Breeze finished her speech and then indicated for the Marines to start their ascent of the mountain. There would be four squads of six each with the two sergeants and the lieutenant standing at the base of the mountain observing the attempted ascent. Thomas knew his parents and Brian’s would be in the Control Center for this training facility watching as well. With a deep sigh, Thomas was determined to make it to the top of Charring Mountain.
“Let’s go,” ordered Thomas, checking his energy rifle. Kinsley was carrying one that fired explosive rounds. He had split the squad back up into the same teams as the day before. Privates Greerman and Henderson would go first followed by him and Kinsley with Brian and Leah bringing up the rear.
With trepidation, the six stepped upon the slope of Charring Mountain. To their left side was Corporal Coyle and her squad. Thomas had spoken to her the night before and she had agreed to place her Marines into the same type of formation Thomas was using. Thomas hoped by being separated by such wide distances it would confuse the pop-ups. Looking to his right he saw the other two squads were in two staggered lines heading slowly up the mountain. Thomas could feel his heart start to pound as he knew shortly they would be under fire from the pop-ups.
-
Brian was watching his HUD and suit sensors intently expecting to see pop-ups appear at any moment. They were halfway to the tree line and nothing had happened. It made him nervous suspecting when it did it was going to be very bad. He was carrying an assault rifle which fired explosive rounds while Leah’s fired energy beams. He could feel his hair standing on end from the tension of knowing the pop-ups were bound to appear and start firing on them shortly.
-
“Nothing yet,” Corporal Coyle said over the comm link with Thomas.
“I don’t like this,” Thomas replied. They had gone over two hundred meters up the slope and no pop-ups had appeared. “I feel like we’re walking into a trap.”
Corporal Coyle brought her Marines to a stop and Thomas did like wise.
She and Thomas spent several minutes scanning the terrain ahead for any signs of pop-ups. The ground seemed undisturbed and there was no evidence of anything unusual. To their right side the other two squads continued up the mountain, intent on being the first ones to reach the pedestal at the top.
Suddenly just in front of the tree line over twenty pop-ups appeared.
“Run!” shouted Thomas. “Don’t fire on the pop-ups until we reach the tree line.
Instantly both squads began running. In a battlesuit a Marine could cover a lot of distance in a relatively short period of time. The pop-ups began firing but they did so on the two squads closest to them. Instantly explosions began going off on the slope and stunners were buzzing. Cries of pain echoed across the platoon comm line as Marines were hit. When an explosive round struck a battlesuit it knocked the Marine down, almost stunning him. In most instances, before the Marine could get back up they were hit by several stunners. In the two targeted squads Marines were falling like flies.
It only took a moment for Thomas and Corporal Coyle’s squads to pass by the two being hammered by the pop-up weapons. For a moment Thomas thought they might just make it to the tree line before the pop-ups changed their fire from the first two squads to his and Corporal Coyle’s. Suddenly several grenade-like explosions erupted near him and he heard Private Greerman scream as one slammed into his chest, knocking him down. He staggered back up only to be hit by a number of stunners, knocking him unconscious.
On Thomas’s HUD the green icon representing Private Greerman turned red indicating he was out of action. In a real combat situation the red would indicate the Marine was dead. Sprinting forward Thomas weaved back and forth trying to make himself a more difficult target. He was nearly to the tree line when he was hit by a stunner in the chest. The sudden sharp pain drove the breath out of him but he staggered forward to the tree line and stopped next to a pop-up. He hoped these worked like the others the other day and would not fire toward one another. Without hesitation he brought up his energy rifle and began firing at the nearby pop-up weapons. He saw Brian, Leah, Josh, and Kinsley join him. It didn’t take long and the five had eliminated all the dangerous and painful weapons. The last one Thomas destroyed was the one he was standing next to.
-
Thomas looked around to see who had survived. He had his entire squad except for Private Greerman. He saw Corporal Coyle about twenty meters to his left with two members of her squad. Down on the slope the other Marines lay unmoving, doubtlessly knocked unconscious by the stunners.
“Did anyone else besides me get stunned?”
“I think we all did,” Brian replied. There was a large burn mark on the center of his battlesuit. “I got hit by an explosive round. It knocked me to the ground but I managed to get back up and start running again before the stunners targeted me.”
Checking the sensors in his battlesuit Thomas scanned the terrain in front of them. They were in an area covered with a thick forest of trees and brush. There were no trails and a lot of the light was being restricted by the thick foliage. Even as he was standing surveying what was in front of them, he heard a popping noise and small cylinders began landing around them. They started emitting thick streams of dark blue smoke, obscuring the forest.
“Damn, now I can’t see,” complained Brian.
“Switch your filters,” ordered Thomas. The suits had special filters that should allow them to see through the smoke. While not as clear as normal sight, it would still allow them to see where they were going. “Single file and follow me.” Thomas began cautiously edging his way forward trying to thread his way through the brush and tall trees. To his left Corporal Coyle was doing the same.
The two squads continued forward. Thomas heard Brian trip and fall over a small bush.
“These sensors aren’t as good as my eyes,” Brian muttered as he stood back up.
“You’re just clumsy,” said Leah. “Watch where you’re walking.”
The two squads continued in the dim light of the forest floor when suddenly more explosions began going off around them. Leah screamed out in pain as several stun beams struck the chest of her battlesuit, immobilizing her. She fell to the ground unconscious.
“Use the trees for cover,” ordered Thomas as he stepped behind a tree with a large trunk, which easily hid his battlesuit. Brush, dirt, and pieces of tree branches were flying through the air, striking them. “Try to find those pop-ups!”
“I see one,” Brian replied. “It’s directly in front of us about twenty meters.”
“Take it out,” ordered Thomas as he leaned around the tree and began firing in that direction.
“I see another one!” said Kinsley. “I’m firing at it.”
For several long minutes the firing grew intense. The forest floor was covered in smoke and occasional explosions. Thomas spotted another pop-up and hit it with several energy beams, disabling it. The firing died down and the smoke began to dissipate. Taking a deep breath Thomas checked his HUD and then looked around. Brian, Kinsley, and Josh were still with him. Corporal Coyle was still okay as well as one other of her squad.
“Let’s join forces,” suggested Thomas, contacting her over the platoon comm line. “That will give us a full squad.”
“Agreed,” replied Corporal Coyle as she and Private Stout made their way over to where Thomas and his squad were. “What do you recommend we do now?”
Thomas looked ahead of them. He figured it should be clear for twenty meters or more. “Single file with about a five-meter spacing between us. That way if a pop-up appears only the leader will get stunned. We just need one person to make it to the top and press one of the sensor screens.”
“I’ll go first,” volunteered Brian. “I’m used to being in front and a target.”
“Be careful,” cautioned Thomas. “There’s no reason we all can’t reach the top.”
“Except this scenario is designed so we can’t,” said Corporal Coyle.
-
The squad spread out and began heading up the mountain, weaving around thick stands of brush and the tall trees. In some areas the foliage on the trees was so thick there was very little brush on the forest floor. What got Thomas the most was the quiet. There was no drone of insects or twittering of birds. Even the wind was absent.
They had gone about eighty meters when the sudden buzzing of a stunner was heard. Brian fell to the ground and lay there twitching for a moment, then he rose up on his knees and began firing at something ahead of him. Private Stout moved forward and began firing in the same direction.
“What is it?” asked Kinsley. She couldn’t see anything.
“Two stunners,” replied Brian. “Got one!”
At that moment Private Stout fell to the ground and lay there unmoving.
“Got the other,” grunted Brian as he stood back up. “Damn that stunner hurt!”
“Let’s move out,” ordered Thomas. “The sooner we reach the top the sooner we can get off this infernal mountain.”
Thomas stepped around Private Stout who was lying unconscious on the ground. Thomas knew Stout must have been hit several times by the stunners to have been knocked out so quickly.
They continued to move through the forest and then suddenly the trees became smaller, the brush disappeared, and they reached a steep slope covered with large boulders.
“Well, this is different,” said Brian as he stopped near a boulder big enough to shield his battlesuit.
The others came up to stand beside him, peering at the steep slope and the top of the mountain, which seemed so tantalizing close.
“It can’t be this simple,” said Corporal Coyle, gazing at the boulder strewn slope. “This has to be a trap.”
Thomas nodded. “Most likely. We should take it slow and be prepared to be attacked.”
-
“I’ll go first,” volunteered Josh. “I’ll try to lure the pop-ups into firing at me while the rest of you take them out. I think if I go from boulder to boulder I can almost get to the top.”
Josh moved out while the rest of the squad took up firing positions. Josh moved quickly to the next large boulder, not attracting any fire. Hesitating for a moment he picked out his next target and headed for it. As soon as he left the safety of the boulder pop-ups suddenly appeared everywhere. There were so many Josh couldn’t even count them. Several explosive rounds slammed into his chest, sending him painfully to the ground. Then stunners struck his suit and he felt himself losing consciousness. At least for him this scenario was over.
-
Thomas and the others were firing as rapidly as they could trying to eliminate the pop-ups. Thomas heard Corporal Coyle cry out in pain and then tumble to the ground to lay there unmoving. Kinsley was next and as she fell Brian rushed over to try to drag her to safety behind the boulder. He nearly made it when half a dozen stunners hit his suit, knocking him unconscious.
Thomas continued to fire and after a few more minutes all the pop-ups were eliminated, at least the ones he could see.
“Will someone get Brian off me?” said Kinsley as she struggled to move Brian’s battlesuit off her. She was in an awkward position and couldn’t get the leverage to move Brian in his battlesuit.
Thomas stepped over and slid Brian off Kinsley. Kinsley stood up and staggered over to the safety of the boulder. “My body is aching all over. I think I was struck by two stunners.”
“We’ll stay here for a few minutes until you feel better,” said Thomas. He wanted Kinsley with him when he made the final attempt for the summit.
The two stayed behind the boulder while Kinsley recovered. Thomas eyed the remaining distance to the top. It wasn’t that far but he strongly suspected there had to be more pop-ups.
“I’m ready,” said Kinsley as she checked her assault rifle.
Thomas nodded. “We’ll go single file with me in the lead. Remember, we just need one of us to reach the pedestal and touch one of the screens.”
Kinsley nodded as Thomas stepped out from the safety of the boulder and headed up the slope. Using the sensors in the battlesuit, Thomas tried searching for more hidden pop-up weapons. He strongly suspected the suit was programmed not to detect the pop-ups.
For several minutes they weaved up the slope using whatever large boulders they could for protection. With surprise he noticed they were now only thirty meters from the top. Was it possible they had eliminated all the pop-ups? “Let’s make a run for the summit,” he said. “Surely one of us will make it.”
The two started running and Kinsley promptly fell when the ground beneath her suit started sliding. At the same time more pop-ups appeared on the rim of the mountaintop firing down on the two. Kinsley promptly rolled over behind a large boulder, which offered some protection.
Thomas felt a sharp pain in his shoulder from a stunner, nearly causing him to drop his assault rifle. Falling to his knees he began firing at the pop-ups. Drawing in a deep breath, Thomas kept firing. Several more times he was hit by stunners. Finally he could bear the pain no longer and collapsed to the ground. Just before he lost consciousness he saw the last two pop-ups explode as they were struck by explosive rounds. Then Kinsley came into view. She bent down looking at Thomas.
“Thomas, can you move?” she asked in a concerned voice.
“No,” Thomas replied weakly. He felt as if he was about to pass out. “Get to the top and press a screen. It’s all up to you now.” With that, blackness overcame Thomas as he passed out, freeing himself of the pain from the stunners.
-
Kinsley stood up and looked around her. Everyone else was down. With a deep sigh, she began heading up the slope. At any moment she expected more pop-ups to appear. Finally she reached the plateau at the top of the mountain and stepped onto the level surface. Two hundred meters away was a pedestal with six screens. Looking around she saw no danger. Was it possible there were no pop-ups on the plateau because no one was expected to make it this far? Walking slowly across the plateau she kept up her guard looking for any sudden movement. There was none and she soon found herself standing next to the pedestal. There were six steps leading to the top of the pedestal and the screens mounted there. She had taken three of them when hidden pop-ups rose up behind her and promptly stunned her, knocking Kinsley off the steps to fall unconscious to the ground.
-
“Damn!” said Major Reed in the Control Center of the training complex. “She almost made it. I never expected anyone to reach the top of the mountain. It’s never happened in this scenario before.”
“They did well,” said Ryan with a smile. He knew when Thomas woke up he would feel sore from the effects of the stunners.
“They proved they are deserving of the battlesuits,” admitted Major Reed. “We’ll move Corporal Nelson’s squad on to the next level of training. Corporal Coyle’s squad won’t be far behind.
Casey looked over at Major Reed. It had pained her to see Thomas being hit by the stunners. “How much longer will the training last?”
“Another six weeks,” replied Major Reed.
Casey looked over at the others. “I think it’s time for us to go home.”
Lauren nodded. “Yes, our sons are doing very well. It was what we expected and they haven’t disappointed us.”
“I need to get back to the cloning facility anyway,” said Alexander.
Ryan stood up gesturing to the others. “Let’s go get something to eat and I’ll make arrangements to get us back to Vesta.” Ryan turned to Major Reed. “Major, thank you for allowing us to observe. I see Charring Mountain is still as difficult as always.”
Major Reed smiled. “We all have made our attempts at Charring. It builds character and prepares our Marines for their future. Anytime you want to come back feel free to do so. It has been an honor to have you in the Control Center.”
Ryan looked at one of the viewscreens showing Thomas still lying on the ground. Shortly he would awaken and it would be time for him to continue his training. R
yan was extremely proud of his son. However, now it was time for the four of them to return home. Their sons had proven they had outgrown the need for their parent’s protection. They were now adults and ready to take their places as Marines.
Chapter Five
In Centerpoint Station Admiral Kelly was in Fleet Command watching the tactical display. A number of green icons had just dropped out of Fold Space. Several assault ships were moving out from the orbit of the Moon to confirm their identity.
“It’s Rear Admiral Haden and Fourth Fleet,” reported Major Johnathan Moore from the large sensor console where three fleet officers were seated.
Admiral Kelly switched his gaze to one of the large viewscreens, showing the heavy battlecruiser Lamprey. With a deep sigh, he wished he still commanded First Fleet but his duties had been needed elsewhere. He was now in charge of Fleet Command and responsible for all of the Solar System’s military fleets. It was a rigorous job and many days he put in ten or twelve hours before he felt he could retire and get some rest.
“Inform Rear Admiral Haden to get his fleet into orbit and then he is to dock with Centerpoint and report to the main fleet conference room for debriefing.”
“Message sent and confirmed,” replied Captain Cynthia Edison.
Admiral Kelly nodded and walked over to a bank of viewscreens that showed the huge station. The trading station was one hundred and twenty kilometers across and twenty-four kilometers thick. On its surface were numerous habitation domes. Some of the domes were used for training facilities and ranged in size from ten to twenty kilometers across. Other domes were home to most of the nearly eighty thousand crew who operated the titanic station. The station had been built by the Kleese but was stolen by General Wade Nelson in the early years of Humanities war against the arachnids. A second station was closer to Earth. Freedom Station was the same size as Centerpoint and had also been taken from the Kleese. Over the years both stations had been modified for their Human crews. There were normally ten to twenty thousand Marines on the stations at all times as well as large numbers of ship crews.
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