Tears of Kerberos

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Tears of Kerberos Page 2

by Michael G. Thomas


  “Three of the towns west of this point have been overrun and their citizens are running for New Carlos. Elements of the 7th Marine Regiment are trying to hold back the enemy as the civilians fall back to the city. So far they are holding but our best estimates are that they will last for only two, maybe three hours. With that back door open the enemy will stream into the undefended sections of the city. I think you can image what happens from there,” he said solemnly.

  The room was now completely silent as the marines started to understand he gravity of the situation. The creatures that had been unleashed on the population by the Zealots were smashing their way through the Confed cordons and heading for all the populated zones. It was all going far worse than any of them had expected. He continued.

  “Reports from the overrun town of Carnaz indicate that the Zealots are not wiping out population centres. When the shock troops took the town they killed anyone who opposed them but left the civilian population. Their new shock troops have been in the field now for four days and show no signs of stopping. When the troops moved on they left the area for the Zealots to secure. Once they arrived they started to sort through those that were left. Troublemakers are being sent to camps for whatever nefarious plans they might have, the rest are staying in their homes. This is consistent with our understanding of their plans. It would appear they wish to replace the leadership of Prime, not the population. This leads our intelligence units to conclude that there may be a more significant threat than just the Zealots behind the attacks. It appears there is a large political element behind the uprising.”

  On the screen the display shifted to show multiple military units and their commanders’ profiles. One man stood out amongst them all, a sixty-four year old army general.

  “General Shears, Commander of all planetary forces on Prime has taken command of New Carlos and is mustering a mixed force of army, marines and city militia to help defend the city. He has already mobilised over twelve thousand fighters but he needs more time. They have only been able to fortify twenty percent of the perimeter and the enemy has now reached the outskirts of the city. We have conducted air operations against them but they are too close for us to risk bombardments that near to civilians. They are moving fast on the defences but not fast enough to do the job, that is where you come in!”

  “The Santa Cruz and our commandos are to spearhead a dangerous operation to blunt the enemy assault to give General Shears enough time to finish the basic defences for the city. At the same time three army transports have just arrived from Alpha Centauri. They will follow us in and provide reinforcements for General Shears in the upcoming siege. This will be a hit and run operation, we do not have the numbers to hold them indefinitely. Just get in there fast, cause as much mess as you can and then get out. I have a list of missions for you all to carry out but for now this is the priority. Briefings have been sent to your computer units. Have your squads ready for drops in sixty minutes!”

  As he walked off Spartan looked around the room, noting the number of marines running in different directions. Since his transfer to the ship he hadn’t actually taken part in a combat mission. He moved from his chair and headed for the door before being cut off by the approaching officers. One of them, a tall man with a rough face and a smile stopped in front of him.

  “Sergeant Spartan,” said Captain Mathews. He looked at the marine noticing his rank was back to private.

  “Sir,” said Spartan as he saluted.

  The Captain was in charge of Alpha Company and they had met during the action to retake the Naval Station. He had been instrumental in getting Spartan promoted to start with.

  “I see your rank didn’t stick. Well, don’t worry about it, there’s plenty of work to do and work in the Marine Corps usually means quick promotion. That was a damned good job back on Kronus. As you might expect though, it’s not going to get any easier.”

  “Understood, Sir.”

  “How is Teresa? Her injuries?” He looked genuinely concerned.

  “She’s doing well, the doctors say she will be fit for duty in a four to five days.”

  “Fast, very fast. I’m impressed, she’ll be an asset to the unit.”

  “Yeah,” said Spartan as he thought about his closest friend in the Fleet.

  They were close, very close but the constant training and action over the last days had made it difficult to spend any real time together. He hoped a lull in the fighting would give them a chance to take some leave, but when that might happen he had no idea. They started to make slow progress towards the door before the Captain stopped.

  “How is the new unit going? I know you’ve been thrown in the deep end but we need the quickest and strongest for the commandos. We have a habit of getting through people pretty fast!” he laughed.

  “They’re not the easiest people to get on with, Sir. I’m not complaining, it’s just the way it us with a new unit. A combat operation will clear things up I’m sure,” he answered wryly.

  “Indeed. Now, I understand you’ve already worked with Lieutenant Daniels?”

  Spartan inhaled, his facial expressions did him a disservice as he tried to look as impassive as he could. The officer certainly wasn’t the worst Spartan had met, but he lacked experience and at their last encounter he had felt a certain amount of rivalry that shouldn’t exist between a ranker like him and an officer.

  “Yes, Sir, he led one of the units in the final assault on the Naval Station.”

  “I know he’s a little green but his training and combat record is exemplary. He has been assigned temporary command of one of the engineering platoons. Based upon your experience with the armour, and with him, I would like you to take a position in his platoon as second sergeant. The rest of your squad has been assigned to him and is already going over the briefing.”

  “I assumed my promotion was just a temporary rank, Sir? I’ve only just finished basic training and I thought the move to the Cruz was to be part of my training as a commando. I was told when I arrived on the ship I was to be returned to private in my new unit.”

  “You’ve already completed most of the commando training and your combat experience and the operations over the next weeks will either make or break you as a commando,” he said.

  Spartan’s current status was confused as he had only just been promoted. The battle to take the Station had been Spartan’s first military operation, and though it lasted just hours he had probably been involved in more action than most marines would face in an entire career. Even so, when he had landed he was no more than a private. Due to the heavy losses in the assault he had been given a battlefield promotion to sergeant. He had acquitted himself well enough for an immediate transfer to the commando unit aboard the Marine Transport ship CCS Santa Cruz. Captain Mathews continued.

  “Daniels’ unit is the newest one here. Most of the NCOs are either on the way here or were injured in the fighting on Kronus. There is nobody else with the kind of experience the unit needs. You have the position for now if you want it.”

  “For now?” asked Spartan.

  “Well, once we’re fully reinforced there will only be so many positions available. Traditionally the post is based partially on service time and partially on merit. You’ll have to compete with the old timers. My suggestion is just keep doing what you do well and I’m sure the job will be yours. Think of this as an opportunity to make your rank more...permanent,” he said with a look that told Spartan exactly what he needed to hear.

  The Captain stepped in a little closer as if he had something important he needed to say but didn’t want to be overheard.

  “A number of the officers have mentioned your tactical use of the engineers in combat and we have already been authorised to assign Daniels use of the full company’s worth of equipment for this operation. It will give him enough equipment for a full platoon. We’ve only used the gear for sappers’ work so far but you have already proved the combat effectiveness of the armour and strength, both on the ground and
in zero-g environments. I think the Lieutenant would appreciate your support in their use on the drop. The techs on board have already started to modify some of the armour based on your exploits. Apparently, Spartan, you retrofitted weapons during one of the training exercises?”

  “Well, I’m not sure that using gaffer tape to strap training weapons to engineering gears really qualified as retrofitting, Sir.”

  “Really? You have a lot to learn then!” the Captain laughed.

  The two men continued towards the side of the hall, only a few marines remained, some were making notes or discussing the upcoming operation with their officers.

  “Did you say an entire platoon, Sir?” asked a surprised Spartan, still unsure as to what was going on.

  “Yes, I’ve recommended the entire platoon will be armoured for this operation. Take it from me, with the numbers you’ll be facing you’ll want the armour and the weapons! This isn’t a permanent unit, we just need as much fighting power on the surface as we can get.”

  A marine approached them and waited patiently for the Captain to turn to him. He handed over a datapad and the Captain gave it just the quickest of glances.

  “Sergeant, I must go. Get to Daniels in Section 3F and do whatever you need to get this mission done. Remember the briefing, New Carlos must not fall! Good luck on the mission, let me know how the armour works out!”

  Without waiting for a reply the Captain marched off and out of the briefing room. Spartan stood on his own looking around. He’d only just joined his new unit and this new promotion wasn’t going to win him any friends. He lifted his datapad and checked for the location of Section 3F where the unit was preparing for action. It wasn’t far away, just three sections down the ship and after the armoury. He left the room and entered the side shaft that ran the length of the ship. There were no windows on this part and it was just as well, as the movement of the stars when viewed from the rotating section of the vessel were known to cause nausea and sickness. As he marched down the shaft he noticed the large number of marine commandos equipping for combat. These units were normally based on the Furious Battlegroup but most of the ships were still being prepared for the conflict and the battalion had been rushed to the frontline on numerous transports and craft. The downside was that a large part of the heavy equipment was still back at the naval base on Kerberos. For now the CCS Santa Cruz was the new home for the 5thReconnaissance Battalion of the Confederate Marine Corps. Though it lacked space for the heavy armour and weapons of the unit it did have a number of landing craft and shuttles on board, as well as the engineering equipment and armour that Spartan would be making use of.

  The entire unit usually made use of light armoured vehicles and gunships to deliver small teams into combat. The 5th was an elite battalion of the Marine Corps and consisted of over a thousand men and women, the best the Marine Corps had to offer. It was made up of a Headquarters and Services Company, three commando companies and finally the elite Force Reconnaissance Company. The battalion provided reconnaissance and surveillance for the rest of the Corps. They were also trained in close quarters battle (CQB) tactics and other special missions. They were expected to be able to carry out any operation with speed and efficiency. There was no mission they couldn’t complete, or at least that is what they said repeatedly to themselves.

  Spartan walked past two women who were in the process of fitting on their Personal Defence Suits. These were the standard set of clothing, camouflage and tactical armour used by all CMC Marines. It was lightweight and covered the entire surface of the marine. As he moved away from them and to the automatic door that led to the next section his mind shifted to Teresa. They met when first joining as recruits and they had become much more than just close friends. In the combat landing on the Naval Station she had taken serious wounds. The ground fire had been much stronger than expected and many marines had been killed trying to establish a beachhead. She was recovering fast and he really wanted to see her but time wasn’t on his side. He would have to check in on her on his return.

  The door slid shut behind him and he continued on to the final section where his platoon was assembling. The entrance to the hangars and loading bays was much more utilitarian in appearance than the rest of the ship. Weapon lockers and stowage containers were everywhere. Along the left side of the corridor were dozens of mechanical suits designed for use in repairing and maintaining the ship, or for use on combat operations with the engineers company. These military suits were similar to the sealed Personal Defence Suits but much thicker and bulkier. Known as the Combat Engineer Suits or CES they were of much sturdier construction and also equipped with heavy-duty hydraulic gear, digging implements and cutting tools. Some of the suits were fitted with close range weapons but, since Spartan’s training and combat experience, in the last few days the equipment was already being heavily modified. As he walked past the fifth suit he noticed something odd about it. He stopped and looked carefully, trying to work out way it was so familiar.

  “You okay, Marine?” asked one of the fitters.

  Spartan looked at the man and then again at the suit. “Yeah, this one looks familiar.”

  “Well, it should do, it’s one of the suits used for the boarding action a few days back. I’ve patched some of the holes and welded in the plating as recommended by the report put together by Private Morato.”

  “Teresa recommended this? Strange, she never mentioned it.”

  “Yeah, the reports we were given from the survivors of the Titan mission said the suits were vulnerable to hits on some of the hydraulic sections and also there’s thinner plating near the ribs. We’ve not had time to fit in all the recommendations but we have sealed the biggest weaknesses and fitted the weapons as per the comments in the report,” explained the man as he continued making adjustments.

  Spartan continued on towards the group of marines at the end of the room. There were two platoons getting ready. The first was from Charlie Company and were readying their weapons and armour. Each marine wore a PDS suit and carried the marine’s standard issue L48 12.7mm assault rifle. The weapon used a twenty round magazine of variable operation ammunition and it was equally suited for short and long-range work. It had proven itself against a variety of enemies and types of armour. One marine in each squad carried the 6mm module and box magazine that modified the standard L48 rifle into a support weapon that could unleash massive quantities of lower calibre ammunition. It was normally used on board ships where hull penetration could be an issue.

  Several of the marines acknowledged him as he walked past the first group and up to where his own platoon was assembling. The unit was made up of three squads and led by Lieutenant Daniels. He was busy discussing some piece of equipment with the crew Chief. Spartan stopped and saluted.

  “Sergeant Spartan, glad to see you’re finally here. I thought we’d lost you.”

  “I’ve just finished speaking with Captain Mathews, he requested I join your unit, Sir.”

  “Yes...he did,” answered Daniels.

  The officer turned away and finished his discussion with the Chief before turning back to Spartan.

  “Contrary to what you might think, I am glad to have you here, Spartan,” he said as he handed over a datapad. “As you can see, we are to be dropped into the most violent and dangerous part of the battle on the surface.”

  Spartan examined the maps and dispositions in detail. The datapad viewed the events in real-time and the scale of the battle was enormous. The main part appeared to be about five hundred metres from the city limits where a collapsed tunnel forced the focal point of the enemy assault. Scores of marines and infantry were battling in the rubble but, even as Spartan watched, the enemy shock troopers were smashing their way through the thin lines of defenders.

  “How are the defences along the city limits coming along?” he asked.

  “We are working fast, but if they break through the outer marker they will be inside the city in minutes. We need to clear an area of two hundred and
fifty metres wide for an hour so heavy weapons and minefields can be set up. General Shears is sending five companies of city militia to help but they will not be able to hold the line until the defences are finished.”

  One of the crew ran up to them and spoke directly to Spartan. The man was short and covered in grease and oil from working on the machines.

  “Your suit is ready, Sergeant.”

  Spartan nodded and turned back to the Lieutenant. “How long till we start the drop?”

  Daniels checked his watch before replying. “We will be over the drop point in eleven minutes, we start the drop immediately, you’d better get ready.”

  “Will do, good luck, Sir,” Spartan said as he delivered a crisp salute.

  As Daniels moved off to get himself ready the first three CES units stomped past. Each was much bigger than a man and looked like an armoured monster. They were all painted in grey but a few carried the personal markings and patterns of the squad and unit commanders. Spartan approached his own unit and pushed his legs inside. Two of the crew helped to fit him in as they clamped down the seals and plates around his body. It wasn’t a vehicle, more a heavy and augmented suit that was perfectly suited to hostile environments. As the metal rings around the neck locked into place he felt the air pressure change as the suit fully sealed. Through the metal reinforced visor he could see the crew hammering with tools as the last sections were clamped into place. One woman stopped in front of him and peered inside his helmet.

  “Sergeant Spartan, your suit has been modified as per the specifications in Private Morato’s paper. The welding and repair tools have been removed. We have retained one utility blade on the left arm mount and the right is fitted with twin L48 carbines. Both are loaded with 6mm box magazines and are linked through to the digging controls on the right panel.”

  Spartan looked about inside the suit and found the small bank of recently added switches. The job wasn’t pretty but for just a few days’ work it was impressive.

 

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