Final Conflict

by Raymond L. Weil

  “We haven’t been assigned any battlesuits yet,” grumbled Brian as he stared at the mountain. “If we make the assault without them we won’t stand a chance.”

  “It’s to make us appreciate them more,” replied Kinsley, pursing her lips. “We’ll all be stunned on the slopes tomorrow and then begin our actual training with the battlesuits. It’s a pain we’re all going to have to endure.”

  “A pain I could do without,” complained Brian.

  Thomas slapped Brian on the back. “It can’t be any worse than some of the pain we suffered as kids.” The two had constantly been involved in numerous wrestling matches trying to prove who was stronger. While Brian was bigger Thomas was more agile, constantly maneuvering out of Brian’s grasp.

  “Let’s go eat,” suggested Brian. “We can worry about Charring in the morning. I’m famished.”

  Thomas smiled. Brian was always hungry. He had a habit of sneaking snacks into the barracks.

  “Alright people, let’s go get some chow. We’ve all seen Charring and we know what we’re up against. Let’s eat a good meal and then get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for us.”

  -

  In the Control Center for the dome where Charring Mountain was located Colonel Ryan Nelson and his wife Casey were watching the viewscreens. They had left Vesta to come to Centerpoint Station to watch this week of Marine training. They wanted to see how Thomas would do on Charring Mountain. They both well remembered their own painful experiences.

  “This is going to be fun to watch,” said Captain Alexander Parker. He looked over at his wife, Lauren. “I bet Brian’s the first to be stunned. He’s too big of a target.” Alexander had been stunned numerous times in his training on the mountain years in the past. It was something he would not want to go through again.

  “He might surprise you,” replied Lauren. “I bet he makes it as far as Thomas. The two have been so competitive all their lives they’re not going to let one outdo the other.”

  “We’ll find out in the morning,” said Ryan, standing up and stretching. “Let’s go find a good restaurant to eat at.”

  “Remember when we use to fly in the low grave park on the Moon?” commented Alexander.

  Lauren grinned. “I loved doing that, though it was scary. I wonder if we still could?”

  “Probably,” answered Casey with a grin. “But I think we’re getting too old to fly like that. We’d probably end up getting hurt.”

  “We’re not that old,” said Ryan. He looked over at Casey. Even at fifty-seven and two kids she still looked gorgeous. “There’s a good Chinese restaurant in the food court.”

  Alexander nodded. “Sounds good to me. I hope it’s all you can eat.”

  Lauren punched Alexander on the shoulder. “You better watch what you eat. You’re not as young as you used to be. If you’re not careful that weight will go to your stomach.”

  Alexander patted his stomach, which was still good and flat. “No, I work out too much. There’s a good gym in the cloning center.” Alexander had resigned his commission in the Marines and taken one as head of security for the cloning center inside Vesta.

  Leaving the Control Center, the four headed toward the hatch and the short corridor which would take them to a tram station and then to the food court.

  -

  Early the next morning Corporal Nelson and the others were lined up with their entire twenty-six member platoon waiting for the order to begin their ascent of Charring Mountain. Lieutenant Breeze was in charge of the platoon with two sergeants: Sergeant Cain and Sergeant Welch. Breeze and the sergeants wouldn’t make the attempt but would watch and evaluate the Marines from the beginning of the slope.

  “I hope they don’t get us all stunned too quickly,” said Brian in a quiet voice, staring straight forward while he stood at attention.

  “Quiet,” Thomas said, not wanting to draw the lieutenant’s attention.

  The lieutenant turned to face the lined up platoon. “Alright you scrubs; you’re going up Charring Mountain this morning. I have a bet with the sergeants that none of you make it to the tree line.” Lieutenant Breeze paused as her eyes raked across the assemble platoon. “You’ve all been given a standard assault rifle. This one shoots out an energy beam that will shut down any pop-up weapon it strikes. However, you should be aware some of the pop-ups will take more than one energy beam strike to immobilize it. The beams themselves are not dangerous so you can’t accidentally kill one of your squad members. The pop-ups are designed to register energy beam strikes and when enough have struck the pop-up it will automatically power down and drop back into the ground.”

  “Will the pop-ups be trying to stun us?” asked a private in the back of the two lines of Marines.

  Lieutenant Breeze frowned, not pleased at being interrupted. “Yes, and quiet painfully, Private Stout. As a matter of fact, you will be the lead scout for this morning’s drill.”

  “I didn’t volunteer, sir,” answered a shaken Private Stout.

  “You did now,” replied Lieutenant Breeze in a hard and calculating voice.

  “Glad I kept my mouth shut,” said Brian softly. “Stout won’t last a minute once we start up the mountain.’

  “Private Parker,” called out Lieutenant Breeze, her steel like eyes zeroing in on Brian. “Did I just see your lips moving?”

  “No, sir,” replied Brian, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead.

  “Never-the-less, you will be joining Private Stout as the second scout.”

  “Damn,” muttered Brian quietly, his shoulders drooping slightly. “This shit’s going to hurt.”

  Thomas didn’t reply. He knew the lieutenant’s eyes were still scanning the assembled Marines and he didn’t want to attract Breeze’s attention.

  -

  A few minutes later the Marines were standing at the foot of Charring Mountain. The mountain was legendary in Marine circles. It was designed to test one’s endurance and skill using a battlesuit. Many started out and a great number were washed out of the program once the training began in earnest. For several weeks now the assembled Marines had been going through physical fitness training and getting to know their squad mates.

  “Privates Parker and Private Stout, front and center,” ordered Lieutenant Breeze. “It’s time the two of you showed the rest of us your value. Begin the ascent of the mountain.”

  Brian and Stout looked at each other, both unhappy to be in the forefront.

  “Well, we won’t last long,” said Stout with a disgruntled look as he gazed up the mountain.

  “Maybe,” replied Brian as he eyed the slope ahead of them. “But I intend to make it to the tree line. Let’s go, no point in delaying this.”

  Brian looked down at his assault rifle. It looked perfectly normal and weighed the same as a regular assault rifle. It had a blue tip on the end, which signified it shot out an energy beam on a specific frequency that could affect the hidden pop-up weapons and not harm anyone. Brian just hoped it worked as they had been told.

  -

  Thomas watched as Brian and Private Stout began their ascent of the mountain. Then Sergeant Cain gave his first order.

  “Corporal Nelson and Corporal Coyle, your squads are next. Staggered formation and let’s see how many of the pop-ups you can take out before all of your Marines are stunned.” Sergeant Cain folded his arms across his chest with a huge smirk on his face.

  Thomas looked over at Corporal Margaret Coyle. Her red hair was cut short and could barely be seen beneath her combat helmet. From what he knew of her, she was very intense and loved being a Marine. She was also a clone.

  “Alright people, let’s go.” Thomas had six members in his squad.

  As he stepped on the slope of the mountain he looked up at the tree line. It seemed a long ways off. Corporal Coyle’s squad was to his left and the other two squads were now coming up behind them and to the right. In less than a minute all four squads were on the slope of the mountain and moving cautiously forwa
rd, waiting for the first pop-up to appear.

  -

  Brian and Private Stout were about twenty meters ahead of the advancing squads when Brian saw movement up ahead. He hurriedly threw himself to the ground as two pop-ups rose up and began firing. He heard Stout cry out and stumble to the ground. He lay there writhing in pain.

  “Damn, this hurts,” he said as he struggled to stand back up only to be hit again. This time when he fell to the ground he didn’t move.

  Brian could tell Private Stout had been knocked unconscious from being hit repeatedly by stun beams. He tried not to think about how much pain he must have been in before he passed out.

  Brian took careful aim through the scope of his rifle and began firing at one of the pop-ups. He hit it four times before it shut off and descended back into the ground. The other pop-up did the same as the squads behind him blasted it with weapons fire.

  Standing back up Brian carefully scanned the ground in front of him, searching for any signs of hidden pop-ups. He knew there had to be more; probably a lot more. Drawing in a deep breath, he began moving forward.

  -

  Thomas signaled his squad to begin moving again. He hadn’t lost anyone to the pop-ups though several had been hit. They reported feeling like a bee had stung them and then after a minute or two the pain gradually subsided.

  “Private Stout doesn’t look so good,” commented Kinsley, who was just behind Thomas.

  Thomas nodded. “He’ll be okay once this is over. We all have to learn to keep our eyes searching for the pop-ups and to get down when they appear.” Thomas was keeping his eyes on Brian who was moving forward bent over trying to keep a minimal profile for any pop-up that might target him. Suddenly there was movement over a wide area in front of Brian and Thomas saw him dive to the ground. Without hesitation, Thomas did the same, striking the ground so hard it nearly knocked the breath out of him.

  “Get those pop-ups!” shouted Thomas as he began firing nonstop at the ones he could see. Next to him Kinsley was doing the same.

  One after the other the pop-ups were eliminated. Around him, Thomas could hear cries of pain and frustration as Marines were struck. A hail of energy beam fire and the last one collapsed back into the ground. Thomas cautiously stood back up and looked around. Over one third of the Marine platoon and two members of his own squad lay unmoving upon the ground.

  “I don’t think we’re supposed to win this,” said Kinsley as she looked dejectedly forward. “Why would they put us in such a no win scenario?”

  “Because in combat we may find ourselves in this type of situation,” answered Thomas as he began walking slowly forward ready to dive back onto the ground if more pop-ups appeared. “They want to see how we will react.”

  “Can we reach the trees?” asked Kinsley. She was checking out the terrain so see if there was anything that might give them some cover. Other than a few small bushes, the ground was relatively level while sloping upward.

  Thomas eyed the trees and took in a deep breath. They still had several hundred meters to go and the tree line seemed as far away as ever. His eyes shifted back to Brian who was edging cautiously forward. Brian’s feet seemed poised to throw him out of the way of any incoming fire. “Let’s go,” ordered Thomas to his surviving squad. “No point in delaying this.”

  The squad continued to advance toward the tree line. Looking to his left side he saw Corporal Coyle only had three of her squad still with her. She looked at Thomas and slowly nodded her head.

  Looking at Brian, Thomas saw he was within sixty meters of the trees. Just maybe they were going to make it after all. Maybe some of them were supposed to reach the tree line.

  -

  Brian was getting edgy. More pop-ups should have appeared by now. He had a strong suspicion they were all walking into a trap. Feeling concerned he went down to his knees using a small bush to partially shield him. His eyes searched the ground in front and around him for any signs of disturbance. He felt frustrated. Whoever hid these pop-ups had done an excellent job of concealing them.

  Suddenly off to his right side he sensed movement. A bush fell over on its side and a hidden pop-up cannon appeared. Brian nearly fell over on his back when the bush he was hiding behind did the same thing. At his feet a pop-up cannon rose, aiming toward the advancing Marines. Without hesitation Brian raised his assault rifle and from point blank range began firing at the cannon while scrambling backward to put some space between it and him. After a few moments the cannon stopped firing and descended back into the ground with the bush sitting back up and covering it.

  Brian looked around. There were pop-ups everywhere. The surviving Marines were completely surrounded as pop-ups had even appeared behind them. They were encircled in a trap with the pop-up cannons firing nonstop. The cannons made a zinging noise every time they fired. It sounded like an angry swarm of hornets. Brian could hear his fellow Marines crying out and a number were on the ground writhing in pain.

  Brian noticed none of the pop-ups were now targeting him. He suspected their programming prevented them from firing at another pop-up cannon. With a wicked grin on his face, he began firing at the pop-ups, disabling one after another. Brian knew it had been a fluke he had taken cover near this bush. Now that bit of luck might just save some of his fellow Marines from being stunned. He edged closer to the bush until he was touching it.

  -

  Thomas felt a sudden searing pain like a hornet sting. He grabbed his shoulder, dropping his assault rifle.

  “Corporal!” yelled Kinsley as she directed her fire toward the pop-up she thought had struck Thomas.

  Thomas bent down and picked up his rifle, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing in his shoulder. “Keep firing,” he ordered. Looking around he saw most of the Marines were down. At this rate the pop-ups were going to win. “We need to get to Brian. For some reason the pop-ups aren’t targeting him.”

  The two took off running zigzags to avoid the incoming cannon fire. Kinsley screamed and tumbled to the ground. Thomas stopped and helped her back up and the two continued on to Brian’s location, finally reaching him.

  “They won’t fire because there’s a disabled pop-up located under this bush,” explained Brian who was still firing at the pop-ups.

  Nodding his understanding, Thomas began firing at the pop-ups as well and soon Kelsey joined in. Between the three of them, it took nearly ten minutes of constant firing to disable all of the weapons. When the firing finally stopped Thomas looked around in shock. Only Brian, Kinsley, and he were still standing. All the other Marines were down.

  “Well, this is a fine mess we’ve gotten ourselves into,” said Brian, looking over at Thomas. “Any suggestions?”

  Kinsley looked toward the nearby tree line. “There probably are no more pop-ups until we reach the trees,” she said. “This last bunch was designed to take everyone out. The only reason we survived is because they’re programmed not to fire on another pop-up lest they damage it. As long as we stay here we’re safe.”

  “Until someone in the Control Center overrides the pop-ups’ programming,” replied Thomas with a steep frown. “I don’t believe any of us are supposed to survive this.”

  Brian looked toward the nearby tree line. It was only twenty or thirty meters away. “Do we make a run for it?”

  Thomas looked around once more seeing no movement. “I don’t see where we have any choice. There are probably more pop-ups just inside the tree line designed to ensure none of us make it. I would like to see at least one of us reach those trees.”

  “Let’s do it,” said Kinsley, using her right hand to massage her right side where she had been struck by a stun beam.

  Seeing Kinsley still rubbing her side, Thomas spoke to her. “Are you okay?”

  Kinsley flinched some but nodded. “It still stings some but it’s going away. I can run to the tree line.”

  Thomas stared at the trees. “I think if just one of us makes it that will be a moral victory.”

  �
��I hate the thought of getting hit again but I guess we have to make the attempt,” said Brian with a grimace.

  Thomas checked his rifle and then looked at the other two. “Let’s go, no point in waiting.”

  Thomas took off at a sprint heading for the nearest tree. The tree towered high into the air, easily reaching upward a good forty meters. The other two were right behind him and for a brief moment he thought all three of them were going to make it. Then he saw a flash of metal in the trees and a stun beam struck him in the left leg. He stumbled and then recovered his balance. Gritting his teeth he forced himself to continue to run. There was no point in stopping to shoot at the pop-ups. The question now was whether one of the three could reach the tree line before the pop-up cannons got all three of them.

  “Get behind me,” Thomas ordered Kinsley. “I’ll use my body to partially shield you from the pop-ups. “Brian, get next to me so we can shield Kinsley, maybe that way she can get to the tree line.” Brian nodded his understanding and soon Thomas and Brian were running side by side. Four more times Thomas felt the burning pain of the stunners, then two hit him at once and he felt himself falling. At his side he saw Brian take two or three more steps and fall as well. As Thomas was passing out the last thing he saw was Kinsley reach the large tree and enter the tree line. With a smile of satisfaction, everything went dark.

  -

  “I don’t believe it,” uttered Major Reed, shaking his head. “One of them actually reached the tree line.”

  Ryan laughed. “Thomas and Brian shielded Private Mays so she could reach the trees.”

  “They sacrificed themselves so she could reach the tree line,” said Major Reed confused. “Why?”

  Looking over at his wife, Ryan smiled. “To them reaching the tree line is a victory. I guarantee if you talk to them tonight, they will say they beat this scenario.”

  Major Reed didn’t look happy. “The purpose of this scenario is not to survive but to learn how easy it is to die fighting the Kleese.”

  “Some people don’t want to die,” replied Ryan, recalling his attempts to get to the top of Charring Mountain. “I never did.”