Casserine

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  In a split second, Jake moved to the man, and backhanded him. His feet left the floor as if he were on a catapult. The man flew into the startled crowd behind him. He took three others to the floor with him. They scrambled out from under his unconscious bulk and shrunk back into the crowd.

  “That was your one and only warning,” Jake yelled for all of them to hear. “The next one questioning my orders will die on the spot. My Marines will split you into groups of about thirty. When the LZ dries, each

  Drop Ship will land under covering fire while we herd you out in orderly groups. You will move on my orders. You will not pay attention to Bugs dying around you. You will board the Drop Ship and go to the back of the cargo bay. Do you understand?”

  There were muttered affirmations, but Jake threw his helmet on the floor angrily. “I said do you understand?”

  This time there was a roar in acknowledgement. Jake nodded, and turned to Colonel Langston. “Have your Marines separate these people into groups of twenty-five to thirty and have them ready to move out. My company landed at Bougainville, so they’ve had combat experience. They will provide backup for each group until they’re aboard the Drop Ship.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir.”

  Jake picked up his helmet and walked over to the entrance doors. He smiled, watching the battle still raging. After waiting ten more minutes, Jake put on his helmet.

  “Bring your ship down, Sara. The rest of you position around her as we discussed, and waste everything coming. Charlie, get your men ready to deploy, just like Bougainville. Whatever the deck gunners don’t get will be all yours.”

  Jake heard their acknowledgements, and then turned to watch the progress of the Marines grouping the Colonists. They were moving in orderly fashion in small groups, toward the habitat entrance closest to the Epoxy landing zone, under the watchful eyes of Mendoza and the five Marines with drawn sidearms.

  “Tim, how we doing?” Jake asked the Alpha Deck Gunner.

  “They’re slowing down, Jake,” Dougherty answered, his voice vibrating with the deck gun’s recoil.

  “Good, stay with it. We’ll have these people out of here in no time,” Jake replied.

  “We’re on the ground, General,” Corey called out. “Opening the hatch for Major Mercer right now.”

  Seconds later, Mercer’s voice came on. “We’re deployed, Jake. Bring them out.”

  “On our way.” Jake gestured for his Marine company to move up and surround the first group of Colonists. He signaled for the doors to be opened, and then led the first group out towards the Drop Ship.

  Some of the Colonists screamed at the sight of the carnage around them, and the still on coming horde of creatures pouring out of three separate holes now. Little children were crying and clinging to equally terrified parents as the group raced across the thirty yards to the ship. Jake saw a mound of soil start shooting up twenty yards to the side of their escape path. He grabbed three of the Marines escorting the Colonists, and headed over to the edge of their Epoxy escape path between the habitat and Landing Zone.

  The Marines with Jake took up firing positions, and began pouring particle beam fire at the emerging Bugs. The new hole brought more startled gasps from the Colonists, but they kept moving as the escorting Marines shoved them along. Jake ran back to the door and signaled Mendoza to start out the next group.

  “Tim?” Jake called out.

  “Yea Boss.”

  “You see our new hole?”

  “I’m on it.”

  Jake watched the deck gun from Alpha turn steady five-second bursts into the new hole. “Jas, hold her steady right there. Tim has the new hole zeroed. The rest of you keep an eye out for new holes.”

  “Steady as she goes, Sir,” Major Peters acknowledged.

  Jake found Major Mercer near the Marines on the left side of the Drop Ship. He had maneuvered a squad of his men into a position to fire on the new hole. Mercer looked up just as Jake ran up next to him.

  “How’s it look, Jake?”

  “Very smooth so far, Charlie. Colonel Stavros has launched the satellites for tracking the nests. With these kind of losses, we should be able to pinpoint the Queens. The main thing is we got here in time.”

  “Indeed,” Mercer replied. “I heard the Colonists are a little panicked.”

  “Who can blame them,” Jake said, watching the terrified people being herded on board the ship.

  Mercer leaned down and gave the three Marines the fire order, because the hole had expanded wider than the zeroed in area, Alpha’s deck gunner controlled. He looked back up at Jake. “Remember the first time we saw the things?”

  Jake nodded grimly. “We didn’t know they could just come up anywhere then.”

  “Hell of a way for a bunch of boot camps to get experience,” Mercer added. “Remember what Deke said when we stumbled off the rising mound, and the Bugs broke the surface?”

  ‘Tea,” Jake laughed at the memory. “’Well, you all going to start firing, or should we just strip so they don’t get our clothes caught in their teeth?’ Keep on it, Charlie, and I’ll keep them streaming in.”

  Jake left his laughing friend to run around and check on the room left in the Drop Ship loading bay. He let two more groups run in, and then walked in front of the next group. He stopped them with a simple gesture, and while he could see the Colonists in the front wanted to climb right over him, they stood still. It pleased Jake to see some of the Colonists were waving their fists in the air, and cheering the Marines on, as the Bugs died in droves.

  “Charlie, you and your guys retreat back to me, and continue firing. Close up your hatch Drop Ship Two.”

  “Aye, aye, Sir,” Drop Ship Two’s pilot acknowledged, as Mercer’s Marines retreated firing, back to where Jake had stopped the Colonists.

  “We’re clear, Drop Ship Two,” Jake said. “Take off and take Drop Ship Three’s place on the firing line. Drop Ship Three, ease on down for loading. Your Marines will deploy with Drop Ship Two’s Company under Major Mercer.”

  Drop Ship Two left with their passengers, and Drop Ship Three landed. The hatch opened, and the Marine Company aboard ran out. Mercer had been waiting for them. He deployed them around Drop Ship Three, while he had his own company resume fire support on the Bug holes, now numbering three on both sides of the escape pathway. Jake started his Colonist groups into the ship, and joined Mercer.

  “They’re sprouting up faster, Charlie.”

  “Yep, the bastards are learning quick, Jake,” Mercer nodded in agreement. “What do you want to do?”

  Jake shrugged. “Keep making Bug soup. I’m going to split channels now. You take over the new Marine companies as they land. Only you will be on with me. I’m going to direct the Drop Ship fire on the new holes, and keep directing traffic. You position our Marines to take out emerging Bugs.”

  “Sounds good, Jake, just signal me when you want us to retreat after load-up.”

  “Will do,” Jake replied. “Yuri?”

  “Yes Sir?”

  “Time to split channels. Leave Charlie on both channels, but take the Marines off our main line, so we don’t get them confused.”

  “Done, Jake,” Tokoru replied. “A couple of helmet cams have stopped transmitting, but other than that, we have a clear picture. The Bugs have been increasing their exit holes.”

  “Charlie and I noticed. We’re deploying each Marine Company as they land to cover the new holes. The deck gunners have been taking up the slack too as targets became visible. I’m going to run in and make sure the habitat gunners are staying alert.”

  “I’m covering that, General,” Colonel Langston said. “They are trying to flank us from behind. “We’ve opened up with the MAG50 rounds, away from the rescue area. I’m a little thin on Marines though.”

  “Charlie, you copy that?” Jake asked.

  “Yes Sir,” Mercer responded. “I’ll send a squad inside to help.”

  “Good deal. How are we doing on tracking, Yuri?”

  �
��Better than you’d think, Jake,” Tokoru answered. “We not only have two main nests tracked, we also picked up alien ship movement at the edge of the quadrant. It’s a good thing you thought to start an outbound scan.”

  “They ain’t moving in though, are they?” Jake asked quickly.

  “No Sir,” Tokoru responded, “and Colonel Stavros has all of the Gallant’s scanners turned outwards. He said he will be keeping that situation under his direct control. He wants permission to ask for Command Wing Fighters.”

  “Permission granted,” Jake said. “Relay my thanks to him. That’s good thinking. It may take awhile to get them here, but we can hopefully hold our own until then if they move on us. You better get General Risling on live, and let him in on our progress. He will be interested in the new visitor we picked up for the show. I’ll just be herding for now, Yuri, so patch him through if he wants in on this live.”

  “Do you still want to saddle up as soon as you get back with the Colonists, and go after the nests?”

  “Yep,” Jake answered, as he watched the Marines herd the Colonists on Drop Ship Two. “Especially if the lab comes up with a way to block the Queen’s signal. Let me know if the lab has a breakthrough, or if the General wants to talk to me.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  Jake jogged over and stopped the flow of Colonists on Drop Ship Two. By the time they finished the final loading, Three of the five companies of Marines were laying down covering fire at over a dozen holes along the escape path. Two companies of Marines deployed to the habitat. Jake watched as Drop Ship Four lifted off. Mercer stood next to Jake, as they waited for the ship to take off safely.

  “Let’s get inside, and have Tim clear this area with MAG50 fire. That should seal things up well enough for us to board Alpha.”

  “Are you going to leave anyone, Jake?” Mercer asked.

  “No reason to. We just have to make sure the habitat’s sealed properly. Even the Bugs can’t get in there. We’ll be back, hopefully with something to isolate the Queen. Let’s go, Charlie.”

  Mercer nodded, and called for the companies to retreat into the habitat. He went back to the habitat entrance, and started them inside. Jake waited until the last company covered the retreat. He motioned them to move back slowly. The Drop Ships were opening up full bore now that the Marines were clear of the area.

  “Tim?”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “Open up with the MAG50, and seal up the holes. Lay waste to everything but our LZ and pathway.”

  “I’m on it, best give me some room.”

  “Drop Ship pilots ease back outside of MAG50 range, and allow Alpha to clear our escape.”

  Jake followed the last men inside the habitat as Chief Dougherty began firing the MAG50. As expected, the special firing rounds vaporized the Bugs, and sealed their holes. Alpha’s gunner put down another layer of fire just to make certain of a few extra moments.

  “Thanks Tim,” Jake said. “Okay Jas, come on in and get us.”

  “Be right down.”

  As Alpha Drop Ship landed, the five companies of Marines double-timed out to the lowering hatch. Jake, Mercer, and Jake’s original company of Marines covered the orderly boarding of the rescue mission. Colonel Langston led the remaining men from their positions in the habitat, while Drop Ship Two and Three cleared Bugs from the surrounding area. They were all boarded by the time the first Bug eruptions began since the MAG50 firing. Jake addressed the Marines strapping in aboard Alpha.

  “That’s as smooth as it gets. Those Colonists owe their lives to you men. Get some rest when we get back to the Gallant. If they come up with a blocking signal for the Queen, we will be heading back down in force to clean the nests out. Ready, Jas?”

  “On your command, General,” Major Peters replied on the com line.

  “Take us out. Drop Ships Two, Three, Four, and Five will be landing on the Gallant first to leave off their passengers. Yuri?”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “Did General Risling want to speak to me? I noticed he didn’t come on with us.”

  “He has been apprised of the situation, and has Command Wing Fighters in transit to us,” Tokoru replied. “He told me he would talk to you privately on a secure line after you reach the Gallant. They have everyone working on breaking down a signal for isolating the Queen back at the base too. General Risling says your live feed with audio has been invaluable. You can imagine what the mining conglomerates have been saying about the news their Omaha mining operation, along with its processing plant, are down until further notice.”

  “Oh, I can imagine,” Jake assured him. “I’m taking off this helmet. Jas, you take over landing instructions for the Drop Ships.”

  “Yes Sir,” Major Peters acknowledged.

  “Yuri, call Jas if you need me back on line.”

  “Will do Jake, Tokoru out.”

  Jake took off his helmet and leaned back with a sigh of contentment. Mercer, and the rest of the Marines had already taken off most of their upper body armor along with their helmets. Jake glanced over at Major Mercer, and found the Major grinning at him, his white teeth a stark contrast to his nearly ebony skin.

  “You find something humorous I am unaware of, Major Mercer?”

  “It’s just nice working with someone I know thinks more about us jarheads than whether some mining company meets its quota,” Mercer replied. “I guess interplanetary warfare hasn’t even slowed those morons down.”

  “You heard that, huh?”

  ‘Tea, I figured saving five thousand experienced Colonists would not sway them much,” Mercer laughed, “but I did think the fact they could lose the quadrant if we are not careful would make at least a mild impression on them.”

  “Business is business, Charlie, especially when it’s managed from another universe. I sure hope the Tennyson gets here soon. It may be a little crowded on the Gallant until they do.”

  “I heard they were only hours away, but I’m with you,” Mercer said. “We’ll be tripping over each other with all those civilians. Add in the young children factor, and things could get irritating real quick.”

  “Not to mention having to worry about the civilians if we are attacked in orbit by our Bug planters,” Jake pointed out. “I think we can go down and take Omaha back quickly if we get the blocking signal down. I’m not too crazy about going though until the Command Wing Fighters get here.”

  “Man, you got that right,” Mercer reiterated. “Just what we need. Go down to Bug paradise, and then have something happen to the Gallant.”

  “But Charlie,” Jake needled. “It would be just like old times. Think of the adventure.”

  “Oh, you are so funny, Mr. Gearknife. By the way, you have any ideas about the Queen, once we can isolate her?”

  “I’d like to haul her ass out of there for them to study back at base,” Jake replied, “but I don’t know how the ones who dropped her off, get her to stop procreating. We don’t need a ship full of multiplying monsters, not to mention if she were to somehow get out of containment back at base.”

  “Besides,” Mercer agreed, “those assholes would probably want to do the same thing, these alien creeps did to us, to someone else.”

  “Major Mercer,” Jake said in a hushed tone of false outrage. “How dare you imply our fuel cell benefactors would do such a thing?”

  “Yea, I am just an untrusting dupe of the military,” Mercer sighed, with a shrug of his shoulders. “Since we are agreed we do not want to chance playing games with the Queen, are you planning on jumping on her head again?”

  Jake laughed. “It crossed my mind when I heard about Deke, but with the scope of this mission expanding in leaps and bounds, I think I will stick to something simple. Any suggestions that will not ignite the entire underground mining complex?”

  “Using our sidearm blasters to clear the Bugs off our escape ship on Bougainville worked pretty well without damaging the ship,” Mercer replied. “If we honed a particle beam pulse down to pinpoint effectiven
ess, we could use it without blowing ourselves up. Besides, we did try shaped charges here on Omaha. They just couldn’t get through her damned protective shell. On the other hand, they didn’t ignite the crystal either.”

  Jake nodded in agreement. “That would still require getting aboveher.”

  “Yea, only this time without dropping the blaster,” Mercer remindedhim.

  “You just ain’t ever going to let me live that down, are you?”

  “Nope,” Mercer laughed. “Like Deke always said, you dropped the blaster on purpose so you could make it look better on your medal citation.”

  Jake burst into laughter, shaking his head, as Mercer joined in. The other Marines watched their two commanders with some confusion. Mendoza, strapped in on the other side of Jake, had heard the interaction between the two. He also laughed at their exchange, but shuddered, thinking of what it must have been like to climb up and drop down on the mother of all monsters.

  “I’d like to volunteer to kill the Queen, Sir,” Mendoza stated.

  Jake looked over at the young Marine with a knowing look. “I believe you would, Bob, but for reasons I am not going into with you, I will be the one to take care of the Queens. You would be welcome to come along with Charlie and I when we go down after them.”

  “He just wants to hog all the glory like he did the last time,” Mercer remarked.

  ‘Tea, that’s it,” Jake laughed.

  “You should have seen him when we picked him up from where the bitch heaved him after he done for her,” Mercer told Mendoza. “He’s rolling around with his armor shredded, with so much blood flowing we thought she had skinned him. Jake here feels us pick him up, and peers at us through the ear hole of his helmet, which got twisted around when he hit the cavern wall. God, this boy looked pathetic. He says, ‘where am I’, and Deke looks at him and says.”

  “.’You’re out of uniform, son’,” Jake cut in, as both he and Mercer started howling in laughter again.

  Chapter 16

  Politics and Commitment

  Major Peters’ copilot walked up to Jake, as he wiped away tears from his eyes.