There had been some debate as to whether the Surface Thumpers should be dropped prior to or simultaneous with the landing of the Borer units. If we had dropped them earlier, it would have given the flyers more time to perform the maneuver. Our utilizing the simultaneous drop gave the Ants less time to counter the move.
"Zah-Rah, Commander. Borer units landed and functioning."
"Acknowledged."
First anthill. Hopefully, by now the Ants would be in utter turmoil. Even if they had anticipated our attack, they should have had no forewarning as to its format. Without advance knowledge of the Borer units, they would have had to expect a direct assault on the tunnels. Our move of sealing the surface tunnels and collapsing others should have introduced an unexpected element into their defense plans.
"Raht, Commander. Borer units landed and functioning."
"Acknowledged."
Second anthill! Something was wrong. The third anthill should have reported in before the second.
"Kah-Tu!" I beamed.
"Yes, Commander."
"Report status immediately."
"Encountering unexpected surface resistance, Commander. The Ants are digging new holes to the surface as fast as we can seal them."
The kaleidoscope display on the View Screens confirmed this. Despite the frenzied efforts of the flyers, Ants were boiling to the surface and dashing angrily about.
"There are loose soil conditions in that area, Commander," Zur informed me. "It is doubtful we will be able to successfully stop that countermove."
"Proceed with Borer unit drop." I ordered.
"Acknowledged, Commander."
We had fought the Wasps to gain air supremacy. Now was when it should prove its worth.
"Zur!"
"Yes, Commander."
"Alert your reserves to stand by and report back to me.
"At once, Commander."
If we were encountering difficulties this early in the assault, it could be taken as guaranteed we would need the reserves before it was over.
One of the View Screens went blank.
First anthill! I waited.
"Zah-Rah, Commander," came the report. "Flyer down."
"Report," I ordered.
"Reason unknown, Commander. Flyer was dropping Surface Thumpers and failed to pull out of run. Assumed mechanical failure.
"Acknowledged."
I had hoped for more firm information. Mechanical failure in a flyer is rare.
"Kah-Tu, Commander. Borer units landed and functioning."
"Acknowledged."
Third anthill. The battle was now joined on all fronts. I checked the screens. The Ants were gathering in clumps and rushing the Borer units.
"Kah-Tu."
"Yes, Commander."
"Split your flyers. Half are to abandon their efforts to seal the tunnels and instead provide cover fire for the Borer units. The other half are to coordinate their efforts and using Surface Thumpers attempt to seal the surface access tunnels at a lower point in the Network."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
This would be a true test of the force's training and effectiveness under fire. It was one thing to drill and prepare to drop the Thumpers on a specific, preplanned target. It was another matter entirely to select a target from the tri-D maps, translate it to the actual field situation, set the Surface Thumpers, and successfully execute the maneuver, all while in the middle of a combat situation.
"Reserves standing by, Commander."
I had not observed Zur's entrance, but he was at my side again.
"Acknowledged."
"Another view-input malfunction?" he asked, noticing the second blank View Screen.
"Flyer down," I said. "Unconfirmed mechanical failure.
As I spoke, another View Screen went blank.
"Zah-Rah, Commander. Flyer down."
"Report!"
"Reason unknown, Commander. Situation similar to first incident."
Two flyers down at the same anthill!
"There is something wrong, Commander," Zur interrupted. "It-is illogical that two flyers would suffer mechanical failure in the same area."
Something in his assertion prompted a question in my mind.
"Zah-Rah. Was the second flyer downed in the same area as the first?"
There was a pause before the response came. Zah-Rah was with one of the Borer units, so the question and reply had to be relayed to the remaining flyers.
"Affirmative, Commander. Second flyer went down after attempting a drop run over the same area as the first."
"Instruct flyers to avoid that area. Order a high-altitude sound scan of that area and report results to me immediately."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
I stared suspiciously at the View Screens for the other anthills, but no similar crashes occurred.
"Raht, Commander. My section is in the tunnels and has collapsed the designated portion behind us. We are continuing toward the egg chamber. Forty-three percent casualties so far."
"Acknowledged."
"Kah-Tu, Commander. Surface access has been collapsed as ordered. Surface resistance weakening."
"Acknowledged."
I started for the View Screens to confirm the claim. "Zah-Rah, Commander. Sound scan reports evidence of machinery in designated area. No visual confirmation."
"Acknowledged."
My worst fears were realized.
"Rahm to all strike teams," I beamed. "Suspected cold-beam activity from Enemy. Possible firing on flyers. All units report full current status on my command. Zah-Rah!"
"First anthill. Borer units extended or extending. One egg chamber breached. Fifty-seven percent casualties so far. Possible ground fire on flyers."
"Raht!"
There was no reply.
"Kah-Tu!"
"Third anthill. Borer units extended. Two egg chambers and queen's chamber breached. Cold-beam attacks reported on tubes, but they have ceased with no damage inflicted. Seventy-seven percent casualties so far."
"Tur-Kam!"
There was no reply.
"Heem!"
"Fifth anthill. Borer units extended or extending. Queen's chamber breached. Sixty-seven percent casualties so far."
"Raht, second call."
"Second anthill. Borer units extended. Queen's chamber and one egg chamber breached. Fifty-four percent casualties so far."
"Tur-Kam, second call!"
There was no reply.
"Rahm to fourth anthill flyer leader."
"Here, Commander."
"Status report on your strike force."
There was a pause before the reply came.
"Unknown, Commander. We have not been contacted by our leader since the Borer units landed and are currently unable to establish communication."
"Acknowledged."
I turned to Zur.
"Your target is the fourth anthill. Brief your team as they drop."
"In what force shall we attack, Commander?"
"Full force. Anticipated resistance is unknown."
"At once, Commander."
I returned to the View Screens without watching him depart.
CHAPTER NINE
"Kah-Tu, Commander. Rain commencing at third anthill."
"Acknowledged."
We had known of the potential bad weather conditions when we commenced the assaults, but we were required to proceed to insure coordination with the other Planetary assaults. If anything, we were fortunate to only experience adverse weather at one of the five anthills. Rain would severely limit the effectiveness of the flyer support and could make the eventual withdrawal and pickup more hazardous.
"Mir-Zat, Commander. Assuming command at first anthill."
"Acknowledged."
First anthill! Zah-Rah was dead. The first...no possibly the second casualty among the strike team leaders.
"Zur!"
"Yes, Commander."
"Status report!"
"Fourth anthill, Commander. Ordered
flyers to drop all Surface Thumpers in an effort to maximize disruption of defenses."
"Evidence of original strike force?"
"Negative, Commander. We will be in the Borer units shortly. Will report findings at that time."
"Acknowledged."
"Raht, Commander. Target egg chamber for our section defended by cold-beams. Suffering heavy casualties."
"Will you be able to carry the objective?"
"Affirmative, Commander."
"Acknowledged."
Cold-beams again! There was a pattern forming here, but I wasn't allowed time to analyze it.
"Heem, Commander. Have received reports of Ants moving eggs from one of the egg chambers as it was destroyed."
"Order immediate pursuit. Find the new egg catch and destroy it."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
The collapsed tunnels were supposed to keep the Ants from moving the eggs. Apparently it wasn't working at the fifth anthill. If the Ants succeeded in their gambit, if they saved some eggs from our attack, the species would survive and the campaign would have failed.
"Zur, Commander. We are in the Borer units and proceeding with the assignment against minimal resistance. Have discovered original strike force."
"Report."
"Strike force rendered helpless by stun rays. Borer units breached manually-by Ants. No survivors of the original strike force. We have cleared the Borer units of Ants. The units are still functional, and we are proceeding with the mission."
"Were the members of the original strike force wearing the antistun plates?"
"Affirmative, Commander. Apparently the Ants have either modified their stun ray, or have in their possession a weapon we are yet unfamiliar with. Our reserve force, however, has encountered no difficulties such as those apparently encountered by the original strike force. Perhaps the Energy-Drain units have successfully stopped the weapon's functioning."
"Acknowledged," I replied.
That was it! I had the answer to the vague pattern I had been sensing. The Energy-Drainers had been effective, but each anthill had a reserve energy unit. Apparently the Communication Disrupters had prevented coordinated effort between the anthills, so each anthill had utilized the reserve unit in their own way before it too was drained of energy.
The first anthill had used their energy to attack the flyers, while the second anthill had used cold-beams in an effort to defend one egg chamber. Cold-beams had been used, too, at the third anthill, whereas the fourth anthill had successfully employed a modified stun ray to wipe out that strike force. That left...
"Heem, Commander! Urgent! Fifth anthill is launching spacecraft!"
"Acknowledged."
Now we knew what the fifth anthill was using their energy for.
"Rahm to space-shuttle pilots! Launch your craft immediately! Take position over fifth anthill."
I waited impatiently through their ripple of acknowledgments.
"Heem!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"Report."
"We investigated the tunnel through which the Ants had been evacuating eggs. This is a new tunnel, apparently constructed since we began our attack. The tunnel led to a chamber housing spacecraft. It was heavily defended, and we were unable to prevent launching. "
"How many spacecraft were launched?"
"Only one, Commander."
"Proceed with your withdrawal."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
"Rahm to space-shuttle Leader. Your target is one, repeat one spacecraft. Stop it at all costs!"
"Acknowledged, Commander."
If that ship escaped with a cargo of eggs, we would have failed and the Empire would be in grave jeopardy.
"Ar-Tac, Commander. Assuming command of second anthill."
I forced my mind away from the escaping spacecraft. Raht was dead.
"Can you confirm completion of Raht's mission?"
"Affirmative, Commander. Flyers report water level in lake dropping rapidly, indicating egg chamber successfully destroyed. Are commencing our withdrawal."
"Casualty report."
"Seventy-two percent so far, Commander."
"Acknowledged. "
"Kah-Tu, Commander. All targets in third anthill have been destroyed. Eighty-seven percent casualties so far. We are encountering strong resistance on our withdrawal attempts. Remaining force is insufficient to regain the surface. Request reinforcements."
I was afraid of this. The weather conditions were having their expected effect on the retreat.
"Reserve force has been totally committed. No reinforcements are available."
There was a pause before the reply came.
"I understand, Commander. Request permission to release our flyers to rendezvous with transport."
"Permission granted."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
Kah-Tu was dead. She acknowledged this and was attempting to salvage part of her strike force.
"Space-shuttle Leader, Commander. We have encountered the Ant spacecraft and destroyed it."
"Report."
"Spacecraft was apparently unprepared for combat. By going into low orbit, we were able to intercept it before it had an opportunity to change course from launch pattern. Cold-beams were effective in completely destroying the craft."
"Return to transports."
"Acknowledged, Commander."
It was reassuring to know some phase of this assault had been executed without difficulty.
"Mir-Zat, Commander. All targets in the first anthill have been destroyed. We are commencing our withdrawal. Sixty-eight percent casualties so far."
"Acknowledged."
"Flyer Leader from third anthill to Commander. Request permission to land flyers and assist in strike team's withdrawal."
That gave me pause. Apparently the flyers from Kah-Tu's force were refusing her order to rendezvous with the transports, asking instead to try to rescue the stranded ground force.
"Permission granted. Land your flyers out of range of the auto-weapon scanners."
"Acknowledged. Our gratitude, Commander."
If there was a chance to save the stranded force, it should be pursued. While I would not have ordered Warriors into such a precarious position, I would not deny them their request for such action.
"Second transport pilot to Commander. Urgent! We are going down."
"Report!"
"Apparent maneuvering malfunction of space shuttle when attempting to dock with our transport. Damage severe and irreparable. We are losing orbital pattern and anticipate burn entry to planet's atmosphere."
"Acknowledged!"
One transport! Gone! This possibility had never entered into my plans.
"Rahm to space shuttle. Do not, repeat, do not attempt to dock with transports. Undetermined malfunction of your vehicles has caused destruction of Transport Two. Attempt to land in vicinity of anthills and regroup with strike teams for pickup."
I ignored their acknowledgments. The shuttle pilots knew as well as I that their vehicles were not designed to survive a planet landing. My order was only an acceptable alternative to waiting in space until their air supply ran out.
"Zur, Commander. All targets in the fourth anthill have been destroyed, commencing withdrawal. Fifty-nine percent casualties so far."
"Acknowledged."
All anthills were accounted for now, except one.
"Rahm to Kah-Tu. What is your status?"
There was no reply.
"Rahm to third anthill flyer Leader. Report your status."
There was no reply.
"Rahm to any Warrior in the third anthill strike force. What is your status?"
There was no reply.
The attempt to rescue the stranded force in the third anthill had failed.
CHAPTER TEN
The loss of a transport severely changed our pickup calculations. Instead of thirty percent of our original force, we could now only transport twenty percent back to the colony ship. Even with the
loss of two full strike teams, we would doubtless have to leave some Warriors behind.
I gave my last order of the attack.
"Rahm to all strike team Leaders and acting Leaders. Our attack has been successfully completed. Coordinate your pickup requirements directly with the transport pilots. Transports One and Three only are available."
As soon as I received their acknowledgments, I left the control compartments and headed for my sleeping quarters.
I understand now both why Planetary Commanders were required to eat prior to an assault, and why they were not required to report to High Command prior to their return to the colony ship.
Although I had not physically lifted a weapon against the Enemy in this last campaign, I felt more fatigued than I had after any previous assignment. I began to believe the claims of the Technicians and Scientists that they could be just as fatigued as the Warriors even though they never were involved in direct combat.
Still, I did not go to sleep immediately. Instead, I found myself idly pondering several questions.
Under what circumstances would I be awakened again? Would the High Command require a detailed report from me? Would I be involved in the colonization of new planets, assuming the War against the Coalition was truly over? Or would it be as Zur postulated, that I would only be awakened again if a major species challenged the Empire?
Zur! It suddenly occurred to me that his force was the last to complete their mission. Logically, this meant they would be the last survivors to be picked up, and therefore it was highly probable that all or some of them would be left behind. Would Zur be one of the survivors? Or would he be stranded, included among the casualties?
I realized suddenly that these questions bore no more importance to me than...than whether or not a species of intelligent warm-bloods evolved. I was a Tzen and a Warrior, and I had been efficient in the performance of my duty to the Empire.
I went to sleep.
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Document ID: 40d7d639-6c01-1014-9eff-e169be91aaa3
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Document creation date: 01.06.2008
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The Bug Wars Page 22
