As they came out of the high clouds, Tavia saw the volcano and magnification showed the mass of attackers in the plaza and extending into the volcano entrance. When they all saw this, the Legatus said, “They are already in the mountain. There must be fighting inside.”
“I hope we’re not too late,” Tavia said, to no one in particular.
“Open a channel to the centurion of the eighth,” the legatus ordered.
“Yes Legatus, Claudius Pulcher here,” the primary centurion of the eighth cohort responded within seconds.
“Centurion Pulcher, the enemy is in the mountain. Be prepared for possible resistance.”
“We will be ready, Legatus.”
“Good hunting, then.” The Legatus then activated the combat channel on her console. “All drop ships, converge on your targets and good hunting. Begin the cadence.”
As soon as the order was given, the first cohort swung out and dropped towards the plaza. By pre-arrangement, the hover tanks dropped already manned by their crews. Each drop ship nosed up forty-five degrees as the controlled descent passed the top of the mountain. The cadence began to sound letting the legionaries know battle was about to begin. The drop ships were now halfway down the mountain. Their turreted Gatling guns had been manned from the start and were ready to give cover fire and ground support.
The Legatus now gave her next order, “Release the tanks.”
The pilots of each drop ship now pressed a button on their consoles and the hover tanks slid out of their locks and began to drop away. As soon as they were clear of their drop ships, they began to fire explosive cannon shells into the mass of attackers in the plaza.
Legatus Edmonton now turned to her communications tech, “Send a tight beam transmission to the Slones and Centurion Marshal. Ask their status.”
The response was quick to come. “Legatus, welcome. This is Christopher Slone. We are defending the hatchery. So far our lines are holding but I can’t say how long.”
“Captain Slone, good to hear from you. We are about to engage the enemy. What is your status?”
“Alaya and I are fine as is Sly, but Centurion Marshal is gravely wounded. The serpent medics are doing what they can, but they are not human medics and are unfamiliar with our anatomy.”
“The eighth is landing in your hangar. Their medics can help. Do you know if there are any enemies in the hangar area?”
“Legatus we sealed the hangar and the enemy has not gotten in from that quarter. Ask the eighth to hold back to let us open the blast doors.” Slone explained to Sly what the problem was and she immediately dispatched some serpents to open the Hangar blast doors. A few minutes later, they reported the doors were open and the cloak was dropped to allow the Romani drop ships to see where the hangar was located. They also reported that drop ships were landing in the hangar bay. Outside the mountain, the first cohort drop ships and hover tanks were pounding the enemy with cannons and Gatling guns until there was enough room to land the legionaries. The final defense of the hatchery was about to begin.
Chapter 11 - Lex Unguibus
The battle at the hatchery was not going well. Centurion Marshal’s troops were fighting valiantly, but the sheer numbers were forcing them back, constantly thinning their lines as the semicircle of defenders was stretching thinner and thinner. The Slones had decided to pour what was left of their ammunition into the attackers to delay them while the cohort worked their way down from the hangar. When their rifles and pistols were empty, they pulled out their swords and stood in front of Sly with shields at the ready. Two vipers leapt over the attenuated defense line and made a beeline for the Slones and Sly. Christopher could see Centurion Marshal trying to raise himself and fire his rifle at the attackers, while his medics tried to get him to rest. The serpents were amazed at how the humans were fighting to the death for them. A lucky shot from the centurion hit one of the jumpers square in the chest and knocked him backwards. The second jumper managed to reach the Slones’ position and slammed into their shields. The weight of the attack was so ferocious that Alaya was knocked backward and Christopher was pushed aside. The viper then lunged at Sly who slashed out with her claws and simultaneously used her tail to knock her opponent off balance. As the viper attempted to regain her balance, she stepped near where Alaya had landed. Alaya took the opportunity to thrust upwards at the viper and pierce her leg, severing the main artery. As the blood gushed out, the viper trumpeted in pain and viciously slashed out with tooth and claw. Alaya just managed to get her shield up, but it was swept out of her hand by the force of the blow. The second claw now lashed out and deeply mauled her body armor and her upper thigh. Now it was Alaya’s turn to bleed. The viper now turned again towards Sly, who was ready for her. However, Sly was not needed. Christopher jumped at the viper and thrust his sword deep into the chest and twisted. This added blood loss was too much for the viper’s body to withstand and she dropped where she stood as her lifeblood ran onto the floor.
Christopher looked over at Alaya and the serpent medics were already tending her wounds as best they could. She was out of the fight for now. Christopher then turned to the battle at the entrance and could see the serpent line was going to break. He was just about to run up and take a spot on the line when he heard the unmistakable sound of a centurion’s whistle. He gave a quick look in the direction of the sound and saw a formation of Romani legionaries coming on at a run to shore up the defense. The room became suddenly crowded with 600 new fighters but the sheer weight of the surge threw the enemy back into the lava tube. Before he finally lost consciousness, Centurion Marshal ordered his serpent troops to retreat through the Romani ranks to catch their breath and get some food and drink. It was hard to convince them to leave but they finally left the front line and almost collapsed from exhaustion.
Christopher quickly checked on his wife’s condition and saw that Romani medics were now helping the serpents with both human and serpent casualties. The serpent medics made sure that Romani medics ministered to Centurion Marshal immediately. His condition was grave and it was decided to evacuate him directly to one of the dreadnoughts. The medics took him to the hangar and rushed him up in a Romani drop ship. With the injured under proper care, Christopher went down to where the Romani were fighting and pushing the vipers back into the lava tube. He saw Claudius Pulcher standing with the cohort and walked over to him.
“Captain Slone, good to see you again,” Centurion Pulcher said.
“You arrived just in the nick of time,” Slone said. “I think our defense was just minutes from collapsing. Is the entire legion here?”
“No, only the first and eighth cohorts. The first is landing in the plaza and clearing it. We are tasked with pushing the enemy out of the mountain. How do we tell the difference between the serpents?”
“The enemy we have named vipers for reference. If they are facing us, they are enemies. All of our friends, who still live, are behind us in this room. Centurion Marshal has trained them to fight like us with shield and spear.”
As they were speaking, the refreshed serpents came forward with their shields. Of the 10000 serpents trained by Centurion Marshal, only about fifty were still left in fighting condition. They now reported for duty with the Romani cohort. The Romani had just managed to push back the attackers and were now entering the next room. As they saw the carnage, they realized how brutal the fighting had been in very close quarters. The serpents requested permission to move to the front and the Romani cohort made a path for them. Centurion Pulcher asked Slone, “Do they follow our rotation to the rear?” He was referring to the constant rotation of the front line back for rest after every ten minutes of fighting.
“Centurion Marshal attempted to train them in that drill, but they refuse to leave the front line. When he discovered that they have ten times our stamina, he gave up and let them decide if they wanted to rotate. Usually they just plug the gaps when the front row suffers casualties.”
“Thank you captain, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The Centurion then took his leave and went through the lava tube into the next chamber. The work to be done was hard and it was hot, but the first cohort prevented reinforcements from reaching the mountain and blocked the retreat of those in the mountain. The gunships and hover tanks of the first cohort had cleared the enemy away from the entrance to the mountain and pushed them back into the surrounding jungle. They fired at the drop ships with hand held rail guns and one lucky shot took out the aviation controls of a gunship, which then came down hard in the plaza before it was cleared. To prevent the vipers from swarming the downed ship, the turret began raking the enemy lines and hover tanks came to the rescue. The century disembarked from the ship and went into formation with the rest of the cohort to block the entrance. The five remaining gunships now gave air cover.
The attackers outside the mountain regrouped and made a last desperate charge. The first five centuries of the first cohort stood their ground, forming a curved shield wall in front of the entrance. One century faced the rear to prevent vipers in the mountain from exiting. The vipers ran across the plaza at full speed in numbers much greater than the defenders. However, they had no defense against the cannons of the hover tanks or the Gatling guns of the hovercrafts. The Romani left a trail of dead vipers by firing their Gatling guns and cannons. However, there were many vipers moving out of the jungle and soon they were too close to the Romani shield wall to continue firing so the tanks and hovercraft moved off to fire at the reinforcements in the jungle. The command drop ship did not have a tank or antiaircraft hover attached. That space was taken up by the command and communication structures. If need be, they could be detached and the forward part of the drop ship could function as a hovercraft for air support. Tavia stood next to the Legatus and watched the battle unfold as they were hovering just next to the volcano. The command ship was in constant communication with the ground commanders and the Slones. It soon became evident that enemy resistance within the mountain was decreasing and more of the vipers in the mountain were surrendering. The eighth cohort was now fighting in the large control room near the mountain entrance. Both sides had taken casualties but the Romani were holding their own and Christopher Slone kept Centurion Pulcher briefed on what his troops would find in each room. When the viper troops in the mountain were finally pressed into the entrance tunnel, they were attacked from behind by the rear ranks of the first cohort standing just outside the blast doors. When this happened, all fight left them and they surrendered.
Meanwhile, outside the mountain things were still intense in the plaza. The mass of attacking vipers hit the Romani shield wall with tremendous and almost irresistible force. What kept the line from collapsing was the fact that there was nowhere to collapse. They had their backs to the mountain and the eighth cohort was pushing from the mountain entrance. Once the initial shock was over the Romani line began to push back with shields and sword thrusts from the first line into the abdomen and the second line into the face. The third line used their guns to pour a withering fire into the enemy. The eighth cohort and the surviving serpents wanted to enter the fight but there was too much density of forces. They just couldn’t exit the mountain. The Legatus saw the problem and ordered the primary centurion to use close order breakout. This was a technique for dispersing enemies when they were so tightly packed that neither side could come to resolution. The Romani needed a resolution. They were so tightly packed that they could not rotate to the rear and bring up fresh troops. In human battles, that was not usually a problem, but given the level of the viper stamina, humans were at a disadvantage. It was time for the Romani to act. The primary centurion of the first cohort was just behind the second line, sizing up the problem. Finally, she ordered the cadence increased to attack speed. Immediately the drumbeat sounding from drones over the battlefield increased and this told the legionaries to get ready. Now the primary centurion gave one order, “Smoke”.
On their bandoliers, each legionary carried five grenades, one for smoke, one flash bang for disorienting the enemy and three fragmentation grenades to kill. Now each legionary in the third and fourth lines pulled a smoke grenade out and threw it into the enemy. Soon the entire area in front of the Romani line was obscured by smoke. As the vipers were momentarily confused by the nature of this new attack, another order came, “Flash bang.”
Again, movement in the third and fourth rows occurred and two hundred flash bang grenades flew out of the Romani lines and exploded with a loud bang and a bright flash in the enemy masses. This time confusion turned into slight panic, as these weapons did not exist among the serpents. Finally, the last order was issued, “Grenades.”
Again movement followed by two hundred fragmentation grenades thrown into the vipers. This time the explosions drew blood and dismembered bodies. The effect was immediate; the vipers surged backwards in a mixture of panic and confusion. As the enemy line moved back, the Romani pushed forward and the eighth cohort came out of the mountain and formed on the left side of the first cohort. The remaining serpent fighters also came out and formed up with the eighth cohort as part of the front line. The Romani had now fought side by side with the serpents in the mountain and they had developed a great admiration for them. Centurion Marshal had trained them well. The legionaries of the first cohort looked with admiration on how easily the serpents blended into the human battle line. The view was not lost on the Legatus either, from her position over the battlefield. The cohorts just had enough time to line up when the next attack came. The Romani and their allies fought like demons against an enemy that many would say looked like demons. They repeated the grenade tactics two more times, but the vipers adapted quickly and it remained a tough fight.
The Romani were starting to make inroads and push the vipers back more and the gunships and tanks kept pounding the rear of the enemy. The Romani had to stop their forward movement, since they ran the risk of exposing their flanks and leaving the mountain open. This was beginning to look like a developing stalemate. The Legatus also saw the problem. As she was discussing possible scenarios to break the stalemate, a missile suddenly rose from the jungle and streaked towards her hovercraft. The pilot made a rapid move and released both flares and chaff to cover all known guidance systems. The flares worked and the missile detonated 15 meters from the hovercraft. Fragments pelted the armor but one lucky hit was scored on the rear port repulsor. The pilot did a herculean job in maintaining control but they were not going to stay in the air. The cohorts could see the command hover slowly descend and it came down hard to the left of the eighth cohort with a gap of about 75 meters filled with vipers. The viper males opened fire with rail guns on the gunship. Claudius Pulcher quickly consulted with the primary centurion of the first cohort, and it was agreed that the eighth with the remaining serpents would attempt a rescue. The first cohort retracted its line and covered the mountain entrance as some wounded serpents picked up shields and spears and helped in the defense. As the eighth cohort pushed its way forward, the side door of the craft suddenly opened, and the Praetorian Guard burst out in a solid formation. The vipers had expected troops to come out but not with the intensity of the Praetorians. They had only one purpose in mind, crush the resistance and get the Legatus to safety. The thirty Praetorians went forward and formed in front of the ship hatch. Behind them came the Legatus, Tavia and the support personnel. Normally the Legatus would have stayed with the stricken craft, but there was the threat of fire and they were not within their own lines. As soon as the serpents with the eighth saw Tavia at risk, they doubled their efforts to reach her and the Romani saw something they had never expected. The trained serpents began to force their way forward with such power that the vipers could not withstand the onslaught. As word spread that Tavia was at risk, every serpent in the mountain that was wounded but could still fight, picked up dropped weapons and shields ran out of the cave to assist in the rescue. Their ferocity was such that vipers began to drop before them like mown grass. Soon they had reached the Praetorians and
they began to form in front of them as they moved towards the mountain. The Praetorians could not believe the feat they had just witnessed. There were still some minor charges made by the vipers but the fight was leaving them and soon they retreated into the jungle. Tavia and the Legatus both had to do some fighting but it was not lost on the Legatus that the serpents did all they could to protect Tavia. As soon as all of the forces were able to retreat into the mountain, Sly and the Slones came into the main hall, just inside the entrance. As soon as the danger was over, the serpent troops faced Tavia, fell to one knee, and bowed their heads until Sly told them to stand up.
“It seems you made quite the impression, Primary Scout MacDougal,” the Legatus pointed out.
The humans were all amused at the various shades of red Tavia turned. “I am sorry Legatus, they should have honored you not me.”
The Legatus laughed. “I have been briefed by Consul Lorenzo about your courage in saving Sly from an assassin. We are all aware of what the serpents think of you and feel it may help our relations in the future.”
The vipers pulled back from the entrance and retreated into the jungle. The legionaries guarding the entrance could see the plaza littered with viper bodies, hundreds of them. Had they been dealing with humans there would have been thousands of bodies, but serpents are hard to kill. Near the door, there were more than a few human fatalities and the medics were working outside, to take care of the injured. There were also plenty of dead and injured inside the mountain from the fighting there. Thousands had been killed in the mountain and the bodies of the dead serpents were taken and removed to the interior of the mountain where there was access to the lava. They were all thrown into the molten lava and disposed of in this manner, both friend and foe. The human bodies were flown on hovercrafts to the fleet for cremation. Human techs were working side by side with serpent techs to return life to the terminals in the main chamber. Tavia had no time to rest as she kept moving from station to station to translate. Hatch was always at her side and had helped to protect her in the flight from the wrecked command hover. Priority was given to communications, which were quickly reestablished with the fleet.
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