by Rod Carstens
“Thanks. Where’d you find it?”
“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies. It wasn’t a bad decision.”
“What?”
“I said it wasn’t a bad decision.”
“How did you know?”
“We’ve been together since Rift, when I was your assistant gunner as a private. I hadn’t even had a tour as a real Legionnaire back then. I got so I could read you because if I didn’t you were going to chew my ass.”
“Okay, smartass. Why wasn’t it a bad decision?”
“Because that Xotoli that showed up had nothing between him and the command post, and they damn sure weren’t ready to have a Xotoli in their laps.”
“But I didn’t know he would be there.”
“No, and that is the whole point. You make good decisions even when you don’t have all the information you need.”
“Now how do I do that?”
“We both know you have combat luck. The whole platoon talks about it. We should have much heavier casualties than we’ve had since you’ve been in charge. You think, and as we both know, you bring us luck, which is more important than decision-making. There’s not a man or woman in the platoon who would take a transfer to another unit, and it’s because of you.”
Nani shook her head. “I didn’t ask for this. I wanted just to do my time and get out.”
“That may have been you a long time ago, but not now and you know it. Why do you think Sand chose us for his fire brigade? Because he knows what we know about you.”
Nani ate in silence for a while, reveling in the taste of the lousy beef stew that she normally turned her nose up at.
“How’s Tiny doing?”
“He’s doing good. He reminds me of me when I joined your squad back in the day as a private. He keeps his mouth shut, does what he’s told, and tries to learn as much as he can. Look over there.”
Tiny was sitting with Flavia, the best minigunner in the platoon, and she was showing him how to field-strip the weapon quicker and adjusting his sling so it rode more easily over his shoulder.
Seeing Tiny in his Von Fleet armor reminded Nani of so many old bad memories. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Here she was saving the lives of the Sols who had gotten her sentenced to the Legion for life, and excelling at it. Saving the lives of the one human breed she hated with a passion. Life did throw some shit at you, that was for sure.
She looked at Hu, who was eating his rations with as much relish as she was eating hers. They had shared a lifetime of experiences in the last couple of years and were much more than just comrades. She was not sure how much she cared about him, and she knew he was trying to figure the same thing out. If they lived through the next days, maybe they would get the time to do just that.
“You know, for a scar-faced short guy, you’re not too bad to have around.”
“I love you too,” Hu said with a crooked smile. “So what’s the scoop?”
“We’re supposed to get heavier weapons, and then we go hunting Xotoli.”
As if on cue a robot cart rolled into the room and said, “Alpha Company, First Platoon, here are your weapons.”
Nani went over to the cart and passed out the extra minis. She took one of the 27Gs with the grenades and gave one to Hu. She issued the one sniper rifle they had to Mara. He had been with Basso as her spotter so long he must have absorbed enough from one of the best. All the NCOs got scrams like last time, and everyone loaded as many grenades and mines and as much ammunition as they could carry.
Just as they finished, she heard over the command net, “First Platoon, report to S3 for your assignments.”
The platoon turned as one and looked at Nani.
“We’re to report to S3 and find out what we’ve got,” she said. “We’ve gotten this far over the last couple of years because of what she taught us. We’re good, lucky, and have each other’s backs. Now let’s say it.”
As one the platoon said, “Aijuba!”
“Now let’s get this shit done.”
Nani led the platoon out the door and down the hall to face whatever the Xotoli had in store for them.
Chapter 53
City-State of New York
Phase Line Yellow
Fenes faced what was left of the company that had started out in Central Park. They had fought and died to bleed the hybrids and slow their advance to their objective, the secretary general’s headquarters. Now they stood with their backs to the wall. There would be no more retreats. It was here they would make their stand with the Raiders and the battle would be won or lost.
He looked at the men and women in front of him. Their armor was dented and scratched from constant combat over the last twenty-four hours. They were all conscripts like him, legally sentenced into the service of the Confederation. Yet they had fought and died like any Marine or Raider. He knew that many of those he was facing would not survive the Alamo stand, but he wanted to say something that had been on his mind since Central Park.
He switched his comm to the company net, then said, “Troopers of the 1st Conscript Battalion, Alpha Company, I want to say something to you. We are not Sols, nor are most of us purebred humans. Most of us are mongrels pressed into service by a corporation that proved to be a traitor. Yet we who were pressed into service to replace those who would betray our species have acquitted ourselves with honor and courage. We of the 1st Junkyard Dogs have shown the Xotoli that humans can stand up to them and fight to the death, no matter how we ended up on the front lines. You have proven to the Confederation, but more importantly to one another, that you are capable of fighting an invading alien race.
“You are not Legionnaires or Marines. Instead you are conscripts, something more important. You are men and women forced to leave your lives to protect the Confederation, and you have proven yourselves worthy.”
Fenes paused, letting what he had said sink in to them as well as to himself. “I’m one of you. I was sentenced to a penal battalion, yet I stand with you now as the last line of defense for the Confederation. We must stop the hybrids here. There will be no retreat. We can do that. We will do that. We have proven ourselves over the last hours and days. We are human beings, and we will defeat these fucks for ourselves and for our families. We are Junkyard Dogs!”
A roar went up across the company’s comm net. Fenes waited for it to end before he said, “We will now break up into fireteams and swarm these Xotoli and their hybrids as they come. Do not try and stand and make a fight of it. Strike hard, strike fast, recover any arms or wounded and withdraw to your next ambush position. We are Junkyard Dogs, and we will make these fucks pay for invading!”
Fenes waited until the roaring stopped and said, “Get it done, Dogs.”
He turned to Holman and Ringa, who were standing next to him.
“They’re going to make you a permanent officer if you don’t watch out,” Holman said.
“Fuck you.”
“You’re not my type, but I might make an exception in your case.”
Schmitt walked up and said, “Where to, Sergeant?”
Fenes glanced up at his tactical display and could see Ardan and Minga splitting what was left of their platoons into smaller killer teams and moving toward new positions. The red triangles were moving rapidly toward them. It was going to be a quick fire-and-movement battle all the way back to the Alamo. Fenes looked at his tactical and pointed out an open area with a balcony surrounding it several stories above the ground. It was a choke point.
“Let’s kill a few there.”
“Sounds like a plan, LT,” Holman said.
The four moved out toward the spot Fenes had designated. As they moved toward the open area, Fenes kept an eye on the other fire teams in the company. Minga had one of her teams on the floor of the open area, and it looked like Mati was leading a fire team to the opposite side of the park from Minga, a floor above. Perfect. All three units were swarming to a point the hybrids were going to have to pass through. He co
uld see the red triangles begin to converge on that open area.
He reached the door that led to his ambush site. Fenes hesitated, then eased through it. Sure enough, it was a balcony that overlooked not just an open area but also a park inside the building. He had no idea how in the world they had grown plants inside a building, but they had. The park was several acres of trees and scrubs with winding paths through it. The balcony was three stories above the park. From here they could put plunging fire on any hybrid trying to move through the area.
“Nice,” Holman said.
“Yeah, spread out along here and get down. The railing doesn’t provide much cover.”
The four lay down and got set up. Fenes put the bipod of his rail up and laid out a handful of mini-grenades within easy reach. He glanced at his tactical and saw the first of the red triangles approaching Minga’s position. There was at least a squad’s worth of the hybrids moving quickly through the brush. Wait. Wait for Mati, Fenes thought as he watched the hybrids approached Minga. Mati’s team was now in position.
“Wait for my command to fire,” Fenes said to the other three.
Fenes had a visual on Minga’s position. He couldn’t see her or her team, but he could see the hybrids running through the brush and trees. They were spike troops, probably scouting ahead for the heavy armored troops. The first of the spike troops jumped over a line of perfectly manicured bushes. It had some sort of animal skin as an adornment on its helmet. In the middle of its jump, Minga’s position opened up on the hybrids. The hybrid with the animal skin was blown sideways by a mini that ripped it in half. The trees and bushes around the other hybrids were torn apart by the fire from Minga’s team. One after the other went down. The rest turned toward Minga’s position to charge it, and then Mati’s team opened up on their rear. The rail fire cut through them, dropping them before they had time to move. A perfect ambush.
Now let’s see if we can get a few more to walk into the trap, Fenes thought. Sure enough, more red triangles began to move into the park, this time with more caution, using bounding overwatch as they moved.
Minga had not changed her position. She remained hidden in what looked like a group of rocks that had been brought in and carefully placed for effect. The hybrids were heavy armored troops, and judging by the way they were moving, they knew Minga was in the area but they didn’t know where. They began to fire into good ambush positions, trying to get Minga and Mati to return fire, but they didn’t take the bait. The hybrids were moving down paths and jumping over bushes and trees when they had to. They had just reached the first of the bodies of the spike troops when Minga again opened up on them, dropping the fire team that was in the lead. The rest of the hybrid squad began to fire into the rock formation. Minga returned fire, slowing the hybrids down so Mati could open up from her position. Mati lit them up, and again it worked. The hybrids found themselves in a cross fire, and one after another fell.
The area of the ambush was now covered with the bodies of the hybrids, downed trees, leaves, and bushes cut apart by all of the fire. It had worked twice. It wouldn’t work again. Fenes watched as Minga and Mati pulled their troops out and headed for different positions. Now it was his turn.
“Wait. They will be coming soon with a lot more. We’ll start with grenades, then rails,” Fenes whispered over their tactical net.
Fenes watched as the hybrids organized just outside the park. The sensors in the area had been damaged and he couldn’t tell exactly how many there were, but it looked like they were going to move through the park in at least platoon strength, a squad on each flank and one in the middle.
“Fenes, this is Minga.”
“This is Fenes, go.”
“I’m above and to your right. You start the show, we’ll follow your lead.”
“Roger. I’m going grenades first, then everything else.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
The hybrids were at the ambush site now. They were moving very carefully, firing into the rocks that had been Minga’s position. The squad on that flank rushed the rocks, only to find nothing except a few mines. There were three separate explosions that took down three of the squad. The surviving members quickly moved out of the rocks and nearer to the squad in the middle of the park. They stayed in that formation as they moved toward Fenes’s position.
“Fenes, I can get to the squad that will be beneath your pos. I’ll focus on them,” Mati said.
“Roger that. I got the middle two.”
Fenes’s mouth was dry as he waited for the hybrids to reach the point where he had decided to spring the ambush. It was the intersection of several paths through the park, and just below their position so they could drop their grenades without having to judge the distance.
“Come on, pretty hybrids, so we can blow you up,” Holman whispered.
Fenes grabbed a handful of grenades and squeezed to activate them. He watched as the first of the hybrids stepped into the intersection.
“Now!”
All four of them reached up and tossed their mini-grenades over the railing. Since they were spread out along the balcony, the grenades covered the two hybrid squads in the center of the park from their point man to their tail-end Charlie. Mati added her grenades to Fenes’s, and the hybrid squads were covered with explosions. The mini-grenades were effective, but the heavily armored troops were well protected, and not all of the hybrids went down.
“Up.”
The four stood and poured plunging fire into the hybrids. The rail rounds tore into their armor, and hybrid after hybrid went down until none were left standing. In the meantime, Mati was firing into the squad beneath Fenes’s position. When no hybrids were left upright and none of those down were moving, Fenes said, “Cease fire. Mati, how does it look from your position?”
“Looks good. All down. I think we’ve done enough damage here. I’m scooting.”
“Roger that. Let’s scoot.”
“Now that is what I call fun,” Holman said as they moved to their next ambush position.
Those ambushes would slow things down. The hybrids would have to be much more careful the next time they moved. Now all he had to do was find another nice hide for a good ambush. He studied the blueprints of the building and the positions of the other units to see if he could find another position that would give them a chance at some more interlocking fire.
Chapter 54
Sol System
Earth
City-State of New York
Operations Center of the Secretary General
Secretary General Monnetal strode into the operations center, followed by Kat Von Fleet.
“Attention on deck!” someone shouted when they saw him enter the room.
“As you were.”
Monnetal walked over to the tactical holo, where Admiral Raurk and Admiral Kitmura were standing. Neither had noticed his entrance into the room. They were staring intently at the holo and the units moving in and around the secretary general’s building as well as the close-quarters battles occurring above their heads.
Usiche looked up and saw the secretary general. She seemed startled to find him standing next to her.
“I’m sorry, sir. I was a little focused on the battle overhead, but that is no excuse. I should have heard your entry.”
“Nonsense. I got tired of being briefed by your staff and wanted to stop and see the battle itself.”
Monnetal stared at the holo filled with red and green symbols with lines, arrows, and other military symbology denoting the positions and actions of Confederation troops and the Xotoli and hybrids. It was a mystery to anyone outside the military.
“Admiral, I’m just an old naval lieutenant. This is all gibberish to me. Could you give me a quick update?”
“Certainly, sir. This is a representation of the battle that is going on above us. The hybrids, and now the Xotoli, have pushed our troops into their final-stand lines. This is all happening over our heads as we speak. The conscripts are holding the northern
part of the line while the Raiders are holding the eastern part. The Xotoli are pushing their way into Manhattan through the Raiders, and the hybrids are pushing south to our final phase line here.”
The admiral reached into the holo and touched the two phase lines, each represented by a hedgerow of triangles.
“How is the fight in space going, Admiral?”
Usiche paused before she answered. She switched the holo to a representation of the Earth with the Xotoli and Confederation vessels around it.
“Sir, we are losing. They vastly outnumber us, and they are pressing our ships hard. As you know, the Cube came out of the wormhole first, with hundreds of fighters. We had not expected this, and they quickly established the initiative. We fired our nukes from Earth’s defenses and our ships, but the Xotoli have developed a weapon that can detect the nukes and destroy them before they can reach the Cube. They are now nuking the Moon’s defenses since the Moon has no resources to preserve.”
“You have not painted a very positive picture.”
Usiche looked up from the holo and said, “If we don’t find that leader of theirs in the next few hours, I can’t say that I would not recommend your evacuation before they capture you.”
“Is it that close?”
Usiche said bluntly, “We’re losing at this point, sir.”
Monnetal looked at Kat, then back at the holo. “Show me the battle above us, where you think we will find our friend.”
Usiche switched the holo to the ground battle.
“There. Zoom in there,” Monnetal said.
Usiche zoomed in on the conscripts’ Phase Line Red positions.
“Closer. I want to be able to see individual units.”
She zoomed in until the Von Fleet and conscript units were shown.
“Which units are these? I can’t read the symbols.”
“Sir, these units are the Von Fleet units you activated, and these are conscript units. The Von Fleet green triangles have a small VF by them, and the conscripts have a C identifying them.”
“Can you get closer?”
“Yes, sir.”