by Peter Lok
Nearing the smoke line, Joshua called out. “High jump, 20 metres.”
The AI confirmed, “High jump, 20 metres.”
He tensed his legs and mimicked a jump, leaping his mecha up at a 45 degree angle. The HARM unit sailed up through the smoke and cleared it. Joshua sighted down his coilgun, focused only on the position of the enemy mecha. Once his HARM cleared the smoke he quickly adjusted and fired again for the center of the upper torso. The enemy mecha was surprised by the move and barely shifted position in time. His shot hit the enemy mecha in the left shoulder, blowing the shoulder and arm clean off. The enemy mecha staggered but kept going. Sparks and smoke billowed from the gaping hole in the torso. Only one arm remained to steady the laser.
His HARM arced down to a running landing, its landing rockets firing to reduce the impact. The Newt mecha fired, and a laser blast struck the coilgun’s barrel. The explosion destroyed the coilgun and almost tore it from the HARM’s grip.
Warning indicators flashed and a buzzer sounded. “Primary weapon disabled,” X reported. “Recommend withdrawal. Continued engagement will likely result in the destruction of this unit.”
Joshua was thinking quickly. He should have been scared or nervous since the alien mecha clearly had the advantage now, but he wasn’t thinking about himself. If he didn’t stop the enemy, none of his people were leaving Kahamba. Angie, Penny, Willie, and the mission all depending on him. “We press the attack,” he said with certainty in his voice. “That mecha is going down. It’s taken serious damage and I don’t think it can sustain laser fire as the heat sinks are also damaged. We close in and kill it in close combat.”
“Understood,” X responded. “Seventeen Helldarts remaining. I suggest continuous fire to draw off point defence laser fire.”
“My thought exactly,” Joshua agreed. He continued running his HARM in a weaving pattern towards the enemy mecha. The enemy could have tried backing up to increase the distance between them, but it chose to stand its ground to get a more stable firing platform. The loss of an upper arm had obviously damaged its fire control. It fired and fired again, missing both times, and its laser blasts were now further apart in time.
“Range is 1100 metres,” X called out.
Joshua was down to his secondary weapons. He checked the status of the automatic cannon built into the left forearm of his HARM. “Chain gun, high explosive, then armour piercing rounds,” he ordered. The light automatic cannon wasn’t going to do much against the enemy mecha, but it could get a lucky hit on a sensor or damaged area.
“Chain gun, high explosive rounds selected, then armour piercing. Only 40 HE rounds remaining, 200 armour piercing,” his HARM’s AI confirmed.
“Begin interval firing of Helldarts. Target upper torso, destroyed arm area.”
“Locking Helldarts,” confirmed the AI. “Firing.” Whoosh! A single missile left up into the air from the vertical launchers built into the HARM’s shoulders.
Extending his HARM’s left arm, Joshua fired a burst from his automatic cannon. Gyrostabilized firing and computer assisted tracking meant most of the rounds hit the mainly stationary alien mecha. Small bursts of fire and smoke indicated where the rounds hit.
The remaining point defence laser on the undamaged shoulder of the Newt mecha opened up on the incoming Helldart and destroyed it. The enemy mecha was slow to fire its primary beam cannon again. Joshua dodged and the laser blast scorched the armour plating on his HARM.
The thermal sensors showed the heat sink on the enemy mecha glowing with extreme heat now. X automatically fired a Helldart off. Joshua kept up the pressure. His cannon arm was always extended; whenever he had a moment, he fired another burst of 30mm rounds, hoping to get a hit on some sensors.
“Range is 900 metres.” X launched another Helldart off.
The Newt mecha fired one more time, the laser blast coming close, but missing again. It then dropped the laser cannon and suddenly lurched forward towards him. The point defense laser battery was firing again at the Helldarts in flight. Two more Helldarts exploded in mid-air.
It looked like the Newt mecha had finally overheated its beam cannon. “About time!” Joshua exclaimed. He fired another burst while running directly at the enemy mecha. It looked like the enemy mecha also wanted to engage in close combat since it was advancing at full speed.
“High explosive rounds depleted, switching to armour piercing.” X then fired another Helldart.
“Range is 800 metres,” X called out.
Armour piercing rounds sparked off the enemy mecha’s head and upper torso. Joshua couldn’t tell if he was doing any real damage. The distance between the two armoured giants was closing rapidly. Joshua had his cannon arm fully extended and was firing at the enemy mecha’s head with long bursts while he ran. The enemy mecha would have engaged him with its point defence laser, but the incoming Helldarts kept it busy.
“Range is 500 metres,” X called out again. “Fifty rounds remaining for chain gun.”
Ammunition did not matter. Joshua was only focused on getting in close. He fired again and again on the run. The enemy’s point defence laser flashed and another Helldart exploded. Both war machines left a cloudy trail of dust in the air behind them from their rapid advances.
“300 metres. Chain gun ammunition expended.” X fired another Helldart.
Joshua reached back with his HARM’s right arm and grabbed the hilt of its giant combat knife. “Deploy monosteel blade.”
The three metre long knife was secured in a horizontal sheath attached to the back of the HARM, just above its hips. The locks in the sheath disengaged and he drew the knife out. The knife was a single-edged weapon with a pointed tip for stabbing. By itself the cutting edge was strong and sharp, but when powered up by a HARM it could slice through molecular armour plate without dulling. He had trained with the bladed weapon, but had never really thought he would use it in combat. Tacticians had said knife fighting between giant robots was ridiculous, but Dr. Chan had insisted that the knives be added to the new HARM units, even if they were only to serve as utility tools.
A Helldart struck near the opening made on the alien mecha by the destruction of its left shoulder. The enemy mecha shuddered slightly while it took the pounding. The point defence laser had gone silent as it too had overheated. Another Helldart was in flight toward it.
Whoosh! The last Helldart launched from Joshua’s HARM. “All munitions expended.”
The two giant robots continued closing in with each other. The last two Helldarts struck in succession. Neither seemed to do any major damage as the alien mecha managed to keep its weak spot away from the missiles.
“200 metres.” X called out.
The alien mecha slowed and reared up on its hind legs. It continued moving forward while long curved blades unfolded from the backs of its two middle limbs. Apparently it was also ready for some melee action. Both of the robots approached each other cautiously with their bladed weapons held ready.
“Entering close combat range,” X finally announced. “You have control. Fight well, sir.”
“Thanks, X.” They were less than a hundred metres apart now. Joshua silently cursed himself a bit. He had been surprised by the appearance of close combat weapons on the Newt mecha, but quickly adopted a knife fighting stance as they narrowed the distance even more.
The enemy mecha also adopted a fighting stance and the two opponents began to circle ever closer to each other. Joshua figured his mecha had a slight reach advantage over its opponent, but closer in, the enemy mecha with its longer blades could make short work of him. The shorter, powerful looking limbs on the enemy mecha were sure to swing blades that would cut through molecular armour.
He jabbed at the enemy mecha once they were close enough. The Newt was a tad sluggish but jerked clear of the attack. A moment later the enemy mecha surged forward, swinging both arms so that the blades whistled through the air at the end of their arcs. Joshua safely cleared the attack by leaping backwards. Both opponents
then continued to size each other up with quick attacks and feints.
With a lunge, the Newt mecha made the first real move with something it hadn’t tried yet. It grabbed at Joshua’s HARM with its good arm, then brought its mid-limbs into striking range while it continued forward. Joshua deflected the incoming arm with his left arm and struck with his knife at the curved blade coming towards his lower torso on his right side. He managed to block the blade with his knife in a shower of sparks where the blades locked and grated against each other. Swinging his left arm down immediately after deflecting the grasping arm, he knocked the other blade down so it cut in at an angle and was unable to completely penetrate his armour. The left side armour of his mecha was taking a beating. Joshua sidestepped his mecha to clear out of the killing zone and backhanded the other mecha across the head with his fist to knock it away.
Both mechas stepped back. Joshua realized that the enemy mecha was stronger than expected. If both front arms had been intact on the Newt mecha, he would have been caught and cut open, but it was an even match right now with his superior reach and faster HARM response. Keeping his distance, he sliced away at the enemy mecha, lunging in to cut away at the enemy whenever he had an opening. The Newt mecha had long deep knife cuts across its armour, and his own mecha also had several cuts and gouges on the arms where he had deflected cutting attacks.
Some soldiers said the Newts had no fear since they did not retreat in combat, but Joshua knew better. He had seen Newt units break and run if they were hit hard--- really hard. This particular Newt pilot was not giving up though. Joshua was breathing hard and sweating inside his pilot suit from the constant body motion required to maneuver his mecha. Eventually one of them would make a mistake and the fight would be ended.
Joshua finally saw the opening he was looking for. After parrying a slashing cut, he stepped inside the guard of the enemy mecha and twisted forward. Both hands gripping the knife tightly while he stabbed straight into the center of the upper torso of the enemy mecha. The blade’s tip cut through the enemy armour and deep into the innards of the Newt mecha in an instant. He then angled the blade down so it cut an arc towards where he thought the pilot’s compartment was. The enemy mecha seemed to shudder and then went limp. Joshua wasn’t sure if he killed the enemy pilot or if he had hit a critical system. Either way the battle was over.
The victorious HARM unit pulled its knife out of the motionless enemy mecha and stepped back from it. Without support the enemy mecha collapsed in a big metal heap. Joshua sheathed his knife and caught his breath. That had been a close battle. He would have to ask Willie to give him some more hand to hand combat pointers in the future.
“Well done, sir. The victory is yours,” X spoke out.
“I guess so, X.” Joshua was exhausted. His pulse was still racing and he felt no sense of victory, but he was sure he would celebrate later.
“We should check on Lieutenant Tanaka. She may require assistance.”
“Penny!” Joshua roused himself in an instant. He check her last location on the tactical display and headed his HARM in her direction.
Penny’s HARM unit still laid on its front where it had collapsed. Smoke continued to rise out of the unit from the hole where its head used to be. The machine was dead.
“Penny! Penny! Can you hear me?” Joshua called out over the radio. There was no response. Crouching down, he grabbed her HARM and rolled it over. The torso and the cockpit hatch looked intact. He tried to open the hatch with his HARM’s hands, but it was jammed into place. Taking out his knife again, he gently forced the tip of the blade under the side of the hatch and began prying. The metal groaned under the massive strength his HARM unit was applying and the locks eventually gave with several loud pops. Sheathing his knife again he then ripped the hatch off to reveal the cockpit underneath.
Penny looked okay inside the cockpit. She was still securely strapped in, but looked unconscious, her head tilted slightly off to the side. Zooming in on her face with his HARM’s cameras, Joshua could tell she was still breathing. Her helmet visor was clear and blank, indicating that her HARM’s systems were offline.
Joshua crouched his HARM down on its knees and knuckles in the standard pilot boarding position. He then opened up his left hand and flipped it over so it was palm up. After opening his hatch he unhooked himself from his control systems. “X, keep watch. Alert me if anything comes close.”
“Yes, sir.”
He then exited his HARM and climbed up onto the chest of Penny’s unit. Dropping down into the tight fitting cockpit, he opened up Penny’s visor. “Penny. Can you hear me?”
Penny stirred and gave out a slight moan.
“Penny, wake up. You need to wake up.”
She stirred some more and her eyes fluttered open. “J- Josh?” she mumbled.
“Yeah, it’s me. You remember anything?”
“Itai! My head hurts,” she complained. “Everything went dead. Did we win?”
“Yeah, we did,” Joshua answered. Penny’s eyes were beginning to focus and she could see the concern on Joshua’s face. “Your unit took a direct hit and it looks like you might have bumped your head in the fall.”
“I’ll be okay,” she mumbled.
“I know you will, but let me get you out of here first.” With that he unstrapped and disconnected her from her HARM unit. “We’ll let the medics look you over when we get in the air.”
Penny was unsteady, but she managed to climb out with Joshua’s help. He then carried her over to his HARM unit and placed her in its open hand. You couldn’t fit two people into the cockpit and operate the mecha. Running back to Penny’s HARM, he activated the self-destruct system, which began a three minute countdown.
Climbing back into his cockpit, he strapped himself in and hooked himself up again.
“It is good that Lieutenant Tanaka is okay,” X greeted.
“Yes it is, X.” Joshua responded. “Time to get out of here.” He then closed the hatch and did a quick systems check. A moment later he stood up his HARM. Looking down to make sure that Penny was okay, he cupped his left hand a little more so she had a slightly more secure seat. Penny had propped herself up and was ready for the ride. “Here we go,” he called out over the external audio.
Penny just looked up and nodded with a smile. “Let’s get out of here.”
Joshua set his course for the airfield and began a smooth loping trot down the highway towards it. He set an easy pace to avoid jarring Penny too much. They quickly ate up the distance. Behind them, a series of explosive charges blew Penny’s HARM into pieces, completely destroying the important systems.
The information from their reconnaissance drones indicated that the commandos had reached the airfield. The big stealth transport had just landed and was taxiing around on the runway to prepare for a quick takeoff. Any enemy soldiers at the airfield had fled when the commandos and the transport had arrived. The commandos drove up to the transport and began unloading the wounded from the trucks along with the precious cargo.
Willie stood on the lowered cargo ramp of the transport. “Joshua,” he called out over the radio, “you read me?”
“I do,” Joshua replied.
“I can tell you’re on your way from the tactical.” Willie then added with a chuckle. “But the pilots are getting antsy anyhow. They say that there are more bogeys inbound, so get here ASAP.”
“A man can only go so fast,” Joshua laughed. “You keep them on the ground until I get there. I just took a beating for you guys.”
“It was much appreciated, amigo,” Willie responded. “We’ll be waiting.”
They were only two more minutes from the airfield, but it seemed like two of the longest minutes that Joshua had experienced. When they arrived he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Willie and the HARM ground crew was waiting for them at the transport’s cargo ramp. Crouching down, he gently lowered Penny down and several men helped her onto the transport. He then kneeled down and positioned his HARM for loading. O
pening the pilot’s hatch, he was greeted with cheers. His crew came running up to him and congratulated him even as they completed preparations for winching his unit up into the transport.
X spoke out again. “Air defences are activating to the west of us again. Another wave of six unknowns are approaching at supersonic speed.”
“I guess it’s time to leave,” Joshua smiled. “You can stand down, X.” They would be long gone by the time the next wave arrived. The mission was over.
Willie came up and cheerfully clapped him on the back. “You did good back there. I got someone who wants to speak to you though.”
Joshua had a moment of apprehension. “Is Angie okay?”
“She’s good,” Willie smiled, “but she does want to talk to you before the medic drugs her up.” He pulled out one of his big cigars and unwrapped it. He didn’t smoke them anymore, but he still liked to chew on one at the end of successful mission. “Follow me.”