Annihilation: Love Conquers All (34 page)

“I do humbly appreciate your offer, sir,” Richard said. “I know it was given with the best of intentions, seeing as how you and your troops have taken such good care of our people while you incarcerated them. And that bit with the hostages, using lasers to kill unarmed civilians. I can see how brave you and you troops are. One of the things my men truly look forward to is seeing how good you are when the hostages are capable of fighting back.”

“You are surrounded by twenty-four companies to your six. We have heavier weapons and we control the air. You have no chance. You’ll be responsible for the death of all those you think you’re protecting,” the captain replied.

Richard had made sure the conversation was being relayed to all his men and to the civilians inside the screen. “We have learned from experience, sir, that the Alliance only deals death. Your assurances are meaningless, and I speak for all those I protect; if you choose to attack with two regiments, you will not have more than one company survive. You will learn this day what price we place on our lives. It will be a day your race will never forget.”

The Alliance colonel looked into the human’s eyes and could see the barely restrained anger and the steel resolve. He was going to teach the humans some respect, but the look of this soldier chilled him. He turned without a word and left.

As Richard walked back to his headquarters, he could hear a chat start on the general com frequency, “Wise-man, Wise-man, Wise-man.” It grew louder and louder until all thirty thousand civilians were yelling with the troops.

“Now we’re ready,” Richard thought. “Let’s see how good our weapons are. Our ships are clearly superior. The Alliance fools have not seen what real fighting armor can do. Our ships can handle four-to-one odds. Four to one should be easy. I hope.”

The colonel landed and informed General Dorg of the meeting. General Dorg sneered and ordered, “Begin the bombardment immediately.” Fifty heavy floaters roared out toward the human positions.

Richard heard on the general com frequency, “Beam floaters coming in from the west, estimate fifty-plus.”

Richard said, “Company commanders, launch hornets one through fifty.” Each marine had four of the small missiles on their back loader. They had been numbered one through four thousand. Each man knew what their missiles were numbered and launched when their number was called. The small missiles were amazingly fast and carried a fully charged and sealed Coronado power cell. When the missile struck it would shatter the seal on the power cell and it would instantly release its entire energy charge. Each of those cells had absorbed the energy from three primary lasers for one hour. They carried quite a punch, as these floaters were about to discover. The command was heard over the communications net and fifty hornets zipped into the air and headed west. Once they cleared the troop’s positions, they shed the armor protector from the warhead and began looking for a target. The small missile’s sensor used the Coronado cell’s field leakage to sense its target. Once it detected a target, it shrunk the field to a straight line and directed it on the target. Every hornet was programmed to ignore targets that were illuminated by the shrunk fields of other hornets.

The Alliance commander was watching the floaters roar toward the human positions on his view screen and was looking forward to seeing the humans have the groad blown out of them. Suddenly, all fifty Alliance floaters exploded within ten seconds of each other. They didn’t even have time to evade whatever it was that hit them, and there was no wreckage. Whatever struck the floaters vaporized them. “Launch one hundred and have them come in low from different directions. Spread them out,” he ordered. One hundred floaters lifted and, staying close to the ground, moved toward the humans’ lines.

“Sir, we have multiple readings on floaters,” Lieutenant Dunn said. “They’re staying low to avoid detection.”

“It won’t help them,” Richard said. “We have a satellite overhead with passive sensors. They’ll never see it, but it sees everything they do. Launch fifty-one through 150 hornets, Commander. Send them vertical to read their locations.” The hornets launched straight up to three thousand feet, and then started picking out their targets. Not one floater got through.

The Alliance headquarters was in a state of disarray. The little missiles were so small and flew so fast that the Alliance sensors had not even picked one up. They had received a brief blip when they went vertical, but it had disappeared immediately. General Dorg said, “I have lost 40 percent of our air units and have not hit anything. Floaters stand no chance against their defenses. Start an artillery barrage and prepare the assault troops for attack.” The general was hoping that his brother would arrive with the fleet soon. He didn’t like what he was seeing.

“Artillery coming in, sir.”

“Expand the field,” Richard commanded. The portable screen covering the camp expanded until it covered the troop positions. He felt safe that no amount of artillery was going to get through the screen. When they moved heavy particle beams into position, that would be another story and he would have to shrink the screen to increase its strength. He was right so far. The artillery was exploding harmlessly four hundred yards from their positions. “I wonder if they can see this,” he thought.

General Dorg was pounding his four arms against the display. “Nothing is getting through,” he realized. ”Floaters, artillery, nothing.”

“Sir, our heavy particle weapons might get through that screen if our readings are right,” Dorg’s sensor officer said.

“You mean a frontal assault is the only way to get at these humans,” the general screamed.

“Unless you can get one of our ships overhead to hit them with a primary laser, yes sir, it is.”

“We can’t even communicate with them. The humans have somehow disrupted our long-range communications. Order the first regiment to begin their ground assault.”

“Alright boys, this is where we earn our keep. Contract the screen; pull the civilians in as tight as possible. It should hold up to heavy particle weapons if we can contract it to seven hundred yards. Pass on to the company commanders that the Alliance heavy weapons will probably target the screen covering the civilians first. Release all troops to use their hornets against any target of opportunity that shows itself, particularly heavy weapons. Stay low and behind your screens. Make sure your rifles are energized and use your suit sensors to pick your targets. Good hunting, men. We have to hold until help arrives. Make me proud.”

Jeremy Watson and Alonso Singh waited in their spider trap. They were members of Alpha company’s first squad, which was camouflaged four hundred yards in front of the defensive positions. They had dug a hole and crawled in, and then used their screen as a roof. Other marines then covered their lair with dirt, shrubbery, and grass to camouflage it. Each company had placed one squad out from their perimeter. Their job was to wait for the Alliance infantry to pass, and then go after their heavy weapons. They would then turn on the infantry and fight their way back to their lines. “Al, are they sure this screen will hold the weight of a heavy weapons platform?” Jeremy asked.

“The old man says it will,” Alonso replied. “That’s good enough for me. It’s the fighting-our-way-back that has me concerned.”

“I’ve got your back, Al.”

“Jer, I have a wife and three children waiting for me. If I don’t make it, will you deliver the letter in my back harness?”

“You’re going to make it, Al.”

“But if I don’t and you do, will you make sure they get it?”

“Semper fi, brother.”

“Here they come,” Alonso said. The two marines watched their display as the Alliance regiment moved forward. There were hundreds of drop troops moving across the landscape, kicking up dust as they changed direction to avoid the humans’ energy weapons. It was easy to see that these were well-disciplined troops. Jeremy turned up his magnification and saw the heavy weapon platforms moving about four hundred yards behind the troops. The members of first squad turned off their armor and waited for the ground forces to pass. They would receive a signal from company HQ when the heavy weapons were spotted by satellite.

“Al, there must be seven hundred troops that passed us.”

“At least seven hundred. Remember, we fire all eight of our hornets and program them for heavy weapons. Then you take the right, I’ll take the left, and let’s clear us a hole in their lines and haul it back to A company.” A loud tone came through their coms and Alonso said, “Time to go. Power your armor and fire hornets on three: one, two, three, go.”

The twelve marines of A company sprung from their lairs and launched all their hornets. Forty-eight of the small missiles went ninety feet vertical and then targeted the Alliance heavy weapon platforms. They then turned and leveled their blast rifles and began sprinting at forty-five miles per hour in their powered armor back toward their lines. The defensive lines in front of them were firing at the soldiers on the left and right of the marines, sprinting back to their lines. The trap door squads were firing into the back of the Alliance soldiers in front of them, and they were falling in big numbers. The Alliance foot soldiers expected the human line to be pinned down by their heavy weapons, but the hornets had done their part. Fifty of the seventy platforms were totally destroyed, and the remaining twenty had turned around to avoid destruction.

“What are they doing turning from the battle?” General Dorg yelled. “Turn them around immediately and commence firing.”

Jeremy and Alonso were approaching their lines when one of the Alliance weapon platforms fired a barrage of heavy slugs at the marines’ lines. One of the slugs went through Jeremy’s armor and out his shoulder. He fell and rolled. Alonso stopped and grabbed Jeremy’s back harness and ran, pulling him toward safety while firing his rifle single-handed. Alonso dropped eight Alliance soldiers before the weapons platform fired eight rounds through his armor. He died on the spot. Jeremy began crawling and pulled Alonso with him. The weapons platform that had hit them was killed by three high-speed rocket power cells that Alpha company artillery targeted on it. Three of Alpha company’s troops ran out and pulled the two to safety behind their built-up positions.

“Al, Al, answer me,” Jeremy pleaded.

The medic looked at Jeremy and said, “He won’t hear you, son. He’s gone.” Jeremy pulled himself up to Alonso’s body and pulled the letter out of his harness. He placed it in his armored glove and passed out from the pain.

“Colonel, there’s just too many,” Lieutenant Dunn said. “We’re close to losing Charlie company. There are only twenty effectives left, and the Alliance is sending troops there to breech our lines.”

“Gentlemen, we’re into the thick of it,” Richard said. “Everyone grab a rifle and let’s go join Charlie company.” The ten members of Richard’s staff grabbed weapons, and they sprinted through the screen and then dove behind Charlie company’s burned-out weapon platforms. Richard noticed a wounded marine, Jeremy, running with them. Jeremy said on the com, “It’s only a scratch, Colonel. Can’t let you have all the fun, sir.” The twelve marines joined the survivors of Charlie Company and started delivering devastating blaster fire into the Alliance’s advance. The whole perimeter around the Rossville camp looked like a scene from hell. The marines were being hit with constant missile and blaster fire. The entire front looked on fire. Yet they still continued to fire at the Alliance advance. Richard was hit by a rocket that hit close to where he was laying, and it broke his leg and threw him thirty feet off the line. He crawled back and continued firing. Then, slowly at first, then faster, the remaining Alliance ground troops began withdrawing. They disappeared down the valley and Richard commanded, “Cease fire.” Then there was silence.

A medic turned Richard over and said, “Sir, we’ve stopped the bleeding, but we need to move you out to set that leg.”

Richard said, “I will not leave my men. Go help someone who’s really hurt, I’m not moving.” All of Richard’s command heard the exchange. His radio was damaged and stuck on transmit on the general frequency. They heard the medic say, “Sir, your leg is broken in four places, you have shrapnel in your left arm, and your armor has lost its screen.”

“Medic, I’m not accustomed to repeating myself,” Richard replied. “Help my men that really need it. Now leave.” The medic left with a heavy heart, and Richard’s remaining marines felt something in them grow into hardened resolve; they vowed vengeance on the Alliance for what they had done to their commander. “Company commanders report,” Richard ordered.

“Sir, five of our six commanders are either dead or too wounded to fight,” Lieutenant Dunn said.

“How many men are still combat effective?” Richard asked.

“Three hundred seventy-five, sir.”

“We’ve lost 625 men,” Richard thought with a heavy heart. Then he asked, “Have we heard anything from surveillance?”

“Yes sir. The first regiment the Alliance sent against us was pretty much destroyed. They are massing the second regiment to attack in force through the valley. I think they feel that attacking the whole perimeter stretches them too thin. It appears that the entire regiment is approaching en masse down the valley.”

“Are our weapon platforms still hidden?”

“Yes sir, but they won’t be enough to stop them all.”