“I know, but I can’t. Colonel Wright has called for all of us to assemble on the flight deck ASAP.”
Tarina sat up and wiped the tears from her face. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Wendy closed the door, plunging the room back into darkness. Tarina did not want to, but she had no choice. She flicked on a light, walked into the bathroom and washed her face. She straightened out her uniform and joined Wendy in the hallway. “What’s going on?” Tarina asked.
“No idea, but we had best hurry.”
A minute later, they joined their fellow pilots. A wild and animated discussion was brewing. Someone said that the Kurgs had attacked another star system while anther spoke of saboteurs detonating bombs at Fleet Headquarters on Earth.
Major Fareed walked in and told everyone to take a seat on the bleachers behind them. A couple of seconds later, Wright entered the hangar floor. Everyone rocketed to attention. Wright stood in front of his people and locked his ice-blue eyes on them. “Folks, one thing you should never do in the military is sugarcoat bad news. It only leads to misunderstandings that can complicate thing down the line. So here it is. The war to date has gone spectacularly bad. All along the Disputed Zone, we have suffered defeat after defeat. Several systems have already fallen to the enemy.”
He paused to gauge the news on the faces of his pilots. If it bothered them, they didn’t let it show. “Fleet intel has intercepted messages coming from the Derran system which seem to indicate that the Kurgs are struggling to pacify Derra-5, a planet, which fleet had expected to fall by now. In fact, if the messages are to be believed, it is a real burr under their saddle and fleet wishes it to remain so for as long as possible.”
“Sir, what of the rumors of Kurgan agents operating in the fleet?” asked a short, broad-chested lieutenant. “Can we trust communiques coming from the Kurgan forces on Derra-5?”
“Absolutely not,” replied Wright. “That is why we have been tasked to take a look at Derra-5 in order to confirm or deny this information.”
An excited murmur ran through the squadron.
“People, I know that not all of you are ready for this assignment, so here is how it is going to go down. I will take two Avengers with me. The remainder of you will remain behind to complete your training under Major Fareed.”
A cocky, captain with short blonde hair and a skintight flight suit stood up. “Sir, who are you planning to take with you?”
“Not you Bradley, you’re not ready yet.”
Deflated, the blonde-haired pilot sat down.
“I will fly one of the Avengers with Lloyd as my navigator. Tarina with Wendy as her navigator will fly the second ship. Folks, this is not open to discussion, so don’t try and corner me after this meeting is over and try to get me to change my mind. I expect the flight crews to rendezvous back here in thirty minutes. We have a fast transport ship to catch that will jump from here to the furthest edge of the Derran system.”
Wright dismissed the pilots. “Tarina, please walk with him for a minute. When they were out of earshot of the other pilots, he turned to face her. “I’m sorry, I just heard about your loss.”
“Thank you, sir,” responded fighting back the tears.
“Think of this as your chance for payback. If it’s true and Derra-5 is still holding out, fleet undoubtedly will kick into high gear. I bet they will plan to give the Kurgs a severe drubbing there if they can. However, they can’t do a thing until they know what is going on there. That is why I picked you. You’re the best instinctual pilot I have, that and fact that I thought you’d like the opportunity to stick it to the enemy.”
Tarina smiled. “Yes, sir, I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
“Good. Pack your things and meet me here. The flight to the Derran star system will take three days at full speed. After that, we’re on our own. If you haven’t already, fill out a will.”
Wright carried on leaving Tarina alone in the now empty hangar thinking about what he had just said. Her heart was a mix of emotions. It still ached for Sheridan; however, a burning desire for revenge was brewing deep inside her. Whatever happened next, she wanted payback and she intended to collect for the death of the only man he had ever loved.
Chapter 21
It had been two days since Sheridan had gone back into the line. His new platoon of re-tasked artillerymen had been put through street fighting drills by Staff Sergeant Cole by day and night until they understood what was expected of them. Sheridan would have preferred infantrymen, but they were in short supply. Best estimates put the division at about fifty percent strength with most of the casualties coming from the three infantry regiments who had so far withstood the worst of the fighting. As Sheridan studied the tactical situation on a map in the company command post, he saw that the Kurgan forces had almost taken half of the city. All along the river, there were pockets of resistance that were holding out against the onslaught. It was to one of these locations that Sheridan and his understrength platoon were going to move to in a few hours. They were going to relieve a platoon that was guarding one side of the only bridge still standing over the fifty meter wide river that cut through the middle of the capital. The remainder of the company was going to guard the other side. A couple of squads of combat engineers were coming with him to prepare the bridge for demolition.
“Mister Sheridan, are your people ready to go into battle?” Captain Rolleston asked.
Sheridan turned and said, “They’re as ready as we could make them in forty-eight hours, sir.”
“How are you organized?”
“I have two large squads, a weapons detachment, and a small headquarters. Without experienced NCOs, I was reluctant to break the platoon down any further.”
“That’ll do. How are you set for ammo?”
“Sergeant Cole has managed to obtain a ton for us. Ammo isn’t the problem, medical support is. The only medic I have is one of my own people. Sir, are there none to spare from division?”
Rolleston shook his head. “Unfortunately, we’re all in the same boat. The medical battalion has been swamped with casualties. There won’t be any help coming our way for a long time. You’ll have to make do with what you have.”
Sheridan did not like the answer, but he understood that they were truly on their own. He made his way back to his platoon. Cole was just finishing his final inspection of the new soldiers before they made their way to the bridge.
“What’s the word from the CO?” Cole asked.
“The word is we’re on our own. What we’ve got is all we’re going to get.”
Cole shrugged. “Could be worse, they could have sent us some of the divisional staff officers as replacements.”
Sheridan chuckled. “Ok, I’m going to take the NCOs and the heavy weapons team with me for the handover. I’ll see you and the rest of the platoon at the bridge in an hour.”
“Don’t get lost on your way there, sir,” teased Cole.
Almost to the minute, Cole showed up. The platoon quickly occupied two large houses on either side of a road leading to the bridge. He was pleased to see that the soldiers that had been there before them had done a good job of preparing the buildings for defense. Fields of fire had been cleared and all of the rooms had been fortified. It would not stop a Kurgan tank’s fire, but against small arms, the houses were almost impregnable.
The crump of artillery shells landing a few blocks away alerted Sheridan that the enemy advance had begun again. His job was to hold his side of the bridge until ordered to withdraw. Behind them in the dark, the combat engineers busily prepared the bridge to blow.
Cole walked into the small house Sheridan had chosen for his command post and reported that everything was set. Garcia, Roberts and a young artilleryman were responsible for working the only heavy weapon they could find, an automatic grenade launcher that was sited to cover the road.
“Sir, I don’t get why the Kurgs are smashing the city to pieces,” said Cole. “I thought you said that they wanted to
take it intact so they can use the city’s infrastructure.”
“I know it’s very odd. Perhaps they didn’t expect this much resistance and have changed their mission objectives,” replied Sheridan.
Roberts said, “I heard from a guy who works up at division that the Kurgs are using the planet as a testing ground to see if their Chosen warriors are loyal to the empire.”
“You should know better than to listen to rumors. Especially those coming from the div staff,” retorted Cole.
The sound of gunfire reverberating down the streets put an end to the conversation. Sheridan moved to a firing port, brought up his night vision binoculars and looked towards the sound of the fighting. He could not see any movement. The street was deserted, yet barely two blocks away, Marines and Chosen soldiers were once more locked in a battle to the death. House by house and street by street, the two sides fought over the destroyed remains of the capital.
“Unless something drastic happens, I don’t think we’re going to get hit tonight,” said Sheridan. He turned his head and looked over at Cole. “Sergeant, let’s have the platoon go to fifty percent manning for the night.”
“Sounds like a plan, sir,” replied Cole. He looked at Roberts. “Pass the word.” With Tammy running by his side, Roberts dashed over to the nearest squad.
Now all they had to do was sit and wait and that was almost as bad as being in combat as far as Sheridan was concerned. The more they sat about, the more time they had to think about their predicament and theirs was bleak.
Chapter 22
Tarina sat behind her controls, going through a few last minute checks before she made her jump. Behind her, Wendy was checking and re-checking the calculations provided to them by the Avenger’s onboard navigation computer. She would not be happy until she had verified the numbers herself.
A voice spoke into their helmets. It was Colonel Wright. “Ok, folks this is a simple mission. We are going to jump on either side of Derra-5, switch on our sensor arrays and record everything we can before the ships automatically jump back here five seconds later. If we hang around any longer than that the enemy will acquire us and fire a couple of missiles at us.”
“Got it, sir,” responded Tarina.
“Ok then, let’s do this.”
The launch bay depressurized. A second later, the doors below the two craft opened. Using their thrusters, the two pilots flew their ships out into space. When they were one hundred meters below the transport, Wright began the countdown.
With each passing second, Tarina grew nervous. Her hands tightened around the ship’s joystick. The instant Wright said zero Tarina engaged the jump engine. In a flash, both craft accelerated beyond the speed of light.
Three minutes later, Tarina’s ship emerged on the far side of Derra-5. She could see dozens of Kurgan ships in orbit. Her craft’s sensors, augmented for the flight, got to work recording everything.
Wendy began the countdown for the return flight. In just five short seconds, Tarina and Wendy had just conducted their first combat mission and proven the viability of deep space reconnaissance. Before any Kurgan ship could lock onto them, they were gone.
The belly of the transport ship suddenly appeared above them. Tarina smiled and then flew up inside the launch hangar, as did Colonel Wright. The instant the doors closed beneath them, the transport engaged its Jump Engine, taking them far away from the Derran system.
The bay pressurized and the artificial gravity was reengaged. A swarm of technicians ran over to help the crews out of their ships and to replace the expended power packs in their engines.
As soon she was out, Tarina walked over to Wright’s ship. “Sir, that was one really short ride.”
“Quick in and quick out, there’s nothing wrong with that,” replied Wright, handing off his helmet to a technician.
“I saw several dozen Kurgan warships and transports in orbit.”
“As did I.”
“Sir, where are we heading to now?”
“We’re going to rendezvous with a frigate and transfer all of our data to her. She’ll then jump back to the fleet with our findings.”
“And us, sir?”
“We get ready for the next mission.”
“Which is?” asked Wendy.
Wright smiled at the two eager officers. “I suspect we’ll be heading back to Derra-5 in a couple of days. Until then, I want you to review the last mission to see if there is anything we might need to change the next time we do this. And I want you two to get some rest.” With that, he turned and left the hangar.
Lloyd, Wright’s navigator, walked over and joined the two women. They were about to head to the mess hall for some food when they saw a group of technicians wheel out a couple of large objects and move them over to the Avengers.
“What are those?” Lloyd asked one of the men.
“Satellites, sir,” replied one of the technicians.
Tarina grinned at her friends. “I guess we just found out what we’re doing next.”
Chapter 23
The dark gray waters of the river flowing underneath the bridge looked cold and inhospitable. Although it dropped below zero during the night, the river had yet to freeze over. Sheridan rubbed his cold hands together for a moment trying to warm them up. He swore under his breath as a body clinging to a piece of debris from the refugee camp floated by. It was not the first they had seen and it certainly would not be the last.
They had been at the bridge for a week, yet they had yet to see a single Chosen warrior. Although the frontline had crept closer each day, the enemy’s last major attack had met with failure. Sheridan had been told that the large Kurgan tanks were having a hard time navigating the narrow streets and that casualties on their side had been high during the last few days of fighting. A fresh division of Chosen soldiers had replaced the one in the front lines. Another attack was expected in the next twelve to twenty-four hours.
Sergeant Cole did not waste a single second. He had the men improve their defensive positions and taught them how to defend their positions when the enemy came.
Garcia during a quick trip to the rear had obtained several more med kits, which she gave to a couple of soldiers who said they had taken combat first aid.
Sheridan had just sat down to have a meal with Cole when a runner from Captain Rolleston arrived and handed him a note. Sheridan quickly read it over and signed the paper to let his superior know that he had acknowledged the message.
“What’s up?” asked Cole.
“Looks like we’re going to get another squad later tonight.”
“From where?”
Sheridan smiled. “Oh, you’re going to love this, they’re from one of the div’s logistics units. Seems that without any supplies coming in, they don’t need them anymore.”
“Jesus,” blurted out Cole. “They can’t be serious!”
“Oh, but they are.”
Cole shook his head. “Where do you want to put them?”
“They can be our reserve. Have them set up a position in the house right across the street and give them a lance corporal from one of the other squads as their assistant squad leader.”
“I’ll move Sampson; he’s a fairly switched on lad for an artilleryman,” answered Cole, only half-joking.
At midnight, the reinforcements arrived. Cole and Sheridan made sure that they understood what was expected of them. To a man, they had volunteered to join the Marines on the front line that alone made their arrival seem less onerous.
After ensuring that everything was going as good as it could be, Sheridan grabbed his lightweight survival blanket. He was about to get comfortable on the floor when Roberts stuck his head inside the bunker and said, “Sir, you’ve got to come see this.”
“What’s going on?” asked Sheridan wearily.
“The drones are back.”
“So?”
“They aren’t firing missiles. They’re playing messages.”
Sheridan was tired, but his curiosity drove hi
m to get up and see what was happening. He stepped out into the cold night air and saw a Kurgan drone hovering above the river. The holographic image of a healthy-looking Marine appeared onto the side of a building.
The image spoke. “My fellow Marines, you listen to me, you don’t have to die. If your officers are telling you that help is coming, it is a lie. No one is coming to help you. Your own people have written you off. You don’t need to die fighting for fat, incompetent officers and politicians who sit safely back on Earth while you fight and die out here.”
The Marine’s image faded, replaced by a woman and her two young children happily walking through an open field. The sun was shining down on them. The message continued. “Marines, join us. Life on a Chosen world is one of peace and spiritual contentment. Walk towards our lines and you will be met and greeted as a fellow comrade fighting against the injustices of your unworthy leaders.”
Sheridan looked around and saw that some of his men were attentively watching the propaganda. He had heard enough. He brought up his rifle to his shoulder, made sure that the safety was off on the grenade launcher and then took aim at the drone. A second later, he pulled back on the trigger. With a whoosh, the shell flew straight towards the target. With a loud boom, the drone blew apart.
A hand reached out of the dark and pulled Sheridan back off his feet and onto the ground just as a missile struck where he had been standing only a couple of seconds before. Sheridan looked over and saw Cole lying on the cold ground beside him.
“Sir, are you trying to get yourself killed?” asked Cole. “Didn’t you see the other drone?”
Sheridan shook his head. “No, I only saw the one.”
“Pay more attention next time.”
“Thanks for saving my life, Sergeant.”
Cole stood up and helped Sheridan to his feet. “Think nothing of it. Now why the hell did you fire on that drone?”
“I saw some of the replacements listening to the message. The last thing we need is people thinking about deserting to the enemy.”
First Strike (The Kurgan War Book 1) Page 15
