He was part of the second group and arrived to the other team laying down and studying the objective. “Light guard on the walls, no outside patrols, and I can’t see any armor,” reported Knight upon encountering Watson. He checked his timer and alerted the team that they had twenty minutes to get to work.
Gunthix sat up and took a kneeling position. After pressing a button on his forearm, the cannon on his back rose up and extended. “I’m going to launch three timed rounds to explode at the same time on the central tower. That should deactivate the cannons.”
Watson concurred and began highlighting the paths he wanted each trooper to sprint. It wasn't far, but they would be exposed. Gunthix highlighted a section of the wall, “After the explosion, I’ll launch two more at this point in the wall and that’s our entrance.” Watson agreed, and adjusted the path of the two cover teams to go up on both sides of the future hole in the wall.
Watson touched his helmet, “Command, this is Smash Zero-One. We are prepared to assault the objective. Over.”
The squad readied their weapons and prepared for their sprint. His helmet echoed with static and then came through clear, “Smash Zero-One, this is Command. You are clear for go. Be advised: twenty-seven minutes until Zero hour. Over.”
Three loud roars sounded as Gunthix fired his cannon. Watson's helmet counted down from four and a massive explosion erupted on the center of the high wall. “All teams, go.” Gunthix adjusted his stance and fired twice more, arched his back and the cannon folded back behind him and looked over his shoulder for the sergeant. Watson was already rushing forward.
Watson sprinted, keeping a careful watch on his H.U.D. as it counted down the next explosion. Another massive explosion sounded as he approached the crumbling wall before them, creating a large cloud of smoke and debris. Two quiet pops sounded and his helmet echoed, “Rider, hook attached and climbing. Malloy, hook attached and climbing.” Gunthix unholstered his two rifles and dived into the smoke.
Gunthix began searching for light thermal signatures in the smoke and prepared to fire at anything that moved. Several large figures began to be outlined in the dark cloud of smoke as Watson’s squad moved to his flank and knelt, shooting at what targets they could see. The cannons in the courtyard began charging up, to the surprise of the team: they weren’t powerless yet. “Watson,” his helmet echoed, “the secondary generators are operational. Go inside the tower and find them.” The team charged the tower and Gunthix leaned around a corner firing his rifles. Watson illuminated a path inside, “Bishop, blow a hole in this wall, then follow me. Patterson, Knight, keep up the cover fire.” Bishop stepped back and fired a rocket at the wall, creating a man sized hole. Watson’s H.U.D. lit up with targets charging the tower. His helmet echoed the voice of Malloy, “Tower team, you have a large element approaching from your left side. We are providing covering fire.” Watson agreed with a large hail of gunfire from the walls and ran inside.
Gunthix’s helmet echoed, “Smash Zero-One, be advised: ships are now launching. Over.” He leaned over, fired a burst, and ducked behind the corner again. “Negative, Command. Cannons are still operational. Require another five mikes. Over.” He motioned for Patterson and Knight to cover the other corner.
“Smash Zero-One, launch will be delayed no longer than five minutes. Bounce pods are already en-route. Out.” Gunthix reloaded his rifles and then switched his frequency to close range. “Watson, how long is it going to take?” An explosion rocked his corner and he leaned out to fire a burst.
“We’re a bit busy. It’ll be a few minutes until we are at the generator control room.” A burst of gunfire echoed through his helmet.
Gunthix spotted a group on the wall across from him, switched to a launcher, and fired. “You have four minutes.” The portion of wall where the newest batch of attackers hid exploded and a body fell to the ground. He searched for Watson on his H.U.D. and deduced he wasn't going to make it at his current rate.
Gunthix looked up at the cannon and studied its mechanics. He found a structural weakness that would buy them some time before the cannons were operational. He sent the weak point to Knight and Patterson. “Fire two rockets at the location. It’ll knock the cannon around and they will need to activate the back-up hydraulics.” He pulled out his other launcher, leaned around the corner and fired. A horrible screech sounded to the twin explosion and bright orange liquid rained down on him. He heard another burst of rocket fire. “We got it,” sounded Knight on the short wave, “How long will it buy the fleet?” A series of whistles sounded and several explosions rocked the courtyard.
King called out, “Rider!” and Gunthix looked back. An explosion had rocked the wall where King and Rider were positioned, knocking Rider to the ground.
“Patterson, go make sure Rider is operational,” Gunthix commanded, “King, where did that come from?” Patterson sprinted over to a clump of piled rocks.
Gunthix helmet echoed with King’s voice, “Intel was wrong. I county twenty-plus M.B.T.’s moving into the courtyard.” Gunthix leaned around the corner to confirm what she said, and only disagreed in the number. It was more than twenty for sure. The squat triangles of the tanks began pouring into the large courtyard from an underground entrance.
Gunthix readied his launchers and his shoulder cannon, leaned around the corner and fired at six targets. Six explosions responded and another whistle sounded by the tower. “Watson, it’s getting boring up here. How long until you have those generators offline?” Gunthix checked his ammo, leaned over and fired three more times.
“We’re at the control room now. Bishop, fire rockets into that room until you need to reload.” Two rocket launches echoed through Gunthix’s helmet. “Good, take your time coming back up.” He switched channels, “Command, this is Smash Zero-One. Fleet is clear to move in. Request directed fire when available. Over.” Gunthix reloaded his launchers, and checked his shoulder cannon. He had two more left.
“Smash Zero-One, affirmative on your last. Assault is now full go. Expect directed fire in five mikes. Out.” He leaned over and fired another salvo of rockets and cannon fire.
Another explosion rocked the tower in response to Gunthix’s salvo. “King, adjust your fire to pick off any hostile not in a tank.” His helmet echoed in response with her compliance. Patterson returned back to the tower with Rider. “Did you miss me, Knight?” Patterson dove below her to assist in covering their corner.
“I hope you brought more than just an attitude,” she responded, “How’s Rider?”
Rider limped over to the corner, his leg wasn’t cooperating and his arm was bent the wrong way. “I’ll live, but I make a better firing rest than a trooper.” He leaned against the wall as he responded to her query.
“If that’s the case, keep your eye on that wall and make sure no one flanks us,” ordered Knight. She looked over to Gunthix and saw that he was no longer there, but had dropped his shoulder cannon.
Gunthix sprinted toward the tanks, dodging their cannon fire. He fired two rockets and jumped in the air to dodge an explosion on the ground where he was. He landed on a tank and fired at a tank on both sides of him. Another tank aimed at him and fired, destroying the tank as he jumped off and dove for another tank. He landed, rolled down by its side and fired at two tanks in the rear of the column. The tanks aimed but didn’t fire this time, giving him the chance to reload his launchers.
“Smash Zero-One,” his helmet echoed, “battleship Brimstone is in position to give directed fire. Over.” He reached over the tank he was hiding behind and fired again at two more tanks, destroying one and immobilizing the second.
“Brimstone Fire Control, fire at will at all enemy targets on ground surrounding my location. Relay me targeting data. Over.” The damaged tank fired in retaliation at him, destroying his cover and killing its own. He ran up the side of the tank, jumped, and rolled as he fired again. “Smash Zero-One, targeting data has been relayed, plasma shells to follow. Over.
”
Gunthix’s H.U.D. lit up as a response to the incoming fire. He charged another tank, jumped in the air as he fired again, and landed on top of the tank. A sudden series of explosions rocked the area as several lines of cannon fire erupted from the sky on the armor column. The tanks in the rear of the column slowed to a stop as their commander considered their problem. He knelt and fired at more tanks, back flipped off of his position, and landed in front of it. The tank lowered its cannons but didn’t fire. Another series of explosions ripped through the air and the tank in front of him exploded. He jumped in the air, landed on the flying tank, and jumped again firing another volley with each jump. In the air, he discarded his launchers and drew his blades, diving at a tank and slicing the entire turret off.
Watson and Bishop emerged from the tower on the second floor. “Bishop, focus your fire at the dismounted targets and give me your last launcher magazine.” He shouldered his launcher and began firing at the few tanks that survived the battleship volley. Another series of explosions rocked the tanks as he watched Gunthix jump and dive between the tanks flung into the air. He fired his magazine empty and reloaded. “Smash Zero-One, this is Command. Be advised: a Reaper bombing run is inbound to cut off enemy retreat in two mikes. Over.”
His H.U.D. was overlaid with the incoming bombing run and projected impact area. “Gunthix,” he called out, “did you get that?” He was in the middle of it.
Gunthix slid behind a tank, drove a blade into the turbine of a tank, grabbed a rifle, and fired a burst into the engine. “Roger, I have two mikes to exit the area.” The engine whined and choked. A tank rushed him, determined to run him over. A rocket impacted the side of the tank and it was flipped over. A Grigor emerged from the damaged tank and jumped at Gunthix. It missed and fell on the ground. Gunthix grabbed it by its tail and swirled it around into another series of space-born fire. “Smash Zero-One, be advised: Brimstone is ceasing fire for two mikes until Reaper bombing run is complete. Over” He withdrew his blade from the engine and charged another tank. The tank he had charged suddenly exploded. He flipped, landed on the tank, and jumped back.
A wall suddenly caved in as a dust trail sprinted toward the collection of tanks. “What the hell is that,” asked Bishop as she watched the massive cloud of dust move.
“I don't know,” replied Watson. He studied the rapidly moving cloud and watched as several tanks were thrown out of the cloud. A massive metal monster emerged from the dust for a moment, then disappeared again. “Command,” spoke Watson to his helmet, “Are there any other mechanized forces in our area? Over.” He continued to watch as the large tanks were thrown around like toys.
“Negative,” replied the voice in his helmet, “You are the only forces in your area. Over.”
His H.U.D. began to warn him of the incoming bombing run.
“Gunthix,” screamed Watson, “Get the hell out of there!” The cloud began to disappear. He searched for the source, but all he could see was Gunthix wrecking havoc on the Grigor force. A loud scream began to sound as Watson continued to watch.
The scream of the Reaper bombers only notified the troops on the ground that a show was about to start. It isn’t enough time to run and barely enough time to look. The explosion carpeted the area, destroyed the entrance tunnel the tanks had been using to enter the battle zone and tossed a few tanks into the air. Bishop turned just in time to see a tank land with Gunthix nowhere in sight. Her heart stopped until she saw him emerge from behind the wreckage.
Gunthix stood up to the absence of gunshots. A few Grigor were lying on the ground, alive but doing their best to prove they were no longer a threat. Watson jumped down from the tower and walked toward Gunthix. Bishop quickly followed suit as Knight and Patterson walked toward them.
“Cover teams,” Watson touched his helmet, “make sure none of them get the bright idea of changing their minds.” A confirmation of his orders echoed into his helmet. He opened his visor to a rush of warm and moist air, with the smell only a battlefield can supply. He pressed a button on his wrist and spoke, “Who’s in charge here?” he asked, and it was translated into a sound rasp notes. A Grigor crawled on his four arms and two legs to Watson. The creature opened its long, tooth filled mouth and answered with a responding group of rasp notes. Watson helmet echoed with his translated words, “I am and we surrender with what little honor we have left.” He squinted at the large creature cowering at his feet and touched his helmet.
“Command, this is Smash Zero-One. Area is pacified. Requesting occupational forces and lancer for medical. Over.” Rider limped over to the group and Bishop helped him stand straighter.
“Roger that, Smash Zero-One. Command One will be on the first lancer down to congratulate you. There are a lot of thankful lives in space and on the ground thanks to you. Out.”
VI
Three lancers landed with two asp fighters as escort. The asps struggled to fly in the atmosphere, as their diamond shape was best suited for space flight. The detachment fit snugly in the war torn keep of the fortress. High Admiral Kai stepped out of one of the lancers before its engines were fully shut down. A flurry of staff in crisp uniforms followed him, doing their best to avoid any mud. Watson smiled to himself, entertained by the security detail that circled the admiral. They were loaded heavily and searching for anything that moved. He considered their equipment too bulky and their basic skills were rusty. One of the team eyed the Grigor heavily, even though they were disarmed and in formation merely for accountability purposes. He wasn’t sure why he was so spooked, the soldier didn’t even have combat stripes.
The admiral marched straight to the team and began shaking hands with everyone. “Amazing,” he spoke with utter disbelief, “Just amazing. Thousands of Guntherians owe their lives to you.” A security member remained strangely close to the admiral, unsure if he could even trust them. Gunthix opened his visor and made his distrust apparent. “Scattered reports are coming in. The assault is going well,” Admiral Kai continued, “but, this is the first time Grigor have ever surrendered.”
A staff member stuttered and chimed it, “It’s historic what your team has accomplished, Commander, Master Sergeant. Will you be able to continue your assault on another nearby location?”
Watson eyed the staff member and then looked at Rider being carried into the nearest lancer. The staff member began to speak, but was cut off by Admiral Kai, “There is no need for anymore today. These troopers here deserve their rack time. We need to allow other troopers and soldiers to gain some honor.” The staff member snapped to attention, but his eyes gave off a hue of sudden correction. Admiral Kai stepped to his right to approach Gunthix, but collided with the security member that had been so close to him. “What are you doing?” he snapped, “Go guard the Grigor or something. There isn’t any need for you to guard me from a warrior like Gunthix.” He stepped to Gunthix and gave the firmest handshake he could muster as he admired the warrior.
He turned and spoke to the staff, “These fine warriors will ride with me in Lancer One. I’ll admit it will be a little crowded.” The group began moving toward the group of aircraft as a scream of Reapers shook the ground. A couple of the staff members ducked as if they were being attacked. Bishop giggled at the sight of it. She lifted herself into the lancer and sat down, cradling her rifle as she instinctively counted her magazines. King sat down next to her with a heavy look on her face. Watson stopped by her and leaned down. “I just talked to the medics,” he yelled over the roar of the engines winding up, “Rider is going to be okay.”
The engines screamed as it fought against the gravity of the planet. The troopers felt the first moment of calm as they breached the atmosphere of the jungle planet. The lancer squadron docked with the Purple Rose, wounds were healed, and almost everyone headed immediately for the bunks. Bishop, however, waited in Charon’s quarters.
***
The mission was a success. The planet was occupied and the chance of the Grigor fleet coming b
ack was unlikely, they had lost their best chance of defending the planet with the loss of the anti-orbital cannons. They had more worlds. A small shift in ownership didn’t change anything. What did change was the first collection of living prisoners in decades.
Commander Mars tried to muster as much honor and attention as he could. He was heralded as a further military genius and calls for his promotion gained momentum. All Watson and his squad wanted were to heal their wounds, fill their stomach, and enjoy their rack as much as possible. They were transferred to the cruiser Royal Eagle as a cushioned job. Their new mission was the protection of Princess Iris as she fulfilled her diplomatic duties. The royal family and its inner society saw it as a move to insure her safety for a sensitive diplomatic mission. Major Leadly and the squad saw it as a way to heal. Everyone came out of the last battle with at least one bullet in them. No one was sure how many times Gunthix had been shot.
***
Bishop and Charon were floating in one of the rooms with no artificial gravity. “So, what do the numbers mean?” she asked,” I mean the numbers on your and their shoulders.” Charon grabbed hold the wall and spun herself some more. “Well, this simplest and shortest explanation is they are our designations. I am 109, Styx is 083, and he is 172. Within the Lariot Program, that is what we are known as.” Bishop listened but didn’t feel like she had made it anywhere. Charon traced Bishop's finger along the numbers burnt into her skin.
“The long story is this,” started Charon, “We are genetically engineered super soldiers. You already know this. What you don’t know is that we were created in a batch of two hundred.” Bishop took in the gravity of it, even half that many could do amazing things. “Well, where are the others?” She had anticipated the possibility of a few of them being killed in their intense training or laboratory mistakes. Charon sighed and then said, “We three are only survivors. All of the others committed cellular suicide at various stages of development before we woke up. I don’t know why.” Charon attempted to negotiate the wine into her mouth, but discovered that alcohol and free-fall doesn’t mix as well as everything else had that cycle. The smell of sweat still lingered in the un-recycled air, random beads of it still clinging to their naked bodies. “Scientist Cylos had a crazy theory involving certain aspects of our genes. She said that the pre-cognitive abilities that we possess stretch out farther than we cared to know and that those that died chose suicide over failure, death, or whatever was destined for them.” She sighed again. “Naturally, everyone thought she was crazy as usual.”