by John Walker
LZ one had been ideally located with rocky terrain and some natural defenses to rely on. They could’ve funneled the enemy through two different points if they had to go loud for a real fight. LZ two, on the other hand, relied on a dense forest to provide some cover. That occupied the southern part of the area.
North and east were wide open plains. They had twelve-gun emplacements to put down. Four on each of those two directions may give them enough field of fire to hold off a large force. Corso shouted at his team to bring the weapons off the ship. The speed at which they set those things up may be the difference between life and death.
On the west, a rolling hill made it difficult for distant shooters to get a shot on them. Enemies needed to crest the terrain to even have a visual. Gunny figured a couple snipers could hold that space but upon seeing it in person, he got a better idea. Grabbing his two best shots, he directed them to take the hill.
They’d watch each other’s backs and provide some necessary overwatch. Nothing quite beat a confirmed visual when it came to enemy contact.
“Lieutenant?” Gunny marched around the area, overseeing his men’s efforts to install mobile cover. “How’re we getting these civilians? When does that part of the operation start?”
“As soon as we’ve got a hard point,” Corso said, “then we can bring down the passenger ships to take anyone out. As far as who might be collecting those people… I can’t say. I haven’t heard yet. I think command is still deciding on that.” He huffed. “Don’t be surprised if you have to take some guys to meet a crowd.”
“Lovely.” Gunny cursed. He paused beside two men struggling to plant their cover. “What the fresh hell are you two doing? Making a bunk bed? Drive that stake, for God’s sake! What’s the problem?”
“It’s stuck on something!”
“Move it then! Jesus Christ!” Gunny marched away, shaking his head. They’re lucky they don’t have to do that under fire! He took a moment to give praise to the Maker they had a brief reprieve with the landing. Probably doesn’t bode well. I’m guessing the enemy’s mustering right now.
“Shit,” Corso said. “Gunny, the Brekka’s LZ was overrun when they landed. They’re having some serious trouble over there. Ships are incoming to help.”
“It was going to be one of the two of us,” Gunny replied. “How bad?”
“They’ve taken some casualties but it’s…” Corso paused, gesturing to the north. “Look.”
Flashes on the horizon lit up the blue sky. A major gun battle was taking place. The Brekka shuttle launched, coming into view as little more than a silhouette. Turrets deployed, blasting away at the unseen enemy forces on the ground. Smoke plumes rose in the sky, blotting out the horizon.
“That might be saving them,” Corso said. “I feel like…” He sighed. “Malta, get your ass over there then hurry back. Give them some more cover fire.” Gunny stared at him. “It’ll take him less than a minute to get there to help. He’ll be back in as much time. And we can hold our own until then.”
The gun emplacements were coming along but none of them were usable yet. We need the ship to cover us until they’re ready. But Gunny didn’t argue. Leaving the Brekka soldiers to die wasn’t a good thing either. We just don’t have the forces to stretch ourselves thin. He wanted another two dozen.
We’re just here to protect ground until civilians show up. Gunny reminded himself of their mission. This isn’t an invasion nor a standoff. We’re holding our own.
Malta launched, taking off toward the north. The fighting over there continued to rage, energy blasts flying into the sky as the enemy must’ve started taking shots at the shuttle. I hope they didn’t finish off our allies on the ground. Gunny couldn’t imagine why else they’d waste time shooting at a vehicle.
“Gunny,” Corporal Quinton Bearing’s voice came through clearly in his speakers. He was one of the snipers he sent up the hill, “we’re in position. Got a clear view of the valley beyond those trees. Lots of smoke on the horizon. Plenty of carnage. We’ve also got a view of the action with the Brekka folks.”
“Are you obscured?” Gunny asked. “Are you safe up there?”
“We’re fine,” Bearing replied. “Haytham’s tracking a squad of enemy soldiers moving on you from the east. You’ll have visual in less than five minutes.”
“Thanks. Keep it up. If you see anyone on the hills or trying for those trees, take them out.”
“We’re on it, sir.”
Corporal Haytham White acted as Bearing’s partner. They were both damn fine shots; sneaky too. Gunny felt confident with them watching their backs. If only they were a little closer to the Brekka folks, both men could’ve lent them a real hand. As it stood, they were on standby.
Gunny informed Corso of the news. The lieutenant shouted at the forces preparing the guns, hurrying them along. If they were insanely efficient, they’d have them ready to go in time to deal with the threat. This initial foray would likely be handled man to man. Which meant reinforcing the area.
“You three!” Gunny called out to the men guarding the forest. “Get your asses over here and prep up. We’ve got incoming.” He bowed his head, “Bearing, keep a keen eye on that forest. We’re not watching it right now ourselves as we prep for those pricks you saw. Give me some decent heads-up, huh?”
“No problem,” Bearing said. “Oh… um…” A bright flash flickered overhead. A voice cried out in pain some fifty yards away. “Consider that a down payment on the forces incoming. You only have nine to deal with now.”
“You can’t shoot any more of them?” Gunny asked.
“They’ve got cover behind rocks. I’ll do what I can. Be ready. They’re moving fast.”
Gunny directed his people to use their mobile cover positions, having their forces take aim. Corso continued driving the gunnery crews though they’d need to stop to defend themselves. A shout rose from the hill, not a blood curdling amount but more than five. The crew charged from the hills, firing as they came.
Bearing took out another half a second before the rest of the unit opened fire. The Kahl forces went down fast, leaving only one who took cover behind a particularly large boulder.
“Do you have a shot on that straggler?” Gunny shouted, meaning for anyone to answer.
“Negative,” Bearing replied. “He’s dug in. Those emplacements—”
“I know full well,” Gunny interrupted. “Need those weapons functional now!”
Off in the distance, Malta swept over the Prytin LZ, tearing into the forces there. Corso hurried over to Gunny.
“Malta said the Prytins took some serious casualties. At least ten dead and five severely wounded.”
“What’re they doing about it?”
“Getting some reinforcements from orbit.” Corso shrugged. “That direction isn’t going to do us much good though the ships can stay up there to provide some support.” He turned as one of the turrets came online. “Tear up that rock! Get that guy out of there and finish him off!”
“When do we hear from the civilians?” Gunny asked. “The sooner we start with this nonsense—”
“I know. I haven’t heard yet.” Corso shrugged. “Stay alert.” A couple stray shots came from the pinned-down Kahl. “And get him out of here!”
“Working on it.” Gunny sighed, turning to watch as the gun opened fire. Bits of the rock chipped away; jagged shards tossed in all directions. Some buried themselves inches into the ground, sending up tufts of dirt and grass. The man screamed, breaking to run. He took a barrage from multiple weapons, ending him before he made five paces.
“He must’ve called for help,” Bearing said, “we’ve got… wow. Probably thirty men on their way.”
“Malta,” Gunny said, “we need you to sweep a column on its way to us. Get your ass moving!” He paced away, checking the other perimeters. We can’t hold this long if they’re going to come stampeding down on us. He clenched his fist. Right now, we’re getting it from one direction, but when they branch out…
He kept his mouth shut. The lieutenant had to worry about that. My job is security. He wanted another fifteen men. Barring that, he had to inflict as much damage with his technical gear as possible. Leverage some serious pain on them and they might think twice about charging again.
Or they’ll double down. Once air support comes, we’re in real trouble. Until then, we prep for this rescue and pray. If God’s even out this far.
***
Griel Pas Dain didn’t like the situation. The Kahl attacked colonies often enough but this seemed excessive. Six vessels and an invasion force for a bunch of fringe settlements felt like a message more than a real attack. As if the enemy wanted to tell the Rhulins nothing they held was safe.
The Kahl should be hitting primary systems, Griel thought. Core worlds with real defense forces. The kinds of places they could tally up some of their coveted glory. So what’s this about? And who ordered it? He didn’t think the Lord Marshal would care about this target. Their very religion would’ve considered it insignificant.
Authen took them hard around the flank of one of the battleships, opening fire. They cut into their shields before passing by them, tossing some turret fire along the way for good measure. The return fire jostled them during the crossing but not enough to be any concern. Grabbing their attention was the goal.
And it worked.
At least one of the Kahl ships disengaged from the Rhulin security forces, turning to deal with the Brekka. Other Prytin battleships held a line near the planet itself, providing a blockade against additional enemy vessels making the surface. Their intention was to provide security for the civilians fleeing.
We should be here to win the fight. Griel knew the tactics of his people. When they wrote a location off, they did the bare minimum to achieve an objective then left the bones for the enemy to chew on. This is why I’m not as popular. I want to win. Not indulge in these so-called tactical retreats.
They were failures. Plain and simple. And the sooner the Prytin military recognized that, the better off the Rhulins and their allies would be.
“Message from General Hal Trev, sir,” Molush said. “He… sounds pretty unhappy.”
“Put it over to my private line,” Griel said. “Authen, keep up the harassment until that cruiser’s in range. Let me know when they’re close enough for a firing solution. And Molush, make sure Engineering keeps up with these power demands. These flying battles are taking a toll on the reactors.”
General Trev’s face appeared on his personal terminal. The man had recently turned sixty and he showed every year through lines spread across his face. They were particularly prominent around his green eyes as he scowled, his mouth drawn in a tight line. A red tint around his cheeks proved it wasn’t time to be cheeky.
“What exactly are you doing, Dain?” Trev demanded. “Has no one told you what this operation is about?”
“I’m helping,” Griel replied. “And I’ve already got one of those ships off you. You could just offer your appreciation and move on.”
“There’s a reason we maintain this formation!” Trev shouted. “We keep the enemy engaged in a straight fight! They don’t maneuver, don’t fly around, don’t look for ways around us during this type of battle. Their reliance on their weapon platform technology makes them think they can win quickly!”
“So?” Griel shrugged. “I took one away and it’s not like he’s about to throw some shuttles toward the planet, right?”
“You don’t know that! You’ve jeopardized our tactic for what? Vanity?”
“To win!” Griel slammed his fist into the arm of his chair. “To kill these Kahl bastards rather than exchange blows while hoping your shields hold up! This is ridiculous! If we finish them off, we can collect the people from the surface at our leisure. They don’t have to leave their homes like thieves in the night.”
“They warned me of your insubordination,” Trev said, “they made it clear you’re dangerous because of it. I didn’t believe them. But now I do.” He sighed. “Is your human companion going to follow your lead then? Or are they going to follow orders? Because we really need to know how bad this can get.”
“It’s as bad as it can be!” Griel closed his eyes before continuing. “Listen, I know you’re committed to your duty. But can’t you at least agree with me that it’s stupid to give them this inch? Especially when we outnumber them? We could push this six back easily! Finish them off in—”
“You don’t know anything,” Trev interrupted. “Kahl are predictable in many ways. In this case, if we allow them to believe they are in a situation where we’re afraid to commit, they do not call for reinforcements. We have the advantage. This is about saving lives. Equipment, land, settlements… all those can be replaced.”
“But we shouldn’t have to!”
“We cannot take another six Kahl ships, and yes, I have seen them do it. So your adventuring—”
“I’m sorry, you’re breaking up.” Griel killed the connection. “Authen, how’re we doing with that target? Is he coming close?”
“I’ve got a good lock. Just waiting a moment… maybe twenty seconds before he’s in range.”
“Give him everything you’ve got.” Griel turned to Molush. “Do you agree with Trev’s assessment? Is that what will happen if we take these bastards out?”
“It has happened before,” Molush replied. “I’ve seen it with my last commander.”
Griel narrowed his eyes, staring at the screen. I still feel like this is more than an invasion. I’m certain Trev’s wrong! They are going to do something else. We have to win this. It’s the only real choice. “Get me the Triton on the line right away.” He grunted as the ship turned sharply, coming around to face their opponent. “I need to give Barnes a heads-up.”
The enemy ship came barreling toward them, weapons brightening before they were even within range. We’re about to have one of those exchanges my people are so confident in. Griel checked their defenses. Everything was online and prepped. Okay, show us how scary you guys are then. “Open fire, Authen.”
***
Titus followed Griel’s lead though he had to question whether they were doing the right thing. With the other Prytin ships effectively holding a line, he wondered what was going on. Are we there to repel the enemy or simply to prevent them from causing more harm? Surely one would bring about the other.
He ordered Jane to bring the Triton around to cover the Brekka’s flank though they quickly found themselves within range to open fire on their opponents. Sam took the weapons, blasting the Kahl as they passed by them. The line of enemies remained firm, keeping to their engagement with the defense forces.
All but one that broke to meet the Brekka.
“Incoming missiles,” Violet called. “Thirty seconds to impact.”
“Countermeasures,” Rhys spoke up, “deploy now.”
A mechanism let out a low hum as they blasted off several sensor beacons, all designed for confusing guided projectiles. Titus hadn’t anticipated worrying about those. Not since they left TCN space. Their own people managed such weapons but not the enemy. Thus far, they’d all employed various types of energy weapons.
Interesting turn of events. I’ll ask Griel about it.
“Did they work?” Titus asked. “And how bad is the payload? Violet, can you get me a potential impact?”
“Working on it,” Violet replied, “but yes, they have been diverted. They’re…” She paused. “They’re heading back toward the Prytins. They might not have been from the Kahl.”
“Whoa!” Rhys shook his head. “Ensure we’re on their friend or foe list right away! That could’ve gotten messy.” He checked his terminal. “Those were deployed from the defensive craft… the Rhulins, it looks like. Christ, no wonder they needed help. They’re in way over their heads if they’re employing that nonsense.”
“And wasting the payload on us,” Sam said. “Uh… what is that?”
Titus narrowed his eyes as he looked at the screen.
The Kahl vessel that broke formation leveled with the Brekka. Both ships slowed as if squaring off for a real brawl. A decent firing solution for the Triton required another several hundred kilometers. They needed to alter course to give their allies room to breathe.
“Jane, change heading by three degrees port,” Titus said. “Fire forward thrusters. Sam, get ready.”
Violet called out, “Sir, the Brekka’s on the line now.”
“Put them through.” As Titus gave the order, Griel’s vessel opened fire, blasting the port bow of their opponent. The Kahl returned fire. The slugfest began, each tapping away at each with turrets and main cannons. “Get us in position for support, Jane! Hurry up.”
“Captain,” Griel spoke up, “just so you know, our allies don’t want us to be doing this but… we’re kind of committed now so I figure we might as well finish this guy off, huh?”
“We’re about to open fire as well,” Titus said, “we don’t have time for explanations, but I hope you’re ready with one.”
“In due time, I will be. Put some heavy fire on this guy. We’ll let him take swings while you drive the point to them. I think that’s the term you use, right?”
Titus huffed. “Close enough.” He looked at Sam. “We ready? Do you have a solution?”
“Right…” Sam held up his hand, bringing it down suddenly to tap his screen. “Now!” The Triton let loose with all guns, turrets and main cannons cutting into the enemy’s defenses. Combined with the Brekka, they brought about a continuous onslaught.
The Kahl vessel began to move, falling back as their shields burst to visible life from the relentless assault. Their own attacks, nailing the Brekka, weren’t enough to cause appreciable damage. They couldn’t go toe-to-toe with two battleships nor could they easily turn and run.
“Captain,” Violet shouted, “the other battleships are breaking away from their attack positions. They seem to be on an intercept course with us!”
