Immortal Guardian: Hoast Saga Book 2 (Host Saga)

by Michael Farlow

  Having dropped off the robots and their equipment to begin digging, Van and Harry were in stealth orbit over the Iraq Host site. Making lazy circles in the sky was not Van’s idea of fun, so almost unconsciously he had been widening the circles to get closer to the dam to see the action better. In his third circle outbound from the dam, his headphones crackled.

  “B1 flight, this is Control, over.”

  “Control, this is B1. What’s up, Brice?”

  “A bit of bad news. The D2 shows a mobile force approaching the dam from the road in the northwest. Alfa One has his hands full and needs some help. He’s up on this frequency.”

  “Roger that, Control, break. Alfa One, this is B1 lead, how can we help?”

  “As you can probably see, there is some sort of mobile force coming up fast from the northwest. We have a blocking force near the tourist camp below the dam, but it can’t handle what’s coming. We need you to take out that column if you can.”

  “Roger, Alfa One, we are inbound now to have a look. Do you have an IR marker to show us the position of your blocking force?”

  “We do and it’s on now. Tell me when you see it.”

  Van looked at his screens and in just a moment saw the red indicator from the blocking force IR marker.

  “We have the blocking force position, Alfa One. And we have a visual on the mobile force.”

  “Roger, B1 flight, happy hunting!” And Alfa One went silent.

  Van and Harry made a slow pass down the approach road, shooting everything possible with their 30mm cannons. They stopped light trucks and Humvees with ease, and many troops piling out of the convoy trucks became victims of the new stun guns in the B1 and B2. However, it soon became evident that this was also an armored column. Leading the way were several old tracked seven-passenger BMP 1s and 2s. These carried either 73mm smoothbore cannons or 30mm rapid-fire cannons, both with 7.62 coaxial machine guns. Next followed several captured American M113 armored personnel carriers and some hastily armored troop trucks. In all there were at least two or three hundred more troops on the way with armored protection and firepower. The stun weapons would not work on armor. ISIS was not taking this attack lightly. And this is why few security companies wanted the job, thought Van as he and Harry sprayed the column with 30mm fire.

  “Alfa One, B1, over.”

  “Go ahead, B1.”

  “I think we got most of that column. Can your guys do the cleanup? There will be a bunch of live but stunned ones in the field.” With the action apparently over, Van wanted to get back to the excavation site before anyone stumbled onto it.

  “You bet, B1 flight. Nice work!”

  “OK, Harry, let’s get back to the Host site and see how our robot friends are doing,” Van said as he turned the B1 south.

  “Yes, Commander, they should have made noticeable progress by now. I can bring up some of the cameras on the robots to show us progress in detail.”

  Van was anxious to see the front of the buried site or at least the top of it. But he was disappointed.

  “Harry, I can’t see that they’ve made much progress. Just the beginning of a hole in the sand.”

  “It will take some time, Commander. Sand is a difficult medium in which to dig. Much of the sand has to be displaced away from the site so it doesn’t flow back into the hole.”

  “Yes, of course. I was just hoping to see more progress. Is there anything we can do to make things go faster?”

  “No, Commander. If it would make you feel better, you could land and take up a shovel. But you cannot work at the speed of the robots.”

  Without responding, Van thought, I can just see myself shoveling sand and getting more in my boots than out of the hole. Harry’s right. But I just want this over and done with!

  Just then a new call came over the radio. “B1 flight, Control, over.”

  “B1 flight is up, Brice. What’s happening?”

  “We have a new problem.”

  “Gee, why am I not surprised?” Van said with not a little sarcasm. “What’s the problem now?”

  “Would you believe a T72 tank and two more BMPs?”

  “Terrific. And Alfa One needs help again?”

  “You got it. Contact him directly on this frequency. Out.”

  At least this promises to be more interesting than watching robots shoveling sand, Van said to himself.

  “Alfa One, this is B1 flight, state your mission.”

  “As Control said, we have an old Russian T72 main battle tank and two BMPs coming up the same road that the mobile column used. Can you help?”

  “I think the BMPs won’t be a problem, but the T72 might. All we have is 30mm, and if my military memory is right, that may not stop the tank. The rounds will just bounce off.”

  “True, unless you can get lucky and blow a track or two. Even then the thing can still fire. But all is not lost. The Iraqis think they have one or two Javelin antitank fire-and-forget missiles. They’re just not sure exactly where they are now.”

  “Well that sounds screwed up. We’ll do what we can with the BMPs and then irritate the 72 and maybe slow it down. But my advice is to hurry up and find those Javelins.”

  “Roger that, B1 flight. Do what you can. Alfa One out.”

  “Tell me again, Harry, why we didn’t put a plasma cannon on these birds?”

  “You didn’t want the technology put at risk of discovery if the B1 or B2 went down, Commander. The only ones are on the CS1 and CS2.”

  “And the time to get CS1 here from the Moon site?”

  “Several hours, Commander. Likely too late for what needs to be done.”

  “Probably, but launch CS1 remotely anyway and get it here ASAP.”

  The Iraqis hadn’t found the Javelins yet, and the T72 had gone hull down in a depression on the side of the road while training its 125mm smoothbore main gun and the 7.62 and 12.7mm machine guns on the small blocking force and other exposed fighters.

  “Alfa One, Alfa Two. This asshole can stay there forever and we can’t get to him. He can cover everyone in the open, and we can’t move.”

  “True, but I don’t think he’ll shoot the dam or anything or anybody in front of the dam with the big gun. At least not yet,” Alfa One said.

  “OK, so we just get hosed by twin machine guns we can’t put out of action.”

  “That’s what makes this job so fun, Alfa Two. It makes you think!”

  “Yeah, well, I think we’re screwed.”

  “Anything on that Javelin yet?” Alfa One said, trying to take the conversation in a more productive direction.

  “Nothing. The Iraqis say they are looking hard, though. For what that’s worth,” Alfa Two said in frustration.

  “They’ve been looking for over two hours. I don’t think they have any Javelins and are just making a show of it.”

  “Harry, we’ve shot that tank from every angle, and we haven’t made so much as a dent. Can’t even see his tracks in that depression. All we’ve been doing is orbiting overhead for what seems like forever. What’s the word on CS1?”

  “CS1 should arrive in about thirty minutes, Commander.”

  “That’s promising. Uh-oh. The tank is moving out of its hole and headed to the western approach to the dam. Let’s see if we can hit his tracks this time. I’ll lead and you follow.”

  Van rolled in on the T72 from its right side. He depressed the firing button, and long streams of red 30mm tracer rounds walked into the tank, kicking up billowing clouds of sand and dust. Harry followed and did the same. They both pulled up and curved around to the right, waiting to see the tank stuck on the road with a torn track.

  But out of the cloud of dust made by the 30mm rounds, they saw the long gun first, followed by the turret and then the whole tank, steadily moving along unfazed, with machine guns firing.

  “Damn it, Harry. We can’t stop it! And it’ll take out the whole force holding the western approach.”

  “The CS1 is close, Commander. How did you want to use it?”


  “Let it follow between us and a little behind in stealth mode. You and I will fire at the same time, and CS1 can fire one plasma round at the tank the same instant. For all that anybody will know, we got a lucky hit.”

  “Yes, Commander. I understand your plan. It should work. I am calling in CS1 now to a position just behind and between us, as you desire.”

  “Alfa One, B1 flight. Have you found the Javelins yet?”

  “Shit no! I’m not convinced the Iraqis had one to bring. We’ll all keep shooting and hope someone gets lucky.”

  “Roger that, Alfa One. We are going to try one more run and both fire at the same time. Keep your fingers crossed.”

  “Got my fingers and my toes crossed, if that will help!”

  “OK, Harry, take position on my port side and put CS1 between us and slightly aft.”

  “Done, Commander.”

  “OK, here we go.”

  “Alfa One, B1 flight is rolling in.”

  “Roger B1, good luck!”

  With that, Van and Harry made yet another run on the moving T72 main battle tank, which continued firing its main gun at the western defenders. Pieces of cement, vegetation, and even human body parts were being cast high into the air. This has to work! thought Van as he pressed the firing button.

  Harry fired at the same time as Van and then remotely had the CS1 fire a single plasma burst amid all the tracers from the B1 and B2. The plasma shot, according to their plan, should be hidden amid all the 30mm tracers. As before, the 30mm rounds ate up the ground around the tank and struck it like a hammer might strike a bell. But the plasma round ripped through the right side of the tank armor, exploding the ammunition within and causing the turret to fly off. It was dead at last. But fighting in and around the dam continued.

  “You got it!” shouted Alfa One over the communications link.

  “OK, Harry, time to get back to our real business. Back to the Host site. I’ll make one more call to Control. Control, B1 flight, over.”

  “B1 flight, this is Control. Good shooting, Van. Alfa One is still yelling in my ear.”

  “Lucky shot hit a weak spot on the tank, I think. We fired nearly three hundred rounds at it. Anyway, we’re falling back to the south in orbit.”

  “Roger, B1 flight. We’ll call if we need you. Control out.”

  Again over the Host site, Van could now see some progress.

  “Harry, if I look closely at my screen, I think I see the edge of the bunker roof and a ramp heading down to where we believe the door will be.”

  “You are correct, Commander. My estimate is that the door will be exposed in less than an hour, and the control bar is close by.”

  “That means we can land and inspect the progress soon, I hope. It’s already early morning.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  Back in Virginia and the Carson Group’s operations center, Barbara turned to Dick and asked, “Are the mercenaries going to make it?”

  “At this point, your guess is as good as mine. With the mobile column and the tank gone, however, I think their chances just got a little better. Brice, how goes the battle on and in the dam?”

  Brice spun around again, still with concern in his eyes.

  “The mercs have control of the spillway, and the ISIS fire from the western approach is gone. However, the fight continues in the generator spaces. The longer that goes on, the greater the chance that they can place charges inside the tunnels of the dam and hold the whole thing hostage. We aren’t out of the woods yet.”

  Finally, the robots found the entrance to the Host site. Van could no longer contain himself.

  “OK, Harry, I’m landing. The sooner we get that thing open, the better.”

  “I understand, Commander. I have launched a D1 drone to keep our area under surveillance, so I will land also.”

  “Roger that. Touching down now.” The B1 settled onto the sand amid a cloud of dust and sand particles.

  No sooner was the cargo ramp down than Van jumped from the armed shuttle and trudged to the site as fast as the loose sand and dirt would allow.

  “I see the door, Harry, and the robots are clearing the area to the right for the control bar. Shouldn’t take long now!”

  “Yes, Commander, I see the door as well. They should have the lever cleared—wait, it is clear now.”

  “I see it. Heading for it now.”

  The sooner I open this thing the better, and we can get out of here. Only a few more hours till dawn, Van thought.

  Not waiting for all the robots to clear the site of the control bar, Van shouldered his way to the bar and grabbed it. But nothing happened. Again, he grabbed it and even tried shaking it. Nothing.

  “Shit, Harry. It’s not working!”

  “That is probably because all the sand has not been removed from the door face, Commander. If the door is not completely free from obstructions, it will not open.”

  “Why?”

  “Because, Commander, if the door has to be closed in an emergency, it could not do so completely if there were potential blockages, and the site would be compromised.”

  “Good plan, but irritating nonetheless.”

  In another thirty minutes, however, the door was completely uncovered.

  “OK, here goes again.” Van grabbed the control bar once more, but the door didn’t open, or at least not as quickly as he expected. Slowly, however, it began to rise, creaking and rumbling as it did. But it opened and lights turned on in the large room. Harry was right. Just like the Chad site, but a little bigger, Van thought.

  “Let’s not waste time, Harry. Take out the arms and ammunition first, then the boxed robots, and finally the computer and the medical equipment and advanced supplies. Leave the rest where it is.”

  “Already started, Commander. Per my instructions, the robots have laid out some composite material to make footing better in the sand. We should have this done in less than an hour.”

  “Good. Can’t wait to get out of here.” But just as Van said this, a portable control device in Harry’s hand started to beep. “What’s that?”

  “The D1 has movement about a thousand yards from this facility, Commander. Coming this way.”

  “Great. Give me that controller and keep the robots working. I’ll go look.”

  Using the solid material on the ground, Van had no problem running to the top of the excavation site and looking in the direction of the movement caught by the D1. He hadn’t thought to carry some binoculars, so it took him a minute to see the movement. Still not distinguishable. He had his old Ruger SP101, but he knew he could call on the robots to defend the place if he had to. So he watched.

  The fire from the dam had all but gone away, and he could hear the noises of the desert quite well. But there was a sound that didn’t belong. A sort of tink tink. Then nothing. Then another tink tink.

  What is that?

  Then something moved only a few paces away and Van recognized it immediately. It was a goat with a small bell. Chewing on some sort of dry vegetation it had found, the goat stared back at Van, not alarmed in the least. Just chewing away. Van felt a little foolish for having suspected a much more worrisome opponent, and he turned back toward the work area.

  “Just a goat, Harry. Nothing to worry about.”

  “Good, Commander. Nearly finished with the transfer of material. If you will close the door, we can start the reburial process. Should take much less time than digging it out.”

  Just as Van was about to say something like “Finally,” his radio came to life.

  “B1 flight, Control, over.”

  “Control, this is B1 flight. Don’t tell me you need us again!”

  “Ah, yes we do, but not necessarily for the B1 or B2. Alfa One and his team are inside the power plant and are safe. However, as briefed, there are a bunch of tunnels inside the dam—too many for his team to explore quickly. We need some way of looking inside those tunnels to see where there might be people carrying explosives. Can you help?�
��

  “This is B1 flight. I think so, wait one. Harry, does the D2 have fireflies on board?” Van asked.

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Then have some released into the interior of the dam tunnels to help locate where the explosives are going.”

  “Yes, Commander. Doing that now.”

  Less than thirty minutes later, Brice called, “Alfa One, this is Control.”

  “Go ahead, Control.”

  “This is your lucky day. We tapped into the local security system and located the tunnel intruders. There are only five of them,” Brice said. Not wanting to disclose the fireflies, he bent the truth a little. “Unfortunately, each one is in a different tunnel.”

  “Roger, Control. I’ll spin off five men, one for each bad guy. They’ll be numbered one through five. Can you guide them?”

  “Yes we can. We’ll start now. Number One, go to the first tunnel on the right….”

  In an hour, all five ISIS fighters in the tunnel system were found. Unfortunately for them, they all tried to resist and were quickly eliminated. Each man had an explosive satchel, and three were in the process of placing the charges. None were initiated, however.

  “B1 flight, Control, over.”

  “Control, this is B1 flight. Again?”

  “No, quite the opposite, in fact. Alfa One has just reported the dam secure. You can go home.”

  “Roger that. Put Dick on the line.”

  Moments later: “I’m up,” came Dick’s voice.

  “Harry and I don’t see the need for a debrief. You guys can do your own with Alfa One. However, let’s plan on not doing this again. I’ll tell you why later.”

  “Roger that, B1, I agree. And thanks.”

  “Harry, if the robots are done covering the site, load them up and let’s head back to Site R,” Van said with relief.

  “They are done, Commander, and we can leave within minutes.”

  CHAPTER 9