were usually detonated above a target area where the large shells or bombs would stun everyone below within a thousand yards even inside buildings without destroying most modern buildings or structures .

  Mark’s rearview screen suddenly showed the squad lazily following him out of the hole in the side of the building . “Damn ! . You ass holes better catch up with me or get back inside that tower NOW. The barrage is on it’s way.” As they speeded up trying to catch him Mark suddenly wished he had ordered them to get back inside instead of giving them a choice. He could not see how they could clear the danger area in time. Kicking himself for his stupidity. Mark watched as the countdown clock in the corner of his viewer went from 3 to 2. It was too late for them to turn around now. “Crist star! Can’t I do anything right.”

  Letting up on his thruster he turned around to watch the pending devastation as it started right on time. He watched the shells and bombs streak in over his head in mass as they detonated esactly where he had ordered them to. But the Th e size and breadth of the blasts surprised him as the ring of flames erupted completely around the tower’s 10th floor and the torpedo launcher sensors in the side of the building on the 6th floor just below him.

  A half second later , by 22 transport boats streaked in at high speed with their bellies towards the tower using their coils to slow down as they disappeared into the Tower’s landing platforms far above the smoke and flames circling the lower tower at and below the 16 floor . Their speed surprising Mark yet again. Though he knew they only had a few seconds to reach their landing platforms before the AI would be able to see again.

  As the circle of flames and smoke dissipated, Mark’s heart raced in terror as he was sure the whole squad was dead since they most certainly had been caught by the blasts when he suddenly saw (with Mickey’s help) the entire squad appear intact, headed straight for him. They took up formation around him as Mark tried to talk but couldn’t. Wanting to hug and slap them all on the back and apologize for almost killing them all at the same time. But then hovering over a hundred feet in the air on Gravcoils that was impossible.

  S Only with the s udden ly gun streaks streaks from plasma shells and laser beams started filling the air around the squad. Massive amounts of weapons fire was from coming from the 4 rapidly approaching assault shuttles, the ships entire complement of 14 new APCC’s, and some 50 48 APC’s as well as the tanks, and bombers now providing close support, that had rapidly approached the base of the tower under cover of the barrage in perfect timing . T , t hings suddenly got very busy where the squad and Mark were hovering as torpedoes’ started streaking out of the launch tunnels to be met by streaks of gunfire at them . .

  The AI started barfing torpedoes from the hidden tubes in the side of the tower in response to the barrage before the shuttle s could launch their torpedoes to seal or knock the launchers m off. The AI could not possible see any targets when he lau n ched the torpedoes but panic has a way of forcing even AI hands. Though Mark had planned on this possibility as the tanks and fighter bombers s came racing in around the openings to knock down any errant AI torpedoes before they had a chance to go far.

  But he had not planned on being in the target area right above one of the torpedo launch openings spitting out those torpedoes.

  The little ball suddenly pushed Mark to one side as something big streaked past him.

  As the Marines and Mark him started to flee in all directions except down. Mark came to close to two consecutive blasts chasing torpedoes in as many seconds and realized that down was the only direction that offered any safety. “Down. Everyone drop down now. Hit the deck fast.” Mark put his gravity coils on full reverse (attraction) to suck him down toward the ground far below as he watched a marine flip over and hit his thrusters on full sending him racing down as he was knocked to the side again by the little ball just in time to miss a missile streaking toward a torpedo . Mark followed suit, realizing that the one or two gees the gravity coils could produce at that height even in attraction was nothing compared to thrusters. His tardiness allowed him to watch several torpedo's fly slowly into the opening right in front of him on that side of the building as several big fleet battleship torpedoes’ screamed flew out around him and streaks of laser and blaster fire searching out the enemy torpedoe’s torpedoes surrounded him .

  Again Mark was shoved to one side by the little ball.

  Knowing that there was no way he could miss being hit in the nex t few seconds by all the weapons fir e around him, Mark He raced down at full power as explosions erupted ar ound behind him and torpedoes died. The little ball shoved him to the side again sending him off at a tangent as Mark fought to head straight down to get out of the target area . “Damn it! Stop that !” Mark practically shou ted as he turned to head down again. Several sho ts streaked through where he would have been if he had not been shoved to the side . Though Mark was way too busy to notice.

  Then flames came out from the tunnel opening s in the shield wall protecting the torpedo launchers on that side of the building. and Mark turned to look back up behind him , breathi ng a sigh of relief as he watched the flames jetting out of the opening directly above him (not noticing the blast from the second torpedo exit opening a couple hundred yards away ) , telling him that the launchers had h opefully been hit . The little ball started squeaking as it trie d to push Mark slow ing him down only to have Mark slap at it without thinking. His speed toward the ground still increasing from the full thrusters sh oving him down in his panic .

  s uddenly found himself going way to fast His hand slapped at the little ball yet again as he turned back from staring at the flames shooting out of the tunnels over with Mickey yelling at him to slow down . Mark realized what Mickey was yelling at him and suddenly found himself going way to fast a little late .

  With his mind speeded up hundreds of times real time , Mark found himself trying to will his thrusters to turn him upright faster . B ut even cooperating with the little balls efforts to right and slow him , Mark continued to turn to o damn slowly as the ground raced up at him .

  Mark He had just managed to get up right with the gravity coils and thrusters at full power when he hit the ground feet first.

  Luckily his suit’s jump boots had extended to their full 3 foot length before impact absorbing most of the force. With the experience of the jump off the Star Queen’s “A” hold platform under his belt, he did not try to help this time letting the suit absorb ed the velocity in the soft moist soil burying his legs butt deep into the ground. Pieces of torpedoes and plasticrete raining down , falling to the ground around him , splattering mud and debris over him .

  The diversion now turned into a full blown battle aroun
d the outer ring of the tower quickly started winding down as the rest of the squad landed around Mark over the next couple of minute s , concerned for his safety. At least that was what Mark told himself.

  At least until one of the suits standing around as they looked down at h im, started chuckling as it s helmet folded back into its collar . T he marine started talking , grinning from ear to ear . “Damn Commander , when you said hit the ground I did not realize you were talking literally , that was some landing. You want to teach us that move sir. It could come in handy someday, aahh, not maybe .”

  The Sargent landed next to Mark. “You need some help there Commander. Or do you just want us to change your recorded height to 3 feet.” Said the marine looking down at Mark smiling, with t he sky still filled with blaster ball streaks and laser beams behind him.

  Mark’s heart was still thu mping as he looked up at the marines . “Ya aaa sure Sargent . Would you believe I was trying to take a short cut into the basement? Looks like the ground was a little harder than I thought. ” Mark tried to move his legs as he pushed on the ground to climb out. O nly to have his hands start to sink ing into th e soil even though the marines around him were only flattening the nicely cut green grass . Now could you help me out of this

  The squads Sargent landed next to Mark as his helmet ope ned showing a smile. The sky still had a few blaster ball streaks and laser beams b ehind the Sargent a few hundred feet above. E ven though the initial assault was all but over. The attacking marines had quickly taken the ou ter shell of the building since most of the bots had already been called to the center to protect the core chase shaft even though there was no way they could enter the basement through it. The Sargent took a breath smiling. “You need some help there Commander? Or do you just want us to change your recorded height to 3 feet.”

  “ What d o you think Sargent since this plan didn’t worked out so well? I never was very good at playing in the sand box . Godstar I hate planets. ” Mark looked up at the still standing building surprised that the AI had not blown the tower with the assault even if it was only the above ground section . His original plan only called for a Flashbang simulated attack diversion to allow the transports to land and not an outright assault until after the tower had been cleared of its civilian hostages. Not wanting to push the AI Controller too much even if he thought he would not dare blow the building . ? ”

  Mark was already looking up at the sargent sergeant when he watched a torpedo streak into the side of the building. The size of the explosion said it was one of the big planetary defense anti-battleship torpedo's the A.I. had launched that but had not received the attention the other torpedoe’s torpedoes’ had not had since it had jerked around all over the sky making it hard to hit in the first place , seemingly uncontrolled not going any wear as it circled back toward the base of the building , an obvious ma , and obvious l function. T T he torpedo had turned sharply yet again too land ed in the lower section that had been evacuated , that the bots had originally controlled and far away from any of the bombs planted around the outer ring. It hit one of the main landing holes that had been blown into the lower side of apartment by several close hits by the 8 inch SPG as bots had repeatedly tried to use the growing hole to shoot from, but luckily the APCC had lifted off a few seconds before as the marines quickly penetrated deeper into the building . N o one was killed even after penetrating a couple hundred feet into the building before detonating , it did cause a tremendous amount of damage while wo unding several troops even in their armor. Since it was the last torpedo still alive, the sky became quiet again as the cloudy smoke from all the explosions started drifting away from the building . Though the clouds of smoke slowly drifted away and the burning debris scattered around the tower’s base continued to fall for several minutes. That is except from where the last torpedo had hit a s smoke started wafting up and away downwind from the hole in that side of the lower tower just above the armored wall and tunnel shielding the torpedo launchers .

  The Star Queen's Assault Shuttle boat 3# slowly drifted past . Its , its turreted weapons covering the tunnel openings opening from the hidden torpedo launchers on that side just in case the launchers y all weren't destroyed. S Though s everal suits stood at weapon mounts in the side hatches looking down at Mark planted in the ground. Several of the Panther tanks cruised by sideways with their guns pointed staring at the side of the building looking for targets. One suddenly turned its barrel to point at Mark for a second, its barrel jerked up and down as if it was laughing at Mark before turning back to point at the tunnel.

  Mickey spoke in Mark ’s ears. “I am sorry Mark but I have been very busy with the alter ing the ed down feed to the AI. I am glad you are all right. Though I am afraid my alter ego is still recovering. You scared her into hyper - speed to death . Even too fast for me to understand. When she can finally slow down enough to talk so you can hear and understand her, you will probably be in trouble.”

  A couple of bots easily pulled Mark out of the ground as the little ball kept a close eye on what they were doing. Bending his legs and stretching to make sure everything was still operational with his suit, Mark shook his head in amazement then looked down at the little ball as it dropped down both the holes in the ground his legs had made. "Ok little one, if you want something to do? Go check out the torpedo bays around the building and make sure they all have been destroyed."

  Standing their brushing off the dirt, he watched the little ball disappear with a pop as the air filled the vacuum it left behind . The squad looked at him expectantly . , Mark’s embarrassment finely got too much for him. “Ah , you guys can head for the Command APCC for a new assignment.” Mark studied the sensor images from the ball as it explored the first torpedo bay with all six torpedo tubes destroyed but no open hole big enough to even get into the torpedo bay let alone down into the basement core. Then the little ball headed for the next bay in the building.

  “What are you going to do Commander?” t T he Sargent asked.

  “I don’t exactly know yet Sargent. I am sure the Captain will have something important for you to do. ” Mark turned to look up at the opening leading around to the torpedo tube bay. He knew he didn’t dare wait for the battle to finish to be escorted down into the basement. It was too big a chance of the AI blowing the damn tower up if he waited . “Now be gone the bunch of you. I am sure you are needed in the building as reinforcements.” He waved them away. He did not know if he could go into that basement but he was sure he did not want to be responsible for taking anyone else into what could easily turn out to be another hell hole against a thousand bots and no chance to escape.

  The squad did not move. Mark turned looking around at the troops lined up and then t he Sargent him . “I said leave Sargent. That is an order.” The little ball was already going in to check its third destroyed torpedo launch bay. "Fast little sucker." Mark said to himself as he turned back to look at the building and stared at the little screen in the corner of his glasses .

  The squad formed up and started marching away from the tower. Mark glanced around at them, watched them go wondering why they did not just fly away since they had the gravity packs. Shrugging his shoulders, his attention was suddenly riveted on the screen at the corner of his glasses as the little ball slid through a huge hole where the lau n ch tubes had once been and into the 4th destroyed launch bay. A warped oblong hatch in the floor caught his attention. The torpedo blasts had torn up the concrete next to it. A hole was blown in the concrete deck between the foot thick warped torpedo loading hatch in the deck and the hole blasted in the 10 foot thick plasticrete bulkhead where the line of 6 torpedo tubes once were. The hole in the deck with the warped hatch, was big enough for a man to drop through.

  “Damn it. But maybe it doesn’t go anywhere.” As the little ball dropped into the hole and entered a tunnel, Mark looked up at the smoke s treaming tartin g to come out of the hole the only torpedo that had managed to survive long enough to hit something, had made in the side of t
he Tower. Hopping it took out at least a few of the bots as he shook his head at the . But then focusing on the smoke that seemed to be getting thicker .

  "That can't be good." Mark heard a chirping beep in his comm with the word, “Coming?” in the corner of his visor over the video of a tunnel headed going down into the basement of the building. Shaking his head Mark lifted off headed around the building for the shelf making up the floor of the torpedo launch tunnel that arced around to the blasted torpedo launch room the little ball had dropped down the hole in. The little ball rapidly getting deeper into the tunnel as Mark zipped around the corner of the tower, o f the building down the buildings side and into the tunnel to and land e d on the ledge. He walked around the bend in the tunnel in no hurry as he watched the little ball get deeper and deeper into the basement of the building.

  Finally reaching the shaft that took off a t 90 degrees from the cross tunnel shaft , Mark took a deep breath fighting the erg to just keep walking around the bend ahead and out the other entrance and away fro m the building. Mark looked down the short dark dead end shaft shaking his head and took another deep breath. T t hen flew up to the big hole blasted into the concrete of the launch bay. The torpedo had evidentially hit directly on the launch tub e probably e possibly when a torpedo was in it , creating quite a large hole. Landing on the jagged lip Mark he walked into what was left of the torpedo bay and down to the hole a t the edge of the blown hatch the ball had disappeared into as he continued to watch it drift down the large slopping tunnel with what looked like a torpedo transport lift track taking up most of one side with conduits and pipes lining the other. The tunnel looked like it was large enough to fit an army in if it wasn’t for the lift track and all the pipes and conduits .