by JR Handley
No time was wasted in the combat evolution as other Marines began pouring out of the shuttles before the green light had even fully lit up, telling them to jump. Once the troops disembarked, the pilots pulled up, making room for new ones. Ultimately, all the shuttles were empty, without a single one having touched the soil Cardamine Island. This prevented any shuttle from accidentally landing on a mine, being easy prey for anti-air guns, or being destroyed in the ensuing battle.
With her entire force dirtside, Nhlappo ordered a battalion to secure their rear and set off towards the outpost. Her Marines could cover the ground in no time, but she knew better than to rush into the unknown. She’d already been tricked once by her nefarious enemy, and wouldn’t be fooled again. They would take it slow, search for booby traps, and live to assault the objective.
— Chapter 30 —
Late Morning, Post-Revival Day 211
Outpost Charlie 1, Cardamine Island
Commander, TF Vengeance, Human Legion
After assuming command, Colonel Lance Scipio took stock of his new task force. Task Force Vengeance was standing down, having officially secured the Human Marine Corps outpost for the Human Legion. They were searching the outpost for anything usable, and continually finding and clearing booby traps. Lance was convinced they were done when he heard the newly activated system’s AI over the intercoms.
General quarters, general quarters, it droned incessantly over the outpost’s many speakers.
When no further information was forthcoming, Lance asked Xena to give him an update.
“Xena, I need to know what’s going on. What initiated the sounding of general quarters? I need answers yesterday!”
There was a brief pause before Xena spoke to Lance through the speakers in the helmet he was wearing.
Yes, O high-and-mighty commander. I live to serve, master. Whatever would I do if you weren’t here to give me orders?
Her response was interrupted by the sound of Lance growling his frustration into his helmet as he ran towards the outpost command center.
According to the system AI, an anomaly was detected on the maglev line. Unauthorized devices were in operation, though an interface error prevented the dispatching of our engineers. It’s been corrected, and they are en route. I’ve uploaded a patch to the system AI, preventing this error from happening again. I’ll update you as we go. Now move your scrawny little arse to the maglev before your stupid Marines touch buttons they aren’t supposed to.
Lance was three levels above the maglev, sucking recycled air in through the helmet he hadn’t removed, when the ground rumbled.
Frakking idiots, roared Xena into his speakers, I told them to stand by for us! Lance, they started the maglev car. They started it BEFORE the engineers got on station. We’ve fought traps all day, and they just set off the mother of all traps with their stupidity. The improvised bomb was linked to the train’s ignition system.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lance continued running and activated his thrusters above the recommended safe speed to expedite his arrival. When he arrived on the level of the maglev, he found only chaos. Screams ripped the air, and bodies littered the floor. A roaring inferno momentarily blinded him before his helmet adjusted for the bright light. The flames in the maglev were being combated by the fire suppression system, though the system appeared to have been damaged in the initial explosion. Marines were still on their feet, wandering around aimlessly, though too few of them.
Lance noted the Marines appeared stunned and unsure of themselves, and nobody had stepped up to assume command of the situation. Snapping to attention and using his best parade-ground training-cadre voice, he began shouting orders.
“Marines, fall in! By the numbers, form up on me.”
As he continued bellowing commands, the Marines began to regain their situational awareness, allowing Lance to supervise the recovery effort. Once he had the wounded pulled to a safe distance, he ordered Xena to call all medical personnel to the maglev. With the injured made as comfortable as he could make them, he moved on to the still-burning hulk of metal. After several hours, they were able to secure the wreckage.
Remembering his timeline, he called to Akoni City, the Human Legion’s temporary command post.
“Akoni City, this is Vengeance Actual. Maglev destroyed. Request immediate Stork exfil. Leaving behind two reduced-strength regiments on site. Request two regiments from the acting reserve sent under their own command to join the task force.”
When the command staff at Akoni City replied in the affirmative, Lance got onto the command LBNet and ordered the 6907th TAC to secure a landing zone for their rides. With everything set for their journey out, Lance headed to the command bunker to give Xena time to securely interface with the system’s AI. A full update was in order, preventing an error of this magnitude from reoccurring, he thought.
Arriving at the command bunker, he hooked Xena into the system. He used the robotic cable on his finger, which they affectionately called “the worm.” While Xena was busy doing her thing, Lance zoned out, saying a silent prayer to whatever higher power was out there. Thank you for sparing my regiment, out of the three we brought on this mission, he prayed. Xena finished her task before he had time to start feeling guilty for those thoughts.
“Right. Next objective. Back to work,” Lance said aloud to nobody in particular.
— Chapter 31 —
Noon, Post-Revival Day 211
Outpost Charlie 3, Cardamine Island
Commander, TF Justice, Human Legion
They made lousy time, covering very little ground, but the Marines of Task Force Justice were alert. Field Marshal Nhlappo saw to that. They inched forward, searching for booby traps that the devious enemy might’ve left behind. Every Marine in the task force knew about what’d happened when their treacherous enemy surrendered and then blew themselves up next to Legion Marines. Despite this holdup, they reached the outpost without incident.
Upon arrival, they found three sally ports matching what they’d seen from the Serendine outposts. Strangely, these were unguarded, with not even the auto-turrets engaged. Suspecting a trap, she ordered a drone to fly into the sally port to investigate, and still found no signs of deception. With nothing holding her back, Nhlappo ordered the lead unit to breach the perimeter.
“Remember, keep your guard up and expect the worst,” she ordered over the LBNet.
The assaulting Marines cleared the first level of the outpost without incident, allowing the rest of the task force to pour in behind them. The Marines continued to spread out like a swarm of insects until they’d secured the upper three levels without enemy contact. Nhlappo still suspected a trap. Spartika is despicable, capable of anything, she thought while reminding her commanders to check for traps. She’d asked often enough that she was starting to get some grumbling and blowback.
“They just don’t know what that coward’s capable of,” she said to herself, cocooned in the sanctuary of her helmet.
When they reached the fourth level, the entire Legion assault force was forced through a fatal funnel. When she couldn’t recall what was on the fourth level, she ordered Brinx to send out a drone and report back the moment they knew something.
This defensive chokepoint leads into troop berthing, Brinx said, and this facility lacks the vehicular entry points that were present on the Serendine outposts. Given the natural signal dampers, I could only survey two levels below us before the signal was lost.
Knowing she had to decide something soon, Nhlappo ordered the breach team to again move out.
“But for frakk’s sake, be careful,” she ordered over the LBNet.
Using the drone, Nhlappo watched their progress. The Marines, in searching for obvious tripwires, missed the wire with a survival fishing hook hanging from overhead. She felt like she was watching in slow motion as it snagged on the Dragonier’s armor and pulled. When the wire went taunt, it pulled the pins on three grenades. The grenades dropped to the ground, rol
ling between the feet of the breach team.
The Marines stopped, frozen in a moment of fear as they stared at the grenades lying at their feet. Nhlappo held her breath, waiting for the inevitable explosive death. It didn’t come. Still, she knew they couldn’t remain at this impasse, and ordered the Marines to slowly back up. In no time, the highly motivated Marines had pulled back around the corner. While everyone waited, the engineers Nhlappo had insisted be included in each assault force went forward to disarm the grenades. With the faulty booby trap cleared, the engineers proceeded to push forward, clearing the passageway from any potential traps.
Task Force Justice slowly inched through the outpost, securing it as they went. After several hours, the facility was acquired without encountering any further proof of Spartika’s presence. With the outpost cleared, Nhlappo ordered the regimental commanders to begin searching.
“Scour the building. We’re looking for any iced Marines. Secure any useful supplies and check all of the computer terminals for viable intel.”
Having issued her orders, Nhlappo went topside to update the other task forces about what they’d encountered.
— Chapter 32 —
Late Afternoon, Post-Revival Day 211
Jotun City, Cardamine Island
Commander, TF Vengeance, Human Legion
Several hours after the landing zone was secured, Storks arrived to pick up the 6907th TAC Regiment. Most of the shuttles stayed in the air, having loaded the requested reinforcements back at Akoni City. While those shuttles circled high above, providing overwatch, multiple others touched down to retrieve Colonel Lance Scipio’s regiment for transport to the next objective. When his last Marine had jumped into the shuttle, Lance followed and secured himself to the Stork with his magnetic boots as they flew off to their objective.
The shuttle ride to Jotun City was relatively short, though he lost track of time as he focused on coordinating with the two regimental commanders who joined his task force. Knowing time was of the essence, Lance started coordinating with them over the consolidated LBNet while his regiment was loading onto their ride. Pulling from within his deep memory, Lance described to the two commanders what he expected to find in Jotun City.
“Here is the situation. Jotun City is on the open plains just south of Kalino. Like most Jotun cities, it’s entirely above ground. This one is a squat stone fortress with three octagonal buildings, each one nestled within the next, having an open area between each. At the center of these three buildings is a large inner courtyard. The housing is built into the massively thick walls, so clearing it won’t easy. If it’s occupied, they’ve got emergency tunnels and a maglev in the heart of Kalino City, so the enemy will be able to get reinforcements.”
After pausing to gather his thoughts, Lance continued.
“Speed is essential, so we drop in three groups: north of the city, south of the city, and into the belly of the beast. The 6907th will be jumping into the courtyard, so don’t dally, or we’ll be chewed to pieces by the defenders.”
He was about to move on when one of the new regimental commanders interrupted.
“Sir, we’re jumping too high,” said Colonel Atropia. “Our suits can’t–”
Seeing where he was going, Lance cut him off.
“Atropia, we don’t have a lot of time. I’ve talked with our tech heads, and we haven’t even touched the surface of what these upgrades are capable of. Suborbital jumps are solidly in the green zone of the ACE 4’s capabilities. Colonel Terloar assured me that the new suits could handle an orbital drop, but we’re going to have to practice using that, so we land on target. For now, you’ll just have to be flexible. This mission is all about violence of action. Speed is of the essence, so no dithering. Dismissed. Scipio, out.”
When nobody had any more questions, Lance gave out the drop coordinates and ended the connection. Shuffling through his comms channels, Lance pulled up his regimental command network on the LBNet.
“Check your battalions and spread the word. We drop into the heart of Jotun City. Expect anti-air guns, so nobody let their guards down. Trust your new suits. They won’t fail you. I know. I’ll jump first. Any frakker afraid to follow… Shoot them. Make it happen.”
Before Lance could relax, the pilot came over the shuttle intercom.
“We’ll be over the drop zone in ninety seconds. Thank you for flying the No Frakks Given Shuttle Service. Now get off my bird!”
Standing, Lance forced himself to the door and braced his hands on the side. Taking a deep breath but trusting Basil and Tizer’s upgrades, he contemplated jumping out the open door. He knew he’d have to trust his men to follow. They’d never let him down.
“Xena, keep me on target. We’re breaking new tactical ground here, and it’d look bad if the first drop killed all of us. I want us on target, alive.”
Watching out the open shuttle door, Lance eyed the silhouette of the city that once housed the Jotun Marine officers he feared. He still had a healthy respect for the combat prowess of the Jotun, but they weren’t the gods he once thought they were. The city was massive and octagonal, yet looked like a natural outcropping of the stony tundra. The lines were squat and blunt but elegant. Whatever Jotun engineer designed this city had an artistic soul, thought Lance.
Before he could get too deep into his muddled thoughts and fears, the light went green on his visor. Time to jump, he thought as he stepped into the bright afternoon sky. As he started down, he looked at the land between his legs, surprised at how quickly his altimeter said he was dropping, since he felt almost as if he floated in slow motion. The ground was a gray and rocky jumble, and the clouds drifted around him. The large courtyard seemed to be minuscule, and he briefly worried he’d miss his target. Ultimately, he defaulted to his absolute trust in Xena and Basil. Still scanning the ground under him and fighting the urge to close his eyes, he couldn’t see any movement. The surrounding target area was devoid of activity.
“When this is all over, I want to jump again! This is amazing! I could almost forget that I’m falling into a combat zone,” Lance told Xena.
Noted. Now pay attention. There might be scary insurgents with guns down there, she replied in an unusually bland tone.
Ten minutes later, his sensors began alerting him to prepare for landing. Acting out of habit, Lance decided that the landing technique needed for this new drop height would be the same as what their current tactics called for, so he bent his knees and prepared for impact. He didn’t have time to do much else, and then he hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Upon impact, he relaxed and rolled into the landing. Despite his momentary disorientation, he came up with his carbine in his hands.
In the same smooth movement that brought him back to his feet, Lance began scanning his surroundings for any potential threat. Looking up, he could see the Marines of his regiment dropping, looking like clusters of slow-moving meteorites. The Storks were long gone, and aside from the disturbance of his troops, the skies were picturesque. Soon, however, the Marines grew until he could tell there were humanoids dropping from the sky and preparing to land all around him. Within two minutes of his landing, the majority of the 6907th TAC was in the large, open inner courtyard with him.
Seeing no threat from the sky, Lance scanned the rocky courtyard. It was empty of anything except the odd tables built out of rock for the dwellers of Jotun City. The afternoon sun cast long shadows in the courtyard where the high walls blocked its rays. It was still visible for Lance, thanks to his high-tech optics, but he could tell it must look amazing when viewed in the raw. Overall, the courtyard seemed safe; there were no defenders in sight. There was an occasional patch of grass, but otherwise, the sandy rock garden was precisely as he’d heard described to him by his childhood training cadre. They’d always found it an odd practice, manicuring sand into intricate patterns and decorating it with rocks. The sand had grown hard, absent care from the Jotun officers. Satisfied with the situation, Lance ordered his commanders to report in.
> “Colonel Vickers here, 5th Batt at one hundred percent,” he said, his voice winded and shaky.
“Colonel Thorn here, 6th Batt at seventy-eight percent,” she said. “I’m sorry, sir. Too many from Saber Company missed the drop zone. We also had a large number of fatalities.”
“Colonel Conteh here, 7th Batt at eighty-nine percent,” he said. “We had three catastrophic suit failures. A fourth Marine panicked and is a skid mark on this frakkin’ hole of an island. The rest are MIA and aren’t showing up on my sensors.”
“Colonel Mayer here, 8th Batt at one hundred percent,” she told her commander. “We didn’t have any drop zone issues. Maybe a few Marines pissed themselves, nothing more.”
Once his battalion commanders reported in, Lance ordered them to move out. He knew he would have to process the losses later, but for now, there was work to do. With his knowledge from his childhood, he was able to mark all of the massive doorways for his forces. Moving out, Lance followed his youngest battalion commander, Cristal Thorn, to ensure that there were no issues. With her reduced strength, they couldn’t afford any problems.
The stillness of the afternoon was broken by the sounds of a mine exploding among 8th Battalion. Lance was about to react when Cristal threw up her closed fist, the hand signal for halt. When the battalion stopped in place, Lance watched as Cristal dispatched her battalion’s drones on a mine-clearing search pattern. Approving of her decision, he sent her a message complimenting her on her plan, and had Xena alert him to anything the drones found.
In just under ten minutes, the courtyard was declared safe. The single mine that went off near one of the doors in 8th Batt’s sector was determined to be a lone booby trap. It seemed like there should’ve been more, but Xena assured him that the ordnance was old, the results of a battle his reports from Recon Company indicated had taken place on the island.
