He desperately needed water and supplies though, and the only place he might find them was among the wreckage of the convoy and the remains of the two Tech hover tanks. Joster sighed, shaking his head, and started towards the blood-smeared forward section of the jeep the mech had shot as it tried to flee. Most of the other vehicles were burning.
It took several minutes for Joster to finish the grizzly task of digging through what was left of the jeep. When he was done, his hands were covered in the blood of its crew, but he had found a canteen and a Swarm grenade. He used part of the water and strip of cloth he tore from his uniform to clean them before fastening them both his belt. The grenade dangled on his left hip and the water beside it. He didn’t want to position either near his sidearm so they wouldn’t get in the way if he needed to draw it quickly.
The canteen was only three-fourths full. That amount of water wouldn’t last long out here so he was going to have to ration it carefully. Joster knew he should continue looking for more supplies but after the horror of searching through what was left of the jeep, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he set out walking in the direction Sergeant Watson’s command car had disappeared in. He kept his pace slow and steady so as not to push his body too hard in the heat, but to be truthful, it was the best he could manage anyway. The battle had taken a lot out of him, both physically and emotionally.
Joster was still walking when the sun began to sink behind the distant hills to the south.
****
Colonel Jaeger sat at his desk, scrolling through the latest batch of reports from the front lines. The war between the Greenery and Steel Heart had been raging for twenty years now, give or take a few months. During that time, both sides had their moments of glory but neither had ever achieved a decisive victory over the other and so the war continued on. He had been granted overall command of Steel Heart’s forces two months ago. It wasn’t something he had sought or even wanted, but with the death of his predecessor, Colonel Drake, during the last major kaiju attack on the capital, the Council of Engineers had appointed him to the task. With the kaiju pushed back and the Greenery’s forces depleted from the attack on Steel Heart, Colonel Jaeger’s first move was to launch an all-out offensive against the Greenery’s capital. So far, things were going as he had hoped, but there were hints buried among the reports from the front that that may be changing.
Six of Steel Hearts primary mechs were deployed and advancing towards the Greenery’s capital, leaving only two behind to act as a defense force should the city come under attack again. Of Steel Heart’s thirty-six smaller, Wolf-class mechs, two dozen of them were deployed as part of the offensive as well along with all forty-five of the remaining hover tanks. Backed up by half of Steel Heart’s infantry forces, the plan was for them to break through the long-standing lines and push their way into the heart of the Greenery. The Greenery could produce their giant kaiju far faster than Steel Heart could build the larger scale mechs needed to combat them. Wolf-class mechs and hover tanks could take out the giant kaiju but not without suffering heavy losses in the process.
There were rumors that the Greenery was on the verge of developing an even faster means of breeding the giant kaiju that were their main weapons of war. If they did, it could mean the end of Steel Heart once and for all. That was a chance that Colonel Jaeger couldn’t take. It was the main reason behind his new offensive and striking while the Greenery’s forces were weakened instead of focusing the resources at his disposal on the production of more mechs and tanks during in what otherwise very likely would have been a lull in the war.
The Council of Engineers didn’t believe the rumors that drove him but they could at least see that the Greenery was for the time being weakened and as thus backed his plan to crush them while the chance to do existed.
Already, the forces pressing into the Greenery’s territory had penetrated the lines in several places and were on track for reaching the kaiju breeding facilities of its capital. Thus far, the opposition they faced had been even less than Colonel Jaeger had expected. Two of the Greenery’s bio-gel production centers had been eliminated and numerous convoys of the gel on its way to the heart of the Greenery had been intercepted and destroyed. On the surface, everything appeared to be in Steel Heart’s favor but the same lack of resistance that was responsible for much of his forces’ success also worried him. It didn’t make sense for the Greenery not to put up more of a fight, certainly not with so many of their bio-gel production centers threatened by the incursion into their territory. Other than a few flyers, they had yet to deploy any kaiju to engage his advancing forces, which made him wonder what they were holding the great beasts in reserve for.
A chime sounded from the door to his office. Colonel Jaeger sat aside his datapad and looked in its direction. “Enter,” he said loudly.
The door slid open to reveal Major Steiner, his second-in-command. From the expression on the major’s face, he knew whatever news the man was bringing wasn’t good.
“Colonel.” Major Steiner nodded at him as he entered the office. The man moved to stand at attention in front of Colonel Jaeger’s desk. “I hope I am not intruding, sir.”
“Not at all, Major.” Colonel Jaeger gave him a polite smile. “I was just going over the reports from the front. It seems the offensive is going even better than we hoped it would, given the current state of the Greenery’s forces.”
“I see.” Major Steiner returned his smile. “That is good news indeed.”
Colonel Jaeger stared at the major. “Are you going to tell me why you’re here or are you waiting on me to guess? I can’t imagine this being a purely social visit.”
“Sorry, sir.” Major Steiner’s smile became a frown. “Councilor Sheehan requests your presence at his factory. Something has come up that requires your attention … personally or so the councilor claims.”
Colonel Jaeger glanced at his watch. “Now? The battle of Canton is less than an hour from beginning.”
Canton was the largest of the outlying bio-gel production centers. It was also where the bulk of the Greenery’s defense forces outside of their capital were based. The battle was a key one in terms of the continued push towards the heart of the Greenery. It needed to be dealt with. Colonel Jaeger knew that if it was merely bypassed, it would leave the Greenery defense forces in the perfect position to harass his troops all the way to the capital. It was unlikely that Canton held enough forces to truly threaten his own but such continued harassment would take its toll, and he needed as much firepower available as possible when his men reached the heart of the Greenery. It had been years since any Steel Heart forces had reached the Greenery’s capital and what sort of last ditch defenses awaited them there was anyone’s guess.
“The councilor was insistent, sir.” Major Steiner’s frown grew deeper.
Colonel Jaeger sighed. He knew he could deny the councilor’s request but it would burn political capital he might need very soon if Steel Heart’s advance came to a grinding halt and turned into a prolonged engagement with so much of their forces deployed so far from their own capital.
“Fine,” Colonel Jaeger said at last. “Prep my car. I’ll meet you at in five.”
“Yes, sir.” Major Steiner nodded and hurried out of his office.
Colonel Jaeger took a moment before getting up from his chair. Major Leiber was in command of the detachment that would be making the assault on Canton. He had handpicked Leiber himself for the task. If anyone could handle it, other than himself, Leiber was the woman for the job. Still, he had hoped to be a part of that battle, overseeing it via comlink. Now he was going to have to settle for reading after action reports. Putting his faith in others, no matter how competent, talented, or well-trained was a hard thing for him with so much at stake. There appeared to be no other choice, however, if he wanted to keep Councilor Sheehan as a firm supporter of his push towards the Greenery capital.
Taking one last look at the disposition of the forces directly under Major L
eiber’s command, he grunted, hoping they would be enough, and rose from his chair.
****
War Leader Hoyt stood atop the wall surrounding the city of Canton. He stared through the vision enhancers he held to his eyes at the approaching Tech army. His stomach rolled at the sight of them. He didn’t need the vision enhancers to see the four, massive mechs that were lumbering towards the city behind the two platoons of hover tanks that were leading the assault. The lack of infantry among the Tech forces spoke volumes about their intent toward the city. The Techs had no intention of taking it and holding it as their own. It was clear that merely wanted it burnt to the ground and wiped from the face of the Earth.
“Should we release the kaiju, sir?” Lieutenant Schmitz asked.
If the Greenery had any true kaiju remaining, War Leader Hoyt wasn’t privy to that information. However, the city of Canton was home to two detachments of lesser such creatures. The kaiju under his command were little more than human sized. They reminded him of velociraptors. They were fast and deadly but mainly bred to engage Tech infantry, not hover tanks and true mechs. Turning the beasts loose now was risky. The hover tanks were likely to blow the bulk of the beasts to red smears on the sand before they ever reached them.
Canton also had three tank regiments, consisting of four tanks each, that it could field as well two units of combat cars, totaling twelve all equipped with side-mounted, mech-killer missiles. All of the vehicles though were Old World ones refitted with Greenery bio-tech. Alone, they were no match for the more powerful and more advanced Tech forces in route to the city.
Lieutenant Schmitz continued to stare at him awaiting an answer.
Finally, War Leader Hoyt nodded sharply. “Release the kaiju. Have them target the mechs. With luck, they will create enough of a distraction for our tanks and combat cars to at least do some damage to the enemy hover tanks.”
“Yes, sir.” Lieutenant Schmitz smiled and motioned to the kaiju handlers below their position on the wall.
The gates of the city of Canton opened. A snarling stream of nearly two hundred kaiju poured through them, charging towards the Steel Heart forces approaching Canton. As they did so, the city’s trio of large, double-barreled cannons began firing at the two hundred and fifty feet tall mechs that composed the rear most section of the enemy’s ranks. As the kaiju sprinted forward, Canton’s tanks and combat cars followed them through the gates to form a firing line just outside the city.
****
Lieutenant David Campbell sat in Ragnarok Valkyrie’s pilot compartment. He was strapped into the giant mech’s systems to the point that they actually interfaced with his own nervous system through cybernetic ports that had been surgically added to his body. He could feel and guide the giant mech’s movements as if they were own and see through its external sensors as if they were his own eyes. Right now, he was watching the mass of kaiju racing towards the hover tanks that were leading the assault on Canton. His fingers twitched, wanting desperately to open up on the monsters with Ragnarok Valkyrie’s weapon systems. It took a great deal of willpower not to. Major Leiber’s orders were very clear: the mechs were to take no part in the initial action against the city. They were allowed to defend themselves against coming fire though.
Canton’s trio of cannons had begun filling the air with lethal, bomb-like projectiles aimed at his mech and the others accompanying it. They soared over the battlefield to begin their downward arcs towards their targets. Ragnarok Valkyrie’s automatic fire defense systems sprang to life to engage them. Shoulder-mounted launchers sprayed .50 caliber flak into their path. The bomb like projectiles blew apart as the bullets met them. Campbell allowed himself a smirk as explosions of the prematurely detonating shells reminded him of the fireworks displays he had seen as a child growing up in the capital of Steel Heart.
A random shell made it through the defensive fire of the four mechs and struck Hulking Diablo on its chest. It exploded there in a flash of light and heat. The impact caused Hulking Diablo to take a step backwards in order to keep its footing but did little other damage. The armor of the four giant mechs had been designed to go head to head with the Greenery’s great kaiju. Campbell knew that even if the entire barrage of shells had struck them, Ragnarok Valkyrie and the others would have only taken minor damage at best.
With Ragnarok Valkyrie’s auto-defense systems handling the fire from the city’s cannons, he turned his attention back to the battle on the ground below in front of the giant mech. The hover tanks were hammering the charging kaiju with their main guns. Barrels flashed, discharging bolts of green energy that rained death onto the monsters. Each blast killed a dozen kaiju or more where it struck their ranks but still the monsters charged onward mindlessly, lost in the animal bloodlust of their kind.
Despite the heavy losses they were taking, the fastest of the kaiju reached the hover tanks. The hover tanks were not the slow, barely maneuverable of the old world. They broke formation, speeding away from each other to better engage the monsters as their top-mounted machine guns chattered, their streams of fire splattering kaiju blood and guts over the sand.
Campbell watched as two kaiju managed to leap onto one of the tanks. The tank’s topside gunner tried to bring his machine gun around at them but the action was too slow. One of the kaiju took his head from his shoulders with a single swipe of its claws. A geyser of red exploded from the stub of his mangled neck as his body slumped over to lean forward against the now-silent machine gun. The other kaiju sunk its claws into the gunner’s body and effortlessly hurled it out of the turret where it lay. The tank’s driver was desperately trying to shake the beasts off of it. The tank zigged and zagged wildly about as it built speed. That was when the Greenery tanks outside the city’s walls joined the battle.
The hover tank with the two kaiju clinging to its topside took a round fired by one of the Greenery tanks in its right side. The detonating round got rid of the hover tank of its kaiju problem but also did a great deal of damage to the blower that kept it aloft. The hover tank’s right side dropped to drag across the sand as its engine strained to compensate the loss of part of its hover system.
The sight of it floundering about, damaged, was all the incentive the kaiju near its position needed to take it down. They poured onto the tank, their claws raking its hull and leaving long, jagged grooves in it. Three of the kaiju worked together grasping the barrel of the tank’s main gun and ripped it from the vehicle. The tank’s engine must have given out from the strain because with a final shrieking whine, its blower stopped working and the tank plowed nose first into the sand to sit there unmoving, the swarm of kaiju attacking it ravaged its hull, tearing their way inside to get at its crew. Small arms fire rang out as the men inside the tank tried to fight back. It was a useless effort given the number of the kaiju but Campbell knew he would have done the same. No soldier ever just sat still and waited for death to take him if he could fight.
The kaiju pulled the remaining two members of the hover tank crew out of it and gutted them, while yanking their arms and legs from their bodies in a frenzy of spraying blood and gore. Campbell looked away as some of the kaiju began to feed upon their prey.
The Greenery tanks were firing full out now. The barrels of their main guns flashed in rapid succession firing as quickly as their auto-loader systems could deliver fresh rounds to them. Their barrage hammered the hover tanks bearing down on them. The shells were Old World ones like the tanks themselves. They were deadly yes but not powerful enough for a single shell to outright destroy a Tech-designed hover tank short of a very lucky hit. The Greenery tanks had the advantage for the moment though as the hover tanks were still being swarmed by the surviving kaiju. The hover tanks had thinned the number of the kaiju immensely, but there were dozens of the monsters that continued to come at them from all sides now that the creatures had closed with them.
As the Greenery’s combat cars began to sweep forward, Campbell heard Major Leiber’s voice over the comm.
&nb
sp; “All mech units, engage those combat cars!” she ordered. “But hold back and do so from a distance.”
The order was what Campbell had been waiting on. He had been dying to get into the action and here was his chance at last. He activated Ragnarok Valkyrie’s wrist-mounted rail-canons as the giant mech raised its arms to target the combat cars. With a sound akin to an unending crack of thunder, they opened up on the combat cars, hosing them with a stream of fire that instantly reduced two of them to exploding masses of shrapnel-like debris.
Hulking Diablo’s eye-shaped panels on its head glowed red as they charged up before beams of energy pulsed downward from them to slice through a combat car’s armor as if it were little more than wet paper. The combat car melted away into slag beneath the fury and power of the eye-beams.
Entropic Rush opened its giant hands as the flechette launchers in their center cycled open. The supersonic burst of the rounds leaving them created a small sonic boom as they streaked towards their targets. One of the two combat cars in the path of Entropic Rush’s line of fire tried to swerve clear of the incoming projectiles but all it really managed to do was present a wider target for the mech’s fire. Both combat cars were cut to pieces in a fraction of a second, their crews slashed up into blood-smeared bits of meat with them.
Sand Stomper wasn’t going to be outdone though. It was Major Leiber’s personal mech and Campbell knew the lady had a rep to live up to. The giant Mech stomped its foot, sending a carefully aimed ground quake into the line of Greenery forces outside the city. The Greenery combat cars were hover vehicles like their own tanks so the quake had no effect on them but that hadn’t been Major Leiber’s intent. The quake slammed into a cluster of three Greenery tanks. The one in the quake’s center flew into the air like a toy tossed aside by an angry child. It landed with its belly facing upwards for a brief second before it blew from the force of the impact. The other two tanks were jostled about and flung onto their sides as the quake rolled beneath them. Campbell could already see their crews scrambling out of them and running towards gates of the city behind them. The massive gates had been long been closed but there was nowhere else for them to run to.
Kaiju Wars Page 2
