by James Rosone
*******
As the sounds of battle outside the camp continued to fade as it moved further into the trees, T’Tock turned to one of his commanders. “Send a message to the other camps that we just encountered a new race of humans. Also, send a message to Ka’Cha, letting them know there are enemy ships in orbit above the planet and that we are requesting immediate assistance.”
“By your command,” came the reply from his subordinate as he trotted off to their communications building.
Returning his gaze to the man and woman his guards had tied to a chair, T’Tock walked up to the man first. “Where are you from?”
The man looked nervous and scared. He glanced over to the woman, almost asking with his eyes if he should answer the question.
T’Tock held one of his hands out in front of the man and extended his talons.
“Like we said, we’re from Earth,” the human blurted out, obviously terrified. “It’s a planet many light years from here.”
“See? That wasn’t so hard,” T’Tock said in the Chaldean variant. He pulled out a tablet that had 3-D maps of the known universe. “Now, why don’t you show me where your star system is located?”
“Don’t tell him anything, Justin!” Nina yelled.
T’Tock turned his head to face Nina and backhanded her across the face with one of his four hands. The blow caused her nose to start bleeding and cracked her lip open.
Walking over to her, T’Tock said, “Since you appear to be the one in charge, here is what we’re going to do, Nina. I’m going to ask you a question, and each time you don’t answer it, I’m going to hurt your friend.”
Nina looked up at the large blue alien with hate burning in her eyes. “My people will come back for me, and they will kill you all!” She then spat some blood in his face, which only further infuriated him. The beast punched her hard in the gut, causing her to gasp for air.
T’Tock walked back over to Justin. Then while glaring at Nina, he asked, “Where is this star system where Earth is located?”
When she didn’t answer, T’Tock used one of his taloned fingernails to rip the man’s shirt open. With his chest and belly now exposed, T’Tock used his talons to cut Justin’s stomach. He didn’t rip it wide open—it was about a six-centimeter cut, just large and deep enough to expose a small piece of intestines. Justin screamed in agony and pain as the wound began to bleed.
“I’m sorry, Justin,” was the only thing Nina could say.
Looking at Nina again, T’Tock repeated the question. When she lifted her head and didn’t say anything, T’Tock used one of his talons to catch part of Justin’s small intestine and pull some of it out of him. Justin howled and cried out in pain. His face became ashen and he was sweating profusely. His body was going into shock.
“Nina, I could do this all day to poor Justin, but that wouldn’t be fair or very nice. Why don’t you just tell me what I want to know, and we’ll patch Justin up? You both can live. What star system is your home world in?” T’Tock asked once again.
Just as T’Tock was about to pull more of Justin’s intestines out, Nina finally relented. “Give me the tablet!” she cried. When he handed it to her, she pointed and explained, “Earth is in the Indus system.”
*******
Nina’s answer was false, but she was hoping the Zodarks wouldn’t know that. She needed to buy the Deltas some time to rescue them, and she hoped if she fed him some bad information, that just might work.
“You say Earth is here, in what you call the Indus system?” he asked skeptically. “That is a long way from here. Have your people developed faster-than-light-speed travel?”
Nina looked at Justin. He had practically passed out from the pain, and his stomach was still bleeding. Returning her gaze to the beast standing in front of her, she stated, “Yes, we have. We can cover many light-years with our technology. Now, I’ve answered several of your questions. I want you to give my friend some medical attention if we are to continue talking.”
The giant blue beast raised one of his hands and played with his braided locks. “All right, Nina,” he said. “Here is what we will do. I will have my medical people patch your friend up, but if you stop answering my questions, then we will start right back up. I assure you, Justin here may die, but we have the ability to bring him back from the dead and kill him many times over. Don’t do that to your friend, Nina. Just answer my questions.”
*******
Several hours later, the three other Delta platoons, along with a company of Republic Army soldiers, had gotten themselves into position to attack the enemy camp and recover their people. The RASs had brought two of their 3.5-meter-tall Mechs with them for added firepower. The heavily built-up forested area was not conducive to bringing some of their heavily armored tanks, so the Mechs would have to do.
Captain Hopper kneeled next to a tree with his four lieutenants and senior NCOs. The RA battalion commander, Major Jenkins, and Captain Foster, his company commander, also joined him as they looked at the layout of the prison camp.
The camp was roughly three kilometers long and two kilometers wide. Much of it was taken up by what they suspected were industrial processing machines, along with a sizable stockpile of refined ore near the rear entrance. Based on their best intelligence, the door led down a path two hundred meters long, which opened into a large field that looked like it had been used by some sort of heavy transport aircraft.
Spaced out along the wall were some guard towers, which did not appear to be manned. Rather, they were likely autonomous towers, each fitted with a pair of blasters for weapons. The walls of the structures were four meters high. What they were made of, no one knew just yet.
Captain Hopper was going over the plan of attack when he got a coded message from the Voyager. Telling the others he needed to walk away for a moment, Hopper got up and accepted the video link.
“Admiral, we’re outlining our attack now. What can I do for you?”
Admiral Halsey’s face appeared on his HUD. “We’ve detected multiple messages from the camp you’re about to attack; they were sent to at least six other locations on the planet. I’m not sure if those are other mining camps like this, or if there’s an alien garrison on the planet. What concerns me more right now is that we’ve also detected several messages being sent outside the Rhea system. We believe these are distress calls.”
Hopper shook his head in frustration; he knew they probably didn’t have a whole lot of time left if this was the case. Either those other camps would send reinforcements, or a starship or two might appear near their own ships.
“I understand. You need us to hit this place fast and hard before help can show up,” Hopper replied.
“Exactly. The Rook has broken orbit and will stand by to engage any ships that arrive in the system. But I need you to recover our people and liberate that camp. See if any of those prisoners want to come back with us, or if they want to stay and wait for their guards to return. Oh, and before I forget, our science team is telling me to make sure you guys grab whatever it is they’re mining. They want you to bring back all those refined blocks of whatever that mineral is so they can study it. It’s clearly crucial enough that these aliens have multiple camps mining it, and if it’s important to them, then it’s important to us. How copy?”
Hopper tried to maintain his composure. His job was to get their people back and liberate prisoners. Now the science team wants my people to scoop up these refined minerals?
The admiral clearly saw his look of frustration through the video feed. “Captain, just focus on getting our people back and liberating the camp. If there’s time to grab those refined blocks, then do so, but once an enemy warship appears in the system, we need to evacuate as quickly as we can. We have no idea what their ships are capable of.”
He nodded. “That’s a good copy, Admiral. We’ll launch our attack in the next twenty minutes. In the meantime, can you prepare a couple of our utility drop ships? If these prisoners want to come with us
, we’re going to need more ships to get them up to the Voyager.”
“Will do, Captain. Now go get our people back. Halsey out.”
*******
Hopper kneeled down in his old position and laid out the order of attack and how he wanted it to go down. From what their microdrones had been able to tell them, the prisoners were all being held in a couple of large barracks. Their microdrones had also spotted about fifty reinforcements that appeared to have arrived from another camp. Hopper’s drone guy had tried to use some of their specialized drones to get a better view of what was going on in the camp, but the guard towers’ sensors had detected them and taken them out. So far, the towers hadn’t spotted the microdrones, which were only the size of a fifty-cent piece, so their stealth had been valuable. However, they were also far less capable than Hopper would have liked for an attack like this.
Major Jenkins interjected. “Captain Hopper, now that this is a combat operation and we’re intertwining Delta and RA forces, I’m designating new call signs. All Delta units are now Ghost elements. You are Ghost Actual. My call sign is Hammer Actual. Captain Foster’s is Anvil Actual. I think you and I both got the same message from the admiral. Why don’t you finish briefing the mission? I know we don’t have much time.”
Hopper nodded at the RA major, glad he wasn’t the only person making decisions down here on the ground. “Captain Foster, I want your entire company and your two Mechs to attack the camp here, at the southwest corner,” he directed. “It’s close to the rear entrance of the camp, and that trail that leads to an open field. Have your Mechs destroy the wall if they can. If not, use some of your smart missiles to do it. I need you guys to create some holes in their lines and attract their attention. Send me a message when you believe they’re fully engaging you. That’s when we’ll launch our other attacks.”
Hopper now turned to his lieutenant in charge of First Platoon. “Lieutenant Able, you are now Ghost One. When I give you the word, I need your platoon to blow a hole in the wall section along the northern side of the wall, right here in the middle of the camp, near the industrial equipment. Don’t try to breach the wall once you’ve broken through. Let the enemy come to you and do your best to keep them busy.”
Hopper now turned to Lieutenant Crocker and Lieutenant Hales. “When the enemy is sufficiently busy with those other two attacks, Second and Third Platoons are going to charge into the front entrance. You guys are Ghosts Two and Three. Once you launch your attacks, breach the camp quickly and then start moving down through it, eliminating threats as you encounter them. Fourth Platoon, you’re Ghost Four and are going to be my ready reserve. You’re also responsible for taking those guard towers out with your anti-armor smart missiles. As the battle progresses, stand by to get sent to the side that looks like it needs the most help.”
Before he wrapped up their briefing, Hopper added, “If we’re able to take a few of these blue aliens prisoner, then let’s try. I’m sure there’s a lot we can learn from them. Now, let’s go get our people back and take this camp out.”
“Hooah” was the only reply they gave before they all headed back to their sections and got ready. In twenty minutes, it was showtime.
*******
Major Jenkins and Captain Hopper positioned themselves near the tree line as the various units got into position. The longer this took, the more anxious Hopper was becoming. He knew the aliens in the camp had sounded the alarm to the other camps in the area and the star system. It was only a matter of time before additional forces showed up.
“Anvil and Ghost Actuals, we’re starting our attack now,” Captain Foster said over their secured coms.
The quiet of the late morning was broken by the sound of heavy-caliber blasters being fired and half a dozen smart missiles launched from the two Mechs. This was quickly followed by more than one hundred Republic Army soldiers opening fire.
Intermixed with the sound of blaster fire and explosions, the Earthers heard a loud guttural screeching noise emanating from within the camp. Not knowing what was making the noise was really unsettling.
Just as the RA had initiated the attack, the special weapons squad fired off their anti-armor smart missiles at the guard towers. Some of the missiles were blown up before they could hit the towers, but many others scored hits. The remaining towers would be taken offline in a few more minutes.
As the structures went down, Captain Hopper ordered their surveillance drones to head back over the enemy camp. They needed better eyes and ears on what was going on inside the camp than what the microdrones were giving them.
Hopper’s radio came to life just as the drones passed over the walls. “Ghost Actual, Hammer Actual. The enemy is fully converging on my position.”
“Good copy,” the major immediately replied.
Hopper keyed his radio to start the next part of the attack. “Ghost One, Ghost Actual. Initiate your assault. Hit ’em hard.”
A new set of explosions now rippled along the next section of the alien camp. More blaster fire could be heard, and so could those loud animalistic screams from the blue brutes.
Looking at the drone feeds, Major Jenkins pointed to something. Hopper saw it as well. The enemy had now split their force to attack the two breaches in their wall. The attack was unfolding just as they had planned it.
Hopper keyed his mic. “Ghost Two and Three, initiate your assault now.”
Major Jenkins nodded when Hopper issued the order. Looking at the drone feeds of the battle unfolding, it was crazy to see a full-blown battle with laser bolts and magrail weapons. Aside from live-fire training, none of the human soldiers had been in a large battle like this with advanced weapons. The last major war fought between humans had been back in the 2040s.
As he watched the enemy soldiers, the first thing Hopper noticed was how fearless these blue brutes were. They charged right for the RA soldiers, firing their blasters the entire time. The four-armed beasts were terrifying to watch in action. One group of three of them managed to get right in close to a group of human soldiers and used their talon-like nails to slash the soldiers apart. One of the aliens actually took the time to stab his hand into one of the RAS’s chest, pulling his heart out and eating it like a savage animal. The alien let out a bloodthirsty howl as he downed it in a single bite, bright red blood running down its face.
“Ghost Four, move to assist Hammer. Shore up their position now!” barked Hopper. He could tell the RA unit was about to get overrun, even if Major Jenkins hadn’t spotted it just yet. He needed to make sure the enemy was focused on these two positions so his other two platoons could blow past the front entrance of the camp and sweep through it, shooting the aliens in the back if possible.
Boom…boom…boom…
A series of explosions rippled across the front section of the camp as Second and Third Platoon launched their assault. The handful of alien guards hunkering down behind some defenses were blown apart. Seconds later, the single guard tower providing overwatch to the base was destroyed.
Hopper and Jenkins watched as the first ten Deltas blew right past the camp entrance, blasters blazing, double-tapping the few enemy guards they ran across. The next batch of Deltas followed in as the two groups spread out. As the entrance was secured, the bulk of the two platoons moved in and broke down into smaller teams, moving methodically and rapidly through the camp.
By now, Ghost Four had arrived in Hammer’s sector, and just in time. The enemy had nearly broken through their lines. Both Mechs had been taken out. The aliens had swarmed them and all but destroyed their ability to defend themselves.
Looking at the blue-force tracker, Captain Hopper saw Hammer unit had lost a little more than half their numbers. He almost had to do a double take to make sure the number of KIAs was correct. He didn’t think they had taken that many hits, but apparently, they had. Ghost Four was now on the scene and speedily shoring up their position.
Suddenly, the enemy became aware that the front gate was under attack. They shifted the
ir positions and pulled back from Hammer’s sector into the base. As this happened, Ghost Four began to press their own attack and pursued the now-retreating enemy.
“Captain Hopper, I’ve got Sledgehammer deploying right now in that open field not far from the camp. We’ll have another two hundred and twelve soldiers and four additional Mechs ready in ten mikes,” Major Jenkins announced with confidence in his voice.
Hopper had practically forgotten he was standing next to Jenkins. “That’s a good call, sir,” he responded. “I think we’ve nearly whipped them, but I have no idea if more of them are on the way. Plus, we need to start evacuating our wounded.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Jenkins replied before directing the new units on their way to the surface.
The fighting lasted another ten minutes before it petered out. Patching into Lieutenant Crocker’s coms, Hopper asked, “What’s the status inside the camp? We’re not showing any major fighting anymore.”
A second later, Crocker replied, “We’ve cornered maybe a dozen of them in a building. Other than that, they’re either dead, dying or wounded.”
“We should get inside that camp, Captain—see if we can’t round up some prisoners and start talking to them,” Major Jenkins said.
Hopper nodded in agreement. “Lieutenant, the major and I are headed in. See if we can find some prisoners to take, and let’s figure out what to do with those holdouts. Maybe we can get them to give up.”
*******
As Major Jenkins and Captain Hopper walked into the camp, Hopper was astounded by the amount of damage their forces had been able to inflict in such a short period. This was the first real combat action any of them had seen, and the first time nearly any of their equipment and weapons had been used in the heat of anger.
The camp was strewn with both dead Earthers and Zodarks. Small fires burned, and many of the buildings were pretty shot up. Some of the Deltas and the newly arrived RA soldiers were coming to the aid of their wounded comrades, patching them up and helping them out of the camp and to the open field not too far away, where additional medical personnel were standing by to treat the wounded. Some of the new arrivals were also tasked with collecting their dead and any human equipment nearby as well. They didn’t want to leave anything behind.