“Feed...hungry,” the lich said and came towards her.
It unleashed the torrents of energy at her again while she was off guard from summoning lightning. It hit her and engulfed her, surrounding her in an amorphous bubble of the pale energy. It opened its mouth and began to draw in the energy, pulling her own life force with it. The energy was lifting from her the ground, suspending her several feet in the air.
At first, she seemed to be trapped and weakening. Then she slowly turned towards the lich. “You wish to feed, foul creature, then feed. Feed on the essence of Gaia. The essence of life. Feast upon the essence of the Mother and return to her loving embrace,” Boudicca said as the energy flow to the lich got more intense and turned a bright green.
“What the hell is going on up there?” asked Lord Marshall Bruce seeing the top of the building starting to glow with an intense green light.
“Feed beast. Feed on the embrace of life. Let the warmth and love of Mother Gaia fill you and return you to her womb,” Boudicca said.
The undead started to thrash and wail as the energy became more and more intense. In the horde milling about below, many of the creatures began to shudder and collapsed. The lich began to pulsate with the energy and exploded. As it did, the zombie horde below became less focused and began to mill about randomly.
“She did it!” said Field Marshall Trish.
“It looks like it. The zombies are already taking notice of the ALF troops,” said Field Marshall Bruce as the horde started moving towards the enemy. “Field Marshall Boudicca, can you read? The horde is engaging the ALF You have a return window if your squirrel suit is still functioning.”
The comm reply came through as a low, predatory growl.
“Uh, sorry, could you repeat?” he replied.
“I’m sorry. Acknowledged. Heading back,” she told him.
Boudicca extended the glider panels and leaped from the top of the building. She glided back to the group. As she went over to the ALF and the horde, she saw the battle raging and felt her blood boiling. She was still under the effects of all the predator spirits she summoned when fighting the lich and could feel their desires. She glided past and as she got closer to her team, she felt the spirit of the hunters overwhelming her and she circled back.
“Field Marshall Boudicca, what are you doing?” asked Field Marshall Bruce.
“I’m going hunting,” she replied, her growling as she spoke. “I’ll meet you at the door.”
“Shit. GO! GO! GO!” ordered Field Marshall Bruce as he leveled his rifle and started running into the fray with everyone close on his heels.
#
“Lord Marshall, they're heavily fortified,” said the Corporal looking through a pair of binoculars.
“It's just Sebastian. I'm not a fan of titles. Numbers?” asked Lord Marshall Sebastian.
“Can't be certain but it’s a lot. Let me get up higher to get a better assessment,” replied the Corporal who started climbing a broken wall of a building. He managed to get up to the third floor before he could go no further. “It doesn't look good. The C&C is heavily defended. I don't think it's can be breached by our strike team.”
“I can't get a good count at this distance. The initial assessment is several hundred ALF surrounding the entrance. They have at least a dozen heavy gun placements and multiple types of very large fey numbering several dozens. They look to be what the Wardens classify as brutes. That isn't counting the building's own laser embankments,” said the Corporal.
“Why aren't they trying to defend the base with the rest? That's a sizable force to hold back when you're under heavy attack,” said one of the Wardens.
“Something in there is important,” said Chelsea.
“Elam. They’re probably defending him,” said Sebastian.
“So, what do we do?” asked Xavier.
“We have to finish this. We must stop the ALF. We have to stop Elam and to do that we have to take that C&C,” said Sebastian.
“These are pretty grim odds in this fight. They need some backup to make it fair,” laughed Xavier. “So, straight up the middle?”
“I have a better idea,” said Chelsea. “Cowboy, does this place seem oddly familiar to you?”
“Yea, cowgirl. I can't place it, but I've been here before,” he replied.
“There are emergency escape tunnels for evacuation not on the maps,” said Chelsea. “There are multiple exits. One underwater on the north side of the base. Two exits on the base perimeter. One comes out after a long walk near Mt. Fuji. One on the south side near the docks. One on the...”
“Roof,” said Sebastian finishing her sentence. “We go in on the roof.”
“Good plan but how do we get there?” asked one of the Wardens.
“You don't. Chelsea, Xavier and I do. We'll go in on the roof and head to the control room. We need everyone else to secure the server room,” ordered Sebastian.
“Does all that power let you fly?” asked the Corporal.
“No, it does not,” replied Sebastian.
“I’ve seen you fly. I was at the Necropolis,” said Xavier.
“I floated a little way. Once. I nearly died doing so and have never been able to repeat it. I don’t count that as flying,” replied Sebastian.
“So how do we clear that brigade blocking our path assuming you reach the roof?” asked the Corporal.
“We're going to ask GloCom to clear us a path,” said Sebastian.
“How exactly do you plan on reaching the roof?” asked a Warden.
“We're going to fly,” said Chelsea as she started motioning towards the darkness above. “Those manticores we freed have been following us. I think they'll help us.”
“We might not be able to fly but our friends can. They can take us well above the firefight and out of sight then we glide down, straight to the rooftop. If we go fast enough, we'll be on the roof before they even know we're there and be able to take them by surprise.”
“I can't make out numbers but there are forces on the roof as well,” said the Corporal.
“Then we'll handle it. I hope it’s not as heavily guarded as the doors,” said Chelsea.
“I might be able to help with that,” said the Corporal. He tapped his comm. “I'm tapping into our combat tracking drones. Let's see what's up there.”
They went over the drone surveillance. It had been several minutes since the last flyover, but the roof was far less defended than the ground. They could see several ogres and a few dozen troops. They also noticed several anti-air canons.
“The roof it is. We can handle that,” said Xavier.
“GloCom command, this is Lord Marshall Sebastian. We have an insurmountable force blocking a key objective. The north side of the C&C is heavily defended. Can we get some assistance clearing the path?” he said.
A comm officer replied. “What do you need Lord Marshall?”
“How fast can you get a RATS squadron here?” Lord Marshall Sebastian replied.
“We can have dragonflies there faster. If you really want RATS, we have a unit that just finished clearing one of the docks. We can have them there in about eight minutes,” came the reply.
“Negative on dragonflies. The building has some structural damage. We need something more precise. Can you send us the RATS?” replied the Lord Marshall.
“Verifying...Confirmed. RATS strike authorized. Eight minutes ETA,” replied the comm officer.
“Confirmed. Eight minutes to RATS strike,” Lord Marshall Sebastian replied.
“Vanguard, mount up,” he ordered. He got on one of the manticores, Chelsea and Xavier on the other.
#
Field Marshall Anna's group fell back to defensive positions. Through the wreckage of the heavy steel doors that were blown violently from their hinges, they could see dozens of points of laser fire. As the dust cleared, she had a clearer view of the area inside and saw large numbers of people. They had hundreds of people connected by a long chain to anchor points on the walls.
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“Hold your fire!” yelled Field Marshall Anna. “They have civilians in there.”
“We found the missing citizens,” said Field Marshall William. “Targets of opportunity only. Avoid civilian casualties.”
Their team was under heavy fire but could not bring their full force to bear on the fortified terrorists. They had several heavy guns they had captured that could easily be turned and fired inside but the risk was too high. They were forced to remain behind cover and only take shots against no-risk targets.
“We're not making any progress like this. We need a plan,” said Field Marshall William.
“I know but we can't risk those innocents. There are hundreds of them and the ALF is entrenched. If we had a way to get behind them, we could ambush them. They're only fortified from the front,” replied Field Marshall Anna.
“What about that wall breach? The one the troll made when it threw the vehicle into it,” said Field Marshall William.
“That's it. Field Marshall William, you and Field Marshall Nefertiti take the Wardens and half the GloCom troops and go through that breach. Quietly. Get behind them and take them out quickly. Go slowly, a few at a time, so they don't realize we're splitting up and the rest of us will keep them focused on the doorway,” Field Marshall Anna told him.
Field Marshall William designated several people at a time to break off from the firefight and regroup around the side of the building near the breach. They worked their way through the vehicle debris field and his team regrouped at the breach. The hole in the wall was large but mostly filled with the broken chassis of the troll's projectile. There was enough room to squeeze through and eventually the group made it inside.
They worked their way past a group of slaves, doing their best to convince them to be quiet. The slaves spoke Japanese for the most part creating a small language barrier but enough spoke other languages they were able to convey the message without too much noise being made. The people were malnourished and weak, so they weren't exactly able to be exuberant anyway. The Vanguard promised them that as soon as they eliminated the terrorists they would return for them.
They slowly worked their way through the large hangar until they were behind the main portion of the fortified force. They slowly took up positions as several of the GloCom soldiers readied grenade launchers. Once everyone was in position, they held, waiting for the final order.
“Fire,” said Field Marshall William over the comm. The grenade launchers and laser fire did significant damage in their opening salvo. The terrorists were caught in a crossfire from the front and rear and were quickly being taken out. They got in a few good shots of their own killing two Wardens and half a dozen GloCom troops before the shooting finally stopped.
The two teams rendezvoused inside the building and did a quick perimeter check. They estimated the number of captives to be about two thousand, many of whom were in dire need of food, water, and medical attention. They quickly set to work freeing them but made them stay inside the building since the firefight was still going on outside.
“This is Field Marshall Anna to GloCom command. We have control of the main armory hangar and approximately two thousand freed captives. As soon as you can swing it, we need food and medical attention. Some of these people are in bad shape,” she said.
“Acknowledged, Field Marshall. We'll clear a path and get relief shuttles in there as soon as we can. No ETA,” replied the comm officer.
Her team continued to secure the area and provide as much aid as they could to the tired, hungry people. They began to set up perimeters at the entrances and breach in the wall and dug in to wait for GloCom to relieve them. Field Marshall Anna, one of the Wardens and several GloCom troops were setting up a makeshift first aid station to help the more seriously injured citizens.
One of the enemy troops came from a hidden location along a wall and opened fire on them with a heavy plasma weapon. Out of the corner of her eye, Field Marshall Anna saw a bolt of energy hit one of the GloCom troops and several of the injured citizens. Time slowed as she spun around, watching the Warden's chest engulfed in a flash of light as she did so. Their armor could handle lasers but not plasma weapons. Her rifle was on a table to free her hands for helping people, so she drew her sidearm as she felt something hot hit her chest. She felt a pain in her left arm as she drew on the attacker and started to fire with her right one, hitting him with every shot. She could hear William scream her name as she watched the man fall and turned in William's direction. She started to say, “I got him,” but felt something wet and coppery rise in her throat and passed out.
William saw the brief fight and bolted across the floor screaming, “Anna!” as he ran. Nefertiti came from the other direction and both got there just as she hit the floor. The GloCom troops ran to other injured while the Vanguards attended to Anna.
“It's bad,” said Nefertiti looking down at Anna. She had been hit once in her chest with plasma energy that passed between her stomach and a lung. Her left arm was severed midway between the shoulder and elbow. Nefertiti took the strap from her rifle and made a tourniquet for the amputated limb while William was doing his best to staunch the blood flow from her chest. Her armor mitigated some of the damage but couldn’t stand up to the heavy weapon. Fortunately, the plasma cauterized much of the wound, so blood loss was not as severe as it could be.
“GloCom command, this is Sir Jonathon of the armory team. We need emergency medical here now. Field Marshall Anna is critically injured. We have six dead including three civilians and two severely injured civilians. We need a medical evac capable of handling plasma damage, ASAP,” he said over the comm.
“Acknowledged. Checking,” replied the comm officer. A minute later the voice came back on and said, “Sir Jonathon, Command indicates they can have a medevac team to your site in about ten minutes. We have heavy casualties and are working your way. Hold out until then. Command out.”
“They can't get a medical team here for about ten minutes,” Sir Jonathon told them.
“That's too long, she's dying,” said William, the panic in his voice obvious.
“I will not get you back in my life just to lose you like this. Hold on. You're strong,” he said but knew she didn't hear him in her unconscious state. Since they officially joined the Vanguard, their relationship was no longer secret and to see her dying on the ground was almost too much for him.
William and Nefertiti got most of the remaining blood flow stopped but she was fading fast. Her pulse was weak. Her breathing was shallow and getting fainter by the second. The plasma cauterized the wounds it made so blood flow wasn’t as bad as it could have been.
“I am not as gifted with healing as Boudicca, but I did learn many things during my time in Karnak. I will do what I can,” said Nefertiti.
She placed her hands onto Anna's chest and white light flowed from them and into Anna. Anna spasmed slightly and William looked concerned. “It's her body reacting. I'm forcing her body to repair itself and she has very little strength. I'm giving her what I can, but I need most of my energy for healing the wounds. If you can yield her your own strength it would help her.
“I will do anything I can for her just tell me what to do,” replied William.
Nefertiti helped him channel his strength and his will into Anna. He could feel the faint energy of her life and see it growing darker. As Nefertiti worked her magic, he could see the pace at which the energy faded slowing until it stabilized and got no dimmer.
“You saved her,” said William.
“I do not think I did. I think this only managed to stall her impending death. She needs far more healing than I can provide. Her organs are damaged, and she has lost much of her blood. That, I cannot repair,” Nefertiti told him. “I am not good at expressions of sympathy. I am a warrior and it is not in my nature. Know that we share a bond in that our lovers have both been wounded gravely by our enemy and if either should die, I will make Mordred and his people suffer instead of offering them a quick death. T
his is my word to you.”
William sat beside Anna hold her remaining hand. “Thank you, Nefertiti. You have my word as well. Too many have been lost already. We have lost many today and many more will die before the fight is over. Nefertiti, I'll stay with Anna. Can you see to the other wounded and dead, please? I know I ask you to take my responsibility, but I can't leave her.”
“I understand and do not fault you for your decision. When Ra lay on the battlefield at Syracuse, I was by his side. It is in our ability to love that separates from those we fight. Stay with the one you love. I will see to the others,” Nefertiti told him as she walked away.
A few minutes later he heard explosions outside. William turned to look at the entrance and a shuttle with medcorp markings came in too fast but managed to stop just before it crashed into a wall. Two RATS were behind it, firing outwards from the entrance to the hangar. The RATS were covering the entrance and obviously under fire. Their perimeter guards were helping the RATS to defend the shuttle.
The shuttle bay and side doors opened as several medical teams with stretchers and medical kits came running out. One crew came over to Anna while the others ran to the other wounded.
“Gonna need you to move sir,” said one of the medics.
William didn't hesitate. As much as he loved Anna the medics were the experts and he would just be in the way.
They ran a scanner over her and started an IV drip. They put a real tourniquet on her arm just above the makeshift one made from the rifle sling and took the sling off her arm. They spent a few minutes getting her stabilized and strapped in then secured her in the shuttle. The medics did the same with the other wounded and prepped the shuttle for launch.
The RATS started firing again to clear their path as William and Nefertiti watched it depart. One of the laser turrets started tracking in the direction of the shuttle and would hit it in seconds. “NOOO!” screamed William as torrents of energy flew from him into the turret, blowing the top from it. He dropped to his knees from the output of energy, already weakened from helping Nefertiti with Anna.
The Vanguard Page 12
