Battle ARC

by Toby Neighbors

  Angel wanted to get to know the others, to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Nance seemed content to flirt and show off. He was very good in the ARC suit, but not all that creative. Like most of the pilots, his default setting was upright, either running or jumping. He only worked the saltos, cartwheels, and dive rolls into his run when she suggested it. As Angel lay back on her bunk, she couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he were sent out against the Swarm. Perhaps she was over thinking it. Maybe just running and changing direction would be enough. Especially if there were six people zig-zagging through the swarm all at once.

  After a while, Angel got up quietly and went outside. The camp was quiet, but a steady wind was blowing in off the lake. The air was fresh and clean, completely unlike Earth or even Mars. She could detect a variety of scents in the air. The smell of water, dust, damp soil, strange vegetation all combined together to make the air on Neo Terra invigorating. She had traveled to many places on the American west coast during her gymnastics career, but never had she smelled air so clean or seen the stars in the night sky so bright.

  She wandered slowly back toward the cliff that overlooked the great lake. She could see the light from the stars reflecting on the dark surface of the water. It was quiet and peaceful. It made her feel more alive than she had felt in a long time. It wasn’t long before the stars began to fade, and the sky went from black to gray. She wandered over to the small tent that served as a workstation for the ARC suits. The equipment had been offloaded from the Battle ARC and set up in the tent according Daniels’ instructions. She found her helmet and suit battery in her charger, which was connected to a generator just outside the tent. She wasn’t alone long. Petty Officer Nicole Daniels came in just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

  “Why am I not surprised to find you here?” Daniels said.

  “Couldn’t sleep. They came and got the senior officers about an hour ago, and my mind wouldn’t rest.”

  “What’s up?”

  “I don’t know,” Angel said. “I’m guessing that the Swarm has been spotted, but I can’t say for sure.”

  Daniels checked the nearest ARC suit.

  “The batteries should be fully charged.”

  “Mine was,” Angel confirmed.

  “Here, let me help.”

  The ARC battery was composed of a long, flexible coil that zipped into a sleeve on the inseam of the left leg. Daniels fed the battery coil into the sleeve an made sure the terminals were connected. Angel put on her helmet and ran a diagnostic. Everything looked good and she removed the faceless helmet just as Nance appeared in the doorway of the tent.

  “Are the suits charged?” he asked.

  “Yes sir,” Daniels replied.

  “Good, get all this equipment packed up. The Marines will see to the tent, but we ship out in one hour.”

  “Where to?” Angel asked.

  “The Swarm is on the move. We’re moving into position with the bulk of the Marine battalion. Get your squad moving, Lieutenant. I want everyone on the Battle ARC in forty-five minutes.”

  “Roger that, Captain,” Angel said.

  She hurried past him and went straight to the chow hall. It was another tent. The Marines there were already hard at work preparing a meal. Angel snagged seven breakfast burritos that were wrapped in plastic. She also picked up seven hydration pouches, each one filled with caffeinated fruit beverage, fortified with vitamins and amino acids. By the time she got back to the tent where their ARC gear was stored, there was less than fifteen minutes until Captain Nance expected them to be on the drop ship.

  “Our fearless leader,” Vancini announced.

  All five members of her squad were there, ARC suits charged, and as she had expected, they were helping Daniels pack up their gear.

  “Where you been LT?” Hays asked. “The fun’s almost over.”

  “I knew you bone heads would forget to eat,” she said. “Finish packing that gear and you can have your breakfast on the ship.”

  “You think dad will let us eat in the car?” Vancini teased.

  “Not you,” Cash said. “You eat like a toddler on his birthday.”

  “Hey, who says you shouldn’t play with your food,” Van argued.

  “Only everyone,” Bolton replied.

  “Lieutenant Jin Mi hasn’t picked up her battery,” Daniels informed Angel. “You want to track her down?”

  “Certainly,” Angel said, dropping the food into a duffle bag and slinging it over one shoulder. “See you cupcakes on board the drop ship.”

  Outside the tent, the sky was bright blue and the sun was shinning off the nearby lake with glorious radiance that made Angel feel like anything was possible. She returned to the officer’s tent where they had slept and found Zilla sitting on the edge of her camp bed, doubled over.

  “Lieutenant?” Angel said softly. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine,” Zilla said, looking up angrily. “Leave me alone.”

  “We’re due to board the drop ship.”

  “You think I don’t know that?”

  “I’m sure you do,” Angel said hurrying over to the grumpy pilot. “I’m also sure that you were planning to pick up your suit’s battery; but they’ve had to pack everything up, so I brought it to you. May I help you get it in place?”

  Zilla looked at Angel with suspicion and then rose slowly to her feet. She was unsteady and Angel caught the scent of sickness. As she knelt down to feed the battery into the long compartment on the inside of Zilla’s left leg, she saw a small emesis bag under the bunk. Ignoring it, she focused instead on connecting the battery’s terminal.

  “I’m sure Daniels will have your helmet on the ship,” Angel said. “You’re good to go, Lieutenant.”

  “Thank you,” Zilla said, making the kind words sound like an insult.

  “Are you okay?” Angel asked. “Any lingering effects from your workout in the ARC suit yesterday?”

  “No,” Zilla growled.

  “Okay, good. The Swarm has been spotted and we’re moving.”

  “I suspected as much.”

  “If you need to report to the infirmary—“

  Lieutenant Jin “Zilla” Mi cut her off. “I said I was fine. Now drop it, Lieutenant. I may not be as flashy as you in that suit, but I’m still your superior officer.”

  “Of course,” Angel said.

  “Now leave me alone. And if you tell anyone about anything you saw or think you saw in here, I’ll bury you. Are we clear?”

  Angel nodded, sharing a small smile, before hurrying out of the tent. Despite fighting aliens bent on destroying everything humanity had built on Neo Terra, Angel found the egos of her fellow officers much more frightening. Something was wrong with Zilla, but that wasn’t Angel’s concern. She felt an obligation to tell Nance, but Zilla was still her superior. And Angel had no legitimate reason to go over the pilot’s head.

  After checking to see that Daniels had gotten the equipment packed and moved to the drop ship, Angel passed out her goodies to her squad who had taken seats on the starboard side of the ship. The Air Force officers were seated on the port side. Zilla was the last to arrive. As soon as she came up the ramp Nance hit the button to close the hatch and used the radio in his helmet to speak to the pilot.

  “We’re all on board, Willy,” Nance said.

  Angel didn’t have her helmet on, but she had the communications turned on and the volume high enough that she could hear what was said on the command channel.

  “Roger that, Fancy Nancy. Get your kiddos strapped in. Big Daddy is about to take off.”

  23

  Battle ARC, En Route,

  Roebuck District, Neo Terra, Tau Ceti System

  Angel couldn’t see out of the drop ship. There were no windows. But she imagined the hybrid aircraft skimming over the waters of the great lake. The flight was smooth with no turbulence, which Angel was grateful for as she quickly ate the burrito that consisted of powdered eggs, fake cheese, and protein wa
fers that tasted like breakfast meats. There were no vegetables in the breakfast burrito, but plenty of southwest seasonings.

  The Alpha squad sat with their helmets on and didn’t communicate with Bravo team, who were boisterous as they ate their breakfast. Angel knew that many officers didn’t allow themselves to be friendly with their enlisted Marines, but Angel had a bond with Cashman’s fire team. She enjoyed their energy and saw herself as part of their team, rather than solely their superior officer.

  “Where are we headed, LT?” Hays asked.

  “I don’t know,” Angel admitted.

  “The Swarm is running scared man,” Vancini said.

  “I hope the Colonel finds a way to box them in,” Bolton said. “I don’t like this guerrilla warfare. It could take years to track down and destroy the Swarm if we can’t find a way to keep them in the fight.”

  “Especially if they can retreat and build up their forces so quickly,” Angel said.

  “It’s going to be hard to hem them in,” Cash said. “If we had a few more ARC platoons, we could move fast enough to block their escape when they evade.”

  “Are they making more ARC suits, Lieutenant?” Vancini asked..

  “I’m sure they are, but it’s a slow process,” Angel said.

  “According to what I learned from the researchers, each suit takes a full week to fabricate,” Daniels said.

  “Then they have to be custom-fit and tested,” Angel added.

  “So what then? We keep chasing these bastards all over the planet?” Hays asked.

  “If we have to,” Cash replied.

  “They’ll just duck back underground,” Bolton said. “Then pop up a week later with reinforcements.”

  “The real danger is giving them time to adapt to our new tactics,” Cash said.

  “All the more reason to wipe them out in one go-round,” Hays said. “So how do we do that?”

  “Kill the queen,” Bolton said. “You chop the head off the snake. Then no matter how long it is, the whole thing dies.”

  “I’ve had rattlesnake stew,” Hays said. “You cook that shit right, and it’s delicious.”

  “Please don’t talk about cooking shit while I’m eating my breakfast,” Daniels said with a straight face that caused everyone to laugh.

  Angel saw a few of the officers on the opposite side of the shuttle chuckling at the joke, even if she couldn’t hear their laughter.

  The flight lasted just over an hour, and when they disembarked, Angel found herself on a wide, grassy plain. The flora on Neo Terra was similar to earth in many ways. The grass was knee-high and thick, but not green. It was a dull yellow color, more like hay, but soft under foot. Their equipment stayed on the ship. Cashman and his team checked the armory and additional weapons that had been shipped down from the Minerva while Angel joined the other officers just outside the big troop transport where Colonel Goldman was laying out his plan of attack.

  “The Swarm is still several hours from our position, but headed straight for us,” Goldman said. “We have tracking medium on the devils and we should be able to keep a constant watch on their movements. The last two battles have been in tight, narrow spaces. We know the Swarm adapts to our strategy and tactics, so I’m betting they won’t expect us to be here.”

  He had a hologram projection unit, which he powered on. A topographic map of the area appeared, with a large, red-shaded area indicating the swarm.

  “The plan is to spread out in a straight line, with with a reserve force on either flank,” Goldman continued. “Captain Nance has his people dialed in. The ARC Alpha team will engage the Swarm first. As soon as the aliens begin to lose coordination, we’ll hit them with everything we’ve got.”

  Angel raised a hand.

  “You have something to add, Lieutenant?” Goldman asked, a note of irritation in his voice.

  “Just a question, sir,” Angel said. She felt Nance stiffen beside her, as if he was embarrassed of her for asking a question. “If the ARC squad is in the Swarm, what will keep them from being gunned down once the shooting starts.”

  Goldman nodded. “The plan is to set up shooting lanes, which is why we’re spreading out in a straight line instead of curving around to maximize our fire potential.”

  Blue squares formed on the hologram that reminded Angel of diagrams showing the ancient Greek armies with their phalanx formations. Green arrows moved toward the enemy from in between the blue blocks.

  “The front rows of Marines will target the aliens on the ground,” Goldman explained. “As you know, once engaged, the Swarm likes to jump and draw our fire upward. The Marines in the rear of our phalanxes will target those creatures in the air. If the enemy turns away, as they did yesterday when the fled into the lake, the reserve units on either flank will move to repel them.”

  Angel saw the blue squares on either end of the line moving to intercept positions on either side. It was a well thought out plan, but Angel saw an immediate flaw. She decided to hold her tongue and hope that someone else pointed it out. When Goldman asked if there were any questions, the heavyset Major Hammonds immediately pointed it out.

  “Sir, supposing the plan works as you’ve laid it out,” he said. “Why wouldn’t we target their queen? Isn’t that the agreed upon endgame?”

  “That is an excellent question, Major. Yes, taking out the queen is our ultimate goal. The firing lanes are set to protect the ARC platoon. If the Queen avoids the firing lanes she may escape the battle, but the ARC units will be armed. It is our hope that they will be to take out the queen or force her into one of the firing lanes.”

  Angel wasn’t crazy about the plan, but she wasn’t set against it. Her only real fear, was that Nance’s team of pilots weren’t ready to engage the enemy. Most of the follow up questions were in regard to Marine troops and coordinating movement or communication protocols. When the planning meeting broke up Angel pulled Nance aside.

  “Don’t you think my team should do this?”

  “What? Why?” Nance asked. “We have seniority, Angel. You had your fun last time. Now it’s our turn.”

  “You really think you’re ready?”

  “Of course I do. It isn’t rocket science, is it? We run, we jump, we shoot, they die, end of story.”

  “You might be right, but I don’t think your squad is ready,” Angel said.

  “Then we must agree to disagree,” Nance said with smile. “I beginning to think you’re worried about me. Don’t be frightened, Angel. I’ve got this.”

  As the junior officer, Angel couldn’t argue. If Nance wanted his team in the lead, there was nothing she could do. Her fear was that his people would fail and be slaughtered. But, she feared that for her own squad, and for anyone to would fight the swarm. She didn’t believe that Nance’s people were ready, but there was no more time to train. The danger was here and they would all have to face it.

  “Oh, by the way, I want your team on the Battle ARC.”

  “Why?” Angel asked.

  “Just in case Goldman’s plan fails. We shouldn’t risk all of the ARC suits in any single battle. If things go wrong, you take your people out of here, is that clear, Lieutenant.”

  “I disagree, but I understand,” Angel said.

  “Good,” Nance said with an air of self-importance. “See to your squad. I have a battle to prepare for.”

  24

  Battle Site B, Roebuck District,

  Neo Terra, Tau Ceti System

  Cashmen spent half an hour showing the Air Force pilots how to use the Tasker 51 rifles that Daniels tethered to their suits. The rest of Angel’s squad helped sew magnets onto the front of the ARC suits to hold the weapons and spare ammunition in place.

  “Remember, these are close combat weapons,” Cashman said. “The explosive-penetration rounds will punch through the cranial shields, but if you’re too close to your target, you risk blow back and ricochets. You release the magazine with this switch, let it fall to the ground, press another one home, then pull the
charging handle.”

  He demonstrated as he talked. Once he had gone over everything with his own weapon, he walked them through the process on their weapons. With their helmets on, they could hear everything Cashman said, even over the whine and roar of the transport ships ferrying more Marines to the battlefield. All around them, officers were shouting; and platoons were hurrying past as they moved into position.

  Angel felt sick. There was something odd about the battle plan. Something that made her nervous even though she couldn’t say what it was exactly. When Cashman finished his tutorial about the rifles the ARC pilots would carry into battle, Angel walked everyone through the process of activating their ARC suit’s defensive measure. The suit was covered with razor-sharp flechettes that could be ejected in one explosive moment. The flechettes would fan out in every direction. It was an effective last resort weapon, and Angel had used it against the Swarm. But it wasn’t enough to target their queen. Still, the pilots all needed to know how to use the defensive measure if things went south. It might save someone’s life.

  She didn’t have to shout to be heard, even though the wind had picked up, blowing hard enough that Angel could feel it. To the north strange-looking clouds were brewing. They weren’t thick, billowing clouds like she was accustomed to on earth. They were more like flat slabs of slate-colored material. Even at a distance she could see the lightning flickering in the storm clouds.

  When she finished her demonstration, Nance’s people moved away. Angel’s dread grew. With nothing more she could do to help, she joined Cashman’s fire squad and Petty Officer Daniels near the Battle ARC. Their pilot, a lanky man in a flight suit with golden-rimed aviator sunglasses came out of the ship.

  “Helluva storm coming,” he said. “Hope we don’t have to fly in it.”

  “Would that be a problem?” Angel asked.

  “Flying in bad weather is always a problem. Better for us if we take off now.”

  “No,” Angel said. “We aren’t leaving the engagement unless we have to.”

  “You think we’ll be called in?” Cash asked.

  “I don’t know. But I have a bad feeling about this mission,” Angel admitted.