Colonel Clarke hated the smell of thermite. Thermite was failure to him, and that did not sit well. He adjusted the cloth over his face. They were out of dust masks; cloth would have to do until they got off planet. If they got off.
"Bravo coming up," Arap said. The XO walked with a crutch. One side of his uniform was scorched, and burnt skin showed on the edges. He'd refused treatment; others were burned far worse.
The two officers passed a sentry and came to the line of tanks. They stopped midway along the line. There were half a dozen tanks left, and a few more smoldered in the distance.
"Lieutenant Torori?" Arap asked one of the sentries.
The man directed them to a tank on the end. They walked over and watched maintenance crews struggling to weld on a new set of hydraulic struts. The metal glowed fiercely, and a team hammered rivets while maintaining an arc.
"Torori?" Clarke said. He didn't know who was who.
Lieutenant Torori stood up and wiped the dust off his goggles. He gave a quick salute and darted his eyes between the repair job and the colonel. "Sir?"
"How are you fitted out?"
Lieutenant Torori adjusted the cloth over his face. He looked down the line of tanks. "Half strength. Though we're heavy on infantry. Still got AA, artillery, and a recovery vehicle."
"Infantry riding on the recovery?" Arap asked.
Torori nodded. "They're riding wherever they can."
"Wounded?" Clarke said.
Torori shook his head. "Not really."
Colonel Clarke nodded. A direct hit didn't leave survivors. A steel coffin was the best many of his troops could hope for. He hoped they didn't suffer before burning. It wasn't something he thought of often, but it stuck with him, especially the smell.
They crawled through the open rear hatch. The crew compartment was a mess of half-stowed supplies and ammunition canisters. Mueller was stuffing gear into compartments. Gous lay with his mechanical arm strapped tight to his chest and a tablet resting on it. Both started to jump up to attention.
"Relax," Colonel Clarke said. He sat down on a crate of ammo. "Keep working. Just getting out of the wind."
"This the one that got towed by the walker?" Arap said.
"Yes, sir," Torori answered. He sat and peeled off his dust mask. "Glad we saved it."
Colonel Clarke watched the crew work. The driver was still in the complete headset. There were two bottles of urine at his side. His hands tapped at the keypad. Behind him, the TC was busy stripping down the autocannon.
He was proud of them. At every turn when they'd been outnumbered, beaten down, and cast aside, they kept fighting. Even now they maintained, cleaned weapons, and worked hard. He'd never have guessed they were all criminals.
"Lieutenant Torori," Colonel Clarke said. "Captain Diego is dead. You've got what's left of Alpha. They're headed over shortly."
Lieutenant Torori didn't miss a beat. "How many?"
"Four."
Torori shook his head. "Four? God damn."
"How long until you're ready to go?" Arap said.
Torori leaned back and looked up into the TC compartment. "Mick, how much longer?"
"Two hours, sir."
Colonel Clarke leaned back against the hull of the tank. He was tired. Bone tired. Tired enough to close his eyes and pass out. "They're abandoning the gate."
Mueller stopped stowing gear and looked back at the officers.
"We received word to pull back immediately. We're to be the last ones there until relieved. We've got about eighteen hours until Carco and Karling pull out. They're leaving, with us or without us."
"Can we break through to Carco?" Torori said.
"We don't have much choice, Lieutenant. Put your best crew in the lead. You'll have Charlie and Delta as backup. Supply train are behind them and Fox has the rear. The supply vehicles can't handle the dust, so keep pace with the plows. We need one hole to get through, and then Carco and his boys can keep it open. I'll send over where I'd like to punch through."
"Got it, sir," Torori said. "Enemy disposition?"
"Kadan infantry, Emflife armor, no Vek yet, and no synthetics," Arap said. "They've been digging in on both sides."
Colonel Clarke nodded. "We leave on your cue. The sooner the better."
Mick leaned out of his compartment and tapped Torori on the shoulder. "We'll be ready in an hour, sir."
"That's what I like to hear," Arap said.
"We're low on ammo. Hell, we're low on everything," Torori said. "Can we get—"
Colonel Clarke shook his head. "Make every shot count, gentlemen. Make every shot count."
"Give 'em hell, Lieutenant," Arap said.
"Will do, Commander," Torori replied.
"One more thing, Lieutenant, though I do have to apologize," Colonel Clarke said.
"Sir?" Torori said.
Colonel Clarke held out his hand. "It's Captain Torori now. You've earned it. But I don't have any pins to slap on you."
Captain Torori grinned and shook Colonel Clarke's hand vigorously, then Arap's. "Thank you, sir."
Colonel Clarke stood and tied the handkerchief back on his face. "One hour, Captain. You'll be leading the way."
#
Chapter Thirty-One
Planet Squire, Kalivostok System
Vasilov-Kvinsk Xeno-Archaeology Research Camp
They set out three hours later. The dust roiled in the sky over them in angry-looking anvil clouds. The pillars blurred into view and then disappeared. But it was just long enough to see something else rising up into the sky.
The remnants of Alpha and Bravo crawled along either side of the original road. They straddled a line of hardpack that was just behind a line of dust fence. Nearer the road, the dust was built up into massive drifts.
Tomi drove up and slowed the tank when they dropped into a depression. He kept watch as the plow trucks tossed cascades of dust into the air. It flew up like a massive wave. It was slow going, and the clock was ticking.
"Whatcha gonna do with yours?" Hutchins said to Puck. Hutch was wearing a helmet with a wad of dust-stained gauze on top of it. He had two black eyes, and blood dripped occasionally from his nose. They'd wanted him to stay with the wounded, but he wouldn't have it.
"Well, I still have four years on my sentence. So, well, I dunno. What can ya do?" Puck replied.
"I'm going to buy nice clothes," Kallio said. "I'm so sick of a uniform."
"I'm gonna get smashed. Like, black out, wake up on another planet drunk," Veriha said.
"I might buy a farm, something with good, black soil," Hutchins said. "Then I'll get some cows and a bunch of rabbits—"
"Rabbits?" Puck said. "You're nuts."
Hutchins grinned and wiped his nose.
Gous labored over his tablet. His one hand danced over the screen. With every jolt and shake he cursed. He suddenly sat up and half crawled up into Mick's position.
Mick spoke for a second. "Tomi, take it, keep pace." Then he keyed off his comms.
Tomi watched the plows crawl ahead. He didn't envy the drivers. The trucks drove into a dust-free spot and really picked up speed before slamming into the next drifts.
He stared out ahead and drove carefully. One track felt soft, the repair job not quite perfect. His map was about useless at this point; the jamming had removed the data feed, and there was precious little contour of note. Just a road, straight like a needle, ending at the industrial zone near the stargate.
Gous dropped back and plopped himself down. He scowled and stared at his tablet.
"Listen up," Mick said. "Don't be spending your money yet. We've got a problem."
"We got a ton of problems. What's one more, eh?" Waslinski said.
"Those numbers that Gous has, yah, they're physical credit sticks," Mick said.
"And?" Puck said.
"And we can't spend anything until they're onto a credit stick."
There was a collective groan.
Tomi couldn't help but chuckle. He slowed Bu
lldog and let the plows catch up.
"So this is the plan," Mick said. "Once we reach the gate, there's a financial service center."
"You mean a bank?" Kallio said. "We gotta break into a fucking bank?"
"Well no one's gonna be there, and it's not like anyone's gonna notice," Gous said.
"I dunno," Kallio said. "They have a special name for this shit. It's called looting."
"They shoot you for that," Hess said.
Doubt filled the crew compartment. Everyone started to argue.
Gous yelled out loudly. "This is our fucking money! We just get in, grab a few sticks, and out we go. C'mon, this is our payday. It'll take us five minutes."
The crew haggled the details. Mick and Gous argued to go, Hess and Kallio led the opposition. Finally they settled on a team actually breaking into the bank while the others kept watch.
The artillery alarms flashed. A sudden explosion rocketed out a hundred meters from Bulldog. A mass of dust and stone flew into the sky.
"Best not spend that money yet," Tomi said. "We've gotta get across this plain."
Lieutenant Torori came over the comms. "Everyone go! Secure the far edge!"
"Go, go!" Mick called. "Everyone lock and load!"
Bulldog surged ahead and led the charge. Before them the dusty waste stretched out with a line of hills on the far side. They'd already passed the zone where Fox Company took heavy losses. Now it was an empty plain that was marked only by the low road and the dust.
More artillery fell. It was sporadic and tumbled to the ground across the entire plain. Bishop came on comms and explained that the enemy artillery was too far off. They didn't have any accuracy.
"A lucky strike will still kill ya," Mick said. "Hammer this thing, Tomi."
Now they hoped that the late artillery meant that the Kadan and Emflife just guessed they were coming. All eyes were focusing on the far ridge. The further they drove, the more they worried. Behind them, the dust rose into the air and was whipped into the distance.
If the Emflife came onto that ridge now, they'd have the entire 19th ACR sitting on a flat plain without any cover.
"Faster!" Mick yelled.
Tomi squeezed a bit more but didn't want to push too much. Already the repaired hydraulics weren't looking good. "Gonna pop that strut!"
"Fuck it! If we don't get to that ridge, they're gonna pop us!"
Now they raced across the plain in a line a dozen tanks wide. They were staggered in a jagged line. Dust spread out behind them in a massive cloud. The road itself was totally obscured.
More rounds fell. Then more. The clusters were tighter, but still they weren't on target. The massive roars of each impact blasted through the air.
Bulldog was in the middle and heading right for a tight draw. It eventually rose up and settled near the peak of the ridge. The distance closed. The tracks rumbled over a gravel bank, and they dipped down.
"Holy shit," Mick said. "I think we made it."
"Contact! Here they come! Go, go!" Bastard called.
"I can't see anything!" Mick said. They rolled forward in the draw; all they could see on either side was the slope of the stone rolling up. Rocks shattered beneath the track.
Cannon fire roared out on either side. Autocannons stitched around them. A tracer flew over Bulldog and disappeared somewhere above.
"Engage! Get onto that ridge! Hit 'em! Hit 'em now!" Captain Torori yelled.
Bulldog rocked from side to side and rolled up further.
"Shit! Firing!" Mick yelled.
An Emflife tank was just on the edge of the draw. It slung its cannon and pointed it toward Bulldog. It fired, and rock exploded on the opposite side of the draw. The Emflife's cannon wouldn't go low enough to strike Bulldog.
"Don't stop!" Mick yelled. "We're under his gun!"
Tomi slammed down the accelerator without any regard for the tank. He looked up and could see the Emflife tank a dozen meters away. It was driving backward with the main cannon pointed as low as it could go.
Bulldog fired three rounds. Two ricocheted off while the third gouged into the armor.
As they drove, the gap lessened. Bulldog was in a tough spot. If they stopped, the Emflife could fire on them immediately. Now they didn't have a choice but to race up until either they penetrated or the Emflife armor broke off.
"Firing!" Mick called out. Two more rounds slammed into the Emflife armor, and this time both shattered on the energy shield.
"Ride the wall!" Mick said.
More rock exploded. The Emflife tank fired again and again. Every time, it was closer.
Tomi turned the tank slightly and felt the rock rubbing against the side. He was as tight as he could go. The grinding sound transmitted through the whole hull. Everyone in the back could just sit tight and listen to the chaos.
Bulldog fired again and again. Every time the rounds just ricocheted off or exploded on the energy shield.
The draw was coming to an end; there was a steep rise and then they would be on the same plane as the Emflife armor. Bulldog had gained on the Emflife tank and was now slightly ahead.
"Tomi, jump up and ram him! You hear me, hit it and ram him!"
Tomi kept it tight, wiggled his butt into his seat, and hit the rise. He only prayed that the driving wheels wouldn't separate.
Bulldog jumped off the rise and clattered to the ground. The main cannon clacked onto the top of the hull and then fired. The first round clanged against the Emflife tank but didn't penetrate. The second round flared blue and was gone. They drove over a rock, the barrel kicked up a bit, and the third round punched right through the seam of the Emflife turret.
At the very last instant, the Emflife tank drove one last round right through the autocannon. The ammunition cooked off and it looked like white fireworks erupting from the top of Bulldog.
They crested the rise with the rest of Alpha and Bravo. A few of the Vasilov tanks had burned halfway down. The others had prime position and fired down on the other side. Emflife tanks fired up, but were in poor position. Kadan troops ran back into the cover of the buildings.
"Keep going! The Sixth is coming up the other side!" Colonel Clarke called.
Mick yelled over the sound of the ammunition alarms. "Roll up to that black building and then tuck us in tight. Infantry, get ready!"
Tomi studied the route and raced down the hill. The tracks hummed as Bulldog sailed. They hit the flat with the rest of the ragtag company. Delta and the remnants of Fox fired from the ridge above. What little Kadan resistance there was disappeared into the buildings.
"Gous! Upload that route now!" Mick said.
Tomi drove up to the edge of the building and halted. A second later, his display had an aerial map overlaid with a hastily drawn route. The destination was just near the stargate.
"Dismount! Sweep us in!"
The infantry exited, with only Hutchins and Gous still inside. They spread out in front of Bulldog and waved the tank ahead. Gunfire was sporadic, with most of it happening nearer to the stargate. The route took them close.
Puck poked around a corner and fired. A second later, Veriha ran up with him and fired with Hutchins's grenade launcher. The force of it took him to his knees, and then he fired more. Bulldog rolled up and punched two rounds into a fleeing Kadan armored car.
They rolled past two more intersections and met the first of the Sixth Light Infantry. A group of soldiers raced up and spoke with Puck.
"Hey, hey! They got some Kadan in the next building. Can we hit it?" Puck called.
"Send him in; he can direct the fire," Mick called back.
Two of the soldiers pushed inside of Bulldog. One popped up into the TC position and spoke with Mick. Tomi turned around and did a double take. The soldier standing behind him was Marco—the man he'd boxed against on Kalivostok. He recognized Tomi and gave him a fake jab. Tomi grinned back and then drove the tank ahead.
Bulldog rolled up around a corner. A dozen soldiers were pinned. A Kadan heavy machin
e gun thudded into the debris around them. Mick raised the cannon and drove a set of rounds into the second story of a building. The Kadan came out on fire, but no one bothered to finish them off—they just let them burn.
"Thanks!" Marco said. He exited, and the Sixth kept sweeping through the city.
The heavy defensive emplacements fired in the distance. Dust fell from the buildings with each concussion. Above them, the sky looked angry. They drove through empty streets and past firefights, and headed right for the bank.
***
"Hold at the corner!" Mick called.
Tomi rolled ahead a dozen meters and halted the tank. They were through the warehouses and were surrounded by housing and shuttered stores. The Kadan contact had been sporadic.
"Headin' out!" Puck called.
Tomi watched Puck and a few others run up to the corner. Puck stopped, slid down low, and took a look.
"There's somebody there looting our shit!"
"Tomi, drive ahead!" Mick said.
Bulldog crunched around the corner. Tomi halted it just when the main cannon was clear. Fifty meters away, a low-slung cargo hauler was backed to the door. A half-dozen soldiers were in the midst of loading crates onto the back. One man turned and ran down the street. The others glanced between each other.
"Puck, go up. Tell 'em we're here to evac that shit," Mick said.
Tomi hadn't expected this. The giddiness of pulling off an untraceable heist faded fast. "Hey Sergeant, maybe we should—"
"Shaddup. Puck, look official."
Puck swaggered across the street with his rifle cradled in his arm. He glanced back once and waved the tank up.
"Go," Mick said.
Bulldog crept up and kept pace. The other infantry fell in behind Puck.
Puck stopped and looked into the rear of the truck.
One soldier looked at the next. "We're transferring this back to Kalivostok. Colonel Karling's orders."
"Then why'd your friend run?" Puck said.
One of the men backed away from the truck. A second peeked out from the heavy doors of the bank.
Steel Storm (Steel Legion Book 2) Page 20