by Aidan Colyer
“Hey, how is it going?” Roland asked as he approached them.
“Not too bad. I used a bunch of kits from the armoured company to sort out Watts’ shoulder. I still can’t use the medical device properly as they can’t destroy the devices the rebels brought in yet.”
“Oh, I’m fine too,” Watts said and waved from her bed. Roland smiled at her and walked up to the side of her bed.
“We have orders to ship out. Think you can handle the ride in the APC?”
“If Lawry learns to drive properly, I should be fine,” she replied swinging her legs around and off of the bed.
“I’ve still got my full kit so should be able to sort you out when we make a stop away from the village. I presume we aren’t going to use those devices?”
“Don’t think so,” Roland replied picking Watts’ rifle up and handing it to her.
“Okay, you guys go ahead I’ll be with you in a bit.”
Watts and Roland left and wandered back to the HQ building.
“So, how did the rest of the operation go?” Watts asked.
“Not too bad. The sniping was difficult without you there to back me up but we did okay. The rebels have top-notch equipment but the tier four ammo rips right through their armour. Trick is to hit them in the legs and let the others take care of killing them.”
“I’ll try to remember that. Any chance I can get extra equipment?”
“I don’t see why you can’t use the resupply unit to get more ammunition. We have a stockpile of stuff we took from the enemy as well so there are a few good pistols like this one.” Roland unholstered his new pistol and handed it to her.
“Nice, higher tier than your other one too. Is that a laser sight?” she asked pointing to a bulge on the bottom of the barrel. Roland took the pistol back off of her. He played around with it and turned the laser on by pressing a small button on the side. A red dot appeared on the ground in front of them.
“I’d say yes. I didn’t even notice it,” he replied as he turned it off again.
“Seems you really do need me to spot stuff for you.” She chuckled as Roland holstered the pistol. They arrived at the HQ to find the rest of the squad waiting.
“Where is Bywaters?” Murden asked looking over Roland’s shoulder.
“She’ll be along in a minute.”
Murden nodded and sat back down. Watts used the resupply point to fill up on ammunition while Roland searched through the pistols they had captured. He found another one like his and grabbed the ammo and holster to go with it. He gave it all to Watts as she moved away from the resupply crate. Bywaters had arrived while they were getting equipment and didn’t sit down. The others stood up and grabbed their kit ready to head out. Lawry, Clark and Murden were all carrying crates of water as they exited the village. It made sense as they now had the APC. They scrambled up and over the mesa coming down to the APC on the other side. The armoured unit’s mechanics were already there with the engine covers open. One had a pot of paint he was liberally splashing over the outside of the vehicle. He used a stencil to put their unit mark on the side too. They stowed the water and the rest of their equipment as the engineers finished their work. Roland watched them as they added more fuel and then slammed the hatches shut.
“We are all done here. Pull her around to the village and join the column when you are ready,” the engineer said as he jumped down from the back of the APC. He wiped his hands on his overalls and grabbed his tools before walking away.
“Hey, do you want a lift?” Lawry shouted to them.
“We heard about your driving,” one of the engineers said. They carried on walking.
“Well that was rude,” Lawry muttered as he climbed into the vehicle and worked his way around to the driver’s seat.
“Rude but true,” Watts whispered to Roland. He stifled a laugh as he followed Lawry forward to take his position in the turret. Once the doors were closed, they moved off around the mesa. By the time they made it round to the village the rest of the armoured column that would form their force were already idling in a column. They drove up to the lead tank and Roland shouted over to the commander. He pointed at his ear and Roland realised what he meant. Roland pulled his comm in close and tied it to his mask so it wouldn’t slip. The commander held up four fingers and Roland changed the channel.
“This is the commander of the lead tank. Your team is to move out ahead of the column and guide us to the enemy. We will follow you at a distance. Over.”
“This is CM we hear you. Over and out,” Roland replied and stuck his head back into the vehicle. He searched around and found a headset attached to the wall of the turret. Loosening the latch that held it in place he grabbed it and put it on. He then looked around for another one finding it on the back of Lawry’s seat. He slid one onto Lawry’s head before testing the signal.
“It would have been easier if we had used these earlier,” Roland said through the small microphone attached to the headset.
“True,” Lawry chuckled.
“Our orders are to move out and the column will follow us.”
“Understood,” Lawry replied and put the APC into gear.
They moved off as Roland made his way back up into the turret. He removed the spare scope from his bag and used it to look ahead. It was late in the evening as they were setting off and the low sun was glinting off of the glass in his scope. He wished he had upgraded his spare too, but that was out of the question now. He did his best with what he had and directed Lawry in the right direction following their tracks from the previous journey. Once they were set, Roland climbed back down and into the passenger compartment. Everyone was braced in their seats with heels dug into the struts of the seats with their eyes closed.
“It isn’t that bad guys,” Roland said into the compartment.
“You have a window, we don’t,” Watts replied through gritted teeth.
“Fair enough. We are well on our way. The armoured column is following behind us. We should find a place to stop in a couple of hours.”
Murden nodded without opening her eyes. Roland went back to his seat in the turret and held on. Perhaps it was that bad he thought and closed his eyes as the APC lurched over a small dune.
A couple of hours into their journey Roland’s comm buzzed.
“This is Lawry; I’m heading towards a stack of rocks up ahead so we can rest for a bit.”
“Okay pull us in I’ll let the others know.”
Roland leant out of his seat and shouted into the compartment at the back getting some sighs of relief. They pulled up and the back doors swung open mere moments after they came to a halt. Everyone disembarked into the cool night air. Roland climbed up and out of his top hatch sitting on the edge of the turret. He pulled up his rifle and switched the scope to night vision. He looked back the way they had come. The armoured column gave off a wall of dust that crept towards them. Roland worked out they should have enough time for this quick stop. Roland walked to the edge of the APC and sat down letting his legs swing over the side. Bywaters was running her medical device over Watts. After a couple of minutes, she pulled the bandages off and checked the wound. The wound was now a mass of healed scar tissue. Watts flexed her arm a few times happy with the result.
“Don’t go getting seriously hurt for the next 3 hours though.”
“I’ll try not to,” Watts replied as she sorted out her clothes.
They waited another few minutes and drank bottles of water from the crates they had carried with them. Once everyone had their fill they all piled back in the APC and set off. Roland used his rifle to watch for the enemy trusting his scope over the vehicles instruments. He kept them following the tracks from the day before until he recognised the rock pile he had used for cover.
“Lawry stop here.”
The APC lurched to a stop throwing Roland’s sight off. He lined up again and then followed the line to his right until he came upon the destroyed APC’s. There was a third one with them now and a small tank. I
t was about the same size as the APC but with a proper turret and a longer barrelled cannon. Not unlike the anti-aircraft cannons he had seen in their other mission.
This wasn’t ideal at all.
Chapter 17
He had Lawry turn off the engine before he made his way into the main compartment.
“I have good news and bad news.”
“Good news first,” Murden replied.
“We are where we need to be.”
“And the bad?” Clark asked.
“The enemy have reinforced. They now have a light tank with them. The cannon on the top will rinse us unless we take it out.”
“Call in the main column and get them to attack it. Tell Lawry to move us around their position far enough to be out of their sights so we can hit a softer target.”
Roland nodded and commed Lawry.
“Start her up again and back out of here. We are going to go around and try to find a softer target somewhere along the line.”
Lawry acknowledged the order as Roland climbed back into the turret. He hit his other comm this time and called the commander.
“Commander this is CM. We have spotted hostiles at our position. They have a light tank which we can’t deal with. We are going to go around them and find something softer. Can you deal with them for us? Over.”
The commander’s voice crackled back through the comm. Roland could hear the sound of their engine in the background.
“Get your comms specialist mark the coordinates and move out. We will deal with them. Over and out.”
Roland relayed the message to Webb as they drove around the outside of the enemy position. It didn’t take long before Roland spotted another target. Hopefully they still had time before the tanks started hitting the first position. Roland called Lawry to stop the vehicle next to a rocky outcrop. Roland climbed out of the top hatch onto the boulders and found a good position. Satisfied they were in the right place he climbed back down onto the APC and opened the back doors.
“We are here at our new target. I’ve found a good sniping spot.”
“Good work Mellors. Watts, you join him. We will stay in the APC and when you give us the signal, we will drive into the enemy and take them out,” Murden replied.
Watts grabbed her rifle and made her way out of the back. They slammed the doors shut and climbed up the rear ladder of the APC to the sniping spot on the ledge.
“Not a bad spot at all,” Watts said as she set up her rifle and pulled out a fresh magazine.
“Near perfect if you ask me,” Roland replied lying down next to her and sighting on the camp. They used the same method as last time and took a side of the APC each. They fired simultaneously taking out several of the squad before the APC’s turret swung around to face them. Roland clicked the comms and heard their APC roar to life and out of cover. Murden was in the turret and fired the main cannon at the enemy APC as soon as they had rounded the rock formation. Watts and Roland continued to fire into the camp whenever they saw an enemy emerge. As their APC got closer Roland switched to infrared and looked to the edge of the fight in the direction of the rebel camp. He couldn’t make out any of the rebels and hoped he wouldn’t
“Anything?” Watts asked.
“Nothing yet. We should have them down before the rebels react hopefully.”
A large explosion lit up the night to the right of their position. Roland swung around and aimed in that direction. He watched as the light tank he had identified earlier shot a gout of flame out of its top hatch as the munitions inside exploded. More explosions followed by several rapid bursts of gunfire tore through the night and then silence. Roland checked their target and the location of the rebel camp again. They were in luck. The attack had come off without a hitch.
Roland packed up his rifle and climbed down the stones. Watts followed him and they jogged back over to the APC. Clark had thrown a grenade into the turret hatch of the enemy one and it was now billowing smoke. Roland watched as the enemy faded out and heaved a sigh of relief. At least they didn’t have to worry about being stuck here he thought. They climbed back in and headed off back towards the main column. It was only a short distance but before they arrived; they saw the muzzle flashes from the tanks. They were firing out into the desert. Roland turned on the night vision on his scope and looked in the direction they were firing. He could make out enemy tanks heading towards them. They were moving slowly and were supported by several APC’s and at least a company of infantry.
“Lawry there’s a battle brewing ahead. Can you take us in on the edge of it?”
“Sure thing. You want to be dropped off by another pillar?”
“Most definitely,” Roland replied and searched for a good spot.
He saw one a little way off to the left of their main line and directed Lawry to the boulders. They stopped for long enough to get out of the vehicle and then Lawry moved off with the others to flank the approaching force. They set up with a boulder covering them. Roland hoped it would provide enough cover if any of the larger calibre weapons targeted them. He took out several of his magazines and lined them up in easy reach before he settled in and looked for his first target. Checking his targets he decided to go for the infantry that were advancing along the flanks of the enemy first. He fired on the first trooper he got in his sights and watched them pitch backwards. Pleased with the shot he worked his way along the squad. Their movement made it difficult to get good shots in after the first and he ended up using a whole magazine for only three of the enemy.
“You having better luck than me?” he shouted over to Watts as he reloaded.
“Probably not. I only got three with that first magazine,” she replied.
“Same here.” They went back to shooting as the enemy used more cover making them a lot harder to hit. They were taking cover behind the vehicles so Roland had trouble finding a clear shot. He searched along the line to see if there were any better targets and then found what he was looking for. The enemy had deployed suits near the centre of the line next to their MBT’s. He swapped out the tier one ammo he had been using for tier four and sighted on the lead suit. He fired and hit them square in the chest felling them with the first shot. His scope kept flashing white as the tanks continued their duel as they advanced towards each other. He lined up on another one trooper and fired scoring a headshot. As the trooper collapsed, he noticed the one next to them point in their direction.
“Prepare for incoming. They have spotted us. Go for the suits as they seem to have night vision.”
“Got it,” Watts replied. Roland took down another of the suits as a shell landed twenty feet from the base of their position. Sand rained down on Roland but thankfully, the soft dune had swallowed most of the shrapnel. He searched for the tank that had targeted them and spotted it towards the end of the enemy lines. Roland hit his comm.
“Ochre this is CM can you take out the tank to your end of the line they are giving us some issues. Over.” Roland ducked as a second round whizzed over their heads and exploded behind them.
“CM this is Ochre we are coming in now. Over and out.”
Roland returned to his scope and looked to the end of the line. There were no suits, so he switched back to tier one ammunition. A group of the advancing enemy were cut down by their APC as it roared towards the line. The squad they had hit turned to face the APC and Roland picked out the ones that looked like they had rockets. He fired taking out one before they could fire. The second one fired but thankfully, their rocket hit a thermal going astray. Roland shot them as they tried to reload. Another shell landed near them from the tank a lot closer than was comfortable. Roland felt the warmth of the explosion wash over him as he fired into the enemy squad. Lawry pulled the APC up and the rest of the squad disembarked running out away from the back doors. Heavy machinegun fire followed them leaving bright tracer lines. Roland followed the tracers back to the APC that was shooting at them and fired at its turret. He shot the rest of his tier one magazine in quick succession h
oping to distract them for long enough for the others to get into position.
“Mellors the suits are moving up to support the end of the line.” Roland reloaded with tier four ammo and searched for the suits. They were running past the tank whose turret was rotating to fire on the rest of the squad. He lined up and shot the suit at the front of the group. Watts took out another one as Roland searched for another good shot. A rocket streaked across his vision impacting the tank and illuminating the area around it in an orange glow. Roland took advantage of the hit to shoot another suit as they shied away from the tank. The turret on the tank was still traversing and had almost reached the point where it could fire. Roland hit his comm again selecting channel four.
“Commander there is a tank on the enemies left flank. We can’t hurt it. Any chance you can deal with it. Over.”
“CM this is the commander. We see it. Consider it down. Over and out.” Roland heard the clank of the loading equipment as the comm went dead. He lined up on the suits again scoring two more kills. The tank was struck on its front armour and rocked back on its tracks. The shot it fired flew wide hitting a blank area of the desert far away from the squad. It tried to reverse but was hit again blowing out its tracks. Smoke rose from the engines as Roland played his scope across it. A third shot came in and hit the same spot tearing the side of the hull apart and blowing the turret off.
Roland moved back to support the squad. They hit the APC with several rockets tearing it open moments before it burst into flames. Roland had to keep his scope away from it as it whited out his scope‘s night vision. He found a group of suits that had stopped and knelt down. They were laying down a lot of fire. Roland took advantage of them being stationary and fired at them. He hit two in quick succession. As they started to stand Watts fired killing another two. Roland hit another in the leg as they retreated. Watts fired at the retreating group and the APC’s heavy machine gun joined her tearing them apart. All across the enemy line he saw them retreating. As the APC’s turned on-the-spot rockets hit them in the flanks and rear several exploding from a single hit. The tanks reversed at full speed. Their return shots going wild hitting across a large area.
