Authors: Steven Savile
Elemental (38 page)
He was used to it. He wouldn't have felt comfortable if it
hadn't
happened.
hadn't
happened.
The lead company of the commando's eastern element was in line abreast, aligning the four APCsâthree and a dissipating fireball nowâalmost perfectly with
Herod
's main gun. Buntz raised his pipper slightly, fired; raised it again as he slewed left to compensate for the APCs' forward movement, fired; raised it againâ
Herod
's main gun. Buntz raised his pipper slightly, fired; raised it again as he slewed left to compensate for the APCs' forward movement, fired; raised it againâ
The driver of the final vehicle was going too fast to halt by reversing the drive fans to suck the APC to the ground; he'd have pinwheeled if he'd tried it. Instead he cocked his nacelles forward, hoping that he'd fall out of his predicted course. The APC's tribarrel was firing in
Herod
's general direction, though even if the cyan stream had been carefully aimed the range was too great for 2-cm bolts to damage a tank.
Herod
's general direction, though even if the cyan stream had been carefully aimed the range was too great for 2-cm bolts to damage a tank.
As Buntz's pipper steadied, the side panels of the APC's passenger compartment flopped down and the infantry tried to abandon the doomed vehicle. Buntz barely noticed the jolt of his main gun as it lashed out. Buzzbombs and grenades exploded in red speckles on his
plasma bolt's overwhelming glare. The back of the APC tumbled through the fiery remains of the vehicle's front half.
plasma bolt's overwhelming glare. The back of the APC tumbled through the fiery remains of the vehicle's front half.
Half a dozen tribarrels were shooting at the tanks as the surviving APCs dodged for cover. The same rolling terrain that'd protected Platoon G3 from the tank destroyers sheltered the Brotherhood vehicles also. Buntz threw a quick shot at an APC.
Too
quick: his bolt lifted a divot the size of a fuel drum from the face of a hillock as his target slid behind it. Grass and topsoil burned a smoky orange.
Too
quick: his bolt lifted a divot the size of a fuel drum from the face of a hillock as his target slid behind it. Grass and topsoil burned a smoky orange.
The only Brotherhood vehicles still in sight were a mortar van and the APC that'd provided its security. They'd both been assigned to
Hole Card
originally, but seeing as all of
Herod
's targets were either hidden or blazing wreckageâ
Hole Card
originally, but seeing as all of
Herod
's targets were either hidden or blazing wreckageâ
Cabell got on the mortar first, so as its unfired shells erupted in a fiery yellow mushroom Buntz put a bolt into the bow of the APC. The side panels were open and the tribarrel wasn't firing. Like as not the gunner and driver had joined the infantry in the relative safety of the high grass.
The mortars hadn't fired on Rennie's platoon, knowing that the combat cars would simply put their tribarrels in air-defense mode and sweep the bombs from the sky. The only time mortar shells might be useful would be if they distracted the cars from line-of-sight targets.
The Brotherhood commando had been well and truly hammered, but what remained was as dangerous as a wounded leopard. One option was for Rennie to claim a victory and withdraw in company with the tanks. In the short term that made better economic sense than sending armored vehicles against trained, well-equipped infantry in heavy cover. In the longer term, though, that gave the Slammers the reputation of a unit that was afraid to go for the throat ⦠which meant it wasn't an option at all.
“
Myrtle Six to Lamplight Six,
” said Lieutenant Rennie over the command push.
“My cars are about to sweep the zone, west side first. Don't you panzers get hasty for targets, all right? Over.”
Myrtle Six to Lamplight Six,
” said Lieutenant Rennie over the command push.
“My cars are about to sweep the zone, west side first. Don't you panzers get hasty for targets, all right? Over.”
“Lamplight to Myrtle,” Buntz replied. “Sir, hold your screen and let me flush'em toward you while my Four-seven element keeps overwatch.
You've got deployed infantry in your way, but if we can deal with their air defenseâright?”
You've got deployed infantry in your way, but if we can deal with their air defenseâright?”
Finishing the commando wouldn't be safe either way, but it was better for a lone tank. Facing infantry in the high grass the combat cars risked shooting one another up, whereas
Herod
had a reasonable chance of bulling in and out without taking more than her armor could absorb.
Herod
had a reasonable chance of bulling in and out without taking more than her armor could absorb.
Smoke rose from a dozen grassfires on the plain, and the blaze on the hills to the north was growing into what'd be considered a disaster on a world at peace. A tiny part of Buntz's mind noted that he hadn't been on a world at peace in the thirteen standard years since he joined the Slammers, and he might never be on one again until he retired. Or died.
He'd been raised to believe in the Way. Enough of the training remained that he wasn't sure there was peace even in death for what Sergeant Darren Lawrence Buntz had become. But that was for another time, or probably no time at all.
While Buntz waited for Myrtle Six to reply, he echoed a real-time feed from
Hole Card
's on a section of his own main screen, then called up a topographic map and overlaid it with the courses of all the Brotherhood vehicles. On that he drew a course plot with a sweep of his index finger.
Hole Card
's on a section of his own main screen, then called up a topographic map and overlaid it with the courses of all the Brotherhood vehicles. On that he drew a course plot with a sweep of his index finger.
“
Lamplight, this is Myrtle
,” Lieutenant Rennie said at last. The five cars had formed into a loose wedge, poised to sweep north through the Brotherhood anti-armor teams and the remaining APCs. “
All right, Buntz, we'll be your anvil. Next time, though, we get the fun part. Myrtle Six out.
”
Lamplight, this is Myrtle
,” Lieutenant Rennie said at last. The five cars had formed into a loose wedge, poised to sweep north through the Brotherhood anti-armor teams and the remaining APCs. “
All right, Buntz, we'll be your anvil. Next time, though, we get the fun part. Myrtle Six out.
”
“Four-seven, this is Four-two,” Buntz said, using the channel dedicated to Lamplight; that was the best way to inform without repetition not only Sergeant Cabell but also the drivers of the two tanks. “Four-two will proceed on the attached course.”
He transmitted the plot he'd drawn while waiting for Rennie to make up his mind. It was rough, but that was all Lahti neededâshe'd pick the detailed route by eyeball. As for Cabell, knowing the course allowed him to anticipate where targets might appear.
“I'll nail them if they hold where they are, and you get 'em if they try to run, Cabell,” he said. “But you know, not too eager. Got it, over?”
“
Roger, Four-two,
” Cabell replied. “
Good hunting. Four-seven out
.”
Roger, Four-two,
” Cabell replied. “
Good hunting. Four-seven out
.”
Lahti had already started
Herod
down the slope, using gravity to accelerate; the fans did little more than lift the skirts off the ground. Their speed quickly built up to 40 kph.
Herod
down the slope, using gravity to accelerate; the fans did little more than lift the skirts off the ground. Their speed quickly built up to 40 kph.
Buntz frowned, doubtful about going so fast cross-country in a tank. Lahti was managing it, though.
Herod
jounced over narrow, rain-cut gullies and on hillocks that the roots of shrubs had cemented into masses a hand's breadth higher than the surrounding surface, but though Buntz jolted against his seat restraints the shocks weren't any worse than those of the main gun firing.
Herod
jounced over narrow, rain-cut gullies and on hillocks that the roots of shrubs had cemented into masses a hand's breadth higher than the surrounding surface, but though Buntz jolted against his seat restraints the shocks weren't any worse than those of the main gun firing.
The fighting compartment displays gave Buntz a panoramic view at any magnification he wanted. Despite that, he had an urge to roll the hatch back and ride with his head out. Like most of the other Slammers recruits, whatever planet they came from, he'd been a country boy. It didn't feel right to shut himself up in a box when he was heading for a fight.
It was what common sense as well as standing orders required, though, Buntz did what he knew he should instead of what his heart wanted to do. When he'd been ten years younger, though, he'd regularly ridden into battle with his torso out of the hatch and his hands on the spade grips of the tribarrel instead of slewing and firing it with the joystick behind armor.
“
Boomer Three-niner-one, this is Myrtle Six
,” Lieutenant Rennie said, using the operation's command channel to call the supporting battery.
“Request targeting round at point Alpha Tango one-three, five-eight. Over.”
Boomer Three-niner-one, this is Myrtle Six
,” Lieutenant Rennie said, using the operation's command channel to call the supporting battery.
“Request targeting round at point Alpha Tango one-three, five-eight. Over.”
Herod tore through a belt of heavy brush in the dip between two gradual rises. Groundwater collected here, and there might be a running stream during the wet season. The tank's skirts sheared gnarled
stems, and bits that got into the fan nacelles were sprayed out again as chips.
stems, and bits that got into the fan nacelles were sprayed out again as chips.
Hole Card
fired. Buntz had been concentrating on the panoramic screen, poised to react if the tank's AI careted movement. Now he glanced at his echo of Cabell's targeting display. The bolt missed, but a Brotherhood APC fluffed its fans to escape the fire spreading from the scar that plasma'd licked through thirty meters of grass.
fired. Buntz had been concentrating on the panoramic screen, poised to react if the tank's AI careted movement. Now he glanced at his echo of Cabell's targeting display. The bolt missed, but a Brotherhood APC fluffed its fans to escape the fire spreading from the scar that plasma'd licked through thirty meters of grass.
Cabell fired again. Maybe he'd even planned it this way, spending the first round to startle his target into the path of the second. The APC flew apart. There was no secondary explosion because the infantry had already dismounted, taking their munitions with them.
A shell from the supporting rocket artillery screamed out of the southern sky. While the round was still a thousand meters in the air, a tribarrel fired from near the predicted point of impact. Plasma ruptured the shell, sending a spray of blue smoke through the air. It'd been a marking round, harmless unless you happened to be exactly where it hit.
Herod
had just reached the top of another rise. The APC that'd destroyed the shell was behind a knoll seven kilometers away, but Buntz fired, Cabell fired, and two combat cars on the east end of Rennie's wedge thought they had a target also.
had just reached the top of another rise. The APC that'd destroyed the shell was behind a knoll seven kilometers away, but Buntz fired, Cabell fired, and two combat cars on the east end of Rennie's wedge thought they had a target also.
None of them hit the target, but Buntz got a momentary view of a Brotherhood soldier hopping into sight and vanishing again. He'd leaped from his cupola, well aware that it was only a matter of timeâa matter of a short timeâbefore the Slammers' concentrated fire hit the vehicle that'd been spared by such a narrow margin.
Lahti boosted her fans into the overload region to lift
Herod
another centimeter off the ground without letting their speed drop. The side slopes were harsh going: the topsoil had weathered away, leaving rock exposed. Rain and wind deposited the silt at the bottom of the swales, so the Brotherhood troops waiting on the other side of the hill would expect
Herod
to come at them low.
Herod
another centimeter off the ground without letting their speed drop. The side slopes were harsh going: the topsoil had weathered away, leaving rock exposed. Rain and wind deposited the silt at the bottom of the swales, so the Brotherhood troops waiting on the other side of the hill would expect
Herod
to come at them low.
Buntz'd angled his main gun to their left front, fully depressed. The
cupola tribarrel was aimed up the hill
Herod
was circling. He saw the infantry on the crest rise with their buzzbombs shouldered. Before his thumb could squeeze the tribarrel's firing tit, his displays flickered and the hair on the back of his neck rose. The top of the hill erupted, struck squarely by a bolt from
Hole Card
's main gun. Cabell's angle had given him an instant's advantage.
cupola tribarrel was aimed up the hill
Herod
was circling. He saw the infantry on the crest rise with their buzzbombs shouldered. Before his thumb could squeeze the tribarrel's firing tit, his displays flickered and the hair on the back of his neck rose. The top of the hill erupted, struck squarely by a bolt from
Hole Card
's main gun. Cabell's angle had given him an instant's advantage.
Twenty-odd kilometers of atmosphere had spread the plasma charge, but it was still effective against the infantry. There'd been at least six Brotherhood soldiers, but when the rainbow dazzle cleared a single figure remained to stumble downhill. Its arms were raised and its hair and uniform were burning. The fireball of organic matter in the huge divot which the bolt blasted from the hilltop did most of the damage, but the troops' own grenades and buzzbombs had gone off also.
Cabell'd taken a chance when he aimed so close to
Herod
at long range, but a battle's a risky place to be. Buntz wasn't complaining.
Herod
at long range, but a battle's a risky place to be. Buntz wasn't complaining.
Herod
rounded the knob, going too fast to hold its line when the outside of the curve was on a downslope. The tank, more massive than big but big as well, skidded and jounced outward on the turn. The four Brotherhood APCs sheltered on the reverse slope fired before
Herod
came into sight, willing to burn out their tribarrels for the chance of getting off the first shot. The gunners knew that if they didn't cripple the blower tank instantly they were dead.
rounded the knob, going too fast to hold its line when the outside of the curve was on a downslope. The tank, more massive than big but big as well, skidded and jounced outward on the turn. The four Brotherhood APCs sheltered on the reverse slope fired before
Herod
came into sight, willing to burn out their tribarrels for the chance of getting off the first shot. The gunners knew that if they didn't cripple the blower tank instantly they were dead.
They were probably dead even if they did cripple the tank. They were well-trained professionals sacrificing themselves to give their fellows a chance to escape.
Two-cm bolts rang on
Herod
's bow slope in a brilliant display that blurred several of the tank's external pickups with a film of redeposited iridium. The Brotherhood commander hadn't had time to form a defensive position; his vehicles were bunched to escape the tank snipers far to the west, not to meet one of those tanks at knife range. Three vehicles were at the bottom of the swale in a rough line-ahead; the last was higher on the slope.
Herod
's bow slope in a brilliant display that blurred several of the tank's external pickups with a film of redeposited iridium. The Brotherhood commander hadn't had time to form a defensive position; his vehicles were bunched to escape the tank snipers far to the west, not to meet one of those tanks at knife range. Three vehicles were at the bottom of the swale in a rough line-ahead; the last was higher on the slope.
Buntz fired his main gun when the pipper swung onâon
anything,
on any part of the APCs. His bolt hit the middle vehicle of the line; it swelled into a fiery bubble. The shockwave shoved the other vehicles away.
anything,
on any part of the APCs. His bolt hit the middle vehicle of the line; it swelled into a fiery bubble. The shockwave shoved the other vehicles away.
The high APC continued to hose
Herod
with plasma bolts, hammering the hull and blasting three fat holes in the skirts. That tribarrel was the only one to hit the tank, probably because its gunner was aiming to avoid friendly vehicles.
Herod
with plasma bolts, hammering the hull and blasting three fat holes in the skirts. That tribarrel was the only one to hit the tank, probably because its gunner was aiming to avoid friendly vehicles.
Herod
's main gun cycled, purging and cooling the bore with a let of liquid nitrogen. Buntz held his foot down on the trip, screaming with frustration because his gun didn't fire, couldn't fire. He understood the delay, but it was maddening nonetheless.
's main gun cycled, purging and cooling the bore with a let of liquid nitrogen. Buntz held his foot down on the trip, screaming with frustration because his gun didn't fire, couldn't fire. He understood the delay, but it was maddening nonetheless.
The upper half of the APC vanished in a roaring coruscation: the explosion of
Herod
's target had pushed it high enough that
Hole Card
could nail it. Cabell wouldn't have to pay for his drinks the next night he and Buntz were in a bar together.
Herod
's target had pushed it high enough that
Hole Card
could nail it. Cabell wouldn't have to pay for his drinks the next night he and Buntz were in a bar together.
Two blocks of
Herod
's Automatic Defense Array went off simultaneously, making the hull chime like a gong. Each block blasted out hundreds of tungsten barrels the size of a finger joint. They ripped through long grass and Brotherhood infantry, several of them already firing powerguns.
Herod
's Automatic Defense Array went off simultaneously, making the hull chime like a gong. Each block blasted out hundreds of tungsten barrels the size of a finger joint. They ripped through long grass and Brotherhood infantry, several of them already firing powerguns.
A soldier stepped around the bow of an APC, his buzzbomb raised to launch. A third block detonated, shredding him from neck to knees. Pellets punched ragged holes through the light armor of the vehicle behind him.
Herod
's main gun firedâ
finally
, Buntz's imagination told him, but he knew the loading cycle was complete in less than two seconds. The rearmost APC collapsed in on itself like a thin wax model in a bonfire. The bow fragment tilted toward the rainbow inferno where the middle of the vehicle had been, its tribarrel momentarily spurting a cyan track skyward.
's main gun firedâ
finally
, Buntz's imagination told him, but he knew the loading cycle was complete in less than two seconds. The rearmost APC collapsed in on itself like a thin wax model in a bonfire. The bow fragment tilted toward the rainbow inferno where the middle of the vehicle had been, its tribarrel momentarily spurting a cyan track skyward.
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