Sue studied the menu a bit. By the sigh in her voice she wasn’t impressed. Maybe she thought she could actually get some real food, thought Warner. Three months on Fleet rations will do that to you. The guy at the next table excused himself and advised that she would have to order from the bar. They didn’t do table service here. She politely thanked him and made her way to the bar and placed her order for beef tortillas. Maybe they weren’t dairy cows but beef cattle back in the shed near the LZ. That would make more sense thought Warner.
Sue also ordered a drink, swiped her credit card and returned to the table. There she waited and waited and waited. Whoever was doing the cooking they were not fast. Finally after 30 minutes a plate of tortillas was presented. It looked OK but Sue let out a gasp on her first bite. The guy in the next table was feeling more emboldened and said “you should have asked them to go easy on the chilli”. Sue took several sips from her drink and pushed the plate forward. She sat back holding her drink and taking in the entrance.
By this time Warner was getting impatient. Emilio came up to see if Warner was OK and to offer him an energy drink. Warner doused it down, thanked him and Emilio departed without any further comment. Warner glanced at the console again. No change. He pulled the communicator out of the bum pack and made contact with Parinya. She had no more news but did confirm that his message had been relayed. While retaining his vision on the display he stuffed the communicator back in the bum pack.
Just then a blast from the past walked in through the tavern door. Art Simons, codename Manger, made a slow pan around the tavern with his brown eyes without giving any reaction. He was tall but not a giant, dark hair, strong face with a square jaw.
Warner hit the buzzer three times. Sue tried not to react but her heart just went into overdrive. She forced herself to keep her hands on her drink and not to stare at the new customer. She took a long, slow, deep breath. She had already decided she wasn’t going to approach him straight away. Even if he left, the rest of the team would pick him up outside.
Manger made his way to the bar. From there he ordered a drink and turned around to once again scan the room’s occupants. After a few minutes, Sue decided that this was the time. She took another deep breath, rose from her chair and walked over to Manger at the bar.
“Excuse me. Are you the rep from Schillers Ridge?”
Manger was immediately struck by the mention of Schillers Ridge. How could he forget it? But he was aware that others were watching. Such memories would have to wait. “Yes I am. Can I join you?”
“Please do” responded Sue.
Manger was scanning the room as he proceeded to the table. He moved to the far side of the table and sat with his back to the wall. He opened his jacket at the top and then leaned over and asked “I presume you are in contact with our mutual friend?”
“Yes I am.”
“Why is he not here?”
“Complications. But I can take you to him.”
“Nearby?”
“Yes.”
“Finish your meal. Then we’ll go. It will look normal.”
“No, I can’t. Too spicy for me.”
“Fair enough. After you!”
“Sure just let me get my bag. I need to make sure it’s all OK.”
Warner understood straight away. He switched channels and advised the team that they were coming out. “Is everything clear?” he asked. One by one they all reported in. It was clear.
“Emilio, make sure there’s someone on the side door to let them in.” Back he went to the remote channel. His right hand reached for his rifle. He had already reaffixed the sight. He brought the rifle up to the window and switched to thermal vision. He knew that the rest of team were focussed on outside so he remained glued to the display. But he wanted firepower close to hand. He hit the buzzer just once and hoped that Sue would interpret that as all clear.
She did. She stood up putting on her jacket and shoulder bag and started moving.
Manger stood and moved his head in a slow motion from right to left. His right hand was deep in his jacket pocket. Outside the door the lamp made a poor effort of lighting the streetscape. Sue’s eyes were trying to adjust while at the same time she was straining to pick out any potential threats in the street. It all looked clear.
Manger came through the door and moved to the left away from the lamp. Sue turned and he again said “After you!”
Warner gave up on the display, but kept listening to the audio. He put his rifle into his shoulder and scanned the street with the thermal sight. Nothing, except for Sue and Manger. Thank god for that.
Chapter 11. Tindel 1915, 21 April
Buster opened the side door and first Sue then Manger entered. Warner was in the shadows of the loading dock watching, his pistol drawn. Buster closed the door. Dai turned on her rifle torch and pointed towards Warner’s feet. The reflected light spilled across his torso and face, enough for Manger to recognise his old special ops buddy.
The relief showed immediately as Manger’s shoulders relaxed. For the first time in months he was amongst friends. “Dave, don’t you trust me you bastard.”
“Wasn’t sure, Art. We got stung pretty bad on Josker.”
“Yes I’m sorry. We were both stiched up on Josker. I barely made it out alive. I hope you didn’t lose anyone.”
“Seven. The whole team bar one.”
“Shit I’m sorry Dave. I was tipped off an hour before the meet. I had no means of making contact. I lit out straight away.”
“Who knew about that meeting?”
“Only my contact on Josker and I can vouch for her. In any event she’s dead now. She was gunned down saving me. God it has all turned to shit.”
“Yes it’s not looking pretty. So what did you want to tell us?”
“The attack on New Hammersley, it wasn’t the Alliance.”
“WHAT! What do you mean it wasn’t the Alliance?”
“I made contact with a high ranking source in their military command and he reassures me that they didn’t launch the attack. “
“So what. Do you believe that?”
“I do, now that I have seen this.” Manger raised a memory stick. “This has a complete rundown of all their ships’ locations at the time of the attack. I’ve studied it. It looks genuine. We know the attack was launched from a space craft. It can’t be them.”
“We’ve got company coming down the street, heading in from the West. I count eight no nine troops heading this way” roared Brian Riley over the net.
“Shit” yelled Warner.
“I didn’t do this” bleated Manger. “I have not betrayed you.”
Warner looked at his old friend. He saw a man near to breaking. The tension and stress were etched in his face. Softly Warner said “I know Art. Don’t worry.” And then loudly he called out “Emilio, buy me some time to call in the cavalry. I need Buster on the vehicle.”
“Roger that. Riley light ‘em up” barked Emilio.
The relative quiet erupted into a cacophony as the quanto let rip a ten round bust. It tore into the centre of mass of the moving column with some rounds impacting on the adjacent building. The twang of the impacts were clearly audible inside their building.
“Bridgewater, any movement to the south and east?”
“No all clear this way.”
“They’re flanking to the north” cried out Riley. He was now laying down shorter bursts trying to suppress the enemy’s movement.
“Bridgewater, right rear ground level. Cover the rear to the west.”
“I’m on it.” replied Bridgewater.
“Buster, get the vehicle going” Warner called out. “Sue gather up the packs and chuck them into the back. Dai, it’s time to leave them something to remember us by. Just leave a pathway clear out the back.”
“You got it” replied Dai. There was a note of prospective glee in her voice. Warner smiled. He liked people who liked their work.
Buster was already running to the vehicle. He didn’t bo
ther to reply, nor did Sue, who went straight for Warner’s backpack. But he stopped her. “Leave it. I need it.”
“Art, get in the back of the vehicle.”
Warner then took the communicator out of his bum pack and hailed “Parinya, we’re engaged with enemy troops in the town. Come pick us up at grid…” there was a slight pause while he looked at the console display and found the map reference… “691, 824. It’s a small rise 500m east of the town. Be there asap and ready to support. Advise Hermes we have the package and are on our way. I’ll keep this channel open from now on.”
“Roger that. We are oscar mike (on the move).”
Warner attached the communicator to his belt, grabbed his rifle and backpack and headed for the vehicle.
Just then two quick shots rang out from the lane. Warner heard a thud followed by a scream from Sue. He dropped the pack and bringing his rifle to his hip, charged forward. Another shot fired this time from near the vehicle, then another from back down the lane. Manger was engaging whoever was down the lane.
“Dai” yelled Warner, “we need you here now.” It was debatable whether she heard that with the Riley’s pulse guns firing all the while and there was now a sporadic fire coming into the building from the west.
Warner reached the door. He glanced left. Sue was down. He wasn’t sure if she was still alive. Manger was also on the ground out in the laneway returning fire from behind a slight rise in the ground. He was further to the left. He was also very exposed. It was only a matter of time before he too would be hit. Warner didn’t have any thermal gear on but he stuck out his head to have a quick look. Whoever it was, they were about 20 metres away pressed up against the wall. Warner reached into his front pouch and retrieved a grenade. Armed it and hurled it towards the assailant.
It exploded. The firing stopped. Warner charged out and fired a long burst from his rifle. There was no response. He hit the light on his rifle. There on the ground with his guts ripped apart was the man at the table from the tavern. He was no more.
“What happened?” Dai asked sucking in the air as she decelerated.
“Interference…It’s Sue.”
Dai pushed Warner aside, bent over and rolled Sue over. Her left leg was gushing blood. Dai applied pressure, reached into her front pouch and retrieved a dressing. Turning to Manger, who looked like he was still in shock, she said in a voice not to be argued with “Here hold this and keep the pressure up.”
With the adroitness of one who had done this a thousand times before, she cut off her trouser leg, secured the dressing and applied a tourniquet. Chalker had been shot in her left leg, again. She was unconscious but she was still alive.
Warner left Dai and Manger to lift her into the back of the vehicle. He switched channels to the local net and said “Emilio, it’s time to go.”
“They’re too close. We’ll delay here.”
“OK but meet us back at the rock outcrop we stopped at on the way in. The cavalry will be there waiting for us.”
“Sounds good.”
“Sue’s wounded…bad. I’m taking Buster, Dai, Sue and Manger. No heroics. OK?”
“No heroics. Got to go.” More gunfire echoed from the storey above.
Warner got in the front passenger’s seat and to an anxious looking Buster said “to the rock outcrop via the back way. Let’s go.” Buster started moving turning left into the lane. He kept the lights off and had his thermals on. He came to the end of the building block and turned right. Just then a flare went up blinding everyone wearing thermals. Buster hit the brakes sharply. There was a scream from Dai in the back and some expletives reminding him that he had a wounded passenger.
Gunfire erupted from the west, now at the back of the house. It appeared the enemy was launching a flank assault. Bridgewater’s quanto went into action. Despite being outnumbered she was not outgunned with the rapid firing pulse gun.
“Dakota , covering fire. We’re pulling back from the building.” Emilio directed over the net.
Buster took off his thermals and hit the accelerator. The vehicle was charging cross country over the dry stony surface, leaving a plume of dust behind it. Under the fading flare this caught the attention of the attackers who started directing fire their way. Buster started zig-zagging to throw them off. Everyone in the vehicle was being buffeted. Dai had given up pleading with Buster to slow down.
“Dakota, we’re down and covering. Pull back” cried Emilio. Brian’s quanto lit up the night with a blazing burst that struck the attacking line from its half left. Another automatic pulse gun started firing from the attacker’s right. They had finally brought up their gun into a fire support position. Theirs was a slower firing weapon but it soon was changing the balance of power.
Buster was now over 500 metres from the firing. He turned half right, slowed down a little and headed for the slight rise that marked their rendezvous (RV).
Two explosions occurred in quick succession. From the back of the vehicle Art looked up to watch the effects of Dai’s earlier handiwork. Dai was too busy with her patient now to give any thought to the mines that had just exploded. Later she could savour a little pleasure.
“Sarg, I’m down and covering” called out Dakota.
“Pulling back now” Emilio’s voice seemed calmer. The mines had ripped the heart out of the assault line. The enemy’s fire was slackening.
Buster pulled up at the rock outcrop. Warner got out and went to the back and asked after Sue. Dai was shaking her head “It’s not looking good, Sir. She’s gone into a coma. I’ve drugged her and done all I can for now. We need to get her back to the Hermes asap.”
Warner switched channels just as the sound of the warthog could be heard. He turned east to see the warthog’s exhaust light up the sky. She would be here in under a minute. So he didn’t bother to call. Instead he turned his attention to the battle on the edge of town. The firing had slackened and Emilio was only two hundred metres away. Dakota was even closer and on the move.
“Warner this is Whiskey 1” Parinya’s voice cut in. “We’re approaching the RV. Is that you down there?”
“Affirmative. We have a casualty and we’re still waiting on part of the team. Bring her down.”
The warthog’s retros brought her in. Dai and Manger carried Sue’s bloodied body into the craft. Dai immediately hooked Sue up to a drip taken from the warthog’s medi-kit. She had lost a lot of blood and Dai didn’t think she would make it. Manger slumped into a seat. A combination of exhaustion and stress from the immediate battle and the rigors of the previous months had left him gutted. Dai looked across at him, made the mental assessment that he too was hors de combat. There was nothing much more that she could do for either of them. So she came back out, rifle in hand. She approached Warner who was scanning the area below towards the town where Emilio’s delaying action was playing out. “We need to go soon if we are to have any hope of saving her.”
Warner nodded slowly. “Right” he responded. “Emilio, break contact and get yourselves over here now. Alain, provide covering fire.”
The roar of the 30mm cannon was deafening. Its fire raked the hillside. All enemy return fire ceased.
“You heard the man, let’s go” said Emilio. Dakota was now only 50 metres away. She was huffing and puffing when she came up past Warner. She had a huge grin on her face. Brian came past next, his shoulder was bloodied with a crude dressing taped over it. The strain of carrying the quanto with a wounded arm was showing. But he too felt good about what he had just achieved. Dai went with him to the craft.
“C’mon Emilio” yelled Warner. The Bravo team leader was moving as fast as his aching legs could go. But fire and movement over 700 metres is exhausting even without the added stress of return fire.
Warner patted him on the back as he came past. “Well done Emilio. Now let’s get the hell out of here.”
Warner closed the hatch, made his way up to the front seat behind the pilot. Patted her on the shoulder and Parinya fired the retros to the m
ax, while banking sharply to the right. Alain’s turret was adjusting to keep a bead on the battle zone but it was soon just a series of small dots below.
“How long till we dock?” Warner asked Parinya over the net.
“About forty five” replied Parinya as the warthog’s nose lifted and the rear thrusters took over the challenge of powering the craft upwards. Warner was so glad to be leaving that behind. He glanced back along the cabin. The smell of sweat, blood and anaesthetic filled the hold. There was a real mixture of emotions written on the faces of the team. Dakota was still on a high. Not even Brian’s injury was robbing her of that. “It was just a flesh wound” she said. Even Brian smiled, so his injury couldn’t have been all that bad. Art Simons had his head bowed in his arms – not a good sign. Dai was the concerned mother, holding the drip that was keeping Sue alive. Sue was on a stretcher on the floor with a blanket over her. She was out to it. In a coma Dai said. Warner had seen that look before. He knew that the chances of a successful outcome weren’t good. Emilio was leaning on Buster’s shoulder. He was physically done in. Buster looked OK, neither smiling nor frowning. Not quite the blank stare but you could tell that his thoughts were elsewhere. Probably recalling the close shave they had just had.
Warner again looked down at Sue and started replaying events. How could I have managed this better? I should have ensured the lane was covered. In fact, it had been until Emilio moved Dakota to cover the back. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Shit like this happens in war. But they were definitely tipped off. The guy in the tavern had been alerted. ‘How are we going to trap this bastard?’ thought Warner.
“Bogeys coming in” cried Parinya. “Going over to active cloak. Missiles away…fuck! Deploying countermeasures.”
The Awakening: Book 1 of Warner's World Page 6
