The Great Betrayal

by Michael G. Thomas

  Here we go again, Jack thought.

  First one round came down outside the building and then another. Two seconds later the first barrage struck like heavy rain. It was the one weapon truly feared by the marines; the indiscriminate and indirect artillery fire that could kill a man without them even knowing it was coming. No matter where you took cover, there was always a chance one of the shells would tear through the roof or a wall. The calm voice of their Captain spoke to them in their helmets.

  “Animosh forces have surrounded us. The good news is the 17th have landed and linked up with the rebels. Even as we fight here, Colonel Koerner is bringing in reinforcements on the ground captured by the 17th. We have marines in the transport hub, and they are still fighting in there.”

  Jack winced as a dozen more rounds crashed into the precinct. Half of them exploded uselessly outside, but the rest slammed into the walls and towers. A hole appeared off to the left that was large enough for two men to fit through. Another shell landed nearby that shook the walls and widened the hole even more.

  “Defend the breach,” snarled Sergeant Stone.

  Within a few seconds, a trio of Animosh fighters burst in through the breach. Quite what they expected to achieve was anybody’s guess. A dozen rounds from the defending marines killed the first two. The third was hit in the arm, and he staggered back outside, leaving behind the bodies of his dead comrades.

  “They aren’t exactly Biomech shock troops, are they?” laughed Wictred from the middle of the tower’s ground level. He’d jumped down from his window to help secure the breach, but the gunfire had been more than enough.

  “Watch the street, they are getting closer,” said Sergeant Stone.

  Jack returned his attention to his small window and followed the dark shapes of the Animosh. They were well equipped, trained, and even extremely disciplined, but Jack could see what Wictred meant. They were not used to dealing with a motivated foe, and marines were certainly that. The Animosh were more like the police security units on Alliance worlds. They might be very professional, but they were not expected to take casualties. The line of shields reappeared, and three groups of the Animosh were advancing one step at a time to the improvised barricades, now abandoned by the rebels. A warning tone beeped in his helmet, and his attention was drawn to the aerial overlay provided by the drones.

  What’s going on?

  At first he couldn’t see what the drones had spotted, and then as he zoomed out on his tactical map, he could see it. Colored shapes showed the convoys of Animosh vehicles as they thread their way across the multi-level highways and roads in the city. Almost all of them were making their way to the precinct. Another color showed even more movement, but he couldn’t see anything from the aerial view, just the artificial marker added by the computer targeting system of the drones.

  “Good work, marines. We’re doing our job,” said Captain Carter over the audio channel, “Over fifty percent of the Animosh forces have withdrawn from their operations against the rebels and are coming this way. Keep at it.”

  Then Jack spotted the movement outside. His line of sight was blocked, and it was only through the digital grid that his helmet could show him the outlines of the enemy. He counted over twenty of the paramilitaries and four more of those dreaded machines.

  I thought they had less than a hundred to begin with?

  “Sergeant, we’ve got hostiles. They’re coming this way!” he said, keeping his eye on them.

  “Good eyes, I see ‘em!” said the Sergeant as he examined the data on his own helmet overlay.

  “Okay, marines, you know what to do.”

  A few had already opened fire but now the rest joined in, filling the street with a deadly hail of fire. Two of the machines used cover like the earlier attackers, but two more advanced forward, each raising a thick plate about the size of a man in front of them. Jack recalled the images of ancient mantlets being used in medieval battles on Earth. He took aim and fired a high-power blast. The triple-round slammed into the armor, and the machine shuddered; yet it failed to penetrate.

  Not good!

  Jack looked over his shoulder.

  “Sarge, we’ve got trouble. They’re outside the tower!”

  None of this came as much of a surprise to the seasoned marine. He had already brought his reserves to form a double line of marines. The front rank knelt, and the second closed up behind them. The end result was a formation resembled a Napoleonic regiment armed with muskets. Wictred stood to their right with his arm pointing at the outer wall and the gun loaded and ready.

  “Wait till they are inside,” he said slowly.

  Next to the other marines, Wictred looked almost super-human. Even so, it was a modest number of marines, and the sound of gunfire outside was getting louder. Half a dozen more marines from the Second Platoon ran into the tower, along with another corporal. They fanned out inside the tower and caught the attention of Sergeant Stone. Before he could speak, one of the Helion combat drones crashed through the thick stone wall. Dust and broken stone fell around it, and then it was inside the tower. Behind it came a group of Animosh fighters. The drone opened fire at close range, and one marine was cut down before even seeing what was going on.

  “Bring it down!” shouted Wictred.

  As one the marines opened fire, but the piece of siege equipment in the first machine’s arms deflected the fire. It moved on to expose the breach, allowing more inside. The second drone climbed through and aimed its main weapon. The heavy automatic gunfire ripped into the interior of the tower. Luckily, the marines were primarily on the outer wall itself and were spared the worst of the gunfire. Private Callahan, however, ended up in its sights and was forced to jump from his position on top of a broken table, barely in time to avoid being struck by the burst. Without saying a word, Wictred jumped forward to the machine and grabbed the armored shield. As the two beasts wrestled, the marines spread out, putting round after round into the newly arrived enemy. Excited by the moment, a pair of the rebels broke from cover and ran at the second machine, along with Vadi.

  “No!” cried Jack.

  It was too late, and the machine’s arms hacked the two rebels down before it took aim at Vadi. But unlike his comrades, he had seen battle before and was aware of the strength, speed, and accuracy of these combat drones. He ducked around it, jumped to the side, and then pulled past its arc of fire. The machine’s sensors tracked him, and it twisted around to shoot, exposing its back to the marines. Jack couldn’t tell if this was deliberate or simply a fortuitous moment.

  This had better work!

  He didn’t hesitate and took careful aim with his L52. The machine was moving, but because of Vadi had stopped its forward movement. It twisted about on its waist pivot point, trying to strike the synthetic Helion. Jack didn’t know the machine’s construction particularly well, but it was fair to assume the exposed power unit, cabling, and joints on the lighter armored rear were its most vulnerable parts. He sent a single high-power shot directly into the control stem. The blast struck below its armored helm and sent the magnetized projectiles into the heart of the machine. The impact was followed by a blue flash, and it dropped to its haunches, to all intents dead to the world; a lifeless metal statue with thin trails of smoke hissing out from the cracks in its back.

  “Good shooting, Private!” Sergeant Stone congratulated him.

  Wictred still hung onto the front of the combat drone to keep the machine with him. The struggle between the raw muscle of the armor-clad Wictred and the machine servos of the combat drone appeared to be evenly matched. A trickle of Animosh fighters ran in through the breach, but a single deadly volley from the new marines scattered them. They quickly retreated through the breach, leaving a number of dead and wounded. All that remained was Wictred and the shield-carrying machine.

  “Stop playing with that thing and finish it!” barked Sergeant Stone.

  The struggle wasn’t easy, and both were heavily marked from repeated impacts of metal on
metal. Jack took aim once more, but the movement of the two stopped him. There was no chance of him firing if he might strike his friend. Sergeant Stone was having none of this though, and he ran out from the protective line of marines and to the side of the combat drone. It detected him and tried to strike with its left arm. He lurched back and fired three shots with his carbine into its thick armor.

  “Watch out!” cried Wictred, upon spotting the arm moving back for the Sergeant.

  The man moved quickly but not quickly enough. The metal arm struck his armor and sent him staggering. Sensing victory, the machine leaned to the left and took aim with the arm-mounted weapon. Wictred saw it and released the drone’s shield to grab at it. It was a fleeting moment, but Jack still couldn’t get the shot.

  “Stay back!” called out a female voice.

  Then there was a great clanging sound, and a triple hole appeared just below the machine's chest. It staggered back and fell to one knee. Wictred and the Sergeant dropped back, and all hell broke loose. Dozens of carbine and rifles opened up on the unfortunate machine, and in seconds it was nothing but a smoking ruin. A small group of marines arrived, this time marked out with the red helmets of Captain Carter’s personal guard.

  “Good work, marines,” he said, surveying the ruined machine and the many Animosh bodies, “Your Lieutenant has been injured trying to take the transport hub, and all my people are busy defending against a push on the left flank.”

  He looked to Sergeant Stone.

  “I’ll handle the defense from here. Your people are the closest. I need you to get across the street out there.”

  He pointed to the breach in the tower.

  “In less than three minutes, they will have more troops here, and the hub will be cut off. Take this squad and four Rams to reinforce the platoon at the hub. Once inside, you’ll be on your own. The good news is that it is only vulnerable on the two sides facing us. There’s nothing but solid rock on the other two. After you’re in, I can have my boys put down fire from the upper levels.”

  He pointed above his head.

  “I have heavy weapons on top. Give me the word when you’re ready, and we’ll clear the street for you. Just remember, you need to stop the flow of underground traffic in there. I’ll keep reinforcements off your back up here.”

  Sergeant Stone saluted smartly.

  “Sir.”

  Carter was gone as quickly as he had arrived, but one of his junior officers stayed behind to assist with the defenses. Sergeant Stone wiped off some of the dust from his chest armor as he scanned the dust filled tower.

  “You heard the man. We have a hub that needs securing. We take it, and we stop the Animosh from moving troops and supplies underground to fight the rebels. Get on the line!”

  He moved past the collapsed machines, simultaneously checking the schematics for the hub. Directly beneath it were two major links for six road and rail lines. The other marines from his platoon were already filing into the damaged tower. He glanced out through the breach. He wanted to check on the Lieutenant but that was for later, right now he had a job to do. He threw a quick glance at his unit and turned back to the breach.

  “Check your weapons, marines.”

  Outside were a dozen burning vehicles and countless bodies. Tracer fired arced back and forth from both sides of the street. Off to the left was the large dome shape of the transport hub, and around it were even more burning vehicles. He looked over his shoulder to check the rest of the marines were with him. Wictred and Jack were closest, with the others right behind them. More marines sent over by Carter were already taking their recently vacated positions on the wall.

  “Okay, we get across the street and fast. When we’re inside, I want a secure perimeter. The rest of us will join up with those on the lower level. We’re taking this place and giving the rebels the chance they need to finish this. You got that?”

  The marines cried out in unison.

  “Good. Now, let’s do this!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Carthago is still considered to be one of the great melting posts of the Centauri Alliance. A place valued on the quality of its military recruits but also hated for its violence, crime, and political infighting; billions of citizens, many of whom were exiles generations ago after the Great War. Poverty and discrimination were problems that started well before that violent war, however, and it would take the great scouring that came with the exposure to the Orion Nebula that would force the people of Carthago to unite in ways never seen before.

  The Old World meets the Newer World

  Lieutenant Colonel Diego Koerner and Colonel Gun watched the final wave of Maulers and Hammerheads streak down from the Alliance warship. The Hammerheads were tiny in comparison to the large landing craft, yet both left almost identical trails as they descended through the rich atmosphere of Helios. The craft were the cutting edge in new equipment for the Marine Corps, and although the orbital assault was similar to the actions of the Uprising, the craft themselves represented a paradigm shift for the Corps. Between these two craft, entire companies of marines with the full support of wheeled Bulldogs, armored Vanguards, and Jötnar could be landed directly into a combat zone. Both marine officers were now wearing their combat armor, with Gun in the JAS heavy armor unit and Colonel Koerner in the standard issue PDS armor. Only Colonel Brünner of the 4th Battalion continued to wear his dress uniform; his scowl remained as he watched the other two.

  “Is that all of them?” Gun asked.

  Colonel Koerner almost grimaced as he answered.

  “Yes, even the support troops are on their way now. We are fully committed to the ground operation.”

  He’d counted out each and every wave of craft leaving for the frontline, mentally checking them off as they broke from formation. The last batch was taking down supplies and equipment for those already fighting on the ground, but even they flew with a large escort of fighters. Admiral Lewis was clearly taking no chances, and both of them were grateful for that.

  “That’s not entirely true,” said Colonel Brünner, “My entire battalion is still shipboard. I have as much combat power with my heavy units. I still feel they should be deployed with the rest of the regiment.”

  Gun glanced at him but said nothing. He was starting to get a little bored with this particular officer, and the fact he had access to so many of his countrymen was proving hard to bear.

  “You don’t have much time,” General Lewis said, “You need to join them.”

  Both marines turned back to the tactical display where the General waited. They were all still in the tactical room, along with General Daniels while dozens of video feeds continued to bring in the latest information from the ground. A small number of junior officers moved about, managing the myriad of details required to coordinate such a major action on the ground. The situation had changed substantially as more troops had been landed and sent into battle.

  “Colonel Koerner, your forces are in position?”

  “Affirmative,” he replied, finally dragging his eyes away from the massive display that recreated the effect of a glass window looking out into space. They were much further away from Helios than when they’d started the combat drop, and he was feeling increasingly isolated from his marines.

  “Colonel Gun has secured strong forward positions and in record time.”

  Gun nodded politely at this compliment.

  “Our first wave of Maulers landed ahead of schedule and dropped in support of the Infantry Carrier Bulldogs. They are already on the frontline and preparing for the operation. We’ve experienced minimal disruptions on the landing and have prepared the three marine columns with full support, exactly as planned. They will be ready to leave in less than thirty minutes.”

  “Good...good,” said General Daniels.

  He was curious to see how the newly formed Bulldog units would perform. The initial models had been simple eight-wheeled armored transports, but due to its early successes, the model had been expanded into a
full family that included the standard Bulldog Infantry Carrier as well as the Command Vehicle and Mobile Gun System, each providing specialized services to the Marine Corps. Though they had all been used to varying degrees, this was the first time such a large number had been in action. He turned his attention to Gun.

  “Admiral Lewis is moving the fleet out to block these ships. I will need you on the ground earlier than planned. The Admiral has altered course. Give it another twenty minutes, and we’ll be too far out for landing craft. He can’t give me any more time than that, unless we’re happy to keep a single ship in orbit over Helios. A bad idea, in my opinion.”

  He then turned his attention to Colonel Koerner who looked as if he was overheating while listening to his words. Both officers were keen to get off the ship, and even as he finished speaking to Gun, it was clear the two wanted to move.

  “Same for you, too, Colonel. I need you with your marines.”

  “We have a Mauler ready to go with escort,” he answered, “My guards unit is on standby.”

  “Very well. As explained in the briefing, you will share command of this operation, with Gun taking overall control of the general campaign on Helios. Colonel Koerner, your mission is to demonstrate along a wide corridor all the way to the Animosh precinct, just as planned.”

  Colonel Koerner nodded quickly, as though he was impatient to hear the rest.

  “Now, make it clear and obvious that you intend on striking right into the heart of their territory. If we do this right, it will strip their forces away from the rebels along the wide front.”

  He rubbed his jaw for a moment and then pointed at the diagram on the display.