On the screen a profile of one of the creatures appeared, it showed the reinforced armour, tougher muscles and also several video sequences of them in close combat. They moved fast and were capable of biting or ripping people apart without the use of weapons. One image also showed a creature wearing armour and carrying a projectile weapon on its shoulder. Another showed a group of people, some of them wearing the robes of the Zealots but many more looked like civilians, though all were armed in some way.
“The combat situation is grave. Our forces in Avagana have been hit on multiple fronts and always from the underground facilities controlled by the Zealots. We are seeing a mixture of enemy units and not all the civilians appear to be Zealots. Whether this means their support base is spreading or that these are a less extreme version of the group we cannot tell. What we do know is that after the initial attack all military units have been forced on the defensive. Our forces have been trying to hold back the assaults to keep the towns and cities clear. I can tell you all that this operation to halt their advance has failed. The enemy continue to emerge from the Bone Mill and the many mines and tunnels that it is connected to over an area of three hundred square kilometres. We can only assume they have the ability to construct these soldiers at a fast rate. Alternatively, they may have been holding them in hiding all this time and are moving them through the many uncharted caves, tunnels and manmade shafts that exist down there.”
The image changed to show a much closer view of the planet.
“We have launched three raids into the underground sites to obtain intelligence. Every single one of these has failed and more of these creatures keep emerging. We have therefore been authorised to conduct a series of air strikes to neutralise the entire complex before their numbers become unmanageable. This however will only stop the reinforcements of the enemy, those in the field must still be dealt with,” he explained.
The display zoomed in to a snaking river along which straddled a massive city and port.
“This is New Carlos, capital of the colony and home to over thirty million people. It is one of the newest mega cities in the Confederacy and the largest city on Prime. The Governor is missing and presumed dead following a series of suicide bombings. We have already started to evacuate the smaller towns and mining outposts but we don’t have enough aircraft to complete the evacuation. The order has already been issued that all citizens should move to their nearest city. There are nine major cities in the colony and all have been hit to varying degrees.”
The map zoomed out and each city was highlighted in red to show the dispersal of the population. The continent was substantial, almost the size of North America on Earth. After pausing on the wider view for a few seconds, the map rolled out into a flat two-dimensional display showing the entire planet’s surface. Thick green lines split the planet up into the Seven Colonies of Prime.
“Our military garrisons in the colonies are already mobilising army units to help with the fighting but it will take hours, in some cases days, for them to reach Avagana. There is also the problem of escalation, if the troubles spread to the other colonies on Prime the military forces could be easily pinned down.” He moved the map to zoom in to the mega city.
“New Carlos cannot fall. Apart from the population of the colony at present in and around the city, it is also connected directly to the Carlos Spaceport. It is the largest transport hub in this part of the Avagana Colony and the most important one on the planet. There are road, rail and water links from this point that lead to the other colonies on Prime. It is one of the few sites that can handle the heavy transports and landers in the Fleet. If the enemy takes New Carlos they will control the pivotal section of the planet. Even of more concern, they will wipe out or assimilate every citizen in the area. In the last forty-eight hours Confed forces have been assisting the civilians in a general evacuation of the regions around the Bone Mill and the remote towns along the coast of Avagana. They are directing them to the cities. There is a problem though.”
The map zoomed to a section below the city showing icons where the various units were situated. A line of black ran in a broken line along with multiple red blocks moving towards the area.
“Three of the towns west of this point have been overrun and their citizens are running for New Carlos. Elements of the 7th Marine Regiment are trying to hold back the enemy as the civilians fall back to the city. So far they are holding but our best estimates are that they will last for only two, maybe three hours. With that back door open the enemy will stream into the undefended sections of the city. I think you can image what happens from there,” he said solemnly.
The room was now completely silent as the marines started to understand he gravity of the situation. The creatures that had been unleashed on the population by the Zealots were smashing their way through the Confed cordons and heading for all the populated zones. It was all going far worse than any of them had expected. He continued.
“Reports from the overrun town of Carnaz indicate that the Zealots are not wiping out population centres. When the shock troops took the town they killed anyone who opposed them but left the civilian population. Their new shock troops have been in the field now for four days and show no signs of stopping. When the troops moved on they left the area for the Zealots to secure. Once they arrived they started to sort through those that were left. Troublemakers are being sent to camps for whatever nefarious plans they might have, the rest are staying in their homes. This is consistent with our understanding of their plans. It would appear they wish to replace the leadership of Prime, not the population. This leads our intelligence units to conclude that there may be a more significant threat than just the Zealots behind the attacks. It appears there is a large political element behind the uprising.”
On the screen the display shifted to show multiple military units and their commanders’ profiles. One man stood out amongst them all, a sixty-four year old army general.
“General Shears, Commander of all planetary forces on Prime has taken command of New Carlos and is mustering a mixed force of army, marines and city militia to help defend the city. He has already mobilised over twelve thousand fighters but he needs more time. They have only been able to fortify twenty percent of the perimeter and the enemy has now reached the outskirts of the city. We have conducted air operations against them but they are too close for us to risk bombardments that near to civilians. They are moving fast on the defences but not fast enough to do the job, that is where you come in!”
“The Santa Cruz and our commandos are to spearhead a dangerous operation to blunt the enemy assault to give General Shears enough time to finish the basic defences for the city. At the same time three army transports have just arrived from Alpha Centauri. They will follow us in and provide reinforcements for General Shears in the upcoming siege. This will be a hit and run operation, we do not have the numbers to hold them indefinitely. Just get in there fast, cause as much mess as you can and then get out. I have a list of missions for you all to carry out but for now this is the priority. Briefings have been sent to your computer units. Have your squads ready for drops in sixty minutes!”
As he walked off Spartan looked around the room, noting the number of marines running in different directions. Since his transfer to the ship he hadn’t actually taken part in a combat mission. He moved from his chair and headed for the door before being cut off by the approaching officers. One of them, a tall man with a rough face and a smile stopped in front of him.
“Sergeant Spartan,” said Captain Mathews. He looked at the marine noticing his rank was back to private.
“Sir,” said Spartan as he saluted.
The Captain was in charge of Alpha Company and they had met during the action to retake the Naval Station. He had been instrumental in getting Spartan promoted to start with.
“I see your rank didn’t stick. Well, don’t worry about it, there’s plenty of work to do and work in the Marine Corps usually means quick promotion. That was a damned good
job back on Kronus. As you might expect though, it’s not going to get any easier.”
“Understood, Sir.”
“How is Teresa? Her injuries?” He looked genuinely concerned.
“She’s doing well, the doctors say she will be fit for duty in a four to five days.”
“Fast, very fast. I’m impressed, she’ll be an asset to the unit.”
“Yeah,” said Spartan as he thought about his closest friend in the Fleet.
They were close, very close but the constant training and action over the last days had made it difficult to spend any real time together. He hoped a lull in the fighting would give them a chance to take some leave, but when that might happen he had no idea. They started to make slow progress towards the door before the Captain stopped.
“How is the new unit going? I know you’ve been thrown in the deep end but we need the quickest and strongest for the commandos. We have a habit of getting through people pretty fast!” he laughed.
“They’re not the easiest people to get on with, Sir. I’m not complaining, it’s just the way it us with a new unit. A combat operation will clear things up I’m sure,” he answered wryly.
“Indeed. Now, I understand you’ve already worked with Lieutenant Daniels?”
Spartan inhaled, his facial expressions did him a disservice as he tried to look as impassive as he could. The officer certainly wasn’t the worst Spartan had met, but he lacked experience and at their last encounter he had felt a certain amount of rivalry that shouldn’t exist between a ranker like him and an officer.
“Yes, Sir, he led one of the units in the final assault on the Naval Station.”
“I know he’s a little green but his training and combat record is exemplary. He has been assigned temporary command of one of the engineering platoons. Based upon your experience with the armour, and with him, I would like you to take a position in his platoon as second sergeant. The rest of your squad has been assigned to him and is already going over the briefing.”
“I assumed my promotion was just a temporary rank, Sir? I’ve only just finished basic training and I thought the move to the Cruz was to be part of my training as a commando. I was told when I arrived on the ship I was to be returned to private in my new unit.”
“You’ve already completed most of the commando training and your combat experience and the operations over the next weeks will either make or break you as a commando,” he said.
Spartan’s current status was confused as he had only just been promoted. The battle to take the Station had been Spartan’s first military operation, and though it lasted just hours he had probably been involved in more action than most marines would face in an entire career. Even so, when he had landed he was no more than a private. Due to the heavy losses in the assault he had been given a battlefield promotion to sergeant. He had acquitted himself well enough for an immediate transfer to the commando unit aboard the Marine Transport ship CCS Santa Cruz. Captain Mathews continued.
“Daniels’ unit is the newest one here. Most of the NCOs are either on the way here or were injured in the fighting on Kronus. There is nobody else with the kind of experience the unit needs. You have the position for now if you want it.”
“For now?” asked Spartan.
“Well, once we’re fully reinforced there will only be so many positions available. Traditionally the post is based partially on service time and partially on merit. You’ll have to compete with the old timers. My suggestion is just keep doing what you do well and I’m sure the job will be yours. Think of this as an opportunity to make your rank more...permanent,” he said with a look that told Spartan exactly what he needed to hear.
The Captain stepped in a little closer as if he had something important he needed to say but didn’t want to be overheard.
“A number of the officers have mentioned your tactical use of the engineers in combat and we have already been authorised to assign Daniels use of the full company’s worth of equipment for this operation. It will give him enough equipment for a full platoon. We’ve only used the gear for sappers’ work so far but you have already proved the combat effectiveness of the armour and strength, both on the ground and in zero-g environments. I think the Lieutenant would appreciate your support in their use on the drop. The techs on board have already started to modify some of the armour based on your exploits. Apparently, Spartan, you retrofitted weapons during one of the training exercises?”
“Well, I’m not sure that using gaffer tape to strap training weapons to engineering gears really qualified as retrofitting, Sir.”
“Really? You have a lot to learn then!” the Captain laughed.
The two men continued towards the side of the hall, only a few marines remained, some were making notes or discussing the upcoming operation with their officers.
“Did you say an entire platoon, Sir?” asked a surprised Spartan, still unsure as to what was going on.
“Yes, I’ve recommended the entire platoon will be armoured for this operation. Take it from me, with the numbers you’ll be facing you’ll want the armour and the weapons! This isn’t a permanent unit, we just need as much fighting power on the surface as we can get.”
A marine approached them and waited patiently for the Captain to turn to him. He handed over a datapad and the Captain gave it just the quickest of glances.
“Sergeant, I must go. Get to Daniels in Section 3F and do whatever you need to get this mission done. Remember the briefing, New Carlos must not fall! Good luck on the mission, let me know how the armour works out!”
Without waiting for a reply the Captain marched off and out of the briefing room. Spartan stood on his own looking around. He’d only just joined his new unit and this new promotion wasn’t going to win him any friends. He lifted his datapad and checked for the location of Section 3F where the unit was preparing for action. It wasn’t far away, just three sections down the ship and after the armoury. He left the room and entered the side shaft that ran the length of the ship. There were no windows on this part and it was just as well, as the movement of the stars when viewed from the rotating section of the vessel were known to cause nausea and sickness. As he marched down the shaft he noticed the large number of marine commandos equipping for combat. These units were normally based on the Furious Battlegroup but most of the ships were still being prepared for the conflict and the battalion had been rushed to the frontline on numerous transports and craft. The downside was that a large part of the heavy equipment was still back at the naval base on Kerberos. For now the CCS Santa Cruz was the new home for the 5th Reconnaissance Battalion of the Confederate Marine Corps. Though it lacked space for the heavy armour and weapons of the unit it did have a number of landing craft and shuttles on board, as well as the engineering equipment and armour that Spartan would be making use of.
The entire unit usually made use of light armoured vehicles and gunships to deliver small teams into combat. The 5th was an elite battalion of the Marine Corps and consisted of over a thousand men and women, the best the Marine Corps had to offer. It was made up of a Headquarters and Services Company, three commando companies and finally the elite Force Reconnaissance Company. The battalion provided reconnaissance and surveillance for the rest of the Corps. They were also trained in close quarters battle (CQB) tactics and other special missions. They were expected to be able to carry out any operation with speed and efficiency. There was no mission they couldn’t complete, or at least that is what they said repeatedly to themselves.
Spartan walked past two women who were in the process of fitting on their Personal Defence Suits. These were the standard set of clothing, camouflage and tactical armour used by all CMC Marines. It was lightweight and covered the entire surface of the marine. As he moved away from them and to the automatic door that led to the next section his mind shifted to Teresa. They met when first joining as recruits and they had become much more than just close friends. In the combat landing on the Naval Station she had taken serious wounds. The grou
nd fire had been much stronger than expected and many marines had been killed trying to establish a beachhead. She was recovering fast and he really wanted to see her but time wasn’t on his side. He would have to check in on her on his return.
The door slid shut behind him and he continued on to the final section where his platoon was assembling. The entrance to the hangars and loading bays was much more utilitarian in appearance than the rest of the ship. Weapon lockers and stowage containers were everywhere. Along the left side of the corridor were dozens of mechanical suits designed for use in repairing and maintaining the ship, or for use on combat operations with the engineers company. These military suits were similar to the sealed Personal Defence Suits but much thicker and bulkier. Known as the Combat Engineer Suits or CES they were of much sturdier construction and also equipped with heavy-duty hydraulic gear, digging implements and cutting tools. Some of the suits were fitted with close range weapons but, since Spartan’s training and combat experience, in the last few days the equipment was already being heavily modified. As he walked past the fifth suit he noticed something odd about it. He stopped and looked carefully, trying to work out way it was so familiar.
“You okay, Marine?” asked one of the fitters.
Spartan looked at the man and then again at the suit. “Yeah, this one looks familiar.”
“Well, it should do, it’s one of the suits used for the boarding action a few days back. I’ve patched some of the holes and welded in the plating as recommended by the report put together by Private Morato.”
“Teresa recommended this? Strange, she never mentioned it.”
Star Crusades Uprising: The First Trilogy Page 20
