“Roger Sir” said Parinya.
“Oh and Aubrey, since you have the watch, can you send Crystal in your stead.”
“Yes Sir.”
Five minutes later they assembled in the battle lab.
“I have already given a quick briefing to Commander Suzuki outlining the plan” said Warner. “We are now under command of the Wasp Group. The mission is to secure Klaster and destroy as much of the enemy fleet as possible. It will be conducted in two phases. First we destroy or chase off the enemy fleet and then we retake Klaster clearing out any pockets of enemy resistance.”
“17th Flotilla will provide close in protection to the carrier Wasp during phase 1 and we will lead the ground assault in phase 2.” Warner looked at the faces around him. There certainly weren’t any smiles. “You look as enthusiastic as Cmdr Suzuki when she realised she would be defending against enemy fighters again.” That got a bit of a laugh.
“It was an obvious choice for the Admiral as we know the lay of the land and their forces don’t. But don’t worry we’ll be backed up by six of their marine companies, three platoons of battlewagons and an engineer platoon.”
“Obviously we have to go in waves. Chief, I want Alpha and Bravo teams in the first wave with me. Charlie Team and a composite team from the military police will make up the second wave led by our very own John Wane here, Lt Kiralenko.” Chase gave a whoop and Ivan looked exceedingly embarrassed at this but the others gave him a smile. “Chief, I want you to accompany the second wave.”
“No worries Sir. I like bringing up the rear. Makes a pleasant change” Emilio said with grin.
“Chase, can you bring up the Pulton 1 schematics?” Chase fiddled for a bit with the controls and then the schematics appeared. Warner continued. “Right, we’re to hit the main entrance and the Washington detachment will hit the facility entrance. We insert as close to the entrance as we can get. Parinya, if on your approach you deem that we can fly right into the tunnel, then do so. The closer we can get in the better.”
“Right Sir. Do we know anything about enemy batteries?”
“No, I’m afraid not. We’ll have to play it by ear. Hopefully our prep will have taken them out. But go in with active cloak.”
“Roger that.”
“Once we dismount, Parinya you hightail it back for the second lift.” She nodded. “The sooner you get them down with us the better.”
“Understood.”
“Now once down we have to assess and make things up as we go. I don’t know how many enemy there will be. All I know is that in the last report from Klaster they claimed to have destroyed around 50 soldiers and at least two of their large battle shuttles. And these are big buggers and mount a beam weapon.” That got their attention.
“How the hell do they get a beam weapon in a shuttle?” asked Emilio.
“I have no idea Chief but they have. Their shuttles aren’t that well armoured, so it’s a case of powerful but fragile. Make sure every second marine carries a rocket launcher.”
“Right oh, Sir” said Emilio.
“We’re going to be fighting in a built up area so make sure we have plenty of grenades. But also make sure before you use these that you call out first in case the room is occupied by our own people. Remember we’re here to rescue them.” Everyone nodded.
“Ivan, you’re not going to have much time to sync things up but you need to do so with the Wasp Group Comms Officer. We need a channel back to their follow up marines and battlewagons.”
“Yes Sir. I have already done that” replied Ivan.
“Very good, Ivan. I’m impressed” said Warner with a big smile. Again Ivan blushed with the second lot of praise.
“Emma, you will be in charge up top while I’m on the deck. Your job will be to support us with fire as need be. Priority of course is any enemy batteries but after that any enemy shuttles, battlewagons or vehicles.”
“Of course Sir.”
“And keep us informed of developments up top that may affect us, like any enemy arrivals, god forbid.” Emma nodded.
“Crystal, during phase 1, our systems will be slaved to the Wasp but after that you will have free reign.”
“Yes Sir.”
“Chase, can you liaise with Cmdr Lindsay Han, the Wasp Group’s Ops Officer re tying in profiles.”
“Sure Sir.”
“We are scheduled to come out of warp at 0930. Make sure everyone gets some sleep before then. It’s going to be a tough fight. But if we keep our focus and our wits about us we will prevail. Any more questions?” There were none. “Oh Chase, one more thing please ask Cranky to put on something special for tonight’s dinner. Not that it’s a last supper or anything. But I’m feeling particularly hungry” and Warner gave him a big smile.
Chase smiled back. “Me too. I’ll get onto it.”
Chapter 22. Pulton 1 1740, 25 May.
“Rihan, there’s a series of rolling explosions going on behind the blast door” said Sue.
“It’s the elevator going up” said Rihan. “Not sure what will happen next Sue but stand your marines to and keep me informed.”
“They are already standing to and suited up. I have to go” said Sue.
Her lead position was hailing her on the Pl channel. “I can hear movement or something behind the door Maam.”
“Stay focussed. I’m on my way. Tango 4 be ready to pour fire into any gap that develops.”
“Roger that.”
Sue grabbed her rifle and jogged down towards the front position. It was only 30m from the blast door. In hind sight she knew it was too close but reckoned that a dug in position at 30 was better than one out in the open at 50 and so had left it there.
She was just five metres from the position when the blast occurred. It was big. It tore the doors apart at the centre. A large piece of metal nearly cleaved Sue in half, just missing her. But the shock wave lifted her and blew her back a good twenty metres into the side wall of the tunnel. She was out cold.
Tango 4 poured cannon fire into the gap despite the fact that they couldn’t see anything for the dust and crap flying about and then being sucked up and out the shaft as the area decompressed. Sue’s body started to be pushed forward with the flow of air. A soldier in the forward position was too busy cowering to see her body sucked past and beyond reach. As it passed, the other soldier realised what was happening and hailed Tango 4 to cease fire.
Sue’s body was sucked through the gap and into the base of the shaft. There was no way of knowing what had happened to it. “Christ, we’ve lost Chalker” the soldier hailed on the Pl net.
“What?” called out Sgt Kate Toomey.
“She got knocked out and sucked through the gap” the soldier explained.
“What’s happening with the enemy?”
“Nothing so far.”
“You need to go forward and check it out” directed Kate.
Before the soldier could contemplate his response two rockets and a brace of grenades came through the gap. “Taking fire Sgt” the soldier replied.
Kate who was some 300m back now knew she had to go forward to see for herself. She sprinted forward as Tango 4 poured fire down into the gap. It tore and blew back the first of the enemy soldiers trying to push back. But a salvo of enemy rockets forced Tango 4 to reverse back. This gave the enemy the space they needed and they charged out into the tunnel.
They were met by quanto and pulse fire from Charlie Team of 1st Pl. Four of the initial eight enemy survived and went to ground ten metres from the door. Their return fire killed the two soldiers in the forward position. At 20m they couldn’t miss.
Another group of enemy soldiers charged forward from the gap. They made it through just before Tango 4 started firing again. Now there were twelve enemy pouring fire at the six remaining members of Charlie Team. Kate stopped when the weight of fire increased and she dropped in beside Trooper Gebre Salassie in the forward position of her Alpha Team.
“Cmdr Kabel, this is Sgt Toomey from th
e facility entrance. Lt Chalker is gone and we are under heavy assault from enemy infantry. I’m not sure how long we can hold on here. Request immediate back up.” There was no immediate answer. “Maam, do you read me?”
“Yes… I read you” said a faltering Rihan. “Confirm status of Lt Chalker.”
“She got knocked out and sucked into the shaft immediately after the explosion.”
“So you’re not sure if she’s actually dead?”
“No Maam. But there’s no way we can find that out right now. We have our hands full with this assault.”
“Understood. But you’ll have to contain it with the forces you have. Use your two Sydney Teams.”
“Right Maam” said Kate as she realised for the first time that she had actually panicked. “I will Maam. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Do that” instructed Rihan.
Kate turned her attention back to the battle in front of her. The enemy were pinned down around the now overrun forward position. Charlie Team still had three others, each approximately 50m behind the other. The fire from Tango 4 was preventing the enemy from progressing. And they knew that, for in the next second a salvo of four rockets were fired down the tunnel at Tango 4. It had run out of room to withdraw because of the now sealed blast doors behind them. It therefore moved forward but one of the rockets hit. Thankfully it didn’t penetrate.
But in the time it took Tango 4 to move, the enemy stormed and slaughtered the second Charlie Team position. Kate now faced a dilemma. Should she abandon this section of the tunnel and retire behind the blast doors behind her or open the doors and counter attack with the two Sydney teams. She decided to counter-attack.
She barked out orders for the Sydney teams to line up behind the doors ready to assault forward. She ordered the seven other troops with her, for that was all that was left, to hold their positions and provide covering fire.
The enemy wasn’t waiting though. They fired off another salvo of rockets, forcing Tango 4 to move back. It did so as the big blast doors opened, revealing an extended line of 16 marines. The enemy surged forward but the combined weight of quanto fire coming from the extended line of the two Sydney teams cut the enemy down.
With Kate barking orders for the two teams to fire and move their way forward the enemy relented. The road ahead was littered with dead enemy. As the second Sydney team passed her, Kate jumped up and pushed forward with the rest of her Bravo Team. There was just the four of them but they were all pumped for action.
Tango 4 ceased fire as its line of fire was crossed by the first Sydney team. But it was no longer needed. There was now no enemy return fire. As the marines overran the enemy bodies they fired another round into them to make sure they were dead.
They continued on with Kate and her small team now in the centre. As she approached the gap the light from her helmet swept the bottom of the shaft. There were a mass of enemy bodies.
“Halt” cried out Kate. “Tony, Gebre, Krishna clear away these bodies. Let me know if you find Chalker.”
It took them a good five minutes to pile up the grizzly bodies. As Kate turned to Gebre, he shook his head. There was no human body amongst them.
“Maam, we have counterattacked and resecured the entrance. No sign of Chalker. No body or anything.”
“Right Sgt” is all Rihan could utter. A tear was running down her cheek. The Commodore came over and put his arm around her.
“This is Pious. Sgt I want you to hold there. I am sending some engineers to see what can be done to repair the blast doors. Failing that you and your marines will have to pull back beyond the next set of doors.”
“Understood Sir.”
“Losses?”
“Four Sir, from Charlie Team, 1st Pl.”
“Enemy losses?”
“Hard to tell exactly Sir, but probably around 30.”
“Right…Excellent work Sgt. Carry on.”
“Thank you Sir” and Kate looked around her. It was a strange mood – part euphoric at having won the engagement, but part depressing at having lost so much and seen so much devastation.
“All right everyone. The Commodore himself sends his congrats on a job well done. Let’s clean this place up.”
Chapter 23. Pulton 1 1800, 25 May.
Just as Rihan was considering letting Art know of Sue’s fate she received a call from Liz. “Maam, the enemy has breached the blast doors at the main entrance. They have knocked out Tango 2. I count 10 plus enemy soldiers already through the gap. The forward position is overrun” said Liz.
“Shit, it never rains” said Rihan to the Commodore then she responded to Liz. “Roger that, I will commit Tango 4. Do you need 3rd Pl as well?”
“No just Tango 4 should be enough” said a confident Liz.
“Good to hear. By the way we have re-secured the facility entrance.”
“That’s comforting. Got to go.”
“Tango 4 move to the main entrance and support” ordered Rihan.
“Will do Maam.”
Rihan decided not to tell Art just yet. She didn’t want to be cut off in the middle of it by some emergency requiring her immediate response.
“Chuck?” she hailed.
“Yes Maam.”
“Can you place 3rd Pl on two minutes’ notice to move and then go and check on how 2nd Pl are doing. They have a breach. 10 plus enemy through the gap. I’ve just committed Tango 4 to replace Tango 2 which has been KO’d.”
“I’m on it.”
Chuck was already with 2nd Lt Jake Tomar’s 3rd Pl. He gave them their warning order, hopped in his buggy and began to drive the five kilometres to the main entrance.
Rihan was getting worried. She hadn’t heard anything from Liz. As a rule she didn’t hound subordinates for constant updates. She knew that they needed time to do their thing. But ten minutes had passed since the notice of the breach. Finally, she couldn’t wait any longer. “Liz, come in.”
There was no response. “Liz, this is the Base Commander.” She waited a few more seconds. She was just about to go to the broader 2nd Pl channel when she got a response.
“Sorry Maam. Bit busy at the moment. All is well. Enemy checked. Got to go” reported Liz.
Chuck pulled up at the second blast door from the entrance. It was closed as he expected. The sound of pulse fire could be heard through the tunnel. The security guard at the control told him the battle was raging on the other side and that a counter attack was underway.
“Liz this is Alpha Sunray. SITREP?” requested Chuck.
Again there was a lengthy pause before an out of breath Liz responded. “Sir, there’s still a few enemy holding out ahead. Wait out.”
Chuck hated being cut off but he appreciated the need for Liz to focus on the task before her. He took comfort knowing that if there had been a real problem she would have taken the opportunity to call for help. In fact he had come to admire how Liz had developed. She held her nerve and remained calm in this crisis, the hallmark of a good field commander.
So Chuck waited. The sounds of firing petered out and a final single shot led to silence. Chuck resisted the urge to call for another report.
“Sir, you can come through now but suit up first.”
“Roger” and Chuck motioned to the guard who sealed his own suit and opened the doors enough for Chuck to move through. He then closed them.
Chuck walked with his rifle at port. It was all dark ahead but he could hear voices, human voices and they weren’t shouting. That was a good sign. He relaxed a little and quickened his pace. It took him a few minutes to cover the five hundred metres.
He found Liz leaning over one of her troopers. A fellow trooper was applying a dressing to his leg. The soldier’s face was actually relaxed if not elated. The euphoria of not only surviving but winning in combat was temporarily anaesthetising the pain. But Chuck knew that he would feel if alright in a few minutes’ time.
He noted the way the other troopers were looking at Liz. She had obviously earned their respect if n
ot admiration. He switched to the 2nd Pl channel and it was very noisy with many talking at once. Comms discipline had been shelved for the moment.
He switched back to a direct channel and hailed Liz. Liz still had her back to him and she turned to see her CO. She had a smile on her face but there was also sadness there. He could see that she was feeling the losses she had sustained. He had counted three on his walk down and as he looked around he could see another two wounded. There were dead enemy throughout. He gave up counting after twenty.
“Sorry Sir” apologised Liz “I had to focus…”
“No need to apologise Liz. You did the right thing. Are you OK?”
“Yes Sir. I don’t know how any of us survived that firefight. Tango 4 made the difference.”
Chuck just nodded. Then he said “Put your wounded in my buggy and I’ll get them back to the medical centre. Clean up here as best you can. I’ll have the engineers come forward to reseal the breach.”
‘Roger Sir. Any chance we can get a feed – hot food would be nice?”
“I’ll see what we can do. Well done Liz. You and your marines have done a good job.”
“Thank you Sir. I’d like to recommend acting Cpl Taleen Gregorian for an award Sir…”
“Fine, but let’s leave that for now. Focus on getting the place secure and your troops fed and rested. It’s going to be a long night.”
“Yes Sir. Thank you.”
Chapter 24. Pulton 1 2100, 25 May.
It was 2100 before Rihan stopped to think about her own dinner. She had organised engineers to seal up the breaches at both entrances. She had arranged for the evacuation of the wounded and the placement of friendly dead in a temporary morgue. She had gone to each entrance with Pious and checked on the troops. She had ensured that the frontline teams had been rotated back. Checked that the breaches had been sealed and the tunnel sections pressurised. She had conducted a debrief with the Commodore, Chuck, Liz, Jake and Kate. She had checked on Max regarding his mining staff and arranged for Chuck to take the next watch in the command centre.
She was done in. She went to the mess area down the tunnel to find them washing up. All the meals had gone. She grabbed a sandwich and a coffee and sat down on a crate. It was only then that she remembered she had not told Art about Sue.
The Awakening: Book 1 of Warner's World Page 38
