“Captain, the Sergeant was just letting me know of your arrival. Good to see you here, Sir.”
“Of course,” answered the Captain, her tone was anything but sincere.
“I see your unit has sustained casualties, I’m here to clear up the mess.”
“Mess? We’ve sustained no casualties, Sir, and our operation is ongoing. We have a lead on Zealot technology deep inside the site. Sergeant Morato is in the process of moving drones into the area to investigate.”
“Sergeant Morato? Weren’t you both privates less than a year ago?” she asked, with a barely hidden sneer of contempt. “I recall you were implicated in the murder of the President of Kerberos. Who gave you a combat unit? You should be in the brig!”
“I’m sure General Rivers would be interested in your thoughts regarding our mission to Kerberos,” said Spartan, ever happy to rise to the challenge.
The Captain looked at him carefully, trying to size up the man that had risen so quickly through the ranks. From a private, to sergeant and beyond.
“The civilians are being returned to a safe holding area in New Carlos for debriefing. I will assist in the remainder of the operation. What is your tactical situation?” she asked, doing her best to keep the previous conversation out of her mind.
Spartan shook his head inside his suit. It wasn’t that the officer was a woman, far from it. He’d already served under women, finding them no better or worse than the men. No, this one was the classic officer with something to prove. Spartan may not have been a marine for very long, but he’d seen more action than most and also his fair share of self-serving officers out to make a name for themselves.
“The Landing Platform, as you can see, is clear. The tunnels, up to two hundred metres out, are secure and we have sentry sensors placed at all the access points. Sergeant Morato and one fire team are working in the mine shaft to investigate a narrow shaft, where we think we may be able to isolate insurgent equipment or intelligence.”
“Intelligence? Good, that’s what we need. My company is well equipped to control the situation, I suggest we use your...heavies to continue their search. My 1st Squad is already on its way down. We will set up a command post on the Platform, along with a supply station. You will move back into the tunnel and continue your investigation. I will send an additional squad to liaise with you under my platoon sergeant.”
“Sir? We do not need additional manpower, our full platoon is more than enough.”
“Nonsense, your armour might make you feel invincible, Spartan, but it is just going to restrict your movement and slow you down,” she said in a tone that told Spartan the discussion was over.
No sooner had she finished speaking, when the first of the squad arrived. They were all equipped in the same PDS armoured suits as the Captain, though each was painted with a grey and tiger stripe pattern.
“Nice colours,” said Spartan, forgetting for a moment that his intercom was still on, so they could all hear.
“Lieutenant, I will send some mules to your position, it will allow you to stay down there for a little longer,” she said in a tone that suggested he shouldn’t return for some time.
“Affirmative,” he said and turned back to his own unit.
The Captain’s 1st squad spread out around the defensive cordon established by the Vanguards. Some were carrying cases with more sentry sensors and automated turrets.
“Vanguard Platoon, we’ve been relieved. All units regroup back in the tunnel, we will continue our operation,” he said into the unit’s private intercom channel.
The Vanguard units guarding the Platform stood up and moved away from their positions, making their way to the ramp. They were easily twice the size of the other marines with their large torsos, multitude of weapons and heavy industrial equipment welded directly to the frames. As the last three moved past, he looked back to the Captain who was busy marching about giving orders to her unit. Dozens of her marines, with a variety of equipment and sensors, were already getting ready. He wasn’t impressed with her attitude, but at least she appeared efficient. He turned to the ramp and followed the rest of the unit further underground.
“Lieutenant, we’ve got something down here,” Sergeant Morato said over the intercom.
“What is it?” asked Spartan.
“You’re not gonna believe this, you’ll need to see it for yourself.”
“Understood, I’m on my way. Can you get a repeater installed, so we can bounce the signal back to Captain Hobbs?”
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do. Get here fast though, we need to do something about this!” she said sternly.
CHAPTER THREE
In the latter campaigns of the Emergency, the emergence of the heavily armoured and equipped Vanguard units completely changed ground combat. These hybrid machines and suits eventually allowed the individual marine to be able to take on full size Biomechs in close combat, with their excavator tools and blades. At the same time, the units could sustain damage from heavy weapons fire. As with all military advances though, the real question was, what would come next and how would the enemy evolve to fight these new weapons?
Edged weapons in the Emergency
“What am I looking at?” asked Spartan, as he examined the grainy picture carefully. The image was packed full of black and grey dots, with dark silhouetted shapes twisting and crackling on the screen. A number of the other Vanguard Marines stood around the display fitted onto the control unit. Each of them with their weapon arms in position as they checked for signs of danger. To the untrained eye, the entire panoply looked like a piece of industrial machinery with two displays fitted. In reality, the unit could operate up to a dozen drones and scout devices up to a kilometre away underground.
“Are you kidding?” asked Teresa, as she pointed at the dark image.
“Through this gap in the shaft wall, look. There’s a room full of equipment. See it?”
Spartan pressed two buttons and transferred the feed directly to his own monitors. The image enlarged on his left display and with a couple of colour corrections the image cleared up slightly. It was still very noisy, due to the lack of light, but he could make out the shapes of machines, as well as cabling running to a central point.
“Okay, I see it, lots of tech. What is so important about it then? Please tell me you have something more than this!”
“Watch,” she said, nodding to the marine controlling the drone management package. The unit was equipped with a joystick and a touch-operated datapad for control. The marine had the front of his suit open, so he could reach out and control the hardware. Due to the nature of the armoured suits, and their quick entry into operation, there was no way for him to directly control the drone system from inside the Vanguard armour. In the future this would be resolved, but for now the exposed armour was a nuisance and a serious risk to the marine.
The video image shook for a moment before settling on what appeared to be a better-lit doorway. There were three shapes in the light area, almost certainly humanoid.
“Guards?” he asked.
“Not just guards, you can see their robes.”
“Zealots!” muttered Spartan under his breath.
“Exactly, it looks like there are six of them in the room.”
Spartan examined the feed even closer, trying to work out what it was that was confusing him. Then he saw it, the shape in the room.
“What is that?” he asked.
“I know, we can’t tell from here, but it looks like they are using it to communicate with something.”
“It could be their commander or another unit. Either way, if we can get some working Zealot technology, we might start to work out who is behind the insurgency. Maybe even work out a way to disrupt their plans and start turning this war in our favour.”
Spartan looked up, something had caught his eye. It could have been nothing, but with the stakes this high he didn’t have the luxury of ignoring it. With a quick tap on the control in the suit, he amplified the l
ights on his shoulders. As the brightness increased, the darkness in the tunnel receded. From his position, he could easily see more of the Vanguards were pushing out. They were checking the entrances to the small tunnels. He saw the movement again. It was coming from the direction of Hobbs and her team.
“What is that?”
“Uh, Sir, that’s one of the mules,” answered a private.
“You sure? It looks like it has legs?”
“Yeah, some of the platoons have started using the new cross-country mules.”
Spartan turned to Teresa. “One minute, keep an eye on the feed.”
He turned and marched back through the tunnel towards the approaching object. As he moved away, the built-in sensors identified the friendly IFF signal from the device. Two privates went with him until they were close enough to see it.
“Well, I’ll be damned! Have you guys ever seen anything like it?” Spartan asked.
Moving past them was a four-legged autonomous robotic mule. It was about three metres long and moved like an uncertain antelope with it long, slender looking legs. The bulk of it was made up of the cage-like structure that carried water, ammunition and power. It continued past them towards its rendezvous with the rest of the unit in the tunnel. Satisfied that the device was as it should be, he turned and walked back the short distance to where Teresa was busy watching the display.
“Are you happy now?” she asked.
Spartan said nothing. He just concentrated on the display.
“Most of the computers were still operational on Prometheus, right? Didn’t we get anything from there that can help?” asked Teresa.
Spartan shook his head.
“From what Commander Anderson told me, the enemy were able to wipe their communication logs and software before we were able to take control of the place. Still, we now know they are much more organised than we had realised. They have been working on constructing ships in at least one location for months. The Biomech factories are the other surprise. Anderson estimated they could construct over a thousand a month at full capacity, and that’s just one site.”
“You think there will be one down here?” asked Marcus.
“Definitely. If not, then how the hell did they manage to almost seize New Carlos? From the bodies recovered, they must have started their offensive with over five thousand Biomechs as well as thousands of Zealots and volunteers.”
“Have you heard what is happening with the Biomech farms on Prometheus?” Teresa asked.
“Last I heard back on the Cruz was at the debriefing. The intel guy said the farms were being closed down and the indoctrination program had already been terminated.”
“What about the ones still in the capsules? Surely they wouldn’t just switch them off?”
“No, Teresa, Commander Anderson was clear about that. Gun, the rebel Biomech, has been liaising with our teams to help them mature naturally. Well, as naturally as is possible for creatures born inside capsules. I promised Gun they would be taken care of and Anderson said he would ensure that is exactly what will happen. The first ones are already being woken, I think they are all due to be released in a matter of days.”
“Good. They helped us, it’s only fair we return the favour.”
“True, but do you think the civilians on the surface would feel the same?” he asked as he pointed his hand up to the ceiling.
Teresa looked up at the dark soil and rock, before moving back to the video stream from the drone. Nothing had changed and the guards were still standing in the same position.
“Back to this place though, how can we get down there and in numbers sufficient to hold it?” asked Spartan.
“Glad you asked that,” replied Teresa with a grin. “If you check your tactical display, you will see there is a ventilation shaft ten metres below us that intersects with this access tunnel. If we can reach it, we will be able to cross directly into this area next to where the Zealots are.”
“Interesting, I take it you also have an idea on how we can get down ten metres?”
“Of course. This is the bit I’m sure you will like. We use the mining charges we carry for demolition work. The shaped charges can be used in sequence to tunnel our way down. If we time it right, all that we’ll need to do is use our excavators to cut through about two metres of soil wall into the tunnel.”
She lifted up one of her armoured arms, waving her cutting blade in front of the two men. “Kinda handy we have these fitted right?”
“Good work. Get on it, I want to be down there fast!” said Spartan
He clicked the button that gave him command clearance.
“Captain Hobbs. We are in position and proceeding to investigate a possible Zealot hideout. Will keep you appraised of the situation.”
“Good, I am sending more mules down to you with additional supplies, as well as two squads of marines. Keep in touch,” came the curt response.
“Marines? Do you get the impression she is worried we’re going to claim all the glory before she can get stuck in?” Teresa asked.
Spartan shook his head. “I don’t get it, there’s more than enough blood to go around. It’s not if you’ll see the enemy down here, it’s just a case of when.”
Marcus approached and stopped in front of them.
“Sir, we’ve positioned the explosives and the sequence is ready to go. It’s a six staged charge and should create a shaft deep and wide enough for two Vanguards to access at a time.”
“Good. Have you double-checked the thickness of the wall we’ll need to break through?”
“Yeah, from the samples it looks like about fifteen seconds of digging before we breach the shaft wall, then it’s a straight line right to the bad guys.”
“You ready?” Spartan asked as he looked at Teresa, she nodded back.
With a light tap, he connected to the Vanguard closed communication channel.
“Marines, you know the plan. We have hostiles in position and guarding a tech asset. It looks like they are small in number and lightly armed. Intel is the primary objective here, so I want no weapons fire, this is all knife work. Your armour is easily sufficient. I will lead 2nd Squad, 3rdSquad will follow directly behind. As soon as the room is secure, we will spread out and control as much of the complex as possible. The layout is unknown, so we will have to improvise and adapt.”
He turned to his right where Teresa stood patiently.
“Sergeant, you and 1st Squad will stay and guard this area and act as a mobile reserve. You will have marines as backup, so if you’re needed they can stay behind for protection. I need you to provide overwatch and to monitor the drone. Can you get any more eyes down there?”
Teresa was evidently unimpressed at being left behind. “I have two more, I’ll see what I can do.”
Spartan looked back at the assembled Vanguard Marines. They stood in silence, awaiting their orders.
“Remember, once we are inside you will keep your weapons on safe, unless we are attacked. Killing a few more Zealots might make you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, but it won’t help the war. We need hard intel, and we need it fast! Got that?”
A chorus of acknowledgements reverberated across the audio channel.
“Good, get into position and do a final check on your gear.”
The first squad moved a short distance away from where the charges had been set. The next stayed further back. Spartan looked over to Teresa, she was making a few adjustments to the drone. She turned and waved.
“Go, go, go!” he cried.
Sergeant Lovett hit the trigger and a single flash filled the corridor with smoke. Spartan felt the ground shake beneath him, but before he could adjust his footing, the additional blasts continued as the mining charges burnt their way through the floor. In seconds the hole was cut and the shaft itself was packed full of thick dust.
“Switch to infrared and thermals and get cutting. Fire team One, go!” shouted Spartan.
The first two jumped the relatively long distance into
the newly created pit. It was much too far for a normal man to make safely, but the shock absorption of the Vanguard armour easily cushioned the blow. No sooner had they hit the floor than they were already hacking into the dirt.
“Sergeant Morato, the guards?” asked Spartan.
“One of them has left, the others are waiting. I don’t think they suspect direct action against them.”
“Lieutenant, we’re nearly through!” called Sergeant Lovett.
In the pit he tore out great chunks of dirt and rock. Before they knew it, the first two Vanguards were through the wall and pushing into the gap. The hole was a metre short of the tunnel, so they needed to duck before they dropped down into the main shaft.
“We’re in!” said Lovett.
“Take up positions and wait, I want four more before we attack.”
Spartan jumped in along with another Vanguard. As he hit the soil, he struggled to establish his orientation in the lighting conditions.
“Keep your lights off, move forward,” he said, this time more quietly.
They moved into the access tunnel, Lovett and Spartan took the lead position. Immediately behind them followed four more Vanguards, each of them covered in the dark grime and dirt of the tunnel. Spartan looked through his visor, spotting the flagged marker that showed the position of the room where the Zealots were stationed. It looked like the access shaft alongside the room. He pointed to the three nearest Vanguards, who portioned themselves along the wall, each facing it as though the wall itself was the enemy.
“They are behind this wall. It isn’t thick, one or two strikes should clear it. The rest of you will move out and secure the flanks. Stay with your buddies and watch for Biomechs. Ready?”
The nearest Vanguard nodded in agreement. Spartan pushed his armoured fists up to the wall and turned to check on the rest, they were ready.
Star Crusades Uprising: The Second Trilogy Page 5
