She knew that it would be best to do this in person, but she had no stamina left for such an undertaking and she knew she couldn’t take Art away from the vent. As she thought about what to say she lost all appetite. She looked at the half sandwich remaining. She was about to bin it, but forced herself to eat as she did not know when she would next eat. So she ate it without relish.
She went back to the command centre. The Commodore was already asleep. She didn’t want to disturb him so she went to the adjacent room where she had her bedding and shut the door.
“Art” she hailed. But there was no answer. “Art, you there?” Still no answer. She hailed Linda Baretto.
“Maam, he’s asleep. Do you want me to wake him?” Linda asked.
“No don’t bother. Ask him to contact me when he wakes up.”
“Will do, Maam.”
“Goodnight.”
“You too, Maam.”
She said to herself that she would just rest her eyes a minute. But as soon as she lay back on her bedding she fell asleep.
Chapter 25. Pulton 1 0445, 26 May.
Chief Tim Chang who was the A Coy Sergeant Major woke Rihan. He had initially tried calling out to her, then gently touching her shoulder. He was now shaking it quite hard. “Maam, you need to wake up. Maam, we have another breach. Maam, for heaven’s sake wake up.”
Rihan finally became aware. She had been in such a deep sleep. She raised her hand and Tim stopped shaking her. “Chief?”
“Enemy have breached again at the main entrance. It’s a big push. Lieutenant Adair’s in trouble. I think we need to commit the reserve.”
“Where’s Yaeger. He’s asleep Maam. I took over watch two hours ago.”
“What time is it?”
“Getting on to 0500, Maam.”
“I’ll be out in a sec.”
“Right O” and he stepped out. Rihan got up from her covers. She was still in her suit. She splashed some water onto her face and could finally see clearly. She reached for her helmet and rifle and stepped out into the command centre.
Chang was a wise head on a now ageing but still reasonably firm body. After 20 years’ service he had to really make an effort to push his frame around. His boss Chuck Yaeger valued him for his knowledge and wise counsel. There was need of that now.
“Where’s the Commodore?” she asked. “And Cpl Swift?”
“He left to take a look, Maam and took Jenny with him in the buggy. That was ten minutes ago. They should have reached there by now but Lt Adair said she needs the reserve asap.”
“Thanks Chief” said Rihan. She was getting her wits about her now. “Liz, this is Rihan.”
“Thank God Maam” said Liz. “We’re in trouble. My third team has been overrun. I’ve had to pull back to the rooms off the side of the tunnel. I’m holed up in here with just 8 marines. Tango 4 is KO’d. I can hear the enemy outside, they’re preparing chargers to blow the second set of blast doors.”
“What about the Sydney Team backstopping you?”
“They’re on your side of the second blast doors. But I don’t know how long they will last. You need to commit the reserve now” said an anxious Liz.
“Have you seen Pious?”
“Negative.”
“OK I’m committing the reserve. Hang in there.”
“Jake?”
“Maam.”
“Liz is in trouble. The enemy have cleared the first section of the tunnel and bottled Liz and some of her marines in one of the side rooms. The enemy is preparing to breach the second set of blast doors. I need you to get to the main entrance immediately and contain the situation. I will try and get Tango 4 to you directly. Keep an eye out for Pious. He should be there by now.”
“Understood, Maam. We’re on our way.”
“Sir, this is Rihan”….no answer. “Sir, come in.” Still no answer. ‘Geez I hope he’s OK’ she said to herself.
“Chief, organise a local defence team to protect this command centre. Grab whoever you can find and deploy down the tunnel in front of the blast door.”
“Right O, Maam” and he grabbed his rifle and headed out.
“Kate?”
“Maam.”
“I need Tango 4 to hightail it to the main entrance now. We have a major breach.”
“Understood Maam.”
“Any developments there?”
“No, haven’t heard a thing.”
“OK can you send me one of the Sydney teams as my reserve. Mount them in the buggies and have them make haste to the command centre.”
“Roger that.”
‘OK’ Rihan said to herself. I’ve committed the reserve. Check! I’ve created a new one. Check! I’ve mobilised a defence team. Check!’ She sat down and took a deep breath. She wondered how much longer they could hold on. If the enemy had too many more forces then they would be overrun by lunchtime.
“Liz?”
“Maam.”
“Jake Tomar and 3rd Pl are on their way. I am also transferring Tango 4. Jake’s first objective is to contain the impending breach of the second set of blast doors. Once that is attended to I will get them to counter-attack and relieve you. You need to hold on. We’re coming.”
“Thank you Maam. They made one attempt to force their way in but we stopped that. I think they are leaving us alone right now and focussing on the second breach. Jake needs to hurry. We have probably no more than six hours of air here.”
That last bit of info was piling on the pressure. “OK Liz just hold tight” said Rihan.
“Will do.”
“Jake?”
“Maam.”
“Keep an eye out for the Commodore. He left in a buggy for the main entrance over ten minutes ago and I can’t raise him. Cpl Swift should be with him.”
“OK I’ll let you know if we find them.”
Rihan lent back in the chair aware that for the moment there was nothing more that she could do to influence the situation. She had to wait now for reports to come in from the main entrance and for the reserve to arrive from the facility entrance. Only then would she have more options.
She decided to sit for meditation. She looked around but the place was a mess. So she opted to stay in her chair. She straightened her back and closed her eyes and took in some deep breaths exhaling long. She repeated the mantra in time with her breath and found herself calming down and steadying.
She thought of Dave and prayed he was on his way back. If ever she needed her knight in shining armour it was now. She checked herself though. She knew that nothing would be gained by trying to will something to happen. She had put forward her best efforts. It was now up to grace.
She slipped into a deeper stiller place within. She lingered there in the peace and tranquillity. ‘Why haven’t I found this place before’ she thought. ‘Ah…because I was trying to will it to happen.’ She just existed there in that state for what seemed like a very short time.
But she was awoken abruptly when Jake hailed her. She checked the time. She had been meditating for nearly fifteen minutes.
“Maam, this is Jake. Please come in.”
“Jake.”
“I’ve reached the Sydney team. They are all OK. The blast door is still intact. I found the Commodore. He and Swift are here now. They are OK. His communicator is KO’d. He says he’s coming back now and wants to know if you can have a tech there to fix it or get him a new suit.”
A relieved Rihan responded “OK Jake. Well done. Deploy your platoon there now. Liz believes the enemy are preparing to blow the door. You need to defeat the enemy coming through, then counter-attack to relieve Liz and the rest of 2nd Pl. There are just nine of them holed up in the room on the right. So make sure your troops are aware that they are in those rooms.”
“Will do, Maam. Any news on Tango 4?”
“They should be there soon. I’ll check.”
“Thanks.”
“Tango 4 what’s your ETA?”
“About five minutes Maam.”
; “Better step on it.”
“Roger that” and a minute later Rihan heard the Trojan coming past at high revs. She could also hear some scurrying as the local defence team tried to get out of its way. They were erecting shields and starting to dig in.
“Liz, how many enemy soldiers do you estimate in your section of the tunnel?”
“My scanner indicates a total of 47 but more are coming through the breach. I have 51 now.”
“Shit. OK thanks Liz.”
“Do you want us to try and intervene?”
“Maybe when we launch our counter-attack. I’ll let you know. For now just stay put.”
“Roger.”
It was almost 0530 when Bravo Team from the Sydney contingent arrived. One of their buggies had broken down in transit and they had to transfer gear. It looked quite a sight with four soldiers hanging off the sides. The Chief deployed them into the defences around the command centre.
Now that Rihan had an option she felt a lot better. However, she suspected that they would have to be committed pretty soon anyway. 3rd Pl would have their hands full just containing the enemy let alone counter-attacking. Where could she garner another reserve? She couldn’t risk denuding the facility entrance any more than she had.
“Chief, can you please come and see me.”
“Be there in a minute.”
When he arrived, Rihan asked “We’re going to have to press-gang the loggies (logistics personnel) into front line service. Give Lt Masters my compliments and tell him I need thirty of his troops, armed, suited and ready to fight and I need them up here in 30 minutes.”
“Right O, Maam” said Chang and added “we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel now.”
“Oh no Chief, we haven’t press-ganged the mining staff yet” and she gave him a smile. She heard him laugh as he walked out the door.
“Jake, any developments?”
“No Maam, other than Tango 4 arriving. My scanner indicates several enemy just behind the blast door but that’s as far as it will work. Liz told me she has over 60 enemy in the tunnel. It’s going to be tough holding that many back Maam.”
“I’m scraping up some loggies for a reserve. As soon as they are formed I will commit Bravo Team from the Sydney contingent to back stop you behind the third set of doors. But Jake it’s really important to hold these enemy where you are. If we lose control of that section we will probably lose any hope of relieving Liz. Do you understand?”
“Yes Maam…I understand” said Jake. He already knew that but was hoping for a reprieve from on high.
The Commodore came through the door. He had an annoyed expression on his face. “Got to go Jake. Let me know as soon as anything happens.”
“Will do.”
“Commodore?”
“Rihan, this blasted communicator’s not working.”
“Just wait a minute Sir and I’ll get a tech here.”
As she hailed for a technician, Pious sunk into a chair. He looked tired and concerned. As soon as Rihan stopped talking to the tech he asked “Is everything in hand?”
Rihan gave him a brief rundown on the situation and what she had done to create some more reserves. He looked at her as she gave her account. He was struck by the steadiness of her disposition. Her mind was calm. She had covered all the bases. Given the circumstances he was very impressed even a little inspired by her countenance.
“You are amazing Rihan. You have proved to be an admirable choice for Base Commander” and he gave her a warm smile. He felt his own spirits lift. She was surprised by the compliment and took heart from his smile.
“Thank you Sir. It’s been a trying time and likely to get even more so.”
Pious just nodded. The tech came in and Pious set about explaining what was wrong to him.
Chang arrived a minute later with news that Masters was sending 15 troops up right now and would endeavour to rake up another fifteen once he had rounded them up from throughout the complex.
“Thanks Chief. Put Bravo Team on two minutes’ notice to move. They’ll be heading to the third blast door from the main entrance as backstop to 3rd Pl. As soon as the first group of loggies arrive, send Bravo Team on their way and slot the loggies into the defence here.”
“Right O, Maam.”
Chapter 26. Pulton 1 0610, 26 May.
“Rihan, this is Art.”
Rihan was dreading this call. “Yes Art thanks for calling in. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeh I’m fine. How about you? What’s happening? Any news from Sue?” Art rattled off the questions.
“I’m fine. We’re a bit busy at the moment. We’ve had a number of breaches and expect another at the main entrance any minute.”
“Is Sue OK?” asked Art, getting more worried.
“She’s missing Art.”
“What do you mean missing?” Art’s worst fears were materialising. The strain in his voice was clear.
Rihan went on to explain what happened and how she had been sucked into the shaft and that there was no trace of her after the counter-attack. When Rihan finished there was no response from Art.
“Art I’m so sorry. I wish I could be there with you right now.”
“I’ll come down and look for her” he finally blurted out.
“No Art you can’t. We all need you up there to make contact with the relief force.”
Art sank back against the vent wall. ‘How could this happen’ he asked himself. ‘I have only just found her and now she is taken away.’ “It’s not fair. It’s so fucking not fair!” he shouted.
“Art, please, we’ll look for her once we are secure. I promise you.”
“You promised to look after her Rihan. You promised me that.”
“Art, I’m sorry. But you need to get your act together. Everyone is counting on you.”
Art was now despondent. The anger had temporarily left him. “They’re always counting on me Rihan. Always.”
“Art, you need to focus on this task ahead. It’s imperative.”
But Art was not going to respond. His thoughts were elsewhere now. He looked off as though at some distant object. Rihan’s words were lost to him.
Linda moved and sat beside him. She put her arm around him and pulled his helmet to her shoulder. She looked at the face of his helmet and could see it misting up. He was crying now and no one could hear him.
“Maam, this is Cpl Baretto. I’ll look after him.”
“Thank you Cpl. Just make sure he’s right to operate that radar from 0830.”
“Yes Maam.”
Chapter 27. Pulton 1 0700, 26 May.
Jake Tomar was checking on his rear team when the blast door exploded. He dived behind the screen of the nearest pit as pulse fire echoed down through the gap. He had been to quite a few range practices but had never heard this volume of fire before. It was deafening.
“Maam, they have blown the doors” was all he said and he wasn’t even sure she could discern what he had said.
“Jake, say again” said Rihan.
“Doors blown. Under intense fire.”
Tango 4 now joined the fire fight with a devastating railing from its two automatic pulse guns and the constant thump, thump, thump from its main cannon.
Jake was trying to squeeze into the already confined space of the pit with the two troopers there. He noted that there wasn’t much return fire from his men. He had to do something about that.
“Return Fire” he commanded over his platoon channel. Slowly he could make out his marines firing back. There was still no rush of enemy soldiers. A salvo of rockets came through the gap along with a blanket of grenades. The rockets impacted on the blast doors some 50m behind him. All had missed Tango 4. The grenades went off like fire crackers by comparison with the boom from Tango 4’s cannon.
Then they came. “Let ‘em have it” ordered Jake. The fire from his troopers picked up. The enemy suits were dropping like flies. But new ones were stepping over them. They had six firers on the ground inside now. With th
eir firepower they were pushing more troops through.
Jake saw a cannon blast lift bodies into the void above the road and then fling them unceremoniously against the side wall. This was his first time in combat and he couldn’t get his head around what he was witnessing. The pulse fire was non-stop now and any movement above ground level invited death. Somehow though, another four enemy were on the ground returning fire.
More grenades were going off up front in both directions. Another salvo of rockets sailed past to the rear. Again Tango 4 was spared. Its commander moved a little forward and in the pause more enemy came through. Half were cut down but now they had fourteen firers. Some of these were firing and moving forward.
Jake could see his forward position over two hundred metres away being overrun. Tango 4 fired right into it and blew whatever bodies were there, enemy and human alike, into smithereens.
“Jake SITREP” demanded Rihan.
“We’ve lost our forward position. There must be twenty dead enemy near the gap. At least. It’s murder” Jake exclaimed.
“Can you hold?” asked Rihan.
“Don’t know just yet. Probably!” was all he could reply.
But then there was a major explosion near his second position about 100m in from the door. It was a lot bigger than any grenade he had experienced. The blast killed the occupants and flung the previously bolted shield another fifty metres down the tunnel.
The enemy rushed forward. Over half of the fifteen soldiers were cut down. But Jake checked his scanner and the count was now thirty seven. He was down to 21 marines plus Tango 4. The enemy were now 100m in and 150m away from his position. The fire was still too intense to move. But he knew if they continued this way his whole platoon would be annihilated.
But what could he do? ‘The guys in the forward positions are never going to be able to run for it without being cut down. Only those in the back have any chance of moving. But which way?’ he asked himself.
Tango 4 was now pleading with him to do something otherwise the enemy rockets would close enough to take him out. ‘Shit’ he said to himself.
The Awakening: Book 1 of Warner's World Page 39
