by Rod Carstens
Ririsa thought for a moment. It wasn't much, a real long shot, but even if they just showed up on the Xotoli's screens, it might buy them some time or simply add to the confusion.
"Okay, fine. But I don't want more than a single spread of them used that way. We need to make every one of those Long Lances count. Pollux, give that programming to the Castor. Castor, I want you do to do the same."
"Aye, aye, Captain," Poal said.
"If there are no other questions, you both have a lot to do. I want us in formation and at flank speed in fifteen minutes. See to it."
Ririsa turned and ran back to the bridge.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Xotoli Outpost
Exoplanet 1123.567
Von Fleet Planet 703
Geosynchronous Orbit
Landing Ship Dock
Tarawa
1st Marine Raider Battalion
Combat Information Center
"Oh, shit!" Lieutenant Netis said.
She had been monitoring the naval communication in the task force. She knew Zula had good instincts, and she was going to know as soon as he did. She had programmed her computer to kick any communications mentioning the Xotoli or aliens to the top of her queue. When the report from Combat Patrol Four had come across her screen, she had known immediately what it meant. She took a deep breath and stood up.
General Sand came striding into the center, still in his armor from his foray to the planet’s surface, standing on the platform behind her. He was immediately surrounded by senior naval and Marine staff. Dasan turned when he heard Netis.
"General Sand," Netis called out.
A young naval officer glared at her and snapped, "Can't you see the general is in a conference?"
Sand turned around and, seeing it was, Netis said, "She has my permission to interrupt anything I'm doing should she think it important enough. What is it, Netis?"
"General, Combat Patrol Four just reported an inbound Xotoli task force. It was just as Lieutenant Commander Temesgen thought. There was something out there. The force seems to be larger than ours. It has both combat craft and troop carriers. ETA is less than four hours. Then they’ll be spinning down to enter orbit around 703."
"Well done, Lieutenant," Sand said with no sign of emotion. "I was just informed of that very piece of information by Captain Grogen."
Netis sat back down at her display, too upset to take pleasure in the look on the face of the Navy lieutenant who had tried to shut her up. How were they going to extract those Marines?
Sand's stomach was in a knot. He had a battalion heavily engaged with troops on a planet and a Xotoli task force headed straight toward them. Their first strike against the Xotoli was going to be a colossal defeat. He wasn’t going to let that happen. He turned to his Special Warfare Landing Officer. He was already standing and facing Sand.
"Lieutenant Netis heard right. You've got four hours. Captain Grogen and the rest of the naval task force are headed out to engage the Xotoli. They’re going to try and buy us some more time, but don't count on it. So you may have less than four hours. You said two hours with two thirds of the ships. Now you've got fewer SOCs to work with and another company of Marines on the ground. Any guesses?"
"It's going to depend on how quickly they can disengage from the battle and get to a pickup site."
Sand knew he was right. They had more troops on the ground now, and they were all heavily involved. They were going to take more casualties just trying to disengage and get to a pickup site.
"Get it done. You know what’s at stake. We don't leave anybody behind. Understand?"
Sand knew he could order that it get done, but he also knew the landing officer couldn't just shit new SOCs for landing. They had already lost some and others were damaged. The numbers weren’t adding up. The knot in his stomach got tighter.
"Yes, sir," the landing officer said, turning back to his team.
Sand had watched the Raiders and the new Navy Special Warfare Squadrons train for months. Through the training, they had come to respect one another, and now that training and respect would be put to the ultimate test. This wouldn’t be an easy evolution; it would require sacrifice on both sides if it was going to work. He turned to his communication officer.
"Get me Major Aijuba."
"Sir."
Dasan wished he was on the ground with Aijuba and his troops. He yearned to lead from the front, but he knew it was not the time, and this was only a raid. He had already indulged his personal needs by going after the Xotoli. He was needed in the CIC now, not running around on the planet. The time to lead from the front would come soon enough with the first invasion. He crossed his arms and began to wait. Waiting for so many others to act was something new to Dasan. He would need to learn patience. His new command was all about waiting. Right now, he was waiting to see if his decisions were the correct ones.
#
"Ma'am, it’s General Sand for you."
Aijuba switched her comm to the frequency Sand was using.
"This is Raider Actual, go."
"Raider Actual, be advised we have an inbound Xotoli task force with troop carrying ships. ETA is four hours. I have just ordered an emergency extraction."
Aijuba stood still. She and her Marines were up to their ears in intense combat, similar to what they’d experienced on Rift, and now she was going to have break it off and organize an extraction.
“Shit!. Understand, Sand. We’ll be ready."
"Sand roger. Sand out."
That was the shortest and most stunning order she had ever received in all of her long military career. She knew she was not going to get everyone off this rock and that there were going to be casualties that wouldn’t have occurred were it not for the emergency extraction. She was going to loose a lot of good men and women today. Her Wolf training kicked in, and she shook herself out the future to focus on the present. She had to focus on the present to prevent as many casualties as possible. Aijuba turned to her combat staff.
"Heads up. We have an inbound Xotoli task force with troop ships. Unless we want to end up like those civilians outside, in pieces and dumped into piles, we need to organize an extraction posthaste. The wounded go first. I want my security team and a platoon from Charlie Company as my react force. You will fill in where there are holes in the line as we extract. You will extract with me, and we will be the last to leave. Now let’s get to it. Bring up the tactical display."
Aijuba needed a more detailed and larger view of the raid than the one on her armor provided on the heads up. A holo of the terrain, Raider units, and known Xotoli positions appeared in front of her. Stine had pulled it up as soon as she’d asked. She was a real asset. Aijuba studied the display. The Xotoli and the Raiders were in close proximity in every one of the fights. It was an old Xotoli tactic, but a good one. They were too close together to be able request fire support from the two destroyers, and close air support was even more difficult. To simply begin to retreat would be a disaster. The Xotoli were tough, capable fighters. They would simply follow, keeping in contact with the retreating units. A fighting retreat is one of the most difficult tactics to pull off for any unit, much less a light infantry unit designed for raids.
Charlie Company had reinforced Bravo on the right, and they were making good progress. In addition, they had reinforced Alpha, which was heavily engaged at the control center and the dome. There seemed to be no shortage of Xotoli armored troopers. “Okay, Aijuba,” she asked herself, “what's the big picture?” Intelligence had missed the fact that the target had a garrison, not just security guards. From the way the raid had gone so far, it appeared they had a react platoon on permanent standby and a number of manned strong points. The rest of the troops were off duty. If she were the commander, she would have them billeted in the dome. That’s why Alpha Company was having such a hard time. Alpha was a cork in a bottle, holding in all of those garrison troops who couldn't get through to join the fight. If she could keep them bottled up in t
he dome while they extracted the rest of her command, then she could extract Alpha last and minimize their casualties. First, Bravo and Charlie companies would have to take their objectives and clear the area. That left the wounded at the casualty collection point as the first to be extracted.
"Aijuba to CCP." Aijuba called the Casualty Collection Point.
"Go, Aijuba."
"Prepare all the wounded for immediate extraction. We have an inbound Xotoli task force. We’re going to have to pull an emergency extract for all hands. You will be first."
"Roger. Aijuba, we don't have enough of the casualty transport capable SOCs to accomplish the extract in the next two hours."
"Roger. I’ll divert more SOCs your way to compensate. Be prepared to adapt."
"Roger, Aijuba."
"Aijuba out."
She switched frequencies to the landing officer onboard the Tarawa and advised him of what she needed.
"Roger, Aijuba. I have SOCs inbound to your position now."
"Good. I’ll split some off to the CCI while the others will provide close support."
"Roger, Aijuba."
Aijuba switched frequencies to Alpha Company commander, Lieutenant Gad Regen.
"Gad, this is Aijuba"
"Go, Aijuba."
"What’s the situation?"
"We’re heavily engaged with what appears to be the main body of hybrids. With the platoon from Charlie, we’re holding our own."
"Roger that, Gad. We’ve been ordered to extract as soon as possible. There’s an inbound Xotoli task force. I need to you to keep them bottled up in that dome until I have the rest of the battalion extracted. You’ll be the last out."
"Check, Major. We’ll hold."
"Send your second platoon with the data out with the first extractions. The data is why we came here. Let's make sure it gets out. Has your platoon uplinked with the Tarawa?"
"Roger. We’ve transferred as much data as we could decipher. We also have the Von Fleet servers the Xotoli reprogrammed so that we couldn’t break into them for the forensics guys."
"Good. I’ll send you as much support as I can, but you cannot depend on that."
"Roger, Major. We'll be here."
"Aijuba out."
Aijuba looked at the situation map. The red triangles in the dome kept growing as the Raiders’ armor picked them up and sent their locations out on the combat net.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Xotoli Outpost
Exoplanet 1123.567
Von Fleet Planet 703
CC Tokyo
The Tokyo had been spinning at flank speed for an hour now with the Pollux and the Castor to port and starboard forward. They were approaching the launch range for their Long Lances, and they needed a firing solution, but they had yet to hear from Combat Patrol Four. Captain Ririsa Grogen was having a hard time sitting still in her command chair. Time was running out for the Marines. She had to make contact soon, or she would have to return to 703 to cover the Tarawa and the Marines. She reached out and punched the communication with CIC.
"CIC, this is Captain Grogen. Any news from Combat Patrol Four?"
"Negative, Captain."
"Patch me through to them."
"Aye, aye, ma'am."
Grogen waited as CIC worked to contact Combat Patrol Four.
"This is Combat Patrol Four."
Ririsa recognized Steiny Man’s voice. She had pinned an award on him after Rift. He had risked his life on a hunch that had subsequently led to the destruction of the Xotoli carrier.
"Combat Patrol Four, this is the Tokyo. Do you have anything to report?"
"Negative at this time, Captain."
"Steiny Man, I need a solution soon or we'll have to turn back before we can engage these kaks."
"Ma'am, now that you’re significantly closer to our position, we could sneak over the horizon for a quick look and still be in range to give you a solution."
Ririsa trusted him. The only thing that worried her was that Steiner always walked that tightrope between foolish acts and brave ones in combat. This time there was as much at stake as on Rift. It was time for taking chances. The bold usually won because they got off the first salvo. Ririsa intended to take the first shot in this fight, unlike on Rift.
"Steiny Man, it’s time for one of your miracles. Go find me some targets. And make sure you come back. We need those fighters."
"Aye, aye, ma'am."
"This is the Tokyo out. Good luck, Steiny Man."
"Thanks, Captain."
#
"Steiny Man to Combat Patrol Four. Captain Grogen needs some targets, and she just ordered us to find her some. We'll stay passive and slip over the horizon until we can find those damned kaks."
They lined up in a diamond formation with Smallboy in the lead. He had the most sensitive of their sensors. Steiny Man didn’t know what he was facing. Other than those fleeting glimpses of a landing force, they had no hard data on the Xotoli task force. They had never faced a Xotoli landing force like this one. The landing fleet that had attacked Rift was huge, with tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of supply craft. The quick look they had gotten made him think the inbound task force was much more like the Confederation's raiding force than the huge Rift fleet. He increased his speed, watching his passive sensors and waiting for the first hard, clean sensor read.
They had been moving forward, eating up space in gulps, for close to half an hour when Smallboy said, "Got them. I have a heavy cruiser, four destroyers, and five very large troop carriers. These troop carriers are much larger than the Tarawa. They can carry a lot of damned hybrids in those things."
"Do you have a solution yet?"
"Negative. I'll have it in a second."
The next few seconds felt like hours as the combat patrol hurdled toward the Xotoli landing force. Steiny Man was waiting for the missile launch warning to signal that the Xotoli had detected them and fired a spread in their direction.
"Got it. Transmitting now."
"Good. Let’s get the fuck out of here before they detect us," Steiny Man said.
"Too late," Smallboy said. "I have a flight of inbound fighters. They have us locked on. I had my sensors set for the big stuff and to ignore the small returns."
"Great. Now you tell me," Steiny Man grumbled. "We can't outrun them. Let’s give them something to worry about."
Steiny Man flipped his fighter around and raced toward the alien fighters, fighting against the reverse Gs, even in floating plasma. He recognized the icon on his screen. The fighters were the same big bastards the aliens had used at Rift. They hadn’t fired yet. Steiny Man picked the leader and dove toward him, firing the first of his new, more powerful anti-fighter missiles, which had been developed after Rift. It was running hot and had a good lock. Instead of a huge explosion, it flew right past the fighter and just kept going. The big arrow-shaped fighter continued to close on Steiny Man.
"Fuck! The new missiles misfired."
The Xotoli fighter was the same crewed model they had seen at Rift, black and shaped like an arrowhead with a shaft for a tail. It fired a missile, but the countermeasures worked just enough for Steiny Man to adjust and for the missile to streak by him, narrowly missing. Steiny Man was committed to this attack angle so he bore in, firing his newly installed Metal Storm rail. It, too, had been added since Rift. It could fire 250,000 rounds of depleted uranium per minute if he needed that kind of firepower. Instead, he fired one short burst and then another. The fighter came apart under the hail of so many rounds at close range. Steiny Man flashed past the fighter as it blew apart. The other members of Combat Patrol Four were in a fur ball dogfight with the two sides twisting and turning trying for an advantage. The two flights of fighters were so entangled he couldn’t tell who was who.
"My missile worked!" Batman yelled.
Steiny Man flashed through the swirling ball of fighters and into the clear on the other side. He pulled a high G turn to return to the fighting, grunting against the g
-forces. He knew never to chase someone’s tail in the midst of a fighter fur ball or he’d only end up with someone on his own tail. He took a shot, flashed through the fight, and then turned back into the fight. It was the first time Steiny Man got a look at the overall battle. They were out-numbered at least three to one. This was not good. They had no help coming.
He watched in horror as first Batman and then Ghost disappeared in a flash of orange on his screen before he could order them to disengage. They had to run.
"Honey Badger, Smallboy, break off and get the fuck out of here. I’ll cover."
"Bullshit," Honey Badger said and fired two anti-fighter missiles. One worked, destroying the Xotoli fighter. The shaft broke away from the arrowhead forward section and spun away from the fighter. The second missile missed, but exploded close behind the second targeted Xotoli fighter. It turned away from the fight, leaking fluids into space.
Two fighters were on Smallboy's tail and had him dead to rights when, suddenly, they broke off. In fact, all of the fighters broke off and turned back on a course for their landing force.
"What the fuck?"
"I don't know, but it is our chance. Let’s get out of here," Steiny Man said.
Then Steiny Man saw a spread of torpedoes on his screen. They were heading for the Xotoli landing force. It was too early for any of those fired from the Tokyo or the destroyers to be here. Then he remembered the Long Lances that had been fired and were passively waiting for targets. It had to be those. Steiny Man silently thanked whoever had come up with what he had called a "silly idea" when he had been advised of what to watch out for. Not all ideas were silly if they worked, Steiny Man thought. It was a lesson learned.
The other two fighters of Combat Patrol Four formed up with Steiny Man and increased their speed until they were near light, racing for the rest of the task force. Steiny Man was tired of losing good men and women in uneven fights. He didn't like turning tail and running from those kaks, but every dog has his day. Payback would be a motherfucker.
