It took him several minutes to compose the new plan with the defense base as the most important target for Alpha and Bravo teams.
He sent the report to the admiral and then turned towards the men that set with him in the small room looking at the new plan.
One major and seven lieutenants, each in command of one team, each an old friend with whom he had a long history, many of them were people he had recruited. The only outsider if it could be said was the SAS commander major Davis. They held the same rank but for this mission Davis submitted under his authority considering the bigger number of US units. Rivers had known Davis for a long time and he knew that he was part of the team that had boarded the cruiser in the Aegean Sea and also had been in command of the British contingents that boarded the destroyed enemy ships after the battle in Sol. He was a good man and a good representative of what many still believed to be the best Special Forces unit in the world. He was a man in his late thirties with short blonde hair, six feet tall and with a strong build and muscular body. A large scar disfigured the left side of his face. Rivers knew that Davis received the scar on board the cruiser several years back. He had the option of removing it, but chose to leave it there as a memory, a reminder of both the men he lost and the power of the enemy they faced. He was one of the rare few who took out a Dacarian legionary in single combat. As he thought of that Rivers smiled. He and everyone else knew who the best in that regard was, a far younger soldier that belonged to a unit that among the SF teams was highly regarded, the Macedonian Wolfs. He and everyone else wished that Fillip was here. And he wouldn’t mind having some of his teammates as well. They had all before the start of the mission spent some time under his tutorship, listening to his report about how he managed to eliminate eleven legionaries single handedly armed with only a gun and even managed to kill the biggest bastard he had ever seen among them with his bare hands. He remembered the report about all the broken bones in the body of the Dacarian that the autopsy revealed later. He also knew Fillip from before; most of them did from his mission with the Macedonian contingent attached to NATO. He was a soldier and a man, a friend that everyone wanted by his side, a man who could make you see the bright side in any situation and fight to the very end if the need arose. He hoped that he, and as he looked at his men, all of them would have a chance to see him and all the others that were coming soon again. He noticed Davis and the other men looking at him. Besides Davis the others present were Atkins, Rhodes, Kelley, Blake, Morrison, Harrison and Fields. They were all experienced men with years of active service and with the scars to show for them. And so were the others that weren’t here but would be joining them on the planet below.
“Gentlemen we all know what’s at stake. You have the plan, so do the others, you know your missions. We have a long journey ahead of us, ten days if I’m not mistaken, in a small box with no windows. That will be more than enough time for all of you, us to study and remember every detail of our mission and to plan the best way to conduct it. Besides with all the smelly men around us what else can we do?”
His last comment drew a few laughs.
He waited a minute and then he continued. ” That is all. We board our shuttles in three hours. Get your things in order and go to your teams. And…Good luck and see you on the ground.”
As he finished he saluted. They returned the salute and then slowly exited the cabin.
As they did he returned to his desk and started looking at his personal items. He left the personal letter to his wife on the desk, just the same way that everyone else would. They had a copy of it that everyone would take with him, a letter that would be given to a teammate in the worst case scenario, but this was the kind of mission that would have a high risk of death, considering that it was a planetary insertion and a hostile planet at that. They could all be lost even before they hit the ground although he was fairly certain that that wouldn’t happen considering that the shuttles or better said capsules were tested back on Earth under the watchful eye of Aria and Anaya and the sensors of the Demetrion and the Argos. They were able to spook those sensors so he was sure that they would be able to fool the Dacarians in to thinking that they were nothing but small meteorites that would explode upon entry into the upper atmosphere of Arcadia. And the ground was something that was going to be new. He hoped that the several months of training on Eden and Pandora would be enough to help them easily adapt to the alien jungles and life. From the images he had from the scans the Excelsior made he knew that the jungles were not much different from the ones on Earth although until they had a chance to walk and see them and feel them first hand they couldn’t be certain. They at least looked more hospitable than the ones on Pandora considering that there were no large reptilian predators to hunt here at least not the size the Pandora dinosaurs were.
He exhaled and returned his attention on the mission plan.
He knew they didn’t have a lot of time so it was good that the plan didn’t suffer a lot of changes.
After several minutes he closed the file satisfied with the mission. He knew that the mission parameters might change once on the ground but the basics were good. He knew the motto always be ready for the unexpected. And he was sure he and his men were ready. He finished the final packing of his gear the one that was in his cabin, he knew that the weapons and everything else of importance was already loaded on the shuttles. He surveyed the room one last time and then he picked up his bag and headed for the launch bay. The other men left their rooms dressed in their uniforms and headed towards the same place.
The soldiers were slowly gathering.
The hours until the launch passed fast. As the final hour approached sixty one men went inside seven shuttles. Each shuttle was in fact a copy of the Apollo capsules although they were several times larger. They were enclosed with special mixture of rocks that were attached to the hull that would be exploded once the capsules entered the planet’s atmosphere so that the capsules could be concealed. It was an addition proposed by the AI as a final deception and the SF soldiers agreed and so did the designers. The encased capsules were ugly. The techs smiled as they noticed the reactions of the Seals and the SAS before they entered in to the capsules that had the nickname, toads. It was a name that came from the same people that would be riding them and it was fitting. Rivers was the last one to enter.
As he did he settled besides the rest of his men. With all the equipment and the people inside it was crowded and tight, but no one complained. They all knew that they’d seen worse and besides this was just a transport towards the real prize. It was something that would quickly pass. The feeling that they were not in control bothered them all, considering that they knew that for the next ten days they wouldn’t be able to do anything even in case they were discovered. In that case there was nothing anyone could do, not even the Excelsior. Even with all the fire power it possessed they all knew it was no match for the ships that were placed in the system. Rivers knew that there were more than seventy military vessels that were patrolling the system. And it was only a matter of time before they registered the residual radiation that was released from the hyperspace window the Excelsior opened. The distance was great, more than half a light year away but sooner or later the radiation would be detected. The hope was that it would be weak enough by the time it reaches in system that it will be dismissed as residual radiation from deep space or the star.
But those were thoughts that were best left alone for later. He took one last look to the men surrounding him and then took his seat and closed his eyes. It was time for a nap.
Jennings looked at the screen that showed the meteor shower. The Excelsior was right on top of it. He looked at Aria.
“Aria, are the capsules ready for launch?”
“Yes sir. All the supplies and the teams are on board. I can launch the capsules on your mark.”
“Thank you. Connect me with major Rivers.”
The AI nodded and a second later he had the link with the ground team commander.
“Major we are about to launch. Are you and your men ready?”
“Yes sir. We are good to go.”
“OK then. See you in ten months. Good speed and good luck.”
“You too sir, will share a drink then.”
“We will.”
Jennings turned to Aria. “Launch the pods.”
“Yes Captain.”
The Excelsior shuddered for a second as the capsules were launched. In less than thirty seconds eight more objects joined the hundreds of meteors that were heading towards Arcadia. It was a large meteor shower that was sure to be detected by the advanced sensors of the Dacarian ships in system but they were small enough to represent no danger to the planet or any of the stations orbiting it. And most of them would burn up in to the atmosphere. The chance that the Dacarians would react was small.
He turned towards the officer commanding the sensors.
“Is there any reaction from the Dacarian ships? Is there any indication that the launch was detected?”
“No sir. They are all continuing their arranged trajectories. As far as they are concerned all that is headed towards Arcadia are small meteors that will make a wonderful light show.”
He smiled at that comment and so did several others who’d had a chance to witness a meteor shower back on Earth. It was really a magnificent sight.
But the smiles disappeared quickly and everyone kept a close eye on their consoles ready for anything. The Excelsior kept its station for several more minutes tracking the eight capsules that were carrying sixty one of the best soldiers on Earth making sure they were on the right ballistic trajectory and making sure they were ok and safe.
Ten minutes later on Jennings command Aria turned the ship and it slowly drifted into the unexplored ort cloud all the time tracing the small capsules and with passive sensors scanning the system for all bits of information. Now that the package was away the ship had a different mission and Jennings hoped that both the Excelsior and the ground team would be able to do what was asked of them. That they would both be here in ten months’ time to meet with the fleet that they all knew would soon depart from Earth.
25 April 2020 Arcadia
01:12 am.
On board the capsules the ten days passed in mutual conversation among the soldiers, in jokes and in constant studying and planning of their mission. Considering the crowded space there was no room for much movement. As the final day approached they all knew of the danger that lay ahead.
On the outside the Dacarian defense platforms noticed the meteor shower eight days earlier. Its arrival was expected a long time before, but the AI’s and the crews monitoring it rechecked its movement and composition. The short analyses showed no anomalies, noting the presence of eight new bodies in the meteor pack slightly larger but made up from materials that marked them as meteors that wouldn’t survive the planet entry. After the final trajectories were mapped and no danger was noted the meteor shower was left to its own devices. The human infiltration team passed the inspection and now all that was left was for them to survive the planetary entry. As the meteors started hitting the planet’s atmosphere the small meteors started slowly to burn and fall apart. The meteors spread out making a fantastic light show. Several minutes after the entry the sensors on both the ships in the atmosphere and the defense stations and on the planet itself noticed the explosion of all eight large bodies as they started disintegrating. Soon after the largest part dropped towards the planetary oceans and seas, close to the shores but all were headed towards uninhabited parts of the continents. They kept monitoring them for a moment longer and then they returned their attention to deep space and some to the light show that was still visible as new meteors impacted the planet’s atmosphere.
As the capsules descended deep several thousand feet above the water, built in sensors marked the height and thrusters built into each capsule fired slowing the descent. Specially designed foam spread out around the capsules hardening the hull and protecting the crews from the impact and just before the capsules impacted, balloons similar to the ones that the Rovers descending on Mars used spread out increasing the protection. As the capsules hit the water surface huge waves spread out. Several minutes later the capsules resurfaced their mission complete. The packages were on the ground. After several minutes on eight points around the planet close to the shores of each continent men dressed in strange uniforms started coming out of them.
Small rubber boats were inflated and large pieces of equipment were loaded from the capsules which were quickly emptied of their contents. The whole process took about half an hour, but on the open seas in dark night there was no one to see it. After the last of the supplies and gear was loaded on the boats the capsules were closed and with the balloons flattened they were submerged. Seconds later sixty one men along with boats filled with equipment started moving towards the shore. As they did a special beep signal announced from their radios a signal that was piggybacked through the Dacarian communication lines to all the teams telling them that they were safe and sound and to the Excelsior informing them that the second part of the mission was now beginning.
Ten hours later Aria turned with a smile towards her captain.
“They are safely down. No casualties and no detection. The “Wolf Pack” is a go sir.”
Jennings smiled at the name of the ground operation. It was a fitting name considering that sixty one men were on the ground surrounded by millions of enemy soldiers, but same as the wolf packs in the wilderness, they were on their own turf, a jungle terrain they studied and operated in all their lives. The smile grew wider as he realized just how surprised the Dacarians were going to be in the next months.
“Well I guess this a good occasion for a celebration. They are on the ground and my guess is they are hungry.”
“Knowing them I feel sorry for the first Dacarian they run into.”
“Let’s hope that won’t happen at least not for a while Aria.”
“Yes sir.”
The conversation shifted after that, but the mood was more relaxed among everyone now that they knew that the first part of the mission was successful. They all knew that the hardest part would come now, but it was good to know that so far everything was going according to plan.
The trip from the place where the capsules landed to the shore took nearly forty minutes.
Rivers looked at his men as they dragged their equipment on the shore. They were tired but nothing could be seen on their faces. He knew damn well that the fatigue would pass soon. They were all trained for this. They could do this kind of thing for hours without stopping. The Seal training was the most rigorous training in the world and each year hundreds of recruits were washed out. It was no shame to not be able to complete it and everyone knew that but everyone wanted to be among the selected ranks, among the best. And the soldiers that were at this moment spread out on Arcadia were the best.
He indicated with his hand towards Anderson his second in command to spread out and create a perimeter while the rest of the men moved the equipment. He wanted to be deep in the jungle by the first light. They were sure that this part of the continent was uninhabited but they were taking no chances. It was a hostile world.
As Anderson nodded he raised his hand and Doc and Jenkins the two snipers in the unit disappeared from sight into the jungle. He didn’t bother to look for them. He knew that they would be taking positions that would cover their position. Instead he went and started moving the equipment. As they dragged out the last of the boats and reloaded the equipment into two smaller boats that they would carry with them the rest of the boats were flattened and buried in the sand. After that six soldiers picked up the boats and with the two snipers rejoining them the team slowly started moving inland looking for a well concealed position that they would use as camp site. They moved in silence keeping a steady and fast pace and with every hour they increased the distance from the shore and the landing site. By first light they were more than twelve miles away. The first
camp site was close to a small river obscured from site by the trees. Rivers and the team marveled at the dense jungle around them. The trees were the same color as back on Earth with big dark green leafs but they were ticker and stronger and much more dense. It was in a way similar to the jungles in South East Asia. They noticed several strange looking animals mostly herbivores on the trail towards the camp site. For the time being they all chose to eat from their rations. There would be time for tasting the plant and animal life of this world.
The camp site was well concealed and it was easily protected giving them clear lines of fire on any enemy that might be lurking. Rivers took a minute to rest and then indicated towards Anderson.
The large black soldier nodded and came close.
“We will rest here for four hours. Tell Doc and Kelly that they have first watch. The rest of the men can rest. After that we head inland”- at these words he took out the map that they made with the help of the sensor reading from the Excelsior-“We head towards this hills. We will make our base camp there.”
Anderson studied the map for a second and nodded.
“It is a good position. We will be able to move freely and it is distant enough from any settlement so the risk of discovery will be small. And it is much closer to the first settlement and the first two slave camps.”
Rivers nodded at the comment from Anderson. He valued his opinion. They’d known each other for a long time. Anderson was a former marine who joined the Seal regiment eight years before. He was smart and hardworking soldier.
The Icarian Legacy Collected Edition: Brave Souls - First Strike (Volume 3) Page 45
