“Thank you, for everything.”
“Understood.”
Smith stumbled a time or two on the way back. There were few lights in the caverns. He had only his helmet lamp. There was someone in the distance. The cavern walls were dark, footing was bad, and the light was low, but someone was there.
“Who’s there?” he demanded.
“It’s me,” said Argie.
“What are you doing here? I thought you would be with your people getting ready. You know what’s coming.”
“I know; we’re as ready as we can get. I just needed to take a walk,” she said.
Argie reached up and turned off his headlamp, then hers as she put her arms around him. They embraced for a long time before either spoke.
“What’s this, be kind to old men day?” he asked.
“This is no time to make jokes,” she said seriously. “Many of us are about to die.
“Take me.”
“Take you where?” he asked.
His face was over her right ear. He could smell her. He could almost taste her burning desire for him.
“Don’t be coy.”
“No, not now, not like this.”
“None of us may be alive tomorrow. Do it, we’ve got nothing to lose.”
“No, not like this, Argie. Trust me.”
“Oh … you.” She pulled his mouth down to her lips.
* * * *
“Captain, Captain, wake up!”
The radar team leader was shaking him. Smith was deep in a dream state, and he did not want to leave it. He slowly came awake.
He opened one eye, reluctantly. “Sir, they’re coming.”
Smith snapped awake.”
He arose and looked at the screen. There was no doubt, their secret was out. A low tremble went through the caverns, bombardment.
He switched on his helmet com. “Alert, alert, this is not a drill. We are under attack. All personnel to battle stations, acknowledge.”
He turned to the radar team. “Good work”. He ran to the observation dugout. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen now.
Acknowledgments were pouring into battalions from the companies, then to him. It would take time to get this many troops in position, but practice had made this routine for the Legion.
“First Battalion moving into position, sir.”
“Acknowledged,” came Smith’s terse response.
“Third Battalion in position, sir.”
“Acknowledged.”
These guys are getting fast.
He heard Argie’s voice, “Medical, Acknowledge.” It was dry and mechanical, just like everyone else’s. He loved her, but there was a job to do, and she was doing it.
“Second Battalion in position, sir.”
“Acknowledged.”
He climbed the steep path through the rock’s natural hollows, using the ladders placed there by his people. Two of his men were already in the lookout.
The observation post was just a tiny bump on the hill where he could see in all directions. Any other time the Legion commander would have aerial and orbital views. He would not need direct observation.
“There sir,” said the NCO pointing.
Smith raised his binoculars and could see a swift moving mass, undulating in places. The aerial bombardment would probably last until the last minute.
He pressed his mike, “Okay legionnaires, here they come. Give them hell.”
The guns on the tracks opened up with direct fire on the approaching enemy. They charged almost a kilometer before running into the first of the fortifications. When they reached the one-thousand-meter marker, the snipers opened up. The idea was to send the mass around the ridge into the Kill Zone.
As they grew closer, other rifles opened up. They hit the outer barrier and began to slide around the sides of the mountain.
Smith spoke into the radio, “Sergeant Williamson, are you ready?”
“Yes sir, mortars are ready.”
“Stand by,” replied Smith. The seconds felt like hours. The oncoming troops seemed like a huge dark mass that stretched across the planet.
Most of the tracks were not set as to face the open plain where the Reptilians could easily target them. Sector Three was dug in on the second ridge, facing the KZ. From two sides, the guns faced the Kill Zone as the enemy poured in.
Once the enemy was committed with no hope of stopping or turning about Smith commanded, “Sergeant Williamson, fire!”
He heard the dry thud of the mortars, and in moments they began splashing down in the KZ. As soon as this happened, just as had been planned, the tracks opened up with their fifties. Anything in the Kill Zone was toast.
The mass of Reptilian fighters was so great that not all could get in the zone at the same time. This fact did not seem to deter them.
“Commander, this is sector four.” Sector four was the North end of the range with a view of the access path to the Kill Zone.
“Sir, they have bunched up here, and some of them are beginning to breach our fortifications.”
“Understood, can you hold them?” Smith asked.
“For the moment sir, they are taking heavy casualties, but they keep coming.”
“Stay on it. Call back if you think you may be overrun.”
Smith was about to move the tracks in sectors one and two, to where they could have a better field of view on the attackers. Sectors one and two faced the plain and were the first to fight.
“Sir,” it was one of the men in the OP. “They appear to be launching another wave.
Smith turned around, and there it was. Out on the plain was a second undulating mass. Can’t move them now.
“Sectors one and two, stand by to engage a second wave, acknowledge.
“We have them sir; we’re ready for them.”
“How are you on ammo?” Smith asked.
“We’re good for now.”
“Any casualties?” asked Smith.
“None sir, but the bombardment was a little close.”
“Understood.”
“Sir,” it was sector four. “Sir, the bodies have piled so high that they can jump over the fence. We won’t be able to hold long.”
“Understood, fall back to secondary position. Are the surprise packages ready to go?”
“Yes sir.”
“Don’t set them off until the cavern is crowded with lizards,” cautioned Smith.
“Yes sir, I got it.”
Smith, called the Second line Commander. “Lieutenant, sector four is falling back to their secondary position. They will fire off the surprise packages momentarily.”
“Yes sir, I’ll pass the word along. We’ll be waiting.”
The tracks opened up on the second wave. Smith turned and saw the enemy cut to pieces as they ran full tilt into his defenses. Then the rifles opened up. Only this time, the onslaught ran into the trailing end of the first wave.
There was a loud explosion that shook the caverns. Dust and smoke were everywhere. Sector four had touched off their explosives. The caverns were now sealed on that end.
However, on that end of the ridge, land mines began to detonate as the surging enemy advanced up the ridge.
“Commanders, the enemy is coming up the north end of the ridge. Hold as long as you can before falling back.”
“Yes sir,” replied the Battalion Commander. Pungi sticks were arranged so as to lead the attackers into the line of fire from fortified concealed positions. The positions were set up so that the men were not exposed to direct fire while firing down on the attackers.
The noise was deafening. Someone was pulling at his sleeve. He turned.
“Sir,” shouted the NCO over the noise. “Look at the Kill Zone.”
Smith did so, but something did not look right. Then he figured
out what it was. The bodies were piled so deep that the mortars were burrowing into the pile and limiting their effect.
“Sergeant Williamson.” There was no answer. “Sergeant Williamson, acknowledge.”
“I’m here sir, just getting another load of rounds.”
“Go to aerials.”
“Aerials sir?”
“Yes, I need the explosions about the ground!”
“Yes sir.”
Smith could tell from the man’s voice that the reason behind the order was not understood. He would have to let Williamson know later. Right now, he needed Reptilians knocked down.
Smith peered out into the darkness. He was expecting another wave, but there was none. He could not make out their troop carriers but knew instinctively that they were there. He also knew that they would soon try to drop the troops right on top of his men’s positions.
“Sir, we have to fall back.”
“Very well, move to your next position.”
The troops in the secondary line, the one up the ridge from the first line, were being pressed back. Their caverns were also lined with surprises.
“Sir, this is sector four, we’ve moved into our new positions.”
“Acknowledged, I may need to move you later.”
“We’ll be ready sir.”
“Sir,” came the frantic call. “They are getting close to our tracks.”
“Understood, I’m sending reinforcements.”
Now to put the auxiliary to work. He had saved these troops who had been the auxiliary in reserve. They had practiced what he wanted to be done now.
“Sergeant Kenneth Jones.”
“Yes sir.”
“The tracks are in danger of being overrun. You know what to do.”
“Yes sir.”
He had walked Jones and his unit leaders through what they were to do. The reserve would take some of the pressure off the tracks so that they could fall back to secondary positions.
“Sir, this is secondary. They are in the caverns.”
“Are your men clear?”
“Mostly, some could not get out. We can’t wait any longer.”
“Understood, set off your surprise package and fall back.” There was nothing else to do.
Troops from the first two lines would now back up the troops dug in on the tertiary line. Multiple calls were coming in. All the tracks, except two, had made it out and to caves farther up on the ridge. Someone was calling for more ammo.
He didn’t hear the men in his position trying to get his attention until they opened up with their rifles. Smith wheeled about and there, not thirty meters behind him was an enemy troop carrier, disgorging troops.
Were these their reserves; where did they get so many fighters? He looked around to see other troop carriers dropping down on top of the ridge.
“Sergeant Williamson, they’re on top of us! Target my location with aerials.”
“Yes sir.”
Smith side-armed a grenade into the oncoming mass, then joined his men in repelling the attack. Something was wrong with these attackers. He could not place it. Then he had it.
These attackers were not wearing the usual reptilian battle armor. While they were aggressive enough, their manner was clumsy and awkward.
The aerials began popping off just above the ridge. One appeared to have penetrated the windscreen of a troop carrier before it went off. The Reptilians had been caught out in the open and were cut to pieces. Many of the troop carriers were burning.
“Repeat,” ordered Smith, and within seconds, the bombardment began again.
“Sergeant Kenneth Jones, move your men to Top Hat and await my orders.”
“Yes sir.”
Smith called up the leader of the tracks that had been extricated, “What is your situation?”
“The enemy is advancing despite casualties, right into our line of fire. We’re beginning to get low on ammo, sir.”
“Understood, I’ll get you some.”
“Ammo, are you there?”
“Yes sir, we’re here.”
“The tracks in Sector 4 B and C are running short.”
“We’re on our way, sir.”
Smith let it go. His people would take care of it. The last of the aerials exploded over the ridge.
“Sergeant Kenneth Jones, get your men outside.”
“Yes sir.”
* * * *
Kenneth Jones, formerly with the US Army and no longer considered auxiliary, turned to look into the faces of his troops. They had already come under fire when they pulled the tracks out.
“Okay people, we’re going out on the surface. You know what to do, now let’s show them.”
He led them up the narrow passage to the top of the ridge. He forced open the makeshift hatch and charged onto the surface, firing as he went.
His legionnaires fanned out on either side of him as they swarmed out over the top of the ridge. There were plenty of targets and fighting was close order.
A young PFC was just behind him and to his right. One of the Reptilians came charging at him, and the young man shot him in the face at point-blank range. The momentum of the attacker carried him on at the soldier, knocked him down, and pinned him to the ground.
Jones and another man pulled the now faceless atrocity off him. Jones said, “This ain’t no time for a nap.”
“Sorry Sergeant, it won’t happen again.”
* * * *
Smith saw a brilliant white flash off to his right side, and he swung around to it. A brilliant flare shot up into the sky and exploded. The enemy stopped their advance and retreated.
They kept firing as they backed down the hill they had attempted to take, spilling so much of their comrades’ blood. Many stumbled and fell over the bodies of their fellows.
The troop carriers that could still fly took off with the fighters that could scramble aboard. Any left behind were quickly exterminated.
Back over the masses of bodies they climbed, the Legion never letting up on the volume of fire.
Sergeant Kenneth Jones pursued them down the hill until he came to the fortified line. Here, he stopped, and his men reinforced it.
There were fewer and fewer shots as the enemy moved slowly back through the same plain they had recently raced across.
Chapter 22 - The Friend of a Friend
The in-system ship slowed for landing on the Moon. Among various dignitaries and high-ranking navy personnel, it carried Lieutenant Commander Fitzpatrick and his two accomplices.
While he had attempted no communication using the headband, he had wandered the jump ship until a ship’s officer warned him to cease his wanderings.
They had not been confined to the in-system ship; however, humans were to stay in the human designated areas, only. They certainly did not have run of the ship. He was unceremoniously reminded of this fact by naval security.
They entered the apartment Mei Ling and Juliette shared, with Fitz bringing up the rear. Nothing had changed, everything dropped where they had left it to race to the departing ship on short notice from Admiral La Force.
Fitz pretended not to notice. “I’m tired, think I’ll go up to my place and take a nap.”
“Will we see you later for dinner?” asked Mei Ling.
“I hate being the extra wheel,” bemoaned Juliette. “Why don’t you two wander off while I straighten up? I’ll meet you for dinner later.”
“You sure?” asked Mei Ling.
“Yes, I’m sure. Call when you guys get hungry.”
As they strolled away, Mei Ling said, “I guess there is no fooling Juliette.”
“No, I suppose not.” Then he added, “It must be hard for her.”
“You mean not knowing about Farouk?”
“Yes, and Smith and Argie, all of them,
” his mood suddenly darkened.
She took his arm, “Snap out of it. Come on, stay focused.”
“I know,” he said as he entered his apartment passcode.
There was a message scrolling across his terminal. Urgent, contact the following. The message was followed by a code he did not recognize.
He entered it. A moment later there was a one-word reply, Acknowledged.
“What was that all about?” asked Mei Ling.
“Don’t know, and maybe I’m getting a bit paranoid. He went to a locked insert in the wall, entered the code, and after it opened, removed the pistol it contained.
Within ten minutes, his apartment signaled that there was someone at the door. He stuck the pistol in the back of his pants and opened the door.
“Lieutenant Commander Fitzpatrick?” asked the delivery driver.
“Yes.”
“I have this container for you. It’s marked urgent. Where do you want it?”
“In the middle of the room, please.” He signed for the delivery and the young lady left.
“Well?” said Mei Ling.
Fitz walked around the shipping container without touching it.
“Are you going to open it?”
“Would you humor me, and step outside.”
“In case it blows up?”
“In case it blows up,” he replied.
After he felt she was safely away, he lay the container down and as he did so, it opened of its own accord.
Moments passed, and Mei Ling was getting concerned. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, yes I am. Come back inside, and lock the door,” he called out in a voice she took as being a bit too sharp.
As she entered, she saw something she had only seen in images. Loosening itself from what was probably a breathing apparatus, was a Grey.
“Mei Ling, the door.”
She pulled herself together and turned to the task. Once secured, she moved to join Fitz who was fishing around his kit for his headband.
“Fitz don’t bother,” Mei Ling said.
Fitz turned, and the Grey was holding a small flat box out to him. He quickly walked over and took it. The box was about twenty centimeters on a side and about a centimeter thick. He looked at it. It was an electronic notepad of a kind he had never seen. Something looked odd about the Grey as well.
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